First Saint for Monday is a New Orleans favorite, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

 

Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

Feastday: October 5
Birth: 1819
Death: 1867
Beatified: April 9, 2000, Rome by Pope John Paul II

Francis Xavier Seelos was born in Fussen, Germany, in 1819. Expressing his desire for the priesthood since an early age, he entered the diocesan seminary of Augsburg after completing his studies in philosophy. Upon learning of the charism and missionary activity of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, he decided to join and go to North America. He arrived in the United States on April 20, 1843, entered the Redemptorist novitiate and completed his theological studies, being ordained a priest on December 22, 1844. He began his pastoral ministry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he remained nine years, working closely as assistant pastor of his confrere St. John Neumann, while at the same time serving as Master of Novices and dedicating himself to mission preaching. In 1854, he returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis, where he served in parochial ministry and in the formation of the Redemptorist seminarians. He was considered an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned. In 1860, he was a candidate for the office of Bishop of Pittsburgh. Having been excused from this responsibility by Pope Pius IX, from 1863 until 1866 he became a full-time itinerant missionary preacher. He preached in English and German in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

He was named pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic caring for the sick and the poor of New Orleans on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and nine months. The enduring renown for his holiness which the Servant of God enjoyed occasioned his Cause for Canonization to be introduced in 1900 with the initiation of the Processo Informativo . On January 27 he was declared him Venerable, decreeing the heroism of his virtues.  He was beatified in 1920 by St. John Paul II after verification of the miracle cure of Angela Boudreaux from liver cancer.  His shrine containing his relics is located at St. Mary Assumption Church in the Irish Channel of New Orleans.

This Sunday Saint is a New Orleans favorite

Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

Feastday: October 5
Birth: 1819
Death: 1867
Beatified: April 9, 2000, Rome by Pope John Paul II

 Francis Xavier Seelos was born in Fussen, Germany, in 1819. Expressing his desire for the priesthood since an early age, he entered the diocesan seminary of Augsburg after completing his studies in philosophy. Upon learning of the charism and missionary activity of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, he decided to join and go to North America. He arrived in the United States on April 20, 1843, entered the Redemptorist novitiate and completed his theological studies, being ordained a priest on December 22, 1844. He began his pastoral ministry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he remained nine years, working closely as assistant pastor of his confrere St. John Neumann, while at the same time serving as Master of Novices and dedicating himself to mission preaching. In 1854, he returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis, where he served in parochial ministry and in the formation of the Redemptorist seminarians. He was considered an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned. In 1860, he was a candidate for the office of Bishop of Pittsburgh. Having been excused from this responsibility by Pope Pius IX, from 1863 until 1866 he became a full-time itinerant missionary preacher. He preached in English and German in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. He was named pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic caring for the sick and the poor of New Orleans on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and nine months. The enduring renown for his holiness which the Servant of God enjoyed occasioned his Cause for Canonization to be introduced in 1900 with the initiation of the Processo Informativo . On January 27, Your Holiness declared him Venerable, decreeing the heroism of his virtues.

New Orleans claims him as our own: Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos

 

Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

Feastday: October 5
Birth: 1819
Death: 1867
Beatified: April 9, 2000, Rome by Pope John Paul II

Francis Xavier Seelos was born in Fussen, Germany, in 1819. Expressing his desire for the priesthood since an early age, he entered the diocesan seminary of Augsburg after completing his studies in philosophy. Upon learning of the charism and missionary activity of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, he decided to join and go to North America. He arrived in the United States on April 20, 1843, entered the Redemptorist novitiate and completed his theological studies, being ordained a priest on December 22, 1844. He began his pastoral ministry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he remained nine years, working closely as assistant pastor of his confrere St. John Neumann, while at the same time serving as Master of Novices and dedicating himself to mission preaching. In 1854, he returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis, where he served in parochial ministry and in the formation of the Redemptorist seminarians. He was considered an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned. In 1860, he was a candidate for the office of Bishop of Pittsburgh. Having been excused from this responsibility by Pope Pius IX, from 1863 until 1866 he became a full-time itinerant missionary preacher. He preached in English and German in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. He was named pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic caring for the sick and the poor of New Orleans on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and nine months. The enduring renown for his holiness which the Servant of God enjoyed occasioned his Cause for Canonization to be introduced in 1900 with the initiation of the Processo Informativo . On January 27, Your Holiness declared him Venerable, decreeing the heroism of his virtues.  Beatified in 2000 after a miracle cure from liver cancer of Angela Boudreaux, a Gretna, LA native, was confirmed.

