On Saturday, May 31 at 10:00 am, Archbishop Aymond will ordain Deacon Joseph Grayson Martello to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans at the Cathederal-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France. All are welcome to attend the ordination Mass. For those that cannot attend, the Mass will be streamed live at thedailymass.com. … [Read more...]

Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts (to be prayed beginning May 30) The novena in honor of the Holy Spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord Himself when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trbinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed y every Christian. NOVENA PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul, the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom … [Read more...]

This weekend the second collection is for the Servants of the Poor Congregation of India. They will make an appeal to help with “rendering services both Material and Spiritual to the poor.” Your generosity to this appeal will be used by the sisters to support mainly children who are affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, elderly, sick and destitute people who are living in our free Nursing homes, health care services, education, orphanages, boarding homes, adoption centers, rehabilitation homes, social service centers, and centers for evangelization. Thank you for helping these missionaries bring Christ to the poor. Sister Sheeja Thomas from the congregation, serving in San Antonio Archdiocese will be here to make this appeal. Please be generous to this most worthy cause. … [Read more...]

May 10-11, 2025 Each year on Good Shepherd Sunday the Archdiocese of New Orleans designates a special second collection to help support the medical and retirement expenses of our diocesan priests. Please be generous in supporting those priests who have given their lives to serve us and the Church! … [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...]

The month of May is traditionally dedicated to Mary in many cultures, since May is considered the season of the beginning of new life. In ancient Roman culture, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of bloom, of blossoms, and the Romans celebrated ludi florales (floral games) at the end of April, asking the help of Flora for all that blooms since May 1 was considered the beginning of growth. In the same way, the Blessed Virgin Mary gives us the newness of life in the person of Jesus Christ so that we might become new creations born into Eternal Life. Since medieval times, we begin to see a connection between Mary and the month of May. Among the earliest witnesses are: Alphonsus X, King of Castille, Spain (+1284) with his "Cantigas de Santa Maria.” Here and elsewhere, both Mary and the … [Read more...]

THANK YOU! Because of your financial contributions the St. Vincent du Paul Society was able to distribute Easter Food Baskets to 30 families during Holy Week, each including a $50.00 gift certificate from Rouse’s for the main course. We are so grateful for your continued support of our mission to serve those in need! … [Read more...]

Thanks to our volunteers who greeted pilgrims taking part in the Nine Church Walk on Good Friday. The pilgrims started arriving almost at the completion of our Holy Thursday vigil at 6:00am, and they continued into the early afternoon, until we started preparing for the Good Friday service. In past years we’ve had well over 2,000 people came to visit St. Stephen’s on Friday, and the last two years the groups have been very small due to COVID19. We were glad to see the large groups this Good Friday! Anybody who doubts the vitality of the Catholic Church in New Orleans need only to see the busloads of high school groups, CYO groups, and large families taking part in the walk to have their doubts removed. It was a joy to greet many pilgrims from other parishes in the Archdiocese. … [Read more...]

Divine Mercy Sunday is dedicated to the devotion to the Divine Mercy promoted by St. Faustina , and is based upon an entry in St. Faustina's diary stating that anyone who participates in the Mass and receives the sacraments of confession and Eucharist on this day is assured by Jesus of full remission of sins. According to the notebooks of Saint Faustina, Jesus made the following statements about this day: "On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though … [Read more...]

It was a common custom in many lands of the ancient Middle East to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honor. In 2 Kings 9:13 Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, was treated to this honor. Each of the four Gospels report that the people of Jerusalem gave Jesus the honor of walking on a covered path. However, in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) we hear that the people lay their garments and cut rushes to place on the street. Only the Gospel of John specifically mentions palms. So what is the significance of the palm? The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and of victory in Jewish tradition, and is treated as such in other parts of the Bible (e.g. Leviticus 23:40 and Revelation 7:9). Based on this significance, the scene of the crowd greeting Jesus by … [Read more...]