In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. The liturgical celebrations for this day may be the "Mass For Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life” (no. 48/1 of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions), celebrated with white vestments, or the Mass “For the Preservation of Peace and Justice” (no. 30 of the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions), celebrated with violet vestments.” This Tuesday, January 25, the Church in the United States observes the annual “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.” … [Read more...]

Each year the blessed palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday are burned to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday.  We will burn them on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.  Since the palms are blessed, burning is the suitable way to dispose of them.  We’ll start asking for them them in February. … [Read more...]

Recently, the group Americans United for Life released their annual “Life List,” a well-respected ranking of the 50 states based on their on-going legal efforts to create and sustain a culture of life. While the “Life List” notes legislative accomplishments from the previous year, it also takes into account each state’s cumulative record in defending and protecting the lives of their citizens – from conception to natural death. THE 2021 LIFE LIST honors the accomplishments of the top most pro-life states: This year Arkansas gained the highly coveted #1 ranking, closely followed by #2, Louisiana. On one hand, it is very heartening that Louisiana is high on the list in the efforts, but it also gives us a special responsibility to pray that the right to life is granted to those babies in … [Read more...]

This year your generosity to the Society of St Vincent du Paul meant that 48 families got food baskets for a Christmas meal.  Out of those families, 25 got gifts as well with 72 children receiving their gift requests from our tree.  With you our monetary donations we were able to provide $75 gift cards to each of the 48 families so they can purchase turkey, ham, rolls, etc. … [Read more...]

Please help us provide poinsettias for the Sanctuary during Christmas in honor of your deceased loved ones! Names will be recorded in the bulletin and on the parish website. Please use the forms in the back of church. Thanks for helping us decorate the altar! … [Read more...]

With the recent installation of 4 state-of-the-art video cameras for streaming Masses at St. Stephen's, we now can live-stream weddings as well. Our mounted cameras are omni-directional and can zoom and pan to practically any spot in the church so all special moments can be captured and shared online for family and friends who are not able to attend in-person. Weddings can be live-streamed to Facebook and/or YouTube. Dominic Fayard is our resident live-stream videographer and has live-streamed Sunday Masses for the past year. Dominic is happy to speak with couples prior to their wedding to discuss any particular wishes they may have about streaming their ceremony at St. Stephen. In addition to live-streaming, an MP4 file will also be provided to the newlyweds. For any and all wedding … [Read more...]

The St. Vincent de Paul Society requests your help in providing Thanksgiving Baskets for the needy of our parish.  We appreciate monetary donations or donations of the following: large size canned fruit, large canned yams, canned cranberry sauce, boxed stuffing mix, large boxed instant mashed potatoes, boxed macaroni & cheese, packs of gravy, cake mix and canned icing.  Flyers with more details are available near the church entrances.  We need all food and monetary donations by Sunday, Nov 14, 2021. Thanks for your GENEROUS support! … [Read more...]

October 24, 2021 World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is “an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world” (see Redemptoris Missio 81). This year’s theme for World Mission Sunday is “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Every parish in the world can participate, united in this special Eucharistic celebration. Every … [Read more...]

Want to help mark the beginning of the end of abortion in New Orleans? The 2021 40 Days for Life New Orleans campaign began September 22nd. 40 Days for Life is an international inter-denominational campaign focused on saving lives through prayer, vigil, and outreach. In New Orleans, our 40 Days for Life peaceful and prayerful vigil runs all 40 days from 7 AM – 7 PM at “Women’s Health Care Center,” New Orleans’ only abortion facility located at 2701 General Pershing St. For more information contact sarah@prolifelouisiana.org, call 504-835-6520 or visit 40 Days online at http://prolifelouisiana.org/40daysforlifenola … [Read more...]

October 2 Angels are intellectual beings created by God with a natural higher dignity than man; they have intelligence and will, are personal and immortal. Good angels serve God and help man. They always behold the face of God in heaven (Matt. 18:10).  Christ is at the center of the angels. Each one of us has a Guardian Angel to accompany us through life and shield us from the assaults of demons and even temporal evils, except what God permits for spiritual advancement.  Keep close to your Guardian Angel! Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, too rule and guide. Amen. … [Read more...]