On Independence Day we remember Maryland which gave refugee and strength to Catholics; also a connection to Blessed Seelos

 

Maryland Catholic History

Though known in the New World as a colony founded on religious tolerance, Catholics who immigrated to Maryland from Europe didn’t find the refuge they hoped for when they finally reached these shores.

The religious persecution that drove Charles Carroll the Settler from his native Ireland followed him to Maryland. Within a few short years of his arrival, Carroll soon found himself stripped of his governmental authority and facing broad restrictions on the practice of his Catholic faith. Catholics in colonial Maryland were not allowed to practice their faith publicly. They were also not allowed to send their children to church-run schools. As Oliver Cromwell came to power in England, Catholics in the colonies were no longer allowed to vote, were barred from several professions including law, and were unable to hold office unless they swore allegiance to the Church of England.

The Catholic Church went underground, and the faithful found various ways to preserve and persevere in the Faith. Jesuit priests based in White Marsh frequented Annapolis, celebrating Mass and other sacraments in chapels housed in private homes. The Carroll family maintained such a private chapel that they opened to the small Catholic community in Annapolis.

Historical records make it difficult to determine the exact location of the Carroll family chapel. Some evidence points to it being situated in the Settler’s frame house that was connected to the larger brick house by a small passageway. Regardless of its location, an inventory of the chapel showed it was well-equipped for Mass and other church ceremonies, a testament to the family’s wealth in a time when itinerant priests had to carry all their supplies with them.

After Independence, the restrictions on Catholics eased, but they still faced discrimination and prejudice as a distinct religious minority in Anne Arundel County. Upon retiring from public life, Charles Carroll of Carrollton turned his attention to his other great loves – his family’s legacy and his Catholic faith. One of Carroll’s dreams – that of having a permanent Catholic chapel built on his property – was realized by his granddaughters who succeeded in raising the money to build a small brick chapel at the intersection of Duke of Gloucester Street and Green Street in 1822. The Jesuits established a monthly schedule of Masses at the chapel, and the Catholic community continued to grow.

When Charles Carroll died in 1832, his granddaughters inherited his Annapolis home and lands. They were unsuccessful in selling the property, and a trustee also failed to find a suitable buyer. Carroll’s granddaughter, Emily Caton MacTavish, who had nursed her grandfather in his old age and through his final days, shared Carroll’s deep devotion to the Catholic faith, and had a Baltimore-based priest as her regular confessor. Father Gabriel Rumpler was a priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists).

At the time, the Redemptorists were looking for a quieter location for their novices to study and pray in preparation to take their first vows with the order. The existing location at St. Alphonsus Church in downtown Baltimore was far from ideal, and when Rumpler heard the Caton sisters were seeking to dispose of several acres of land and an old house in the comparatively sleepy town of Annapolis, it appeared to be a match made in heaven.

The Caton sisters deeded their family’s Annapolis properties to the Redemptorists in 1852. Fathers Rumpler, Bernard Hafkenscheid (the Redemptorist vice provincial of the American Provinces) and John Neumann, rector of St. Alphonsus Church later to become the fourth bishop of Philadelphia and the first male American saint, all signed the deed. A separate covenant established between the family and the Redemptorists dictated that the property should be used for religious purposes.

Within months, the Redemptorists moved their novice students into the Carroll House. For much of the next 55 years (with an interruption between 1862 and 1866 due to the Civil War when the novices were relocated to Cumberland, MD) the Redemptorists used the Carroll House as a place of prayer, study, and formation for generations of mission preachers.

