Bayou Catholic Magazine November 2017

INSIDE:

Bayou

Life and Legacy Giving Thanks

Catholic

Celebrating Life and Giving Thanks HOUMA, LA ~ NOVEMBER 2017 ~ COMPLIMENTARY

®

®

SEE

CLEARLY

We have been treating diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration since 1996 and would be honored to care for you.

If you would like to visit SEECA call 853-0900

Bringing Comfort Home

Serving Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne parishes.

Established in 1987

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...

We never know when or how we will be called Home. There are things in life we don’t understand but are called to accept.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness and your doctor has given you a 6 month or less life expectancy ... You Have a CHoICe

The courage to change the things that I can...

When faced with a shortened life span, You Have a CHoICe in who you want to share in that most precious time with you. It is your right to get all the information you need, find out all that is available to you to meet those needs, and to have all your questions answered in order to make that choice.

And the wisdom to know the difference There is power in knowledge. It is our privilege to give you the knowledge you need so that you are able to make the right choice for you and your loved one. When life seems out of control and your future is uncertain, there is one thing that remains ... You Have a CHoICe in who you want beside you, helping you face one of life’s most emotional decisions.

Serving our community for over

30 years,

Hospice of South Louisiana is honored to assist you in answering your questions.

We understand the importance of finding ComforT in knowing you are making a decision based on all available information. You Have a CHoICe in the agency that will meet your needs and with whom you feel comfortable.

For more information please contact us at 985-868-3095 We look forward to meeting and sharing our knowledge with you.

205 Bayou Gardens Blvd., Suite E • Houma, LA 70364 Local 985-868-3095 • Fax 985-868-3910 • Toll Free 1-888-893-3829 www.HospiceofSouthLouisiana.com REFERRALS or INQUIRIES please call our office 985-868-3095. A registered nurse is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, holidays included.

NONDISCRIMINATION NOTICE Hospice offers palliative care to terminally ill patients and support to those patients and their families without regard for diagnosis, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, race, creed, disability, age, or place of residence.

Contents FEATURES 38 Bayou Patrons

By Janet Marcel

40 Father Domingo Cruz retires

By Janet Marcel

46 Good Leaders, Good Shepherds

By Janet Marcel

58 Galliano couple thankful

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By Janet Marcel

COLUMNS 8 Comfort For My People

By Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

12 Pope Speaks

30

Pope Francis I

13 Questions of Faith

By Father Wilmer Todd

14 Readings Between The Lines

By Father Glenn LeCompte

34 Thoughts for Millennials

By Ryan Abboud

35 Reading with Raymond

By Raymond Saadi

57 Overtime

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40

38

53

By Ed Daniels

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 From the Editor 16 Scripture Readings 22 Heavenly Recipes 36 Youth in Action 41 Diocesan Events GUEST COLUMNS 18 Catholic Campaign for Human Development

By Margie Duplantis

20 A culture of vocations

By Father Andre’ Melancon

24 Cremation

By Father Glenn LeCompte

28 Grief Share

By Charlene Foret

30 Justilia’s favorite day of the year

By Mary Ann Terrebonne

60 Thanksgiving

50 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

By Father Wilmer Todd

ANNOUNCEMENTS 44 #iGiveCatholic Giving Tuesday Nov. 28 45 Catholic Foundation update 48 Jr. High Faith Experience Jan. 13 52 Food for the Journey Dec. 5

Father Alex Gaudet speaks

On Our Cover Louis and Judy Klingman, parishioners of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Houma, are celebrating 50 years of marriage this year. They were one of 267 couples honored this year at the annual diocesan wedding anniversary prayer service at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma.

Photo by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic Vol. 38, No. 5 How to reach us:

BY PHONE: (985) 850-3132

BY MAIL: P.O. Box 505 Schriever, LA 70395

BY FAX: (985) 850-3232

BY E-MAIL: bayoucatholic@htdiocese.org

Where to find your Bayou Catholic Bayou Catholic magazine can be found at all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, at the three Catholic high schools in Houma, Morgan City and Thibodaux, as well as the 10 elementary schools throughout the diocese. You may also visit the merchants listed in the Advertisers’ Index to pick up your copy. Those wishing to receive the magazine by mail can call Janet Marcel at (985) 850-3132 or write to Bayou Catholic, P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395. Subscription price is $35 annually. For the online edition, go to www.bayoucatholic.com

The Bayou Catholic is published monthly, for the people of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux by the H-T Publishing Co., P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395.

Subscription rate is $35 per year.

The Bayou Catholic is a member of the Catholic Press Association, the National Newspaper Association and an associate member of the Louisiana Press Association.

Lawrence Chatagnier

Index to Advertisers

editor and general manager

Glenn J. Landry, C.P.A. business manager

#iGiveCatholic Giving Day ................................... 44

LeBlanc & Associates, LLC .................................. 17

Academy Place .................................................... 47

Mary Bird Perkins TGMC Cancer Center ................ 43

Advanced Eye Institute ......................................... 48

Notre Dame Hospice ............................................ 27

American Cemetery Consultants, LLC ................... 33

Patrick Yancey Law Firm ...................................... 53

advertising accounts executive

Premier Offshore Catering, Inc. ............................. 17

Lisa Schobel Hebert

Bayou Catholic Collection ..................................... 63 Cardinal Place ...................................................... 27 Catholic Campaign for Human Development Collection ......................................................... 19

Re-Bath ............................................................... 18 Rod’s Superstore ................................................. 23

Catholic Schools Office ........................................ 42

Samart Funeral Home .......................................... 25

Chauvin Funeral Home ......................................... 31

Seeca .................................................................... 2

Daigle Himel Daigle .............................................. 43

Seminarian Education Burses ............................... 37

Diocesan Outreach Line ....................................... 62

Southland Mall ..................................................... 64

Falgout Funeral Homes, LLC ................................. 26

St. Francis de Sales Mausoleum ........................... 25

God’s Promises Books & Gifts ............................. 59 Gulf Coast Orthopedics ........................................ 49 Haydel Memorial Hospice ..................................... 30 Haydel Spine Pain & Wellness .............................. 15

St. Joseph Manor ................................................. 23 Synergy Bank ....................................................... 61 Terminix ............................................................... 23

Headache & Pain Center ....................................... 57

Thibodaux Funeral Home ...................................... 33

Hospice of South Louisiana .................................... 3

Thibodaux Physical Therapy ................................. 40

Houma Digestive Health Specialists ...................... 34

Walters & Associates ........................................... 41

Landry’s Funeral Home ........................................ 29

Watkins, Walker, Eroche & Hoychick ..................... 31

Janet Marcel

staff writer/administrative assistant

Brooks Lirette

graphic designer

Meridy Liner

accounts receivable/payable assistant

Like us on Facebook or Find us on the web www.bayoucatholic.org

Awards

CPA First Place General Excellence 2013 - 2014 LPA First Place General Excellence 2015 www.bayoucatholic.com

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Welcome

From the Editor

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It’s November: the month for giving thanks. This year in particular it seems as though we have much to be thankful for in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

We are very fortunate that we were spared from personal injury and property damage during this hurricane season, which was an active one.

We live in an area where nature’s beauty abounds. Within our diocese is one of the richest estuaries in the country. This is also an area that has a vast supply of oil and gas resources.

This Thanksgiving Day when we are gathering with our families and friends and it’s time to give thanks to God for our many blessings, let’s not forget these things: Be thankful that you live here in the USA, a country that was built on freedom for all. Thank God you’re an American.

Be thankful that you are gainfully employed.

There are many people in our area that will be unemployed this Thanksgiving. Thank God that you are employed.

Be thankful for your health.

Some people will be spending this

Thanksgiving Day with a terminal illness or in the hospital.

Thank God you’re healthy.

Be thankful that you have a home to live in. Many people lost their homes in hurricanes and wildfires this year; and for some being homeless and living on the street is a way of life. Thank God you have a home that is safe.

Be thankful that you have a family to celebrate events with.

There are some people who have no family. Many will be home alone this Thanksgiving Day without contact with anyone else. Thank God that you are surrounded by a loving family.

Be thankful that you or someone you love is not struggling with an addiction. In 2017 alone 91 people are dying every day due to an opioid overdose. Thanksgiving Day will be no different. Thank God that you are not afflicted with the disease of addiction.

Be thankful that you haven’t suffered the loss of a loved one this year. Death is a part of life.

This Thanksgiving Day there will be loved ones missing from the dinner table. Thank God you haven’t experienced the loss of a parent, grandparent, child or sibling this year.

As Thanksgiving approaches at the end of this month we all have the opportunity to thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed on us. Let us also be mindful in prayer for all those who will not have a happy Thanksgiving Day this year that

God’s grace and mercy will touch their lives so they may find joy.

Everyone has challenges in life. We all experience difficulties and no one is immune to death.

Thankfully, we have a loving and merciful God who blesses us with the gift of life and the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ.

Therein lies what we should be most thankful for this year and every year, a father who loves us so much that he gave us his only son to die for our salvation.

At the Bayou Catholic we are very thankful for our loyal readers, advertisers and those who support the publication through our special second collection, which this year will take place in the church parishes across the diocese November 1112.

Your contribution will help the Bayou Catholic continue to be the informative publication that the people of the diocese are accustomed to receiving. For those who wish to give online, the Bayou Catholic is participating in #iGiveCatholic on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28. See page 44 of this issue for details.

Either method of donating is greatly appreciated.

Remember, after reading Bayou Catholic, pass it on to a friend or relative who might not be attending Mass. It’s one of the great ways to do your part in spreading the Good News!

Lawrence

Lawrence Chatagnier Editor & General Manager

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Annual

Life Chain The rain didn’t deter hundreds of people who came out to participate in the annual Life Chain held on Respect Life Sunday. People lined the medians of Canal Boulevard in Thibodaux and Tunnel Boulevard in Houma praying silently and holding signs protesting abortion.

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Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

www.bayoucatholic.com

Comment

God has our back!

Comfort For My People Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

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One of the things that we can all identify with is the innate desire that exists within us to be shielded and protected, or to rest assured that someone is watching over and looking out for us. We have a basic need to know that along with our own concerted effort in this regard, there are others who are being watchful with us and for us. As is many times the case, young people have their own unique language and way of expression, and they would express this by saying that we all need to know that someone ‘has our back.’

In serene times and in troubling times, be they spiritual or otherwise, we need to know that there is someone there who is going to help us practically, psychologically and emotionally to face and to endure the battles that we need to endure in life.

There is great comfort and trust in knowing that someone is fulfilling this role to the best of their ability. This knowledge of their pledge to help us allows us to rest easier, and assists us in our efforts to not allow our fears to run wild and unchecked over our lives. Knowing that someone

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

has our back helps to allow us to face the future and to journey forward with confidence into all that life holds in store for us.

As we consider those who are watching out for us, we can be certain that at the top of this list is to be found the living God, for our God is always on our side, and God watches out for us in a way that no one else can. God is always there to assist and to defend us when we face difficulties. God’s assistance and protection in this regard is revealed, promised and offered to us in many ways, and one way is through the assistance of the saints in heaven. As during this month of November we honor all the Saints, there is a saint who in a particular way responds to our need for help by being one who has our back, and along with our guardian angel serves to protect and to help us in the battle against temptation, wickedness and evil in life. This saint is St. Michael the Archangel. For centuries, the church has looked to St. Michael as a saint who is invoked to assist us in the great struggles of life. When I am afraid, and even sometimes when I am not afraid, I still find myself uttering the prayer that asks for St. Michael’s assistance.

This age old prayer states: St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil.

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

This is an appropriate prayer for this time in the Liturgical Year as well. During this time in the Liturgical Year, our Gospel and other Mass readings begin to take on the tone of turbulence and turmoil as the apocalypse and end time are the focus of the readings of the final Sundays of Ordinary Time and our initial reflection at the beginning of the Advent Season.

As we are called in these days by the church to reflection on the end times, we can rest assured that God is for us, and that St. Michael is and will be there to assist all of the just in our struggle to do the right thing and to overcome evil and struggles in our lives. We can be assured that St. Michael has our back!

By God’s grace and providence, we enter again into the greatest of the fall celebrations here in our country, and this celebration is Thanksgiving Day. I love the fall season and the time immediately prior to Thanksgiving Day. I do want to use this opportunity to offer to everyone a heartfelt wish for a blessed and peace-filled celebration of Thanksgiving. May our bounty and abundance inspire and demand us to show generosity to others in need, and may we all pause for a moment to count our many blessings. May we be as aware of all of the reasons that we should be grateful to God as we are aware of all that we experience as needed from God. God bless you and keep you in these days of Thanksgiving!

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Guido Reni’s St. Michael the Archangel (in Santa Maria della Concezione Church, Rome, 1636) tramples Satan. www.bayoucatholic.com

Comentario

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¡Dios nos respalda!

Una característica que todos nosotros tenemos es que poseemos la necesidad innata que existe dentro de nosotros de sentirnos protegidos o sentirnos asegurados que alguien nos está cuidando. Sabemos que los jóvenes poseen su propia manera de expresarse y ellos expresan este concepto diciendo que ‘alguien nos respalda.’

En tiempos de paz y en tiempos desafiantes, sean espirituales o no, necesitamos saber que hay alguien que nos ayudará física, psicológica y emocionalmente a encarar y vencer las luchas que tenemos que sobrellevar en la vida. Se siente alivio y confianza al saber que alguien se encarga con esmero de cumplir este rol. Saber que alguien se compromete a apoyarnos nos ayuda a sentirnos mejor y nos ayuda a no permitir que el miedo se apodere de nosotros. Saber que alguien nos respalda, nos ayuda a confrontar el futuro y a caminar hacia adelante con confianza en todas las cosas que la vida nos trae.

En la lista de quienes nos cuidan y velan por nosotros, podemos estar seguros que el primero en la lista es Dios Viviente, porque Dios está a nuestro lado y Dios nos cuida de una manera que nadie más lo puede hacer. Dios está siempre ahí para ayudarnos y defendernos cuando tenemos dificultades. La ayuda de Dios y su protección es revelada, prometida y ofrecida a nosotros de muchas maneras y una de estas es la ayuda de los santos en los cielos. Durante este mes

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

de noviembre, honramos a todos los santos y hay un santo que cuida a cada persona protegiéndola de tentaciones, maldad y el mal en la vida. Este santo es San Miguel Arcángel. Por siglos, la Iglesia ha considerado a San Miguel un santo que puede ser invocado para que nos ayude en las grandes luchas de la vida. Cuando tengo miedo y a veces, aunque no tenga miedo recito la oración que pide por la

ayuda de San Miguel. Esta antigua oración dice: «San Miguel Arcángel, defiéndenos durante la batalla.

Defiéndenos contra la maldad y los ataques del diablo. Oramos con humildad para que Dios lo derrote, oh príncipe de los cielos que, con el poder de Dios, arroja a Satanás al infierno y a todos los espíritus malignos que andan por todo el mundo buscando la perdición de las almas. Amén.»

Esto es una oración apropiada en este tiempo del Año Litúrgico.

Durante este tiempo en el Año Litúrgico, nuestro Evangelio y otras lecturas comienzan a tomar el tono de turbulencia y polémica pues el apocalipsis y el fin de los tiempos son el enfoque de las lecturas de los domingos finales del Tiempo Ordinario y nuestra reflexión inicial en el comienzo de la Temporada de Adviento. En estos días que somos llamados por la Iglesia a reflexionar sobre el fin de los tiempos, podemos estar seguros que Dios está con nosotros y que San Miguel está y estará con nosotros para ayudarnos en las luchas para hacer el bien y derrotar el mal y las luchas en nuestras vidas. ¡Podemos asegurarnos que San Miguel nos respalda!

Con la gracias y providencia de Dios, entramos nuevamente en la celebración de otoño más grande en nuestro país y esta celebración es el Día de Acción de Gracias.

Me encanta el otoño y el tiempo que sigue luego del Día de Acción de Gracias. Quiero aprovechar la oportunidad de ofrecer mi deseo de que tengan un Día de Acción de Gracias bendecido y lleno de paz.

