Fr. Morgan White is a native of Waterford City, Ireland. He is the son of Michael and Anna White and is the youngest of three children. One of his sisters died while he was in seminary, and his other sister, her husband and their three sons live in New Jersey.

He was ordained in Ireland in 2002 for the Diocese of Tyler. He is a graduate of St. John's College Major Diocesan Seminary, Waterford, with a Diploma in Philosophy. He holds a Pontifical Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from St. Patrick's College Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland. He holds a Master’s in Divinity and a Master’s in Pastoral Theology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.

He serves as a Chaplain to the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. Prior to his assignment in Paris, Fr. White served as Parochial Vicar at Sacred Heart Church, Texarkana, and Administrator of St. William of Vercelli Church in Carthage.

Father White announced his pastoral plan for the parish at the liturgies held his first weekend in Paris.  He stated, "the pastoral plan for the parish is very simple: that you and I go to heaven and we avoid hell."

Beginning in August of 2009, he will be spending two years studying at Mundelein Seminary’s Liturgical Institute located near Chicago, Illinois. He is attending the Institute on a full scholarship received from Francis Cardinal George of Chicago. After completion of the program, he will receive a License in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in Liturgy and Sacramental Theology. This post-Master’s degree enables a person to teach for the Catholic Church in seminaries, universities and higher institutes of learning. Fr. White will remain Pastor of the the parish, but Fr. José R. Lobaton will serve as Parish Administrator in his absence.

Fr. White currently serves as Chairman of the Liturgical Commission of the Tyler Diocese. This additional education will enable him to intensify efforts for liturgical renewal in the diocese and enable him to serve as a resource person for assisting the members of the diocese in deepening their experience in worship and prayer.

Fr. Lobaton, a member of the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans), is a native of Lima, Peru, who came to the parish in June, 2007, as Parochial Vicar and became a United States citizen in October, 2007. He is the son of Luis and Regina Lobaton and is the fifth of six children. He came to the United States in 1993 and worked in the Diocese of Washington, D.C., where he taught Sacred Scripture and Theology in the Program for Pastoral Ministry at Catholic University of America. In 2003, he returned to Peru to teach at Catholic University in Lima and to serve as a missionary in many countries of South America. He came back to the United States in 2007 and served at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Tyler immediately prior to his assignment in Paris.

In addition to serving as Parish Administrator, Fr. Lobaton is the Parochial Vicar at St. Joseph Church in Clarksville, a mission of the Paris parish. Fr. Lobaton holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from Catholic University in Lima. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Theology from Catholic University at Facultad de Theologia while a seminarian in the Fransciscan order. He was ordained in 1973 and began studies in 1975 in Israel, where he received a Master’s degree in Holy Scripture from Studium Biblicum, Jerusalem. He received another Master’s degree in Holy Scripture from the Pontificium Institutum Biblicum in Rome in 1980. Regarding his time at Our Lady of Victory, Fr. Lobaton stated, "I have experienced the gift that this Catholic Parish has, which is the high personal and spiritual quality of its people."  

Rev. James M. Rowland

Fr. James Martin “Seamus” Rowland has been assigned as Parochial Vicar at the parish. Fr. Rowland, a native of Crossmolina, County Mayo, Ireland, was ordained May 23, 2009 for the Diocese of Tyler. The eldest of six children, he is the son of Julia and the late Fergus Rowland. His three brothers live in Dublin, one sister lives in Co. Wicklow, and the other resides in Kells, Co. Meath.

Fr. Rowland originally entered the seminary in 1990 at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, for the Diocese of Killala, Ireland. He completed his B.A. in Liberal Arts at National University of Ireland, Maynooth in 1993. He completed his S.T.B. in Theology in 1996 and his Graduate Diploma in Pastoral Studies in 1997, both from the Pontifical University, Maynooth. He was ordained a Transitional Deacon in 1996. He left the seminary in 1997 to continue discernment of his vocation.

He studied Architectural Technology at the Limerick Institute of Technology from 1997-2000, then worked as a draftsman in the architectural field in Limerick from 2000-2006. While in Limerick in 2002, he met Fr. Francis O’Dowd and Fr. Tim Kelly, two native Irish priests who were serving in the Tyler Diocese. They asked him if he was still considering the priesthood, and encouraged him to make a “come and see” visit to the Tyler Diocese. After spending a couple of weeks visiting the diocese in 2002, he moved to Tyler in May, 2006, and then began studies at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston in August of that year. He completed a pastoral year at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Jacksonville, Texas, from 2007-2008, then returned to St. Mary’s and completed his Master’s in Divinity in 2009 before his ordination to the priesthood. "Considering my ‘wilderness’ years, I have come to know that there are no accidents, only the hand of Providence. God meant for me to be here, and for that I am thankful," commented Fr. Rowland.

Fr. Rowland will be teaching the high school Faith Formation program and assisting with the RCIA program, in addition to presiding at Masses and Liturgy of the Hours. He has begun providing pastoral care to the sick of the parish, and is taking on various administrative duties at the parish.

Mr. Sayf W. Bowlin

Sayf W. Bowlin, a seminarian studying for the Diocese of Tyler, has been assigned to the parish since July, 2006. He is the son of William and Odette Bowlin of San Antonio. He is the older of two siblings. His brother lives in Charlottesville, VA, with his wife and two sons. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Mr. Bowlin lived in five cities in Germany and in San Antonio during his father’s years of service in the United States Army.

He completed a Bachelor of Arts in History at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in 2000. He is currently a Captain in the United States Army. He was initially commissioned in 2000 and served a tour in Germany from 2001-2004. After returning to the U.S. as a Reservist, he was deployed to Afghanistan from 2005-2006.

In August 2006, he was accepted as a seminarian for the Diocese of Tyler and as a Chaplain Candidate for the U.S. Army. He then began his studies at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, where he received a B.A. in Philosophy in 2008. He is currently in his second year of Theological Studies at the Josephinum. At the parish, he assists in numerous capacities, including leading public devotions, teaching Faith Formation classes, training altar servers and others involved in Liturgy, and working with the youth group and other parish organizations.