Cathedral Staff

Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre, D.D.

Archbishop Shelton Joseph Fabre’s Biography Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre was born October 25, 1963, to Luke Fabre, Jr and Theresa Ann Vallet Fabre. He is the fifth of six children. He attended primary and secondary schools in New Roads, graduating in 1981 as valedictorian of Catholic High School of Pointe Coupée. He then entered Saint Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict, Louisiana, graduating with a Bachelor of History degree in 1985.

After completing his studies at Saint Joseph, Fabre was sent to the American College of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium. He received additional priestly formation there while studying at the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven. He was awarded a Bachelor of Religious Studies degree in 1987 and a Master of Religious Studies degree in 1989 from Katholieke Universiteit.

Fabre was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Baton Rouge on August 5, 1989. After his ordination, he served as Associate Pastor of the parishes of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in Greenwell Springs, St. George Church in Baton Rouge, St. Isidore the Farmer Church in Baker, and St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge. He served as pastor at both St. Joseph Parish in Grosse Tete and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Maringouin, as well as Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Baton Rouge.

Fabre’s diocesan positions during this period were as chaplain at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Defender of the Bond for the Marriage Tribunal, and Dean of the Northwest Deanery. He also served on the Diocese of Baton Rouge Priest Council, College of Consultors, School Board, Clergy Personnel Board, Chairman of Pastoral Planning, and Director of the Office of Black Catholics.

On December 13, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Fabre as Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans. He was ordained by Archbishop Alfred Hughes on February 28, 2007, in New Orleans. As Auxiliary Bishop, he worked to help rebuild the Archdiocese of New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

On September 23, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Fabre as the Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. He was installed at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales on October 30, 2013. His leadership in Houma-Thibodaux leaves a legacy where he will be remembered for his listening and availability, as well as pastoral planning and efforts for priestly renewal.

He presently serves as the chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, and led the writing of the U.S. Bishops’ most recent pastoral letter on racism, Open Wide Our Hearts – The Enduring Call to Love, which was approved and published in 2018. He also serves on the board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

Very Reverend Frederick W. Klotter

A native Louisvillian, Fr. Fred Klotter, was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville in 1996. Growing up, he attended both public and Catholic schools, and then entered Indiana University in Bloomington where he accomplished the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Finance.

After college, he worked in the banking industry for a number of years and during those years earned a master’s in business administration (MBA) at Bellarmine University. Eventually, he felt the call to priesthood and entered seminary at age 30.

Since ordination he has been privileged with the opportunity to earn two pontifical degrees: the licentiate in systematic theology (STL) and the licentiate in canon law (JCL).

Pastorally, he served as an associate pastor in both Oldham and Marion Counties, and then for eight years he pastored St. Martin of Tours Church in downtown Louisville. In mid-June, Fr. Klotter will finish his twelfth year as pastor of the Church of the Holy Spirit Church in St. Matthews. He has one brother, Pete, who lives in the Seattle area with his wife and two daughters.

Father Klotter’s appointment as Cathedral Rector became effective June 2024.

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Chris McDonell

Deacon Chris McDonell was ordained in August 2012 by the Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, and assigned to serve at the Cathedral of the Assumption.  He currently serves on the Social Concerns Committee and manages the grants for the lunch program at the food kitchen for the Cathedral.  Chris is a native of Minnesota, where he received his undergraduate degree in Communication and then received his MBA from Bellarmine University.  Currently Chris is a certified teacher with JCPS and is a second grade teacher.  Both he and his wife, Melani have received pastoral certificates from Spalding University.  He is also the Chaplin in his son’s Boy Scout Troop.

For the last three years his wife, Melani has worked as a Catechist for the confirmation class at The Church of the Epiphany.  Their son Noah is actively involved with youth group and youth council.

Dr. Philip Brisson

Dr. Philip Brisson is Director of Music and Organist at the Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville, the third oldest Catholic Cathedral in the country. In addition to leading the Cathedral’s worship program, he also manages the Cathedral’s Concert Series, which includes the Kelty Endowed Organ Recitals which have further recognized the Cathedral for not only musical excellence in liturgy but also for outstanding concerts in the Louisville community. Philip has led the Cathedral Choir on international concert tours to England, Ireland, Germany, and Austria. Recently, the choir traveled to Washington DC for performances in the Arlington area and at the National Shrine. Locally, the Cathedral Choirs have performed with the Louisville Orchestra, have been featured on television, and have appeared annually for concerts in collaboration with Louisville’s Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral and Calvary Episcopal Church under the title “Louisville’s Three Choirs Festival.” Recent solo performing experiences have included being “Organist in Residence” at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England; appearing on the L’Organo Recital Series at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC; and concertizing in Hasselt, Belgium and Rome, Italy.

