Catholic Connection September 2011

VOL. 21, NO.2 SEPTEMBER 2011

Local Catholics

Minister to the Elderly

From the Chancellor | by Christine Rivers, Chancellor Calendar: Publisher Bishop Michael G. Duca Editor Jessica Rinaudo Regular Contributors Bishop Michael Duca Jessica Rinaudo Kim Long Christine Rivers Fr. Rothell Price Roxie Tabor Rosalba Quiroz Mike Van Vranken Dianne Rachal John Mark Willcox Featured Contributors Jim Addison Kelly Phelan Powell Roxanne Churnley Debby Smith Anita Crafts Marie Thomas Clary Nash John Vining Kevin Nolten Linda Webster

The Catholic Center will be closed in observance of Labor Day on Monday, September 5.

Respect Life Sunday will be October 2, 2011.

Notice to Pastors and Parish Staffs:

Information update forms for the Official Catholic Directory (OCD) will begin arriving at parishes and schools in mid-September. These forms are sent directly from the OCD publisher and are to be returned to the Chancellor. The OCD listing maintains tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service. Your assistance is appreciated.

Christine Rivers, Chancellor Email: criverss@dioshpt.org

From the Library

| by Debby Smith, Librarian

Editorial Board Dianne Rachal Cathy Cobb Christine Rivers Rev. Charles Glorioso John Mark Willcox Kim Long Kelly Phelan Powell The Catholic Connection is a monthly publication funded by your Diocesan Service Appeal; mailed to every known Catholic household in the Diocese of Shreveport. Our Mission is to advance knowledge and understanding of our Catholic Faith among the faithful. We seek to foster the application of Christ’s teachings and our Church’s mission in our daily lives and to encourage our sense of Catholic identity within our family, parish, and diocesan faith community.

For a free subscription, address changes or article submissions: EMAIL: jrinaudo@dioshpt.org WRITE: C atholic Connection The Catholic Center 3500 Fairfield Avenue Shreveport, LA 71104 CALL: 318-868-4441

OR 800-256-1542 FAX: 318-868-4609 WEBSITE: www.thecatholicconnection.org The Catholic Connection is a member of the Catholic Press Association.

The Diocese of Shreveport complies with Virtus’s Protecting God’s Children program. Classes are offered every second Wednesday of the month at the Catholic Center in Shreveport. To report child sexual abuse by a cleric or church worker in the Diocese of Shreveport, call Glennda Lawson.

Hotline, 318-294-1031 and your local law enforcement agency.

W

e have added some wonderful resources to the library and I hope you can come by and see our new additions.

The library is open Mondays and Wednesdays 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and Fridays 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

If you would like to brush up on the Catholic faith, we have several free brochures that cover many facets of the Church. Of interest to musical directors, we have received Lift Up Your Hearts – music for the new Order of Mass according to the third edition of the Roman Missal. You may also want to pick up the free cards for the new Liturgy of the Mass, which will be said starting the First Sunday of Advent, November 27. We have

these in regular type and larger type.

We now have our Resource Center stocked with the latest educational materials and have added several youth oriented resources. Some other titles that may interest you: Great Teachers – Pope Benedict XVI; Alex & Me How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence by Irene M. Pepperberg; Truth for Your Mind, Love for Your Heart – Satisfying Your Hunger for God by Alfred McBride, O.Praem; YouCat (English) – Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church – translated by Michael Miller; The Wisdom of Stability – Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture – by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

On the cover: Members of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church’s Yarn Angels group meets every Wednesday to crochet blankets, slippers and hats for the elderly. Front row left to right: Pattie Neurauter, Marie Vallillo, Myrna Sigler. Back row: Mary Ann Patterson, Lily Green, Gloria Neupert.

Bishop Michael Duca’s September Schedule

September 2011

Contents

SEPT. 3 Búsqueda Mass, Scottsville, TX SEPT. 6 Red Mass; St. Matthew Church, Monroe; 1:00 p.m.

12

SEPT. 10 Mass; St. Patrick Church; Lake Providence; 6:30 p.m.

SEPT. 11 Mass; St. Patrick Church, Lake Providence; 8:30 a.m.

From the Chancellor by Christine Rivers.............................................................2

SEPT. 11 Mass; Sacred Heart Church, Oak Grove; 10:30 a.m.

From the Library by Debby Smith.......................................................................2

SEPT. 12 Presbyteral Council Meeting; Catholic Center, Shreveport; 1:00 p.m.

Bishop’s Reflection by Most Reverend Michael G. Duca....................................4-5

SEPT. 13 Catholic Women’s League Luncheon; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Shreveport; 10:30 a.m.

SEPT. 14 Memorial Mass for Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Vatican Nuncio to the United States; Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.; 12:00 p.m.

Bishop Michael Duca’s September 2011 Schedule............................................3 Ten Questions on the New Roman Missal, Pt. 1

by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.......................................6 Catholic Charities of Shreveport Celebrates One Year by Anita Crafts................. 6 Men in Diaconate Formation Participated in Rite of Candidacy

by Deacon Clary Nash..................................................................................7 Small Church Profile: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Farmerville

by Linda Webster..........................................................................................8 Fourth Annual Friends of the Poor Walk.............................................................9 Second Collections: Black and Indian Missions by Fr. Rothell Price..................9

SEPT. 16 Bishop William R. Houck’s (Bishop Emeritus of Jackson) 60th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood Mass; St. Richard of Chichester Church, Jackson, MS; 6:00 p.m.

What Keeps Us From Walking on Water? by Mike Van Vranken.........................10

SEPT. 18 Mass; St. George Church, Coushatta; 8:30 a.m

Ministry to the Elderly by Kelly Phelan Powell ..................................................12-13

SEPT. 18 Knights of St. Gregory the Great Mass; Holy Trinity Church, Shreveport; 12:00 p.m.

Celebrating God's Love at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church

by Marie Thomas............................................................................................. 17

SEPT. 19-20 Louisiana Interchurch Conference Fall Board Meeting; The Wesley Center, Woodworth, LA

Hispanic Corner by Rosalba Quiroz....................................................................18

SEPT. 21 Poor Man’s Supper; Jesus the Good Shepherd School Gym, Monroe; 6:00 p.m.

St. Joseph Church in Shreveport Led High School Mission Trip to Jamaica

by Roxanne Churnley and Kevin Nolten............................................................. 21

SEPT. 23 Northern & Central Louisiana Interfaith Meeting; Alexandria; 10:00 a.m.

– 12:00 p.m.

September 2011 Calendars................................................................................23

Studies Reveal Positive Catholic Data by John Mark Willcox.............................10 Growing Youth Ministry in the Parish, Pt. 1 by John Vining................................11 Meet the Department: Canonical Services ........................................................11 Greco Institute Fall Schedule.................................................................................. 14-16

A True Disciple by Jim Addison.............................................................................. 17 USCCB Marks 9/11 Anniversary with Memorial Website...................................... 19 Around the Diocese.............................................................................................20-21

Upcoming Events ...............................................................................................22 Rite of Candidacy Photos....................................................................................... 24

SEPT. 27 New Orleans Provincial Council Meeting – followed by Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops Board Meeting; Immaculata Center, Lafayette; 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

SEPT. 30 Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Celebration of Serving People in Louisiana for 100 Years; Maryville Convent, Baton Rouge; 10:30 a.m.

7

19

La Reflexión del Obispo por Obispo Michael G. Duca

E

ste mes conmemoramos el 10º aniversario del ataque terrorista en el Centro Mundial de Comercio (World Trade Center) que ocurrió en Nueva York el 11 de septiembre del 2001. Recuerdo estar viendo las noticias esa fatídica mañana increíblemente cuando el segundo avión chocó en el Centro Mundial de Comercio. Era mucho que absorber en el momento pero estaba seguro que no era un accidente. Creo ese evento cambio para siempre la presunción que tenía de mi mundo que es difícil poner en palabras.

Todos vivimos nuestras vidas cada día, en efecto cada minuto con ciertas presunciones que raramente notamos.

Manejando deducimos que la gente que viene en sentido contrario no se va a pasar a nuestro carril, caminando damos un paso al frente y asumimos que el suelo será capaz de soportar nuestro peso y esperamos que haya aire cuando demos nuestro próximo respiro. Estas son fáciles de ver pero hay otras en lo profundo de nuestro ser que solamente nos damos cuenta de ellas durante una crisis.

Aunque nunca lo pensé, crecí sintiendo que vivir en Estados Unidos estábamos salvos de los peligros que otros países regularmente experimentan. El 11 de septiembre del 2001 mientras vi el avión chocar en el Centro Mundial de Comercio, recuerdo sentirme intranquilo y con un miedo ajeno de que ahora estaba menos seguro que hacía solo un momento.

Una presunción de seguridad y de estar salvo de la dependía comprobaba ser equivocada. Esta inquietud fundamental creo que ha permanecido en mí y se ha convertido en una asunción de que es más seguro aquí en América que en otros lugares, pero no completamente seguro.

Esta experiencia fue algo que experimentamos juntos pero que

4 5 Catholic Connection September 2011

también tenemos estos momentos similares en nuestra vida personal. Con frecuencia es importante que nuestras presunciones sean retadas para poder deshacernos de pequeñas asunciones incompletas de juventud para crecer y madurar como adultos.

