My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. (Lk 1:46-49). What does it mean to be “famous”? One clue is found in the origin of the word “fame,” which comes from a Greek word that means “talked about.” In our modern culture, being famous usually means being on television, where many people can come to recognize you. Being “famous” means that a person is talked about. But something interesting might happen when you actually meet a “famous” person. They might be exactly like you thought they would be, or you might be surprised how they’re different. Being famous can be good or bad. Read … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2013
Bible Timeline Adventure Series Class
Beginning Thursday, September 19, we will continue the “Bible Timeline Adventure Series Class” at Good Shepherd Parish. The class will begin at 7:00 pm and will end at 8:30 pm. It is a 24-part series by Jeff Cavins , Sarah Christmyer and Tim Gray. The Bible Timeline is an immensely rich study, diving deep into each time period of the Bible. Salvation history is covered from its beginning in Genesis through the coming of Christ and the establishment of the Catholic Church. The cost for all the materials is $40.00. Please sign up by calling Phillip Bellini (899-1378) to enroll in this class so we can find out how many study kits we need to order. … [Read more...]
Back to School!
St. Stephen Catholic School had its first day of classes on Tuesday, August 14, and we had our first weekly school Mass the next day on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 9:00 am. I wish each parishioner could come to at least one school Mass (which is normally at 8:30 am on Friday) during the year to see what well-behaved, enthusiastic and attentive students we have at St. Stephen’s. Unfortunately, many of the families that attend St. Stephen Catholic School do not live in the parish and, therefore, attend Mass at their home parish. However, you do know some of our students (and former students) who participate as altar servers at our Saturday 4:00pm Vigil and Sunday 10:30am Mass. Those young men are representative of the quality of the students that we … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – August 4, 2013
There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, ‘Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!’” But God said to him, “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God. (Lk 12:18b-21). A few years ago I spoke to a Catholic group in Baton Rouge. Although my talk was about the Apostolicity of the Church (being founded on the Apostles and the current bishops being their successors), at the end a man asked me a question about clerical celibacy. “Father, why do priests have to be celibate” was the simple question. Unfortunately, celibacy is … [Read more...]
