Celebrating the Centennial Anniversary of the Church that saved my life; St. Jane de Chantal 1924-2024

 

A couple of years ago, after I joined the staff at my home parish, I was walking in front of our beautiful church and noticed the cornerstone.  Now I had seen it many times but this time I was called to read it. I noticed two things; the year was 1924 and the consecrating Archbishop of New Orleans was the Most Reverend John Shaw.  That resonated with me since I spent high school matriculating at Archbishop Shaw High School.  But it was the year that led me to ask our Pastor if we could have a grand celebration in 2024 for her 100th anniversary.  And the plans were put into action.

I moved to the Abita Springs Community in January of 1996.  I'm a Westbank boy; I knew almost nothing about Abita Springs.  I even commented once that I wondered if they even had any Catholics in the small Northshore town.  I probably asked for two reasons: I really didn't know, and I was longing for a return to the faith of my youth and beyond.  I never left the church, but circumstances back home led me to believe that perhaps the church had left me.  I was wrong of course.

On my third or fourth trip into Abita Springs, actually, the one in the U-Haul truck, loaded up with my past life experiences and possessions that the amazing St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church caught my eye, my attention and soon, my heart.  It did not look like all the modern, post 70's churches, it looked like an authentic Catholic Church.  I pledged then and announced to my family, that we would be returning to the faith in that beautiful church, in this beautiful community.  That's all I needed; heck, I had not really heard of St. Jane de Chantal before and certainly had no knowledge of this Catholic community.  I had no idea what Catholic worship looked like in this place but would soon find out.  True to my word, once settled in, weekly Mass attendance was now a weekly, family event and I fell in love with everything related to the experience.  After just one Mass, I was hooked: a friendly, welcoming community, the Mass of my memories, the charm of the jolly old Pastor with a beard, the peace of being back among the prayers, the music and the sacraments.  Fast forward all these 28 years; my life and the life of this church, this parish are interwoven.  

Today I am a Permanent Deacon (since 2008), a 28-year member of this parish, and currently on staff.  I have spent all but 4 and a half years of my diaconate in service to St. Jane Parish.  Our previous pastor, Fr. Ken liked the idea too and soon plans begun to truly celebrate this anniversary of our beloved church.  We researched the history of the church and the parish, we formulated plans, contacted the archbishop, formed committees and went to work to make this goal a reality.

The date was set for August 11th, 2024, and we began planning and brainstorming ideas more than one year earlier.  Despite the ebb and flow of daily parish life, the changing of pastors as the event drew near, the date would arrive on a glorious hot summer August Sunday.  While myriads of volunteers were hard at work preparing Abita Town Hall for the post Mass brunch, others were organizing and preparing the church for the centennial Mass.  Our principal celebrant was Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the Archbishop of New Orleans.  He was joined by the current pastor, Fr. Daniel Okafor and past pastors. Fr. Ken Allen and Fr. Robert Cavalier.  Deacon's assisting were Mark Coudrain, and yours truly.  We had many other visiting priests and a large contingent of altar servers.  The Mass was for the anniversary of the dedication of a church.  Readings and prayers were from that particular liturgy and the music was sublime led by Lindsey Ware.  Flowers adorned the sanctuary and all the recently donated sacred books, vessels and more were used for this liturgy.  During this special Mass, the Archbishop gave the homily and then installed Fr. Daniel as our new Pastor.  It was a beautiful, spiritual, joy-filled Mass.  

A short walk to Abita Springs Town Hall ushered in the volunteer prepared brunch.  Food galore, a special 100-year anniversary cake, music, memories, fun and fellowship.  The afternoon was darn near perfect and absolutely wonderful.  Other special guests included the St. Tammany Parish Government President, Mike Cooper and his wife, two special visitors from the Visitation Monastery in Mobile, Alabama and the Dean for our area, Fr. Charles Benoit, OSB.

The entire weekend, for me, is a testament to the community of faith that is St. Jane de Chantal Parish.  In this beautiful Church I thought about all the many prayers offered here, the many Masses celebrated, the Sacraments received, how many Baptisms, Weddings, and yes, Funerals?  It's been a blessed and special 100 years, and we turn our attention now to the future.  What will be the foundation and legacy we will leave for the next 100 years, starting now?  Yes, I have learned the truth; there are Catholics in Abita Springs, there is holy ground and a people of faith at St. Jane de Chantal Parish.  And how I've learned so much about our beloved patroness, good St. Jane herself.  She is the perfect model for each and every one of us as we strive as she did to Live Jesus+.   

May God continue to guide and bless our beloved church and parish for centuries to come.  

Leaving a Legacy for our parish family

 

My church parish is the cradle of my family’s faith

Cory J. Howat
Guest Columnist, Clarion Herald

My mom always reiterated with my brothers and me when we were children: “One thing you will always have is your name; you’d better protect it as generations before you have.”

  Her staunch, motherly wisdom taught us to know that our name was tied to what we did, and that what we did, would be how we would be remembered.

I didn’t realize it then, but that was a foundational lesson in legacy.

Legacy took on a much deeper dimension when my wife and I had our own children. I was able to fully appreciate legacy as the spiritual and material impact you have on this world using the gifts that God has given you.

Spiritual impact

I have fond memories of my paternal grandparents, whom we lovingly called Memere and Pepere.  I still have some small decorations and reminders of them around the house that remain sentimental and dear to me today. Especially during the holidays, I love to share stories and talk about them with my own children. But those material items fade in comparison to their spiritual legacy, a legacy of faith they passed on to us.

I remember attending Mass with them at their parish in Gentilly. Their parish was an extension of the family, so much so that my parents met at the parish. That same parish would eventually become my baptismal name.

The significance of the parish in my family’s life helped elevate it to become part of our legacy.

Material impact

Although we often interpret legacy in our own way, there is no denying the impact that a person makes on the world often is measured materially.  The Church calls us to provide for our families and loved ones, and this is a primary call.

The Gospels also call us to be our brother’s keeper, and that is often considered while thinking of charitable giving as part of one’s planned or legacy giving.

Sadly, our parishes often get overlooked as part of that charitable giving despite that neighborhood church being an extension of our family. I have come to appreciate that the different parishes our family attended (over a few generations) weren’t just “another charity.” Our parish was the place where we encountered our Creator, where we found grace, mercy and love in the sacraments. Our parish was the manifestation of our Catholic faith, and our touchpoint in relationships with the community including many parish priests.

So, when I reflect on our legacy, I think of how I can care for my parish. My wife and I want part of our legacy to be that we invested in the spiritual future of our own children and parishioners for years to come. My parents did.  My parents’ parents did.

I invite you to be on the lookout this weekend for an initiative of the Catholic Community Foundation called “Legacy Sunday.” Parishes across our archdiocese will be encouraging you to help discover your spiritual and material legacy. Some free resources will be offered along with an invitation to think about what impact you will have through your values and your valuables.