Pero algunas crisis y cambios no los escogemos ni los queremos. El divorcio, la pérdida de trabajo, la pérdida de una pensión o una cuenta de inversión para nuestro futuro, una enfermedad repentina o la muerte de un ser querido o de alguien en quien dependíamos son todas maneras de que nuestro entendimiento fundamental sobre nuestro mundo personal puede cambiar.

El Arzobispo Pietro Sambi fue el nuncio apostólico de En esos momentos los Estados Unidos. (CN S photo/Paul Haring) nuestra fe nos da una esperanza que no nos momentos más obscuros. Una frase puede ser arrebatada. Es una fuerza en de la Madre Teresa en una placa en mi nuestras vidas que puede mantenerse oficina lo resume muy bien: cuando parece que nuestra vida se “Nunca dejes que nada te llene está deshaciendo a nuestro alrededor. tanto de tristeza que olvides el gozo de Esta es una esperanza que nos puede Cristo Resucitado.” sostener hasta que construyamos un Pensando acerca de mi lema nuevo futuro. Algunas veces nuestras como Obispo también me recuerda presunciones de la dirección de mencionar la memoria del Arzobispo nuestra vida son restauradas como Pietro Sambi quien falleció el mes cuando encontramos un nuevo pasado.

El Arzobispo Sambi fue el trabajo, nuestras inversiones ganan o nuncio apostólico de los Estados somos sanados de alguna enfermedad.

Unidos. El nuncio es el Diplomático Nuestra fe nos da la esperanza que nos permite esperar una respuesta. Algunas a Estados Unidos del Estado de la Ciudad del Vaticano. También veces no podemos restaurar lo perdido sirve como representante del Papa y tenemos que reconstruir. Nuestra a la Iglesia de Estados Unidos. Fue fe nos da la esperanza de que todo es el Arzobispo Sambi quien me llamó posible en Cristo y que frecuentemente por teléfono hace tres años para es precisamente en el morir que anunciarme que había sido escogido encontramos nueva vida. para servir como Obispo de la Pienso que la experiencia del 9/11 Diócesis de Shreveport. Voy a extrañar es parte de porque mi lema como el espíritu gozoso del Arzobispo Obispo es “Esperanza en el Señor”.

Sambi y la Iglesia de Estados Unidos Ruego que al recordar ese fatídico va a extrañar a un sirviente efectivo día en nuestra historia recordemos y dedicado a la Iglesia. Dale Señor el también la fortaleza que podemos Descanso Eterno. encontrar en Cristo aun en nuestros

Bishop’s Reflection by Bishop Michael G. Duca

T

his month we will commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center that occurred in New York on September 11, 2001. I remember Lynn Matteo, 50, grieves during a ceremony Sept. 11 held near the site of the World Trade Center in New York to mark the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that brought down watching the news that fateful morning the center's twin towers. (CNS photo/Shannon Stapleton, Reuters) unbelievably as the second plane crashed into the World Trade Center. It was too much to take in at the moment, but I was these same kind of moments in our us to wait for an answer. Sometimes we sure it was no accident. I believe that personal lives. Often it is important to cannot restore what was lost and we must event changed forever a foundational have our presumptions challenged in build again. Our faith gives us the hope presumption I had about my world that is order to cast off the small incomplete that all things are possible in Christ and still difficult to put into words. assumptions of youth to grow and that often times it is precisely in dying We all live our lives every day, indeed mature as adults. But some crises and that we find new life. every minute with certain presumptions changes we do not choose and we do I think the experience of 9/11 is we seldom think about. Driving down not want. Divorce, loss of a job, the loss partly why my motto as bishop is “Hope the road we assume the people coming of a pension or an investment account in the Lord”. I pray that as we remember the other way will not swerve into our for our future, a sudden illness or the that fateful day in our history, we will be paths; walking we take a step forward reminded as well of the strength and assume the ground will be we can find in Christ even in able to support us and we expect our darkest hours. A quote from there will be air when we take I believe that event changed Mother Teresa on a plaque in my our next breath. These are easy to office sums it all up: forever a foundational see but there are others that are “Never let anything so fill you deep within us that we often only presumption I had about with sorrow that you forget the become aware of when we are in joy of Christ Risen.” my world that is still difficult to a crisis.

Thinking about my motto Although I never thought as bishop also reminds me put into words. about it, I grew up feeling that to mention the memory of in living in the United States Archbishop Pietro Sambi we were safe from the dangers who died this past month. death of a loved one or of someone on other countries often experienced. On Archbishop Sambi was the apostolic whom we depended are all ways that September 11, 2001 as I watched the nuncio to the United States. The nuncio our fundamental understanding of our plane crash into the World Trade Center, personal world can be changed. is the Diplomat to the United States I remember feeling an unfamiliar and from Vatican City State. He also serves In these moments our faith gives us a unsettling fear that I was now less safe as the pope’s representative to the hope that cannot be taken away from us. than I was just a moment before. A Church in the United States. It was It is a strength in our lives that we can presumption of security and safety that hold on to when it seems our life is falling Archbishop Sambi who telephoned I had depended on had been proven three years ago to tell me I had been apart around us. This is a hope that can wrong. This fundamental uneasiness has sustain us until we build a new future. chosen to serve as Bishop of the Diocese stayed with me and now has become of Shreveport. I will miss Archbishop Sometimes our presumptions of the part of a new assumption, that we are Sambi’s joyful spirit and the Church of direction of our life are restored such as safer here in America than other places, when a new job is found, our investments the United States will miss an effective but not completely safe. and dedicated servant of the Church. gain value or we are healed of an illness.

This experience was something we all Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord.

Our faith gives us the hope that allows experienced together but we also have 5 4

Ten Questions on the New Roman Missal, Catholic Charities of Shreveport Pt. 1 | by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Celebrates One Year | by Anita Crafts 1. Why is there a need for a new translation?

Pope John Paul II issued the third edition of the Missale Romanum (the Latin text of the Roman Missal) during the Jubilee Year in 2000. This new edition included many new texts requiring translation. In addition, the experience of the years after the Second Vatican Council gave rise to a desire for more formal and literal translations of the original Latin texts. This new translation will employ the best of what we have learned about translation and liturgical language in two generations of celebrating the Liturgy in the vernacular. It will provide an opportunity to reflect ever more deeply on the eucharistic celebration that lies at the heart of the Church’s life.

C

atholic Charities of Shreveport is celebrating our first anniversary! Over the last year we have provided direct emergency assistance such as rent, utilities or food to 243 individuals. We have assisted 771 people with indirect assistance such as referrals to agencies to help with their specific needs. But this is just the beginning for us.

We are interviewing for a Family Support Practitioner (FSP) for the Immigration Integration Center in the coming weeks.

Once hired, the FSP will begin training with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network so he or she may become certified in immigration matters. We have already begun working with clients for that program, and Rosalba Quiroz, Director of Hispanic Ministry and Immigration Services at the diocese, is providing 2. Who is doing the work of translation? the legal assistance until then. Our goal for the center is to assist The process of translating liturgical texts from the original between 75 and 150 families this year with an array of services Latin is a highly consultative work done by several groups. The to help them overcome legal and social barriers preventing them International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) from being full and contributing members of our community. prepares English translations of liturgical texts on behalf of the Soon we will begin our Family Strengthening Program to assist conferences of bishops of English-speaking countries. The United low-income families to acquire the skills they need to break the States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the other cycle of poverty, create a better future for their family and even member conferences receive begin asset-building.

This program will include financial education draft translations of each text classes as well as a case manager to work with each family. and have the opportunity to The Immigration Integration Center and the Family offer comments and suggestions Strengthening Program are both ambitious projects, but they are to ICEL. Then ICEL proposes needed in our area.

We have been blessed with another grant from a second draft, which each an organization that wishes to remain anonymous that will help conference approves and with both of these programs to serve some of the most vulnerable submits to the Vatican for final people in north Louisiana.

We have also been blessed by the approval. Each conference generosity of the St. Joseph VITA Pro-Life organization with reserves the right to amend recent donations of diapers and baby items. or modify a particular text. At We cannot do this all this work alone – Catholic Charities of the Vatican, the Congregation Shreveport is intended to be a way for the people of our diocese for Divine Worship and the to reach out and help others. We are dependent upon deep Discipline of the Sacraments community support so we may have the strong volunteer base and examines the translated texts, funding needed to carry out these programs. We have recently offers authoritative approval (recognitio) of the texts, and grants added the capability to accept ACH deposits for the convenience permission for their use. Currently the Congregation is aided of those who make recurring donations to us. We recognize that by the recommendations of Vox Clara, a special committee of for many of our donors both time and money are at a premium, so bishops and consultants from English-speaking countries. The we are inspired to have the highest level of stewardship of all our translation and review process is guided by the guidelines in gifts in order to help as many people as possible.

Liturgiam Authenticam, issued in 2001, an instruction from the If you would like to join us in this work, we would like to hear Congregation that outlines the principles and rules for liturgical from you. Please feel free to stop by our offices at the former St. translation. In 2007, the Congregation also issued a ratio Catherine of Siena in Shreveport at 331 East 71st Street, or call us outlining the specific rules for translation in English. at (318) 865-0200. We look forward to hearing from you!

3. What’s new or different about the revised translation?

The style of the translation of the third edition is different.

