The entire Church mourns the death of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. In cathedrals, basilicas, parish churches, shrines, and chapels the Holy Eucharist will be offered for the repose of his soul. Communities and individuals will ask God to bestow his infinite mercy on the man who served the Church as Bishop of Rome. This novena has been prepared to help pray for the Pope during the time of mourning. The daily novena – lasting for the novendiales period from April 26 to May 4, 2025 – consists of a short reading from Scripture or some other ecclesiastical text and some brief prayers, including orations drawn from the Roman Missal and the Order of Christian Funerals. … [Read more...]

(December 17, 1936 - April 21, 2025) O God, who in your wondrous providence chose your servant Pope Francis to preside over your Church, grant, we pray, that, having served as the Vicar of your Son on earth, he may be welcomed by Him into eternal glory. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. V. Eternal rest grant unto Francis, O Lord. R. And let the perpetual light shine upon him. And may his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. … [Read more...]

If any of you have access to sago palms (the kind pictured here), we would love to get some for decorations in the church and to bless in two weeks on Palm Sunday (April 13, 2025). Please don’t cut your palms until a few days before Palm Sunday! Please bring them to the rectory or leave at the back door of the sacristy. … [Read more...]

At 2:30pm on Sunday, March 23, 2025, at St. Catherine of Siena Church, Archbishop Aymond will present the Order of St. Louis IX Medallion to our parishioners Michael Shanklin and Gil D’Aguin. The Order of St. Louis IX award was established more than 40 years ago to honor those members of the laity who have contributed their time and talents to the church. Even if you don’t know Michael and Gil, you know of their work! Michael is one of our faithful sacristans who opens the church, sets up and serves the 8:00am Mass. Gil is an usher at the 10:30am Mass and is also our “parish artist,” responsible for beautifully painting our Stations of the Cross and repairing our statues. “Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” (Mt 25:40). … [Read more...]

This past legislative session, the pro-life movement faced many challenges including pro-abortion ballot initiatives and legislation targeting pregnancy resource centers. However, several states stood firm in their courageous defense and advocacy for life. For the fifth year in a row, Arkansas is at the top of the Life List as the most pro-life state in America. Continuing in its momentum from last year, Louisiana comes in second after enacting numerous life-affirming laws, including a law that protects unsuspecting pregnant women from the fraudulent provision of chemical abortion drugs. Tennessee secured its spot as the biggest mover on the Life List, advancing from 13th to 6th. The state enacted strong protections against abortion trafficking of minors and allocated funds to pregnancy … [Read more...]

Phyllis Treigle | Trey Cassels| Melissa Brocato Louis Hackett | Patrick Tuck | Brian Morgan The Basilica Choir Sunday, December 15 at 4:00pm. Admission is free, but a freewill offering will be accepted to support the upcoming restoration of the organ. … [Read more...]

Holy Day of Obligation Monday, December 9, 2024 6:30am at St. Henry Church 12:00 noon at the Basilica of St. Stephen The dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:  The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854: DS 2803). This doctrine was revealed through the Scriptures (Mary was “the absolute fullness of grace”) and the long Sacred Tradition of the Church.  But it was finally declared as dogma on December 8, 1954, exactly nine months before the celebration of the birth of Mary on September 8. The doctrine is quite … [Read more...]

October 6 at 11:45 am Feast Day - October 4 Many of the stories that surround the life of St. Francis of Assisi deal with his love for animals. Part of his appreciation of the environment is expressed in his Canticle of the Sun, a poem written in Umbrian Italian in perhaps 1224 which expresses a love and appreciation of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Mother Earth, Brother Fire, etc. and all of God's creations personified in their fundamental forms.  Francis' attitude towards the natural world, while poetically expressed, was conventionally Christian. He believed that the world was created good and beautiful by God but suffers a need for redemption because of the primordial sin of man. He preached the universal ability and duty of all creatures to praise God (a common theme in the Psalms) … [Read more...]

September 18, 2024 5 pm – 6:30 pm As we do every year, Archbishop Aymond has asked that each parish offer the Sacrament of Confession on the nearest Wednesday to the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. This year that date is September 18, 2024. … [Read more...]