Please consider reflecting on your legacy during this unique time in the new year. Please consider also caring for your parish as part of your legacy.

In a spirit of gratitude, I am able to reflect on this deep appreciation for the role our parishes have played in our family’s legacy. So, it only makes sense that care for the parish would be a part of our own legacy.

For more details on Legacy Sunday (an initiative of the Catholic Community Foundation – CCF) and to find free resources to help you in your legacy discovery, visit www.ccfnola.org/legacysunday.

Cory Howat is executive director of the Catholic Community Foundation of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He can be reached at chowat@ccfnola.org.

My testimony and tribute: St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church & Parish, Abita Springs, Louisiana

 The move my family made to Abita Springs in January 1996 was life-changing in many ways.  Wendy and I and the kids had never lived anywhere but the Westbank of New Orleans.  Wendy sensed we needed change, for both obvious and very personal reasons.  Getting away from personal drama and city-type life was change enough, not to mention moving from a postage stamp lot to 10 acres of country living.  The move was coupled with good career advancements, and everything was wonderful.  Still, I have not yet identified the true reason this move changed our lives.  

When we moved, we had become casually Catholic, in part because our home parish experiences were less than inspiring and mostly because we never let ourselves become part of a strong Catholic sense of community.  Upon arriving in Abita Springs, I was immediately drawn to that unique structure in the middle of town that I instinctively knew was a Catholic church.  I did not know the name until I drew near that beautiful building and then I had to deal with the fact that, despite being Catholic all my life, I never heard of St. Jane de Chantal.  Never.  At first, we were cautious about approaching more intimately until one Saturday afternoon I told my family that tonight we were going to Mass together, Mass at St. Jane de Chantal.  Back then, Saturday vigil was at 7 pm, not sure why but it made it easy to retire to the Abita Brew Pub for a late Saturday meal after Mass.  This would become our routine for several months.  What about Mass?  It was like I entered into a piece of Heaven, which I now understand is exactly what Mass is.  The church is warm and cozy and that first night it was full.  The congregation seemed to love to sing and pray robustly, something unfamiliar to me in my Westbank days.  They had a choir, the lighting on a late winter evening, the congregation, all combined to make me feel like real Catholic worship.  Fr. William. of happy memory, was the presider, and Deacon Frans was assisting.  Deacon Frans is still with us today. I decided to return to confession some weeks later and Fr. William made sure to welcome me "home" after he gave me my penance.  Soon, may of the usual congregation started to ask us if we were new, where we came from, how did we like Abita and St. Jane.  Before we knew it, we were part of the group, but more importantly, we truly found a wonderful place to give glory, praise and worship to God; something we had lacked for quite some time.

As time marched on, we became more and more involved in the parish life of St. Jane de Chantal.  First, I did my due diligence and learned everything I could about good St. Jane.  She was a wife, a mother, a devotee of St. Francis de Sales, holy, charitable and then with de Sales would found the Visitation Order.  How had I not known anything about her?  My daughter enrolled in CCD which, back then, was held in a pre-renovated St. Jane Hall.  I took a class while she was in her class, a video offering led by Ms. Shirley Simpson.  I got to meet many more of my fellow parishioners.  Then I volunteered to teach CCD, became a lector and even an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and finally, I joined the Knights of Columbus.  In the K of C, I made so many friendships from like-minded men who loved God, the faith and were proud to be part of an organization so committed to the Church.  After becoming friends with Deacon Frans and Deacon Don, also of happy memory, and later Deacon Mark I began to believe I too may be called to the diaconate.  Long story short, after 7 years of discerning and formation classes I was indeed ordained a Deacon in December of 2008 and was formally assigned to St. Jane by Archbishop Hughes.  By now, Fr. Robert Cavalier was our pastor and we had just completed the new Barre Center a few years earlier.

I was asked by the Archbishop to leave St. Jane as a Deacon to serve at Most Holy Trinity.  I obediently obeyed but truly dreaded not being active at St. Jane as I grew to love everything, and everybody affiliated with my home parish.  I remember my last Mass and "going-away" party and how I cried but was comforted in knowing that, despite my assignment, St. Jane was and is my "home" just as Fr. William told me many years prior.  My time at MHT only strengthened my love and appreciation for St. Jane Parish.  In 2015, when Archbishop Aymond approved my return as an assigned Deacon, I was so happy, so glad, even though my experiences at MHT were all wonderful and faith-affirming.  When I returned to St. Jane, I was able to get to know and assist Fr. Ken Allen who is still our pastor today.  By now, we had priest-help, in having Parochial Vicars and enjoyed assisting Fr. Kevin, Fr, Charles and now Fr. Adoga.  Since my return our parish has only grown stronger in faith with the addition of Adult Bible Study, RCIA classes, strong devotions and so much more.  I look forward every month to First Friday and our long-time tradition of Adoration, devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Benediction.  I especially love every opportunity to preside at this beautiful devotion.  I wish I knew the exact number of baptisms, weddings, and yes, even funerals, that I have been a part of at St. Jane.  I have loved everything about every liturgy and ceremony that I have experienced at this beautiful church/parish named for St. Jane de Chantal.

One of the reasons I love this parish so is the people of this parish; the many devoted volunteers, those who can always be counted on, the many ministries that contribute to the life of the parish, the parishioners who pray the Rosary every day then meet for coffee after Mass, the Knights, of which I was honored to serve as the 2nd Grand Knight back in the year 2000, and the overall devotion and holiness of the parishioners.  Recently, as you know, I had total knee replacement surgery and have been lifted up by so many prayers, well wishes and meals.  In fact, since my surgery on June 29th, every day I have had a meal provided by parishioners of St. Jane.  To all of you, thanks.  Again, you all affirm my many deep reasons for loving this parish and loving the holy and beloved saint she is named for.  All through the many seasons of her life, as a wife, mother, nun, religious founder, St. Jane put the will of God first and service to others second.  She inspired us all to Live Jesus+ as she so often liked to pray and proclaim; Live Jesus+.  I know there are millions of Catholics across the world that strive to Live Jesus+ but for me and my family, there is no greater place on earth to do just that than St. Jane de Chantal Parish in beautiful downtown Abita Springs, LA.  To God be all the glory for placing me in her midst.  A true turning point in my earthly life that began the chain of events leading to the saving of my eternal life.  

Your will be done gracious Father.  To Jesus, king and center of my life.  Dear St. Jane de Chantal, pray for us and always remind us to Live Jesus+

St. Jane de Chantal Parish, long may you serve the people of God in Abita Springs and surrounding communities.

