Beaumont Diocese’s bishop-elect cites ‘Godincidence’

By Monique Batson
Beaumont Enterprise
August 16, 2020

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-Diocese-s-bishop-elect-cites-15487337.php

Msgr. David Toups listens as Bishop Curtis Guillory speaks before a gathering of priests and others to announce his retirement and introduce Toups, who was selected by Pope Francis to be his predecessor in leading the Diocese of Beaumont. Msgr. Toups, also a native of Louisiana, will be ordained as Bishop at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica August 21. He will be the first leader of the diocese to be ordained a Bishop at the church. Photo by Kim Brent

Many would say the work of God brought Bishop-elect David L. Toups to Southeast Texas.

But it was the word of God that confirmed the move for the Gulf Coast native set to be ordained Friday as the sixth bishop to lead the Diocese of Beaumont.

“Romans 8:28,” Toups said during a recent phone interview with The Enterprise. “‘For those who love God, all things work together for the good.’”

It was during a conversation with current Bishop Curtis Guillory that Toups disclosed the scripture as his mother’s favorite and the first he was taught as a child.

“And Bishop Guillory said, ‘wait a minute, that’s my motto as a bishop,” Toups said. “It was a beautiful moment confirming the pope’s appointment. The beautiful scripture that has led my family all these years has also led Beaumont all these years. We call it a ‘Godincidence.’”

It was announced in early June that Guillory would retire and Toups, 49, would take his place.

But despite his birth in Seattle, Washington, there’s nothing northern about him.

“I only lived there 9 months,” he said, “But your birthplace follows you.”

Toups was raised in his father’s hometown of Houma, Louisiana, but joked, “it doesn’t reflect my genealogy at all.”

When he was 16, Toups’ family of five relocated to Florida. It is there where he found his calling — but not immediately.

“I was your stereotypical college kid in a fraternity, dating, living a college lifestyle,” the former pre-law student said. “But I always kept coming back to my faith and the Sunday mass my parents had instilled in us.”

He was half-way through his college career in 1991 when he decided to enter the seminary.

“I said, ‘Lord you may be calling me to a whole-hearted lifelong service so I’m going to go into the seminary to figure out. When I had my adult experience of giving my heart to the Lord, I just decided at that moment that there was nothing I could do but to serve him as a priest.”

He was ordained in 1997, and has since served as an associate pastor, pastor and recently as rector and president at a major seminary for the Southeast. When his Beaumont appointment by the pope was announced, Toups was serving as a priest of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

But that’s just a summary of his résumé.

“I’ve been all over,” he said. “I’ve had a varied experience as a priest — a broadening experience working for a national church, a regional church and working on the ground level training future priests.”

It’s that experience, he believes that will help him handle issues faced in recent years by the Catholic Church.

In early 2019, the denomination was rocked by scandal when it released a list of priests credibly accused of having been involved in the molestation of children and young adults.

Of the 286 living and deceased priests named in Texas, 13 were with the Diocese of Beaumont.

“My job in the church has been on the proactive side,” Toups said. “I want to continue to reach out to anyone who has been hurt in any way. That’s not the message of Jesus Christ. Caring for persons that have been hurt remains a priority for me.

“I have been training the next generation of priests. I’ve had this wonderful opportunity to ensure the goodness, soundness and holiness of the next generation of priests. I see the beauty and joy and vision and wholehearted dedication of these young men.”

Current issues also remain a priority for the incoming bishop.

“In daily mass, in my prayers, I pray daily for an end to the coronavirus, for peaceful resolutions to the protests that our country is experiencing and for the healing of racial divisions,” he said. “At this moment in history, I feel like we are all in the same boat together.

“We all are struggling with how to handle the coronavirus. We all are struggling with financial difficulties. So many are suffering with isolation and separation. The church finds itself in the same boat with all of humanity. There’s something very beautiful to this solidarity”

Following Friday’s ordination, which will be the first to occur in St. Anthony Cathedral Basillica’s 53-year history, Toups said he looks forward to meeting those in the nine counties served by the Diocese of Beaumont and getting involved in the community.

“I come with lots of energy and zeal, and hope to share that with our local church and whole civic community as the leader of our Catholic Church.”

But there is one more thing the lifelong Southerner is anticipating.

“A good old-fashioned Texas/Louisiana crawfish boil,” he said with a laugh.