Archives for November 2013

From the Pastor – November 24, 2013

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) 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 … [Read more...]

Typhoon Relief Donations

All of you are aware of the massive destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. While Archbishop Aymond is not calling for a special 2nd collection, pastors are asked to please announce that anyone who would like to donate can send their Typhoon Haiyan Relief donations to Archbishop Aymond’s attention at the chancery, 7887 Walmsley Ave. New Orleans, LA 70125. Archbishop Aymond will send the donations to the bishops in the Philippines. … [Read more...]

Office of Communications Clarion Herald Survey

The Office of Communications and the Clarion Herald are engaged in a process of strategic planning. An essential part of this process is to get feedback from a wide range of people in the Archdiocese. To that end, a very short online survey has been created and we ask that you help us by completing the shot survey online and distributing the survey link to people in your network. If you have already received this link from another source and completed the survey there is no need to complete it again. In any event, please also pass the link on to other Catholics – the more response they receive the better! The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RZMH98Y If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah McDonald at smconald@archdiocese-no.org or Peter Finney at … [Read more...]

Catholic Women in Action

Catholic Women in Action, a committee of the Catholic Foundation, invites you to our Advent Series “Bringing Christ to a World Longing for Love and Joy.” Please join us to reflect on how to spiritually prepare for Christ’s coming and help evangelize others. Our series begins on the Northshore at Mary Queen of Peace Parish on December 2nd at 9:00 a.m. for Mass with Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond followed by reflections from Judy Landrieu Klein and her daughter, Kara. The next is on the Westbank at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, December 3rd for 9:30 a.m. Mass with Fr. John Talamo, Celebrant, followed by reflections from Sarah McDonald and Mayor of Gretna, Belinda Constant. Our final presentation will be on the Eastbank at St. Francis Xavier Parish on December 4th for 8:00 a.m. Mass with Fr. … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – November 17, 2013

“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) 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 … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – November 10, 2013

“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) 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 … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – November 3, 2013

“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) 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, … [Read more...]

Don’t Forget to Register!

Is Good Shepherd “your” Parish? Good Shepherd Parish frequently receives calls from “parishioners” to have their children baptized, get a school voucher, get married or serve as a godparent.  In order for the parish to agree to these things, you must be a “registered” and “contributing” parishioner. This isn't our rule; it's the rule of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. All information is kept in strict confidence by the parish. To be “registered” at Good Shepherd Parish means that (1) you have completed a parish census form or have registered online , (2) you use parish envelopes or checks for donations. And now we've made it easier for you. You can now register online. Just click here. It's free, and we promise not to SPAM you. But we will occasionally keep you informed of … [Read more...]

Extrordinary Volunteers Needed

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. 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 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.   … [Read more...]

Pilgrimage Thanks!

Thanks to all who prayed for me and my pilgrims during our pilgrimage to Rome last week. It was a truly blessed experience for all of us, and I carried all of your intentions to the Tombs of those great Apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul. Particularly blessed were we to celebrate Mass in so many holy places including the Basilica of St. Peter, the Catacombs of St. Priscilla, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Santa Maria della Libera in Aquino (the village of St. Thomas Aquinas), the Pontifical North American College and the private Chapel of the Swiss Guards in the Vatican. Good Shepherd Parish was remembered at each Mass by name. One of the most important parts of our trip was attending the weekly General Audience of Our Holy Father, Pope Francis. His gentle, pastoral style was so heart warming, and … [Read more...]