The most powerful and profound moments at St. Jane de Chantal Church

I made the statement at Mass this weekend that of all the powerful and profound moments experienced in my 27 years at St. Jane de Chantal Church, Friday night, the last night of our Mission that included Mass and a Healing Service, was the most powerful and profound.  Comparisons like this are truly human expressions of great sincerity but also can be awkward too.  I hope to explain.

First, some context.  Every year we work hard to prepare a Lenten Parish Mission at St. Jane.  Often, these are much-needed powerfully spiritual events.  We have been blessed with wonderful presenters including priests from the Fathers of Mercy, Fr. Cedric Pisegna who has a national TV show, and many more.  This year we had planned a Redemptorist Mission to be led by Father Peter Schavitz.  We were well on our way to building a committee, holding meetings and even meeting with Fr. Peter who flew in to help us plan.  Dates were set, promotional materials were being prepared.  Before 2022 would come to an end we received word that Fr. Peter was presented with a formidable health challenge and would not be traveling for some time.  We keep him in prayer.  Now, we are faced with a decision; do we hustle something last minute, do we just let it go given the circumstances, what to do?  

Enter in Fr. Anthony Odiong, a Priest of our own Archdiocese who happens to have a powerful teaching and healing ministry.  But by now, surely, he must be booked for the Lent that is about to begin in a month.  The reception I received from his parish staff was understanding and hopeful.  They would try hard to give us some dates.  And true to their word, Fr. Anthony would fit us in if we were ok with a Wednesday through Friday Mission.  Indeed, we were fine with that, and it got booked, March 8-10th.  The Mission theme would be simple: forgiveness, mercy and healing.  The last night would include a Mass followed by a healing service.  We were so thankful, relieved and full of anticipation.

We received word that Fr. Anthony's beloved mom had passed to the Lord and he would be returning to Africa for the funeral and be with family.  We were assured that he would arrange travel and all the details so he would not miss our Parish Mission.  So sure enough, on Wednesday evening, March 8th, Fr. Anthony was at St. Jane leading us in a discussion on forgiveness.  It was a powerful teaching.  The next evening, he used Scripture skillfully to teach us about mercy, reminding us that God IS mercy!  Then we arrived at Friday night.

We prayed Stations of the Cross first, a Friday night tradition during Lent, and followed with a Rosary.  Now when Fr. Anthony has a Healing Service, he has a large dedicated team who accompanies him.  Their support, in the form of fasting, praying and actively participating in the healing, was incredible and especially spiritual.  With Jesus on the altar in the monstrance to be adored, the healing begin.  And the healing continued for quite some time.  One by one, those in attendance felt the power of the Holy Spirit and the healing power of the great healer.  With music playing in the background, people were praying and praising and worshipping as many received healing.  It was prayerful, serene, peaceful and powerful.  I, along with everyone else was deeply touched by the power in the Church.  Wendy received healing prayers and a special anointing of the Holy Spirit.  To see her, and so many of our friends, filled with joy and peace and healing was so powerfully profound.  As I have stated before, the evening was most powerful and profound.

I have witnessed many profound moments in my home parish Church.  I joined this parish in 1996, fostered my vocation journey in this holy place, ordained a Deacon from this place and have served as Deacon here for all but four and a half years of my diaconate.  Every mass is, well, mass!!  Jesus becomes really, truly present at each and every Mass.  I have witnessed the Holy Spirit at many a Confirmation, watched young children receive Jesus in Holy Communion for the first time, baptized over a hundred new Christians in this very place and witnessed my fair share of weddings.  I have attended so many funerals, all tender and some raw and all so moving.  We recently had a funeral for the most beautiful, and perfect little 5-month-old.  Trust me, that was an impactful, powerful and spiritual moment.  

After many years I returned to the Sacrament of Reconciliation in this very church, returned to the Eucharist, learned about Adoration and Benediction, we said goodbye to my mom and Wendy's mom from this place.  Every time and in ways so numerous, I have been moved, encouraged, and strengthened in this holy place.  And still, I truly believe that this past Friday night was the most profound of countless profound, holy and spiritual experiences at venerable St. Jane de Chantal Church and Parish in beautiful downtown Abita Springs.

I cannot thank Fr. Anthony Odiong enough for his yes to our last-minute plea for help, for his Priesthood, his gift of preaching and teaching and his special gift of healing.  His openness to the Spirit is evident.  I also want to thank his entire team from St. Anthony of Padua Church in Luling.  They were true prayer-warriors and spirit filled people.  I want to thank our own Fr. Adoga who helped with confessions and healings. Thanks too to our Pastor, Fr. Ken Allen, for all his encouragement and support. And I want to thank the many parishioners who helped to support this important and powerful Parish Mission.

To God be the Glory and thanks to God for the gift of this holy Parish, our Priests and all those who call this place their spiritual home.  May we take to heart and take to others, the great lessons of forgiveness, mercy and healing, and to seek that one lost sheep that needs to be found.

St. Jane de Chantal, pray for us and help us to always Live Jesus.

Long time coming: an update from the Abitadeacon

 This Friday morning finds me in my office at my parish church, working on some projects, listening to Gregorian chant and contemplating the realities of the day, of this time, of this season of my life.  Overall, 2022, despite its many everyday blessings and God's always abundant graces, has been a year of challenge.  Both my wife and I battled through some health issues; bless her heart Wendy is still battling.  It has been a year of extended hospitalizations, doctor visits and even confronting head on the possibility that we should began the process of moving to a less demanding home; one that does not require endless grass cutting and maintenance no longer easily accomplished.

Very recently, due to some of what I share above, I discerned that it was time for me to step away from my 14+ year ministry at Rayburn Correctional Center.  During that time, I was called the Catholic pastoral care chaplain for the men who clung to their Catholic faith despite incarceration.  I have written many times here of the joy of this ministry, the unexpected gifts of grace and peace as I went about my responsibilities as a prison chaplain.  To leave this ministry was not easy to do; it was not easy to admit how necessary it became.  In a big state-run prison, there is lots of walking, really a lot of walking.  There is also lots of waiting and my chronic rheumatoid arthritis was not holding up to the rigors of the long walks and waits through the control room, halls and walkways of Rayburn.  Thankfully, Archbishop Aymond graciously accepted my decision, and we await, with joyful anticipation, the assignment of a deacon, much younger than I, to take my place.  I am also thrilled to learn of the recent commitment of a local priest who will be visiting once a month to hear confessions and offer Mass.  I hope to still be able to go into the prison on occasion, so I did arrange to have my security clearance updated.  We will see where this leads, but the most important thing is that these men be fed spiritually from the deposit of faith and the fullness of Truth and hear the word of God and feast on the Body & Blood of Jesus.

