A tragic blast from Terrebonne Parish’s past

Plenty of credit for flood protection to go around
November 28, 2018
New book published from author with local roots
November 28, 2018
Plenty of credit for flood protection to go around
November 28, 2018
New book published from author with local roots
November 28, 2018

From William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” in Act III, Scene 2, we are left with the famous quote “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.” In the play, the words are uttered by Marcus Aurelius.

Sadly, the death of a man who once served as a priest in Terrebonne and Lafourche a local criminal case, prosecuted 22 years ago and sentenced to life in prison, makes these words as true today as they were during the time of The Bard. On our pages we have recapped the case that sent Robert Melancon to prison, the place where he died earlier this month, and some readers may question why space is devoted to it.


For the uninitiated, Melancon was convicted in 1996 for continual rape of an altar boy for years prior to that. There were other allegations as well but this aggravated rape case is the one that got him the sentence that resulted in his death being behind bars.

The Shakespeare quote is significant in this instance because no matter how diabolical his crimes, nor evil other acts he may or may not have committed, there is no doubt that at points in his career as a priest Robert Melancon may well have inspired, aided or comforted members of flocks he was entrusted with in the name of God. Such is the nature of the work that he did. Had it not been for his corporeal predilections, Melancon might have had a great career rather than a scandalous one. A son of New Orleans blue blood society, whose family members were well favored by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, there are indications that he could have risen high in church hierarchy. But information given to prosecutors about his involvement with internet sites and somewhat blue chat conversations was also apparently known by the archdiocesan officials. Therefore, as Melancon continued his career at a time before the establishment of the now-separate Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, the map of his assignments shows further and further departure from New Orleans. His transfers continued when the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s bishops made their decisions.

All of that ended during his assignment to Sacred Heart Church in Cut Off.


So why do we tell this story now, in 2018?

We do so because the Catholic Church is still not getting it right, although they are trying. The short announcement of Melancon’s death, which made no mention of his crimes — although it did note that he died in prison — missed the mark. It was perceived as an insult for this reason by victims.

Yes, Melancon’s crimes live on, and those who had cause to accuse him of evil suffer still the consequences of his actions. He leaves behind a family that no doubt grieves over his life as well as his death. As one of his victims pointed out, no apology or acknowledgment ever issued from Melancon’s lips, adding insult to well-documented injury.


We have also, as loyal readers know, covered extensively efforts by Bishop Shelton Fabre to alter the course of the Church in terms of how these cases are treated. We have applauded those efforts and continue to do so. But a recap of the reason why Melancon’s death is newsworthy to begin with appeared justified, and gave one of his victims an opportunity, even behind a shield of anonymity which is normally granted in such circumstances, to have a say in the matter.

The Roman Catholic is not alone in sad circumstances of people under its direction using their position toward evil ends. Other churches, other institutions and private corporate entities are also being called to task as they should be. But that doesn’t mitigate the importance of bringing up the past in hopes that mistakes related to it may not be repeated in the future.