Que nuestra abundancia y riqueza inspire y nos pida demuestra generosidad a los necesitados y nos detengamos a contar cuántas bendiciones tenemos. Pido que nos enteremos de todas las razones porque debemos estar agradecidos con Dios y que todos nosotros estemos enterados de que todo lo que vivimos es por la voluntad de Dios. Que Dios los bendiga y los proteja en estos días de acción de gracias.

Binh luan bang loi

Thiên Chúa hậu thuẫn cho chúng ta!

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Một trong những điều mà tất cả chúng ta có thể nhận ra là khát vọng bẩm sinh tồn tại trong chúng ta để được che chở và bảo vệ, hoặc yên chí rằng có ai đó đang canh chừng và quan tâm chúng ta. Chúng ta có một nhu cầu cơ bản để biết rằng cùng với nỗ lực phối hợp của chúng ta trong vấn đề này, có những người khác đang theo dõi và chờ đợi chúng ta. Như nhiều trường hợp, các thanh thiếu niên có ngôn ngữ độc đáo và cách biểu hiện của họ, và họ sẽ thể hiện điều này bằng cách nói rằng tất cả chúng ta cần phải biết rằng có ai đó đang ‘hậu thuẫn cho chúng ta.’

Trong những khoảng thời gian thanh bình và trong những thời điểm khó khăn, dù chúng về tinh thần hay vật chất, chúng ta cần biết rằng có ai đó sẽ giúp chúng ta về mặt thực tế, tâm lý và cảm xúc để đối mặt và chịu đựng những trận chiến mà chúng ta cần phải chịu đựng trong cuộc sống. Có sự an ủi và tin tưởng tuyệt vời khi biết rằng ai đó đang hoàn thành vai trò này theo khả năng tốt nhất của mình. Sự hiểu biết về cam kết này của họ giúp chúng ta nghỉ ngơi dễ dàng hơn và giúp chúng ta nỗ lực không để cho những lo sợ của chúng ta chạy trốn và không kiểm soát cuộc sống của mình. Biết rằng ai đó đang hỗ trợ giúp chúng ta đối mặt với tương lai và để tiến lên phía trước với sự tự tin vào tất cả những gì cuộc sống đang chờ đón cho chúng ta.

Khi chúng ta nghĩ tới những ai đang theo dõi chúng ta, chúng ta có thể chắc chắn rằng ở trên cùng của danh sách này phải là Thiên Chúa hằng sống, vì Thiên Chúa luôn ở bên chúng ta, và Thiên

Chúa theo dõi chúng ta một cách mà không một người nào có thể làm được. Thiên Chúa luôn luôn ở đó để giúp đỡ và bảo vệ chúng ta khi chúng ta gặp khó khăn. Sự trợ giúp và bảo vệ của Thiên Chúa trong vấn đề này được mạc khải, được hứa hẹn và cung cấp cho chúng ta theo nhiều cách, trong đó có một cách là nhờ sự trợ giúp của các Thánh trên trời. Như trong tháng Mười một này, chúng ta tôn vinh tất cả các Thánh, có một vị thánh trong cách thức cụ thể đáp ứng nhu cầu giúp đỡ của chúng ta bằng cách trở thành người hậu thuẫn của chúng ta, cùng với thiên thần bản mệnh của chúng ta để bảo vệ và giúp đỡ chúng ta trong cuộc chiến chống lại sự cám dỗ, tội lỗi và sự dữ trong cuộc sống.

Vị thánh này là Tổng Lãnh Thiên Thần Micae. Trong nhiều thế kỷ, Giáo hội đã xem Thánh Micae như một vị thánh được khẩn cầu để giúp chúng ta trong những cuộc chiến đấu gay cấn của cuộc sống. Khi tôi sợ hãi, và thậm chí đôi khi tôi không sợ hãi, tôi vẫn thấy mình cần phải cầu xin sự trợ giúp của Thánh Micae. Lời kinh như sau: Lạy ơn Tổng Lãnh Thiên Thần Micae, xin giúp chúng con trong cơn giao chiến, đánh phá sự hiểm ác mưu sâu quỉ dữ. Chúng con sấp mình nguyện xin Chúa chế trị nó cùng xin nguyên soái cơ bình trên trời lấy quyền phép Chúa mà hạ Satan cùng các quỉ dữ đang rong ruổi khắp thế làm hại các linh hồn bắt chúng giam cầm trong hỏa ngục. Amen Đây cũng là lời cầu nguyện thích hợp trong thời gian này của Năm Phụng Vụ. Trong thời gian của Năm Phụng vụ này, Tin Mừng và các bài đọc của các Thánh Lễ khác bắt đầu có những giai điệu bất an và

hỗn loạn như sách Khải Huyền và thời điểm cánh chung là trọng tâm các bài đọc của những ngày cuối cùng của mùa Thường Niên và khởi đầu của Mùa Vọng. Khi chúng ta được Giáo hội kêu gọi trong những ngày này để suy nghĩ về thời điểm cánh chung, chúng ta có thể yên tâm rằng Thiên Chúa ủng hộ chúng ta, và Thánh Micae đang và sẽ ở đó để trợ giúp tất cả mọi người công chính trong cuộc chiến đấu để thực hiện những điều đúng đắn và để chế ngự điều ác và những cuộc đấu tranh trong cuộc sống của chúng ta.

Chúng ta có thể yên tâm rằng Thánh Micae hỗ trợ cho chúng ta!

Nhờ ân sủng và sự quan phòng của Thiên Chúa, chúng ta lại bước 11 vào ngày lễ lớn nhất trong các ngày lễ vào mùa Thu ở đất nước chúng ta, đó là ngày Lễ Tạ Ơn. Tôi yêu thích mùa Thu và thời gian ngay trước ngày lễ Tạ Ơn. Tôi muốn dùng cơ hội này để cầu chúc cho tất cả mọi người được vui hưởng ngày Lễ Tạ Ơn đầy phúc lành và bình an.

Chớ gì lòng quảng đại và sự dư dật của chúng ta khơi nguồn cảm hứng và thúc bách chúng ta bày tỏ lòng quảng đại đối với những người khác đang thiếu thốn, và tất cả chúng ta có thể hồi tâm một chút để nhìn lại những phúc lành của mình. Chớ gì chúng ta ý thức được tất cả những lý do đó để chúng ta tạ ơn Thiên Chúa cũng như khi chúng ta nhận thức được tất cả những gì chúng ta cảm nghiệm về Thiên Chúa khi thiếu thốn. Xin Chúa ban phúc lành cho Anh Chị Em và gìn giữ Anh Chị Em trong mùa Lễ Tạ ơn này!

Dịch thuật do Lm. Francis Bui, SDD và Thầy Paul Vu, SDD. Tu Đoàn Tông Đồ Giáo Sĩ Nhà Chúa www.bayoucatholic.com

Comment

Pope Francis: You can’t spread God’s love from an armchair The Pope Speaks

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Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News) Pope Francis said that to share God’s love with the world requires action and service – and that we can’t just sit around and wait for other people to perform our vocation.

“Love is dynamic, it goes out of itself,” the Pope said Oct. 14.

The person who loves does not just sit in an armchair watching and waiting for the world to improve. Instead, he or she “with enthusiasm and simplicity gets up and goes.”

As St. Vincent de Paul said, our vocation is not merely to go to one parish or diocese, but to go throughout the earth, he continued. And what do we do?

We “inflame the hearts of men, doing what the Son of God did, he who came to bring fire to the world to inflame it with his love.”

The vocation to love, Francis said, “is always valuable for everyone.”

Pope Francis spoke to members of the Vincentian Family during a celebration in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 14 celebrating the 400th anniversary of the start of the charism of the Vincentian Family, a group of organizations founded by or under the inspiration of St. Vincent de Paul.

A 17th-century French priest, St. Vincent is known as the patron of Catholic charities for his apostolic work among the poor and marginalized.

The meeting was part of a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Pope Francis blesses a child in St. Peter’s Square.

week-long symposium in Rome which included Mass, prayer services and talks.

In their audience, Francis said he wanted to encourage the members of the Vincentian Family to continue their journey of charity.

Besides the verb “to go,” he offered two other simple words he said are of great importance for “the Vincentian spirit but also for Christian life in general:” To worship and to welcome.

For St. Vincent, worship of God, or prayer, was essential, the Pope said. There are many invitations from him in his writing encouraging us to cultivate an inner life, devoting ourselves to prayer, which “purifies and opens the heart,” he said.

St. Vincent considered prayer like the compass of every day, the “manual of life.” Only through prayer can we draw from God the love that we then pour into the world, he continued.

But the saint didn’t consider prayer a set of formulas or a sterile duty, he continued. Prayer, for St. Vincent, was to stand before God, being with him and devoting yourself to him.

“This is the most pure prayer, the one that makes room for the Lord and his praise, and nothing else: adoration,” he said.

“Here is adoration: to stand before the Lord, with respect, with calm and in silence, giving him the

first place,” abandoning oneself with confidence.

Whatever the situation or problem, those who spend time worshiping God can’t help but be “contaminated” by the living source of love, he continued. Which makes us want to treat others like we have been treated by the Lord.

Those who spend time in worship and adoration become “more merciful, more sympathetic, more available, above rigidity and open to others.”

When we think of the verb “to welcome,” we often think of doing something, like performing an act of hospitality or the like, Francis said. But it actually has more to do with a way of thinking.

Welcoming is really “a slow detachment from all that is mine: my time, my rest, my rights, my plans, my agenda.”

The Christian is truly welcoming who sets aside his or her own ego in favor of sowing peace and concord and communion, even when not reciprocated.

“Thank you for moving in the streets of the world, as St. Vincent would ask you today,” the Pope concluded. I hope you continue to draw God’s love from adoration, spreading it throughout the world, through the “good contagion” of charity.

“I bless all of you and the poor you meet.”

Questions of Faith Father Wilmer Todd

Donating body or organs to science What is the Catholic Church’s position on people donating their bodies or organs after death to science or some type of medical center? What is the procedure that someone should follow regarding the burial afterwards?

Catholics who donate their bodies for scientific research are acting nobly when it is done for the good of humanity. That means it must be done in the spirit of service to other human beings and not for financial gain. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says, “Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity” (CCC, No. 2296). Donation of one’s body falls under the same teaching.

When a person donates his or her body to science so that medical students can study and acquaint themselves with the human body, it is completely in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

These students learn from the donated bodies so that they then can become researchers and healers in their future medical professions.

Jesus told us in John’s Gospel, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:1213). We can look at giving our bodies to science as a type of “laying down of lives for our friends.” We are all part of the human race and when we help another human being live a better life, we are fulfilling Jesus’ command.

St. John Paul II said in an address to the Pontifical Academy for Life, “The church respects and supports scientific research when it has a genuinely human orientation, avoiding any form

of destruction of the human being and keeping itself free from the slavery of political and economic interests.”

St. John Paul II also taught that removing the vital organs of a deceased person (e.g., heart, liver, lungs, and any others that can support another’s life) is morally permissible if there is moral certitude that the person has in fact died.

The deceased before death or those authorized to dispose of his or her body must have freely given permission to remove those organs for transplanting into a person to preserve their life.

John Paul II explicitly taught that the task of determining that a person has died lies within the competence of medical doctors and scientists. During his pontificate, the “neurological” criterion was accepted as a valid criterion for determining death. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences said, “A person is dead when there has been total and irreversible loss of all capacity for integrating and coordinating physical and mental functions of the body as a unit.”

My aunt gave her body to science.

There was a memorial Mass without the body to pray for her and to remember her.

This was done without the body present.

(They usually take the body away as soon as a person dies to preserve their organs.) When the medical center was finished with their studies, they cremated

her body and sent it back to her family.

We then arranged to have a grave-side service to properly bury my aunt in her 13 grave.

Since the institutions to which bodies of the deceased are donated routinely cremate those bodies, unless the donor or their caregivers explicitly want to inter the bodily remains in a grave, church law regarding cremation is frequently applicable. Canon law permits cremation (Canon 1177, 3). The church teaches, “We must treat the bodies of the dead with respect and with charity in faith and hope of the Resurrection” (CCC, No. 2300).

The remains should always be buried.

This teaching is to be observed whether the bodily or cremated remains of the deceased donor are to be then disposed of in carrying out the expressed desires of the deceased or his family or designated caregivers.

Readers are encouraged to send their questions to our local Bayou Catholic columnists by email to bayoucatholic@htdiocese.org. www.bayoucatholic.com

Reflections Readings Between The Lines Father Glenn LeCompte

Stay active in good works until the coming of Christ the King

14

O

One of the programs that our diocesan Catholic Charities sponsors is entitled “Matthew 25,” which is described on the diocesan website as “the church parish disaster response program for our diocese.” The program’s title is taken from the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, which consists of two parables on vigilance and a scene of the last judgment. In November the entirety of Matthew 25 will be read on consecutive Sundays, which culminate in the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Nov. 26, 2017).

In this article I will analyze Matthew’s 25th chapter.

Matthew 25 constitutes the second half of the last of five great discourses (5:1-7:29; 10:111:1; 13:1-53; 18:1-19:1; 24:126:1) Jesus the Teacher delivers in the course of the Gospel. The discourse of which Matthew 25 is a part may be called an “Apocalyptic/Eschatological Discourse” because it has elements of both. Apocalyptic is a literary form whose purpose is to convey the cosmic victory of God over the forces of evil, especially those which fuel the persecution of God’s people. Eschatology has

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

to do with “the end-time,” not in the sense of destruction, but with regard to the definitive emergence of God’s reign. Matthew 25 is generally more eschatological than apocalyptic in content.

Comprehension of the nature and placement of the Matthean Jesus’ final discourse is critical to understanding it. Having demonstrated his divine authority by besting the Jewish religious leaders in a didactic controversy in the Temple (21:23-22:46), Jesus then denounces his opponents as inept leaders of God’s people in a lengthy diatribe (Chapter 23).

When Jesus finishes this prophetic judgment speech, he leaves the Temple precincts (24:1), and his final discourse is delivered only to his disciples, a sign that he is focusing his words now on the new people of God (21:43) which is emerging. The upheaval that has taken place between Jesus and the religious leaders is only a foretaste of the conflict that Jesus’ disciples and their spiritual descendants will encounter as they follow the master. Chapter 24 focuses on God’s ultimate victory over these forces of evil, a victory that will only come in God’s time.

Chapter 25 is an instruction on “what to do when the teacher (Jesus, in this case) is away.” The parables of the “Ten Virgins” (25:113) and the “Talents” (25:14-30), as well as the scene of the “Last Judgment” (25:31-46) all address an issue relevant to Matthew’s community in the late first century: what are disciples to do as they await Christ’s second coming, which seems to be delayed? While the timing of Christ’s second coming is uncertain, the fact of it is not (see Matthew 25:37-44).

Matthew emphasizes the need

for watchfulness with three parables spanning 24:45 to 25:30 (the parables of the “Faithful and Unfaithful Slaves” [24:45-51], the Ten Virgins [25:1-13], and the “Talents” [25:14-30]). All three parables deal with the delay of Christ’s coming, and inculcate preparedness for it. Matthew 24:4551 cautions against negligent and immoral behavior which a church leader might tend toward when he realizes there is a delay.

The parable of the “Ten Virgins” uses the scene of a wedding as a backdrop. In Matthew 9:14-15, Jesus, when confronted by disciples of John the Baptist about the former’s disciples’ laxity regarding Jewish fasting customs, Jesus answers parabolically by asserting that wedding guests do not fast when the bridegroom is present.

The wedding in both Matthew 9:14-15 and 25:1-13 is an image for the Messianic time. The ten virgins know that the wedding is to take place, but the bridegroom’s arrival is delayed. The five wise virgins are certain the wedding will take place, though they know not when the bridegroom will arrive, but they prepare accordingly by ensuring they have enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The maintenance of the burning lamps is a symbol of vigilance. The five foolish ones become lethargic in the delay (symbolized by their falling asleep) and do not have enough oil when the time comes. In their unpreparedness, they miss the arrival of the bridegroom and are locked out of the wedding. The oil in the lamps represents good works disciples should undertake during the time of delay and never weary of doing those. The foolish virgins thereby serve as a warning not to develop a shortsighted

a

piety which does not face the fact of postponement (John P. Meier, The Vision of Matthew: Christ, Church and Morality in the First Gospel, p. 172).

