Archives for July 2020

From the Pastor – July 26, 2020

Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. (Mt. 13:44-46) A few years ago, after Katrina, a friend who is in the marine construction business told me a story about a man who owned some property on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain.  It was basically swamp land that the man used for hunting and fishing.  At that usage, the land couldn’t have been worth more than $1000-2000 an acre.  And then something happened.  A survey found that there was a large vein of clay on the property.  With all of the coastal protection projects going on, the need for local clay was enormous.  Small amounts of clay are not that expensive, but clay is … [Read more...]

Calling for volunteers to donate 5 minutes of time to help disinfect the Church after Mass

Duties entail wiping down the missalettes and pews right after Mass. It only takes a few minutes. Gloves, paper towels, and cleaning solution are provided. All you have to do is look for Robert after Mass and he'll get you set up. … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – July 12, 2020

Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it. (IS. 55:10-11) The Gospel for this 15th Sunday in Ordinary time is the parable from Matthew 13 about the field sown with good and bad seed.  We might have heard the expression “bad seed” as referring to someone who came from a “bad family.”  While it’s true that one’s environment can have a serious effect on our personalities, attitudes and habits, the Church teaches that we are all God’s children.  You might also hear … [Read more...]

Update on the Restoration

Just to keep you informed about our Building Fund and Restoration, I wanted to give you a few updates. Many have noticed the black devices on the wall.  They are part of a large-scale analysis of why the plaster is failing.  They are networked to a central server to help the contractor figure out what is causing the failures.  They were installed in February, and they were supposed to have sufficient data by the end of June.  The next step is an analysis of the data and the recommendation of a way forward.  The contractor, the architect, and/or the subcontractor are all on the hook for this.  I was in contact with them this week. Many have also inquired about the broken kneelers. Our normal handyman, Wilton, doesn’t have the expertise to do this.  But we have hired a carpenter to … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – July 5, 2020

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mt 11:28-30) “Come to me,” the Lord asks us in today’s Gospel.  The word used for “come” in the original Greek is “?????” – pronounced “dyoo-teh.”  It’s a command, and it’s directed to the entire group to whom Jesus is speaking.  The same word is used by Jesus a number of times in the New Testament, speaking to a past event, a present event and a future event. In the past event, Jesus first used the word: “Come, after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mk 1:17).  In the future event, Jesus gives us the parable of the talents, and uses the word as … [Read more...]