In his message for the XXX World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis states:  “In the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, the Lord speaks these words that represent one of the high points of God’s Revelation: ‘I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God.. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak […] I will feed them with justice’ (34:15-16). Experiences of bewilderment, sickness, and weakness are part of the human journey. Far from excluding us from God’s people, they bring us to the center of the Lord’s attention, for he is our Father and does not want to lose even one of his children along the way. Let us learn from him, then, how to be a community that truly walks together, … [Read more...]

Patron Saint of the Youth John Bosco was only two years old when his father died, leaving the support of three boys to the mother, Margaret Bosco. His early years were spent as a shepherd and he received his first education at the hands of his parish priest. At the age of nine, John had a dream, which influenced and gave great meaning to the rest of his life. In the dream he saw himself amidst a great throng of young people whom he was charged to care for by means of goodness, kindness and love, rather than by means of force and compulsion. Even as a boy he commented to his mother on the fact that the priests he met were cold and distant and never bothered to speak to him. “If I am ever a priest,” he told her, “I won't be like that. I will devote my life to young people. Children will … [Read more...]

January 18 -25 The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a history of over 100 years, during which Christians around the world have taken part in an octave of prayer for visible Christian unity.  By annually observing the WPCU, Christians move toward the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer at the Last Supper "that they all may be one."  (cf. John 17:21) The theme of this year's WPCU is "Abide in my love... You shall bear much fruit" from the Gospel of John, chapter 15, expresses the Grandchamp Community’s vocation to prayer, reconciliation and unity in the Church and the human family. Here, Jesus reminds his disciples that he is the vine and we are the branches. If we abide in him, in Jesus and the Covenant made in his precious blood, we will be such a healthy branch as to bear much … [Read more...]

With Advent here for next four Sundays, I want to call attention to changes that we may observe in the liturgies.  Advent has a twofold character: it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when our minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devotion and expectation. The liturgical color for Advent is violet, just as it is in Lent. Both seasons prepare us for great feast days. And like Lent, Advent is meant to include an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas. “During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should be … [Read more...]

The Ozanam Inn will begin a new program in January to teach men and women working on the program there English and Math skills so they can pass the high school equivalency test (HISET), The Oz needs volunteers to work with these clients on these subjects on Friday mornings from 9:30am to 1:00pm. It isn’t necessary that the volunteers be educators. All that is needed is a willingness to help the clients improve their skills so they can have better opportunities in the job market, get back to living independently and enjoying an abundant life that Jesus has in mind for all souls.  All the teaching materials will be provided by the Oz. An information program will be held at the Oz on November 2, 2022 at 5:00pm. If you are interested, please contact Deacon Rich Eason at 504-319-5214. Also, … [Read more...]

Jesus recounted the following to St. Margaret Mary, and this devotion has been recognized by the Church: “To all those who, during nine months on end, will receive Holy Communion on the first Fridays of every month.  I promise the Grace of final perseverance. They will not die in My disgrace, but will receive the Sacraments (if necessary), and My Heart will be sure shelter for them in that extreme moment.” The First Friday promises of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary: 1.  I will give them graces necessary for their state of life. 2.  I will establish peace in their houses. 3.  I will comfort them in all their afflictions. 4.  I will be their strength during life and during death. 5.  I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings. 6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the … [Read more...]

Monday and Tuesday, October 3-4 In December 1531 the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico asking him to have the Bishop Juan de Zumarraga to build a church in her honor.  The Bishop was reluctant to just take his word and asked for sign from Juan.  He returned with a cloak of roses which were not native to the area.  The Blessed Virgin had arranged the roses in his cloak and she told him to bring them to the Bishop.  When he showed the bishop and even more wondrous sign appeared; a remarkable portrait of Our Lady was imprinted on the coarse fabric of his cloak.  The image and the cloak are displayed for the veneration of the faithful to this day at Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica of Mexico City. The Knights of Columbus have over the years had 7 Silver Roses made.  One Rose … [Read more...]

October 7 In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted “Our Lady of Victory” as an annual feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, where Christian forces successfully thwarted an attempted invasion of Western Europe by the Muslim forces of the Ottaman Empire. The victory was attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as a Rosary procession had been offered on that day in St. Peter's Square in Rome for the success of the mission of the Holy League. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this feast-day to “Feast of the Holy Rosary". This feast was extended by Pope Clement XII to the whole of the Latin Rite, inserting it into the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1716, and assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Pope Pius X changed the date to 7 October in 1913, as part of his effort to … [Read more...]

The symbol of the loaves and the fishes is one of the earliest symbols of the Eucharist. It is an explicit connection between the multiplication of the loaves and fishes to the Holy Sacrament of the Mass. The mosaic pictured above comes from a very ancient church in Israel in a city called Tagbha that dates from the 4th century. … [Read more...]

The Angelus is a prayer of devotion to the Blessed Mother commemorating the announcement of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The name “Angelus” comes from the opening words in Latin: Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ (“The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary”) and refers to the Angel Gabriel, the messenger of God who revealed to Mary that she would conceive a child named Jesus who would be called the Son of God. (Lk 1:26-35).  The Angelus is prayed by reciting three verses from Luke’s Gospel, and alternating with the “Hail Mary.” In a Catholic tradition dating to at least to the 14th century, the Angelus is prayed in churches, convents, and monasteries three times daily - 6:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. - and is usually accompanied by the ringing of the Angelus bell. As stated in the … [Read more...]