Archives for March 2020

From the Pastor – March 29, 2020

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life;  whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,  and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” (Jn. 11:21-27) At a recent school Mass, I spoke to the students about fear.  I mentioned that I had been afraid of the dark when I was younger, and that I was still scared of snakes now that I am older.  And I asked … [Read more...]

Sunday Mass will be Live Streamed

Due to the decision of the Archbishop to close our churches, we are going to live-stream the 10:30 am Mass this weekend. You can watch it here on our parish website or visit our Facebook page, which is @GoodShepherdNOLA. … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – March 22, 2020

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not also blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, ‘We see,’ so your sin remains.”(Jn. 9:39-41) The Gospel this Sunday is about the cure of the “man born blind.”  Jesus did so by making clay out of dirt and saliva, by putting the clay on the man’s eyes, and then by instructing the man to wash in the Pool at Siloam.  The closing words of this Sunday’s Gospel passage sum up the meaning of the cure of the man born blind.  It’s not just a miracle cure of a physical illness.  It’s about opening the eyes of … [Read more...]

We’re so sorry about cancelling our St. Joseph Altar!

The parish is very grateful to all who have donated food and food ingredients for our annual St. Joseph celebration. I have spoke to those involved, and we are hoping for an alternative date, perhaps May 1, 2020, which is the Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker. Please pray for an end to the COVID-19 epidemic and the fear and uncertainty that it is causing around the world! . … [Read more...]

From Archbishop Aymond

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Online Giving

As you might understand our parish is under tremendous financial pressure during the time when our church is closed, and we cannot take up the Sunday collection. I don’t want to seem like I’m making a “money grab,” and you know how infrequently I talk about money, except for the appeal I made for our Restoration, but I am now compelled to ask. Even though the church is closed, we still have to pay for all of our utilities, and I have not stopped paying the salaries of our wonderful and dedicated staff. If you could set up an online giving account on our parish website and donate, it would be greatly appreciated. If you receive envelopes, it would be extremely generous of you to mail them into the office so that we can continue to pay our bills. And if you’re feeling extra generous, since … [Read more...]

From the Pastor – March 15, 2020

Jesus answered and said to her,  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;  but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;  the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”(Jn. 4:13-14) Most of us don’t know what it means to be literally “dying of thirst.”  We may have used the expression before, but it might just have been a hot July afternoon.  I would venture to say that there are very few of us who have gone entire day without something to drink, let alone a week.  But to people living in the desert at the time of Jesus, water was something precious.  Since rainstorms were few and far in between, water had to be found by digging or collected for storage in cisterns.  The idea of a “running stream” was something that … [Read more...]

Msgr. Nalty Homily – March 8, 2020

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From the Pastor – March 8, 2020

Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light. (Mt. 17:1-2 ) The Transfiguration of Jesus is one of the mysteries of the life of Christ. In fact, when the Holy Father, (soon to be Saint!) Blessed John Paul II decided to propose five new mysteries of the Rosary, he included the Transfiguration in his “Luminous Mysteries.” The other mysteries are the Baptism of Our Lord, the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, and the Institution of the Eucharist. So what does the Transfiguration mean? It’s literally a “change in appearance” of Jesus. It’s described as a brightness emanating from Him. But what is the mystery behind … [Read more...]

Spotlight on Phillip Bellini

This week have the privilege to get to know our very own Phillip Bellini, Education Director and author of the Lightning Apologetics essays found in the Good Shepherd Bulletin. Phillip describes the evolution of his faith and the incredible work he does for our parish.   … [Read more...]