April 2021

The Catholic

Connection Vol. 30 No. 9 April 2021

In this Issue: Daughters of the Cross: From Paris to Treguier

Protecting God’s Children: Two Decades of Safe Environment

Reinvigorating Gabriel’s Closet:

Catholic Charities of North Louisiana offers meritbased program for new parents APRIL 2021 1

Connection The Catholic PUBLISHER

Bishop Francis I. Malone

EDITOR

Kierstin Richter

CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Van Vranken Kim Long Kate Rhea Mary Arcement Alexander Patti Underwood John Mark Willcox Susan Reiser Rothwell Rosalba Quiroz Erin Smith

EDITORIAL BOARD

Deacon Mike Whitehead John Mark Willcox Kim Long Kate Rhea Rosalba Quiroz Fr. Matthew Long Dr. Carynn Wiggins

SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADDRESS CHANGES Contact: Blanca Vice Email: bvice@dioshpt.org Write: The Catholic Connection 3500 Fairfield Ave. Shreveport, LA 71104 Call: 318-868-4441 Fax: 318-868-4609 www.thecatholiconnection.org SUBMISSIONS Contact: Kierstin Richter Email: krichter@dioshpt.org The Catholic Connection is a member of the Catholic Press Association.

The Diocese of Shreveport complies with Virtus’ 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 your local law enforcement agency and Mary Katherine Arcement, Diocesan Victim Assistance Minister, at 318-584-2411.

On the Cover: Carter Doyal, 8th Grade Student of the Year for Louisiana Private Schools & Bishop Malone 2 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

contents Features 12

Daughters of the Cross: From Paris to Treguier

17

Protecting God’s Children: Two Decades of Safe Environment

18

Seasons of Joy

Columns 5

Bishop Reflections

6 Pope: Catechesis on the Apostolic

Journey to Iraq 10 Faithful Food: A Tale of Quiet Celebration 14

Catholic Charities: Reinvigorating Gabriel’s Closet

16

Mary’s Mission: We Get to Celebrate Easter, Y’all!

22

Spiritual Direction: On the Impact of “Begin Again”

News 8

National News

20

Hispanic News

24

School News

Coming Soon!

The Yellow Fever Graphic Novel, illustrated by Deacon Andrew Thomas, will now be available on the Diocesan website. Visit www.dioshpt.org/graphic-novel.

FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/DIOCESEOFSHREVEPORT

INSTAGRAM @DIOCESEOFSHREVEPORT

editorial

on art & faith

BY KIERSTIN RICHTER

“Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. Yet, as Genesis has it, all men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life: in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a masterpiece.”

-Pope John Paul II, “Letter to Artists”

something that already exists, to which he gives form and meaning.”

God gives us the paint and the paintbrush. It’s our responsibility to pick it up.

Unlike the animals, we are designed to express ourselves and make homes and collect stories and build libraries and artistic havens of otherworldliness. We are designed to craft, to write, to feel.

But art and beauty don’t stop at Picasso paintings or gothic cathedral architecture. It doesn’t stop at Mozart or Emily Dickinson. It’s also cultivating a home and a place of love for your family. It’s the way you present yourself and wear your fun hats and snazzy shoes. The way you make people laugh or feel loved or your lopsided smile or your big nose you hate but your mother loves. It’s dancing and screaming the lyrics of your favorite song in the car and the guy in the truck next to you sees and cracks up laughing before you even notice him. We create moments and make up dances and laugh so hard our bellies hurt. And we do it so naturally. It’s never something we have to learn.

God is our creator, and we are the craftsmen. As Pope John Paul II writes in his “Letter to Artists,” “The one who creates bestows being itself, he brings something out of nothing— ex nihilo sui et subiecti,” and this is reserved for the Almighty alone to create something from nothing.

A craftsman, by contrast, “uses

Even if you aren’t a renowned artist, you still enjoy drawing with sidewalk chalk with your kids in the driveway.

You may not be a professional dancer, but it’s still heartwarming to dance with the one you love barefoot in the kitchen with spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. We don’t have to be good at things to enjoy

Besides Perry the Platypus, most animals do not wear hats. They don’t wear bowties (except my roommate’s dog), and they don’t write poetry or books or pass down legends from generation to generation. They don’t paint Mona Lisas or Monets to collect them in museums or make Shutterfly scrapbooks. They also don’t like it when you put Halloween costumes on them.

them, because the worth of creation isn’t based on the response of other people.

But even when we create, time and decomposition eventually get the best of it. We see ruins of empires who believed they were eternal. We see paintings get tossed or vandalized or books burned or lyrics to songs forgotten. It’s not in the art that remains that means something; it’s the passion of crafting it in the first place that can connect us to God. The ripples of the art and moments we’ve felt and the love we’ve shared will live on in the endless song of life here on earth and in heaven, too. So pick up a paintbrush. Dance freely.

Speak love into others, and paint a Christlike picture of your life. Craft your own life as a masterpiece in the light of Christ, to know, love, and serve Him.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Catholic Connection is a monthly publication funded by your Diocesan Stewardship 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 faith community.

APRIL 2021 3

quote of the month

“

Having faith means drawing support from the faith of your brothers and sisters, even as your own faith serves as a support for the faith of others.

-Pope Benedict XVI

4 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

”

bishop reflections

Alive in Christ

BY BISHOP FRANICS I. MALONE

There are so many facets to this time of year: Spring, the end of Lent, the Triduum, Easter Sunday, and the Easter season it inaugurates, the approaching month of May with the end of school activities. And before you know it, summer arrives with surprising speed… it can almost make your head spin. I think part of this phenomenon is that the passage of time with its many activities can easily make us unaware of how quickly Spring arrives and how swift it passes.

I found this to be so true of the Lenten season – all of a sudden it was Ash Wednesday, and then Holy Week, and then Easter! What I find for myself is that I try to refuse to allow the passage of time to cause me to forget where I am at any one time, losing the holiness of the moments as they pass. I have to force myself to stop, to pray, and to spend much-needed time reflecting on the sacredness of each day, each week, each seasonal moment, and how God is asking me to focus on the journey such as it is at the time. Doing so then finds me deeply immersed in the place where God wants me to be, and to allow Him to speak to my heart about what He wants for me, what He desires of me.

I know, looking back as Lent approached this year, that I set before me certain spiritual goals that I had hoped to achieve, so that when Easter arrived I would discover

that I am that much closer to the Lord than I was when ashes were sprinkled on my head. Some years we are more successful than others, but that only means that our journey is a constant in life and that once the Easter season begins, a new journey does too. “Good intentions” are not meant only for New Years or Lent. Such new spiritual goals, no matter what they are, should be a constant state of renewing our relationship with the Lord and moving on from there.

This is especially true of the Easter time, when we, as Christians look back over forty days of penance, prayer, and self-sacrifice and arrive at the joy that fills our souls with the profound awareness that Jesus is Risen, that the powerful celebration of Easter keeps our focus on the gift of eternal life He has given to us, and of the opportunity for another fifty days to renew our relationship with Him. And if such penetrates our prayer life, then it also penetrates our daily lives and keeps afresh for us the spiritual goals we made when the Lenten season began, and when it culminated in the hymns of “Alleluia” which fill the Easter time. It just makes you feel more fully alive – alive in Christ, and alive in the mystery of His love for us as we continue our journey.

May this be a powerful Easter season for you – and may your Easter journey this year not pass so quickly as for us to forget why we celebrate it at all!

APRIL 2021 5

from pope francis

Catechesis on the Apostolic Journey to Iraq

BY POPE FRANCIS; GENERAL AUDIENCE: LIBRARY OF THE APOSTOLIC PALACE, MARCH 10, 2021

Dear brothers and sisters, good meeting in his residence in Najaf. morning!

