“A family that prays together...” A Family That Prays is a powerful weekend designed to enrich marriages, faith & family. Spouses will grow closer in their sacrament while their children will explore a deeper understanding & encounter with God. The retreat culminates on Sunday when families are brought back together for a memorable family experience led by Archbishop Hughes! The retreat is held at the St. Joseph Abbey in Covington and it begins on Saturday, November 1st at 8:30am and ends after lunch on Sunday. Space is limited. If you would like to register or more information, call Jason Angelette at (504) 830-3716 or visit www.faithandmarriage.org. … [Read more...]

St. Stephen Catholic School had its first day of classes on Tuesday, August 14, and we had our first weekly school Mass the next day on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 8:30 am.  I wish each parishioner could come to at least one school Mass (which is normally at 8:30 am on Friday) during the year to see what well-behaved, enthusiastic and attentive students we have at St. Stephen’s. Unfortunately, many of the families 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 … [Read more...]

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me!”  (Mt. 25:40) One of our most important ministries in Good Shepherd Parish is cooking for those who are homeless, and then serving them at the Rebuild Center on Tulane Avenue.  I’ve been acquainted with the Rebuild Center for years because my Mother cooks for them once a month.  In the parish we cook every other Wednesday in the morning, and then we serve the following day for the noon meal.  In 2013 we served 3,050 meals at the Rebuild Center, and we are on track to surpass that in 2014!  Below is the email I received from Dan LeBlanc about last week: “Yesterday was a good day for the guests at the Rebuild Center.  Our cooking team on Wednesday did a great job, and a word of thanks to them: … [Read more...]

Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II are to be canonized today, the Feast of Divine Mercy, in a ceremony at the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome presided over by Pope Francis.  Of the 264 deceased Popes, 80 have been declared to be saints.  While this might seem like a large percentage, we have to remember that 52 out of the first 54 Popes were canonized, so that only leaves 18 more out of the next 210!  The odds have gotten harder after the Church left the ages of martyrdom and persecution.  The last Pope canonized was Pope St Pius X on May 29, 1954, and that event was so important that a large mural of the new Pope Saint was added to the inside of St. Stephen Church to memorialize the occasion. I think three aspects of the first “joint Pope canonization” in history bear … [Read more...]

The Family Life Apostolate will offer a writing workshop for people seeking annulments in the Catholic Church or for people responding to an annulment. The workshop will be held at the North Shore Pastoral Center in Covington. The series will be for five Tuesdays, January 28, February 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The materials for the series cost $25.00, to register or for more information, call Family Life Apostolate, 504-861-6243.   … [Read more...]

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO) will sponsor its annual Holy Spirit Retreat for teenagers and young adults, better known as January Retreat, January 3-5, 2014 at the Landmark Hotel, 2601 Severn Avenue, Metairie, LA 70002. The retreat theme is “Freedom” and the weekend will include Talks, Skits, Music, Worship, Mass, Confessions, and Fellowship. It will feature Fr. Steve Bruno, Matt Bourgeois and other well-known local priests and youth speakers. Everyone of high school and college age is invited to attend participants must register by December 6, 2013, $160 for lodging and meals. Youth groups are welcome. One free chaperone registration for every eight retreatants who register together by December 2, 2013. For more information and to register, visit www.ccrno.org … [Read more...]

All of you are aware of the massive destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. While Archbishop Aymond is not calling for a special 2nd collection, pastors are asked to please announce that anyone who would like to donate can send their Typhoon Haiyan Relief donations to Archbishop Aymond’s attention at the chancery, 7887 Walmsley Ave. New Orleans, LA 70125. Archbishop Aymond will send the donations to the bishops in the Philippines.   … [Read more...]

The Office of Communications and the Clarion Herald are engaged in a process of strategic planning. An essential part of this process is to get feedback from a wide range of people in the Archdiocese. To that end, a very short online survey has been created and we ask that you help us by completing the shot survey online and distributing the survey link to people in your network. If you have already received this link from another source and completed the survey there is no need to complete it again. In any event, please also pass the link on to other Catholics – the more response they receive the better! The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RZMH98Y If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Sarah McDonald at smconald@archdiocese-no.org or Peter Finney at … [Read more...]

Catholic Women in Action, a committee of the Catholic Foundation, invites you to our Advent Series “Bringing Christ to a World Longing for Love and Joy.” Please join us to reflect on how to spiritually prepare for Christ’s coming and help evangelize others. Our series begins on the Northshore at Mary Queen of Peace Parish on December 2nd at 9:00 a.m. for Mass with Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond followed by reflections from Judy Landrieu Klein and her daughter, Kara. The next is on the Westbank at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, December 3rd for 9:30 a.m. Mass with Fr. John Talamo, Celebrant, followed by reflections from Sarah McDonald and Mayor of Gretna, Belinda Constant. Our final presentation will be on the Eastbank at St. Francis Xavier Parish on December 4th for 8:00 a.m. Mass with Fr. … [Read more...]