Xavier University of Louisiana welcomes Fr. Peter Damian Harris, O.P., as the new University Chaplain.

A member of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), Southern Province, Fr. Damian brings strong academic preparation to his new role. He is a graduate of the Aquinas Institute of Theology, where he earned both his Master of Divinity and Master of Arts. He also holds an MSc in Mental Health Counselling from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. This background will be a gift to our students, faculty, and staff through his ministry of presence, pastoral care, and spiritual accompaniment.

Fr. Damian entered the Order in August 2008 and made his first vows at St. Albert the Great Convent in Irving, Texas. He professed his solemn vows in 2012 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 21, 2014.

Since his ordination, he has served the Church through pastoral ministry and preaching, including assignments with the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, St. Dominic Catholic Church in New Orleans, and ministry in Houston, Texas. He has also served as an itinerant preacher with Food for the Poor, and supported formation and service through work connected to Immaculate Conception School in Marrero, Louisiana.

Fr. Damian presided over his first Mass as University Chaplain in the Saint Katharine Drexel Chapel on January 13, 2026.