In addition to signing the deed, John Neumann visited the Carroll House on at least two occasions, including his visit as bishop to bless the bell and cornerstone of the new church in 1858.

For two separate terms, the Carroll House was also home to another saintly Redemptorist, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. As novice master and later as rector of the Redemptorist community, Seelos oversaw the education of the Redemptorist students and was instrumental in starting St. Mary’s School. His cause for sainthood continues to progress in Rome.

In 1907, the novices were moved to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ilchester, MD, but the Redemptorists continued to use the Carroll House as the location of the second novitiate — roughly a year’s worth of studies completed by Redemptorist priests as their first mission assignment. The Carroll House continued to operate as the second novitiate and a general residence for the priests assigned to St. Mary’s Church until 1968.

On his feast day, a prayer to Blessed Seelos

 Oct 5 - Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Priest

Prayer to Francis Xavier Seelos by Byron Miller, C.SS.R.

O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer,

let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight.

I offer praise to You for the grace You have bestowed

on Your humble missionary, Father Francis Xavier Seelos.

May I have the same joyful vigor that Father Seelos possessed during his earthly life

to love You deeply and live faithfully Your gospel.

Amen.

Divine Physician,

You infused Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos with the gift of Your healing.

By the help of his prayers,

sustain in me the grace to know Your will and the strength to overcome my afflictions.

For love of You, make me whole.

May I learn from the example of Father Seelos

and gain comfort from his patient endurance.

Amen.

Bountiful God,

in Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos,

You have given Your people a model for those who labor joyfully in Your earthly kingdom.

May his smile dwell on those who find life burdensome.

In him, our eyes continually behold the gentleness of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.

Amen.

Homily from the earliest days of my diaconate and so appropriate as we approach World Day of the Sick

 

Homily February 8, 2009/ 5th Sunday Ordinary Time

Angela Boudreaux was living a normal life on the Westbank; a wife and mother of four young children. In 1966, her youngest son fell ill and spent time in and out of the hospital. As he recovered his health, Angela was ignoring troubling symptoms of her own. She was in much pain and her stomach had swollen to the size of a woman six months pregnant. Finally, she went to the doctor and was told her liver was nine times the size of a normal liver. A biopsy would reveal malignant cells and the diagnosis was confirmed: advanced liver cancer. Surgery was scheduled.

Because she asked, the doctors told her surgery would last five hours if removal of the cancer was achieved or one hour if there would be no hope. Her surgery lasted one hour. The liver was gone, replaced by a large, aggressive cancerous tumor. She was told she had weeks to live.

But two weeks later she is still alive and feeling better. Angela was allowed to leave the hospital to get her affairs in order. She made one request of her husband, Melvin. She asked to visit the grave of Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos at St. Mary's Church in the Irish Channel of New Orleans. She knelt at his graveside, gave thanks for being alive, and asked for his intercession to be healed.

Soon, experimental chemotherapy was recommended. The chemo would include a derivative of poison mustard gas. Doctors were desperate; they did not expect a cure. Angela continued to improve and feel better and continued to pray through Fr. Seelos for his intercession. Five years later she is still alive, feeling better and functioning just fine; except for a bad case of gallstones.

The gall bladder surgery actually presented doctors a chance to view the liver. To their amazement, the liver was whole and healthy, tumor-less and perfectly normal. Doctors concluded that the experimental chemotherapy alone could not explain the good news. Her doctor, a Protestant, declared it must be a miracle. Angela knew what happened, her prayers and those of Fr. Seelos, were answered because Jesus heals.

Her case was presented to Rome as part of the process for the cause of the canonization of Fr. Seelos. Angela had worked now for over 25 years for this cause.

I remember these events well for when I was just nine years old my immediate family called me and my sister together, asked us to play with four young children, cousins we had not ever met, and we better be to them for their mother only had days to live. You see Angela and Melvin were related to the uncle who was raising us and they became Ms. Angela and Uncle Melvin to me. So it was with great joy in the jubilee year of 2000 that Angela and Melvin Boudreaux went to Rome, met Pope John Paul the Great as he declared her healing as the miracle that allowed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos to be declared a Blessed.