I strongly felt a penitential sense In the past few days, the Lord allowed regarding this pilgrimage: I could not me to visit Iraq, carrying out a draw near to that tortured people, to project of Saint John Paul II. Never that martyr-Church, without taking before has a Pope been in the land of upon myself, in the name of the Abraham. Providence willed that this Catholic Church, the cross they have should happen now, as a sign of hope, been carrying for years; a huge cross, after years of war and terrorism, and like the one placed at the entrance of Qaraqosh. I felt it particularly during a severe pandemic. seeing the wounds still open from the After this Visit, my soul is filled with destruction, and even more so when gratitude – gratitude to God and to meeting and hearing the testimony all those who made it possible: to the of those who survived the violence, President of the Republic and the persecution, exile… And at the same Government of Iraq; to the country’s time, I saw around me the joy of Patriarchs and Bishops, together to welcoming Christ’s messenger; I saw all the ministers and members of the the hope of being open to a horizon faithful of the respective Churches; to of peace and fraternity, summed up the religious Authorities, beginning in Jesus’s words that were the motto with the Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani, of the Visit: “You are all brothers” with whom I had an unforgettable (Mt 23:8). I found this hope in the 6 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

discourse of the President of the Republic. I discovered it again in the many greetings and testimonies, in the hymns and gestures of the people.

I read it on the luminous faces of the young people and in the vivacious eyes of the elderly. People stood waiting for the Pope for 5 hours, even women with children in their arms.

They waited and there was hope in their eyes.

The Iraqi people have the right to live in peace; they have the right to rediscover the dignity that belongs to them. Their religious and cultural roots go back thousands of years: Mesopotamia is the cradle of civilization. Historically, Baghdad is a city of primary importance. For centuries, it housed the richest library in the world. And what destroyed it? War. War is always that monster

that transforms itself with the change of epochs and continues to devour humanity. But the response to war is not another war; the response to weapons is not other weapons.

And I asked myself: who was selling the weapons to the terrorists? Who sells weapons today to the terrorists – which are causing massacres in other areas, let’s think of Africa, for example? It is a question that I would like someone to answer. The response is not war, but the response is fraternity. This is the challenge not only for Iraq. It is the challenge for many regions in conflict and, ultimately, the challenge for the entire world is fraternity. Will we be capable of creating fraternity among us? Of building a culture of brothers and sisters? Or will we continue the logic Cain began: war. Brothers and sisters.

Fraternity.

A message of fraternity came from the ecclesial encounter in the SyriacCatholic Cathedral of Baghdad, where forty-eight people, among them two priests, were killed during Mass in 2010. The Church in Iraq is a martyr-Church. And in that church that bears an inscription in stone the memory of those martyrs, joy resounded in that encounter. My amazement at being in their midst mingled with their joy at having the Pope among them.

We launched a message of fraternity

to pray for them, our sorely tried brothers and sisters, so they might have the strength to start over. And thinking of the many Iraqis who have emigrated, I want to say to them: you have left everything, like Abraham; like him, keep the faith and hope.

Be weavers of friendship and of fraternity wherever you are. And if you can, return.

A message of fraternity came from the two Eucharistic Celebrations: the one in Baghdad, in the Chaldean Rite, and the one in Erbil, the city in which I was received by the President of the region and its Prime Minister, the Authorities – whom I thank a lot for having come to welcome me – and I was also welcomed by the people.

Abraham’s hope, and that of his descendants, is fulfilled in the mystery we celebrated, in Jesus, the Son that God the Father did not spare, but gave for everyone’s salvation: through His death and resurrection, He opened the way to the promised land, to that new life where tears are dried, wounds are healed, brothers and sisters are reconciled.

The response is not war, but the response is fraternity. This is the challenge not only for Iraq. It is the challenge for many regions in conflict For this reason, we met and ultimately, the we prayed with Christians and and, Muslims, with representatives challenge for the entire of other religions, in Ur, where Abraham received God’s call world is fraternity. about four thousand years ago. Abraham is our father in the faith because he listened to God’s voice that promised him a descendant. He left everything and departed. God is faithful to His promises and guides our steps toward peace still today. He guides the steps of those who journey on Earth with their gaze turned toward Heaven.

And in Ur – standing together under those luminous heavens, the same heavens that our father Abraham saw, we, his descendants – the phrase you are all brothers and sisters seemed to resound once again.

from Mosul and from Qaraqosh, along the Tigris River, near the ruins of ancient Nineveh. The ISIS occupation caused thousands and thousands of inhabitants to flee, among them many Christians of a variety of confessions and other persecuted minorities, especially the Yazidi. The ancient identity of these cities has been ruined. Now they are trying hard to rebuild. The Muslims are inviting the Christians to return and together they are restoring churches and mosques. Fraternity is there. And, please, let us continue

Dear brothers and sisters, let us praise God for this historic Visit and let us continue to pray for that land and for the Middle East. In Iraq, despite the roar of destruction and weapons, the palm, a symbol of the country and of its hope, has continued to grow and bear fruit. So it is for fraternity: like the fruit of the palm, it does not make noise, but the palm is fruitful and grows. May God, who is peace, grant a future of fraternity to Iraq, the Middle East and the entire world!

APRIL 2021 7

National News U.S.

Conference

Administrative

of

Catholic

Committee

Bishops’

Releases

a

Pastoral Message on the COVID-19 Global Pandemic USCCB, MARCH 9, 2021 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Administrative Committee has issued the following message today on the global COVID-19 pandemic. The USCCB’s Administrative Committee is led by the president of the Conference, and is made up of all the chairmen of the Conference’s committees and a representative from each Episcopal Region of the United States and operates as the board of directors.

The full text follows: This month we mark one year since the pandemic dramatically changed life in our country, ushering in immense suffering. Many have endured extraordinary hardships: sickness, death, mourning, a lack of food, unstable housing, loss of work and income, struggles with education, separation, abuse, isolation, depression, and anxiety.

We witnessed racial injustices, the diminishment of the poor and the elderly, and painful divisions in our political life. Yet we know, as the Psalms remind us, that we find comfort in God’s promise that gives us life (Ps 119:50).

We also saw countless acts of sacrifice by health care workers, first responders, chaplains, those who work in our soup kitchens and homeless shelters, mail carriers, agricultural and grocery store workers, friends and even strangers. Countless acts of kindness were offered by so many people, which served to remind us that we are all in this together. For all these acts of sacrifice, we are very grateful.

We are also very grateful to our priests, deacons, religious, teachers, catechists, and lay ecclesial ministers who have ministered to the People of God during these difficult times.

In the pandemic, God has once more revealed us to ourselves. As Pope Francis reminded us in St. Peter’s square last year, we are not as powerful or as in control as we thought.[1] Rather than being ashamed of this powerlessness, or crushed by the fear of what we 8 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

cannot control, our interconnectedness and dependence on God has been revealed. As Christians, this is a very familiar lesson: St. Paul reminds us to bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ (Gal 6:2). And that law is the law of love.

The pandemic has also revived our sense that we are a global community, and that each of us is indeed each other’s keeper. While the growing availability of vaccines is a clear sign of hope that this pandemic, too, will pass, that hope must be given to every human being on the planet by making the vaccines universally available.

Richer nations and pharmaceutical companies must work together to ensure that no nation, no person is left behind.

There is so much to learn from this global suffering. We must build on the kindness and openness that we have witnessed on the local level by creating more social structures that not only heal the fractures and isolation felt by so many during this pandemic but will prevent such divisions from occurring again. As Pope Francis has implored, “Let us dream, then, as a single human family,”[2] to a horizon where we are more caring of one another. Let us keep this sense alive and continue the work of promoting the common good.

Renewed by this season of Lent, we, the members of the Administrative Committee, place our confidence in the Lord, who suffered, was crucified, and is resurrected. We join our brother bishops in urging everyone to continue to keep God’s love alive in their hearts and in their families and communities. And we look forward to welcoming the Catholic faithful back when we all may safely participate physically in the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass and gather once more in our parishes.

USCCB Chairmen Welcome Designation of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela USCCB, MARCH 11, 2021 WASHINGTON – On March 8, 2021, the Biden Administration announced that it will be designating Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS is a statutorily authorized immigration status, subject to certain conditions, that allows individuals to remain and work in the U.S. during a period in which it is deemed unsafe for them to return to their home country. This particular

national news

designation is valid for eighteen months, and it is subject to renewal if the relevant conditions are found to be ongoing at the time of expiration.

