A special Eucharistic Miracles Morning of Reflection, sponsored by the Catholic Women in Action Committee of the Catholic Community Foundation, will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 A.M. at St. Stephen Church on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans. Rev. Jeffrey A. Montz, Director of Spiritual Formation and Professor of Theology at Notre Dame Seminary, will celebrate Mass and offer a reflection. Displays of 30 or more of Eucharistic miracles will next be available for viewing. In-person seating for the event is limited and reservations are required. For more information and to R.S.V.P., please contact Kathi Zimmerman at 504.527.5794 or kzimmerman@ccfnola.org. Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit A special Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit will be in St. Stephen Church June 5 - 13, … [Read more...]

In 1914 the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it, establishing “Mother’s Day” to emphasize a women’s role in the family. One thing important to note is that the apostrophe in “Mother’s Day” is in between the “r” and the “s,” indicating the original meaning of the day, which is to honor one’s own Mother, rather than Mothers in general. We are bound by our love and through God’s command to honor our own mother, but we have to always remember that we have another mother in Heaven.  When Jesus became a human being, He also became our brother.  And as He hung on the cross He gave us his Most Holy Mother to be our mother:  “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said … [Read more...]

On Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Louis Cathedral, Archbishop Aymond will ordain Lennin Arroyo, Joseph DiMaggio III, Jeffrey Merritt and Andy Gonzalez to the Transitional Diaconate for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and Joseph Odongo for the Archdiocese of Tororo. On Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the St. Louis Cathedral, Archbishop Aymond will ordain Daniel Dashner, Ajani Gibson, Michael Lamy, Truong Pham and Andrew Sanchez for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and Thomas Bamoah for the Diocese of Yendi. … [Read more...]

Please take a baby bottle after Mass on April 10/11, 2021 and return it the following weekend with a donation to support this life-affirming ministry or give online at womansnewlife.com/babybottle … [Read more...]

Thanks to those who decorated and provided the decorations for the St. Joseph Altar.  And thanks to those who attended! … [Read more...]

An article in the Times-Picayune several years ago woke me up a bit.  It said that out of all religious groups in America, the group that gave the smallest percentage of their income to their church were Catholics.  While Mormons generally give the Biblical 10% we call “tithing,” and while the average churchgoer in the United States gives 2.4 %, Catholics give the lowest percentage of every other religion. And I don’t write this because we still haven’t completely funded our Restoration (but we haven’t!) or because we need more money to operate (but we do!), but let me tell you the real reason: giving to charity shows a great reliance on God, and God rewards a cheerful giver.  Ever since I began “tithing,” God has given me more blessings than I can imagine.  And as He gives me more, I … [Read more...]

Tuesday, February 2 The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord commemorates the purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the presentation of Christ in the temple, which took place 40 days after his birth as Jewish law required. According to Mosaic law, a mother who had given birth to a boy was considered unclean for seven days. Also, she was to remain 33 days "in the blood of her purification." Luke tells us, quoting Exodus 13:2,12, that Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem because every firstborn child was to be dedicated to the Lord. They also went to sacrifice a pair of doves or two young pigeons, showing that Mary and Joseph were poor. Once in the temple, Jesus was purified by the prayer of Simeon, in the presence of Anna the prophetess. Simeon, upon seeing the Messiah, gave … [Read more...]

"Gaudete" Sunday enters in rose colored vestments signifying joy. Isaiah’s message is upbeat, filled with joy and possibilities.  James, on the other hand, is encouraging patience. He cautions us against complaining while enduring any hardship.  Matthew’s Gospel relates the story of Jesus being asked by John the Baptist if He was the one who was to come. Jesus confronts both John the Baptist and the crowds, including us. “What did you expect?” It is time for us to answer that question. What do we expect of Christ in our lives?  How can we use this time to answer that question? … [Read more...]

Last Tuesday, Pope Francis announced a special year dedicated to St. Joseph starting from 8 December 2020 until 8 December 2021, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church, as well as the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. The Apostolic Penitentiary also issued a decree granting special indulgences for the duration of the special year to celebrate the anniversary and “to perpetuate the entrustment of the whole Church to the powerful patronage of the Custodian of Jesus.” More to come on this next week! … [Read more...]

We need your support! The inside and most of the outside of St. Stephen Church is now beautifully restored. In order to keep the costs manageable in the 2017-2018 restoration, we were forced to eliminate some projects. We will gradually address items omitted from the original restoration in the coming years. First on our list is the front porch. It needs work! We would like to install this beautiful mosaic (on display near the Camp Street door) in the center of the porch, surrounded by a decorative border. … [Read more...]