I learned at an early age that Jesus heals and yes He has powerful intercessors, our friends that help us in presenting our needs to Jesus. Even in today's Gospel, Simon's mother-in-law needed friends and family to bring Jesus to her for healing. And Jesus did come and He did heal. But we learn in the Gospel that Jesus did not come for healing alone. His healing and His cures reveal His purpose: to preach the Good News, to show us how to pray, to bring hope and to save.

Ms. Angela showed me, and all of us, that Jesus is still present in our life now, that He comes to us, He longs to proclaim the Good News to us, He longs to nourish us with His Body and Blood. All we need to do, like Ms. Angela did, is come to Him in prayer, ask Him to heal us of our illnesses and our sins, and yes, solicit the help of His powerful friends, intercessors like Blessed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos. And when we come to Him, He will show us the Father. Even in the midst of the miraculous cure in today's Gospel, Jesus points to the Father; in prayer and preaching. He will never lead us in any other way than to His Father, our Father.

Ms. Angela found a powerful intercessor, a powerful friend in Blessed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos. She knew that it was Jesus who healed her, who heals us, who leads us to our Father, her Father, where she rests in His glorious presence today.

May we, inspired by the life of Ms. Angela, and the example of Blessed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos seek Jesus, to be healed, to be saved and to proclaim that Jesus is Lord. May this be the purpose for which we come; the purpose for which we live.

Blessed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos, pray for us.

One of our real New Orleans Saints

Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

Francis Xavier Seelos was born in Fussen, Germany, in 1819. Expressing his desire for the priesthood since an early age, he entered the diocesan seminary of Augsburg after completing his studies in philosophy. Upon learning of the charism and missionary activity of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, he decided to join and go to North America. He arrived in the United States on April 20, 1843, entered the Redemptorist novitiate and completed his theological studies, being ordained a priest on December 22, 1844. He began his pastoral ministry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he remained nine years, working closely as assistant pastor of his confrere St. John Neumann, while at the same time serving as Master of Novices and dedicating himself to mission preaching. In 1854, he returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis, where he served in parochial ministry and in the formation of the Redemptorist seminarians. He was considered an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned. In 1860, he was a candidate for the office of Bishop of Pittsburgh. Having been excused from this responsibility by Pope Pius IX, from 1863 until 1866 he became a full-time itinerant missionary preacher. He preached in English and German in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. He was named pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic caring for the sick and the poor of New Orleans on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and nine months. The enduring renown for his holiness which the Servant of God enjoyed occasioned his Cause for Canonization to be introduced in 1900 with the initiation of the Processo Informativo . On January 27, Your Holiness declared him Venerable, decreeing the heroism of his virtues.

Continue reading about Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

A special prayer during this time of Corona virus

Let us pray
🙏

Loving and faithful God, the coronavirus reminds us that we have no power and we are dependent on you. We place ourselves in your loving hands. Please give eternal rest to all who have died from the virus. Please put your healing hand on those who are ill, and give your protection to us in this time of fear and uncertainty. Please , calm our fears and help us to trust you as our faithful God. We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us in this time of need.

Blessed Francis Seelos, pray for us.  (He died ministering to the sick during a yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans).

Another great story on what hopefully will be the 2nd official miracle for Blessed Seelos

Church investigates case of a newborn who was given hours to live and survived

Brandon Coyle | Facebook | Fair Use

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Cerith Gardiner | Nov 30, 2019

Thanks to a crucifix belonging to Blessed Xavier Seelos, Carson Joseph survived a brain hemorrhage and went home.

When Carson Joseph was born early in March, 2019, doctors gave the little boy just hours to live. He arrived after a difficult delivery with a blueish skin tone and after examination, doctors concluded he had neurological damage and also suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Alarmingly, the baby also went from 6 to 8 pounds, with swelling blocking his ears, and the medical team advised the parents to call family members to let them know their son would not make it through the night. Having already been through two miscarriages, the parents offered up their prayers to God, as reported in the Daily Mail.