Meanwhile, my life and my service as a Deacon has taken on new meaning and purpose since I joined the staff at my parish in Abita Springs.  I spend a good part of everyday at St. Jane de Chantal assisting both the pastor and parishioners in a myriad of activities, projects, plans and ministries.  One unexpected joy has been working very closely with our RCIA program and team as well as my expanded opportunities with Bible studies and more.  I am very happy to be available during the day to assist at funerals, plan weddings in a more complete way and experience the gift of the many parishioners who call or visit every day, many in need of help, someone to listen, someone to be present to them.

It is also a great joy, as a grandparent, to be able to spend so much time with the 2 grandchildren who live nearby.  Wendy and I bring them to school a couple of times a week even though that requires us to be on the road long before the sun comes up.  Brennan and Walker keep us busy and smiling a lot as we are able to interact with them often.  My other 2 grands live so far away from us and our physical time with them is very limited.  We often Skype, something I started doing with the family even as Calvin was a mere newborn.  He and his sister Katelyn are a joy, and it always lifts our spirits when we can catch up, either in person (the best way) or via Skype.

I mentioned earlier that we have at least entered into discussions about staying in our current home or moving elsewhere.  We have been in our current place for nearly 27 years and have always been "at home" and comfortable on my almost 10 acres.  We still can recall fondly those days when the place was home to 5 horses, a goat, chickens and critters galore.  The early days when deer roamed freely on the property in the fall and winter and the turkeys in the spring are also fond memories.  We've grown our own food on this place and marveled at beautiful scenery that comes with acreage in a real country setting.  Our first major accomplishment was the emptying out of our overfilled attic and barn.  We filled up two huge dumpsters with our accumulated stuff and made several runs to charities with numerous items.  It seems that the reality is not so much if we move but when we move; I do not anticipate it will be that soon, probably a year or so from now.  I don't think it would be easy to move but reality may be the eventual decision point that requires a move.  If we move, we will stay close so we can remain in the area we have grown to love, close to the family also here in Louisiana and close to my parish ministries.

So, as I return to the duties of the day and continue to listen to this beautiful Gregorian chant, I ready myself for a weekend of ministry, family and the dreaded trip to Wal-Mart this afternoon.  Peace and prayers to all.  

It's beginning to look a lot like Holy Week

We have arrived at Holy Week in these spring days of early-mid April. Lent remains but it is now reduced to its last few days.  We celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend as we hear of the triumphant arrival of Jesus to Jerusalem amid shouts of honor, praise and joy only to be sentenced to death on a cross with shouts of Crucify Him, Crucify Him.  All the palms are cleaned and ready to be blessed and distributed.  The coming days will bring the Chrism Mass in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, confessions on Wednesday night and then the Triduum, beginning with Holy Thursday.  All of the various liturgies are being planned and ready to offer to worship God.  We commemorate these high holy and solemn days climaxing in Easter glory.

For us back home in Abita Springs we have had a full and robust Lent.  Our Lenten mission with Fr. Louis Guardiola from the Fathers of Mercy was well attended, well received, challenging and inspirational.  So many confessions were heard during that week.  We followed the mission with a healing Mass and the healing ministry of Alan Ames from Australia.  Again, well attended, well received and many healings while others attended confessions.  All throughout Lent we offered Stations of the Cross every Friday as our Knights of Columbus were offering fried fish and shrimp dinners next door in the hall.  I believe over 3,000 meals were served this year.  In addition to offering meatless meals for Lent, this event is a huge fellowship gathering for all of Abita, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.  And now, these dinners are complete for yet another season of Lent.

As a Deacon for my parish and my responsibilities as a pastoral assistant I enjoy being so involved in all the planning stages of our various devotions, events and liturgies.  I've managed this year despite another bout with Covid, extreme issues with arthritic knees and back and even a potential blockage in one of the renal arteries.  But we persevere and trust in God.  we were really challenged this week as my wife Wendy was involved in a scary car accident that left her black and blue, a little bloody and without a car, for now.  Yet she will recover, no one else was hurt, and we navigate life's latest challenge all with faith and trust in God.

I'm still not back to my prison ministry as the Covid shutdown was only recently lifted but I still had to manage the medical challenges discussed above.  I hope to be back in during the month of May.  I'm also looking forward to a few other events centered around the ministry of the Deacon including the ordination of yet another new class of ministers of service.

For each of us now is the time to review our Lenten practices and assess how we did, not in terms of quantifying do's and don'ts but how did Lent help me grow closer to God and help me on my journey towards heaven?  In the days ahead, reflect on the gift and graces of Lent and prepare to properly celebrate the Triduum and arrive at Easter glory next weekend.

It was a beautiful and holy celebration

 Happy Easter as our celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord continues.  Easter is an Octave so everyday this week is a celebration of Easter.  This morning I went to take some time to reflect and thank those that makes the events of the Triduum and Easter so memorable.  While my focus here will be on my local parish, St. Jane de Chantal in Abita Springs, hopefully, as you read this, you too can reflect on the efforts of so many across parishes world-wide.

First of all I often wonder how much the congregation; the parishioner; knows about all the planning and preparation needed for these high holy days.  It takes days, if not weeks, to make sure everything will be in place.  The planning not only includes the clergy, your priests and deacons, but the office staff and those involved with the maintenance of the parish plant.  Then we can not forget all the many volunteers, especially our altar society and many more.  

Once all the planning and preparation done, including the cleaning and decorating of the church, when we arrive at the liturgies we have the readers, cantors, musicians and ushers who help us celebrate beautifully and worthily.  We were beyond blessed in these ministries over the past few days.

On Holy Thursday we opt to open the day with Morning Prayer prayed in the church, in community.  Several dozen parishioners gather to pray together.  In the evening, we celebrate the Mass of the Lord's Supper, with all the unique aspects of this beautiful liturgy.  Instead of a normal "ending" to the Mass, the Blessed Sacrament is processed from the church and transferred to a beautiful altar of repose located in our parish hall.  For this to happen the hall is transformed into a beautiful worship space and the path from the church to the hall is lined with lighted torches.  Again, no small effort by our staff and volunteers.  

On Good Friday we also begin the day with Morning Prayer in the church followed by the solemn 3 pm Passion of the Lord with veneration of the Cross.  This is not a Mass and the rubrics call for unique prayers and movements not always present in the Mass.  In such a solemn manner, when over, all simply depart the church in silence.  Soon after this liturgy, the community did pray the 1st day of the Divine Mercy Novena.  At 6 pm, we offered a final chance to pray the Stations of the Cross.  

