Fr. Leon’s Short Biography

 

Fr. Leon’s Short Biography

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD, is a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R. Congo) and a naturalized United States Citizen. He is a Roman Catholic Religious Priest. His religious congregation is, in Latin, Societas Verbi Divini (SVD), which means Society of the Divine Word. They are well known as SVDs or the Divine Word Priests and Brothers. He was ordained a priest in 2012 in the D.R. Congo and moved to the United States of America (USA) in 2013. Because French is his first language, Fr. Ngandu studied English at the Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, from 20213 to 2014. Since July 2014, he has worked in different parishes (as a parochial vicar and parish priest), schools (as a Bible teacher), and hospitals (as a chaplain.) He is now the Biblical Apostolate Coordinator and the Retreat Center Director of the SVD United States Southern Province. He is well known for the retreats, sessions, recollections, and missions/revivals he preaches across the country and overseas. Fr. Ngandu has a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of Dallas with a Concentration in Biblical Theology (2023).  

 

1. Diocese of Little Rock in Arkansas

* July 1, 2014- February 2015: 

- Associate pastor at St. Augustine’s in North Little Rock and St. Bartholomew’s in Little Rock, 

- Full-time hospital chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock.

* February 2015- June 2016: 

- Administrator at St. Mary’s and St. Patrick’s, both in North Little Rock

- Full-time hospital chaplain at St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock.

2. Diocese of Lafayette/Louisiana

* July 2016 – June 2018: 

- Associate Pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Lafayette, Louisiana.

3. Back in the Diocese of Little Rock/Arkansas

* July 1, 2018-June 30, 2023: 

- Pastor at St. Augustine’s in North Little Rock and St. Bartholomew’s in Little Rock,

- Hospital chaplain (July 2018-Julay 2019)

- Bible Teacher and Chaplain at Mount St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic High School in Little Rock (August 2019 – May 2023).

4. Archdiocese of New Orleans/Louisiana

* July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024: 

- Pastor at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in New Orleans.

 - Bible teacher (Theology II) at Saint Augustine Catholic High School in New Orleans.  

5. Others

-          Fr. Leon is the Biblical Apostolate Coordinator for the SVD in the US Southern Province.

- The Retreat Center Director

6. Publications

-          1.  “May It Be Done to Me According to Your Word” (2017), 

       2. "The Divine Word: The Liturgical Weekly Bible Study on the Sunday Mass Readings - From Advent through the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C. "