With the rest of New Orleans eat up with the Saints vs Falcons game, my wife and I set out early this morning for New Orleans and the Superdome was far from our plans. Instead we traveled to the heart of the French Quarter to St. Louis Cathedral. I was scheduled to be one of the two Deacons that assists at the Mass. My role today was Deacon of the Cup. It is a responsibilty of all Permanent Deacons in this Archdiocese to assist in the ministry of serving at the Cathedral. Today's Mass was presided by our recently retired Archbishop Alfred Hughes, who spoke eloquently of the story of Lazarus, the rich man and the great chasm between the two.
As Deacon of the Cup, I got to handle the special chalice given to the Archdiocese by Pope Benedict XVI as a gift. It is a special honor to just touch this chalice let alone being responsible for it during a Mass.
This afternoon, as the Saints drama was unfolding, Wendy and I made it to the Westbank of New Orleans to participate in the final discernment inquiry for those pursuing a possible vocation to the Permanent Diaconate. Final instructions were given to those in attendance for the application process and then all were visited by our current Archbishop, Gregory Aymond. He delivered a rousing talk about the mission and need for the Permanent Diaconate and the process of discerning a vocation. It was very encouraging to hear the views of our new Archbishop and to have him spend time with all of us.
So these events of the day helped me in surviving the Saints loss and the subsequent whining by so many of the fans.
I ask that you continue to pray for those discerning a vocation to the diaconate and all those who are supporting them in many and various ways!
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