Holy Saturday is unique day as the church acknowledges the quietness of the church building, the Savior asleep in the grave.  Morning prayer is offered for a third straight day then the quiet of the day is interrupted to prepare the sanctuary with the beautiful Easter Vigil.  Our altar society, volunteers and maintenance team come together and transform the worship space into a beautiful array of flowers and Easter lilies and beautiful lines of white and gold.  And then we wait until the darkness of the evening and the vigil liturgy begins outside with the lighting of the Easter fire.  The Paschal Candle is light and enters the church which had been plunged into darkness.  The beautiful singing of the Exsultet is followed by all the rich readings of the vigil Mass.  With all lights on and candles lighted we hear the Gloria for the first time in weeks and proceed to hear the Gospel as we prepare for the welcoming of the new Catholics.  This may entail baptisms or professions of faith and confirmation or all of the above.  For this year's celebration we had the latter.  And the Mass continues and all exit into the night aware that Easter is upon us.  The assistance again from readers, musicians, and more is all amazing and simply does not just happen but is carefully planned.

Yet Easter weekend is not over.  In our case we still offered celebrations of the Mass at 8 and 10 am followed by a Mass at noon at our mission church St. Michael's.  And when all is done, priests, deacons, ministers, volunteers, staff relax at home in what I call holy exhaustion!  And still, Easter continues all week long, as Easter is an Octave and does not end until Divine Mercy Sunday.  Then, as a season, Easter continues to Pentecost Sunday, some 50 days away.

So as the title says: it was a beautiful and holy celebration and I offer a big thank-you to all the staff, ministers, musicians, volunteers, our pastor and my brother deacon for making everything, well, beautiful and holy!

A most Happy Easter everyone as we continue to celebrate the Risen Christ!

Reflecting on a Saturday in my post banking career, pre Christmas week reality

 Another cold morning for this Saturday and I'm doing a little "picking up" around the house anticipating Brennan's arrival early this afternoon.  She is going to be spending the night and making a Gingerbread House.  I will also have the privilege of solo grandparenting for a few hours as Wendy has a wedding to coordinate this afternoon.  When we bring Brennan home tomorrow we will hang out for a Christmas gathering with Wendy's small family.  I'm glad the event is at my daughter's house in Slidell; it is such a nice house and the kids get to hang out and play at their place.

The big news in these parts was the painful but prudent decision to cancel our trip to North Carolina between Christmas and New Year to see the first two of our four grands.  Our son filled us in on the pandemic issues facing his area of NC and it sounds just awful.  Curfews in place, most stuff on shutdown and even rumors of travel restrictions and quarantines.  While Wendy and I are profoundly disappointed at least I am a bit relieved because all of these issues are not deniable and need to be considered when deciding to travel.  As it stands now we are planning for only 2 guests for Christmas Day dinner as one of my sisters opts not to travel since her first grandchild is scheduled to arrive two weeks later.

Christmas time will be very new for me yet it will be busy thanks to our many Church activities.  I will be dealing with my current post banking career reality.  While having moved on, I am not completely through dealing with the hurt and the injustice.  I was very buoyed by a call I received yesterday from a fellow former colleague who was professionally executed by the same institution in the same manner as I was.  Apparently there is a systemic problem in the geographic territory of that same institution where I worked.  Still, I mostly choose, at this point, to just move on.  An increasing number of clients have been calling to express their support and some assure me they will be looking for another bank.  

In the place of those long stressful and, looking back with total honesty, unhappy days with this last bank I got stuck with (due to a purchase/buyout) I now hang out every day, M-F, at my beloved church parish as a Pastoral Assistant.  This responsibility is different from being a Deacon for the same church although sometimes the various duties and responsibilities overlap.  I could not be happier to be there everyday, working with the staff, interacting with parishioners, helping to do the things necessary to keep the parish pointed in the right direction administratively and other ways.  Yet I am a Deacon so those opportunities to pray with and listen to our parishioners, give aid to the poor and homeless that do stop by every few days.  Please understand, this is a part-time gig and does not offer the kind of pay and benefits I've grown used to over many years.  However it is the perfect fit for me if I pull the trigger on retirement or as I await determination for disability benefits.  Yes, I have enough medical issues to be considered for disability.

At good St. Jane parish and our mission church of St. Michaels we are planning for a busy Thursday-Sunday as Christmas arrives.  Because of expected crowds and concerned with Covid19 related issues we are offering 4 masses on Christmas Eve including live-streaming the Mass to our adjacent hall.  Also, the masses will be available on our website for those who can't come out.  On Christmas Day we return with 2 masses.  And time marches on, a morning Mass on Saturday, the 26th, and our regularly scheduled weekend masses since it will be Saturday and Sunday.  Over the time span of the 24th-27th we will have celebrated 13 masses!  Yes, it's the most busiest time of the year!

With all this said I believe it remains important to be in the moment.  Today is Saturday and it is another Advent Day.  We are at the 3rd day of the wonderful "O" antiphons, today's being: O Root of Jesse's stem, sign of God's love for all His people, come to save us without delay!  We still have 5 full days of Advent to really prepare properly for the coming of the Lord, and as always, remember that does not just refer to His birth at Bethlehem for he also comes to us in the sacred mysteries and in the promised majesty of his 2nd coming!

So it's a perfect Saturday to be at home, tree lit, presents wrapped and some darn good football on the tube.  But my focus today will be Brennan's visit and making right with al things good, thankful that the Lord's hand is upon me, even in this time of personal transition.  May this Saturday be a blessing to you and another graced opportunity to give glory to God.  Be well, be at peace.

Actions speak louder than words; our parish puts faith into action

In today's Gospel Jesus teaches again by way of the parable of the two sons.  Their father asks both to go and work in the family business, the vineyard.  Both sons disappoint, one initially, the other ultimately.  Thankfully the son who told his father, "I will not", changed his mind and indeed went to work.  The other son told his father, no problem pops, then never goes to do the work.

Jesus is teaching us that words alone do not prove discipleship, do not prove faith.  Faith needs action, faith needs our cooperation.  The old saying might apply here: "actions speak louder than words".  

This Gospel compels each of us to ask which son are we?  Perhaps more importantly, are we sons who seek to do the will of the Father?  

I am so thankful that our parish family is indeed a people of faith and action, not just words.  Even in these recent days of challenge, confusion and even some hurts, we have not just sat back just speaking words, we have lived our faith in action.  We seek the Father's will for us, both personally and as a parish family, and we do.

In the past week, our parish has begun our adult faith formation Bible study.  Two groups, one in the morning and one in the evening are meeting know to explore the Eucharist in Scripture as taught by Dr. Scott Hahn.  My partner in this endeavor, Bob Buras and I are pleased to facilitate these sessions.  Our PSR is well underway under the direction of Christina Uhlich and employs a family in-home catechesis.  Our St. Joseph Guild has been accepting donations by selling the delicious cookies we all love.  The Sodality is gearing up for Thanksgiving assistance and the Knights of Columbus are always busy in both the community and the parish.  I bet there is plenty more I could list but I just can't remember.  Please feel free to fill us in.  Bottom line: we are a people of faith and we live our faith as Jesus asked us to.

