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 – July 5, 2026
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mt 11:28-30)
“Come to me,” the Lord asks us in today’s Gospel. It’s a command, and it’s directed to the entire group to whom Jesus is speaking. The same word is used by Jesus a number of times in the New Testament, speaking to a past event, a present event and a future event.
In the past event, Jesus first used the word: “Come, after me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mk 1:17). In the future event, Jesus gives us the parable of the talents, and uses the word as a future invitation to Heaven: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt 25:34).
In today’s Gospel, we point to the present event: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Both of the other uses of the word “come” imply a place. “Come, follow me” implies walking along the road with Jesus. “Come… inherit the kingdom” implies a place in Heaven. The very word “come” implies a destination. So when Jesus says “come to me” in the Gospel today, He speaks to us. But where is He? Since He’s God, he’s certainly everywhere, but we have to constantly remind ourselves that He’s present – really present – in the Blessed Sacrament. “Come to me” means to “come to the Eucharist.” After celebrating Corpus Christi three weeks ago, we should remember that Jesus comes to us in the Blessed Sacrament, and we can respond to His invitation to “come to me” by arriving early for Mass, by going to an Adoration Chapel, or by even coming to Rectory anytime during the day and asking to spend time in the chapel. It’s the place where we can find rest from our labors and burdens.
Last Monday was the 27th anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood. It’s been a fantastic 27 years, but none better than the last 17 years as your pastor, almost three times as much time as I spent as a lawyer. Believe it or not, I actually work longer hours now than I did as a lawyer. Yet, I rarely feel weighed down by labors and burdens now as I did when I was practicing law. Why is that? It’s because I respond daily to Jesus’ command to “come to me.” Every day I try to spend an hour in His Presence. And He lifts my labors and burdens. And He gives me rest. And that’s why I chose this phrase for the motto of our Basilica, or in Latin “Venite ad Me.”
(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
Feast of St. Henry Mass July 15th Vigil Mass
Saturday, July 11, 2026
THE VIGIL MASS IS MOVED TO ST. HENRY CHURCH!
Next Saturday at 4:00pm, there will be the annual St. Henry Feast Day Mass at St Henry Church, followed by a small reception at Grits Bar, located at 530 Lyons Street. If you went to St. Henry’s School, attended Mass at St. Henry, are named Henry, been to Henry’s bar, or have ever met anyone named Henry, you are invited!
St. Henry (6 May 973 – 13 July 1024) was the fifth and last Holy Roman Emperor of the Ottonian dynasty, from his coronation in Rome in 1014 until his death a decade later. He was crowned King of Germany in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004. He is the only German king to have been canonized.
Henry was the son of Henry, Duke of Bavaria. As his father was in rebellion against two previous emperors, he was often in exile. This led the younger Henry to turn to the Church at an early age, first finding refuge with the Bishop of Freising, and later being educated at the cathedral school of Hildesheim. He succeeded his father as Duke of Bavaria in 995 as Henry IV.
Henry’s most significant contributions as emperor came in the realm of church-state relations and ecclesiastic administration within the Empire. He supported the bishops against the monastic clergy and aided them in establishing their temporal rule over broad territories. He strongly enforced clerical celibacy in order that the public land and offices he granted the church would not be passed on to heirs. This ensured that the bishops remained loyal to him, from whom they received their power, and provided a powerful bulwark against rebellious nobles and ambitious family members. Henry founded the Diocese of Bamberg, which quickly became a center of scholarship and art.
Henry had been working with the pope to call a Church Council to confirm his new system of politico-ecclesiastical control when he died suddenly in 1024, leaving this work unfinished. Henry was canonized in July, 1147 by Pope Clement II; and his wife, Cunigunde, was canonized in the year 1200, by Pope Innocent III. His relics were carried on campaigns against heretics in the 1160s. He is buried in Bamberg Cathedral. Because as king he supported the Church, Henry is usually portrayed wearing a crown and holding a small model of a church.
