Bishop of Baton Rouge
Msgr. Michael Gerard Duke was born on 5 June 1952 in Dallas, in the diocese of the same name. He completed his ecclesiastical studies at the Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving (1970-1978). He subsequently he obtained a licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome (1994-1996). He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Dallas on 29 April 1978. Since ordination he has served as deputy pastor of the All Saints Parish in Dallas (1978-1981), of the Saint Patrick Parish in Dallas (1981-1984) and later of the Saint Luke Parish in Irving (1984-1985). He was chaplain for Catholic students at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas (1985-1993), diocesan director of vocations (1985-1992) and rector of the Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving (1996-2008). In 2008 he was appointed as bishop of Shreveport.