In many parishes, including my home parish of St. Francis Xavier, there is a practice of having a family take a Mass Chalice home for one week to pray each night during that week for priestly vocations.  During this Year for Priests, several parishioners have suggested that we introduce the same devotion, and also to pray for the sanctity of priests.  If you or your family (no matter how large or how small) would like take part in this important mission, please contact the parish office.  Each week’s family will receive the chalice at the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday.

An “Epic” journey through Church history in a dynamic course beginning in mid-September!

Where: Good Shepherd Paris, Rectory
When: Thursday nights 7-8:30 P.M. beginning September 10.
Cost: There is no cost for the course. The workbook will be provided at no charge thanks to a generous patron who donated the books!
Contact Phillip Bellini for more information

Do you know your family history? The history of the Church is the story of our family. It is the epic story of our ancestors in the Faith – the heroic men and women who shaped civilization and spread the Gospel throughout the world. Knowing this story is crucial to our identity as Catholics. Just as we would uncover exciting and interesting stories of our ancestors through the study of our family genealogy, we can uncover our Catholic past through the study of Church history. Knowledge of our Catholic story helps provide meaning to the present, and the present determines the future. Learning 2,000 years of history can be a daunting task – but with Epic: A Journey through Church History, you can easily learn the amazing story of the Church.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.” (Mk 5:1-9)

Happy Anniversary of Our Time Together!

It’s hard for me to believe it, but this weekend marks the one-year anniversary of my coming to Good Shepherd Parish. And it has been a very blessed year for me. Of course it has been an adjustment going from working in an office in Rome to ministering in such a complex and diverse parish in a time of transition. But it’s so good to be home. Over the past year, many people have asked me if I “missed Rome.” And my stock answer has been, “I could never miss Rome while I’m in New Orleans as much as I missed New Orleans while I was in Rome.”

Let me tell you a story that illustrates my feelings about being Pastor of Good Shepherd Parish. My vocation to the priesthood goes back to 1985, when a priest first asked me if I’d “ever thought about being a priest.” At the time, I told him that I never had thought about it, unless you count my “playing priest” as a child! But in 1985, I started actively thinking about the priesthood. And I started watching and listening to priests in the environment where I saw them most, which was Sunday Mass in the parish.

Flash forward eight years later when I finally decided that I couldn’t sit on the sideline and watch anymore. I had to give seminary a chance, but I didn’t know where to go. I spoke with some close priest friends, and initially got in contact with a priest from the Congregation of Holy Cross (the priests who run the University of Notre Dame, as well as many other schools). That priest had me fly to San Antonio, and he introduced me to priestly ministry in Texas. I met priests who were doing diverse types of work: they were teaching, practicing law, doing vocational work, helping immigrants, and running a retreat center. I was presented with a variety of possibilities for my potential future priesthood.

A few months later, I was interviewed by the vocation director for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and a Teresian sister asked me: “What do you see yourself ‘doing’ as a priest”?

It was a very confusing question. I didn’t really have an idea about “doing” anything as a priest besides being a priest. And so I told her I didn’t understand. And she continued: “Well, do you see yourself in some sort of special ministry or working in a parish?” Since most of my contact with priests had been at Mass, I told her that’s how I saw myself. “Well, it sounds like you want to be a parish priest.”

When she said that, it was if a switch turned in my head. That’s exactly what I wanted to be! I wanted to baptize babies then give them First Holy Communion when they were seven. I wanted to prepare those same children for Confirmation, and when they got older, I wanted to prepare them for marriage and celebrate their Nuptial Mass. And then in a few years, I wanted to baptize their babies! And in the meantime, I wanted to forgive their sins in Confession, say Mass for them very Sunday (or even daily) and visit them if they got sick. When they were sad, I wanted to weep with them, and when they were joyful, I wanted to rejoice with them. That’s how I envisioned parish priesthood, and that’s what I wanted. I knew it then, and I know it now. I couldn’t think of anything that I’d rather be than a parish priest!
And so I went through seminary, and returned to New Orleans to work in a parish. And somehow along the way, I had learned Italian and Canon Law. And that’s when the vision of my life was changed for me. I was sent to Rome to work in an office of the Vatican. It was a wonderful job among wonderful people, and I learned a lot living in the shadow of St. Peter. Since I made a promise of obedience, it was an easy ministry to accept, and I think I flourished there. But it wasn’t really my own vision of life as a priest. Being a pastor is the “job” that I always envisioned. It’s really my “dream job.” It’s not an easy, cushy ministry, and it’s filled with so many opportunities of grace.