In accord with the rules for translation established by the Holy See, the revised translation follows the style of the original Latin texts more closely, including concrete images, repetition, parallelisms and rhythm. The English used in the Mass texts is more formal and dignified in style. Where possible, the texts follow the language of Scripture and include many poetic images. In addition, the third edition contains prayers for the celebration of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Masses and prayers for various needs and intentions, and some updated and revised rubrics (or instructions) for the celebration of the Mass.

6 7 Catholic Connection September 2011

Men in Diaconate Formation Participated in Rite of Candidacy | by Deacon Clary Nash

Diaconate Candidates stand with Bishop Duca at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans following the Rite of Candidacy. Back row left to right: Charles Thomas, Steve Lehr, Mike Whitehead, Tom Deal, Orlando Batongbakal, Bishop Michael Duca, Chris Domingue, Bill Kleinpeter, David Nagem, Mike Wise and Marc Vereen. Front Row left to right: Bill Goss, Jack Lynch, Robert Ransom, Scott Brandle, Ricardo Rivera and Danny LeMoine.

O

n Sunday, August 7, 2011, the Diocese of Shreveport celebrated the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Ordination as Deacon, for the men who completed the first year of diaconate formation. Bishop Michael G. Duca celebrated Mass and accepted 16 men from the diocese into the rank of Candidacy. The Mass was well attended with priests, deacons, family, church family and friends sharing the excitement and showing support. The following were admitted to the ranks of Candidate: Orlando Batongbakal, Scott Brandle, Thomas Deal, Christopher Dominique, Bill Goss, Bill Kleinpeter, Steve Lehr, Danny LeMoine, John Lynch, David Nagem, Robert Ransom, Ricardo Rivera, Charles Thomas, Marc Vereen, Michael Whitehead and Michael Wise.

The Formation Program started September 11, 2010 and will end April 13, 2014. Successful completion of the program will result in ordination. Liturgical Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Ordination as Deacon calls for a special liturgical rite. Since entrance into the clerical state is deferred until ordination to the diaconate, the Rite of Admission to Candidacy is celebrated as soon as possible after the aspirant has completed the first year and is admitted into the program. In this rite, the one who aspires to ordination publicly manifests his will to offer himself to God and to the Church to exercise a sacred order. In this way, he is admitted into the ranks of candidates for the diaconate.

August 7th was a very special day for the church and for these men. Tom Deal, one of the new Candidates, put it this way: “As one of the sixteen, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The ceremony was moving, inspirational and surreal, especially when I stood before Bishop Duca and declared my intention to him and to all present. I will never forget this truly moving experience.

I’d also like to let the family, friends and others who came to the ceremony know that their presence in the congregation made the experience more inspirational and exciting for us and showed their support for us and their love of their Church and their commitment to the Catholic faith. Thank you for the experience and the continued support!”

Another candidate, Mark Vereen, wrote, “I met the day of our acceptance to Candidacy for Holy Orders with an array of emotions; anxiety, humility and peace. I felt anxious as I thought about what lies ahead in the next three years and what it will

entail for my family and me. I felt humbled when I walked up to receive the formal acceptance from Bishop Duca. I felt a great sense of peace as I felt that my call to serve had been validated on that day. As I embark on the next stage of my journey with Christ, I enter knowing that ‘all things are possible through Christ.’ I remain excited about the curriculum and courses that lie ahead. I have much to learn and am intent on getting all I can out of what the instructors have to offer. I look forward to the ‘first day of school’ and seeing old friends and meeting new teachers.”

The Diaconate Formation was established by the Church to encourage, support and train Catholic men who feel a call from God to offer their lives to the Lord in service. Deacons serve the community in many ministries. Deacons are official clergy in the Church, although they lead a lay lifestyle. Most are married, have families and have secular jobs while serving the church and society.

Pope Paul VI restored the order of deacon in the Apostolic Letter, Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem with the following duties and responsibilities: 1. To assist the bishop and priest during liturgical functions.

2. To administer solemnly the sacrament of baptism and supply the ceremonies where needed.

3. To serve the Eucharist and to distribute it to himself and others; to bring viaticum and to impart benediction with the ciborium.

4. In the absence of a priest, to assist at and to bless marriages with proper delegation.

5. To administer sacramentals and to officiate at funeral and burial services.

6. To read Scripture to the faithful and to instruct and exhort the people.

7. To preside at the worship and prayers of the people when a priest is not present.

8. To direct the liturgy of the word, especially when a priest is not present.

9. To promote and sustain the apostolic activities of laity.

These men have three more years of University of Dallas courses, spiritual formation and pastoral training before ordination. Please continue to keep them and their families in your prayers.

7 6

SMALL CHURCH PROFILE: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Farmerville

by Linda Webster, PhD During the 25th anniversary year of the Diocese of Shreveport we will be profiling small churches around the diocese.

O

ur Lady of Perpetual Help is nestled into a small, wooded lot just off of Route 2 in Farmerville. Built in 1957 on two acres of land donated by the Murray Cole family, the church was dedicated by Bishop Greco on October 6, 1957.

(Day of the Child) in April to “Dia de Los Muertos” (Day of the “Some of the original families are still here,” said Janice Boley, Dead) in November, the calendar is studded with events and church secretary, “and most of our parishioners are local.” activities that involve all members of the church. The Advent and Much like other small gathered communities, Catholic Christmas season is particularly busy. “We have a meal in the residents of Farmerville met in private homes to hear Mass Parish Center the Sunday before Thanksgiving immediately after and plan toward the eventual establishment of a mission parish the morning Mass with deep fried turkey and a real smorgasbord during the mid-1950s. According to Dickie Cole, there was a bit of shared culinary delights to put all in the holiday spirit,” he of controversy when his family donated that land. continued.

“The former landowner used to say that the folks ‘like to run Hispanic-focused celebrations continue through the season me out of town when they found out that I was selling the land with a novena prior to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and for a Catholic Church’. My father bought the land for the church a bi-lingual “Las Posadas” to commemorate the Holy Family’s and had to ask about having fish on Fridays at the high school!” search for shelter in Bethlehem at the Sunday Mass prior to Cole remembers perhaps six or seven original Catholic Christmas.

Piñatas, food and songs follow in the parish hall. families in the area and that each family had three or four In fact, food has always been a focus of parish gatherings. children. “The church has always been small,” he noted, “but it’s The wooden, screened structure that sits adjacent to the parking always served the entire parish.” lot was donated to the parish for crawfish cookouts. The small His recollection squares with the information housed in the brick church hosts a luncheon four times a year to recognize archives of the Diocese of Alexandria. The records indicate that the service provided to the Catholic communities by the priests nine adults met in the Cole home on September 6, 1956, with in the Eastern Deanery.

Parishioner birthdays, anniversaries, two Franciscans from St. Paschal in West Monroe to urge the graduations and other special events are recognized on the first establishment of a mission to serve the nearly 50 Catholics in the Sunday of the month, and pastoral outreach is impressive.

Union Parish area. Two weeks later, Fr. Finian, OFM, celebrated “We’ve offered meals to families during the loss of a loved one, the first Mass in Union Parish at the Cole’s Farmerville home. and even assisted with funeral expenses and offered emergency In the late 1950s, a priest would travel from West Monroe to assistance in certain situations, ” Fr. Jost added. both Calhoun and Farmerville; now Farmerville is the sole Our Lady has a number of families whose children receive mission served from St. Paschal. From 1961 through 1968, St. religious instruction weekly after the 9:00 a.m. Mass on Sunday.

Thomas Friary in Ruston was responsible for the mission and the In addition, there is a robust music ministry under the direction Franciscans continue to serve as pastors at Our Lady. of Lynn Ramsey, a long-time cantor. She explained that the There is little archival information about the building of the jazz-inspired accompaniment to the service music during Mass church hall or renovations to the church. Cole said the hall was was due to their rather famous keyboard artist. “Our pianist built in 1982, probably with Catholic Extension Society funding, is Hopkins Hallman who has written hundreds of pieces for and the church was renovated in 1998 with a 30-foot extension Disney, ” said Ramsey.

“He’s played for Whitney Houston and to allow for more seating. Information provided by St. Pascal other famous singers. ” notes that a priest administrator lived in a mobile home on the Members of the choir are both local and commuters. Chris grounds at some point in the 1960s and there were plans to build Turner, for example, lives in Monroe and drives about an hour an annex with living quarters for the resident priest. to Farmerville.

“This congregation just feels so much like family,” Farmerville has seen a dramatic growth in the number of she said.

“I just prefer to worship where I know everyone and Spanish-speaking residents this is a great group of people.” and Our Lady has been pivotal From the traditional ceiling in providing a home for these lighting fixtures adorned with new residents. The reported crosses to the cameo-style population rose from 1.3% in Stations of the Cross; from the 2009 to 3.6% in the 2010 census. pebble glass windowpanes to “They call me ‘Padre Luis’,” the flecked green carpeting, explained Fr. Al Jost, OFM, who Our Lady of Perpetual Help currently serves the church. combines the comfortable feel “We have many traditional of many small churches with activities throughout the year an unmistakable sense of a here at Our Lady.” holy space.

From “Dia de Los Ninos” Fr. Al Jost begins Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

8 9 Catholic Connection September 2011

Fourth Annual Friends of the Poor Walk

T

he fourth annual Friends of the Poor® Walk to benefit the needy and those living in poverty who are served by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is scheduled to be held across the country on Saturday, Sept.

