Archives for April 2009

This past week many of the priests of Louisiana got together for an annual “priest convention.” Among these priests were many from New Orleans, but also quite a few from the other 6 dioceses in Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, Houma-Thibodaux, Lake Charles and Alexandria. It was a great time to renew priestly friendships, and to catch up on the news. Many of the priests, of course, knew about my new pastorate and some of the difficulties involved. I tend to be a “glass is half full” type of person, so I generally told them that I thought things were going fairly well here at Good Shepherd Parish. But in reflecting upon this later, I realized that I needed to do two things: (1) I need to continue to reach out to those who are still feeling pain about the closing of Our … [Read more...]

This week, I have several beautiful things that I want to tell you about our parish and our Church. They involve the beautiful virtues of faith, hope and charity. The first virtue of faith is reflected this weekend in the large number of children who will be receiving their First Holy Communion at the 10:30am Mass on Sunday.  Our greatest joy is when we are able to pass along our faith to others. This weekend, our parish and school parents will be privilege to see the fruit of their faith in the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ by their children. How wonderful! Hope is the second virtue I experienced this week in New York City. Many of you have probably heard about the new Archbishop of New York, +Timothy Michael Dolan.  What you might not know is that Archbishop Dolan was … [Read more...]

A few years ago, I was in Rome, and my parents came to visit me in the weeks before Easter. Since my Dad is a permanent deacon, he sat next to me on the altar when we went to celebrate Mass at the beautiful church of St. Alphonsus near St. Mary Major where the original image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is enshrined.  As it came time to read the Gospel, my Dad came and asked for a blessing, and then he began to solemnly intone “Al-le-luia!  Al-le-luia!” I quietly said: “Shhh  We don't say that now  It's Lent!” To this he remarked that since we were celebrating a Solemn Mass of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (a “Solemnity”), then it was allowed.  Well, some of the Catholics of Rome got a lesson in American Catholicism that day! As my Dad learned later (through some help from a “certain … [Read more...]

Today marks the beginning of our Holy Week celebration. And if you've rarely experienced the events of Holy Week, consider doing so this year. On HOLY THURSDAY we will celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper at 7:00 p.m., the Mass commemorating the institution of the Holy Eucharist where Jesus also washed his Apostle's feet.  This Mass begins the Sacred Triduum, and it is when the Eucharist is taken out of the main Tabernacle and “reposed” in another altar to commemorate the arrest of Jesus and imprisonment of Jesus.  This year we will have Adoration at this Altar of Repose from the end of Mass until the sun rises on Good Friday at 6:00 a.m. The GOOD FRIDAY service with Veneration of the Cross begins at 3:00 p.m.,the hour of the death of Our Lord, and Stations of the Cross will … [Read more...]