But what I didn’t realize is how much of the parish priesthood is also about being ministered to, myself. In this short year, I’ve been a part of Baptisms, Confessions, First Holy Communions, Confirmations, Weddings, Holy Anointings and Funerals, just like I thought. But I’ve also received more than I ever bargained for in terms of sorrow – most especially at my Dad’s death. And in the end, you – the parishioners of Good Shepherd Parish – have given me back more than I ever believed possible. You’ve rejoiced with me, and you’ve cried with me. And this has been the best year of my priesthood. But I believe next year will be even better. And the one after that even better. Thanks for putting up with me. I am humbled to be your pastor, and I pray daily that I can continue to be worthy of your trust.

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

The Feast of the Queenship of Mary – the Coronation – was established in 1954 by Pope Pius XII in a document called Ad Caeli Reginam. The original date for this feast was chosen as May 31st, but was later moved to the octave day of the feast of the Assumption, August 22nd. The Catholic faith states as a dogma that Mary was assumed into heaven, and is with Jesus Christ, her Divine Son. Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood of Jesus Christ, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of eternal salvation.

Jesus Christ as Redeemer is Lord and King. The Blessed Virgin is Queen, because of the unique manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest in our souls. Mary was chosen Mother of Christ so she might become a partner in the redemption of the human race.

As Pope Pius XII wrote: “From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven And never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.”

The Catechism tells us that “the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” (CCC 966).

All devotion to Mary is intrinsically linked to the worship of Jesus Christ. However, devotion is different than the worship. Because God is infinite, we offer him worship – called “latria” in Greek. Devotion is different. We can be devoted to our parents or our closest friends. And we owe special devotion to the saints who have preceded us to Heaven. But to Mary is owed the highest devotion because of the special role that God chose for her in His plan of salvation. In Greek, devotion is called “dulia” and to Mary we owe the highest devotion or “hyperdulia.”

And as Queen of Heaven, Mary serves as a powerful intercessor for us. This intercession in no way diminishes the unique salvific mediation of Jesus Christ; rather, she reveals to us His power. As she herself states in her great “Magnificat”: her soul “magnifies” the Lord. Just as a magnifying glass doesn’t change the size of the thing it magnifies, but only makes it easier to see and understand, Mary does the same thing for us with Christ. She adds nothing to His greatness but she allows us to understand it and appreciate Him more and more.

“Bartimaeus threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” (Mk 10:43-45)

Each of us has a deep longing for God. Despite our “worldliness,” we have a deep desire to encounter God. This is nothing new. It’s been the story of human history since the Fall of Adam and Eve as man has tried to “transcend” (the word means to “climb across”) the difficulties of this earthly life and reach into a higher reality that is God’s peace and tranquility. And that’s why God sent us His Son. Jesus joined Himself to our humanity to give us the capability to “climb across” to our Heavenly Father. Jesus makes God the Father accessible to us.

And so each of us wants to “see” Jesus. It’s the reason we call ourselves Christians. We want to see Jesus here on earth. We want to see Jesus in the faces of those we love and in the faces of those whom are difficult to love. We want to see Jesus in the poor, the sick, the lonely, the homeless, the suffering. We want to see Him in the commandments, which teach us how to love. We want to see Jesus in the beauty of His creation. We want to see Jesus in prayer. We want to see Jesus in the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist. We want to see Him in ourselves. And ultimately we want to see Him face-to-face in Heaven for all Eternity.

But we’re often blinded by the things of the world. Sin blinds us. Worries blind us. Pain and suffering blind us. Hatred and prejudices blind us. The inability to forgive robs us of our sight. Even our family and friends can blind us when we are content to focus our human relationships on the fleeting pleasures of earthly things rather than on the higher virtues of faith, hope and love!

Today, the Lord comes to us and asks us, “What do you want me to do for you?” Today we need to respond, each in our individual circumstances, “Lord, I want to see!”  We need to beg him to open our eyes to the things of Heaven by removing from our eyes the things of the world that keep us bound to a lower reality. We need to beg him to remove from our vision the sinfulness of the world so we can live in a more beautiful and holy reality of the world to come. As we get close to the Feast of All Saints, we take the saints as our models of those whose eyes were open to see Christ in everything they did! Lord I want to see!

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Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

“Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:43-45)

Jesus presents us with a paradox in the Gospel today. If we want to be great, we need to be a servant. He turns earthly ideas of greatness on their head.

It reminds me of a story told to me by one of my professors in seminary, a famous author who taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University named Fr. John Fullenbach. One summer, during a break in the university year, Father Fullenbach he decided to spend some with working in Calcutta with Mother Teresa and her sisters. On the first day he found himself walking with a sister through the worst slums of Calcutta looking for dying people. As they were walking, a poor woman begged them to follow her, and she led them down an alley to her dying husband. Father Fullenbach bent down to help the dying man, and the man spit in his face. Father Fullenbach was livid. Here he was a very famous author and university professor doing volunteer work to help the poor, and they weren’t even grateful! Despite his anger, Father Fullenbach cleaned the man and fed him. But he was still furious.