Christmas in July!
A Christmas Giving Tree has been set up next to the St. Anthony Statue. St. Vincent de Paul Society would like to be able to offer more dollars and maybe pay an entire utility bill for someone in need. All donations will be designated to assist with an utility bill payment. Take an “ornament” from the tree in the rear of church and return before the end of July. There is no need to buy a present and wrap it; the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will do the rest! God’s blessing to all of you!
Ignatian Volunteer Corps
ENRICH YOUR RETIREMENT – ENRICH THE LIVES OF OTHERS
Are you retired or finished raising your family? Do you want to give back, enrich your spiritual life and build community with other mature adults? Then consider joining the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) here in New Orleans. At IVC we believe the life experience, wisdom, and skills of 50+ women and men, rooted in Gospel values, can bring justice, and transform the world. For more details, visit our website at ivcusa.org/ivc-offices/welcome-to-ivc-new-orleans, or contact Becky Goff (Regional Director) at bgoff@ivcusa.org.
Solemnity of Peter and Paul
On Monday, June 29, the Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV will bestow the pallium (pictured above, plural “pallia”) on the metropolitan archbishops named during the last year, including our own Archbishop James Checchio. The pallium is a narrow band of cloth woven of white lamb’s wool with a ring in the center which rests on the shoulders of its wearer. The narrow band falls down the front of the chest like a necktie and goes similarly down the back. It is decorated with six black crosses, one on each tail and four on the loop. The pallium has its origin as a liturgical vestment of the Holy Father since at least the 4th century, and it has been given to each Metropolitan Archbishop since at least the 9th century.
The story of how the pallium is made gives clues to its symbolism. The wool comes from lambs raised by Trappist monks. On, January 21, the Feast of St. Agnes (“agnes” is from the Latin word for lamb), the lambs whose wool is destined for the making of the pallia are solemnly blessed at the Basilica of Saint Agnes. Wool from these lambs is then given to the Benedictine nuns of the Basilica of St Cecilia in Trastevere, and they weave the pallia. The new pallia are solemnly blessed at the Basilica of St. Peter after the Second Vespers on the feast of Sts Peter & Paul, and are then stored in a special golden chest located directly above the original tomb of St. Peter. It is called the “Niche of the Pallia.” There are two connections here, the wool on the shoulders calls to mind the Good Shepherd and storing the pallia over the tomb of St. Peter symbolizes the unity of the bishops with St. Peter and his successors.
Worn by the Pope, the pallium symbolizes the plenitudo pontificalis officii (i.e., the “fullness of pontifical office”). When worn by metropolitan archbishops, it signifies the power which the metropolitan, in communion with the Roman Church, has by law in his own province. If you’re ever at St Louis Cathedral on a Sunday, notice Archbishop Checchio’s pallium. It’s a great reminder of the universality and long history of our Church.
Eucharistic Procession!
Thanks to all who took part in the Eucharistic Procession on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, especially the organizers!
Signing with Courage
Signing with Courage – Charles Carroll of Carrollton
The legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a committee with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
Adams’ prediction was correct, but he was two days off! From the beginning, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress. And the Declaration itself wasn’t signed until August 2, 1776.
Prayer for Religious Liberty
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. Â 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 Immaculate, our patroness, and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Thomas More, pray for us
St. John Fisher, pray for us
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us
Bl. Miguel Pro, pray for us
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.
The Prayer for the Act of Consecration
Adapted from a prayer of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus:
To You I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying You. This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to You, and to do all for Your love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease You.
I take You, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Your Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in You, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Your infinite Goodness. Remove from me all that can displease or resist You. Imprint Your pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget You or be separated from You.
I beseech You, through Your infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Your Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Your devoted servants. May our parish be enflamed with your love, graced with zeal for souls, increased with conversions, and consecrated to your Most Sacred Heart.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
Location Map
Join Knights of Columbus
NOLA Adoration Chapels