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace, issued the following statement in response to the announcement: “We commend this just and humane decision by the Administration, which will provide much needed relief to those Venezuelans already present in the United States. The situation in Venezuela has been steadily deteriorating over the past decade, resulting in civil unrest, severe food insecurity, and loss of life. Unfortunately, many Venezuelans will continue to be impacted by the conditions that warranted this designation. Therefore, we encourage the Administration to work toward addressing these conditions through diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, and international relief efforts that seek to promote and preserve human life. We continue to stand in solidarity with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters, and we pray for an end to the circumstances that perpetuate their suffering. May Our Lady of Coromoto, patroness of Venezuela, comfort them in their time of need.”

Over the last two years, the Bishops have urged humanitarian relief for Venezuelans, requesting TPS and supporting legislative efforts to that end.

Statement of U.S. Bishops’ Chairman for Asian and Pacific Island Affairs on Discrimination Against the Asian Community USCCB, MARCH 22, 2021 WASHINGTON – Following deadly shootings at three businesses in the greater Atlanta area this past week and the dialogue that has been ignited about other reported incidents of aggression against people of Asian descent, Bishop Oscar A. Solis of Salt Lake City, and chairman of the U.S. Conference

of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs decried the culture of death, hatred and violence that underlies these incidents and called for solidarity with the vulnerable. The full statement follows: “I am deeply saddened to hear of another mass shooting that has tragically taken the lives of eight people and has renewed concerns about a rise of hostility against individuals of Asian descent. As bishops, we decry any kind of hatred and violence, particularly based on race, ethnicity, or sex. We pray for the families and friends of those who were lost, and for their communities, who may feel unsafe and vulnerable at this time.

“This latest incident has prompted national dialogue on addressing anti-Asian bias that has taken the form of numerous other acts of physical violence, verbal attacks and destruction of property against those of Asian descent over the last year that have left communities across the country traumatized.

“I echo Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer’s words that ‘[w]e must support all victims of violence and stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable in our communities.’ More broadly, we must always stress that every human being is a brother or sister in Christ, created in the image and likeness of a loving God. Particularly during this season of Lent, let us remember God’s love and mercy for each one of us and renew the call for conversion of heart, that we may be more united to God’s love and share it with all of our neighbors.”

Last May, in the midst of increased reports of incidents of racism and xenophobia against Americans of Asian and Pacific Island heritage, three bishop chairmen issued a statement expressing their “call for a stronger resolve towards unity, demonstrated through acts of solidarity, kindness and love toward one another, so that we can emerge from this crisis renewed and stronger as one American people; a people that places value in every human life, regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender or religious affiliation.”

APRIL 2021 9

faithful food A Tale of Quiet Celebration

BY KIM LONG, ST MARY OF THE PINES DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

G

rowing up, Easter was always the province of my maternal grandmother.

She dutifully baked the ham, drained the canned asparagus (one of the only “name brand” canned goods in her larder), set the table, and had fresh flowers on the table. For reasons which still seem murky, the meal always felt restrained, not unpleasant but quiet and reflective.

I still see her in my mind’s eye with her apron over her “church” dress. The meal was eaten, eggs hidden and found and the resurrection noted.

much for me, too elaborate; I wanted the simplicity of the good news on a cool small town spring Easter Sunday morning. The following year I sat outside on the swing in my backyard and read the passage from John’s gospel, which is not my usual “goto”. I like that the story begins in the early morning when it is still dark and that Mary Magdalene announces that she has seen the Lord. In this small gesture and quiet moment I felt I had honored my grandmother and in a sense, my duty was discharged.

Throughout my life, she and I attended sunrise service together. It was a simple thing to gather in the park across from the courthouse square, only a few people present, and listen to the pastor proclaim the good news of the empty tomb. The breeze was slight and ruffled the leaves of the giant live oaks only a little... the Holy Spirit perhaps? We quickly left the quiet of that moment and went home to get dressed in our Easter finery and get to “big” church as we called it.

Fast forward to this year. I’m in planning mode-menus, dress for Easter Sunday (with a hat!), egg hunt, and glorious joy for all the promises Easter and its fifty days offer us. I’m also scheduling in some quiet time and not just a leftover ten or fifteen minutes. I want to take some real time and reflect. I’ve been a Martha (doing) most of my adult life rather than a (being). I want to remember to pray the Regina Coeli, the glorious mysteries, and attend Divine Mercy services and let my mind absorb the wonder, awe, and great love of the sacred mysteries. I pray both your Easter Sunday and season are blessed beyond measure.

After she died, I wanted to honor this memory of her by attending a sunrise service here. I tried one but it was too

10 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Madey’s Asparagus Casserole To honor my grandmother I am dusting off one of her favorite standbys which I never liked as a child but appreciate as an adult.

This recipe is standard fare in every garden club cookbook of the sixties which is where I am certain Grandmother gleaned it.

2 tall slim cans of asparagus 1 stick butter plus a little more for sautéing the onion 1 to 2 tubes of Ritz crackers Red pepper (just a dash!)

1 small can mushrooms bits and pieces 1 can of cream of chicken soup Small onion diced very fine Grated sharp cheddar cheese (about ⅔ to 1 cup) Crush crackers and mix with melted butter (add butter gradually) and form a crust on the bottom of your buttered casserole dish (you can spray with cooking spray).

Sauté onion and mushrooms in butter until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add the cream of chicken to the onion mixture and warm.

Drain asparagus and trim any of the stems which may seem tough (there may not be any but just in case).

Alternate soup mixture and asparagus, top with grated sharp cheese. Bake @ good ol’ 350 until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted.

APRIL 2021 11

from paris to treguier

BY PATTI UNDERWOOD

T

he year is 1666. Sixteen years after the death of their foundress, the Daughters of the Cross, one of the earliest non-cloistered teaching congregations of the Church, is producing abundant fruit in various parts of France. The Bishop of Treguier, a port town near the northernmost tip of Brittany, learns of their good works through the Lazarists, sons of Vincent de Paul. Through them, he sends a request for Sisters to establish a school in his diocese. A 25-year-old dynamo, Mother Helene Voretz (Vorese), is assigned the task.

Recalled from Saint-Flour in southern France, she is given a few months’ preparations in Paris before embarking on the new mission with two assistants and five pounds in cash.

Despite a difficult beginning in a hospital for little girls, Mother Voretz draws in students and postulants. By the turn of the century, she has purchased a small chateau, enlarged it, and built a chapel. Six years later, Mother Voretz is called by her bishop to make a new foundation at Saint-Brieuc. There she ends her days, leaving an ongoing legacy of faith and good works in Brittany.

The Daughters of the Cross are thriving when the French Revolution explodes before their eyes in 1789. The terrified Sisters prostrate themselves before the Blessed Sacrament as bullets shriek through their Convent during the storming of the Bastille, and again as their sisters in faith, the Visitandines, are pulled into the street and whipped the following spring. Because they refuse to accept the Civil Constitution on the Clergy, which places the Church under the control of the government, they are finally forced to flee to their homes in 1792.

Foregoing their religious habit, they continue

12 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

to teach individually in private homes for the next ten years. Gradually, they can regroup in Paris, in 1802; Treguier, in 1804. The effects of the Revolution are not easily effaced; the Sisters do not re-take the habit until 1816.

At Treguier, the Sisters can recover only the boarding school of their convent, which has been confiscated. The chapel, which has been used for storage, and the nuns’ quarters, prove unobtainable. Providentially, in 1820 they succeed in acquiring a spacious, historic chateau with beautiful gardens, Montbareil, in nearby Guingamp. No sooner are they settled there than the displaced Sisters of SaintBrieuc and Saint-Malo happily join them.

When a second, short-lived revolution erupts in 1830, the Daughters of the Cross from Paris retreat to Guingamp, as well, bringing the cherished portrait of St. Francis de Sales, his Rule, and two letters each from him and St. Jane Frances de Chantal. Now, with four convents united into one, the Sisters try again to regain their Treguier Convent, the one which Mother Voretz had built. This time, they are successful. The vicar general, Father le Mee, oversees the election of two Mothers Superior and two councils and appoints one to Guingamp and one to Treguier. In October 1833, the Daughters of the Cross are welcomed back with an enthusiastic, joyful ceremony by the clergy and people of Treguier.

Meanwhile, in 1817 a baby girl is born to Joseph le Conniat and Catherine le Grand in the small village of Penlan-en-Plounez in Brittany. In time, Marie Madeleine le Conniat will enter the Convent at Treguier, become Mother Superior, and receive a visitor who is on his way to Louisiana—M. Jean Pierre.

daughters of the cross

Convent of the Daughters of the Cross in Treguier: Chapel and St. Joseph Retreat House seen from the courtyard. Old postcard, from the early 20th century (private collection) Cultural Heritage Inventory Service (c) Brittany Region.

