By Jim and Martha Liston

How hard is it for a young person to lead a faithful catholic life today?

I think it takes nearly heroic virtue. Everything is up for grabs. Sex, drugs, alcohol, pornography; religion is ridiculed, faith is unspoken.

We need good examples for our youth. We need you!

Grandma, Grandpa…you’re up! It’s your turn to take charge. We need you to teach your grandchildren the faith. I speak for myself when I say I look back and see my failure with my own children. It is easy to blame the church, and some of the blame does rest there. It is easy to blame a depraved culture. Yes, some of the blame is also there. Yet most is with myself, who strayed from the church when she needed me most and gave in to culture. If you are like me, its time to admit our faults, strengthen our faith through good catholic practices, and get with the program of influencing the next generation.

Our faith has so much to offer the culture, and it may be ready to accept an injection of spiritual life if presented properly.

First, you can’t give what you don’t have. Get right with God and the church. Make a good confession and do it often. Start practicing some catholic habits. Say the rosary, go to adoration, and talk to the Lord as he is…your friend.

Your grandkids need you, your church needs you…Get in the game!

Benefit for the Catholic Youth Foundation USA

All are invited to Taste of New Orleans, an evening of live music, food and fun to benefit the Catholic Youth Foundation USA. Featuring local musicians Tim Laughlin, Rockin’ Doopsie and Irma Thomas and New Orleans cuisine from over 30 local restaurants it promises to be an evening of fun all for a good cause.

When: Friday, December 10 from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Where: The Sugarmill, 1021 Convention Center Blvd., New Orleans
Tickets: $45 - available by calling 504.836.0551 ext. 3222 or online at www.cyo-no.org

Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.  Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. (Mt 24:42-44)
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A lot of times, the analogies of Jesus are just that – analogies. But sometimes they hit closer to home. Recently, we have had some problems with security at St. Stephen Church. We have had incidents where people have tried to break into the church by breaking door handles and even using pry-bars. We have had someone break into the area below the church. Although we’re not aware of anything actually being stolen, there has been damage that has cost us money. And then there’s the obvious feeling of anxiety and anger that someone would try and break into a church. In truth, there’s also a feeling of helplessness, in that it’s hard to believe that this can happen so close to a police station. In the end, it really remains one of those things over which we have no control. These “real life” experiences (and I’m sure many of us have had the experience of being burglarized or robbed) give us real life context toward understanding the words of Jesus. We believe in the Second Coming of Christ. As the Apostle’s Creed says, Jesus: ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” It could happen in a month, and it could happen in 10,000 years. We know not the day or the hour. But we’re called to be ready for it.

In a sense, we “ready” ourselves for the Second Coming in many ways, primarily by experiencing the presence of Christ in His Word, in the Sacraments, in the Church, and in our service to others. By doing so, we assure ourselves that we will recognize Jesus when He comes again. But the Advent period is a time when the Church calls us to be particularly attentive to our sense of expectation of the coming of Christ. During Advent we prepare to celebrate the first coming of Christ in Bethlehem, when He came in humility, as a means of preparing ourselves for His Second Coming in glory. Just as we might take precautions at St. Stephen’s to make sure dark areas are lit with floodlights and doors are locked, we might also try to shine light on the devil through making a good confession which provides us with the grace to lock sin out of the temple of our body and soul.

Real life reminders about crime provided the first listeners of Jesus with real warnings about something more important: the real life state of their souls. They do the same for us, 2000 years later. Let’s stay awake!

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Life and Family - The Culture of Life
My name is Jim Liston and with my wife Martha, in collaboration with Msgr Nalty, we attempt to coordinate Pro-Life activities within the parish. We want to use this portion of the bulletin to explain, inform and allow you to interact with us, to share your thoughts, discuss points of view or just see what other people think about the variety of subjects that touch Life issues. We hope to get a link on the parish website. The link is not a reality at this time, but we are working toward that goal. Until that time you may contact us at

Let’s define terms; Pro-Life as we see it covers issues from conception to our last second on this planet. So far, we have focused on the unborn and must continue because they have no voice of their own. However, many other issues confront us. We cannot forget about the challenge facing our aging community and those with handicaps. Oregon has passed a law allowing assisted suicide, coming to a state near you any time now. I am sure you remember the Terry Schiavo case just a few years ago. She was starved to death, even though her parents were willing to take care of her. We cannot forget about families attempting to raise children in a culture where media of all kinds ridicule religious views, promote immoral behavior and attempt to change the cultural by normalizing certain behaviors.