24. Anyone interested in participating or making a pledge can log on to www. svdpfriendsofthepoorwalk.org.

SVdP programs include food pantries, housing assistance, disaster relief, job training and placement, clothing, transportation and utility costs, thrift stores, home visits, care for the elderly, medicine and youth outreach. All proceeds from the local walk directly benefit the people served by SVdP in the Diocese of Shreveport.

The timing of this year’s walk is important as we have seen a marked increase in need calls across the Shreveport-Bossier City area. The relentless summer heat will certainly be impacting utility bills as well.

Local members of SVdP encourage all to participate in the Friends of the Poor® Walk locally as walkers, pledgers, volunteers, or all three. Those conferences which do not have either the facilities or support to conduct a walk within their parish are invited to join the Western Deanery and St. Jude Conference for the Friends of the Poor® Walk. All are welcome to join us Saturday, Sept. 24, any time between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway in Bossier City. We will be starting from the main pavilion right next to the boat launch, just south of the ShreveportBarksdale bridge. Any monies raised in the name of your parish will be given to the St. Vincent de Paul conference servicing the poor in your parish. Come on out, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, and become a friend of the poor.

Find out how good it feels to give.

SECOND COLLECTION: Black and Indian Missions

by Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General Announcement Dates: August 10 & 11, 17 & 18 Collection Dates: September 24 & 25

C

“

hrist Yesterday, Today and Forever.” That is our theme throughout this year of celebrating the establishment of our diocese 25 years ago. I reflect on our theme daily and remember it when I pray the Divine Office and when I celebrate the Holy Mass. I hope this theme is taking root in your heart and is being fanned into a flame by your meditation and reflection. It is in the spirit of “Christ Yesterday, Today and Forever,” that we engage in our second collections. These special collections provide us with the spiritual opportunity to show forth the love of Christ and the care of His holy people, the Church.

Once again I hold up the message of the Apostle Paul who exhorts us to have a concern for all the churches, not just our own. These monthly second collections remind us not only of our spiritual and material needs, but they keep us mindful of these same needs in the lives of others.

For over 100 years the Black and Indian Missions Office, established in 1884, has been helping churches in the United States evangelize the Indigenous and African American faithful.

Evangelization, the major work Bishop Duca illuminated for us during our 25th Diocesan Anniversary celebration, is our great calling and special focus this year. It is through the constant generosity of Church members that evangelization efforts among Black and Native American, Eskimo and Aleut communities have been possible for more than 100 years. Churches and schools in African American and Native American Indian communities depend on the annual evangelization grants to

continue their programs and pastoral activities.

Bishop Duca exhorted and challenged us to be evangelized and become evangelizers. He charged us to a new evangelization on three levels: personal, public and generous. He reminded us that to be evangelized means to get to know Christ at a deeper level and so be transformed in his image and likeness.

To be evangelizers is to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ with those who either do not yet believe, do not practice the faith or who have become lukewarm to the presence, message and power of Christ.

In the Nicene Creed we profess our faith in “One, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.” The “apostolic” mark of the Church means that we who have been evangelized carry forward the work of evangelization.We not only remember the holy apostles and the witness they bore to Christ, but also participate in and continue their witness. “Christ Yesterday, Today and Forever.” That’s what the apostles proclaimed and that’s what we, their present day spiritual children, proclaim in our participation in these second collections. Like the apostles, we show forth Jesus and His care for all the churches and all the people of the world.

Evangelization is a baptismal call to holiness. The mission of Christ is still far from completion and we must commit ourselves to its service (Redemptoris Missio). Evangelization is a baptismal call to holiness. Remember, by your baptism you are missionary to your family and community and indeed to all the world.

Please be generous in your support. God bless you for your generosity.

9 8

What Keeps Us From Walking on Water?

by Mike Van Vranken, Greco Instructor

H

ave you ever heard someone say, referring to their own limitations, something like: “There is only one person who ever walked on water, and He was God.” But, of course, anyone verbalizing such talk has missed Matthew’s version of the story.

His gospel affirms: “Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.”

Mt 14:29 That’s right - Peter did walk on the water. It was only after Peter became afraid of the wind and waves that he began to sink.

Jesus had just encouraged those in the boat to not be afraid and he summoned Peter to “come.” After helping Peter back in the boat, he commented on Peter’s little faith and asked why he began to doubt.

While we have read and heard this story dozens of times, have we found ourselves focusing on the miracle Jesus is working rather than the lesson he is teaching? This is a story about the faith we possess when we focus on Jesus and not the waves and wind around us.

How many times have we been filled with confidence and assurance only to be quickly overcome with fear that leaves us in doubt and despair? The Bible is filled with reminders to have faith and to fear not. How can we build that faith and overcome our fears and anxieties?

Paul tells us “For God did not give us a spirit of fear but rather of power and love and self-control.” 2 Ti 1:7. John writes “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear...”

1 Jo 4:19. He also writes “ ...God is love...” 1 Jo 4:16. Now, let’s put all of this together.

The spirit of fear does not come from God. God gave us love. Love casts out fear. God is love.

The next time we are praying for stronger faith, let’s focus on Jesus rather than the threatening world around us. In doing so, we can share God and his love with others.

Sharing that love will cast the fear right out of us. Sharing that love will replace our doubts with courage. Sharing that love will drive away our anxieties and strengthen us with faith so strong we can respond to Jesus’ call to come to him no matter the obstacles or circumstances; even if it means walking on water ourselves.

10 11 Catholic Connection September 2011

Studies Reveal Positive Catholic Data

by John Mark Willcox, Director of Development

W

hen most of us hear news from the media about the Catholic Church, it is not always a positive story. News features always seem to focus on parish closings, the theft of Church property and of course, the abuse scandal endured in America and exploding in Europe.

One of the most enduring and popular media subjects is a decline in member numbers participating in worship and a downturn in giving.

While the media may guide one to think our faith tradition is in a state of decline, a recently completed study

by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) entitled “Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership,” has some remarkable findings which show that Catholicism in America has maintained a strong course of growth while many other faith traditions are collapsing.

With a concentration on the past 40 years in the United States, CARA’s study has uncovered some illuminating facts about the Catholic Church in our nation.

• The current number of Catholics in the United States is 65.6 million.

That figure represents 21% of America’s population. Since 1990, the U.S. Catholic population has grown by 50%.

• Attendance at Mass has risen 15% since 2000. This is especially noteworthy as it marks the first serious period of increased Catholic worship attendance in several decades.

• Despite a consistent negative portrayal of the Church and its mission, monetary contributions have actually increased within American Catholic Churches by 14% since 2006.

• In the past five years alone, the Latino population in the Catholic Church has increased over 40%, with that number even higher for those under the age of 40.

• As of today, 20% of parishes in the U.S. offer some ministries in Spanish with 40% of active parishes celebrating special Latino observations like the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Hispanics alone represent more than half of the growth in the total American population between 2000 and 2010, and now represent 16% of the U.S.

population, up from 12.5% in 2000.

The respected Pew Research Center has also recently released its “Landscape Survey” on religion in America and the statistics borne out of that effort also offer some enlightening data: • About half of Catholics who leave the Church choose to not affiliate with any other faith tradition.

• The other half select a Protestant tradition, with the vast majority of that number choosing evangelical churches.

• Of those former Catholics, 23% departed due to Catholic teachings on abortion or homosexuality, while 16% claim disagreement over the role of women in the Church. The majority (59%) claim to have “lost interest,” or have simply “wandered away” over time.

This telling information reveals some things we may have already concluded such as the dramatic rise of Latino Catholics and the fact that many who leave the Catholic Church seek a Protestant form of worship. What may surprise us is the fact that despite what the media may term as “turmoil in the faith,” giving is actually on the increase nationwide and Catholics are attending Mass more often.

The fact that many disaffected Catholics sought out a more conservative evangelical church group instead of a more traditional mainline denomination is also a bit surprising.

Many of these types of denominations do not entertain what one would consider to be a progressive approach on issues such as sexuality and/or the role of women in religion, so it is an eye opener that so many former Catholics would be drawn to enter their doors.

The CARA data is not only interesting but it is certainly encouraging. Comparing the current state of Catholicism in our nation to the precipitous drop in numbers among so many of America’s mainline denominations is comforting. We are growing. And we are doing so with the help of other cultures, increased worship activity and a stronger showing of stewardship among the faithful. These are all things to be thankful for when you tune in the evening news after a hard day’s work.

Growing Youth Ministry in the Parish Pt. 1

by John Vining, Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries

W

herever I go the burning question is, “How does one grow a youth ministry?” The question itself is a good one for it springs from a desire to educate and nurture teenagers. Is there a right way and a wrong way?

You better believe it! If there is no leadership, divisiveness among the parishioners, and no resources allocated, you have a recipe for disaster. If one is trying to carry on a ministry for the sake of his/her own pride and in human weakness, a parish might suffer scars that will last a long time.

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (NRSV). This verse gives us a key principle for us to learn. We will fail if we try to take on a task without God. We cannot and must not leave God out of the equation. This requires an examination of our own heart before we even start; and we don’t have to start alone. The Church has a prolific amount of devotional tools (wisdom for the ages) for us to rely on for this examination.

