Jesus recounted the following to St. Margaret Mary, and this devotion has been recognized by the Church: “To all those who, during nine months on end, will receive Holy Communion on the first Fridays of every month.  I promise the Grace of final perseverance. They will not die in My disgrace, but will receive the Sacraments (if necessary), and My Heart will be sure shelter for them in that extreme moment.” The First Friday promises of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary: 1.  I will give them graces necessary for their state of life. 2.  I will establish peace in their houses. 3.  I will comfort them in all their afflictions. 4.  I will be their strength during life and during death. 5.  I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings. 6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the … [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...]

October 7 In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted “Our Lady of Victory” as an annual feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, where Christian forces successfully thwarted an attempted invasion of Western Europe by the Muslim forces of the Ottaman Empire. The victory was attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as a Rosary procession had been offered on that day in St. Peter's Square in Rome for the success of the mission of the Holy League. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast-day to “Feast of the Holy Rosary". This feast was extended by Pope Clement XII to the whole of the Latin Rite, inserting it into the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1716, and assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Pope Pius X changed the date to 7 October in 1913, as part of his effort to … [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...]

The Angelus is a prayer of devotion to the Blessed Mother commemorating the announcement of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The name “Angelus” comes from the opening words in Latin: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ (“The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary”) and refers to the Angel Gabriel, the messenger of God who revealed to Mary that she would conceive a child named Jesus who would be called the Son of God. (Lk 1:26-35).  The Angelus is prayed by reciting three verses from Luke’s Gospel, and alternating with the “Hail Mary.” In a Catholic tradition dating to at least to the 14th century, the Angelus is prayed in churches, convents, and monasteries three times daily - 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. - and is usually accompanied by the ringing of the Angelus bell. As stated in the … [Read more...]

While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” (Lk 9:34-36a) Most of the Church Fathers saw the Transfiguration as a glimpse of the glory of Christ given to his disciples so that they might be strengthened to witness the scandal of the Cross. And this is certainly true. But three things immediately jump out of the reading. First, is the number of apostles. Not all of the twelve are present – only Peter, James and John, the same three apostles that would accompany Jesus into the Garden of Gethsemane. Even though they were strengthened by their witness to the glory of the Transfiguration, they would still flee at the beginning … [Read more...]

Dear Brother Priests, Each Sunday we pray “Our Family Prayer” that God will make us peacemakers of our time and for an end to violence, murder and racism in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and throughout the world. Every parish has members who are victims of many types of violence.  The Church cannot be silent at this crucial time when so many of the faithful have been so deeply affected by violence. Prayer is powerful and can change hearts. This is an opportunity for us as a community of faith to pray for reconciliation and healing and to ask God’s help as we strive to build a better community free from violence and its causes. On Sunday, September 11, 2022, I will celebrate the annual liturgy for the Victims and Survivors of Violence at the 11:00 a.m. mass at Saint Louis … [Read more...]

Ignacio López de Loyola was born in Spain in 1491, the youngest of 13 children. In 1506, he adopted the last name "de Loyola" in reference of the Basque city of Loyola where he was born.  In 1509, Ignatius took up arms under the Duke of Nájera and participated in many battles without injury to himself.  However, on May 20, 1521, in a battle against the French, a cannonball wounded both of his legs.  During his recuperation at Loyola, Ignatius read the Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony, a commentary on the Gospels with extracts from the works of over sixty of the Fathers of the Church; the book influenced his whole life.  Ludolph proposes that the reader place himself at the scene of a Gospel story and visualize the scene in a simple contemplation. During his recuperation at Loyola, … [Read more...]

The Eucharistic Miracles of the World Catalogue of the Vatican International Exhibition With an extensive assortment of photographs and historical descriptions, the exhibition presents some of the principal Eucharistic Miracles that have taken place over the centuries and throughout the world. Most Eucharistic miracles involve incidences in which the Host has “turned into human flesh and blood.” Certainly, the Church teaches (and we believe) that the consecrated Host is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. Through Eucharistic miracles, Christ manifests His Presence in a more tangible and visible way. Interestingly, many Eucharistic miracles have occurred during times of weakened Faith. For example, a number of Eucharist miracles … [Read more...]

Archbishop Aymond will present the Order of St. Louis IX Medallion to our parishioners Susan Bourgeois and James Brady on Sunday, May 15, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. at St. Catherine of Sienna Church.  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 Susan and James, you know of their work!  Susan helps purify our altar linens, and is very involved with our CCD program;  James helps count the collections and is very active with the Knights of Columbus.  “Whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.” (Mt 25:40). … [Read more...]