Dr. Brisson was instrumental in the founding of the Louisville Master Chorale, a premier chorale ensemble which performs the great chorale literature with orchestra in local churches throughout the Louisville area, where he was Organist and Associate Director for its first five years. Prior to his work with the LMC, he was Chorus Master for the Kentucky Opera and prepared choruses for performances which included Puccini’s Turandot and Madame Butterfly, Verdi’s La Traviata, Il Trovatore and Otello, Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance, Massenet’s Werther, Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Leoncavallo’s I Pagliacci, Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta, and Donizetti’s L’elisir d’Amore.

As an organ soloist, he has given recitals in all 50 states. He has appeared with the Lexington Philharmonic, the Oratorio Society of Queens, and with the Louisville Orchestra as guest soloist performing the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with Raymond Leppard conducting. In the summer of 2011, Philip was also a featured performer for the Region V AGO Convention in Lexington, KY and the NPM National Convention in Louisville, KY.

As a teacher, Dr. Brisson served on the faculty of Bellarmine University where he taught organ performance and a Church Music Internship at the Cathedral. Until taking over the Kentucky Opera Chorus, he oversaw the choral program at Indiana University Southeast, where he conducted the Concert Choir, the Community Chorus, and taught choral conducting. He has also presented workshops to the American Guild of Organists and to the National Association of Pastoral Musicians at both the regional and national level.

Originally from New York City, Philip received his BM in Organ Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY. While at Queens, he studied organ and conducting with Paul Maynard, the former director of the New York Pro Musica. After being accepted into graduate organ performance programs at Juilliard, Indiana, and Michigan, Philip decided to attend Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he earned a Masters in Sacred Music. While at Westminster, he studied organ with Robert Carwithen and choral conducting with Allen Crowell. He was also fortunate to regularly sing under Joseph Flummerfelt in the Westminster Symphonic Choir which performed Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Hindemith’s Requiem with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch. In 2005, Philip earned a Doctorate in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied organ with David Higgs and received a choral conducting minor while studying conducting with William Weinert.

Philip Brisson is active in the American Guild of Organists, has served on the Louisville Chapter’s Executive Committee and has held both the Sub-Dean and Dean positions for the Guild. He is also the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Organist Liaison for the Louisville Archdiocese, has served as Membership Chairman of the Roman Catholic Conference of Cathedral Musicians, and is a member of The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Dr. Brisson also founded the concert artist cooperative EastWestOrganists.com, which represents several prominent young American organists in the United States. Philip, his wife, and their eight-year-old daughter reside in Old Louisville, the nation’s largest Victorian Historic District.

Angela Wiggins

Angela Wiggins, Director of Parish Life and Communications,  began working in the Cathedral office in November 1998.    Many past generations of her family were Cathedral members. Before working at the Cathedral, Angela had worked in the Archdiocese as a secretary at St. Therese School and as an office manager for the Lourdes Rosary Shrine of the Dominican Fathers of St. Louis Bertrand Priory.  She is a 2009 University of Louisville graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies (parish/non-profit administration) with a minor in Communication. 

Selma Jacinto Domingos

Selma has a broad international and multicultural experience. Her extended knowledge and professional experiences in leadership and education in Italy and Angola, gave her the opportunity to travel and work close to Presidents, Politics, Bishops, Cardinal, the Holy See,
Vatican City, Rome, Italy and with international leaders around the world. Selma is the first woman and black woman to serve as the President and Vice-president of the Conference of the Students of the Pontifical Universities in the Holy See, Vatican City, Rome, Italy.
Selma is a Certified Motivational Speaker, Catholic, an accomplished university professor, an author, Leadership Educator, Self-Empowerment Coach, Podcaster, Social media influencer and active community member. She has a Master Degree in Social Sciences, “advanced level of formation of Social Sciences in dialogue with Christian social thought” from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy. Holy See Diplomatic Action formation from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome, Italy. Training and Actualization of Teaching Personnel, Technical, and Administrative, Higher Educational Institute – ISCE, Ramada, Portugal. Post-graduate course in International Politics, Cooperation and Development, School of Specialization Postgraduate Courses, Rome, Italy. Nurse’s Aide and Training in Competence Evaluation Program, Spalding University, Louisville, KY. LaunchIt Entrepreneur Training, University of Louisville, Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship, KY, USA. She is multilingual: English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and French.

