As you might understand our parish is under tremendous financial pressure during the time when our church is closed, and we cannot take up the Sunday collection. I don’t want to seem like I’m making a “money grab,” and you know how infrequently I talk about money, except for the appeal I made for our Restoration, but I am now compelled to ask. Even though the church is closed, we still have to pay for all of our utilities, and I have not stopped paying the salaries of our wonderful and dedicated staff. If you could set up an online giving account on our parish website and donate, it would be greatly appreciated. If you receive envelopes, it would be extremely generous of you to mail them into the office so that we can continue to pay our bills. And if you’re feeling extra generous, since … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – March 15, 2020
Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”(Jn. 4:13-14) Most of us don’t know what it means to be literally “dying of thirst.” We may have used the expression before, but it might just have been a hot July afternoon. I would venture to say that there are very few of us who have gone entire day without something to drink, let alone a week. But to people living in the desert at the time of Jesus, water was something precious. Since rainstorms were few and far in between, water had to be found by digging or collected for storage in cisterns. The idea of a “running stream” was something that … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – March 8, 2020
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light. (Mt. 17:1-2 ) The Transfiguration of Jesus is one of the mysteries of the life of Christ. In fact, when the Holy Father, (soon to be Saint!) Blessed John Paul II decided to propose five new mysteries of the Rosary, he included the Transfiguration in his “Luminous Mysteries.” The other mysteries are the Baptism of Our Lord, the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, and the Institution of the Eucharist. So what does the Transfiguration mean? It’s literally a “change in appearance” of Jesus. It’s described as a brightness emanating from Him. But what is the mystery behind … [Read more...]
Spotlight on Phillip Bellini
This week have the privilege to get to know our very own Phillip Bellini, Education Director and author of the Lightning Apologetics essays found in the Good Shepherd Bulletin. Phillip describes the evolution of his faith and the incredible work he does for our parish. … [Read more...]
Solemnity of the Annunciation
If Jesus was born on December 25, then he was conceived nine months earlier. And that's why the Church singles out March 25 as the Solemnity of the Annunciation – the day when Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel. As any mother can tell you, although a child's birthday is the day that the world gets to see him in person for the first time, her baby was alive in her womb long before he was born! … [Read more...]
Notre Dame Seminary’s Lay Program Open House
Notre Dame Seminary’s Lay Programs will be having an Open House on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, from 6:00-7:30 PM in the NDS Pastoral Center. This event will be an excellent opportunity for all interested parish and school religious educators and lay ministers to receive more information about the NDS lay programs (Institute for Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Masters of Arts in Pastoral Leadership) and scholarship opportunities. Please call (504) 866-7426, ext 742 to reserve a spot. … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – March 1, 2020
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. (Lk 4:1-2a) That little verse above is the reason behind the holy Season of Lent. And all I can say is thank God for Lent! I always look forward to Lent. And this year is no exception. Now that Lent is here, I’m happy to create my own little desert of calm by the Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It’s the perfect remedy for the last two weeks of Mardi Gras: noise, feasting and excess. One of the good disciplines of Lent is “giving something up.” When I was in seminary, I remember my rector giving up cigars during Lent. And then one Friday in Lent, I walked by his room and smelled cigar smoke. The next day I asked him … [Read more...]
