September 10, 2017 Homily
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
On the week when we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Archbishop Aymond has asked that every parish offer Confession for two hours. To that end, on Wednesday, September 13, 2017, Confessions will be heard beginning at 5:00pm until 6:30pm. … [Read more...]
Centennial Statue of Our Lady of Fatima
is coming to St. Stephens Church Tuesday, September 19, 2017 SERVICES 4:45 pm — Adoration 6:00 pm — Mass 6:45 pm — Fatima Talk 7:00 pm — Rosary 8:30 pm — Church closes The International Centennial Pilgrim Image, a statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary entrusted to the Alliance of the Holy Family International and Human Life International Austria by Pope Francis, will be in New Orleans for 10 days from Sept. 15-24. It is one of six Fatima statues – one for each continent (Europe and Asia are considered Eurasia) – blessed by Pope Francis in Rome on Jan. 11, 2017, for veneration worldwide during the centennial of the Fatima appearances. Pope Francis declared the Fatima centennial a jubilee year – from Nov. 27, 2016-Nov. 26, 2017 – with a plenary indulgence granted to those who … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – September 10, 2017
“Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt. 18:19-20) Most priests tend to pray a lot. I’m one of them. At my ordination to the diaconate, I promised to pray the “prayer of the Church” called the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s made up of Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, the Office of Reading and Night Prayer. Of course, I also celebrate at least one Mass daily. I also try daily to make a Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, recite the Rosary, do some spiritual reading and pray other devotional prayers according to the season. But I try not to “isolate” my prayer … [Read more...]
The Olive Mass
Celebrating Food & Blessing Those Who Prepare and Serve It In New Orleans, faith, family, and food are uniquely tied together as part of the culture. On September 9, the Archdiocese of New Orleans will celebrate this with The Olive Mass bringing the community together with food, beverage and hospitality professionals for a prayerful gathering that celebrates food and blesses those who prepare and serve it. It’s a simple but profound celebration to recognize, thank and encourage everyone who makes coming together at the table worth celebrating. The Mass will be at St. Louis Cathedral at 10 am, Monday, September 9 with a reception immediately following. The homilist will be Monsignor Christopher Nalty. For more information, visit thetablefoundation.org/the-olive-mass … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – September 3, 2017
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:16-19) For most of my time living in Rome, I led pilgrims on a tour through the excavations under St. Peter’s Basilica. Known as the “Scavi,” the Italian name for excavations, the site contains a cemetery with tombs dating from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries. Although many of the tombs are pagan, as the visit gets closer to the area under the main altar of St. Peter’s, we begin to see many signs of Christian burials. The highlight of the tour is the area immediately under … [Read more...]
Parking During Construction
Parking for Sunday Mass will be a little more difficult during the Church Restoration, but we are trying to make it better. There are a limited number of spaces in the schoolyard, which we hope can go first to less mobile parishioners. You can enter behind the rectory on General Pershing and walk through the gate by the school to get to the church. We also have a temporary handicap ramp on the front of the church. We will also do our best to free up the spots on Camp Street when they are not needed by the contractors. Thank you for your patience! … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – August 20, 2017
Jesus said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” (Mt. 15:26-27) For the first 36 years of my life, I spent a lot of time listening to homilies at Mass, rather than giving them. Of course, I’ve heard some really amazing homilies. But I’ve also heard some that didn’t say a lot to me. One of my biggest pet peeves was when there was a line in the Gospel that begged to be explained and the homilist ignored it like nobody heard it. I think that the above quote from this Sunday’s Gospel is just that sort of quote. Think about it, did Jesus just call that woman a “dog”? That’s pretty strong language here! And she just took … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – August 27, 2017
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt. 16:16-19) For most of my time living in Rome, I led pilgrims on a tour through the excavations under St. Peter’s Basilica. Known as the “Scavi,” the Italian name for excavations, the site contains a cemetery with tombs dating from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd centuries. Although many of the tombs are pagan, as the visit gets closer to the area under the main altar of St. Peter’s, we begin to see many signs of Christian burials. The highlight of the tour is the area immediately under … [Read more...]
