Uptown New Orleans Catholic Church on Napolean Avenue - Monsignor Nalty
Rectory 504-899-1378 | Fax 504-899-0480
School 504-891-1927
ststephenpar@archdiocese-no.org
From the Pastor – January 25, 2026
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mt. 4:18-20)
One afternoon while I was in seminary, I was having lunch with some classmates, and we were joined by another seminarian who was a member of a religious community. He was younger than my classmates, and pretty “gung-ho” about being a seminarian. With eager eyes and enthusiasm, he turned to my classmate, Mike Woods, and asked “So when did you get your call??!!” Now, you’d have to know Mike, but suffice it to say that Mike was about 10 years older than the other seminarian. He’s from Pittsburgh, and he had been a professional tri-athlete before entering seminary. Mike just looked over at him and said: “Well, I hope I get my call every day.”
People experience a call to follow Jesus in many different ways. For Peter and Andrew, it was the Incarnate Lord walking along the Sea of Galilee. For St. Paul, it was a burst of light that knocked him down and blinded him. For some people it is a moment when we experience a profound religious awakening. Some have a constant nagging feeling. And others are reinforced by a slow, steady constant understanding of the presence of God working in their lives. However, it happens, it’s Jesus doing the calling. He might send the Holy Spirit to open our hearts and minds, but He is the mediator of God and mankind. He’s the one who calls to us: “Follow me!”
My “call” to the seminary wasn’t a dramatic one, although it did involve some dramatic events. But once I finally made the decision to enter, Jesus opened the floodgates to our conversation. I became much more attentive to His work in my life; I devoted a substantial amount of time trying to listen to Him in private prayer; and I even began to have conversations with Him – recognizing that He was always right!
Although I would bet most of us have had some sort of “vocation” moment concerning the Lord, we should always recall to where that presence is directed: to the Universal Call to Holiness. As the Catechism says: “The Christian faithful are those who have been incorporated in Christ through Baptism and have been constituted as the people of God; for this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and royal office in their own manner, they are called to exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to fulfill in the world, in accord with the condition proper to each one. … In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function.” Holiness is how we respond to our call.
(Very Rev. Msgr.) Christopher H. Nalty
msgr.nalty@gmail.com
Masses
St. Stephen
Saturday Vigil at 4:00 pm
Sunday at 8:00 am and 10:30 am
Sunday at 5:00 pm at OLGC
Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC)
Center of Jesus the Lord
Charismatic Mass
Sunday at 10 am
Weekdays Masses
Monday – Friday 6:30 am St. Henry
Tuesdays 6:00 pm St. Stephen
First Fridays 6:00 pm Latin Mass
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Tuesdays 4:45 – 5:45pm St. Stephen
Thursdays 7:00 – 8:00am St. Henry
Confession Times at Good Shepherd
Saturdays 3:00 – 3:45pm St. Stephen
Sundays 9:30 – 10:15am St. Stephen
Sundays 10:00 – 10:30am OLGC
First Fridays 6:30 – 7:00pm OLGC
Weekly Envelopes
If you have not registered or requested envelopes, you can register on-line or call the rectory for more details!
The Presentation of the Lord
Monday, 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 thanks to the Lord, singing a hymn now called the Nunc Dimittis:
Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled:
My own eyes have seen the salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.
Simeon told Mary, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.” Simeon thus foreshadowed the crucifixion and the sorrows of Mary at seeing the death of her Son.
The name Candlemas (“Candle Mass”) comes from the activities associated with the feast. In the Western Church, a procession with lighted candles was popular, and beeswax candles are blessed and may be saved for later use in your home. After an antiphon, during which the candles held by the people may be lighted, there is a procession into the church which commemorates Christ’s entrance into the temple. Since Vatican II, the feast is officially designated “The Presentation of the Lord.” Next Sunday at the 10:30am Mass we will bless all of the candles to be used in the Basilica of St. Stephen, St. Henry Church and the rectory chapel. You are welcome to bring candles to be blessed.
What is Ordinary Time?
The Easter Season officially concluded on the Feast of Pentecost two weeks ago, and and on the following Monday we began “Ordinary Time” anew with the colors of the vestments and altar furnishings returning to green from the violet of Lent and the white of Easter. What’s so “ordinary” about it? Actually, “Ordinary Time” is the English translation of the Latin Tempus Per Annum (“time throughout the year”) and gets its name from the word ordinal, meaning “numbered,” because we begin to count the weeks rather than the seasons. Ordinary Time, depending on the year, runs either 33 or 34 weeks, and makes up the time in the Church calendar that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.
The Church celebrates two periods as Ordinary Time. The first period, ran from the end of Christmas until the evening of Mardi Gras when Lent begins, followed by Easter. The second period begins on the Monday after Pentecost and runs until Advent begins again in November. This period includes Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of Ordinary Time.
The use of the term “Ordinary Time” was used before the Second Vatican Council, but it was not until after the council that the term was officially used to designate the period between Epiphany and Lent, and the period between Pentecost and Advent. The older names for those seasons were the “Season After Epiphany” and the “Season After Pentecost.”
Ordinary Time celebrates the mystery of the life of Christ in all its aspects, and contains many important liturgical celebrations, including, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi, the Assumption of Mary, he Exaltation of the Holy Cross, All Saints, All Souls and Christ the King. In addition, the Church continues to celebrate other feast days of Mary, feasts of many saints, and the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.
Poinsettias!
Poinsettias in the Sanctuary during Christmas make for a beautiful display. Thanks for helping us decorate the altar!
Vincent Aiola Sr, William Allen, Cherie Austin, Evie Beck, Mr & Mrs Elmo J. Bourgeois, June Bourgeois, Marie Louise Broussard, Marlene Talley Brown, Mr & Mrs William Collins, Maurice Doyle, Claire Brown Fair, Hazel Fair, Aaron Gamble, Lilian Gamble, Leslie Guise, Mercedes Guise, Michael Guise Sr, Mr & Mrs Fred Johnson Sr, Fred Johnson Jr, Benedict LeBlanc, Mr & Mrs Edward LeBlanc Sr, Raymond Ledoux, Rafael Madan, Shirley Mallory, Joy Newman, Richard J. Roth Jr, Debbie Sherman, Bruce Snider, Neil & Georgia Mae Thompson, Gloria Tobias, Dennis Weil, the Marchessault Family, and the Ritchotte Family, Leonard Evans, Earline Johnson, Carroll & Germaine Rhodes, Bessie & Nett Stidham, Nicholas Stidham, All Holy Souls in Purgatory, Paul W. Sanderson, Sr., Theresa Sanderson, Joseph F. Paradelas, Maxine Paradelas, Medina and Burmeister Families, Mr. and Mrs. William A. Heausler, Jr., Richmond G. Favrot, Jorge A.Martinez, Pilar Blasco Martinez, Victor Lamadrid, Sr., Guadalupe Blasco Lamadrid, Celina Milan Blasco, Thomas B. Roche’, Anna Lee Roche’, Ronald J. Harper, Beverly G. Harper.
Location Map
Join Knights of Columbus
NOLA Adoration Chapels