Selma is currently pursuing the MA (Theology) degree with a specialization certificate in Ethics and Moral Theology, Graduate Theology program of St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.

Prior to immigrating to the USA, Selma had lived in Rome, Italy for ten years. While living in Rome, Selma’s daughter Lucy was blessed by Pope John Paul II in the Holy See in the Vatican After living in Rome, Italy, Selma returned to her homeland, Angola, Africa, to help with social development by teaching at a public and private university and working at a governmental philanthropy organization from the former Angolan’ President, as the Assistant Manager of Studies and Projects for Social work. Selma became a public speaker giving interviews on radio and TV about solutions for the social, economic and political situation in Angola. Besides other Leadership positions, at the university, Selma taught Sociology of Religion, Introduction to Social Sciences, Sociology of Organizations, Social Problems of Angola, Methodology of Social Sciences, Thesis Writing Seminar, Political Theory I – II, Sociology, Political Sociology, Introduction to Social Science and Methodology of Scientific Work.

Her extended knowledge, personal and professional experience and challenges gave her a unique perspective on how to approach yourself, life, challenges and dreams. As a survivor both personal and professional, Selma’s journey in the USA started with no English background.
Forced to flee her homeland, a single mother of three children from Angola who immigrated to the United States of America in 2015 to restart her life and children from zero. With her strong faith foundation in God, spiritual journey, life and professional experience, Selma found her
path. Selma believes that no matter where you are in life or in the world “There Is Still Hope.” And that “Inclusion & Belonging Starts With You.” Her hope and faith in God changed her and children’s life forever and can change your life too.

Selma was featured in The Record, the Newspaper of the Archcdiodice of Louisville, https://therecordnewspaper.org/parishioner-says-her-church-helped-her-heal-after-seeking-asylum/, interviewed by Ruby Thomas. Also featured in the TV WAVE3 interviewed by Dawne Gee
https://youtu.be/oWxEJIXXDFk.

She shared her Faith-Based book “How To Make It Big In The USA. The Great Move From Angola to the USA” at the “A Catholic Leadership Forum – Women of the Church” Theme:“Eucharistic Living” led by Dr. Kimberly Baker, Dr. Sharon Schuhmann, Agnes Kovacs, Janet
Millen and hosted by Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.

Selma’s daughter Lucy, graduated from college, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Dayton, and she was chosen as the student to give the “Valedictorian speech” at her college graduation. Lucy, her daughter, gave a very powerful speech
https://www.youtube.com/live/SRMkwKkqQYw?si=SGFDi5g0GRBv-OF7 She is speaking at the beginning, at 40:01. Her son Kenny is a senior in college in Graphic Design at Xavier University and her baby boy Tussa is a senior in High School at St. X.

Taking social responsibility and community outreach is part of Selma’s values. In fact Selma did numerous volunteer work since she immigrated to the USA in 2015, including Catholic Charities, Norton Brownsboro Hospital, Schools, Church, Social Organizations and Chambers.

Selma is a member at St. Bernadette Catholic church, she serves as a Committee member of the MTO- Moving Towards Oneness Ministry at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, https://stb2008.org/news/mto-hosts-selma-domingos, sings at the Choir and is a member of the
Women’s Ministry Bible Study. “The MTO is a program of the Archdiocese Office of Multicultural Ministry initiated in 1988 by the Office of African American Catholic Ministries as a tool to foster diversity and inclusion.“ In her free time Selma loves to learn, listen, read,
write, create, sing and spend time in silence. She also loves observing nature, walking, and spending quality time with her family, friends and with good people that are making the world around them better.

Selma’s life purpose is to inspire and empower each person to change their lives for the better in harmony with Faith, Hope, Integrity, Respect, Compassion and Love for themselves and others.