Later that day, Father witnessed a commotion where a young sister was trying to wash a 10 year-old girl. Because she was covered with sores, the water hurt her and made her angry. She kept hitting and splashing water at the sister. At that very moment, Mother Teresa entered the hospital and heard the commotion. “Now we’ll see how a true ‘saint’ handles it,” Father Fullenbach cynically thought!

Mother Theresa walked over the girl, and sent the sister to do other things. The child looked at Mother Teresa and started screaming and soaking her with the water from the bath. Mother just looked at her. After a few minutes of looking, she walked slowly over to the girl, held out her arms and hugged her. The child collapsed in tears into her arms. After a long while, the young girl stopped crying. And then Mother Teresa began to sing to her, washing her sores with tenderness. Who was the real servant here? The one who feigned humility for the sake of satisfying some sort of perceived “duty,” or the one who saw herself as a slave for Jesus Christ. We all have a long way to go, but holiness comes to those who desire it. Desire it!

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Assumption of Mary
Celebrated on August 15, 2009
After her Son's Ascension, Mary aided the beginnings of the Church by her prayers. In her association with the apostles and several women, we also see Mary by her prayers imploring the gift of the Spirit, who had already overshadowed her in the Annunciation. Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.

“Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mk 10:25-26)

Before I entered seminary, I heard a homily preached on this Gospel passage. The priest explained that one of the gates to enter Jerusalem that was called the “eye of the needle.” Camels could only go through the “eye of the needle” if they were crawling on their knees and stripped of baggage. The implication was that we only get to Heaven “on our knees” and free of attachment to possessions. At the time, it seemed like a good explanation. But when I was in seminary studying Sacred Scripture, I learned there was no such gate. His cute story was a complete fabrication!

However, there are explanations that help us to understand the word usage of Jesus. Think about it. Why a camel and the eye of a needle? Why not an elephant and a keyhole? Maybe a blue whale and a bathtub drain? Well, one reason for the words is that rope was made from camel hair, and the Greek words are very similar: kamilos (rope) and kamelos (camel). Since rope wouldn’t fit through the eye of a sewing needle, Jesus is using both a pun and the literary device of hyperbole It’s actually pretty funny, when you think about it! Since there’s no way that a rope, let alone a camel, can get through the eye of a needle, Jesus is basically saying it’s impossible for a rich person to get to Heaven. And that threw the Apostles for a loop. Riches were supposed to be signs of God’s favor on earth. If someone who was obviously in God’s favor (a very wealthy person) couldn’t get to Heaven, then “who can be saved?” (Mk 10:26). Far from liking the pun or the hyperbole, the Apostles were horrified that no one could be saved.

And that’s when Jesus lets them off the hook. “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” (Mk 10:27). Not only can God get a camel through the eye of the needle, but God can get each of us to Heaven. And His Son came to show us how He would do that. And Jesus revealed Himself as the “way” to Heaven by his life, death and resurrection.

In this week’s Gospel passage, Jesus helps us to understand that Heaven is not “here.” It’s not the material things, the comforts and the pleasures of earth. All of those things are passing away, and they can be actual hindrances to us if we strive for Heaven. They take up our time, they distract us, and they are inferior to the treasures of Heaven. Not everyone is called to voluntarily live a life of poverty, but some people are. And the ones that have done so in the most dramatic way – St. Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa of Calcutta come to mind – are the ones that point us to share in God’s happiness here on earth rather than the fleeting happiness of earthly things. Jesus Christ gives us a happiness that the world can’t give, and a happiness that the world can’t take away. But we might never experience that happiness if we spend all of our time focusing on the fleeting happiness of created things.

Rev. Msgr. Christopher H. Nalty

Excerpts from the MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 83rd WORLD MISSION SUNDAY 2009

On this Sunday, dedicated to the missions, I turn first of all to you, my brothers in the episcopal and the priestly ministry, and then to you, my brothers and sisters, the whole People of God, to encourage in each one of you a deeper awareness of Christ's missionary mandate to "make disciples of all peoples" (Mt 28:19), in the footsteps of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations.

"The nations will walk in its light" (Rev 21:24). The goal of the Church's mission is to illumine all peoples with the light of the Gospel as they journey through history towards God, so that in Him they may reach their full potential and fulfilment. We should have a longing and a passion to illumine all peoples with the light of Christ that shines on the face of the Church, so that all may be gathered into the one human family, under God's loving fatherhood.