The parable of the talents develops the theme of the need for watchfulness presented in the parable of the ten virgins (see 25:13). Being watchful means being active, i.e., working with the goods of the kingdom which have been entrusted to one. More specifically, the talent in the parable is a unit of money. The English word “talent” for “gifts” and “abilities” comes from this parable, because that is what the units of money symbolize.

God gives us gifts and abilities, and we are expected to use these continuously in preparation for the Lord’s coming. Moreover, the increase of the talents represents our growth and development as disciples.

With the moral warnings and exhortations completed, the discourse shifts to the great scene of the last judgment (25:31-46).

While the parables of the Ten Virgins and Talents emphasized the need to be engaged in acts of

service, especially by using our God-given gifts, the scene of the Last Judgment in Chapter 25 gives greater specificity to the activities the parables before it exhort. When Jesus returns, after an uncertain amount of time, he will wield royal authority and judge whether or not people have properly prepared for the coming of the Kingdom. Those who have not actively ministered to others in need will be separated from those who did; the former

will go to eternal punishment, the latter to eternal life.

We are into the 21st century since the birth of Jesus and his return has still not occurred. The curiosity of the world as to whether or not this event will happen arises today, even as it did in the first century.

The lesson of Matthew 25 is to keep believing that the Lord will return as universal king and judge and to anticipate that event with vigilant service.

uestions Q n o i t c e Refl

coming of the second of y you? la e d long ks, affect e a e th sp s e t o n d e m n How New Testa which the of t, tively is r h C lf to be ac se r u o y e iv s? When you perce good work y b g in n How do m ’s co regard? ng Christ c in this gi r a anticipati th le w called to do you gro and how ur society o d n a h c ur and ou, our ch r brothers y u o re a of w ss o e nH e needin address th dgment? assess and the last ju of n o ti a anticip sisters in

15

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www.bayoucatholic.com

ScriptureReadings and a listing of Feast days and saints

Monday

6

Tuesday

Wednesday

1 November 2

Thursday

10

4

Saturday

Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Malachi 1:14b—2:2b, 8-10 1 Thessalonians 2:7b-9, 13 Matthew 23:1-12

11

12

Weekday Romans 11:29-36 Luke 14:12-14

Weekday Romans 12:5-16b Luke 14:15-24

8

Weekday Romans 13:8-10 Luke 14:25-33

Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 1 Corinthians 3:9c11, 16-17 John 2:13-22

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the church Romans 15:14-21 Luke 16:1-8

Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, bishop Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 Luke 16:9-15

13

14

15

16

17

18

Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin Wisdom 1:1-7 Luke 17:1-6

Weekday Wisdom 2:23—3:9 Luke 17:7-10

Weekday Wisdom 6:1-11 Luke 17:11-19

Weekday Wisdom 7:22b— 8:1 Luke 17:20-25

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, religious Wisdom 13:1-9 Luke 17:26-37

Weekday Wisdom 18:14-16; 19:6-9 Luke 18:1-8

20

21

22

23

24

25

Weekday 1 Maccabees 1:1015, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 Luke 18:35-43

27

Weekday Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 Luke 21:1-4

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2 Maccabees 6:1831 Luke 19:1-10

28

Weekday Daniel 2:31-45 Luke 21:5-11

Memorial of Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr 2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31 Luke 19:11-28

Weekday 1 Maccabees 2:1529 Luke 19:41-44

Memorial of Saint Andrew DũngLac, priest, and companions, martyrs 1 Maccabees 4:3637, 52-59 Luke 19:45-48

29

30

1 December 2

Weekday Daniel 5:1-6, 1314, 16-17, 23-28 Luke 21:12-19

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Feast of Saint Andrew, apostle Romans 10:9-18 Matthew 4:18-22

Weekday Daniel 7:2-14 Luke 21:29-33

5

Sunday

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop Romans 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29 Luke 14:1, 7-11

7

16

9

3

Friday

Weekday 1 Maccabees 6:1-13 Luke 20:27-40

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Wisdom 6:12-16 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Matthew 25:1-13

19

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 Matthew 25:14-30

26

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, king of the universe Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 Matthew 25:31-46

3

November

Holy Father’s prayer intentions

Evangelization

To witness to the Gospel in Asia. That Christians in Asia, bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions.

See www.apostleshipofprayer.org 17

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Guest Columnist Margie Duplantis

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The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) was established in 1970 with the primary goal to carry out the Gospel of Jesus Christ to bring good news to the poor, liberty to captives, new sight to the blind and set the downtrodden free …

(Luke 4:18).

CCHD is the domestic antipoverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops. CCHD works to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities.

Economic development initiatives help create new businesses and jobs.

CCHD offers a hand up, not a hand out. CCHD has a complementary mission of educating on poverty and its causes. This dual pastoral strategy of education for justice and helping people who are poor speak and act for themselves reflects the mandate of Scripture and the principles of Catholic social teaching.

CCHD also provides the Catholic faithful with concrete opportunities to live out the love of God and neighbor in ways that express our baptismal

SINCE FAST st Intere Free cing Finan

Catholic Campaign for Human Development ‘helps people help themselves’ call and continuing eucharistic transformation.

CCHD is one of the most widely supported collections and initiatives of our Bishops’ Conference. CCHD helps our church in the United States practice what we preach about human life and dignity, social and economic justice, solidarity and the common good in local communities across our country.

Pope Francis speaks to the mission of CCHD: “The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites. It is fundamentally in the hands of peoples and in their ability to organize. It is in their hands, which can guide with humility and conviction this process of change. I am with you.

Each of us, let us repeat from the heart: no family without lodging, no rural worker without land, no laborer without rights, no people without sovereignty, no individual without dignity, no child without childhood, no young person without a future, no elderly person without venerable old age” (Pope Francis, Address at the World Meeting of Popular Movements, Bolivia).

Our own Bishop Shelton J. Fabre serves on the CCHD committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and helps

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oversee the program. “I encourage everyone to support CCHD, which has been wonderful to community organizations in our diocese – making a real difference,” says Bishop Fabre.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is made possible by the generous support of Catholics in the United States, especially through an annual parish collection in November.

CCHD’s grants to local anti-poverty efforts are screened, awarded and monitored in close partnership with our own Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

By getting involved with CCHD you can make a difference. Please donate. Your generous support, in the parish collection and throughout the year, is vital to CCHD’s anti-poverty mission and creates real change. Pray for those who give and receive CCHD support.

As a diocese let us join hearts and voices in assisting those in need as we strive to become missionary disciples.

For more information visit www. povertyusa.org or call Catholic Charities at (985) 876-0490.

(Margie Duplantis is the associate director for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s Parish Social Ministry.)

Tub to Shower Conversions Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

STEVE DECELL

Aging-In-Place Consultant

One Install day ation

Walk-in Tubs

Copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: © Matthew Busch/CCHD. Copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: © Matthew Busch/CCHD. Copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: © Matthew Busch/CCHD.

Copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: © Matthew Busch/CCHD.

The collection will be held on November 18 and 19, 2017 Thank you for your generous support.

Guest Columnist Father André Melancon

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Growing up, I would often hear from people, “the older you get, the more time flies.” I have seen that to be true. This past year has definitely flown by and I am quickly approaching the one year anniversary of my mother passing away. As you can imagine during this past year, I have thought about my mother quite often. I have had times of sadness missing her greatly and I have had times of deep gratitude thanking the Lord for giving me such an amazing mother.

My mother taught me many things, but one of the greatest things that she taught me was to keep God first in my life and to strive to serve him every day.

My mother not only preached this but she lived it. My mother’s love for the Lord definitely had an impact on my decision to pursue the priesthood. As a vocations director, one of the things we try to work toward is building a culture of vocations. One of the ways that this culture is fostered is by families making God the most important part of their families.

A family that prays and strives to keep God first is a family that has great potential to produce vocations.

Growing up, I never remember my mom specifically encouraging me to be a priest. In fact, when I first started to talk to her about the idea, she was not too excited about the prospect. My mom was a protector and I think she felt that priesthood could be a difficult life and she tried to protect me from it. But, she knew in the end, I had to follow what I felt the Lord was calling me to. Even though my mom never encouraged

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Building a culture of vocations ‘A family that prays and strives to keep God first has great potential to produce vocations’ the priesthood, she encouraged holiness. She taught me by example to listen to the Lord, and it was from this listening that I was able to hear God’s voice.

I think above all, what my mother desired for me was happiness. I think she knew deep inside that if God was calling me to be a priest, then the only way that I could truly be happy was to follow the call. So she did not stand in the way and she gave me her blessing to join the seminary. I remember during my first summer parish assignment as a seminarian, she came to visit and listen to me give a talk at the parish. I remember after she heard me give the talk and saw me with the people of the parish, something clicked in her and she was able to truly see, my son is happy.

She of course would always tell me, “Andre, if this is not for you, know that you can do something else.”

But she supported me 100 percent.

Upon entering the seminary, I wrote a prayer and made a prayer card with the prayer for my mom, and my mom would always remind me that she prayed that prayer every day. It was a prayer for the mother of a seminarian. Knowing that my mom was praying for me helped me to persevere through the difficult times of seminary.

My mom enjoyed watching me in my journey through seminary.

She would often come and visit and she enjoyed when I would bring brother seminarians to visit her.

She of course looked forward to the

day that I would be ordained. If you look at pictures of my mom at my ordination, it was not hard to see that she was proud of her son. After I became a priest, you could often find my mom in the front pew for my Mass and getting involved at the parish I served.

Two years after I was ordained, my mother found out that she had cancer. She underwent treatment and went into remission. But, about a year ago, she found out that her cancer had returned. I now had the difficult challenge to be both son and priest, and walk with my mother as she prepared to die.

While this was not easy to do, it was one of the greatest gifts I could possibly imagine giving my mother.

I was able to celebrate Mass several times with my mom during her final days and offer her the sacrament of anointing of the sick. My mom slipped from this life to the next as we finished our last Mass together.

I then was able to celebrate her funeral Mass with over 50 of my brother priests and two bishops.

I share this story with you to encourage you to strive to foster a culture of vocations, especially in your family. My family was not perfect but it was a family where the Lord was present. I know that as the culture of vocations in our diocese continues to grow, we will see more young people hear the call of God to give their life to him.

(Father André Melancon is the diocesan director of the Office of Vocations.)

2017-2018

DEACON PAUL BIRDSALL DEACON JOEY LIRETTE

BRETT LAPEYROUSE

PATRICK RIVIERE

RUSTY BRUCE

4th Theology Notre Dame Seminary Sacred Heart, Cutoff

4th Theology Notre Dame Seminary Saint Joseph, Chauvin

3rd Theology Notre Dame Seminary Saint Joseph, Chauvin

3rd Theology Notre Dame Seminary Saint Thomas Aquinas, Thibodaux

2nd Theology Notre Dame Seminary Sacred Heart, Cutoff

DANIEL DUPLANTIS

JAMES ROME

DAVIS AHIMBISIBWE

NICHOLAS LECOMPTE

CALEB ANDERSON

2nd Theology Notre Dame Seminary Saint Louis, Bayou Blue

JOSEPH LAPEYROUSE

Junior Saint Joseph Seminary Saint Francis de Sales, Houma

2nd Pre-Theology Notre Dame Seminary Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Golden Meadow

DYLAN LIRETTE

Junior Saint Joseph Seminary Saint Thomas Aquinas, Thibodaux

Bishop Shelton Fabre DIOCESE OF HOUMA-THIBODAUX

Father Brice Higginbotham ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS

1st Pre-Theology Notre Dame Seminary Saint Bridget, Schriever

MATTHEW PROSPERIE Junior Saint Joseph Seminary Saint Ann, Bourg

Senior Saint Joseph Seminary Annunziata, Houma

Junior Saint Joseph Seminary Saint Joseph, Chauvin

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?

How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

Romans 10:14-15 Father André Melançon

Father Mitch Semar

FOR NOTRE DAME MAJOR SEMINARY

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS FOR SAINT JOSEPH MINOR SEMINARY

Father John David Matherne

Father Joseph Tregre

DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS

http://www.htdiocese.org/vocations

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF VOCATIONS

21

Marian Fertitta

STUFFED MIRLITONS

Marian Cooks:

DELICIOUS

STUFFED MIRLITONS Story and Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

INGREDIENTS:

6 medium to large mirlitons 1 medium onion 2 cloves garlic 1/2 medium bell pepper 1 stalk celery 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cups gumbo size shrimp, peeled and deveined sprinkle with 2 tsp. each of granulated onion, garlic and Season All. Set aside.

Salt and pepper to taste Optional - 1 bay leaf and tsp. Old Bay seasoning 2 slices of bread Italian bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:

22

This month’s heavenly recipe, shrimp stuffed mirlitons, comes from Marian Fertitta, retired Catholic school superintendent. It’s her mom’s recipe that has been handed down for the past three generations. Marian is one of nine children who were raised on the Rienzi Plantation where her father was an overseer. “Both of my parents were wonderful cooks. My mom would cook for the family in the kitchen at home and my dad would cook big meals for large groups, mostly men coming back from hunting trips,” she says.

While she enjoys cooking, her favorite task in the kitchen is baking. “I love to bake homemade pies and cookies. I especially like making homemade pie crusts. I will also bake cakes occasionally.”

She says her 86 year old sister Lucille, who still walks a mile every day and has nine children of her own, shared her secret to cooking, and that is to pray to the Blessed Mother when you cook and your food will be good.

Marian has been married to Joe Fertitta for the past 47 years.

Marian was a school teacher for 25 years. She taught grades 4 through 6 at South Thibodaux Elementary School. “I loved the classroom. I taught kids who became doctors, lawyers and successful business people. It’s when you have those who struggle at first and later do well that you see advancement in the classroom. Those were rewarding times.” Marian worked for the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools for 10 years. She was an assistant superintendent for five and superintendent for another five years before she retired in 2016.

Marian attributes her love for the Catholic Church to her parents. “My faith is everything to me. My parents instilled in us the need for the church, how to pray and how to trust people. We would also pray the rosary as a family. In fact, all of my siblings get together once a month for a meal. Before we eat, we gather and pray the rosary together. We have been doing this for the past 32 years,” she says.

Marian and Joe raised two children, Jay and Katie. The close knit family enjoyed happy times until tragedy struck when their son Jay was killed in an auto accident at 23 years old. “Your faith, family and friends are what get you through a tragedy or adversity in life. In one year I lost my son Jay, a Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Place mirlitons in a large pot, cover with water and boil approximately 30 minutes or until tender when slightly squeezed. Remove mirlitons and let cool. Slice each in half, remove the seed and scoop out leaving a 1/2 inch around the sides. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Chop onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic finely, keeping the garlic separate. Place the olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add onion, bell pepper and celery, stir to coat. Sauté until the onions become clear, add the garlic and continue to cook until the mirliton is smooth and everything is blended. Add the shrimp, season with salt, pepper and other optional seasoning if desired. Cook approximately five minutes until shrimp are pink. Break the bread into pieces and add to mixture. Blend well.

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grandchild and a brother.

My faith has deepened from those experiences. Everyone supported us during that terrible time. I pictured the Blessed Mother when she saw her son crucified. I leaned on her to help me get through that time. I have a big devotion to the Blessed Mother.”

Her advice to anyone going through a time of grief and loss is to go before the Eucharist and ask God to heal your heart.

Talk about the loss to others. She says it’s good to talk about the experience. “I had many people to talk to about it. Lean on those who are there for you and talk about it.”

Marian enjoys the life of a retiree. Since her retirement she started oil painting classes, is active in the Chamber of Commerce, is a Lafourche Parish school board member and helps her daughter with her three grandchildren in various ways including bringing them to school in the morning. She and Joe also love to exercise.

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Life and Legacy

Guest Columnist Father Glenn LeCompte

I 24

In recent times cremation of the mortal remains of a human being has become increasingly favored by people in general and Catholics in particular. While the church does not see the cremation of people’s bodies in and of itself as contrary to Christian faith, the church offers specific instruction on cremation and its relationship to funeral liturgies.