The Convent of the Sisters of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is seen on the right side of the street, and the Convent of the Daughters of the Cross at Les Tournelles is on the left, with the Bastille in the background, at the end of the street. The two convents were connected by an underground tunnel. (Cultural Heritage Inventory Service (c) Brittany Region.)

APRIL 2021 13

Reinvigorating Gabriel’s Closet

BY ERIN SMITH, CCNLA DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Jennifer Bennett shops for her daughter Londyn with the help of Gabriel’s Closet volunteers, Betty Mirts (front) and Cheryl McGowen (back).

14 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

C

catholic charities

hildren are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from Him.” – Psalms 127:3

for safety, and masks will still be required.

Classes are held on Monday and Thursday at 1:00 p.m.

Gabriel’s Closet, a family strengthening program of Catholic Charities of North Louisiana, is a merit-based program offering education and resources to low-income families that are either expecting a baby, have a newborn, or have children ages 4 or younger. Parents can earn merits in many ways:

The group has also developed an outreach plan to reach more parents and volunteers.

The team identified several community partners in the Shreveport-Bossier area and began updating them about Gabriel’s Closet.

New postcards of information will soon be circulated to pediatric clinics, healthcare centers, nonprofits, and law enforcement agencies.

• Take a class in parenting, prenatal, infant health, safety, school readiness, craft making and many other topics • Attending doctor/prenatal visits • Attending the church of your choice • Attending school • Holding a job

After securing merits, parents can exchange them for essential baby items like car seats, diapers, clothes, high chairs, strollers, children’s books and educational toys.

The program is almost exclusively run by volunteers. Betty Mirts (chairman), Cynthia Cordaro, Debbie Macy, Cheryl McGowen and Bev Miller - all members of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton - donate their time on Mondays and Thursdays facilitating this free parenting program.

All volunteers who see clients and children must take the “Protecting God’s Children” course through the Diocese. Background checks will be performed as well.

Several Loyal College Prep students have also begun earning service hours on Thursdays at Gabriel’s Closet. The teens help restock the inventory and put together new baby items, like strollers and educational toys.

The team still needs more qualified adult volunteers, though, to help teach and babysit while the parents attend class.

If you would like to volunteer with Gabriel’s Closet, please email Erin at development@ ccnla.org to begin the application process.

Mr. Jones and baby Londyn snuggle up while mom shops.

“People are consistently ‘wowed’ when they enter the sanctuary and see Gabriel’s Closet,” said executive director Meg Goorley. “I will forever sing the praises of the volunteers who come in each week for multiple hours to take care of these clients.”

Since the beginning of COVID-19, the team has had to “rethink” the structure of the program. Many clients stopped attending because children were not allowed to come with their parents.

Now that the volunteers have all been vaccinated, Gabriel’s Closet will again allow children to attend starting in April. Classes will remain small and appropriately spaced

Baby Londyn Jones naps while mom and dad attend a Gabriel’s Closet class.

If you or someone you know has a women’s health or pediatric clinic that serves lowincome patients and would like to tell their clients about this program, call Erin at 318-865-0200 ext. 109 so we can deliver postcards to them for distribution.

APRIL 2021 15

mary’s mission We Get to Celebrate Easter, Y’all!

W

e get to celebrate Easter, ya’ll!

Easter 2020 was by far the strangest Easter. I hated the fact that I could not participate in Holy Week and I especially hated the fact that I could not be in church celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise God! This year all is (semi)normal again. In honor of being able to celebrate Easter this year, I decided to re-print my article from last year because it speaks on why I love Easter (I wrote it before the shutdown). I hope you enjoy the re-read. Happy Easter brothers and sisters. He is risen!

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Luke 24:5-6 I love Easter. With each passing year, I come to love it more and more. It has slowly made its way into being my favorite Christian holiday. As a Christian, I have vacillated between which I like best, Christmas or Easter. On one hand, without Christ’s birth, we cannot celebrate His resurrection. However, without His death and resurrection, we would not be Christians.

Truthfully, I love them both but this is why Easter has stolen my heart.

When I was a child, Easter was all about dying eggs, Easter egg hunts, baskets full of candy and other unnecessary items. I remember being equally excited Easter morning as Christmas. My mom would line up all our baskets on the kitchen bar and with excitement, we each ripped

16 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

BY MARY ARCEMENT ALEXANDER through the cellophane and reached directly for the giant chocolate bunny sitting front and center (and yes, the ears went first). After we were all hyped up on sugar, Mass followed. I am guessing my parents thought each time, “What have we done?” Unfortunately, as a child and adolescent, I did not fully appreciate what Easter meant. For that matter, I did not really “get” the 40 days of Lent that preceded it nor the reverence and beauty of Holy Week. This love and appreciation would come much later.

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him. Luke 24: 30-31 I do not remember the exact year, but I would say within the last five years my eyes opened wide and I finally began to see. I began to see the true meaning of Lent, Holy Week and Easter. I already knew what they each meant of course, but I was missing the connection of what I know in my head and what I feel in my heart. When I began to make the connection, my eyes opened wide. I hear my clients say almost daily, “I know,” and yes, in our intellect we know a lot. Nevertheless, I challenge them, as I challenge you, to know more deeply through the connection of your mind and heart. That is where you grow deeper and allow God to transform you.

Today, I look forward to Lent and have learned to redefine what it means to me. Now instead of just giving up chocolate or bread or some other vice, I challenge myself to grow deeper in

my relationship with Christ. I focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I focus more on what I can do and give.

I open up my heart to allow God to do His work in me. I acknowledge not only my sins but also the “ugly” within me. I allow myself to humbly face what I do not want to face. I humble myself before God. This, my brothers and sisters, is where I am vulnerable and raw. It can be uncomfortable and a bit scary but I know this is where my Easter, my renewal, will happen.

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24: 45-47 Then, there is Holy Week. A week that begins in darkness and heaviness.

We all know the end which is filled with light, joy and elation, yet we cannot help but feel the sadness of what Christ is about to endure. It was not until I saw The Passion of the Christ that His crucifixion truly hit home. It was excruciating to watch but necessary. He suffered an unimaginable death for me and you, all for our salvation. His blood ran red so our sins could be made white.

As we approach Easter morning, instead of running to our chocolate bunnies let us run to Jesus. Fall to your knees and thank Him for loving you so much that He was willing to suffer death on a cross, rise from the dead on the third day and give us the gift of Easter.

Protecting God’s Children: Two Decades of Promoting Safe Environment

BY JOHN MARK WILLCOX, DIOCESAN DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT I was fortunate to be a part of the first team to be trained as facilitators for our “Protecting God’s Children” safe environment program which was completed at our Catholic Center in 2001. The twenty years that have passed since that training have allowed me to conduct dozens of sessions for Church volunteers, Catholic clergy, and people involved with our youth and young adults as part of Catholic events and education.

It was in the trying year of 2000 that the first big sex abuse scandal plagued the Church in America, and the program we use today came out of that challenging year for our faithful and clergy. The Catholic Church in America had a problem, and the bishops of the United States committed themselves to addressing the issue. The lives of children were at stake and our priests felt isolated and afraid because our diocese is full of good, holy men.

I for one, was excited to be a part of this process and we immediately began hosting safe environment sessions for our

faithful throughout the diocese. Bishop Friend assigned me to hold the very first safe environment training program for the Alexandria diocese which included all clergy and church employees totaling about 150 people. The press waited out in the hallway and I conducted television and radio interviews during our break time. Not all of my “Protecting God’s Children” sessions have been that intense, but they have been no less rewarding as well! Helping the faithful to understand a few solid guidelines to dealing with our youth and young adults is very meaningful to me, especially when the participants are glad they came to the session and eager to put these guidelines into practice in our places of worship.