In the weeks to come we hope to invigorate thought about some of these issues. We hope to spotlight the Culture of Death, and propose the value of living a Culture of Life.

Each Sunday at 10:10 a.m. we will pray the Rosary before the 10:30 Mass, in front of the Marian Altar (left of the main altar) for pro-life intentions.

Every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. we pray the Rosary at the Woman’s Health Center, 3500 St Charles Ave (on the left of the Capital One bank near Louisiana Ave.). This facility is one of four abortion centers in the New Orleans area and within our parish boundaries. For more information please contact Jim and Martha Liston at

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.”
Even the soldiers jeered at him.  As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.” (Lk 23:35-38)

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How many times have we gazed at a crucifix and seen that inscription: “I.N.R.I.” We know it means something about Jesus being “King of the Jews,” even if we don’t remember that it comes from the first letters of the Latin inscription meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum. The key is understanding what’s behind that inscription. Is it just a “mocking” inscription provided by Pontius Pilate? Was it placed there to enrage the Jewish Sanhedrin? Or is it part of God the Father’s providential plan to reveal His Son to us?

To understand the role of Jesus as King, we have to understand a little bit of the Jewish concept of Messiah (literally meaning “someone anointed”), a term used in the Old Testament to describe a king who was traditionally anointed with holy oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25. In Jewish eschatology the term referred to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who will be “anointed” and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age.

And here’s where Jesus comes in. He comes to fulfill those prophecies. He’s from the Davidic line; He ushers in a new age of the Messiah; He spends the majority of his preaching ministry focusing on one thing: the Kingdom of God. After the Apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they began to fearlessly proclaim Jesus as “the Christ,” Christ being the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah.

And so we celebrate this weekend the Solemnity of Christ the King. We place Him as King of our world (since He made it and governs it); as Kings of ourselves (since He made us); and Kings of our destiny (since He has ascended to the Father to prepare a place for us).
But nowhere is Christ’s “kingship” more apparent than on the cross. By dying for us, Jesus gave us the most radical notion of leadership. The King loves us – His subjects – so much that He leads not by a command, but by an example. He died first. And we follow. That’s how we reach the kingdom.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

In our last article we tried to define the life issues as: Preborn, children, family life, handicapped individuals and the elderly.  We need to define the life issues because we are living in the culture of death.

Who cannot see the violence in our streets, where the taking of life seems to have become a sport. The suicide rate of our young people is climbing as life has become meaningless in their eyes. Some educated people actually debate whether it would be wise to legalize euthanasia of newborn children with physical or mental issues. Once we devalue any life, the door is open to devalue all life. We must recognize the issues and stand strong against them. Our church is one of the last bastions of hope standing in the breech. The church has had some champions in the recent past that have attempted to wake us up. Mother Teresa of Calcutta showed us the value and dignity of human life through her love for the unwanted poor throughout the world.

Pope John Paul II coined the phrase the “Culture of Death” and wrote a beautiful encyclical called EVANGELIUM VITAE “The Value and Inviolability of Human Life”  The Bishops of the United States published a pamphlet entitled “Living the Culture of Life” which is meant to help Catholics form their conscience concerning life issues.

Here is some homework for those that may be so inclined:  Read the article: “Culture of Life” in Wikipedia. This is a secular web site but treats the issue fairly. Within this article is a link to Evangelium Vitae and the US Bishops web site where you can find “Living the Culture of Life” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_life

There are many special volunteers who help us each week to accomplish the details of managing our parish activities and provide the many services requested by our parishioners and needy neighbors. Our Eucharist Ministers, Lectors Ushers and Choir Members serve in a very visible role. On Saturdays the Altar Society, both men & women, prepare the Church for the weekly Masses and other services. Behind the scenes are volunteers who help us in the office on a daily basis, count money weekly, organize the food pantry, etc etc! We are even luck enough to have our very own professional landscaper who has made possible all of the many lovely plants surrounding the Church and rectory!