Priests, deacons and others who assist bereaved families, who are either attempting to carry out the wishes of the deceased or are choosing to have the remains of their loved ones cremated, are obliged to communicate the church’s preferences with regard to cremation. Very often the first time people get this information is at the time when funeral arrangements are being made. The communication of these guidelines at such a time can be awkward. In order to help everyone to be informed about the church’s guidelines regarding cremation, I offer answers in this article to some “frequently asked questions.” I have also included a couple of questions regarding eulogies and funerals at area funeral homes.

Let me begin, however, by reviewing the history of the development of the church’s instruction on cremation. On July 5, 1963, what was then called the “Holy Office” of the Vatican issued an instruction which stated “that no longer should the sacraments and funeral rites be denied to those who have asked that they be cremated, under the condition that this choice has not been made through ‘a denial of Christian dogmas, the animosity of a secret society, or hatred of the Catholic religion

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

‘Sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body’ Some FAQs on cremation and funeral liturgies LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

and the church.’” The church has acknowledged that sometimes the faithful may be permitted to choose the cremation of a deceased person due to “sanitary, economic or social considerations” (Instructio Ad Resurgendum cum Christo No. 4 [August 15, 2016], Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). It took a number of years, however, for the church in the United States to gain an indult from the Holy See to allow cremated remains to be present at funeral liturgies and to develop appropriate instruction and prayers for such liturgies.

With the necessary instruction and prayers provided in an appendix to the Order of Christian Funerals for dioceses in the United States, Catholic Churches were permitted, subject to the discretion of the bishop of each diocese, to begin celebrating funeral Masses with cremated remains present as of Oct. 4, 1997.

1. How does the church regard the human body, especially with regard to funerals?

Before we get to questions about cremation we have to understand the church’s teaching regarding the treatment of the human body at the time of death. The church regards the human body as sacred.

“The body of the deceased brings forcefully to mind the church’s conviction that the human body is in Christ a temple of the Holy Spirit and is destined for future glory at the resurrection of the dead” (Order of Christian Funerals, Cremation Appendix [hereafter, OCFCA] No. 412).

2. What is the preference of the church regarding the presence of the human body at the funeral liturgy?

“The church prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the church affirms in those rites” (OCFCA No. 413). Therefore, it is preferable that, if a body is to be cremated, the body be present at the funeral liturgy and

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Life and Legacy the cremation and committal take place after the liturgy.

3. May a funeral liturgy be celebrated in the presence of cremated remains?

The answer to this question is a qualified “yes.” “The celebration of the funeral liturgy, including Mass, in the presence of the cremated remains of the body of a deceased person is permitted in the dioceses of the United States of America under the following conditions”: (OCFCA No. 426). a. That the cremation not be inspired by motives contrary to Christian teaching ... .” b. That the diocesan bishop has not judged such a practice pastorally inappropriate.

In addition, it should be noted that “although cremation is now permitted by the church, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body” (OCFCA No. 413).

Put succinctly, cremation, while permitted, is not the preferred option of the church, because of the church’s reverence for the human body and the necessity of the 26 respectful disposition of it at death.

The decision to cremate the body of a deceased person should be considered an exceptional choice.

4. Should it be necessary to have cremated remains at the funeral liturgy, how should they be presented?

“The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come. This includes the use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes, the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and the final disposition” (OCFCA No. 417).

5. May cremated remains be kept in one’s home, divided among family members, or scattered on the ground or in bodies of water?

“The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium.

The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition that the church requires” (OCFCA

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No. 417). In addition, in the State of Louisiana, it is illegal to scatter cremated remains in state waters.

6. What about eulogies being delivered at funerals?

OCF No. 27 states “there is never to be a eulogy.”

A bishop, priest or deacon delivers a funeral homily following the Gospel reading. The homily is to focus on God’s compassionate love and the paschal mystery, and should also aid the assembly in understanding the application of God’s love and the benefits of Jesus’ victorious resurrection to the situation of the deceased and the gathered assembly.

With regard to family members or friends speaking at the funeral liturgy, in place of a eulogy they may offer “words of remembrance” regarding the deceased.

In the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux these “words of remembrance” may be offered before the funeral liturgy begins or perhaps at a wake service for the deceased.

7. May the funeral liturgy be celebrated at a funeral home for the sake of convenience?

According to Canon 1177 (Code of Canon Law), the most appropriate place for a funeral liturgy is the parish church where deceased persons celebrated their faith or at least where they geographically resided.

For good reason other Catholic Churches may be used for funerals. According to the policy of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, funerals may take place at funeral homes in exceptional situations, and in such a case the rite of funerals outside of Mass is to be used. Funeral Masses are not permitted in funeral homes in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

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Life and Legacy

Guest Columnist

A 28

Charlene Foret

As I peer around the table, there are 10 people seated. Everyone has their own story and their own personal loss. We come together once a week. Our purpose is to find comfort and understanding throughout our journey of grief.

Some have lost spouses. Others have lost children. For some, their grief journey started just a few months ago and for others a few years ago. It is a time to lean on others for support and to seek strength through our faith.

We seek a “new normal” in our personal lives within our world that has been turned upside down.

It is comforting to have the support of others after the death of a loved one. Support groups provide knowledge and a trusted place to share feelings.

It is encouraging that more bereavement groups are being formed. I am currently leading my fourth bereavement group. The first one was for parents who were grieving the death of a child. I was drawn to organizing such a group because I too experienced the pain of losing a child. My son was 12 years old when he was killed in an accident coming home from school.

The second group was a general group that was open to anyone who sought support after the death of a loved one. The grieving participants in that group were varied: surviving spouses, parents mourning the death of a stillborn child, people who lost a sibling or a parent. Although everyone grieves differently, there are similarities in the grieving process. A support group of this nature reaches out to help others continue to live their lives on the new path set before them.

My husband and I received a monetary blessing about two years ago. My husband wanted to

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Bereavement groups assist in the mourning process

make a donation in thanksgiving. I mentioned to him that the church could really use the grief support program, Grief Share. He was in total agreement, and we purchased the program for St. Bernadette Church parish in Houma. Little did I know that within that year, I would be taking part in that program as a “surviving” spouse.

Almost 50 years into our marriage, my husband without warning passed away after an operation.

Mid-way into participating in that group, I became not only a regular member but also a facilitator of the group. As I mentioned before, I am now leading my fourth bereavement group. There exists a special connection today with each of these beautiful people who are willing to gather together and share their painful stories of loss and seek comfort from others.

Bereavement groups are created to assist others in all aspects of the mourning process. Besides “Grief Share,” the diocese reaches out in

a variety of ways to those suffering the loss of a loved one. “Grief Share” locations are listed on their website, www.GRIEFSHARE.org. Because each session focuses on a different topic, one can join in a group at any time. Our group follows the “Grief Share” format. The program includes video presentations that are followed by discussion questions. The presentations cover the situations and feelings that are common to those who are grieving.

The topics covered address the frequent occurrence of experiencing intense pain as well as the feeling that one is going “crazy.” Another topic covers what to do with your loved ones’ belongings. Many within the group deal with the material possessions left by their loved ones at different points in the grieving process. There is no specific time period in which this must be done.

It’s important that our family and friends know that everyone grieves differently and there is no time line.

However, if a person is not

a

moving forward in their grief, counseling is a path they may want to consider. Other topics are: how to deal with comments from others and the big question of “why.” Whatever avenue is used to join a bereavement group, the issues of grieving are the same among the group members, and they are the ones who bring life to the gatherings.

Grief is something many, if not all of us, experience in our human lives. It is the consequence we pay for loving someone. There are times that the journey within grief is bearable, and other times it leads us suddenly into a dark valley. As a surviving spouse, one is now labeled a widow or widower. The identity as a spouse is stripped away. The word “alone” now takes on such a personal and sometimes cruel meaning. I remember an insurance agent telling me, “Sign here, under single. You are no longer married.”

Sometimes people not meaning harm can pierce your heart bringing you to the point of sudden tears and experiencing your loss as if it just happened all over again. To suffer the loss of a child touches the

depth of one’s spirit and soul. Your child will always be a part of your life, and the thoughts of what he/ she would have grown up to become are always present in your mind.

Furthermore, having lost a parent, a sibling, a friend or a grandchild brings a sorrow to our heart that we seek to place in God’s hands and ask for strength to move forward.

I feel that we are all called to use our gifts. As a school counselor, I have been trained as a group facilitator. I have walked and am walking the path of grief with the loss of significant family members.

These grief filled experiences inspire me to reach out to others. I am open to the Lord using me. I pray that in some way, I can be a help to others.

In return, my groups have been a blessing to me.

Within each of our lives, we carry our faith in the Lord and the treasured memories of our loved ones.

(Charlene Foret is a school counselor at St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School in Houma and a facilitator of the Grief Share program at St. Bernadette Church parish.)

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Life and Legacy

Justilia’s favorite day of the year Guest Columnist

I 30

Mary Ann Terrebonne

I want to talk about a very special lady, Justilia “T-Ya” Charpentier Adams of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church parish in Golden Meadow. Justilia, who is from a very humble beginning, is a woman with a very deep Catholic faith. Later in life, she had the means and was able to

Justilia C. Adams

travel the world. Her favorite trips were to the Holy Land, which she visited several times. Her mother taught her the most beautiful prayers in French which she would recite to bus groups on her many pilgrimages to holy places.

What touches my heart the most is what she does and has been doing for many years ahead of All

Saints Day, her favorite day of the year: cleaning and painting tombs that were either neglected or abandoned in different cemeteries in the area and of course taking care of the tombs of her relatives.

In the early years, her husband John used to help her until his health started failing. I found out recently that she is unable to do this anymore because of her legs, so she hires and pays painters to do it. These painters bring her to the cemeteries and from her wheelchair she directs them and tells them what to do. Her daughter Anne tells me that sometimes she still does paint a few strokes.

Our Lord says what we do for others, we do in his name. I feel like Justilia is paving her way to heaven. She never talks about what she is doing for others. The only way you know is if you see her doing it. She just feels like it is something she needs to do.

Justilia will be 90 years old this November 23, so Happy Birthday Justilia; you are some special lady.

I am happy to call you my friend.

(Mary Ann Terrebonne is a lifelong parishioner of St. Joseph Church parish in Galliano.)

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Life and Legacy

Grief is messy

By Jennifer Fulwiler A week ago last Saturday I witnessed a terrible motorcycle accident in the neighborhood. I was the first person to check on the victim, and was not prepared for what I would find. The young rider had died instantly, but the scene was like something out of a war zone. When the police arrived, even veteran officers were shocked.

I was not able to recognize the young man, and spent the evening in sorrow and shock for him and for his family, whoever they were.

32 It would all be magnified the next morning, when I found out his identity. He was our neighbor, the 21-year-old son of the family just a few doors down from us.

As I went through last week, going to the wake and the candlelight vigil and the funeral, crying with neighbors on the sidewalks, at the mailbox, and sometimes right in the middle of the street, I tried to find some way to use this experience to help others. As a writer, I decided I would come up with a list of tips to help those who grieve. Though my own sorrow is minuscule in comparison to what this wonderful young man’s family is suffering, I thought perhaps I could glean something from it that would give others insight into the experience of someone who has experienced a sudden and shocking loss. Also, since I was struggling to know how to offer comfort to the family of our young neighbor, I could use these lessons to better serve them during this difficult time. The post would be titled something like X Gentle Ways to Help Those Who Grieve, and it would be a wealth of practical advice for what to do, and what not to do, to most effectively Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

help someone in the depths of loss.

I would quickly find that it’s not that simple.

The first tip was going to be, Don’t make them make decisions; decide what would be helpful and just do it. I jotted that one down when I found myself utterly overwhelmed by offers to help. I was touched to the point of tears by the warmth of my friends, family and neighbors who were kind enough to reach out to me, in addition to offering to help the victim’s family. But I often completely froze up when faced with a choice. Did I want people to bring meals? Watch the kids? Help with laundry? I just didn’t know, and would get extremely stressed out trying to make those decisions.

But then a sweet friend picked me up for a surprise afternoon out, making the decision for me that we should have a girls’ day to get together. It’s something I normally would have enjoyed, but I simply couldn’t handle it in my condition, and my poor friend almost had to deal with a full-on panic attack during what should have been a nice day. So I scratched Don’t make them make decisions, and changed it to Let them make decisions about how they want to be helped. Not 10 minutes later, I found myself frozen with new choices about what assistance I might need, and I changed it back to Don’t make them make decisions.

Almost everything I wrote down, I would eventually contradict. Let them be alone was quickly replaced

by Don’t let them be alone. Don’t ask them how they’re doing was edited through tears to Ask them how they’re doing, then back to the original. Don’t pressure them to talk about it was erased; so

was Encourage them to talk about it and Ask if they want to talk about it.

As I have experienced from being in both roles, the person who grieves feels broken and raw, but the person who hopes to comfort those in grief carries her own cross too, the heartache of feeling powerless to take away the suffering of those she cares about.

Everyone touched by a tragedy is transformed in some way, and the process of transformation is sometimes painful. A terrible loss, especially one that was unforeseen, thrusts those who mourn and the community around them into a crucible of the human experience in which the facades that shield us are burned away, and our innermost selves are left vulnerable and exposed. And when we’re all walking around in that state, bumping into each other as we bumble around, trying to heal, trying to help, trying just to get through the rest of the day, it’s going to be messy.

And so I never could come up with a good list of tips. What helps one person may not be what helps another; what helped someone this morning may not be what helps him this afternoon. The only two pieces of advice that I never scratched out were Pray and Hope. If you’d like to comfort someone who is mourning, pray for him, for the soul of his lost loved-one, and for guidance for yourself that you might know how best to serve him. And hope. Hope not only that everyone involved will experience healing and renewed faith, but that we will all one day come together again, in the place where there is no grief.

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T 34

The new drug

Ryan Abboud

Today, the world is plagued by a new, highly invasive and addictive drug. This new drug is impacting roughly 85 percent of humans, and statistically, the odds are that it is affecting someone that is very close to you. This new drug is dangerous; however, it’s not being sold on street corners in bad neighborhoods, and it isn’t being manufactured in laboratories. Access to this drug is much easier than that. All it takes is for an individual to open their phone or laptop, conduct a simple Google search, and there it is: right in front of your eyes. The world’s newest and most threatening drug: pornography.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself that the viewing of pornography is an old and longstanding practice that’s been going on for years; what’s all the fuss about nowadays? Well, in reality, this pornography that we combat today is far different from the “magazine under the mattress” pornography of old. Today’s pornography is much more easily accessible and more intrusive due to the rise of the internet. Studies show that the average age an individual is first exposed to pornography is at 11 years old. Twenty years ago, an 11-year-old would not be able to ride their bike down to the local magazine shop to pick up the latest issue of Playboy.

But now, 11 year olds can find a smartphone, tablet, or computer and have an overabundance of genres or categories at their fingertips.

Since the rise of the internet is setting access to pornography ablaze, it’s important that there’s an open dialogue between science and society about how this is affecting individuals who are exposed and are actively viewing porn. Studies show that pornography is affecting the human brain in some pretty drastic ways. The American Psychiatric Association released a study that likened the response from porn viewers to those of individuals that are addicted to hard drugs. When viewing pornography, the brain releases high levels of dopamine which almost results in a type of “high.” This obviously can lead to addiction just as any hard drug can.

Studies have also been conducted on the social effects of pornography and how it affects the relationships that we have with others. A study by a doctoral professor at the University of Oklahoma turned results that indicated that the viewing of pornography is effecting marriages now more than ever. When looking at younger married couples, the study showed that the viewing of pornography was the second largest indicator of the quality of that marriage. Pornography is even believed to have the

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

ability to skew brain functions. It’s believed that the viewing of porn can “rewire” the brain and cause it to reduce sexual intimacy down to an act of body parts rather than an act of love. This, in turn, can have effects on selfishness since the act of viewing pornography is solely self-gratifying. All of these factors contribute to the greater ideology that pornography is essentially altering how we interact with others, especially those of the opposite sex.

All in all, there’s no doubt that the rise of internet pornography is affecting us as a society, and it will continue to do so until the facts are made public. This topic is typically very taboo and can be incredibly difficult to talk about, but it’s extremely critical that we engage in conversation about the rise and harmful effects of pornography with those around us. This includes our spouses, younger siblings, friends, and especially our children. The spreading of information on the topic starts with each and every one of us, and it’s up to us to inform each other about the lasting effects of the new drug that infects our world.