Our diocese has had a very successful two decades of promoting a safe environment for youth and young adults. Thousands of Catholics across our diocese have now been exposed to the program and sessions continue each month. Our program is also audited to assure that our diocese is adhering to the guidelines set forth for the benefit of God’s children we are sworn to protect. We also have

a review board which investigates allegations of sexual abuse. Part of this success is due to Deacon Michael Straub, who has worked tirelessly to promote the program and educate our employees and volunteers on practices to maintain a safe and healthy environment for our youth and young adults. There has also been a dedicated group of lay people who have facilitated teaching the program to our faithful. Thank you for your dedication to the well being of our most important resource … our youth and young adults.

Thank you also to our Annual Diocesan Stewardship Appeal that has provided sponsorship of the program since its inception.

Working together we can continue providing a safe environment to these vital members of our faith community so that we can proudly proclaim that we have done our very best to address these issues which plague our faith tradition.

For more information about “Protecting God’s Children,” contact the Diocesan Office of Personnel and Administration at 318-868-4441.

APRIL 2021 17

Seasons of Joy

BY KIM LONG, ST. MARY OF THE PINES DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

S

o it happens now that we find ourselves in the fifty days of the Easter season which is supposed to be a time of joy. Often by the third or fourth Sunday of Easter that joy slides into a routine and our shiny new Easter garments have been exchanged for our everyday clothes. This year I wanted to try and think of Easter and joy and happiness differently. Here is how I hope it goes in our family…

He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Matthew 28:6 In our parish, we read all the readings for Holy Saturday.

I am so glad we do since I don’t know which would be optional for me. Some years by the time this reading is proclaimed my feet, which have up to this point been leaden with sand from the desert and sadness from the long walk down the Good Friday aisle, don’t even feel as though they are touching the ground. I am suffused with weightlessness, liberation, and blessed assurance that as St. Paul says death is not the victor.

18 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

It’s going forward into the middle weeks of Eastertide where I bog down. The sprinkling of the Easter water on my forehead has long since dried.

As I meet that middle ground Lord, let me feel that weightlessness when I hear anew that you love me, let me be reminded in daily miracles that you indeed keep your promises. I will attempt to reflect on what I have left behind in the desert of Lent, of the space in my heart which is freed and open wider to You Lord. Let me revel in the joy which is rooted in your faithfulness and your gracious invitation.

Amen.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old is gone, the new is here. 2 Corinthians 5:17 As an adult convert, I am blessed to remember my baptism which came in my childhood rather than infancy when my children’s were celebrated. I can still recall the mystery and a little fear as the pastor of our small Baptist church extended his hand and I joined him in the dark waters of the baptistry. I was “dunked” three times and

when I came up, my white garment, a borrowed child’s hunger for the scriptures but helped ignite that same love choir robe seemed to wrap me in the promise of a new and hunger in each of us as well as a group. It was the life. first of many deeper excursions into the word of a God who spoke life into being. Many years later I attended This year during the Easter Vigil, we witnessed the “Papa’s” funeral. As the eulogy was given he had a word of baptisms of a mother and her two children. I was carried encouragement for us telling us Papa said to tell my kids back to many baptisms I had witnessed in the course of God loves them. They know who they are. Parish life is my adult life. As part of a faith community, I pray I am a continuation of this model and continues to guide me. present long after this celebrated beginning.

Oh Lord, teach me the meaning of Christian devotion.

Lord, as the sacred mysteries of the Easter Vigil, envelope Reignite in my heart that hunger for you in word and prayer, me, as the baptismal waters revive me time and time again, in action and thought. Open my heart to the joy of Christian keep me ever mindful that as the firstfruits of the union of fellowship so that we may see you in the breaking of the Christ and his Church I do go forward in hope and love. As I bread. Amen. journey through these fifty days remind me, gently please, that the old is gone, my burden cast aside and you have replaced it He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, with a mantle of joy. Amen. see the place where He was lying. Matthew 28:6 They were continually devoting themselves to the Even amid Eastertide, we are still dealing with the remains apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of of the pandemic and the havoc brought by the Covid-19 bread, and prayer. virus. Let us take comfort in the certain belief that joy Acts 2:42 comes from the Lord God who made heaven and earth.

Our joy comes from the indwelling spirit of the living I was in an amazing youth group as a teenager. We met at God. Joy, unlike happiness, is not as much emotion as it our local Methodist church but we belonged to a variety is a gift. So even if our Easter is different this year, let us of denominations. Looking back, I see what a beautiful open our hearts to God’s amazing love for He is not here, model of early church community we had. Our leaders, He has risen. May your Easter be filled with the joy of the an older couple, affectionately called “Mama” and “Papa” Lord which remains our strength. served not only as surrogate grandparents but elders who not only shared their wisdom and their love of God and APRIL 2021 19

hispanic news

Celebrando la Pascua y Siguiendo con El Año de San José

BY ROSALBA QUIROZ, DIRECTORA

Este año conmemoramos El Triduo Pascual, La Pasión, Muerte y Resurrección de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo entrando justamente el mes de Abril. Afortunadamente este año si podremos celebrar en nuestras parroquias, siempre y cuando sigamos las precauciones necesarias para mantenernos seguros.

celebrar este aniversario, el Papa Francisco ha convocado este “Año” especial dedicado al padre terrenal de Jesús. El Santo Papa reconoce que la pandemia de Covid-19 nos ha hecho comprender la importancia de la gente común, de aquellos que, lejos del protagonismo, ejercen la paciencia e infunden esperanza cada día, sembrando la corresponsabilidad.

Como san José, “el hombre que pasa desapercibido, el hombre de la presencia diaria, discreta y oculta”.

Y sin embargo, el suyo es “un protagonismo sin igual en la historia de la salvación”. Estas son algunas de las aptitudes y virtudes de San José que el Papa menciona en su carta y que podemos suplicar para nosotros mismos:

Les comparto también esto sobre El Año de San José que, como ya sabrán El Papa Francisco ha dedicado un año desde el 8 de diciembre del 2020 y hasta el próximo 8 de diciembre. Con la Carta apostólica llamada “Con corazón de padre”, el Pontífice recuerda el 150 aniversario en el que el Beato Pío IX firmó el 8 de diciembre de 1870 el decreto que daría a San José el título de Patrono de la Iglesia Universal.

•Ser amado, tierno y obediente •Padre en la acogida de la voluntad de San José, un padre amado, un padre Dios y del prójimo en la ternura, en la obediencia y en •Ser valiente y creativo, ejemplo de la acogida; un padre de valentía amor a la Iglesia y a los pobres creativa, un trabajador, siempre en •Alguien que enseña el valor, la la sombra: con estas palabras el Papa dignidad y la alegría del trabajo Francisco describe a san José de una •Padre en la sombra, descentrado por manera tierna y conmovedora. Para amor a María y a Jesús.

20 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

En su carta, el Papa Francisco nos da indicaciones específicas para los días tradicionalmente dedicados a la memoria del Esposo de María, como el 19 de marzo y el 1 de mayo.

También nos anima a rezar diario a San José para recibir sus bendiciones.

Pueden ver aquí la carta completa. https://www.vaticannews.va/es/papa/ news/2020-12/papa-francisco-carta-patriscorde-san-jose.html Artículo sacado de la página del vaticano: https://www.vaticannews.va/es/papa/ news/2020-12/papa-francisco-carta-patriscorde-san-jose.html

Calendario de Abril, 2021 2 Domingo de Resurrección (Pascua) 16 Clase para nuevos voluntarios “Protecting God’s Children” de 6-9pm. Parroquia de Cristo Rey. Registrarse previamente en la página: www.virtus.org

por el obispo

Misas en Espanol CRISTO REY: BOSSIER CITY Rev. Fidel Mondragon 318.221.0238 Oficina Domingo 1:00pm Lunes & Jueves 7:00pm Sabado 6:00pm Coordinador Oscar Gomez 972.567.2710

SAN PASCUAL: W. MONROE Rev. Luis Jost, OFM Domingo: 4:00pm Coordinadora: Lorena Chaparro 318.267.4018

SANTO TOMAS AQUINO: RUSTON Rev. Tony Posadas, OFM 318.225.2870 Oficina Domingo 1:30pm Coordinadora: Luz Martinez 318.224.0980

NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL PEPETUO SOCORRO: FARMERVILLE

Rev. Luis Jost, OFM Sabados 7:00 pm Coordinadora: Paola Gonalez 817.801.3499

STA MARIA DE LOS PINOS: SHREVEPORT Rev. Mark Watson 318.687.5121 Oficina Domingo 11:30am Coordinadora: Alma Mendoza 318.678.9306

SAGRADO CORAZON: OAK GROVE

Rev. Joseph Kallookalam, CMI 318.428.2683 Oficina • Cada dos semanas, Domingo 5:00pm

CONTACTO DIOCESANO: Rosalba Quiroz, Directora 318.219.7265 rquiroz@dioshpt.org

Maria Ivelis Sanchez, Secretaria 318.219.7257 isanchez@dioshpt.org

Biviendio en Cristo POR EL OBISPO FRANCIS I. MALONE

Hay muchas etapas en esta época del año: la primavera, el final de la Cuaresma, el Triduo Pascual, el Domingo de Resurrección que inaugura la temporada de Pascua, y se acerca ya también el mes de mayo que concluye las actividades escolares. Y antes que nos demos cuenta, ya está aquí el verano con una velocidad sorprendente… casi haciendo que nos de vuelta la cabeza.

