22 March 2023
To the Faithful Catholics of the Northeast Deanery:
Brothers and sisters, it is with deep regret that I am writing to you about the illicit ministry of Father Juan Bautista Morales-Montoya.
Father Morales-Montoya, a priest of the Diocese of Medellin in Columbia, arrived in the United States in June 2022. Between June and December 2022, at various intervals, he resided in northern Tangipahoa civil parish and engaged in ministry at the invitation of Father Mark Beard, a priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and Pastor of St. Helena Church in Amite. At the end of December 2022, Father Morales-Montoya’s relationship with St. Helena parish ended, and he was to return to his home Diocese of Medellin in Columbia.
Recently, I learned that Father Juan returned to Louisiana in January and has been celebrating Mass in the Amite-Independence area without my permission or the faculties of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. In his disobedience, Father has separated himself from Church authority. As diocesan bishop, I now have no control over his ministry; he is not acting in the name of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, nor does he have permission to minister as a Catholic priest in any way here in the Diocese.
Should he still be residing in the area, the faithful are seriously instructed not to approach Fr. Morales-Montoya for any spiritual needs. The faithful should be aware that the Diocese has no knowledge of what he is doing as a priest while in our territory. Faithful Catholics should not attend any Masses offered by Fr. Morales-Montoya; they should not request any sacraments from Fr. Morales-Montoya, and they should not offer to him any financial support.
Should there be any concerns or information about Father Morales-Montoya and his illicit ministry, please contact the Chancery Office at the Diocese of Baton Rouge at 225.387.0561 or at
Hope in the Lord,
Most Reverend Michael G. Duca
Bishop of Baton Rouge