(Ryan Abboud is a 2015 graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma and a junior at LSU in Baton Rouge.)

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Book Reviews

The Store Reading with Raymond Raymond Saadi

By James Patterson & Richard Dilallo Little, Brown $27 The Store, an eerie, mysterious, fulfillment center in Nebraska, stocks nearly everything and ships quickly. A New York couple, determined to write a book unveiling the secrets of the store, gets hired and soon find they’re in a “1984” nightmare where their every move is monitored.

The family is torn apart and when hubby attempts to escape, he can’t count on even his wife and kids.

Origin Goodness and Light Readings for Advent and Christmas Orbis $16 An anthology of readings perfect for the Advent Season, by a collection of distinguished writers: Thomas Merton, Pope Francis, Richard Rohr, John Cheever, Harper Lee, Father James Martin, Leo Tolstoy, Brian Doyle and many others.

The Midnight Line

By Lee Child Delacorte Press $28.99 Jack Reacher steps off his bus at nowhere-in-particular, spots a woman’s West Point class ring in a Pawn Shop window, assumes she’s in distress, and determines to find her. Later, the woman’s identical twin and the detective she hired to find her sister join him. But first, Reacher has to deal with four hoodlums with other ideas. Four against one; just the odds he likes.

By Dan Brown Little, Brown $29.95 Robert Langdon, Harvard professor of symbology and religious iconology, anxiously awaits the revelation by a former student and now futurist, who claims to have discovered answers to two of the fundamental questions of human existence. Before the revelation, chaos erupts, sending Langdon on a perilous quest to discover the password that will unlock the secret.

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Max Perkins Editor of Genius

By A. Scott Berg New American Library $18

This book inspired the motion picture, Genius, Perkins’ remarkable friendship with author Thomas Wolfe. Perkins also brought to light the great talents of Hemingway, Fitzgerald and others and is shown to be a colorful and affectionate personality whose personal life story is as fascinating as some characters created by the writers he helped make famous.

The True Story of the Bilderberg Group

By Daniel Estulin TrineDay $24.95 Estulin’s exposé of the secret meetings of The Bilderberg Group of bankers, CEO’s, media bigwigs and high government officials takes us up to only June 2008, but this new edition warns of “covert and overt machinations propelling us to a North American union, an insidious idea proposing to do away with our sovereignty for the sake of economic efficiency … .”

Lists and photos of attendees are included. www.bayoucatholic.com

Youth

in action

36

To be Christ-like is to be humble When contemplating the word disciple, the most common answer heard is to be a follower of Jesus Christ. But what does that truly mean? To be a true disciple means to be a good Christ like Christian leader and to lead by example with a humble heart. In the book of James in the New Testament, it says, “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:17). To be a disciple is to keep the Catholic faith alive in everyday situations. It’s not just about going to Mass every Sunday, but rather putting it into action, leading by example, whether it’s helping those in need or taking care of your family. The first thing to remember is that the root of faith is not in the church alone, but also in our own homes. Lead by example for Christ, as Catholics want to live as much like Christ as we can with a humble heart, and that alone will draw people back to the Catholic faith. A real close priest friend once told me, “It’s never about well said, it should always be about well done” (Father Mitch Semar).

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

One person that I feel is a good disciple is Mr. Dwaine Caro (owner of Caro’s Cakes in Bayou Blue).

Everything he does is through Christ with a humble heart and out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ.

That’s what it means to be a good Christian leader: to make all your decisions in life for our Lord Jesus Christ with a humble heart. It is when we humble ourselves that we truly see Jesus Christ the most.

The easiest way to be like Christ is to humble myself. Jesus humbled himself so much, that he gave his life for us. Each morning I wake up before sunrise and go for a long run in silence. For it’s in silence when the Lord speaks to us most. As I run,

Jonathan Daniel Moore School: McNeese State University, Lake Charles Grade: First time freshman Church parish: St. Louis, Bayou Blue Describe your family unit: My parents are Paul and Pamela Moore. I have three brothers: Jason, Jared, Jordan Favorite Hobbies: Bass fishing, running, lifting weights, but most importantly going to Mass.

Favorite Movie: Field of Dreams Favorite Genre of Music: Country and Christian Worship

I allow the Lord to put whatever he needs on my heart either for that particular day or something down the road. Whatever it may be, I go out and I do it. It could be something simple or it could be extremely difficult, but in the end I know the Lord will take care of me and get me where I need to be in life.

The hardest time for me to follow Christ’s example is in a college environment. In the college environment not too many people understand the true meaning of being Catholic, but it is in those tough moments when he’s challenging us to rise up and defend his name.

To energize my faith I take part in an active prayer life. It consists of prayer before my morning run, midday prayer when I sit for lunch, and night prayer after a long day of class and long hours of studying. It’s all about maintaining my relationship with Jesus Christ and doing his will; after all, he is our savior and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him.

Seminarian Education Burses What is a seminarian burse fund?

A seminarian burse fund is an invested sum of money where the interest is used in perpetuity to help fund the education of men to the priesthood in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

How does someone establish a seminarian burse fund?

Very simply, a burse may be established and named for anyone you choose, be it family, friend, bishop, priest, deacon, religious, etc.

When is a seminarian burse complete?

A seminarian burse fund is complete once it reaches $15,000. If you choose to continue to contribute, a new burse will be created for you.

Who do I contact to contribute to or establish a burse fund?

To contribute to or establish a burse, send funds to the Pastoral Center, Attn: Seminarian Burse, P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395 or call Darby Robichaux at the Office of the Bishop at (985) 850-3124 for more information.

Completed Burses of $15,000 each Anonymous Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Bienvenu Harry Booker Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux (3)* Mr. Eledier Broussard Rev. Adrian J. Caillouet Rev. James Louis Caillouet Bishop L. Abel Caillouet Judge & Mrs. L.P. Caillouet Msgr. Lucien J. Caillouet Abdon J. & Ada B. Callais Harold & Gloria Callais Family Paul A. Callais Peter W. Callais Vincent & Fannie Cannata Minor Sr. & Lou Ella Cheramie

Note: Numbers stipulate the amount of completed burses.*

Maude & Edith Daspit Mr. & Mrs. Caliste Duplantis family (3)* Clay Sr. & Evelida Duplantis C. Remie Duplantis Marie Elise Duplantis Warren J. Harang Jr. Msgr. Raphael C. Labit Msgr. Francis J. Legendre Rev. Charles Menard Dr. & Mrs. M.V. Marmande & Family Donald Peltier Sr. (3)* Harvey Peltier (30)* Richard Peltier The Peltier Foundation (5) Orleans & Louella Pitre

Msgr. Joseph Wester Robert R. Wright Jr. Rev. Kermit Trahan St. Bernadette Men’s Club Diocesan Knights of Columbus Leighton Delahaye Mrs. Shirley Conrad Bishop Shelton J. Fabre Elizabeth Hebert Callais Family Fund Rev. Joseph Tu Tran Society of St. Joseph Endowment Fund - $119,136.90 James J. Buquet Jr.

Sept. 2017 Burse Contributions Msgr. William Koninkx ............ $200.00 Mr. & Mrs. George C. Fakier .. $200.00 Rev. Gerard Hayes ..................... $100.00

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Open Burses with Balance as of September 30, 2017 Sidney J. & Lydie C. Duplantis ......................$13,000.00 Donald Peltier Sr. No. 4 ....................................$13,000.00 Joseph Strada Memorial ..................................$12,642.63 Msgr. Raphael C. Labit No. 2 ........................$11,320.00 Harvey Peltier No. 31 ........................................$10,486.91 Joseph Waitz Sr. ...................................................$10,100.00 Clay Sr. & Evelida Duplantis No. 2 ..............$10,000.00 C. Remie Duplantis No. 2 ................................$10,000.00 Marie Elise Duplantis No. 2 ............................$10,000.00 Maude & Edith Daspit No. 2 .........................$10,000.00 Msgr. George A. Landry ...................................$10,000.00 Claude & Lucy Mahler Family .......................$10,000.00 Mr. & Mrs. George C. Fakier ............................ $9,800.00 Elie & Dot Klingman ............................................ $9,140.00 Rev. Victor Toth ..................................................... $7,000.00 Msgr. William Koninkx ........................................ $6,800.00 Brides of the Most Blessed Trinity ................ $6,598.00 Rev. Peter Nies ....................................................... $6,000.00 Catholic Daughters .............................................. $5,995.00 Rev. Guy Zeringue ................................................ $5,600.00 Msgr. Francis Amedee ........................................ $5,150.00 Rev. Gerard Hayes ................................................ $5,086.00 Mr. & Mrs. Love W. Pellegrin .......................... $5,000.00 Anonymous No. 2 ................................................. $5,000.00 Mr. & Mrs. Caliste Duplantis Family No. 4 ... $5,000.00 Rev. William M. Fleming .................................... $5,000.00 Mrs. Ayres A. Champagne ................................ $5,000.00 Rev. Kasimir Chmielewski .................................. $4,839.00

Joseph “Jay” Fertitta ............................................. $4,450.00 Rev. Henry Naquin ............................................... $4,311.00 Harry Booker No. 2 .............................................. $4,138.00 Msgr. James Songy .............................................. $4,075.00 Anawin Community ............................................. $3,700.00 Kelly Curole Frazier ............................................... $3,610.96 J. R. Occhipinti ........................................................ $3,400.00 Mr. & Mrs. Galip Jacobs ..................................... $3,060.00 St. Jude ....................................................................... $3,000.00 Diocesan Knights of Columbus No. 2 ......... $2,894.62 Rev. Peter H. Brewerton ..................................... $2,600.00 Mr. & Mrs. John Marmande ............................ $2,500.00 Warren J. Harang Jr. No. 2 ................................ $2,400.00 Willie & Emelda St. Pierre ................................. $2,000.00 Rev. H.C. Paul Daigle ........................................... $1,900.00 Deacon Connely Duplantis .............................. $1,675.00 Alfrances P. Martin ............................................... $1,650.00 Preston & Gladys Webre ................................... $1,650.00 Msgr. Francis J. Legendre No. 2 ..................... $1,645.00 Rev. Robert J. Sevigny ......................................... $1,600.00 Rev. John Gallen .................................................... $1,600.00 Rev. Hubert C. Broussard .................................. $1,550.00 Msgr. Emile J. Fossier .......................................... $1,545.00 Dr. William Barlette Sr. ........................................ $1,525.00 Msgr. Stanislaus Manikowski .......................... $1,525.00 Deacon Robert Dusse’ ........................................ $1,450.00 Jacob Marcello ....................................................... $1,400.00 Msgr. John L. Newfield ....................................... $1,200.00

Rev. Anthony Rousso .......................................... $1,200.00 Rev. Joseph Tu Tran No. 2 $ ................................1,094.00 Judge Louis & Shirley R. Watkins .................. $1,050.00 Ronnie Haydel ........................................................ $1,035.00 Rev. Clemens Schneider .................................... $1,000.00 Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux No. 4 .............. $1,000.00 Msgr. John G. Keller ............................................. $1,000.00 Edna W. DiSalvo ........................................................$800.00 Deacon Willie Orgeron ..........................................$800.00 Ruby Pierce ..................................................................$800.00 Deacon Roland Dufrene ........................................$750.00 Juliette & Eugene Wallace ....................................$700.00 Deacon Edward J. Blanchard ...............................$700.00 Deacon Raymond LeBouef ..................................$550.00 Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Cannata ..............................$500.00 Robert Walsh ..............................................................$500.00 Bernice Harang ..........................................................$600.00 Dean Joseph Chiasson ...........................................$400.00 Anne Veron Aguirre .................................................$380.00 Deacon Harold Kurtz ...............................................$300.00 Richard Peltier No. 2 ................................................$300.00 Claude Bergeron .......................................................$250.00 Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Naquin ....................................$150.00 Deacon Pedro Pujals ...............................................$100.00 Deacon Eldon Frazier ............................................... $ 50.00 Deacon Nick Messina .............................................. $ 50.00 Rev. Warren Chassaniol .......................................... $ 50.00

Overall Seminarian Burses Total: $1,675,858.02 www.bayoucatholic.com

St . Thomas Aquinas

Bayou Patrons

Patron Saint of Catholic universities, colleges, schools and students Story by Janet Marcel 38

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

C

Continuing our Bayou Patrons series, this month’s featured saint is Thomas Aquinas, philosopher, theologian and doctor of the church. Although he lived less than 50 years, he is said to have composed more than 60 works, some of them brief and some very lengthy.

Thomas is believed to have been born in the castle of Rocca Secca in the old county of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1225. As was customary for the time, Thomas began his education at the age of five with the Benedictine Monks at Monte Cassino.

In about the year 1236, he was sent to the University of Naples by the Abbot who recognized the boy’s talents. It is said that he soon surpassed his masters’ knowledge of grammar, logic, natural sciences and mathematics. While studying in Naples, Thomas met John of St. Julian, a Dominican preacher, who influenced him to join the recently founded Dominican Order.

Sometime between 1240 and 1243, he received the habit of the Order of St. Dominic.

When Thomas’ family learned of this, his mother went to see him in Naples. The Dominicans feared his mother would take him away and arranged for him to be moved to Paris.

When Thomas was traveling to Paris, his brothers captured him and returned him to their parents at the castle of Monte San Giovanni Campano where he was held captive in the castle for almost two years while his family tried to put an end to his vocation. However, while he was there, his mother relented somewhat and allowed him to study the Scriptures, Aristotle’s Metaphysics and the Sentences of Peter Lombard.

He was allowed to return to the Dominicans in 1244 and was sent to study under Albertus Magnus, the most renowned professor of the order. He was raised to the priesthood around 1250 and he frequently preached the Word of God. His sermons were said to be forceful, pious, full of solid instruction and abounding in fitting citations from the Scriptures.

In 1252, Thomas earned his master’s degree in theology and in 1257 he received a doctor of theology degree. From this time on, Thomas’s life consisted of praying, preaching, teaching, writing and journeying. People were more anxious to hear him than they had been to hear Albert, whom Thomas surpassed in accuracy, lucidity, brevity, and power of explanation (http://www.newadvent.org).

In 1265, Thomas was summoned to Rome to serve as the papal theologian and was later ordered by the Dominican Chapter of Agnani to teach at the studium conventuale, which was the first school to teach the full range of philosophical subjects of both moral and natural natures.

He continued to write and released several more books until 1268 when he was called to Paris for a second teaching regency. He was named regent master again and stayed there until 1272.

At the conclusion of his regency, the Dominicans called Thomas to establish a university wherever he wanted with a staff of whomever he wished. He established the

a

39

university in Naples and took the regent master post.

In 1273, Thomas was seen by the sacristan Domenic of Caserta to be crying and levitating in prayer before an icon of the crucified Christ at the Dominican convent of Naples, in the Chapel of Saint Nicholas. During this prayer, Christ is said to have told him, “You have written well of me, Thomas. What reward would you have for your labor?” Thomas replied, “Nothing but you, Lord” (http://www.catholic.org/saints).

Following this exchange, something happened that Thomas never wrote or spoke of. He stopped writing and, when he was urged to continue his writings, replied, “I can do no more.

Such secrets have been revealed to me that all I have written now appears to be of little value” (http://www.newadvent.org).

Pope Gregory X called for a general council to convene in Lyons in May 1274, where Thomas’ works for Pope Urban IV would be presented. While journeying to the meeting, Thomas fell ill. He was escorted to Monte Cassino to recover and then he set out once more. Unfortunately, he became ill once again and stopped at the Cistercian Fossanova Abbey, where the monks cared for him for several days.

He received his last rites there and died on March 7, 1274.

His remains were placed in the Church of the Jacobins in Toulouse on Jan. 28, 1369. His original feast day was March 7, the day of his death, but because the date often falls within Lent, a revision of the Roman Calendar changed his feast day to January 28, the date his relics were moved to Toulouse.

Pope John XXII canonized Thomas on July 18, 1323. Pope Pius V declared him a doctor of the church in 1567, saying Thomas was “the most brilliant light of the church.” Leo XIII declared him “the prince and master of all scholastic doctors” in 1879.