I was simply awestruck by the richness of the Catholic Church when I was converting. Ignatius’ spiritual exercises, the Sacred Heart, the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, are just some of the many aids you can use to foster a closer relationship with the Lord. Our Church is incredibleit just takes a little effort. Remember your relationship with Christ is foundational to any ministry that takes place in your parish.

Another principle in growing a youth ministry is to remember that it is not by your spirit alone. In Zechariah 4:6-7 we read, “He said to me, this is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts. What are you, O great mountain?

Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring out the top stone amid shouts of Grace, grace to it” (NRSV). Mountain in this instance is used metaphorically to symbolize the obstacles, the problems, the stresses, the anxieties, and difficulties we face. It is this that becomes a smooth plain with God’s spirit. Challenges will always confront any ministry your parish undertakes, but we have a promise that those very challenges can be overcome with the help of God. To have a spiritually effective ministry you will need good leaders. You will need leaders who pray, work at their ministry, communicate, serve, and maintain a positive attitude. These leaders also will need to be supported by their pastors and parishioners respectively. Youth ministry is a comprehensive effort. Teenagers are growing and have a lot of messages to sort through. This makes them incredibly sensitive and perceptive. They seem particularly adept at spotting dissension in the Church’s ranks. Your parish will need to be unified in a vision for youth on the pastoral and religious education level as well. A vision would be a simple commitment that the parish will allocate resources, people, and time to nurturing their teens. Nurturing through local and diocesan events is an excellent way to accomplish this.

Remember that youth ministry is a comprehensive effort. A single strategy will not be sufficient. A single thread can be easily cut, but ten thousand threads not so easily.

Look for part 2 of this article in our October issue.

MEET THE DEPARTMENT: Canonical Services

During the 25th anniversary year of the Diocese of Shreveport we will be profiling those who work in each department for the diocese. We hope this helps you get to know the people who work for you!

Left to right: Sr. Marilyn Vassallo, CSJ, Director of Canonical Services and Coordinator for Religious; Ann Goelden, Administrative Assistant and Ecclesiastical Notary for the Office of Canonical Services; Ricole Williams, Moderator of the Tribunal

C

anonical Services facilitates all annulment cases and offers mediation, conciliation and arbitration to assist the Church in protecting individual rights and resolving disputes.

This office ministers to all parishes that submit marriage cases to the tribunal and offers education in every parish regarding annulments.

Rev. Peter Mangum: I am the Judicial Vicar and Chief Judge of the Tribunal. The Judicial Vicar is chosen by the bishop to judge cases with ordinary power. I am also rector of the Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans.

Rev. Rothell Price: I am Adjutant Judicial Vicar, assistant to the Judicial Vicar. Like the Judicial Vicar, the Adjutant Judicial Vicar is chosen by the bishop. My primary duties are to assist with marriage nullity cases; however, annulments are one of the several things the Tribunal staff is responsible for. My favorite part of being Adjutant Judicial Vicar is assisting the Tribunal staff with cases, questions and people trying to adjust to the reality of a failed marriage. Please contact me if you think I can be of assistance.

Sr. Marilyn R. Vassallo, CSJ: I am a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet and serve as Director of the Office of Canonical Services and Coordinator for Religious in the Diocese of Shreveport. I also am a certified Spiritual Director. Besides work in the Marriage Tribunal, some of my work out of the office includes annulment workshops, retreat days and missions in local parishes, as well as assisting in the education of deacons for the diocese. If you have any questions regarding any of the above, please contact me at the office 318-868-4441.

Ricole Williams: I am Moderator of the Tribunal in the Office of Canonical Services. I have served the in Tribunal since 1999.

The best part of my ministry is that it allows me to assist people on their journey to the Sacraments. If you have any questions, please give me a call.

Ann Goelden: I serve as Administrative Assistant and Ecclesiastical Notary for the Office of Canonical Services. I have worked for the diocese since 1995. I assist the Director of Canonical Services and the Moderator of the Tribunal. I also assist the Coordinator for Religious. If you need anything from our office please call me at (318) 868-4441 and I’ll be happy to help you.

11 10

Local Catholics Minister to the Elderly

by Kelly Phelan Powell

O

ne of the key themes of Catholic social teaching is the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the person, which is one reason Catholics consider care for the elderly an important function of family life. Senior citizens are one of the most valuable resources in society, and parishes throughout the Diocese of Shreveport realize their special roles not only in the Church, but also in their communities, and they’ve developed specific ministries to improve their quality of life and spiritual wellbeing.

Jesus the Good Shepherd Church in Monroe has a Senior Shepherds Group that meets monthly. Program chairman Ruth Liuzza said its purpose is two-fold. “The first is to have fun, to enjoy each other’s company, enjoy the camaraderie – some of us have been acquainted since we were room mothers for our children at [Jesus the Good Shepherd School]! It’s good to be with friends. The programs that fill this purpose have been music, crafts, games and travel. We share a potluck lunch in December.

The second purpose, I think, is to share a bit of information.

Topics have been ministry, health, nutrition, safety, exercise and caregivers.”

Liuzza thinks groups like the Senior Shepherds play an important part in keeping seniors connected to their church parishes. “I think these groups give an opportunity for someone to become better acquainted with others in our parish. They also give an opportunity for service when the group is asked to sponsor an activity or a program in the parish. Being part of a group gives a feeling of ‘ownership.’ It’s ‘our’ parish.” She said one of her favorite activities is the lunch they share in the spring with the Junior Shepherd group. “That is always a happy time,” she said. “We plan a craft that we can all have fun doing and young and ‘old’ enjoy the time together.”

To inquire about the next meeting of the Senior Shepherds Group, call the parish office at (318) 325-7549 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport has the Ministers of

Care ministry, which longtime member Ruth Pledger explained provides spiritual support to seniors at hospitals, nursing homes, individuals’ homes, hospices and any other place they are needed.

But Pledger said this sort of ministry is certainly not exclusive to the Cathedral. “Other churches have similar ministries,” she said.

“This is really a shared diocesan responsibility. It’s a matter of bringing Christ into their lives and letting them know what’s going on in the church.”

Essentially, the 15 members of the Ministers of Care give Holy Communion as well as spiritual and emotional support to those who can’t get to Mass. Training for this ministry includes briefing on the unique safety issues that come with caring for elderly parishioners who often suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, depression and other illnesses. Pledger, a retired psychiatric nurse who worked with geriatric patients for much of her career, leads these training sessions twice a year. Those interested in joining the Ministers of Care should call the Cathedral at (318) 221-5296 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (SEAS) Church in Shreveport has two groups to serve older parishioners. Ray Vallillo leads the Young at Heart group for people over 50. He founded it about 12 years ago when former pastor Father Pike Thomas appointed him to the pastoral council and asked him to look into creating something specifically for the seniors of the parish. Until then, “there was nothing to tap into the hearts and ideas of the seniors,” Vallillo said. It was originally called the Senior Group, but “we all decided we may be over 50, but we’re still young at heart,” he explained. Now it’s a ministry designed to address all the spiritual needs of SEAS’s older members. “It’s a spiritual, it’s a service and it’s a fellowship group all rolled into one,” he said.

Young at Heart meets every fourth Monday at 7 p.m., and meetings last about two hours. Each one begins with Vallillo leading the group in prayer. “We bring in volunteer speakers.

We also get people to come in and talk about experiences,” he said. The most recent was an 89-year-old man who was the first person to walk into Dachau Nazi concentration camp in Germany during World War II. Volunteers bring two cakes, and after the presentation, they serve coffee and cake and socialize. The 50-member group also sometimes watches movies and has taken trips to Marshall, TX, Jackson, MS, and the American Rose Center in Shreveport. To join, he said, all you have to do is show up. To learn more about Young at Heart, call SEAS at (318) 798-1887 Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Vallillo’s wife, Marie, began SEAS’s Yarn Angels about seven years ago after hearing a speaker from LifeCare Hospital talk about their need for blankets for patients. The group of 12 knitters and crocheters has crafted literally thousands of items for sick, elderly and needy people throughout Shreveport-Bossier. “We make mostly lap blankets, but we also make slippers, hats and

Left: Marie Vallillo, a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church's Yarn Angels, crochets a blanket to be taken to the elderly at local nursing homes. The group also makes hats and slippers.

12 13 Catholic Connection September 2011

said. “I really enjoy In 2007, St. Joseph became a station for this ministry and the Caddo Council on Aging's Meals on have made many Wheels Program, which serves about 1,000 wonderful friends. meals a day in the Shreveport area to people I'm always learning who are over the age of 60 and homebound. something new The ministry grew, and St. Joseph now each time we meet.” has three routes, two in the Broadmoor To get involved with neighborhood that surrounds the church the Third-Agers, and one in Lyndale, serving a total of call St. Joseph 25 to 30 seniors. Outreach Coordinator Church at (318) Jane Snyder said, “This summer we had 865-3581 Monday 50 volunteers and have partnered with through Friday Broadmoor Presbyterian on one day. For Senior Shepherds at Jesus the Good Shepherd Church from 8:30 a.m. to some of the clients, this is the only social meet monthly to enjoy each other�s company and discuss 4:30 p.m. interaction they have during the day, and topics such as ministry, health, nutrition, safety and exercise.

