October 18, 2026 Celebrated every year on the second-to-last Sunday of October, World Mission Sunday is the day when Catholics around the world unite to support the missionary work of the Church. Established by Pope Pius XI in 1926, it remains the only annual global collection that directly supports the 1,124 mission territories where the Church is young, struggling, or persecuted. On this day, every parish, in every diocese, in every country, joins in prayer and giving to ensure that missionaries can continue their vital work—building churches, forming priests, supporting catechists, and serving communities in need. “Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent. Settings where other securities are … [Read more...]

Good Shepherd Parish needs average weekly collections of $6,500 in order to fund parish operations. Rarely does our collection exceed $5,000. Thankfully, we usually cover our deficit with year-end donations by generous benefactors. I encourage you to take this time to prayerfully consider whether you might increase your donations to our parish. For those who are able, please consider an additional 10% per week. Your help will make a big difference in our ability to meet our financial obligations. One way to make this easy is to use our electronic giving program. Simply sign up here. You may also use the paper authorization form or from Ari Nash in the parish office. Call Ari if you have difficulties. … [Read more...]

CCD - Sunday School We offer C.C.D. (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes for grades 1 – 4. Classes meet on Sunday mornings 9:20-10:20, beginning September 27, 2026, and follow the academic calendar. Please register with the parish office. Order of Christian Initiation for Adults O.C.I.A. is a process of reflection, prayer, instruction, discernment, and formation for those who wish to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. Catholics are also invited to attend to further their religious education. Already we have six candidates this year! Classes begin Thursday, September 22, 2026 at 6:00pm. If you are interested, please contact the parish office. Confirmation Classes For high school students wishing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are working on a … [Read more...]

Over thirty days, the Church has celebrated four feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the Assumption (August 15), the Queenship (August 22), the Nativity (September 8), and the Holy Name of Mary (September 12). On September 15, we usually recall “Our Sorrowful Mother,” also known as Mater Dolorosa in Latin. This year the feast will be preempted by the Sunday Mass. Over the centuries, the Church has recognized popular devotion to seven sorrows of Mary: (1) the Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus (Lk 2:34); (2) the Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family (Mt 2:13); (3) the Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days (Lk 2:43); (4) the Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross (Lk 23:26); (5) the Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross (Jn 19:25); (6) the Descent from … [Read more...]

The parish office frequently receives calls from “parishioners” to have their children baptized, get a school voucher, get married or have permission to serve as a godparent. Being a “parishioner” at Good Shepherd Parish means that you either (1) reside in the parish boundaries (Leontine to Seventh Street, Carondelet to the River) or (2) you have completed a parish census form (3) have registered online at goodshepherdparishNOLA.com. This isn’t our rule, it’s the rule of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  To be a “contributing parishioner” (for the purposes of school vouchers) you must use parish envelopes or personal checks for donations. … [Read more...]

Passionists in Papua New Guinea Fr. John Curtis CP is a Passionist Priest who in July celebrated his 50th Jubilee of Ordination. Fr. John first went to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1983 where he lived for two years deep in the jungle of PNG. The local people were 70% malnourished and survived by growing vegetables in their gardens. The Passionist developed a number of self-help projects to help the people survive as well as undertaking long patrols in the jungle to bring God’s word and love to the people, often accompanied with lay missionary nurses who brough urgent medical treatment to the villages. … [Read more...]

At this past Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Leo XIV said, “The liturgical year is not a static representation of past events, but an encounter with Christ Himself, who desires to immerse His people in the mysteries of the history of salvation.” The heart of Welcome Home Sunday isn’t just asking someone back into a building, or even back into a habit. We are inviting everyone into an encounter with the living Christ, who still speaks, heals, nourishes, and sends His people forth. The Holy Father continued: “To sanctify Sunday, it is fundamental to celebrate the Eucharist. Listening to the Word and partaking of the Body of Christ entails … the coming together in one, that is, the joyful gathering of the faithful. In this assembly, the Christian community makes visible its communion with … [Read more...]

August 15, 2026 After the Ascension of Jesus, Mary aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers. In her association with the apostles and several women, we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation. Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: “In giving birth you kept your … [Read more...]

St. Stephen Catholic School has its first day of classes on Tuesday, August 18, and we have our first weekly school Mass on August 21 at 9:00 am. I wish each parishioner could come to at least one school Mass during the year to see what well-behaved, enthusiastic, attentive and participatory students we have at St. Stephen’s. Unfortunately, most of the children that attend St. Stephen Catholic School do not live in the parish and, therefore, attend Mass at their home parish. However, you do know some of our students (and former students) who participate as altar servers at our Saturday 4:00pm Vigil and Sunday 10:30am Mass. Those young men are representative of the quality of the students that we educate here in our parish. If you know someone who is looking for a wonderful Catholic … [Read more...]

The St. Vincent de Paul Society needs your help. During the hot summer months, we have many asking for help with their utility bills. A Christmas Giving Tree has been set up next to the St. Anthony Statue. All you have to do is pick an envelope and place in a donation. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will do the rest!  God bless you! … [Read more...]