In the 16th century, the university in Paris where Thomas often taught was renamed the College of Saint Thomas, and in the 20th century it was relocated to the convent of Saints Dominic and Sixtus before being transformed into the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (http://www. catholic.org/saints).

Father Andre Melancon, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church parish in Thibodaux since June 2013, says he has always had a devotion to St Thomas Aquinas. “Going through my courses in the seminary, almost all of them involved us readings texts from St. Thomas. He was probably the most brilliant mind the church has ever known and he has contributed much to the way we see and experience God and the church. Since being named pastor of St. Thomas, I do pray to him often to intercede for me to be a holy priest who leads the people with charity and truth. St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Student Center was named after him because it is a university parish. The church was consecrated on his feast day in 1965.”

Saint Thomas is often depicted in art with an open book or writing with a quill. He is the patron saint of all Catholic universities, colleges, schools and students. www.bayoucatholic.com

Father Domingo Cruz retires after 44 years of active ministry Story by Janet Marcel Photo by Lawrence Chatagnier Father Domingo (Ding) Cruz, a native of Hagonoy, Bulacan, Philippines, recently retired after 44 years of active ministry in the priesthood.

As a young child living in a fishing camp where his father and mother worked, he says he was basically a gofer, running errands for the other workers in the camp. His father was a fisherman and his mother would sell the fish caught by fishermen in the camp.

When he was about nine years old, his great uncle (his grandfather’s brother) who was a priest came to get him and brought him to live with him at his rectory. While he lived at the rectory, Father Cruz went to school and had to earn his keep doing chores around the rectory, serving as an altar boy, ringing the church bells, cleaning the church, etc. After five years his great uncle died and he was sent back home.

His family was very poor and couldn’t provide for his schooling so he went back to being a gofer in the fishing 40 camp until someone who had known his grandfather provided him with an opportunity to finish high school at the Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary High School.

Father Cruz says the time he spent with his great uncle as a child was one of the main influences on his decision to become a priest. He graduated from San Carlos Seminary in the Philippines and was ordained a priest Dec. 1, 1973.

If he hadn’t become a priest, Father Cruz says he probably would have been a caretaker at a fishing camp near the ocean like his parents.

He came to the United States in 1990 as part of an exchange program. He met (the late) Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux, first bishop of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux, and asked him if he could transfer to the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. The bishop told him yes and in 1995 he was incardinated to this diocese.

Father Cruz says what he has enjoyed most about being a priest is just being with good people. The most challenging aspect of being a priest for him was that he was very truthful and he always spoke his mind; some people didn’t like that, he says.

“Celebrating any of the sacraments … anointing of the sick, holy orders, marriage, and especially the Eucharist … brings me joy,” says the priest.

While in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Father Cruz served as associate pastor at St. Joseph CoCathedral in Thibodaux, St. Bernadette Church parish in Houma, St. Gregory Church parish in Houma, and Holy Savior Church parish in Lockport. He also served as pastor at St. Lawrence the Martyr Church parish in Kraemer and St. Bridget Church parish in Schriever.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Father Domingo Cruz looks at a framed crucifix depicting Christ with his right arm missing. He views it as Jesus saying you are now my right hand to do my work. Father Cruz says he uses this image to remind him of this in his priestly ministry.

Now that he’s retired, Father Cruz plans to continue celebrating Masses in different places throughout the diocese and visiting the homebound. He has six brothers and he goes home every year to visit them and his other relatives in the Philippines.

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Diocesan Events

www.bayoucatholic.com

November

n St. Martin de Porres Mass for Black Catholics, Nov. 3, 7 p.m., St. Lucy Church, Houma. n Holy Hour of Adoration for Men, Sunday, Nov. 5, 7-8 p.m., Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Nov. 7, Ellendale Country Club Restaurant, 3319 Highway 311 in Houma, 10:45 a.m.-12:45

December

n Holy Hour of Adoration for Men, Sunday, Dec. 3, 7-8 p.m., Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Dec. 5, Ellendale Country Club

January 2018

p.m. Speaker, Rev. Jean-Marie Nsambu. n TEC 79 Retreat, begins Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. until Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m., at Lumen Christi Retreat Center’s Souby Building in Schriever. n American Indian Mass of Thanksgiving, Nov. 17, 6:30 p.m., St. Charles Borromeo Church, Pointe-aux-Chenes.

Restaurant, 3319 Highway 311 in Houma, 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Speaker, Father Alex Gaudet.

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n Holy Hour of Adoration for Men, Sunday, Jan. 7, 7-8 p.m., Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Jan. 9, Ellendale Country Club Restaurant, 3319 Highway 311 in Houma, 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Speaker, TBA.

n Jr. High Faith Experience Adult Night of Praise, Friday, Jan. 12, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., E.D. White Catholic High School, Thibodaux. n Jr. High Faith Experience, Saturday, Jan. 13, 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., E.D. White Catholic High School, Thibodaux.

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Kayla LeBlanc, Andrea Martin and Chastity Pitre of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School in Houma are pictured with Kyle Bourgeois, representing First American Bank & Trust.

Erica Annis of St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School in Houma is pictured with Kim Elfert, representing Coastal Commerce Bank.

Lacie Picou, Katie LeBouef and Terry Pitre of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School are pictured with Bill Barbera, representing United Community Bank.

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Catholic schools grant winners announced

All Catholic school teachers in the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux were given an opportunity to compete for mini-grants that were awarded recently at the diocesan Educators Conference which is sponsored annually by the Catholic Schools Office. Teachers who submitted the five winning grants were presented with $500 each. Funding of the grants was made possible

by Coastal Commerce Bank, First American Bank and Trust, Morgan City Bank and Trust, Synergy Bank and United Community Bank. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre and Suzanne Troxclair, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools, are pictured with each of the grant winners.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

The Office wishes to thank these sponsors of the 2017 Teacher Grant awards.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Catherine Cali of Holy Cross Elementary School in Morgan City is pictured with Emily Berry, representing Morgan City Bank & Trust.

Ashley Alcazar of St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Thibodaux is pictured with Jerry Ledet, representing Synergy Bank.

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Local Catholics urged to participate in

, Nov. 28

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux and the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana have joined forces with 17 other dioceses to host its second annual #iGiveCatholic giving day on #GivingTuesday, November 28. #iGiveCatholic is a 24-hour online giving challenge that celebrates the work of Catholic schools, ministries, parishes and other charitable organizations affiliated with the participating dioceses and also helps to celebrate all those who give throughout the diocese. Throughout the giving day, from midnight on November 28 until the stroke of midnight on November 29, Catholics can go to iGiveCatholic.org/HoumaThibodaux and click on a specific ministry listed there to make a donation with their credit card.

Last year, the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux participated in its first #iGiveCatholic online giving day. Thirty ministries within the diocese participated and together were able to raise over $73,000 locally.

This year, the diocese has set a goal to raise $100,000. #iGiveCatholic is held each year in conjunction with #GivingTuesday, which is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely 44 recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday; #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-ofyear giving.

All Catholic schools, parishes and ministries affiliated with the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux (i.e., included in the Catholic Directory) are invited to participate as recipients of donations if they meet the three requirements: 1) complete and submit a commitment form; 2) attend an #iGiveCatholic training session; and 3) register their organization online at iGiveCatholic. org.

A total of $6,750 will be available in prizes to participating organizations within this diocese as an extra incentive to participate. The prize money is funded by local diocesan #iGiveCatholic sponsor, Cortec, LLC. While Catholics represent 38 percent of the HoumaThibodaux population (about 91,000 people) and are charitable, non-Catholics who believe in the work of the various Catholic ministries in the area are invited to give as well.

The #iGiveCatholic campaign helps to bring in new donors who have not given to Catholic institutions before and create relationships with them, especially with the younger generation, while also giving current donors a way to easily give to their favorite Catholic entity. “#iGiveCatholic is a tremendous way for our diocese to come together as one and join forces to raise funds for the great work our church parishes, schools and ministries do each day. Our Foundation will be offering great prizes for participating diocesan entities that Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Amy Ponson, the executive director of the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana, led a training session for those who will be participating in #iGiveCatholic’s giving Tuesday.

have been made possible by our sponsor, Cortec, LLC,” says Amy Ponson, executive director of the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana. “I am excited that we have a number of new church parishes on board with us this year. This online giving day is a great way for our ministries to share their story, in addition to the ability for people to make a huge impact as a unified effort.

Even a donation of $25 will make a huge impact.”

For more information about #iGiveCatholic, go to iGiveCatholic.org/Houma-Thibodaux, email cfsl@ htdiocese.org or call (985)850-3116.

Support Bayou Catholic by participating in #iGiveCatholic on #GivingTuesday

Tuesday, November 28th 1

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

2

3

Select Bayou Catholic

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Providing a legacy of faith for future generations

Catholic Foundation Update Amy Ponson

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The Bayou Catholic magazine will feature a monthly update from members of the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana’s board of directors that will also answer questions regarding the Foundation.

What is the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana?

The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana is a nonprofit organization that is separate from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux that promotes, encourages and assists individuals, families and businesses in giving to Catholic entities within the South Louisiana region. It is the mission of the Catholic Foundation to ensure long-term financial stability for charitable, religious and educational institutions of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. By working closely with parishes, schools, and individual donors, the Catholic Foundation makes giving simple and meaningful. The Catholic Foundation is run by a board of directors, comprised of church, civic and business leaders with representation from across the diocese.

What’s been happening?

The Foundation recently made its first distributions from its already established endowments. Over the past several years through the diocesan capital campaign several general endowments and named endowed funds were established for entities within the Diocese of Houma Thibodaux including seminarian education, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma Thibodaux, Vandebilt Catholic High School and Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church parish (OLPS) in Chackbay.

These endowments have been invested and managed by the Catholic Foundation with the intent to make an annual distribution to each beneficiary.

The Foundation gifted $43,410 to Catholic Charities,

$5,733 to Vandebilt, and $1,073 to OLPS based on their collective endowments.

Benefits of the Catholic Foundation Our Foundation is here to assist donors in making charitable giving simple and impactful for parishes, schools and ministries. We are committed to being a resource for all to give through the Foundation to their church parish, school or nonprofit of choice.

Following are a few great benefits of giving through the Foundation to a diocesan entity.

Faith Perhaps the most important reason to choose the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana is because we are Catholic. We understand the stewardship and spirituality of our Catholic heritage and the unique desire of the Catholic soul to provide a legacy of faith for future generations.

45 Leadership The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana is governed by a board of faithful and committed laypersons, religious and clergy and is comprised of highly respected legal, financial and accounting professionals.

Knowledge The Foundation has the tools to assist donors in planning their charitable giving in a way that best suits them whether that is through a planned gift, endowment, donor advised fund or simply a charitable donation to multiple entities within our diocese.

Trust Partnering with the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana ensures that your intent as a donor is protected forever.

Service As active members of the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana’s philanthropic family, all donors can expect the highest level of service from the Foundation.

Convenience The Foundation makes giving simple by supporting multiple organizations through a single source.

Foundation board members include Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, Charlotte Bollinger, chairman; James J. Buquet III, vice chairman; Bill New, secretary; Bonnie Babin, Bill Barbera, Jerald Block, Gloria Callais, Rene David, Pat Pitre, Father Greg Fratt and Very Rev. Mark Toups, V.G. For more information regarding the foundation, go to catholicfoundationsl.org or contact Amy Ponson, executive director, at aponson@htdiocese.org or call (985) 850-3116. www.bayoucatholic.com

Jim Goodell, a facilitator for Good Leaders, Good Shepherds, fields a question from Very Rev. Clyde Mahler, V.F., pastor of Holy Cross Church in Morgan City, during a session at the Lumen Christi Retreat Center.

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Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program helps priests understand themselves as well as brother priests, parishioners Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier As part of the diocesan strategic planning process, the priests of the diocese have begun participating in the Catholic Leadership Institute’s Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program, which is designed to help priests overcome today’s challenges of a diminishing number of clergy and more complex circumstances for priestly ministry.

This opportunity was made possible through a generous donation from Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger, who says he had been in discussion with the Catholic Leadership Institute for some time trying to find the right “fit” for his involvement. “When Bishop (Shelton J.) Fabre approached me about my getting involved in leadership training for the priests of our diocese, it seemed to be a perfect way for me to get involved.”

The Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program includes six sessions which began in September and will continue with its final session in August 2018.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Bollinger was able to meet with Bishop Fabre and the priests at a social during the first session of the program. “It was wonderful watching and listening to the priests explain how much they were getting out of the program. It made me feel that we are meeting our objectives and accomplishing what we set out to accomplish with this program,” says Bollinger.

Those who participated in the first session expressed how the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program will help them in their ministry to the Catholic faithful of the diocese as well as their brother priests. Below are some of their comments.

“Something that I learned that I will use is how we all respond out of our own personality and disposition, and to assist and accompany one another we must be aware of what the other person is utilizing in their own personality to respond,” says Bishop Shelton J. Fabre.

“This process (Module I) has been a compact,

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NOW LEASING

Priests of the diocese who are participating in the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program gather during a social attended by Donald “Boysie” Bollinger and his sister Charlotte Bollinger. The Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program was made possible in the diocese by a generous donation from Bollinger.

intense, but enjoyable and informative journey. It has helped me understand myself better as well as my brother priests and parishioners. I better appreciate our differences, their complementarity and ways to work with others in good times and in times of apparent conflict,” says Father Joey Pilola, pastor, Maria Immacolata Church parish, Houma.

“The time spent with my brother priests is a big influence for me as I continue to learn how I am being called to live. Growing in these friendships unites us as a presbyterate and a diocese, where the labels of foreign or native, old or young cease to divide, and the priesthood of Jesus Christ is revealed for us all to experience. This bond will change our priests, our parishes, and ultimately make us better ministers of the faithful,” says Father John David Matherne, associate pastor, Sacred Heart Church parish, Cut Off. “This experience has been so valuable to me. I have a deep love for my vocation and the people of God and to receive tools to better live out my call to love as a shepherd is one of the best gifts I can receive,” says Father André Melancon, pastor, St. Thomas Aquinas Church parish, Thibodaux.

“Our common experience and the common vocabulary we learned as brother priests is a great aid to priestly unity and pastoral efficacy,” says Father Brice Higginbotham, associate pastor, Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma.

“I learned about the tension between the person I think I am and the person I think others want me to become,” says Father Evelio (Toto) Buenaflor Jr., pastor, St. Gregory Church parish, Houma.

“A skillset has to be in tune with a mindset,” says Father Gregory Fratt, pastor, Sacred Heart Church parish, Cut Off. Bollinger says he hopes the priests will be able to take away tools to help them become better and more focused leaders of their flock. “Leadership traits are not taught in the seminary, and they don’t necessarily come naturally, but priests are expected to be good leaders. The parishioners look up to them for spiritual leadership, but also for being leaders for the church.

Hopefully, Good Leaders, Good Shepherds will allow our priests to focus on those leadership issues to better serve their parish and parishioners.”

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Junior High Faith Experience is Jan. 13 Story by Janet Marcel The diocesan Office of Youth Ministry’s 10th annual Jr. High Faith Experience for youth in grades six through eight will take place Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux. Doors open at 9:15 a.m.

The theme for this year’s event is “Go Make Disciples.” Steve Angrisano will be the keynote speaker. Music will be provided by Abundant Praise.

“Today’s young people have a strong desire and seek out ways to be God’s love to the world around them. My prayer is that the young people who attend this year’s event will not only be reminded of the gifts they offer, but that they too are anointed by the Holy Spirit to go out into the world and spread the joy, peace, love and hope that can only be found in Jesus,” says Mike DiSalvo, diocesan director of the Office of Youth Ministry.

Steve Angrisano is undoubtedly one of the most 48 effective and versatile ministry leaders in the church today. Young and old alike embrace the passionate message of faith, hope and love woven throughout his music and storytelling. Always rooted in a spirit of humility and faithfulness, Steve’s easy, honest style of ministry is born from who he is: a committed witness to the life and love of Jesus Christ.

Steve’s unique blend of humor, song, story and interaction engage audiences of all ages. This makes him both a natural and popular choice for parish missions, youth conferences, and diocesan, national and world-wide events.

A veteran musician and composer, Steve has been featured at six World Youth Days, the National Pastoral Musicians Conference (NPM), the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, National Catholic Youth Conferences (NCYC), and many other national and international events (www. steveangrisano.com).

Schedule for the day is as follows: praise and worship/opening prayer at 10 a.m.; keynote speaker at 10:30 a.m.; lunch/outside activities at Noon; praise and worship at 2:30 p.m.; keynote continues at 3 p.m.; Mass at 4:30 p.m. Cost is $50 per person. Registration is due Friday, Dec. 15.

An Adult Night of Praise will be held Friday, Jan. 12 from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. at E.D. White Catholic High School for adults 21 years old and older who are involved in youth ministry throughout the diocese.

Schedule for the evening is opening prayer at 6:30 p.m.; dinner at 6:45 p.m.; keynote by Steve Angrisano at 7:30 p.m.; closing prayer at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $15 per person.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Steve Angrisano will be the keynote speaker for the 2018 Junior High Faith Experience.

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ORTHOPEDICS

Red Mass The annual Red Mass honoring all judges, lawyers and those in the legal profession was celebrated recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was the main celebrant and Very Rev. Eric Leyble, J.V., was the homilist for the Mass. Bishop Fabre is pictured with the area judges after the Mass.

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Hurricane Harvey outreach

As an outreach to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the parishioners of Sacred Heart Church parish in Cut Off not only contributed more than $10,000 to the diocesan special collection, but also went a step further and participated in a program called “Pack a Purse.” In addition to the second collection for hurricane relief, parishioners donated gently used women’s purses and men’s shaving kits filled with personal items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, baby wipes, brushes, combs, $5, a personal note and prayers.

Linton Charpentier and his son, Michael, drove to Katy, TX, to deliver over 180 ladies purses and 77 men’s shaving kits for displaced hurricane victims still living in a shelter. This initiative was sponsored by the Sacred Heart CYO.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Vandebilt Catholic High School announces academic scholars Gabe Hohensee

Madelyn Rodrigue

Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma recently announced national academic distinction for two of its seniors.

Gabe Hohensee and Madelyn Rodrigue have been officially named Commended Students from the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) and are ranked among the top 30 percent of PSAT scorers in the nation. They will join about 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation, who are recognized for their exceptional academic promise.

About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

(PSAT/NMSQT®.) A spokesperson for NMSC commented, “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in the nation.”

Vandebilt has a total of 43 students who have received a National Merit Scholarship Program honor. Gabe, the son of Becky and Garett Hohensee of Houma; and Madelyn, the daughter of Heidi and Michael Rodrigue of Houma; proudly continue the tradition of academic excellence that is distinctive of a Vandebilt education.

Local 13 year old is international KC Soccer Challenge champion Story by Janet Marcel Thirteen year old Rylee Reulet was named as an international champion in the 2016-2017 Knights of Columbus Soccer Challenge based on her score at the state shoot-off after being named the winner at the council, district, diocesan and state levels in the 12 year old category. The competition is designed for boys and girls age nine to 14 to demonstrate the most basic of soccer skills: the penalty kick.

The Knights of Columbus Council 8906 in Thibodaux was the host for the local competition.

Rylee, an eighth grader at Sixth Ward Middle School in Choctaw, has been playing soccer since she was five years old.

“Soccer is my way to escape everything; it’s my passion,” she says. “The second I walk onto the field I forget about everything. Soccer is what makes me happy.”

Regarding her accomplishment, she says she has never won anything like this. “I feel very excited and accomplished; it’s a feeling that I never thought I would have.”

Rylee Reulet receives her award for being the international champion in the Knights of Columbus soccer challenge.

Presenting her award is the Louisiana Knights of Columbus youth director Keith Gros with Lonnie Arceneaux, Grand Knight, Christ the Redeemer Council No. 8906.

Rylee plans to play soccer at Thibodaux High School next year and says that she is praying she will be able to play at the college level, also. She is the daughter of Olena and Dusty Reulet. They are parishioners of St. Lawrence the Martyr Church parish in Kraemer. www.bayoucatholic.com

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Food for the Journey is Dec. 5

Rev. Alex Gaudet

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux sponsors a monthly lunchtime speaker series on the first Tuesday 52 of the month at the Ellendale Country Club Restaurant located at 3319 Highway 311 in Houma.

The speaker for December 5 is Thibodaux native Rev. Alex Gaudet.

Father Gaudet currently serves as administrator of St. Ann Church parish in Bourg. He also served as associate pastor of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales Church parish in Houma and St. Genevieve Church parish in Thibodaux. He attended Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and was ordained to the priesthood May 30, 2015.

Those who plan to attend the Dec. 5th event should RSVP with their name, phone number and church parish by Thursday, Nov. 30th. To RSVP, email FoodForTheJourney@ htdiocese.org or call (985) 8503178.

Doors open at 10:45 a.m. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. The program begins at Noon with the speaker’s presentation from 12:10-12:45 p.m.

Cost is $15 and includes meal, drink and tip. Only cash or checks will be accepted.

All are invited to come “eat and be fed.”

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Holy Spirit Women’s Retreat Jan. 26-28 Dr. Mary Healy and Father Bill Henry will be featured at the annual Holy Spirit Women’s Retreat from Jan. 26-28, 2018, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Lafayette, LA. The theme for this year’s retreat, which is sponsored by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO), is “Gather in the Upper Room with Mary.”

Dr. Healy is highly acclaimed as an anointed minister of God’s power in the charismatic gifts. The last time she ministered in this region there were more healings than ever before. She is a professor of Sacred Scripture, author and preacher.

Father Henry is a well-loved pastor from Greenville, MS, who left a successful career in sales to embrace the call to the priesthood.

He has been involved with the Renewal for many decades and has a special anointing in prayer. He serves on the Conference Steering Committee and Marian Servants.

There will also be a Life in the Spirit Seminar presented by Deacon Larry Oney, his wife Andi and the CCRNO Team. Patti Mansfield will also be featured at this retreat.

Weekend and Saturday commuters are welcome. Register online at www.ccrno.org or call (504) 828-1368.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Annual American Indian Mass Nov. 17

The Annual American Indian Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, Friday, Nov. 17 at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Pointe-aux-Chenes, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This cultural heritage celebration will be followed by a reception at the KC Home. All are invited to attend.

Saint relics displayed When the eucharistic procession (“Foi de nos Péres”) was scheduled to stop at St. Charles Borromeo Church in the St. Charles Community recently, a veneration of the saints was planned. After the procession had to be cancelled, the parish displayed the collection of 164 saint relics from Father Joshua Rodrigue, St. Bridget Church, Father Mike Bergeron, Mary Boudreaux, Myra Blanchard and others.

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Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

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Church Life

Wedding Anniversaries 54

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre presided over the annual wedding anniversary celebration recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma, which honored 267 couples. Anniversary couples with the bishop are Tracy and Amy Baudoin, 25 years; Wade and Helen Bourg, 40 years; Louis and Judy Klingman, 50 years; and Donald and Anna Mae Banowetz, 60 years.

Diocese honors 267 couples

The annual diocesan wedding celebration which is sponsored by the Office of Family Ministries was held recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre presided over the prayer service where 267 couples celebrating 25, 40, 50, 60 or more years of marriage were honored.

25th Anniversary Celebrants Annunziata, Houma: Dave and Debra Domangue; Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Richard and Tina Lee Alston, Chris and Catherine Songe Butler, Robert and Candace Calongne Cuccia; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: Johnny and Danna Stevens Adams, Russell and Cathleen Becnel Richard; Holy Savior, Lockport: Jeffery and Mary Dufrene Perrillioux, Darrell and Tricia Boudreaux Thibodaux; Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Linwood and Kelley Lee Kiger; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Brent and Dana Barrios Bourgeois; St. Anthony of Padua, Bayou Black: Dr. Matt and Elaine Bourg Beyer; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: John and Wanda Kiffe Fos; St. Bridget, Schriever: Tracy and Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Amy Gray Baudoin, Ivy and Mary LeBlanc Louviere, Mark and Lori Dufrene Olin; St. Eloi, Theriot: Kendall and Cynthia Lindner Ruiz; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux; Brian and Stephanie Ledet Bergeron, Jude and Kellie Savoie Hebert; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Neil and Ramona Bonvillian Verret; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Brad C. and Angel Becnel Eschete; St. Joseph CoCathedral, Thibodaux: Martin and Donna Toups Bourgeois, Rickey and Paula Goff Broussard, Guy and Anne Labit Guidry; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Michael and Karen Robichaux McCoy, Shawn and Monique Robichaux Robert; St. Joseph, Galliano: Rod and Debra Moore Doucet, Timothy and Toni Cheramie Percle; St. Lawrence, Chacahoula/Gibson: Curtis John and Juanita Dupont Dupre; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: John and Catherine LeCompte Rochelle, Kelly and Kelley Toups Rodrigue; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Donald and Elita Babin Chester; St. Thomas Aquinas, Thibodaux: Charles and Gretchen Pfeffer

Caillouet, Jeffery and Connie Cheramie Daigle, Keith and Miriam Nicholas Matherne; 40th Anniversary Celebrants: Annunziata, Houma: Timothy and Francine “Franny” Cunningham Murphy; Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Manuel and Donna Johnson Lasala, Patrick and Darlene Boudreaux Pellegrin, Philip and Nonna Pitre Whitney; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: Louis III and Marie Guilliot Himel; Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Clark and Crystal Falgout Duplantis, Marty and Faye Authement Theriot; Holy Savior Lockport: Kevin and Felicie Guidry Matherne; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Dr. Clarence and Rhonda Stansbury Bergeron, Lannie and Karen Liner Picou; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Deacon Malcolm and Ellen Boudreaux Andry, Jonathan and Debra Lapeyrouse Chauvin; Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Wade and Helen Dufrene Bourg, Kirk and Nora Cheramie Defelice; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Dwight and Rhonda Bruce Gautreaux; St. Ann, Bourg:

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Leroy Jr. and Belinda Voisin Authement; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: Steve and Julie Johnson Michel; St. Charles Borromeo, Pointe-aux-Chenes: Blair and Janet Thibodaux LeBoeuf; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Vaughn and Rose Pitre Luquette; St. Eloi, Theriot: Stephen and JoAnn Falgout Louviere; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux: Rickey and Arleen Landry Aizen, Rodney “Frank” and Judy Cancienne David, Mark and Mary Anne Bergeron Truxillo; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Chris and Paulette Trosclair Alario, Glenn and Rhonda Griffin Dufrene; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Wilson Jr. and Joan Aubert Adams, Lester J. and Kitty Tabor Waguespack; St. Joseph CoCathedral, Thibodaux: Willard and Roberta Becnel Boquet, Carol and Maureen Kliebert Gravois, Thomas Michael “Mike” and Sarah “Sally” Marshall Masterson; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Brooks and Dianna Scallan Arceneaux, Ray and Mary Ann Theriot Chiasson, Michael and Penne Olivier Dornan, Roy and Laura Bueche Landry; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Joey and Marilyn Dufrene Champagne, Mark and Florence Benoit Dufrene, Patrick and Tammy Gervais Knight, Philip Jr. and Patricie Gauslin Monier, Alex and Theresa Price Picou, Timothy and Jacinta Foret Wisinger; 50th Anniversary Celebrants: Annunziata, Houma: Myron and Jean Bascle LeBoeuf; Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Robert and Marie Lirette Alsabrook, Ferrell and Susan Thibodeaux Grace, Louis and Mary Lou Domangue Routier; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: Clarence and Barbara Mire Benoit, Moise and Kathleen Benoit Johnson, Richard and Margaret Becnel Landry, Eugene and M. Bernadette Legendre Richard; Holy Cross, Morgan City: Deacon Vic III and Diane Caire Bonnaffee; Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Louis and Sarah Scott Barnes, Lawrence Jr. and Darla Adam Gautier; Holy Savior, Lockport: Charles and Mary Florence Foret Gaubert, Louis and Dorothy Arcement Guidry, Rodney and Marilyn Cheramie Hartman, Ronald and Nora Lagarde Orgeron,

Clyde and Gail McEvers Orgeron; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Travis and Kaye McCahill Lavigne, John and Cathy Bucher Telford, Gifford and Connie Custenborder Toups; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Raymond and Eva “Gail” Thibodaux Legendre, Emmett and Mary Clause Rodrigue, Donald and Agnes Folse Rodrigue; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Louis Jr. and Judy Landry Klingman; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: August and Ingrid Kiffe Bruce, Michael and Carol Griffin Danos, Harris and Ruby Terrebonne Lorraine; Sacred Heart, Montegut: Glenn and Patricia Hornsby Crochet; Sacred Heart, Morgan City: Nolden “Doug” and Hilda “Ann” Lirette Adams, Earl and Regina Bailey Duval, Charles and Peggy Cefalu Gowland, Lonnie and Sherrel Gros Landry; St. Ann, Bourg: Herman and Judith Thibodeaux Theriot; St. Anthony of Padua, Bayou Black: Robert and Brenda Gaudet Griffin, Jerome and Anna Dolores Hebert Mire; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: Albert and June Ledet Gonzales, Reggie and Becky Cohen-Richey Landry; St. Bridget, Schriever: Joseph and Amy Brown Richterberg; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Jeffery and Katherine Boudreaux Boudreaux, Harold and Kathleen Legendre Dore, Carrol and Judy Grabert Landry, Gary and Diana Thibodaux Zeringue; St. Eloi, Theriot: Enos and Jane Adams Theriot; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Paul and Elaine Dupre Scott; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: James and Linda Parks Badeaux, Norris and Lois Lambert Cantrelle, Winston and Diane Goff Gaston, Rodney and Bessie Champagne Hebert; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Henry J. Jr. and Carolyn Breaux Eschete, Deacon Ambrose and Linda Knight Ayzinne, Dr. Paul T. and Carol Cummings Gaudet, Ralph and Sarita Ledet Guillot, Bernard and Mary Gaudet Lafaso, Jerry and Mary Chiasson Marcello, Daniel “Lou” and Belle Naquin Toups, Ernest and Kathryn Picou Vicknair, Milfred and Sandra Scurto Zeringue; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Hubert and Lynette Dupre LeBlanc, Lloyd and Sheila Smith Thibodeaux;

St. Joseph, Galliano: Sharon and Thelma Cheramie Martin; St. Lawrence the Martyr, Kraemer: Kenneth and Marietta Mahler Becnel; St. Lawrence, Chacahoula/ Gibson: Kenneth and Lorena Pitre Arceneaux; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Russell and Ellen Breaux Malbrough, Arthur and Brenda Stewart Saunier; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Stephen and Joy Champagne Acosta, Keith and Katherine Bergeron Spahr, Robert and Sheryl Ayo Zerginue; 60th Anniversary Celebrants: Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Donald and Anna Mae Duet Banowetz, Essie and Marceline Landry Cavalier, Pierre and Donna Davet Lapeyre; Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Euland and Georgiana Martin Lapeyrouse; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Joseph Daniel and Nellie Gauthreaux Clement; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Kenneth and Elise Duplantis Decoursey; Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Charles and Winnie Plaisance Comardelle; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Whitney Jr. and Reba Danos Adams, Roland and LouAnna Crosby Guidry, 55 Woodrow and Janice Ledet Vega; St. Ann, Bourg: Andrew Jr. And Ernestine Lirette Pitre; St. Anthony of Padua, Bayou Black: Harrison and Melba Bergeron Gill; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: Robert and Genevieve Gaudet Bateman, John Warren and Rita Crochet LeBoeuf, Gary and Bonna Breaux LeCompte, Roy and Vera Brand Marcel, Gerald and Deanna Neely Martin, Wilson “Tut” and Barbara Sevin Rhodes; St. Charles Borromeo, Pointeaux-Chenes: Eura Paul and Mary Jane Brunet Dupre; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Jerry and Carol Aupied Guillot; St. Eloi, Theriot: Deacon Daniel and Enid Theriot Bascle, Chester and Shirley Temple Champagne, Wilbert and Claire Rose Voisin Champagne, Carroll and Adeline Luke Theriot; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Leroy and Joyce Foret Knight; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Ruben and Shirley Durocher Boudreaux, Francis and Joyce Fournet Thibodeaux; St. Joseph, Galliano: Claude and Deanna Dantin Blanchard, Calvin and Betty Barrios Bourg,