To address the they look forward to seeing people who Pictured L to R: Vita Williams, Vita Southern, Virginia more physical have become their friends. Many of our Edmiston, Jodi Milletello and Margaret Tarver. needs of its senior drivers have recently retired and are looking shawls,” Marie said. Over a dozen hospitals, members, St. for ways to fill their time by helping others. hospices, nursing homes and clinics have Joseph has a chair exercise group that They discover that they themselves are been the recipients of their talent and hard meets Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. being fed in a way they had not anticipated.” work – each location receives approximately in the Family Life Center immediately In addition to St. Joseph’s three routes, 120 items at a time, often more. following the 8:15 Mass. Led by 88-year-old SEAS, St. Mary of the Pines, St. Pius X and The Yarn Angels meet every Wednesday Marie Feldt, the group engages in about the Cathedral all have one route each, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The group is mostly 45 minutes of low-impact exercise (some Blessed Sacrament in Ringgold has two seniors, but they do have a few younger sitting in a chair, some standing) that routes. members. Everyone is welcome, even if they involves weights, rubber bands, stretching Besides parish ministries, there are two don’t know how to knit or crochet. “We will and walking around the room. Ruth Payne, residential facilities in Monroe serving the teach them,” Marie said. “Just show up!” who has participated since 2005, said it’s senior population. Christus St. Joseph’s All you need to bring with you is a pair of been especially well attended this summer, Home is a skilled nursing facility with knitting needles or a crochet hook. The Yarn since the extreme temperatures have made 117 beds and a private Medicare wing Angels also accept donations of yarn and outdoor exercise dangerous for older (the entire nursing home is certified for money, which they use to buy supplies. To people. “You don’t need any special clothes Medicare and Medicaid), and Christus St. learn more about this unique ministry, call or anything,” she said, and anyone can join Joseph’s Assisted Living is a 60-apartment the SEAS office. them at any time. complex for those who need some help St. Joseph in Shreveport has a with daily activities but are still able number of ministries specifically geared to live independently. Both are owned toward seniors. Director of Family Life and managed by Christus Health, a Ministries Dotye Sue Stanford leads the Catholic ministry founded by the Sisters Third-Agers. She said, “When it first of Charity of the Incarnate Word in started most of the people coming were Houston in 1999.

65 and older. They said they weren't Administrator Larry Tucker said, “We teenagers or middle-agers, so they called have a chapel on our grounds where we themselves ‘Third-Agers.’” But this have Mass every day except for Thursday, group, which meets the first Monday of and on Thursday, it is used for nonevery month from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., is Catholic services. A sister lives on the open to anyone who wants to play cards, property with us, and she helps provide dominos or board games. Currently, they spiritual counseling.” Four to six priests have more than 50 members. from the community give spiritual “We ask the players to car pool, support to the residents. “We are especially during school time, since planning a stations of the cross prayer there’s limited parking. It costs $2 [for] walk in that area for the assisted living play and breakfast snacks, and you may residents and their families,” he added. bring your lunch or pay $8 for lunch.

What separates the Christus St. Joseph’s They call on the Thursday before the first facilities from their competitors, he said, Monday to make reservations. January is “our devotion and our commitment to and September are taken off since the carrying out our ministry,” a devotion, Deacon John Basco (left) and Felicia first Monday is usually on or close to commitment and ministry to the Gilliam (right) assist as Ministers of Care to a holiday. We have players from all the elderly who can not attend Mass at the senior population shared by all faithful churches and denominations,” Stanford Catholics in the Diocese of Shreveport.

Cathedral of St. John Berchmans.

13 12

14 15 Catholic Connection September 2011

15 14

16 17 Catholic Connection September 2011

Celebrating God’s Love at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church | by Marie Thomas

A True Disciple | by Jim Addison, St. Lawrence Church

I

Shelique Woodard directs the choir. Front row left to right: Rose Davis, Victoria Lewis, Ramona Green, Debbie Johnson and Patricia Encalarde. Back row left to right: Jon Levy, Josie Long, Don Levy, Michael Green and Hebert Encalarde.

O

ur Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church has received many of God's blessings that have added richness to the Eucharistic celebration.

Psalms 149 and 150 talk about praising God for his mighty deeds. “Sing to the Lord a new song, a hymn in the assembly of the faithful.” Several members of our faith community are new to the choir, replacing members who have moved because of job opportunities, and with the new choir director there is a new enthusiasm in our music ministry. Songs of praise and worship are included in all aspects of our community; songs that celebrate the seasons of the church, culture and accomplishments.

“Praise him with flutes and strings.

Give praise with crushing cymbals, praise him with sounding cymbals.” The miracle of Christmas was magnified by the reactivation of the youth bell choir. It magnifies the meaning of the Christmas season for the youth and the adult, ringing in the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Son of God. The adult choir added drums and the tambourine to enhance the joy of praising God. This year the president of the youth and adult choir is Shelique Woodard, who is also a catechist.

Father Andre McGrath, our pastor, reminds us constantly that the greatest sin is to forget, and so we celebrate the seasons in the church and holidays to remember the saints, our beloved dead and special occasions in our lives. We give praise to God for these many blessings with our voices, music and dance.

The youth of the church initiated a black history program to celebrate “Unsung Heroes” of the church and the

community as well as black heroes of our faith. To remember the fulfillment of God’s promises to the world, the adult praise dancers celebrated the beginning of Holy Week with a praise dance during the Eucharistic celebration on Palm Sunday.

May was also a busy month in our faith community and in the world as children prepared to end another year in school.

Mother’s Day was also very special.

Everyone took time to remember Mary, mother of God, and all our mothers living and dead. The men of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Church honored the blessings of mothers by hosting a breakfast celebration filled with poetry, song and dance.

The ladies wasted no time in preparing a celebration in honor of fathers and the blessing of God. The ladies also hosted a brunch in honor of fathers. During the celebration Thaddeus Williams was honored with a “Man of the Year” award for the time and resources he dedicated in repainting the Community Center.

We thank God also for the richness that the children of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Academy added to our parish life. As we say goodbye to a mission that has been a blessing to the community, we must also say thanks to the Sisters of the Holy Family. The mere presence of the sisters at the academy and at our church added that special spice of spirituality.

When you entered the halls at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Academy, there was a special presence only a sister could add. We will not say goodbye to the sisters, but send our prayers with them as they continue to spread the blessings of the Lord wherever they go.

t is a rare occasion when you find someone who truly lives their life for God. Rose Chaplian, who was born in Campti, LA, is just one of those people.

At the age of 12 Rose moved to Monroe where she attended St. Matthew Church.

When the church became overcrowded she moved to Our Lady of Fatima Church.

She was sad to leave St. Matthew, but soon became accustomed to her new church and became involved.

In 1975 there was another change in Rose’s life as she saw a need to minister to the children in the Swartz area. She said, “The children had no one, so I made the move to help out.” Again she was sad to leave another church, but felt she needed to do so.

Since there was no church in Swartz yet, Mass was held in the band room of the elementary school. Rose said, “It was the only place we had and I would have to come in and clean up the instruments the students left around before we could have service. I prayed to God if he would build us a church I would clean it.”

In 1980 Rose’s prayer was answered as St. Lawrence Church was built. She said she would have to bring things from home to clean the church since money was not readily available. Since she worked, she would juggle her time between cleaning the church and delivering meals for St. Vincent de Paul.

Some 30 years later Rose is still cleaning the church. Now she has good helpers, so she oversees the operation.

Rose is involved in St. Vincent de Paul and as being a Eucharistic Minister. One of her prized possessions is some roses she received that were blessed by the pope.

Rose has helped clean other churches too, but most of her life she has been connected with St. Lawrence. On September 12, Rose will celebrate her 90th birthday and is still working for God. She said, “When you work for God, your rewards will come back doubled.”

17 16

Hispanic Corner | por Rosalba Quiroz

Misas

Bossier City: Christ the King Church 425 McCormick St. Bossier City Sábado 7:00 p.m.

Domingo 3:00 p.m.

Lunes 7:00 p.m.

Confesiones 45 minutos antes de Misa Marilú Rodriguez Tel: 318-286-1492

perdonar a quien nos ofenda, servir y gozar de todos los regalos de nuestro s muy fácil decir que amamos, especialmente cuando decimos que padre celestial.

El mes de septiembre indica el amamos a una persona, un estilo comienzo de clases tanto escolares de música, de moda, o inclusive algún como religiosas, así que aprovechemos lugar. Sin embargo, ¿Conocemos bien oportunidades que nos ayuden a lo que amamos? Para poder amar algo, conocer más de Dios y de este que es hay que conocerlo primero y el amor se su mundo para poder amarlo y servirlo demuestra con el servicio. El primer y mejor.

Como nos dice Jeremías 9, 23-24 mas importante amor debe ser nuestro “que no se enorgullezca el sabio de ser amor a Dios y el producto del amor es el sabio, ni el poderoso de su poder, ni el servicio a Él y a nuestro prójimo. rico de su riqueza.

Si alguien se quiere Estos son algunos ejemplos de cómo enorgullecerse, que se enorgullezca de demostrar nuestro amor a Dios. conocerme, de saber que yo soy el Señor, 1. Sirviendo, a los seres que el Señor que actúa en la tierra con amor, justicia pone en nuestro camino, incluyendo y rectitud, pues eso es lo que a mí me nuestra familia biológica, parroquial y agrada”. Asimismo en Romanos 1,20 nos especialmente a los más necesitados.