Please consider becoming one of our valued volunteers! Our greatest needs at this time are Ushers and we would like to have Greeters to welcome parishioners and visitors prior to each Mass. We also need additional volunteers to help with the Bingo on Saturday Nov. 6th 11am - 2pm. We will be needing additional volunteers to help prepare the Church for Christmas! For more details on any of the above, please call Dixie at the rectory 899-1378.

“They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony.” (Lk 21:12-13)
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What does it mean when Christ tells us that “they will persecute you”? We can easily look at the history of the Church, and see persecution. The first persecutions began in 1st century Rome, and were conducted by the Emperor Nero. Those early persecutions led to the Great Persecution of the 3rd century by the Roman Empire, which didn’t end until Christianity was legalized in 313 A.D. We can look at the persecutions of Christians by Moslem invasion in North Africa, which led to the Christians Crusades to reclaim the Holy Land. Skipping ahead, we recall the French Revolution, when 30,000 priests were forced to leave France, or killed if they didn’t. There was the Red Terror in Spain in 1931, when more than 7,000 priests were killed. We can point to persecutions under the Nazis, the Chinese and Russian Communists, and the Mexican secularists. Even as we sit in Church, we can contemplate current persecutions in India, Africa, China and almost the entire Arab Middle East. In fact, there were more martyrs to Christ in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. Not a week passes when I don’t read in the Catholic press of the murder of a priest or a nun somewhere in the world.

But what about us? How are we persecuted? In actuality, we might not feel like we are. If we are lax in the practice of our faith, then we might make a “compromise” with the persecutions, and not even feel touched by it. But if we see ourselves as part of the Body of Christ, joined by a common Baptism to all Catholics, and indeed all Christians, throughout the world, then we can understand persecution. What’s under attack? Christ is under attack. His children are being aborted. His name is being blasphemed in art and literature. His faithful people are being attacked for practicing His Faith throughout the world. Anytime His Holy Name is used in vain, His Body is being persecuted.

And He calls us to give testimony. How? To give testimony to Christ primarily consists in our practicing and living our Faith in a serious way. It means “no compromise.” It means praying for the Church persecuted. Those protesters last week? Small change. The real persecutor is the Devil. And living our faith always involved being persecuted by him. Sometimes giving testimony is as simple as resisting the evil of temptation.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Jesus recounted the following to St. Margaret Mary, and this devotion has been recognized by the Church:
“To all those who, during nine months on end, will receive Holy Communion on the first Fridays of every month.  I promise the Grace of final perseverance. They will not die in My disgrace, but will receive the Sacraments (if necessary), and My Heart will be sure shelter for them in that extreme moment.”

The First Friday promises of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary:
1.  I will give them graces necessary for their state of life.  
2.  I will establish peace in their houses.  
3.  I will comfort them in all their afflictions.  
4.  I will be their strength during life and during death.  
5.  I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.  
6.  Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.  
7.  Tepid souls shall grow fervent.  
8.  Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.  
9.  I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored.  
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.  
11. Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.  
12. I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant all to those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

"That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out ‘Lord,’
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Lk 20:37-38)
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By tradition, the Church dedicates November to prayer for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, those faithful Christians who have died and gone before us but who still must atone for their sins. The time they spend in Purgatory cleanses them so that they may enter Heaven free from the effects of the sin they might have committed in life.

Church doctrine on purgatory is based on the Old Testament reading in 2 Maccabees 12:40-46, where prayers were offered for those who had died in battle. Praying for the dead has been a constant practice of Christians since the 1st century, as evidenced by myriads of inscriptions in the Catacombs and other places where Christian bodies were buried. Further, virtually all of the ancient liturgies of the Church contain prayers for the dead. For those who deny the existence of purgatory, the question is: “If there’s only a Heaven (where people don’t need our prayers), and a Hell (where people can’t be helped by our prayers), why have we prayed for the dead since the time of Christ?

