During November, we come to the end of the Church year, and we are asked to consider the end times – our own as well as the world's. The culmination of the liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King which asserts the supreme authority of Christ over human beings and their institutions. Beyond it we see Advent dawning with its preparation for the birth of Christ and its foreshadowing of the Lord’s coming in glory. The main feasts are the Solemnity of All Saints, (November 1), All Souls, (November 2), St. Charles Borromeo, (November 4), the Lateran Basilica, (November 9), St. Leo the Great, (November 10), St. Martin of Tours, (November 11), St. Josaphat, (November 12), St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, (November 13), St. Albert the Great, (November 15), Sts. Margaret of Scotland and Gertrude … [Read more...]

Friday, October 22, 2015 the Church throughout the world will celebrate the Feast Day of Pope St. John Paul II. Pope St. John Paul II, also known as Saint John Paul the Great, was Pope from October 16, 1978 until his death on April 2, 2005.  He was the second longest-serving pope in modern history after Pope Pius IX, who served for nearly 32 years from 1846 to 1878. Born in Poland, John Paul II is credited as helping to end Communist rule in his native Poland and eventually all of Europe.  John Paul II significantly improved the Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, Islam, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Communion. One of the most traveled world leaders in history, John Paul II visited 129 countries during his pontificate. As part of his special emphasis on the … [Read more...]

The Eucharistic Prayer  The Eucharistic Prayer is the “center and high point of the entire celebration,” through which “the whole congregation of the faithful joins with Christ in confessing the great deeds of God and in the offering of Sacrifice” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 78). This central prayer of the Mass is why we often refer to the entire celebration as Eucharist, which is not a thing, but rather an action – Eucharist (a Greek term) literally means “to give thanks.” Although this prayer is spoken mostly by the priest, the gathered faithful are in no way spectators. We are all doing something even if we are not speaking – our active participation is paramount here, for we are offering our very selves in thanksgiving for all God has done to save us and we join … [Read more...]

It will be obvious when you come to St. Stephen Church on Saturday or Sunday that we were hard hit by Hurricane Ida.  We lost the entirety of the roof to our school gym as well as much of the copper covering our gorgeous steeple. We are already in the process of mitigating our damages and repairing things so that we can get our children back in school.  The steeple might take a little longer to evaluate.  Notwithstanding the forgoing, we have maintained our Mass schedule since the hurricane hit, although we had to move it around over the last two weeks.  But beginning Monday, September 13, we will resume our normal Mass schedule at St. Stephen and St. Henry Churches. Due to the storm and the numbers of people who evacuated, we are pushing the start of our fall adult education and our … [Read more...]

Religious liberty is the first liberty granted to us by God and protected in the First Amendment to our Constitution. It includes more than our ability to go to Mass on Sunday or pray the Rosary at home. It also encompasses our ability to contribute freely to the common good of all Americans. Prayer for the Protection of Religious Libery Almighty God, Father of all nations, for freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1). We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,  the foundation of human rights, justice and the common good. Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect  and promote our liberties. By your grace may we have the courage to defend them,  for ourselves and for all those who live in this blessed land. We ask this through the intercession of Mary … [Read more...]

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...]

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...]