2. Aprendiendo más de Dios por medio dice “pues lo invisible de Dios se puede llegar a conocer, si se reflexiona en lo que de la Biblia y los documentos de nuestra él ha hecho”.

Santa Madre Iglesia.

Las siguientes son clases que algunas 3. Cuidando todo lo que Él hizo y que de las comunidades ofrecen: Preparación nos presta para vivir – la naturaleza - y para recibir Sacramentos, clases de Biblia, buscando maneras no solo de conservarla grupos de oración y clases de Inglés como sino de reproducirla. segundo idioma.

4. Respetando todo lo que proviene de Para saber si en su parroquia y en Dios, incluyendo nuestro cuerpo que es su área se ofrecen estas u otras clases, también Santuario de Dios. favor de comunicarse con la oficina del 5. Disponiéndonos a toda hora Ministerio Hispano. a cumplir su voluntad; esto incluye

Conocer, Amar y Servir

E

Calendario Diocesano del Mes de Septiembre 2-4 Retiro Búsqueda para adolescentes de 14-17 años; Scottsville, TX. 6 Reunión de Directores del Ministerio Hispano del Estado de Luisiana, Houma Thibodaux, LA. 24 Reunión de coordinadores y miembros del comité ejecutivo del Ministerio Hispano; Centro Católico.

Nota: Verificar con su parroquia para horarios y disponibilidad de clases y otras oportunidades de aprender y celebrar su fe en un ambiente de familia parroquial.

18 19 Catholic Connection September 2011

Farmerville: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church 600 E. Water Street Farmerville Sábado 7:00 p.m.

Rev. Al Jost Tel: 318-243-0115 Mansfield: St. Joseph Church 305 Jefferson Street Mansfield 2do Domingo 2:00 p.m. y 3er Martes 6:30 p.m.

Juanita Ibarra Tel: 318-872-5390 Minden: St. Paul Church 410 Fincher Road Minden 2do y 4to Viernes 7:00 p.m.

Margarita Bratton Tel: 318-377-9684 Oak Grove: Sacred Heart Church 201 Purvis St Oak Grove Domingo 5:00 p.m.

Feliciano y Rosa Alviso Martinez Tel: 318-428-2137 Ruston: St. Thomas Aquinas Church 810 Carey Ave. Ruston 2do y 4to Domingo 2:30 p.m.

Soledad Broyles Tel: 318-243-1958 Shreveport: St. Mary of the Pines Church 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Shreveport Domingo 1:00 p.m.

Carmen Bradford Tel: 318-455-2300 West Monroe: St. Paschal Church 711 N 7th Street West Monroe Domingo 2:30 p.m.

Lorena Chaparro Tel: 318-651-9136

Rosalba Quiroz, Directora del Ministerio Hispano 318-219-7265 Jeanne Brown 318-219-7257

USCCB Marks 9/11 Anniversary with Memorial Website

W

ASHINGTON—The Catholic Church Remembers, a website to mark the tenth anniversary of 9/11, will highlight people’s firsthand experiences of pain and hope from the disaster. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launched the site August 12.

The site at http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/humanlife-and-dignity/september-11/ includes six video vignettes, including recollections of Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishopemeritus of New York. He became intimately involved in the tragedy moments after it happened – when New York Mayor Giuliani called and asked him to head for St. Vincent’s Hospital.

Thus began soul-searing days tending to the sick on stretchers and anointing bodies pulled from smoldering rubble where the Twin Towers fell. Cardinal Egan also speaks movingly of Ground Zero, which he dubs “Ground Hero,” the funeral Masses at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and the priests pressed into service that day.

“If I had to sum up 9/11, I would say it was a time in which people taught this nation and the world how to be strong and how to be willing to sacrifice themselves for others,” he says in one video. “It was a terrible tragedy, it was a crime, but it was a magnificent manifestation of courage and willingness to sacrifice self.”

He describes finding closure at Ground Zero with Pope Benedict XVI in April 2008, as the pope met with victims’ families, lit a candle and prayed.

“There was so much goodness there that the evil was, I think, not only conquered, it was smothered,” Cardinal Egan says.

The website also includes video of Chaplain Donald Rutherford, a two-star general and Catholic priest now head of all U.S. military chaplains. He is based at the Pentagon, where terrorists flew a plane into the building on 9/11. He describes the effect on young soldiers.

Before 9/11, he says, “it was kind of a carefree world where you never had been attacked before. I think now it says that we’re all vulnerable .… We look at the young soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that we work with everyday …. they are a faithful people. We saw their faith grow that day.”

The website also hosts individual reflections of several people impacted that day.

Lt. Col. Shareda Hosein, U.S. Army Reserves, a woman Muslim chaplain, immediately afterwards was both applauded for her military service and scorned for her Muslim dress.

“I feel the resiliency of my faith as the biggest strength in helping build bridges of understanding with my fellow Americans. I have persevered with patience, a loving kindness, non-judgment and taken a stand to live in a pluralistic America that has liberty and justice for all no matter what race, gender, religion or personal affiliation.”

Beverly and Thomas Burnett, Sr. saw their son Thomas Burnett, Jr., and others “drafted unknowingly as the first citizensoldiers in the war on terrorism,” they said.

“Little more than one hour into the war, America won its first battle against terrorism,” the couple said. They described their son speaking via cell phone to his wife of a plan to take back a hi-jacked plane and his last words: “We’re going to do something.” Young Burnett and others died fighting terrorists

A tribute poster with an image of Franciscan Father Mychal Judge and other firefighters hangs on a phone booth outside the World Trade Center site in New York May 5. Father Judge, a chaplain with the New York Fire Department, died Sept. 11, 2001, while giving last rites to a firefighter in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center. (CNS photo/Mike Segar, Reuters)

over the skies of Shanksville, Pennsylvania and brought down a plane thought to be headed for the nation’s capital.

New York City firefighter Kenneth Zaveckas, who lost 343 firefighter brothers – 24 of them close friends – when the Twin Towers imploded, asks why he was allowed to live. He was on loan from Manhattan to a unit in Brooklyn, the only borough unit ordered to stay there to protect another suspected target, the Hasidic community. Zaveckas later retired early from the fire department because of lung damage from rescue work at the site.

“I still try to figure out what God was thinking and why I deserved to be spared twice that day.”

Jesuit Father James Martin, culture editor of America magazine, aided rescue workers.

“In this hell I found grace,” he said. “I thought ‘what is God like? God is like the firefighter who rushes into a burning building to save someone. That’s how much God loves us.’ And I saw this love expressed in the great charity of all the rescue workers who gathered at the American Golgotha.”

Msgr. Anthony Sherman, a Brooklyn pastor, led funerals for parishioners lost in the inferno. There were firefighters, and a woman whose marriage he had officiated at a year before, and who had announced on 9/10 that she was pregnant.

“9/11 led us all into the very depths of the mysteries of human suffering, death and resurrection. We discovered that we cannot obtain nor find all the answers to the atrocities we experienced.

Yet with God’s grace we also experienced the height of human sacrifice and the ability of our brothers and sisters to manifest heroic love.”

Franciscan Father Joseph Bayne, chief chaplain of New York’s Erie County Emergency Services, traveled from Buffalo, New York, to support his fellow rescue workers sent downstate.

“I did not see the devil’s face at Ground Zero. I saw the face of God in the people working, caring, sweating, crying, rescuing, recovering and being very spiritual in their very humanness.”

Paulist Father Paul Wierichs, a former chaplain to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, worked with the New York FBI office.

“People came together in unity that day. We can all remember where we were on 9/11 because we were all together.”

19 18

Around the Diocese

T

he Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem of the Southeastern Lieutenancy held their annual meeting in New Orleans, LA on May 28-29, 2011. On Sunday May 29 the Ceremony of Investiture was held during Mass at Church of the Immaculate Conception. The following were invested from the Diocese of Shreveport. Pictured with Bishop Michael Duca from left to right: Dr. Szuwei Domingue and Dr. Christopher Domingue of Monroe, LA; Bishop Duca; Mrs. Carolyn Rivers of Zwolle, LA; Mrs. Jean Cush, Mr. Paul Cush, Mr. William Hearne and Mrs. Vicki Hearne of Shreveport, LA.

< LEFT: St. Joseph in Shreveport, St. John Berchmans, and Mary, Queen of Peace parishes collected diapers the weekend of July 22 and 23. Over 100 packages of diapers were donated to Volunteers of America and Catholic Charities for distribution. > RIGHT: July 11-15 was St. Joseph Church in Zwolle’s Vacation Bible School. The theme was Pandamania, Where God is Wild About You.

S

t. Joseph School’s 8th grade class of 2011 recently visited Washington D.C. for its annual 8th Grade Trip. During the five day trip, the 36 students and their chaperones visited the Smithsonian Institution museums, various national monuments along the Mall, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington Cemetery, the Lourdes Grotto at Mount St. Mary Seminary and the National Basilica.

20 21 Catholic Connection September 2011

C

atholic Youth Organization at St. Thomas Aquinas attends their 1st ever Steubenville South conference and joined over 3,000 young Catholics from around the nation in Alexandria, LA to celebrate the Sacraments and become “ROOTED in Christ.”