Pienso que parte de este fenómeno es el correr del tiempo con sus muchas actividades que pueden fácilmente pasar desapercibido que rápido llega la primavera y que veloz también así se va.

Me doy cuenta que es lo mismo en la temporada de Cuaresma – de repente llegó el Miércoles de Ceniza y así de rápido llegó la Semana Santa, y luego, ¡la Pascual! Lo que sí, es que me niego a permitir que el paso del tiempo me haga olvidar donde estoy en cualquier momento dado, a perder la santidad de los momentos como sea que vayan pasando. Tengo que esforzarme yo mismo, detenerme, orar, y así poder tomar el tiempo, por cierto muy necesario de reflexionar en lo sagrado de cada día, de cada semana, y de cada temporada, y cómo Dios me pide que me enfoque en todo momento en este viaje. A sumergirme profundamente en el lugar y momento que Dios me quiera tener, y permitir que le hable a mi corazón de lo que Él quiere para mí, lo que Él desea de mí.

Sé que viendo hacia atrás, cuando se acercaba la Cuaresma este año, me propuse ciertas metas espirituales que esperaba cumplir, para que al llegar la Pascua descubriera que estoy mucho

más cerca del Señor de lo que estuve antes que me rociaran la cabeza con la ceniza.

Algunos años tenemos más éxito que otros, pero esto solo significa que nuestro viaje por la vida es constante y que una vez que comienza la temporada de Pascua, también comienza un nuevo camino en el viaje. “las buenas intenciones” no deben ser solo para Año Nuevo o Cuaresma. Estas metas espirituales no importa que metas sean, deben hacerse constantemente y renovar nuestras relaciones con el Señor y para ir avanzando.

Esto es especialmente verdad en tiempo de Pascua, cuando nosotros, como Cristianos miramos hacia atrás los cuarenta días de penitencia, oración, y sacrificio y llegamos al gozo que llena nuestras almas con profunda conciencia que Jesus ha Resucitado, que la poderosa celebración de Pascua nos mantiene enfocados en el regalo de la vida eterna que Él nos ha dado y de la oportunidad de otros cincuenta días para renovar nuestra relación con Él. Y si esto penetra nuestra vida de oración, también penetrará nuestra vida diaria y mantendrá frescas las metas espirituales que hicimos cuando comenzó la Cuaresma y cuando esta culmina en los himnos del “Aleluya” que llenan el tiempo Pascual. Esto nos hace sentir más plenamente vivos – en Cristo, y vivos en el misterio de Su amor por nosotros mientras continuamos nuestro viaje. ¡Que esta sea una Pascua poderosa para ustedes – y que su viaje Pascual ese año no pase tan rápido que olviden porque la celebramos!

APRIL 2021 21

On the Impact of “Begin Again”

BY SUSAN REISER ROTHWELL, SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

A

s we enter the liturgical season of Easter, perhaps it is a good time to do a Spiritual Checkup.

How did we fare with our Lenten promises? It has been a penitential season of “Pandemic” proportion. Have we taken any of this “given” time to reflect on life, the last things, or to increase our prayer time? As a bonus have we written that novel, learned how to play the piano, gotten very physically fit and learned to speak conversational Italian? Hopefully good has prevailed alongside the sacrifices and sorrows we have no doubt encountered.

One of the best things I have gained from more study and reflection time is a newfound friendship with Venerable Bruno Lanteri, founder of The Oblates of the Virgin Mary. I was introduced to Bruno on a Podcast by one of my favorite spiritual guides, Father Timothy Gallagher, OMV. Ven. Bruno has become an inspiration and helpful mentor to me in my practice of Spiritual Direction.

22 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

During his seminary studies, Bruno encountered a brief struggle with the influence of the heresy Jansenism. Jansenism was a very strict interpretation of Church teaching, which greatly discouraged reception of communion and even denied absolution to those seeking mercy in confession.

Ven. Bruno came to know the infinite mercy of God through his experience of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius and the teachings of St. Alphonsus Ligouri.

God sent Bruno a great teacher and friend, a Jesuit priest, Fr. Nicholas von Diessbach, who would instruct him, mentor him in priestly formation, and introduce him to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius that deeply impacted and influenced the whole of his life.

Their … aim is of attending with all diligence to the salvation and sanctification of souls by way of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.

They prefer this means because it is so fitting for providing instruction for the people in the principal things to be believed and done, of which the Exercises of St. Ignatius are like a compendium: and because it is a means known from experience to be among the most efficacious to procure a change of heart and to further promote sanctification.

Ven. Bruno was also dedicated to educating with “well-chosen” Catholic books (because of his exposure to the dangers of heresy) and supported lay and priestly associations. Although he suffered poor health his entire life, Bruno provided real care for the needy.

He walked the streets to meet the poor and abandoned, feeding them, clothing them, teaching them the catechism and preparing them to receive the Sacraments.

Venerable Bruno Lanteri became the founder of a Religious Order formed by and dedicated to the promotion of the Spiritual Exercises. In his Directory, or Original Rule of the In his day, due to practical travel Oblates of the Virgin Mary, about restraints (much like a Zoom their purpose, Ven. Bruno writes: meeting because of Covid-19), a lot of his spiritual direction was given

spiritual direction through letters. The Oblates have preserved many of these letters and made some of them available for people like you and me to read and study. Reading the letters stirred my curiosity that much of his spiritual direction was given to laypeople in various stages and situations of life.

As he explained the importance of the practice of their programs he also gently advised them that if they failed to follow their plan all they must do to get on track was to simply Begin Again.

During this time of exile from what was our ordinary way of life pre-Covid-19, I have found immense comfort and peace when I practice the spiritual concept of Begin Again.

In his Spiritual Direction, Bruno was both firm and compassionate in his instruction.

He believed very strongly that having a disciplined Spiritual The depth of impact Program to follow in this simple yet was necessary to grow challenging spiritual in relationship teaching “when Venerable Bruno Lanteri with Christ and "We can never hope too much. practiced” is personal holiness. The one who hopes for everything, freedom. Begin obtains everthing" The Spiritual Again instructs Life, like learning the concept of to play the piano well or to speak staying in the present moment. conversational Italian, must be Begin Again teaches the formula for practiced and practiced. forgiving not 70 but 70 times seven each day (Matthew 18:22).

In Bruno’s letters, he reminded his directees of the importance of How many times does the just following the spiritual programs person fall a day? (Hebrews 24:16). they agreed upon. To grow, heal, But each of us can practice; each and or gain the answers and peace of us can practice and practice. We they sought from God, directees can, as my friend, Venerable Bruno needed to practice and follow their Lanteri says, “begin again a thousand spiritual direction programs. times a day if necessary.” And that dear reader is MAGNIFICENT!

BEGIN AGAIN Venerable Bruno Lanteri Say then with boldness, “Now I begin,” and go forward

constantly

in

God’s service.

Do not look back so often, because one who looks back cannot run.

And do not be content to begin only for this year.

Begin every day, because it is for every day, even for every hour of the day, that the Lord taught us to say in the Our Father, Forgive us our trespasses, and Give us this day our daily bread.”

Acknowledgments: Much gratitude to Br. Leland Thorp, OMV, and the Oblates for their prayers.

The OMV website.

The informative website: Venerable Bruno Lanteri /www.omvusa.org/bruno-lanteri/life-legacy/.