In the middle of the night a stranger, Judge Dennis Waldron, visited the family to say prayers for the little boy, touching him with a crucifix. Incredibly, the next day little Carson was on the mend and breathing independently. A new MRI revealed that there was no sign of neurological damage and just 14 days later the newborn left hospital to go home.

Carson’s parents, Michelle and Brandon, describe the dramatic improvement in their son’s health as a miracle. The Catholic Church is now investigating the case since the crucifix placed on the baby by Waldron — who volunteers in a center named after Blessed Xavier Seelos, a missionary priest who died looking after the sick of New Orleans — was the actual crucifix used by Father Seelos during his ministry work in the 19th century.

As the church undertakes their investigation, baby Carson is thriving and is now a bundle of eight-month-old joy. A little miracle indeed!

Through the intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos...

A miracle baby.  Watch the story and decide; be moved by faith not just sight.  The cross of Father Seelos  and the baby unexplainedly and miraculously begins to heal.  I know about the intercession of Father Seelos as his first miracle, allowing his beatification, and the healing of Gretna Louisiana native Angela Boudreaux, a woman so close to my family that I thought she was my aunt.

Let me be clear, especially for my non-Catholic friends, Blessed Seelos does not heal, but he intercedes, and does so powerfully, directly to God, God alone who heals.

Enjoy this beautiful story:

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/new-orleans-baby-given-hours-to-live-makes-unexplainable-recovery/289-b6f21270-8e24-42d4-8be3-7e5741902084

Local newspaper to highlight 300 influential people for the 300th anniversary of New Orleans; portrait #1 is a beloved Catholic Priest on way to Sainthood

Francis Xavier Seelos, brother's keeper: 1 of 300

A portrait of Francis Xavier Seelos by artist Saegan Swanson of Where Y'Art, as commissioned by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune for its "300 for 300" celebration of New Orleans' tricentennial. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)(NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

By Mike Scott

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune

The Times-Picayune is marking the tricentennial of New Orleans with its ongoing 300 for 300 project, running through 2018 and highlighting 300 people who have made New Orleans New Orleans, featuring original artwork commissioned by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune with Where Y'Art gallery. Today: Francis Xavier Seelos.

The icon: Francis Xavier Seelos.
The legacy: Francis Xavier Seelos' time in New Orleans wasn't long. He arrived in 1866 to serve as pastor of the Church of St. Mary's Assumption in the Irish Channel. He died the following year, in October 1867. In that short time, however, Seelos inspired the city through his unflagging hope and selflessness. It was the latter quality that spurred him to the care for the city's poor and infirm. It was also what killed him, as he contracted yellow fever while caring for local victims of the disease. Three weeks later, he was dead. In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified Seelos, placing him one step away from sainthood.
The artist: Saegan Swanson, WhereYart.net.
The quote: "I have come here to pass the rest of my days and find a lasting resting place at Saint Mary's. I feel I have traveled enough. I shall never leave New Orleans." -- Francis Xavier Seelos

TRI-via

• Two church-certified miracles must be attributed to a person before they are considered eligible for sainthood. The first miraculous cure attributed to Seelos' intervention was that of a Gretna cancer patient who in 1966 was given three weeks to live. She died in 2001. That leaves Seelos one miracle away from sainthood.
• Seelos was born in 1819 in Fussen, Germany. From an early age, he wanted to become a priest.
• He entered the seminary in 1842 and moved to America in 1843 to become a missionary, ministering specifically to German-speaking immigrants. He was ordained later that year in the Redemptorist Church of St. James in Baltimore.
• He quickly gained a reputation for his kindness, being described as a man "with the constant smile on his lips and a generous heart, especially towards the needy and the marginalized."
• Before coming to New Orleans, Seelos worked in cities including Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland.
• Because yellow fever is so contagious, the Redemptorists sent only volunteers to New Orleans to minister to those struck by the disease. Seelos was one of those volunteers.
• During his three-week struggle with yellow fever, newspapers published updates on his condition. When he finally succumbed, his death was front-page news.
• New Orleanians reportedly flocked to St. Mary's for his funeral and to pray before his casket.
• St. Mary's Church, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is home to the national Seelos shrine. It includes a sacred reliquary, which houses the remains of Seelos..