St. Joseph Church in Shreveport Led High School Mission Trip to Jamaica by Roxanne Chumley and Kevin Nolten

D

otye Sue Stanford, Director of Family Life at St. Joseph, Shreveport, and Carol Gates, Pastoral Ministries Coordinator at St. John Berchmans, attended the 2011 National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers (NACFLM) conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

After attending four days of workshops on marriage preparation and building, virtues, parenting, nurturing the faith for all ages, and helping hurting marriages, both parish staff members returned enthusiastic and ready to take new ideas and put them into practice in parish life.

S

tephanie Johnson will be the new Academic Assistant Principal at Loyola College Prep for the 201112 school year. Mrs. Johnson has an M.Ed. in Educational Administration, Certification in Principalship, and the equivalent of most of a second Master’s Degree. Her Bachelor’s Degree is in Secondary English Education. She is a Nationally Board Certified teacher, and comes to Loyola from C.E. Byrd High School where she was a key player in the underclassmen area.

H

ave you ever heard the saying “When you make plans, God laughs?” Well, God had a couple good laughs throughout that entire week we were in Jamaica. The plan was to see the face of God in the Jamaican people, and that did happen.

Those same expectations and plans were not what God had in mind though. God’s plan was for us to witness His presence through our group of youth missionaries from St. Joseph.There are numerous and amazing stories to share about serving the poor, helping construct buildings, or helping deliver meals to families in Jamaica, but the story you need to hear is how the youth embraced the love of Christ. It was the youth’s unconditional love for the poor that allowed us to understand the love God has for each of us. It was their sympathy for the children who had nothing to eat that confirmed God’s mercy in our lives. It was their support for one another that reminded us that God is our rock.

A mission perspective by Natalie Rech: Throughout our time in Jamaica, I sat down, with my pen in hand, and made a list of things I learned while being engaged in the culture. The list kept growing as I thought deeper about the mission trip. The list included things like: “There are no problems, only situations,” “Worrying is pointless,” “Embrace everyone and everything that enters your life” and “Let yourself be loved”.

I learned so much from our trip to Jamaica that it’s difficult to narrow my experience down to one word...so I chose two: “Why not.” A lot of times we don’t take the initiative to look deeper into a problem and realize that it’s simply a situation. Why not? We often write people off before we get to know them and don’t take the time to learn more.

I started asking myself questions like, “Why not be happy? Why not accept everyone?

Why not embrace every experience that comes along?” The answer to all of these: there isn’t one.

When I closed my journal, it occurred to me that some experiences are so life changing

that they just can’t be put into words. These feelings and emotions should be carried in our minds, in our hearts and in our actions, in hope that they will change those around us.

A mission perspective by Andree Louvierre: If I had to choose one word, I’d choose “remember.” The night we each chose our word, everything that I had been experiencing that week was rushing through my head and I never want to forget it. From the beauty of the island, to the beauty of the people, to the packed infirmary, to the Jamaican men working with us on the community center, to the starving children that we met, to the elderly we delivered food baskets to, to the women that took care of me when I stepped in a pile of ants and so much more. Every moment I spent building God’s Kingdom, I want to remember. I want to remember how real God was there, and how the Holy Spirit was truly upon us. I want to remember why I fell in love with the island and the people. I want to remember how each night our youth group gathered around, feet in the pool, and shared where we saw the Lord. I want to remember how the Lord brought us together that week and made us a family. I want to remember to live how the Islanders do, “No problems, only situations.”

Remember how I was changed, how I grew, and what I must now do. Remember, Jamaica.

Words do not begin to describe the feelings and blessings to see these 24 teenagers give of themselves without reserve.

Nothing can describe the passion these youth have to continue serving the people of Jamaica long after leaving the country.

The formation of a project to provide school supplies to the children of Jamaica as they start their school year in late September, and a project (Operation PYAH – People Yearning to Aid the Hungry) to provide a suitable meal once a month to the residents of the infirmary are two projects that originated with one desire – to help. “Because you did it for one of these, the least of My brethren, you did it for Me”.

21 20

Upcoming Events SEPTEMBER 6: EASTERN DEANERY RED MASS This annual Mass will honor judges, lawyers and court officials at St. Matthew Church in Monroe. Mass begins at 1:00 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 28 - NOVEMBER 6: 40 DAYS FOR LIFE CAMPAIGN The 2nd annual 40 Days for Life Campaign (Sept. 28- Nov. 6) will be held this year with participating groups from throughout the community. The coordinated prayer campaign is held throughout the country each year and has had tremendous success in promoting pro-life. Those interested in participating in this peaceful spiritual campaign for life should contact Chris Davis at 318-349-3279 or 318-779-0246.

ONGOING: COMMUNAL ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT St. Joseph Catholic Church invites interested local Catholics to join our community in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Adoration Chapel is in need of adorers who are willing to commit to an hour of prayer on a regular, once-aweek basis. If you are interested, or need more information, please call the office at 318-865-3581.

For security and prudence we are asking that those who wish join the regular adorers provide their parish affiliation, their address, phone number, and email address. This information will not be made available to any outside interests, but will be used to maintain contact and communicate with those who sign up as adorers.

Annual Annulment Workshops Eastern Deanery

St. Paschal Church, West Monroe Thursday, September 8 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Western & Southern Deaneries

St. Joseph Church, Shreveport Monday, September 12 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Any further questions regarding both workshops contact the Marriage Tribunal at 318-868-4441 or email agoelden@dioshpt.org.

OCTOBER 6: ROSARY FOR LIFE A Rosary for Life will be held on October 6 at St. Joseph Church in Shreveport at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and pray for continued growth of Respect for Life.

Collection baskets will be available for anyone wishing to donate small baby items including lotions, powder, cleansing wipes, gowns and diapers. Baskets will be donated to Catholic Charities and Volunteers of America to be given to babies within our community.

OCTOBER 17: THE CENACLE OF THE MARIAN MOVEMENT OF PRIESTS AT ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, SHREVEPORT Fr. Francis Geremia, CS, national director of the Marian Movement of Priests, will be traveling throughout the U.S. to conduct cenacles of prayer. Fr. Francis will be at St. Joseph Church in Shreveport on Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. The event will begin with the recitation of the Rosary, followed by the celebration of Holy Mass. During his homily, he will speak about the importance of consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the formation of prayer cenacles.

All are invited to attend. There is no charge for admission. For more information, contact Jeanne Brown, in Fr. David Richterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office at the Catholic Center (318-868-4441 ext. 257 or jbrown@ dioshpt.org).

All are welcome to pray at the Marian Cenacle of Shreveport on Thursdays after the 5:45 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Church in Shreveport.

22 23 Catholic Connection September 2011

SEPTEMBER 2011 SUNDAY

MONDAY

28

TUESDAY

29

A U.S. flag flies near the base of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York in this photo from Sept. 11, 2001.

(CNS photo/Peter Morgan, Reuters)

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

30

31

FRIDAY

1

SATURDAY

2

3

Saint Gregory the Great, pope & doctor of the Church

4

5 LABOR DAY Catholic Center Closed

11 10th Anniversary of September 11

12

Presbyteral Council Meeting, Catholic Center, 1pm Western & Southern Deaneries Annulment Workshop, St. Joseph Church, Shreveport

6

7

18

19 Greco Fall Courses Begin Saint Januarius, bishop

25

2nd Collection: Black and Indian Missions Protecting God's Children, Sacred Heart Church, Shreveport, 2pm

26 Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, martrys

9 Saint Peter Claver, priest

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

13

Saint John Chrysostom, bishop & doctor of the Church

14

Vocations Board Meeting, Catholic Center, 12pm Protecting God's Children, Catholic Center, 6pm

10

Deadline for the October Catholic Connection

Eastern Deanery Annulment Workshop, St. Paschal Church, 6:30pm

Red Mass, Eastern Deanery, St. Matthew Church, Monroe,1pm

15

16

Our Lady of Sorrows Saint Cornelius, pope & martyr, and Saint Cyprian, bishop & martyr

17 Saint Robert Bellarmine, bishop & doctor of the Church

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary

8

20 Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, priest & martyr, and Saint Paul Chong Hasang, martyr, and their companions, martyrs

22

23

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, priest

Poor Man's Supper, Jesus the Good Shepherd Church,6pm

24 2nd Collection: Black and Indian Missions

Saint Matthew, apostle & evangelist

27 Saint Vincent de Paul, priest

21

28

Saint Wenceslaus, martyr; Saint Lawrence Ruiz, martyr, & his companions, martyrs

29

30

1

Saint Jerome, priest Saint Therese of the 40 Days for Life Child Jesus, virgin & Campaign Begins & doctor of the Saint Michael, Saint Church Gabriel, and Saint Raphael, archangels

doctor of the Church

23 22

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.

â&#x20AC;˘

Shreveport, LA 71104

Fairfield

Aspirants to the Diaconate Participated in the Rite of Candidacy

O

n August 7 at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, 16 men who have completed their first year of diaconate education took their first official step towards becoming permanent deacons during the Rite of Candidacy. Right: Diaconate Candidates line up in front of Bishop Duca and pledge their desire to become deacons. Bottom, left to right: Bishop Michael Duca gives the homily; current permanent deacons process out of the Cathedral; Deacon Clary Nash, Director of the Diaconate, proclaims the Gospel. For the full story, see page 7 of this issue.

24 Catholic Connection September 2011