The Documentary, “Nunc Coepi—The Life of Venerable Bruno Lanteri.”

Begin Again: The Life and Legacy of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, Biography by Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV. Podcasts by Timothy Gallagher through Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcast For updates on Venerable Bruno Lanteri, The Cause for the Canonization, visit Venerable Bruno Guild.

APRIL 2021 23

School News

Congratulations to Carter Doyal, who won the Student of the Year Competition for all private and parochial students in the state and will now compete against public and charter schools. Good Luck Carter!

Financial Assistance for Catholic Students Application packets for tuition assistance from the Diocese of Shreveport Catholic Schools Tuition Assistance Fund are now available for the 2021-2022 school year. Partial tuition assistance is available on an as need-basis for Catholic students registered in a Diocese of Shreveport Catholic school. Parents may contact any Catholic school for information. Deadline for application is April 15, 2021. For more information, contact the Diocesan Catholic Schools Office at (318) 219-7298.

24 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Far Left: Avery Brown and Carmody Chumley Left: various students in K-5 and 7th grade for Read Across America Week Top: The Outsiders

SJS celebrates our patron in the Year of Saint Joseph; Also, Summer Camps and Read Across America Week

BY POLLY MACIULSKI, ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL 5TH-8TH GRADE RELIGION

The Year of Saint Joseph proclaimed

by Pope Francis has already produced great fun and creativity at Saint Joseph School. In addition to holding an art contest for a new image of our patron that will be used throughout campus and on school stationery, the school has also begun “sharing” him with other classes. Each class will host the statue for a week, praying for his intercession and learning a little more about him during their time. Our eighth graders were first on the list, to show the little ones how it should be done: they spent the week praying Pope Francis’ prayer for the Year of Saint Joseph each day, learned about the symbols associated with him, and prayed for his intercession, then passed the statue to our K-3 class after school Mass that Friday.

Our faculty has been very busy this month, preparing for some great summer camps. Some of the themes include Shark Week, Amusement Park Camp, Sports, Survivor, Cheer Basics, Mad Scientist, and Ancient

Civilizations in Cinema! Check our website for details - there is something for kids in grades K-3-8th! And the St. Joseph Parish Vacation Bible School is scheduled for June 21-25!

One of the best parts of Read Across America Week is seeing how our teachers make it fun for students, and this year’s events were priceless! Kindergarten teachers Crystal Craver and Blaire Colligan listened to their kindergarteners read and watch them spell words dressed as their favorite book characters...of course, Mrs. Craver and Mrs. Colligan were also decked out in bright yellow tutus dressed as a Sneetch! In seventh grade, Mrs. Hallie Franks wrapped up her novel unit on The Outsiders by letting students dress as “Greasers” and “Socs” and had a “Best Costume” award for each group. Fifth graders were reading Number the Stars and followed it up with a special day-long event in which the teachers and students recreate aspects of life in Nazi Germany in World War II: students create false identity papers

to protect classmates from the Gestapo; walk around the campus, identifying faculty as “Enemy” or “Friend”; and are subject to impromptu searches for “contraband” (and these kids are very sneaky about hiding it).

We have all remembered with mixed emotions the empty campus we had this time last year, and a member of our SJS family who did not return to us in 202021: our cafeteria manager, Ms. Worthey Reed, died last year from COVID-19, and this year celebrated her life with “Ms. Reed Day” on Tuesday, March 30th, with some special gifts for our cafeteria staff and a plaque to remember Ms. Reed.

Next month, we will have our firstever Living Stations of the Cross to be performed by our eighth-grade class, as well as an Easter parade (formerly the Krewe of the Carpenter until it was snowed out!), and a Living Museum, among other things!

APRIL 2021 25

WHAT I REALLY WANT FROM MY CHILD’S EDUCATION And why we’ve found a home at Saint John Berchmans

BY LISA COOPER, SJB PARENT What do we want when we are choosing a school for our children? Yes, our children need to be ready academically to take ground and build a life for themselves. But I want more for them. I hope that they face the battlefields of life with more in their quiver than academic preparedness.

I want them to learn to be brave. To be challenged to try new things, to see the world through different lenses, and to settle comfortably into their own skin—no matter who is watching. I want our children to discover their gifts, their value, and to feel alive in a world that needs them.

I want them to trust. Our children are growing up with countless ropes around them—people and perspectives tugging at them, vying for their allegiance. They need a safe place to learn from wonderfully imperfect mentors who encourage and inspire rather than condemn. Our children need tangible peace. They need a reliable respite from the chaos imposing itself onto their lives. They need quiet so they can hear their own voices and the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit. I want them to grow to trust that voice and their ability to navigate the life God gave them.

I want them to be forgiven, and—can I say this? To be children. Our children desperately need to play and to be silly and not grow up too fast. They need high standards, yes. But they need mercy when they fail and permission to try and try again.

We hear so much from institutions about rigor and demands, but I want to know a school’s vision for pouring as much into our children’s hearts as it does their minds. And I want to know they back up their promises.

So, I chose St. John Berchmans.

26 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

As a parent, we know when our children are happy at school. We know the names of all their teachers, and we can count all the blessings associated with each name.

The stories of Coach Keel and his vast life experience. The hours of after-school tutoring with Mrs. Manascalco, who imparted a true love of math to my fearful daughter. We hear it in their laughter about Mr. Yatcko’s sayings and the beautiful way he lives his faith. We welcome the questions that begin Mom, did you know . . . and end with a fascination of something they held onto to from Mrs. Vitacca or Mrs. Knight.

We hear them quietly sing the sweet songs they learned from Mrs. Barr.

We know we have found the right place when we know we are going to find faith, hope, and love on the other side of the door.

When we call our principal in tears because our child is struggling, and she gently talks us down from the ledge. When we overhear our children’s Zoom calls with their teachers and wish we could be in those classes with them. When we feel like we and our children have a true support system.

Every school has its own culture. Every family has its own idea of what their children need. But if your list is close to mine, I invite you to come find the joy my children and I have found at SJB.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA CONGRATULATES SPELLING BEE WINNERS Elementary Winners Quincy Timber - 1st Place, Jacquavius Jackson - 2nd place, Triston Burkhalter 3rd Place, Jacob Johnson - 4th Place Middle School Winners Rayquicia Lewis - 1st Place, Jada Ballard - 2nd Place, Dallaz Perkins - 3rd Place, Donta’ Singletary - 4th Place, Jada Gardner - 5th Place Eighth Grade participants Jada Gardner and Rayquicia Lewis Judges Brittany Perkins and Stephanie Haney

APRIL 2021 27

LOYOLA STUDENT ACCEPTED TO HICKS SMART PROGRAM

BY JORDAN HARRIS, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, LOYOLA COLLEGE PREP year. In the program students engage in intensive research with medical clinicians, researchers, and academic staff.

Shreveport, LA, March 9, 2021 – Caroline Henry, a junior at Loyola College Prep, was recently accepted into the Hicks SMART Program. The Science & Medicine Academic Research Training (SMART) Program is a yearlong research program through Louisiana State University Health Shreveport for high school seniors with an interest in medicine, biomedical research or biomedical engineering. Only 10-12 high school seniors are accepted each

“Caroline works hard at everything she does, and is a model Loyola student,” John LeBlanc, Principal at Loyola College Prep, said. “She is involved in the Student Government Association, she is a varsity soccer athlete, she excels academically, and she is one of the nicest people you will meet.

I know she will achieve great things in this program, and the Loyola family is so proud of her for this incredible opportunity.”

Henry said she wanted to apply to this program because of the notoriety it has in the community as well as the chance to interact with experts in the medical, science and research fields.

“I believe it’s the best program in Northwest Louisiana for high school seniors interested in STEM, and I wanted to try and take advantage of that,” Henry said. “The opportunity to get hands-on experience in a real lab, research along professionals, and gain connections in the local medical community seemed like too good of an adventure to not at least apply!”

Henry is excited to learn more in the SMART program, and she is looking forward to a career in medicine.

“I believe that a career in the medical field is the perfect mixture of my goals in life -using my talents to the best of my ability and getting to help others,” she said.