It is in this perspective that the disciples of Christ spread throughout the world work, struggle and groan under the burden of suffering, offering their very lives. I strongly reiterate what was so frequently affirmed by my venerable Predecessors: the Church works not to extend her power or assert her dominion, but to lead all people to Christ, the salvation of the world. We seek only to place ourselves at the service of all humanity, especially the suffering and the excluded, because we believe that "the effort to proclaim the Gospel to the people of today... is a service rendered to the Christian community and also to the whole of humanity" (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 1), which "has experienced marvellous achievements but which seems to have lost its sense of ultimate realities and of existence itself" (Redemptoris Missio, 2).

In truth, the whole of humanity has the radical vocation to return to its source, to return to God, since in Him alone can it find fulfilment through the restoration of all things in Christ. Dispersion, multiplicity, conflict and enmity will be healed and reconciled through the blood of the Cross and led back to unity.

This new beginning can already be seen in the resurrection and exaltation of Christ, who draws all things to himself, renewing them and enabling them to share in the eternal joy of God. The future of the new creation is already shining in our world and, despite contradictions and suffering, it enkindles hope for new life. The Church's mission is to spread hope “contagiously” among all peoples. This is why Christ calls, justifies, sanctifies and sends his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God, so that all nations may become the People of God. It is only in this mission that the true journey of humanity is understood and attested. The universal mission should become a fundamental constant in the life of the Church. Proclamation of the Gospel must be for us, as it was for the Apostle Paul, a primary and unavoidable duty.

The universal Church, which knows neither borders nor frontiers, is aware of her responsibility to proclaim the Gospel to entire peoples (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 53). It is the duty of the Church, called to be a seed of hope, to continue Christ's service in the world. The measure of her mission and service is not material or even spiritual needs limited to the sphere of temporal existence, but instead, it is transcendent salvation, fulfilled in the Kingdom of God (cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi, 27). This Kingdom, although ultimately eschatological and not of this world (cfr Jn 18:36), is also in this world and within its history a force for justice and peace, for true freedom and respect for the dignity of every human person. The Church wishes to transform the world through the proclamation of the Gospel of love, "that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working … and in this way … cause the light of God to enter into the world" (Deus Caritas Est, 39). With this message I renew my invitation to all the members and institutions of the Church to participate in this mission and this service.

Missionary zeal has always been a sign of the vitality of our Churches (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 2). Nevertheless it must be reaffirmed that evangelization is primarily the work of the Spirit; before being action, it is witness and irradiation of the light of Christ (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 26) on the part of the local Church, which sends men and women beyond her frontiers as missionaries. I therefore ask all Catholics to pray to the Holy Spirit for an increase in the Church's passion for her mission to spread the Kingdom of God and to support missionaries and Christian communities involved in mission, in the front line, often in situations of hostility and persecution.

At the same time I ask everyone, as a credible sign of communion among the Churches, to offer financial assistance, especially in these times of crisis affecting all humanity, to enable the young local Churches to illuminate the nations with the Gospel of charity.

May we be guided in our missionary activity by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of New Evangelization, who brought Christ into the world to be the light of the nations and to carry salvation "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 13:47).

To all I impart my Blessing.  
Pope Benedict PP. XVI

Welcome to our new Director of Religious Education and our new Building Manager ("Sexton")

It is with great pleasure that I would like to announce that the parish has hired two new full-time employees. They are Phillip Bellini and Liam Cousino. Phillip comes to Good Shepherd Parish after having worked for the last six years at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Kenner. While there he was directly in charge of the CCD program, the RCIA program, Sacramental preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation (for the church and school) and Adult Religious formation. Phillip has a virtually every certification from the Archdiocese of New Orleans to serve as a DRE and a catechist. Some of you may know that Phillip was responsible for bringing the Vatican Exhibit of Eucharistic Miracles to the parish on Corpus Christi weekend. Stay tuned for more details about parish religious education to begin this Fall.

Liam Cousino is originally from French Canada, and is married to Kate, who sings in our choir. They have two boys, Guillame and Pascal. You’ve undoubtedly seen him around the parish, as he’s been a parishioner here since shortly after Katrina when he came to take part in the city’s reconstruction efforts. Recently, Liam has taken charge of the building committee, and through this work Liam has accepted the responsibility for directing the restoration of our church as a full-time employee. Liam is a master carpenter from a family of carpenters, and has a strong background in the craft that was originally used in the construction of the church. This type of knowledge will be crucial in undertaking a restoration that seeks to respect the integrity and wisdom of the older techniques while integrating them with the modern use of electricity, acoustics and climate control.
This weekend both Phillip and Liam will attend all of the Masses in the parish so that you can meet them (if you haven’t already). With these new hires, I am assured that you will start to see progress in our religious education programs and parish building progress. As far as titles, Phillip will be the Director of Religious Education, informally known as the “DRE.” Liam, who comes from the old Anglo-Latin school of Church terminology, will be known as the parish “Sexton.”