Don't forget: this Tuesday night, September 29th, at 6:30 there will be a special mass followed by a wine and cheese social for the Feast of St. Michael at our mission church in Bush(named for St. Michael).  The feast day is actually that of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.  

Other big feast days this week include St. Jerome, who reminded us that "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ" (September 30), St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower(October 1) and the Holy Guardian Angels(October 2).  Also, remember on October 2nd we will have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after morning Mass until Friday night with Benediction at 7 pm.

Yes indeed, our Parish Family is a people and a place of great faith and action we strive to Live Jesus everyday.

Peace be with you all!

How are we helping since it's our turn now?

At St. Jane's in Abita Springs, as well as almost every other local parish across the Archdiocese of New Orleans, are collecting goods, supplies, and cash/check donations for our impacted friends in the Lake Charles and surrounding areas of Louisiana.  So everyone will understand what we are needing for our friends, consider this list:

Bottled Water
Bottled Gator Aid/Sports drinks
Non perishable foods
Manual can openers
First aid kit stuff - aspirin, bandages, etc.
Sunscreen
All types of cleaning supplies including mops, brooms, buckets, garbage bags and more
Paper products
Diapers baby wipes
Masks
Tarps to cover roofs
If capable small a/c units, generators
Unused gas cans


What about used clothing?  Bottom line, this is the least thing needed now.  We won't turn it away, but its not the top need now.

Cash can be brought to any Catholic Church office and checks too, made payable to the parish, or the Archdiocese of New Orleans and properly notated for Hurricane Laura relief.

The address for St Jane is 72040 Maple St Abita Springs LA 70420 or our PO Box is 870 also Abita Springs LA 70420.

Contact me at abitadeacon@yahoo.com.

A quick update on Good Friday morning

Sitting alone in a quiet home as the wife naps away across the room.  It's Good Friday and I am off work.  Originally I planned to take this whole week off for vacation so I would have no conflicts as I prepared for service as Deacon during these busy days.  But with the coronavirus raging I decided to save some vacation days and I only took a few days.  Then the SBA phenomena hit and I wound up working yesterday and have already returned emails this morning.  For all trying to get the SBA PPP loan, you better be prepared for patience because it's nothing like it is portrayed on the news.

I was happy to assist at our Holy Thursday liturgy.  We posted it to our YouTube channel so you can view it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rknL4mH2gD0

It was beautiful to be in the church for this important holy day but it was so surreal, two deacons, our pastor and a cameraman, that's it.

Our current plan is to live stream the Passion of the Lord at 3 pm.  Every Good Friday for years I've made it a point to go over to Most Holy Trinity and take in the living stations of the Cross put on by MHT youth.  I will miss that this year of course but I understand they will be replaying a previous year's offering on social media.  These indeed are different times.

I will update plans for Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday soon.

God Bless all as we journey this thing together, stay safe and follow all the best precautions out there.  Remember this Good Friday to be still a bit and sober as we immerse ourselves in the Lord's Passion, His Death on a Cross and look forward to His Easter Resurrection.

Do I go to Mass during "hurricane" weather ?

So the simple answer is if any weather event makes it a clear and present danger to your safety, of course not.

Here is the official guidance for this weekend from the Archdiocese of New Orleans concerning the impacts from the pesky fellow named Barry:

We have had some questions regarding the obligation to attend Mass this weekend. Here is a response from the Archdiocesan Office of Worship:

“All baptized Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. However, there are particular circumstances or conditions that may excuse a Catholic from this obligation. If you are ill, homebound, or if there are severe weather conditions that make attending Mass dangerous to your safety or that of others, you are excused from the obligation. Please follow the requests of public safety officials and follow your own discretion.”

Now that we know that Barry has landed many miles away from most of the Archdiocese, we are called to pay attention to any impacts we may have mostly from rain and storm surge.  I would say that those impacted adversely may have a good reason to miss mass especially if roads are closed or if public officials say it is unsafe to travel.

For us in Abita Springs and Bush:  so far today(Saturday) has been pretty blah, some gusts now and then and ran. now and then.  The rain is forecasted to increase.  At both St. Jane and St. Michael's, as of now (10:40 in the morning) we are going forward with our normal mass schedule.  Please come and worship God with us and pray for all those who will be impacted much more severely than we have so far.

If indeed there is a danger, like water over the road, etc., just heed the words above.

Common sense and attention to both public officials and professional weather forecasters is the way to go!

Sunday reflections on the Solemity of Corpus Christi and one red hot weekend down south

Yep, on this solemnity of Corpus Christi it is darn hot, way too hot considering it's not yet July or August.  I really respect the Bishops, Priests and Deacons, in full vestments, who participate in the special Eucharistic processions for this great solemnity.  Many walk several blocks in heat indexes north of 100 degrees.  Our parish choose to do our procession on Thursday evening, the date of the traditional Feast of Corpus Christi and celebrated with a traditional Latin Mass per the 1962 missal.  Since I was in Slidell that evening for a Safe Environment Seminar I just happened to arrive in Abita Springs in time to catch the procession as they made their way to the second block of the route with Fr. Charles carrying the Blessed Sacrament.  It was a beautiful, visible witness to our Catholic faith in this idyllic small town, where the Catholic Church, St. Jane de Chantal, is the center and heart of the community.

Saturday turned out to be one of those days that I did not expect to be so crazy busy.  Early in the morning I was at the church office and spent some time meeting with an engaged couple who I will be preparing for a November wedding.  Leaving the office I realized that even in the morning, we would be dealing with an insufferably hot day.  That did not deter me from a myriad of errands that seemed to take forever, including an overdue haircut and a trip to a grocery store; something I dislike very much.  Once home and lunch consumed I decided, very foolishly, to cut grass, in the heat of the day.  Now that is a problem but also a problem is staying out there too long and realizing that you have precious little time to clean up, get dressed and drive to town to assist as Deacon at the 4 pm mass.  That is cutting things too close yet all went off without a hitch.  To my surprise we had a much larger crowd for the vigil mass than usual.  After Mass, Wendy and I made our way to the parish hall for the evenings Knights of Columbus Installation and Awards Banquet.

Our KC council was formed in 1999 so we have navigated 2 years of service to the parish and the community.  I was privileged to serve as the council's 2nd Grand Knight back in 2000-2002.   It was a nice evening, good food, celebrating the traditions of the Knights, and then Wendy and I were announced as the Family of the Year for 2018-19.  We were both surprised and humbled by the recognition from our Council.  As a Deacon I do what I can but Wendy and I are far from the behind the scenes guys yet we offer whatever help we can.  I am honored to serve our 4th degree Assembly as a chaplain and never miss a 4th degree meeting.  So the honor last night was so special as I believe it was affirmation from my council to keep on being the best Deacon possible for my parish and affirmation for my wife who is such a help to me but a strong matriarch in our family in her own right.