Henry will start the program this summer and will continue it through her senior year.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

BY AMY FAKHRE The JGS Catholic Schools Week Basketball Shoot helped raise $312.85 for Catholic Charities of NELA-Monroe, thanks to the generosity of our students and parents. The donation assisted them in stocking their food pantry for those in need in the Monroe area. Thank you to Fr. Mike, Fr. Daniel and Fr. John Paul, as well as our JGS teachers and faculty for participating in the annual basketball shoot. Mrs. Sue, JGS secretary, Mrs. Medlin, 6th-grade teacher, and Mrs. 28 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Gillikin, 5th-grade teacher, were the shootout winners, securing a free dress day for our 3rd6th grade students.

Our Lady of Fatima celebrated Catholic Schools week with patriotism. Mrs. Norris’ Pre-K class placed flags outside and visited with military over Skype.

SAINT FREDERICK HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

BY REBECCA LEAUMONT St. Frederick High School held a ceremony to honor members of the Spanish National Honor Society. The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (SHH) was established in 1953 for high school students enrolled in Spanish and/ or Portuguese, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. There are over 2,000 National and International chapters in high schools all over the world. The mission is to promote, develop, and advance the teaching of Spanish and Portuguese worldwide. Members of SHH award scholarships for seniors and travel awards for juniors who are active members.

The chapter at St. Frederick’s Los Guerreros de San Federico, (St. Frederick Warriors) was

established in 2018. Eligible students are any high school student who has maintained an honor average in the study of Spanish for a minimum of three semesters and is in the 10th grade or higher. SFHS offers Spanish III, IV and V for those students interested in continuing their studies to master the language. Congratulations to all our new members!

St. Frederick High School is very proud to announce that senior Anna Grace Gill (left) has been named a Commended Student by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

This is a prestigious recognition of Anna Grace’s academic promise.

APRIL 2021 29

LOYOLA COLLEGE PREP NEWS

Flyer Academics • 10:1 faculty to student ratio • $10.6 million (before TOPS) in scholarships earned by the class of 2020 • 13 AP courses offered

BY JORDAN HARRIS, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, LOYOLA COLLEGE PREP

Flyers’ Road to College

Since 1902, Loyola College Prep has remained one of the top private schools in the region. Guided by three student pillars, Academic Excellence, Faith in Action, and Student Involvement, graduating students can distinguish themselves from their peers and call upon their Catholic education as they move forward in their life pursuits.

Loyola College Prep invites middle school students from Caddo, Bossier, and Webster parishes for private tours of Loyola’s campus during the third Open House week scheduled for April 19-23.

For our prospective students, a unique and safe open house experience was designed, so that families can tour the inside of our school and see an average day in the life of a Flyer.

“We are excited to welcome future Flyers and their parents and walk them through a typical school day at LCP. Guests will get to engage with current students, alumni, faculty and staff,” said John LeBlanc, Principal at Loyola College Prep. “Loyola offers a different high school experience that is grounded in our Catholic identity with opportunities for students to evolve in academic excellence, faith in action and student involvement.”

In addition to small group tours of the campus during a typical day, students and parents will have the chance to learn about college placement, financial assistance, accommodations, admissions and more.

With the year’s challenges, Loyola College Prep was given the opportunity to shine.

Because Loyola understands the importance of technology in the classroom and providing each student with an iPad, the transition between in-person and virtual learning was seamless. Individual families have been able to decide what they need during this time without sacrificing the integrity of their education. For students that are learning in the classroom, the faculty at Loyola has created a safe and socially distant learning environment, five days a week without interruption.

Loyola College Prep offers a faith-based high school experience grounded in Catholicism, with a focus on growing students in conscience, character and compassion.

To schedule a tour or for more information, call 318-626-6285 or visit www.loyolaprep.org.

9th Grade • Students learn how to explore Naviance College Engagement Tool • ACT-Aspire test (periodic in October and February, and summative in April) 10th Grade • Students have a chance to uncover career paths and examine college majors and programs • All sophomores take the PSAT test in October and pre-ACT test in March 11th Grade • Students attend college readiness bootcamps with our College Placement Counselor and have personalized consultations • All Juniors take the PSAT/NMSQT test in October and ACT in March 12th Grade • College Placement Counselor works with seniors one-on-one with college applications, financial assistance, and scholarships Flyer Athletics • 18 sports and club sports available for students at each athletic level • 92% of students are involved in at least one sport Flyer Involvement • Loyola offers 30 different clubs and organizations for students to participate Tuition Assistance Available • Schedule your confidential financial assistance conversation by calling 318-226-6293 25% of LCP students receive needbased financial assistance

30 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Father Pat’s Bible Study Thursday Mornings: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament World Marriage Day Blessing

Sacred Heart youth held the Stations of the Cross. Each station was represented by two students to allow the opportunity for more to participate. You can go to the Facebook of Sacred Heart of Jesus to watch or relive this enchanting moment.

Sign up for the live zoom link: email pmadden@ dioshpt.org Watch online: https://www.dioshpt.org/fatherpats-bible-study

Seminarian Burses Thanks to our Recent Donors: (019)

Mr. & Mrs. Kevin M. Flood ($25) (027) Mr. Keith Evans ($10,000) (024) Ms. Dorothy M. Tipton ($500) (020) Mrs. Rosemary C. Ward ($1,000) Completed Burses: (001)

Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (010) Memory of Rita Scott from the John Scott Family Burse ($10,000)

Incomplete Burses: (011) (012) (013) (014) (026) (027) (027)

Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) Jack E. Caplis, Jr., Memorial Burse ($10,000) Mary Evans Caplis Burse ($10,000) Bob & Peggy Semmes Memorial Burse ($10,000) Sheryl Seal Sweeney Memorial Burse ($10,000) Rev. Richard Lombard Memorial Burse ($10,000) Rev. Richard Lombard Memorial Burse #2 ($10,000)

(001) Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse ($1,050) (002) Joseph & Antoinette Bakowski Memorial Burse ($2,850) (003) Sam R. Maranto Memorial Burse ($1,650) (004) Kathryn Atherton Cook Memorial Burse ($350) (005) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans Burse ($950) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #2 ($3,832.12) (007) Dr. Carol Christopher Memorial Burse ($1,200)

(008) (009)

(011) (015) (016) (017)

(018)

St. Jude Parish Burse ($6,018) St. John Berchmans Knights of Columbus Council 10728 Burse ($1,550) Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #2 ($3,404) Bishop’s Seminarian Burse ($2,760) Elaine Malloy Frantz Memorial Burse ($10,00) Msgr. George Martinez Knights of Columbus Council 1337 Burse ($7,521.57) Knights of St. Peter Claver Council 144 Burse ($880)

(019) Margaret Glenn Memorial Burse ($5,605) (020) Dr. James V. Ward Memorial Burse ($4,915) (021) Rev. Edmund “Larry” Niehoff Memorial Burse ($2,000) (022) Rev. Blane O’Neil, OFM Memorial Burse ($250) (023) Msgr. Edmund J. Moore Memorial Burse ($1,020) (024) Rev. Joseph Puthupally Memorial Burse ($1,100) (025) Kathleen Hightower Memorial Burse ($400)

The Diocesan Seminary Burse program provides the faithful of North Louisiana the opportunity to invest in the education and formation of our seminarians into holy and effective priests to serve the Diocese of Shreveport.

Interested in contributing to or establishing a burse?

You can establish and name a burse with a donation of at least $250 or you can contribute any amount to a burse simply by designating its name when the contribution is made. Contributions may be mailed to the Office of Church Vocations, Diocese of Shreveport, 3500 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71104. Be sure to note the name of the burse in the memo line. Burses are completed at $10,000.

APRIL 2021 31

Connection The Catholic

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.

•

Shreveport, LA 71104

Catholic Connection USPS 024-824 is published monthly except for July by the Diocese of Shreveport, 3500 Fairfield Ave., Shreveport, LA 71104. Periodicals Postage PAID at Shreveport, LA 71102. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Catholic Connection, 3500 Fairfield Ave, Shreveport, LA 71104.

Catholic Campus Ministry is hard at work selling tickets for their Lenten Fish Fry Fundraiser, this year hosted by the Monroe Knights of Columbus!

Pictured are Events Coordinator Sage Richoux & Vice President Madelyn Duplantis selling tickets after Mass at St. Paschal Catholic Church in West Monroe, LA. 32 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION