​ST. NICHOLAS GIVING TREE

Les received his Licentiate in Theology (LTh) from the A.C. Marble School for Theological Formation. The Marble School uses the Iona Collaborative Curriculum under the auspices of the Seminary of the Southwest. His undergraduate degree in Business Administration is from USL, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In addition, Les has completed some coursework for a Masters of Public Administration. He was ordained in June of 2024 and Bishop Duckworth has appointed him to St. Margaret’s “for now”.

A long-time resident of Baton Rouge, Les and his husband Joe, have created their family of choice that includes their “son” Corey and “son-in-law” Lance. This whole family of choice enjoy activities with two local non-profits, the 10/31 Consortium and the Krewe of Apollo.

The following is an excerpt from the Rev. Trish Toburen’s sermon at Les’ ordination on June 10, 2024.

“From Jeremiah we hear ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.’ A beautiful passage that reminds us that eternity moves in all directions – from what was to what is and to what will be. The mysterious intimacy from which God not only formed us, but KNEW us – before we were even in the womb. And we were consecrated – made sacred – before we even took our first breath of air.

Which means Les was always a deacon. He just had to figure it out for himself. Aren’t we often the last to know – something that is so obvious to others?

Les followed a winding road to get here this evening, as most of us do. But one of the most admirable things about Les is his spiritual lens. He was raised a devout Roman Catholic. And some people coming from other religious traditions dwell on the negatives. Not Les. He is grateful for his Catholic upbringing.

For his wonderful memories from Sister Olivia’s Kindergarten class. And for the solid foundation Paddy and Lester, his devout, Roman Catholic parents, gave him that formed his spiritual and moral belief system. A framework that has helped him embody Jesus’ words in Luke’s Gospel this evening: ‘But I am among you as one who serves.’ A framework of love, service, and joy that emanates from him today.

We just heard in Psalm 84: ‘My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Happy are those whose strength is in you.’

And again, how fitting. Because Les is nothing, if he is not Happy. Joyous. Radiant.”