Source: The Times-Picayune archive

Feast day of Blessed Seelos; a big event in Archdiocese of New Orleans where his cause for canonization continues

Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos

Facts

Feastday: October 5
Birth: 1819
Death: 1867
Beatified By: April 9, 2000, Rome by Pope John Paul II

---

Francis Xavier Seelos was born in Fussen, Germany, in 1819. Expressing his desire for the priesthood since an early age, he entered the diocesan seminary of Augsburg after completing his studies in philosophy. Upon learning of the charism and missionary activity of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, he decided to join and go to North America. He arrived in the United States on April 20, 1843, entered the Redemptorist novitiate and completed his theological studies, being ordained a priest on December 22, 1844. He began his pastoral ministry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he remained nine years, working closely as assistant pastor of his confrere St. John Neumann, while at the same time serving as Master of Novices and dedicating himself to mission preaching. In 1854, he returned to Baltimore, later being transferred to Cumberland and then Annapolis, where he served in parochial ministry and in the formation of the Redemptorist seminarians. He was considered an expert confessor, a watchful and prudent spiritual director and a pastor always joyfully available and attentive to the needs of the poor and the abandoned. In 1860, he was a candidate for the office of Bishop of Pittsburgh. Having been excused from this responsibility by Pope Pius IX, from 1863 until 1866 he became a full-time itinerant missionary preacher. He preached in English and German in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. He was named pastor of the Church of St. Mary of the Assumption in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he died of the yellow fever epidemic caring for the sick and the poor of New Orleans on October 4, 1867, at the age of 48 years and nine months.

A great week to be Catholic and a Permanent Deacon too

Well, every week is a great week to be a Catholic and for me, since December 13, 2008, everyday I am privileged to be of service, diakonis, in my office as a Catholic Deacon.  Today, as I transition from being on vacation celebrating in person with my grandchildren to preparing to get back into my routine, my groove, I was reflecting on the exciting days and beyond to come.

As Catholics here in the Archdiocese of New Orleans we have two events this week of particular note.  Wednesday evening, the 14th of September, the Feast Day of the Holy Cross, all churches are offering an evening of reconciliation.  No matter how long it's been or the reasons why, everyone is invited to take advantage of this evening to return to confession.  And in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, it would indeed be a great thing to do.  I suggest you check with each parish for the times they plan to hold reconciliation as they may vary slightly from parish to parish.  Then on Thursday night, September 15th our Archbishop Emeritus Alfred Hughes will be here on the Northshore at the beautiful new church building of Most Holy Trinity Parish(my previously assigned parish) for a wonderful talk on the Saints of New Orleans, focusing on the life and holiness of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Mother Cabrini and Venerable Henriette DeLille.  This will occur at 7 PM. 

In my capacity as a Permanent Deacon I have to learn to get back in the swing of things after vacations.  Now this does not imply that I am not a Permanent Deacon while on vacation and can't function accordingly, it's just not in what most folks would consider formal ministry; assigned stuff.  So while I had no assigned stuff the last 8 days or so, I will try and make up for that in these coming days.  Tomorrow night I will be back leading Adult Bible Study for our 4th week of a 6 month long study of the Gospel of Matthew.  Our first two sessions were awesome and then last week I was not present so ready to be back facilitating this week.  We will plumb the depths of Chapter 3.  Wednesday night I return to Rayburn Correctional for my regular visit.  Chances are I will be leading a Communion Service as most of the Priests from across the Archdiocese will be in the confessional.  On Thursday evening I will attend the aforementioned talk by Archbishop Hughes.  All the while I need to be finishing up preparation for a homily this weekend!  Preaching twice at times to be determined shortly.

And of course this week I also get back into the groove at work and everyday family life which this week brings the birthdays of both my daughter and her husband, their first birthdays since the wedding of the century back in April.

Yes, it will be a busy week; a great week, another great week to be Catholic!