During Advent, we refrain from singing the “Gloria in Excelsis Deo / Glory to God in the Highest.” Why? Let’s start with some basic rules of liturgy set down by the Second Vatican Council in its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. Within the cycle of a year the Church “unfolds” the whole mystery of Christ, from the incarnation and birth until the ascension, the day of Pentecost, and the expectation of blessed hope and of the coming of the Lord (no.102). The church is to be particularly directed toward feasts of the Lord that point to salvation (no.108). In other words, a principle in ritual is to celebrates “feasts” and “fasts” in different ways so as to allow the mysteries of Christ to be made clear by the celebration. The Resurrection of Christ takes pre-eminence and is … [Read more...]

The annual St. Alphonsus Cre?che Exhibit will begin on Sunday, Sunday, November 26 to Sunday December 3 at St. Dominic Church in Lakeview There will be over 100 cre?che's from around the world. For more information call Blanche Comiskey at 504-235-2931, or the FOSA office at 504-524-8116. … [Read more...]

St. Monica Feast Day – August 27 St Augustine Feast Day – August 28 St. Augustine, a Roman African, was born in 354 in Thagaste (present-day Algeria) to a pagan father named Patricius and a Christian mother named Monica. At the age of 11, Augustine was sent to school at Madaurus, where he became familiar with Latin literature, as well as pagan beliefs and practices. At age 17, he went to Carthage to continue his education in rhetoric. Although raised as a Christian, Augustine left the church to follow the Manichaean religion, much to the despair of his mother. As a youth Augustine lived hedonistic lifestyle and had a longtime affair with a young woman in Carthage from whom was born his son Adeodatus. Although his mother constantly prayed for him to become a Christian, Augustine's … [Read more...]

Religious Freedom Week takes place from June 22, the Memorial of Sts. Thomas More & John Fisher, through June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul. Join Catholics across the country to pray and act for the freedom to serve faithfully and with integrity. In recent years, a wave of vandalism and arson has hit Catholic churches and statues. That wave rose following the leaked draft of the Dobbs decision, and it crested after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to regulate abortion. June and July of 2022 saw a huge spike in anti-Christian and anti-life attacks on churches. There have been over 250 attacks so far, including the theft of the statue of the Blessed Mother from in front of our own church, and that number steadily continues to grow. Pray that … [Read more...]

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.  Our parishioners, Nell Carmichael and Barry & Katie Almon will be among those honored at St. Catherine of Siena Church at 2:30p on May 7. Even if you don’t know Nell, Barry and Katie, you surely know of their work!  Nell is a tireless rectory volunteer who also cooks and serves the poor at the Rebuild Center.  Most of our younger parishioners know Barry and Katie, who direct our RCIA program for Confirmation. “Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” (Mt 25:40). … [Read more...]

Easter Sunday is the day of the “Alleluia!”  After forty days of Lenten sacrifice and fasting, we finally arrive at the most important day of our liturgical year, and the only word we have to express our inner joy is “Alleluia!!” In the old Greek version of the Book of Tobias, in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Hebrew psalter, and in the original Greek of the Apocalypse we hear about this most holy word. It is part of the earliest Christian liturgies of which we have record. It is a word composed of the divinely acclaiming verbal form Allelu and the divine pronoun term Ya (for YHWH or Yahweh).  So, preserving its radical sense and sound, and even the mystical suggestiveness of its construction, it may be literally rendered, “All hail to Him Who is!” – taking “All Hail” as … [Read more...]

While many people give candy, flowers and cards to each other on February 14, few know the connection between “Valentine's Day” and the Catholic Church. Until the most recent revision of the Roman Calendar in 1969, February 14 was the Feast of St. Valentine. Little is known of the Saint except his name and that he was buried at the Via Flaminia north of Rome on February 14. It is even uncertain whether the feast celebrates only one saint or more saints of the same name. However, "Martyr Valentinus the Presbyter and those with him at Rome" remains in the list of saints proposed for veneration by all Catholics. The Feast of St. Valentine was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among those “... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are … [Read more...]

The Ozanam Inn will begin a new program in January to teach men and women working on the program there English and Math skills so they can pass the high school equivalency test (HISET), The Oz needs volunteers to work with these clients on these subjects on Friday mornings from 9:30am to 1:00pm. It isn’t necessary that the volunteers be educators. All that is needed is a willingness to help the clients improve their skills so they can have better opportunities in the job market, get back to living independently and enjoying an abundant life that Jesus has in mind for all souls.  All the teaching materials will be provided by the Oz. An information program will be held at the Oz on November 2, 2022 at 5:00pm. If you are interested, please contact Deacon Rich Eason at 504-319-5214. Also, … [Read more...]

Monday and Tuesday, October 3-4 In December 1531 the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico asking him to have the Bishop Juan de Zumarraga to build a church in her honor.  The Bishop was reluctant to just take his word and asked for sign from Juan.  He returned with a cloak of roses which were not native to the area.  The Blessed Virgin had arranged the roses in his cloak and she told him to bring them to the Bishop.  When he showed the bishop and even more wondrous sign appeared; a remarkable portrait of Our Lady was imprinted on the coarse fabric of his cloak.  The image and the cloak are displayed for the veneration of the faithful to this day at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica of Mexico City. The Knights of Columbus have over the years had 7 Silver Roses made.  One Rose … [Read more...]

The symbol of the loaves and the fishes is one of the earliest symbols of the Eucharist. It is an explicit connection between the multiplication of the loaves and fishes to the Holy Sacrament of the Mass. The mosaic pictured above comes from a very ancient church in Israel in a city called Tagbha that dates from the 4th century. … [Read more...]