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Church Life Ernest and Geraldine Bruce Esponge, William and Annette Rousse Guidry, Clarence and Willa Mae Cheramie Rodriguez, Robert and Marilyn Orgeron Eymard; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Hartley and Mary Blanchard Dupre; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Carroll and Gale Sampey Foret, Charles and Beverly Robichaux Mallett, Milton and June LeCompte Robichaux; 61st Anniversary Celebrants: Holy Family, Grand Caillou: David and Fay Hood Harrison; Holy Savior, Lockport: Rodney and Laura Ordoyne Strevig, Sacred Heart, Morgan City: Dr. Melvin and Geri Biundo Bourgeois; St. Ann, Bourg: Donald and Betty Boudreaux Naquin; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: James and Shirley Sevin Bergeron, Allen “A.J.” and June Babin Collins; St. Bridget, Schriever: Andrew and Claire Gros Babin; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Magnal Sr. and Mildred Gilfour Martin; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Leroy and Frances Rodriguez Adams, Arthur and Vera Richard Cortez, Martin and Gwen Barbier St. Romain; 56 62nd Anniversary Celebrants: Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Eugene and Lorraine Leonard Folse; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Cecil and Evella Boudreaux Champagne, Camille and Betty Martin Dupre, Larry and Daisy Boudreaux Porche; Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Andrew and Loretta Comeaux Smith; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Numa and Melvina Schouest Breaux, Irvin and Dora Chabert Curole, Loyman and Mamie Eymard Melancon, E.J. and Katherine Curole Richardelle; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: Carroll and Ruby Daigle Dugas; St. Eloi, Theriot: Marvin and Loretta Young Marmande; St. Joseph, Chauvin: John Jr. and Emelda Collins Trahan; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Arlen and Lillie Blanchard Badeau, Warren and Joyce Babin Dufrene, Ricardo and Marion Babin Labat, Rudolph and Rose Guidry Robichaux; 63rd Anniversary Celebrants: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Henry and Frances Falcon Rodrigue, Norman and Geraldine Duplantis Voisin; Sacred Heart, Morgan City: Otis and Betty Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Lovell Rulf; St. Ann, Bourg: Kirby and Helen Muriel Hetherington Fabre, Berwick and Regina Crochet Olivier, Floyd and Anna Belle Foret Trosclair; St. Eloi, Theriot: John and Earline Brunet McElroy; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Norris and Joyce Bergeron Boquet; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Eugene C. and Ruby Naquin Blanchard; St. Joseph CoCathedral, Thibodaux: Boyd Sr. and LouAnn Richard Hebert; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Melvin Sr. and Norma Jane Stevens Duplantis, Eugene and Yvonne LeBoeuf Soudelier; St. Joseph, Galliano: Jimmie and Renamae Guidry Gisclair; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Eroy and Rosalie Robichaux Benoit, Virgy and Mary Bonvillian Estay, Clifford and Doris Arcement Lagarde, Ralph and Norma Babin Martin; 64th Anniversary Celebrants: Holy Savior, Lockport: Ed and Gloria Gravois Hicks; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Hartwell and Myrtle Babin Aucoin; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Emmett and Joyce Diana Chiasson Trosclair; St. Ann, Bourg: Leward and Margaret Bascle Boquet, Claude and Ezoline Robichaux Bourg; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Gleason and Shirley Gros Sanchez; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Nessey and Leona Cantrelle Adams; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Donald and Patricia Grimes Kliebert, Benjamin and Gertrude Champagne Matherne; 65th Anniversary Celebrants: Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Jack and Gertrude Belanger Butler; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Darwin and Geraldine Terrebonne Lafont; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Oneil P. and Annette Boudreaux Andras; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Dan and Robbie Guedry Leblanc; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Jimmie and Anna Mae Cheramie Plaisance; St. Eloi, Theriot: Raymond and Brunella Duplantis Brunet, Patrick and Thelma Brunet Duplantis; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Carlton M. and Rita Mae Trahan Falgout, Wade and Leah Lecompte Usé; St. Lawrence the Martyr, Kraemer: Callen and Ella Simon

Dempster; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Leonard and Alice Robichaux Borne, Larry and Daisy Perce Galjour; 66th Anniversary Celebrants: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Paul and Jeanette Boudreaux Luke; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Sterling and Inez Bourg Aysen; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Herbert and Rose Lee Brown Toups; St. Joseph, Galliano: Nolan and Flavia Toups LeBlanc; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Dudley and Betty Foret Adams, Harrison and Jeannette Gervais Matherne; 67th Anniversary Celebrants: St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Thomas and Rita St. Romain Robichaux; St. Mary’s Nativity: Joseph and Marie LeBlanc Champagne, Bolton and Cerota Foret LeBlanc; 68th Anniversary Celebrant: Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Richard and Jenny Defelice Rodrigue; 69th Anniversary Celebrants: Holy Savior, Lockport: Raymond and Marion Adams Birdsall; Our Lady of the Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Charles and Elsie Legendre Landry; St. Ann, Bourg: Curtis and Cecile Fanguy Fabre; St. Joseph, Galliano: James and Irma Cheramie Cheramie, Arsen Jr. and Doree Dufrene Lasseigne; 70th Anniversary Celebrants: Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Evans “Vince” and Miriam Bonvillain Hebert; St. Anthony of Padua, Bayou Black: George Harrell and Eloise Babin Cade; 71st Anniversary Celebrants: Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Weston and Doris Richoux Smith; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Claude and Merle Lapeyrouse Lirette; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Jackson and Loretta Marcel Chaisson; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Philip and Delta Sampey Monier, Camille and Aline Borne St. Pierre; 72nd Anniversary Celebrant: Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Evest Jr. and Mary Crochet Voisin; 75th Anniversary Celebrant: St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Joseph and Erline Ledet Toups; 77th Anniversary Celebrant: St. Ann, Bourg: Charley and Flavia Crochet Redmond.

Sports

The Black and Gold’s road to improvement is through the draft Overtime

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Ed Daniels

After a three year hiatus, the Saints are once again relevant.

The spike in quality of play comes after the club’s best draft since 2006.

In that draft, the headliner was running back Reggie Bush. But long after Bush departed, the Saints were getting outstanding play from guard Jahri Evans, and a pair of seventh round picks, wide receiver Marques Colston and offensive tackle Zach Strief.

Eleven years later, the Saints drafted two starters in the first round.

Cornerback Marcus Lattimore has a chance to be the best player at that position in franchise history.

Offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk has started games at both left and right tackle.

In training camp, Strief said this about Ramcyzk.

“The ideal scenario is for him to take over and keep the job for the next 10 years.”

In round three, the Saints three picks were running back

Alvin Kamara, linebacker Alex Anzalone, and pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.

That third round was the best third round since 1986.

That year, the Saints drafted running back Rueben Mayes, linebacker Pat Swilling, and running back Barry Word.

Word went on to be a very good player in Kansas City. One year later, Swilling and Mayes were lynchpins on the first Saints team to earn a playoff berth.

The 1986 draft also included offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski, and running back Dalton Hilliard.

The ’86 draft was the catalyst as the Saints reached the playoffs four times in a span of six seasons under head coach Jim Mora.

When Mora arrived in New Orleans in 1986, he inherited many of the players from the 1981 draft, the best in Saints history.

That draft included future Pro Football Hall of Famer linebacker Rickey Jackson, defensive lineman Frank Warren and Jim Walks, and tight end Hoby Brenner.

All four are members of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.

After six weeks of the season, only the 5-1 Philadelphia Eagles, and the 4-2 Los Angeles Rams have better point differentials in the

NFC than the Saints’ plus 29.

The Saints have paid dearly for poor drafts, and the bounty penalty imposed before the 2012 season.

The NFL forced the club to forfeit two second round draft picks.

The Saints didn’t have a first or second round pick in 2012. No player from the 2014 draft is on the current roster. And, the 2015 draft, with nine selections, has been solid.

One year later, the 2016 draft yielded defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, wide receiver Michael Thomas, and safety Vonn Bell.

Add the 2017 draft, and the Saints currently have more talented, young players on their roster in a decade.

The road to improvement isn’t complex.

A basketball coach knew this, even as his peers and the media were heaping praise upon him.

57 Under John Wooden, UCLA won 10 NCAA basketball titles from 1964 to 1975.

Wooden had many success axioms.

One of his favorites was ... the team with the best players usually wins.

The Saints are better and their play is a reflection.

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Giving Thanks

Galliano couple thankful for ‘divine providence’

Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier 58

“Divine providence” is how Tammy Plaisance, who along with her husband Donald owns Galliano Religious Supply House in Galliano, God’s Precious Word & Gifts in Thibodaux, and God’s Promises Books & Gifts in Houma, describes how they became involved in the religious supply business.

“I was having a bad day at my former job as a phlebotomist at Lady of the Sea Hospital when I stopped at Galliano IGA, which at the time was owned by Deacon Sam Burregi. I told one of his daughters that if Andre Constantine ever quit his job at the religious store, I wanted his job. Two months later, Joseph Burregi, who owned the religious store then, called and said ‘I heard you want to work for me … Andre is quitting and I was told you wanted his job.’ I didn’t even remember the conversation that I had with them on that day. But after thinking about it and praying about it, I accepted a job managing the shop.”

In June of 1991, she and her husband bought out the original owner of Galliano Religious Supply House, which had opened its doors in October 1986. They went on to open God’s Precious Word & Gifts in January 2001 and God’s Promises Books & Gifts in December 2004.

Tammy says that she has such awesome employees who treat her and her husband so well that it’s easy to treat them well, also. “I love these ladies who work for us. It’s like a big working family here.” They have a total of nine employees who work at all three stores.

Donald explains that in his daily routine of being in the store every customer has a different need. “I try to listen with my heart and not my head, because it could be their need is something simple or something deeper that may require a tissue. Their needs are very personal and they may just need an ear to listen. I try to use Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

this method of ministry even with the good, hardworking women that I am blessed to work with.”

Throughout the years there have been many ups and downs involved in owning and running a business, but Tammy says she has always taken the advice of Father Shenan Boquet, a priest of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux who is currently serving as president of Human Life International. “He told me once to ‘thank God every day, thank God on the good days and thank God on the bad days’ … and that’s what I do. I just trust in the Lord and pray for things to get better.”

Donald says he prays every day for his business … for prosperity, for his staff and for his customers. “If it hadn’t been for one of my former priests who taught me about prayer, I probably would have hung it up by now.

But, perseverance, God’s love and my customers help me get through each day.”

In recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to compete with online shopping, says Tammy, but the internet does not give you that one-on-one interaction.

“If you’ve lost someone, the internet is not going to cry with you; the internet is not going to rejoice with you over the birth of a grandchild. We share our customers’ sorrows and their joys.”

Donald says he is especially grateful that the communities of Galliano, Houma and Thibodaux have supported their businesses through the years.

“When I made the decision to open our second store in Thibodaux I was 41 and now I am 58. I am so thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to serve his people and hopefully to bring them closer to him, because that is my prayer every day … that we are able to change the lives of our customers all for the glory of God.” The businesses’ best-selling items are baby gifts, baptism gifts and books, statues and crucifixes.

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Tammy says she is also grateful for having a successful business all these years. “I am thankful for my workers and my customers. I love going to work; I love my job. I meet people on the best days of their lives and on the worst days of their lives and everywhere in between. It’s such a blessing; I can share my faith with my customers, some of who have become my friends. I don’t know of any other job where you can do that. My customers enrich me just as I hope I have enriched them.”

The Plaisance’s are members of the strategic planning parish implementation team and eucharistic ministers at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church parish in Golden Meadow. Tammy is also a member of the Ladies of Lasalette and the KC Ladies Auxiliary. Donald is an acolyte, a member of the parish council and the Knights of Columbus.

Donald and Tammy Plaisance

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y p p a H

We have a great selection of Gifts for family, friends, teachers, nurses, policemen, firemen, and special people in your life.

g n i v i g s k n Tha

Gift Certificates Available Free Gift Wrapping with any In-Store Purchase God’s Promises Books & Gifts

Galliano Religious Supply House

God’s Precious Word & Gifts

648 B Corporate Drive

18210 West Main Suite 13 (985) 632-3040 Galliano

601 St. Mary Street

(Behind Target)

(985) 876-1283 Houma

(Next to Politz)

(985) 449-0618 Thibodaux

Serving the Diocese since 1991

Donald & Tammy Plaisance, owners ~ Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9-5 Sat. 9-4 www.bayoucatholic.com

Giving Thanks

Guest Columnist Rev. Wilmer L. Todd

T 60

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of the year. It’s a time when family and friends to get together to celebrate life and give thanks.

It’s a time to stop and count our blessings. St. Paul tells us, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The following are some circumstances in which we should be grateful.

We thank God for the Spirit that gives us the strength, wisdom, power, and love to be the persons God calls us to be; for a faith that believes that when we seek, we will find; for answered prayers and the dream that will not die; for hope restored; for being able to surrender to what is and then to wait expectantly for what is to come.

We give thanks for the opportunities to bring joy, happiness and comfort to others; for the support and presence of loving sisters and brothers; for the loyal, loving companionship of pets; for feeling we are a part of a loving community or church; for being able to trust another human being; for the opportunity to share our aspirations for the future with a friend; for being in love and having our hearts skip a beat; for the haven of a comforting shoulder to cry on and the warm embrace of a loved one.

We thank you, Lord, for the intimate bond of friendship that protects, nurtures, inspires and comforts; for the generosity and hospitality of good neighbors; for being able to work with people

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2017

Giving who are pleasant, kind, funny, considerate, and who honor our contributions; for friends and family who can both truly rejoice with us and console us in times of sorrow; and for the person who believed in us when we did not believe in ourselves.

We give thanks for the kindness of strangers; the warmth and security of home; for crossing the threshold and closing the door after a hard day; for expressions of unconditional love and support. We are thankful for our health and the health of those we love and for that moment of relief when we realize that the pain has subsided.

We thank God for a job that provides steady income while we pursue our dreams; for serenity as we pay bills; for the acceptance after a struggle; for our boundless imagination; for a free afternoon to do as we please; for being able to travel and experience the adventure of new places; and for the sense of relief when we give stuff away.

We give thanks for beautiful sunsets; for waking up early enough to watch the sunrise with a cup of coffee; for beaches with the sand beneath our feet, the salty breeze, the warming rays of the sun; for

walks in the woods and becoming aware of the mystery of nature all around us; and for the sound of raindrops on our roof at night.

Thanks, God, for the desire for knowledge; for reading a passage in a book or a poem that expresses exactly how we feel; for hearing a piece of music that touches our souls; for relishing a wonderful movie so much that we want to see it again; for trying something new and loving it; for laughing so hard we cannot catch our breath and our sides ache; and for a long awaited phone call with good news.

Thanks, Lord, for the times we could distinguish between our needs and our wants; for being able to make clear, conscious, creative choices; for the wisdom gleaned through life experiences and knowing how to use it; for being able to move on and let go gracefully without regrets; and for giving and receiving forgiveness after a painful rift.

We are thankful for all these things and more!

The following Thanksgiving Prayer can be used at a Thanksgiving meal or anytime.

“God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace. We thank you for the gift of life: for

a

Thanks the breath that sustains us, for the

“We thank you for the mystery

food of this earth that nurtures

of creation: for the beauty that the

friends that makes life worth living.

the ear can hear, for the unknown

our lives, for the love of family and

eye can see, for the joyful music that

that we cannot behold, filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of ourselves.

We thank you for our communities: for families who nurture us, for friends who love us by choice.

“For companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who exhilarate the moments of our life, for the unborn who offer us hope for the future.

“We thank you for life this day: for the people you send into our lives to love and be loved, for another opportunity to work for justice and peace, for the experience of your presence and grace, and for your promise to be with us, to be our God, and to give us salvation.

“For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Christ, our Lord.

Amen.”

We are thankful.

thankful

This Thanksgiving season, we are reminded

This reminded how thankful we are how Thanksgiving thankful we areseason, for all ofwe ourare blessings, especially customers, friends, and family. for all ofour our blessings, especially our customers and family. www.bayoucatholic.com

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Giving Thanks

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