Praying for the dead, especially for people we’ve known, isn’t “optional”; it’s a requirement of Christian charity. Our own prayers and sacrifices can be offered up to relieve their suffering.

One of the most commonly recited of Catholic prayers in times past is the “Requiem aeternam.” This prayer has fallen into disuse in the last few decades, although it still echoes in our ears. When I was working in the Vatican, we said this prayer every day after the Angelus, and I still say it after meals. In English the prayer goes: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Of course we can substitute “him” or “her” or a person’s name in place of “them.”

Prayer for the dead, however, is one of the greatest acts of charity we can perform, to help them during their time in Purgatory, so that they can enter more quickly into the fullness of heaven.

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

Thanks for all who took part in the Novena at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church to pray for those most immediately affected by the oil spill in the Gulf and for protection against hurricanes.  Just a reminder that the weekly Rosary continues on Wednesdays at 6:00pm.

“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.” (Lk 19:9-10)
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I love the story of Zacchaeus. It reminds me of two things. When I was little, it reminded me a little of Mardi Gras. In the parable, it sounded like a parade was rolling by, and Zacchaeus wanted to see it! But instead of Rex, it was the King of Kings! As a young, small boy, I remember not being able to see Mardi Gras parades because of the crowd. Often, I resolved myself to looking for spare doubloons.

The second thing that the story reminds me of was a visit I made to Rome in 1994, before I entered seminary. I was fortunate to be able to attend a Papal Audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall. As the audience was ending, my sister and I moved up to the front where the people were already exiting their seats. There we noticed that the Holy Father, John Paul II, was lingering around; he hadn’t left the hall. To see better, I got up on a chair and started taking photos of the Pope. He was maybe 150 feet away, and it was very exiting. Gradually, he started walking down the rows to our area. Looking at him through the viewfinder of my camera, I was thrilled that I would be getting some amazing shots. He got closer and closer, and then all of a sudden, I realized he was standing right below me. He looked up, and I lowered my camera. The Vatican photographer neatly captured the moment in a photo I still have. It’s my “Zacchaeus photo.” Everybody else is at ground level, and I’m standing on a chair reaching down to shake the Holy Father’s hand. If you stop by the office one day, I’ll show it to you.

When I look at my “Zacchaeus photo” it still fills me with great joy. You could see on my face that I could not believe that I was shaking the hand of the Successor of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Christ on earth. But then I read the story of Zacchaeus, and I realize he had a much greater thrill. Imagine being called down from one’s perch by the Savior of the World! And imagine that He tells everyone that He’ll be dining at your home that evening!

Jesus came to save us because we are lost in this world. Although we might have the great company of family and friends, and might enjoy many moments of peace and contentment, we know that this world is not our home for eternity. We actually need to be saved from the pain and suffering of this world. And we are saved by Jesus, who came to save us. He promised us that He’d never leave us, and He is still present to us in so many ways: when we gather in His Name, when we read His Word, in the Sacraments of the Church, and most particularly in the Eucharist. Today at Mass, Jesus dines at our home. And He’s the one who feeds us. Today Salvation has come to our house!

(Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty

We need them in life's early morning,
We need them again at its close;
We feel their warm clasp of true friendship,
We seek them when tasting life's woes.

At the altar each day we behold them,
And the hands of a king on his throne
Are not equal to them in their greatness;
Their dignity stands all alone;

And when we are tempted and wander,
To pathways of shame and of sin,
It's the hand of a priest that will absolve us--
Not once, but again and again.

And when we are taking life's partner,
Other hands may prepare us a feast,
But the hand that will bless and unite us--
Is the beautiful hand of a priest.

God bless them and keep them all holy,
For the Host which their fingers caress;
When can a poor sinner do better,
Than to ask Him to guide thee and bless?

When the hour of death comes upon us,
May our courage and strength be increased,
By seeing raised over us in blessing--
The beautiful hands of a priest.

Tickets for $5.00 will got on sale at all Masses beginning on the weekend of October 8-10. The Ladies of Charity will run the Bingo in the school cafeteria and the parish will offer food!