This morning, another scorcher, I assisted the 10 am mass and am now waiting to return for our 6 pm final mass of the weekend.  In between, I decided there will be no grass cutting today, it's just too hot and it is Sunday after all!  Considering my tractor needed a jump Friday to cut the grass, maybe I should just go out there and start the old gal.

Next week, for Sunday's at least, we return to green vestments as it is Ordinary Time, which began two weeks ago.  Of course we've had two huge feasts these past Sundays so no green has been seen.  And it will be a preaching weekend so a busy week ahead for he Deacon.

Meanwhile, it promises to remain red-hot and humid for the weeks ahead.

Special Mass tonight in Bush

In Bush, LA tonight a special mass was offered at our St. Michael's Mission in remembrance of Deacon Don Bourgeois, who passed away last month.  Not only was he the deacon assigned to St. Michael's through the mother church, St. Jane de Chantal in Abita, he also served as the manager of the 10 acre facility where the mission is located.  Father Ken, our pastor, presided at the mass, he was assisted by two deacons, myself and Mark who Deacon Don was very close to and we had music; it was a really nice mass.

After mass we gathered for a nice evening meal provided by the parishioners in attendance.  We all got to visit with Deacon Don's wife Dottie and daughter Darby.

Deacon Don was just a few months short of 30 years as a Permanent Deacon and ministered in our parish for almost 23 of those 30 years.

Rest in Peace Deacon Don.

On a Sunday afternoon, I just gotta blog

I realize that I do not do this nearly as much as I used to.  No real reason why just a current fact.  Today feels just like one of those days I need to blog, and reflect and share with those kind enough to read my stuff.  As Sunday's go there are no grandiose plans and I am "working" hard this day as a Deacon.  Working is in quotes because, well, it's not work.  I am assisting today at 3 separate masses, 8 and 10 in the morning(check, done) and 6 pm tonight.  I also got to visit with quite a few folks at the 1st weekend coffee and donut event this morning and the unexpected pleasure of picking up some BBQ at the Knights of Columbus event also held this morning on the church grounds.  In the meantime I have decided there will be no grass cutting today, after all I have cut some grass 4 of the past 5 days.  There is the distinct hope of an afternoon nap but I am enjoying some golf on the tube.

This weekend has been full of many Catholic highlights.  Here at home we witnessed the ordination of 8 new Priests for the Archdiocese of New Orleans.  That is a pretty darn good number.  These are good men who will make fine Priests and they all will begin their new pastoral assignments on July 1.  I did not attend the event in person but did watch it all unfold live on the computer.  You know what was incredible?  The pure joy in the 8 men who became Priests of Jesus Christ yesterday by the laying on of hands.  The ordination was attended by an overflow crowd and greeted with excitement by the people of New Orleans.  I thought about the decisions of these men, and the perseverance and the hope their ordinations give to us even in what has not been a stellar year for the church in America.  Yet every single report that we can dissect tells us that vocations are up, vocations are strong and that the church is ordaining more men who happen to be slightly older and undeniably zealous in their desire to serve.

As this is happening at home, more than half-way around the world, the Pope is celebrating all things Catholic in Romania.  He has been met by large and enthusiastic crowds and has presided over simply beautiful liturgies.  These events, always infused by local culture, help remind me of the universality of the church; of course the word catholic means universal.  I was able to take in several events from Romania thanks to EWTN and have posted every major event on this very blog.  These papal events almost always remind me of the hope that Jesus expressed that we all be one.  Sometimes I reflect on just how separated we are in Christianity.  It seems every year someone or something comes along hoping to be the next new shiny toy or the latest flavor of the month.  If we are all ever going to be one, as Jesus prayed, how can it not be anything but under the authority of the Catholic Church, founded itself by Jesus.  That thought makes me smile.

This weekend we had a wedding at the church that was celebrated according to the extraordinary form.  After the actual nuptials there was a full celebration of the Mass, in Latin, according to the 1962 missal.  I was not there but my wife Wendy was as she directs all weddings at the parish.  Wendy has never been to a mass celebrated in the EF.  As she put it, this was my first Latin Mass.  I asked for her thoughts and she loved it.  She was unaware of the beautiful aspects of worship in the EF; the music, the reverence, the way communion is distributed and received.  You know if you ever wanted to come and see the Mass celebrated in the EF, in Latin, according to the 1962 missal, come on over.  Every Sunday at noon our celebration of the Mass is in the EF.

So the longer I blog the shorter the window for a good nap before returning to St. Jane Church this evening.

A Saturday at St. Janes!

Good day at St. Jane Parish in Abita Springs today; the feast day of our patroness.  We had our normal 8 am Mass in honor of St. Jane with a special homily from Deacon Kenny Uhlich, a parishioner who is currently assigned to Most Holy Trinity(like my previous situation).  Refreshments and fellowship followed then we had a series of talks concerning the Trinity, directed to our 2017-2018 catechists and RCIA leaders as well as the Bible Study team.  The morning concluded with Adoration, Benediction and confessions.

I returned to St. Jane's this evening for the Vigil Mass for Sunday.

So a pretty full day for the abitadeacon at St. Jane Parish.

St. Jane de Chantal, pray for us!

What is a Catholic parish?

So I live in, am a member of and assigned as a Permanent Deacon to the parish of St. Jane de Chantal in Abita Springs LA.  My family joined this parish in 1996 when it held 3 masses every weekend as well as 1 mass at it's mission church named for St. Michael the Archangel.  Geographically, this is one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans surviving all or part of communities named Abita Springs, Mandeville, Covington, Waldheim, Talisheek, Bush, Sun and so many rural areas surrounding these towns.  The mission church is designed to primarily serve Bush, Talisheek and Sun.

Since we moved here the parish has grown incredibly and we now have 5 masses on the weekend as well as the mass at St. Michael's!  We are now served by Archdiocesan Priests after many years of service from the monks at St. Joseph Abbey.  I was assigned as a Permanent Deacon here in 2008 thru January 2011 when I was moved to another parish named Most Holy Trinity.  I remained there until July of 2015 and was reassigned to St. Jane at that time.

Our neighboring parishes have the names of St. Peter, St. Benedict, Most Holy Trinity and further south Our Lady of the Lake and Mary Queen of Peace.

So what is a parish?

https://aleteia.org/2017/08/02/what-is-a-parish/

Obviously, we've got some catching up to do

Well hello mid-July, and I guess mid summer.  Hell, we have at least two more months of summer and then some.  You all know I hate summer time and another reason to not like summer is all this crazy Catholic vacation mentality.  I guess it comes with the culture.  Perhaps too I am guilty of same although my recent week long vacation, to get some in person time with the grand kids was well worth it but also very demanding.  From July 3rd until this past Sunday, the 9th, I was on the road.  Wendy and I, and Wendy's mom Lynn, drove up to North Carolina, visited with family, played with the kids, celebrated Katelyn's 2nd birthday(I know; already) toured my son Jimmy's equine hospital(he is a great equine vet) and just enjoyed time with family we see in person so rarely.  Because of work demands, we also loaded up the car and left this past Sunday at 5 a.m. our time and pushed, and pushed to arrive home at 7 p.m.  All so I could be at work this past Monday morning.  While demanding, I'm actually quite satisfied and proud that we did it!  And I had a pretty productive day at work on Monday. 

The good news for Wendy and I is that we are headed back in September to be there for Calvin's 5th birthday.  Saying the words Calvin and 5 years old is mind blowing.  Truly, it seems like yesterday that our first grandchild was born.  What a joy to see him grow up all these years and now to be an excellent big brother to little sister Katelyn.

In the meantime, yours truly remains incredibly busy especially since I remain a full-time banker working through this big bank conversion and transition since the failure of my predecessor bank.  I must admit things are getting a little smoother after multiple 50+ hour weeks, working 3 and 4 Saturdays in a row and helping guide all of our clients through the transition.  I always joke since I've been in banking I've only changed jobs once and have worked for 5 banks; a nasty reality of the industry in which I am employed.

And we all know that another source of busy times, not to mention great joy, is the ministry of my diaconate.  In all honesty, I feel like my ministry has not been as robust and effective as I would like it to be due to all the work stuff and on-going issues with my bad knee and arthritis.  In fact just the other day I took a pass on my weekly visit to the prison since they did have a priest and a lay minister already on the way.  Hopefully this all will pass soon and I will be back in the groove!

Despite all this I can say that things are not boring around the ministry at St. Jane de Chantal.  Just this week we hosted three families in the Family Promise Program.  Families that find themselves homeless come and stay with us for a week and receive bedding, meals and fellowship during the week.  This is a great program that our parish is privileged to be involved.  Another big event is our hosting of a large youth group from Texas while they do mission work in New Orleans.  They will be involved in several evening events including an evening of Adoration, Benediction and Mass.  How cool is that.  Later this month I will be one of the Deacons assisting at our Archdiocese Cathedral at the Sunday Mass.  And it's not too soon to remember that in August we begin our latest Bible Study for adults, this one based on the Book of Acts of the Apostles!

By the way, I've noticed with this so-called Catholic vacation mentality comes some drop off in visitors to this blog effort that I love so much.  Now surely, I am not complaining about still having about 700 visitors a day, but that is about a 400 visitor drop off from several recent months.  Yes, I have been posting less recently, and even less personal reflections.  I will try and remedy that as we move on.  In any event, I always appreciate my many visitors and hope that what I write and what other articles I select to present here are of great value to you as we embrace the Catholic faith, journey together on our path of salvation and grow in holiness.

Glad we caught up.  I promise to keep it going!

A very busy weekend

A busy weekend for the Deacon especially since I was free of any extra work responsibilities for a change!  On Saturday afternoon I was privileged to baptize a 6 month old baby boy, Finn Joseph.  This was a private family baptism.  The family is well known to me so I was happy to be able to do the baptism.

I took off Saturday evening so I could be prepared for a very active Sunday.  With a brother deacon out of town and another currently out sick, I knew it would be a hectic day!  I was assigned the 8, 10 and 6 pm masses.  Now that makes for a pretty busy Sunday but today was also our farewell celebration for Fr. Kevin Delerno.  For 4 years he has been our parochial vicar(we used to call them associate pastors?) and now he moves on to a new parish closer to New Orleans. After our 10 am mass we had a grand celebration; one of our always incredible parish pot luck dinner.  It was great and the celebration was well attended.

After getting home around 1pm I tried to get some rest before returning tonight for Benediction before our well attended last chance mass.  Arriving home around 7:45 this evening I could relax before getting ready for my Monday!

I really want to mention again our best wishes, along with our prayers, for Fr. Kevin.  We will miss him but, as is often the case this time of year, we will soon be welcoming our new parochial vicar. 

So I'm glad it was a nice, busy weekend primarily focused on ministry.

Have a great, blessed week ahead!

Reflecting on stuff; afterall, it's a stormy mess of a Saturday afternoon

The big thing to hit these parts(around Abita Springs) has been the recent parish mission at St. Jane's.  This past week we had Fr. Thomas Sullivan, from the Fathers of Mercy, offer a beautiful parish mission.  I understand it was so faithfully received by our parishioners.  I managed to attend the Tuesday night session and so glad that I attended.  Someone asked me last night why I missed the majority of the mission??  The answer is simple; for me my ministry goes beyond the physical boundaries of my parish.  Don't get me wrong, I pour out myself for my parish; I love St. Jane's and our mission too for that matter.  But I love my ministry to the men at Rayburn and any other opportunity I have to be of service to the Church by serving others.  I had an incredible experience Wednesday night at the prison; after almost 10 years of going to Rayburn, we had our largest single attendance for our normal Wednesday night gatherings; 80+ men!  And after a robust, spirit-filled communion service, the men asked me to lead them in the Stations of the Cross; another first!  Needless to say it was a soul-lifting evening.  I also enjoy the opportunities as a Deacon to prepare couples for marriage.  It is truly a journey that I get to walk with each couple as we pray and discern along the way all the way to the wedding day, and then beyond.  Another opportunity I experience as a Deacon is to share the gift of this ministry with those discerning their own vocational call.  I had one such opportunity this week and I pray that my words and my witness always are helpful to the discerning!

Today is Saturday, it is the Feast of the Annunciation.  On this feast day the big event is the Abbey Youth Fest up at St. Joseph Abbey.  The monks are now a little more than one year past the devastating flood that caused $ 30MM in damages to the historic Abbey and Seminary College.  The event is an incredible witness every year as about 4K youth and their chaperones attend the day long celebration of faith, culminating in Mass and evening Adoration and Benediction.  Today the rains came; I mean they came.  From what I've been able to understand from following friends and deacons on the ground, the event was postponed for awhile and resumed in a large auditorium on the Abbey Campus.  I hope they can get going again as the rain has slowed down.  There is so much hope emanating from this event; I wish every Catholic could witness such a mass of Catholic youth freely giving themselves in praise and worship of the Triune God.  I am always inspired when I have been able to attend.  Tonight Wendy and I will attend a wedding over in New Orleans.  I realized just today that this may be the first Catholic wedding I attend where I am not on the altar.  I pray the wedding is beautiful and the couple have many blessed years together.

So it looks like the rain is going away and hopefully the youth can continue the Abbey Fest and the wedding is blessed with some rays of sunshine.