Bayou Catholic | October 2014 Issue

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Bayou

Catholic

The magazine for the people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

Servers

Transmitting the love of Jesus

INSI

Resp

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ect L Mon ife th

HOUMA, LA ~ OCTOBER 2014 ~ COMPLIMENTARY

Daniel A. Cabirac

Field Agent (985) 696-2119 Dan.Cabirac@KofC.org

Contents

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28

FEATURES

20 Altar servers Transmitting the Love of Jesus

38 Inspirational Teachers of the Year Catholic school teachers honored

50 St. Genevieve School Established in 1960

COLUMNS

8

Comfort For My People

By Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

14 Pope Speaks

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By Pope Francis I

15 Question Corner

56

By Father Kenneth Doyle

16 Readings Between The Lines

By Father Glenn LeCompte

56 Seeing Clairely

By Claire Joller

74 Overtime

4

By Ed Daniels

IN EVERY ISSUE

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Bayou

6 Editor’s Corner 18 Scripture Readings 26 Heavenly Recipes 36 Diocesan Events 44 Our Churches

UE!

Catholic

GUEST COLUMNS

22 Respect Life

By Father Wilmer Todd

54 World Mission Sunday

By Father Robert-Joel Cruz

ANNOUNCEMENTS u Bayo uide G r o o outd ll 2014 Fa

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

37 Blue, Red Masses Masses scheduled this month HOUMA, LA

R 2014 ~

~ OCTOBE

ENTARY

COMPLIM

60 Food for the Journey Father Wilmer Todd speaks

On Our Cover Dexter Troxclair, an altar server at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux and a ninth grade student at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux, lights a candle before Mass. In this issue Very Rev. Jay L. Baker, V.G., writes about the ministry of altar servers. In his article he quotes Pope Francis who met with 50,000 altar servers in Rome recently. Father Baker also writes about his personal experience as an altar server.

Cover Photo by Lawrence Chatagnier

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 ten 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 Pat Keese 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

Index to Advertisers Acadian Total Security ...........................37 Acme Mausoleum, LLC ..........................30 Advanced Eye Institute ..........................53 Anthony Lewis - Judge ..........................72 Barker Honda .........................................24 Bueche’s Jewelry ...................................24 Cannata’s .................................................3 Cardinal Place ........................................ 24 Catholic Schools Office-Inspirational Teachers of the Year ...........................57 Channel 10 .............................................47 Chauvin Funeral Home/ Twin City Funeral Home .....................32 Crossroads .............................................24 Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center ................................60 Daigle Himel Daigle ...............................24 Diocesan Outreach Line ........................63 Diocesan Website ..................................55 E.D. White Open House .........................60 Earl Williams ...........................................25 Edward J. Laperouse Metal Works ........24 Falgout Funeral Homes, LLC .................25 Falgout Funeral Homes, LLC .................31 Felger’s Footwear ..................................25 God’s Precious Word & Gifts .................51 God’s Promises Books & Gifts ..............25 Hagen Beyer Simon ...............................25 Haydel Memorial Hospice .....................67 Haydel Spine & Pain ..............................17 Headache & Pain Center .......................61

Houma Digestive Health Specialists ......40 HTeNews ................................................35 In Memory of Judge Louis J. Watkins ...24 Invitation to Bishop Fabre’s Celebration...7 KEM Supply House ................................24 Knights of Columbus-Dan A. Cabirac .....2 Lafourche Ford Lincoln ..........................25 Lanaux & Felger .....................................25 Landry’s/Thibodaux/ Samart Funeral Homes .....................29 Lewis & Company ..................................68 Lirette Ford Lincoln ................................25 Matt Hagen - City Court Judge ..............71 Mr. Ronnie’s Donuts ...............................25 Office of Family Ministries ......................24 Orville Callahan - City Marshall ..............73 Randy M. Alfred - Judge • City Court ....62 Re-Bath ..................................................23 Robichaux’s Pharmacy ..........................24 Rod’s Superstore ...................................41 Seminarian Education Burses ...............49 Southland Drugs No. 2 ..........................25 Spotlight .................................................40 St. Joseph Manor ...................................24 St. Joseph Manor/Cardinal Place ..........39 Terminix ..................................................39 Terrebonne General Medical Center .....27 Terrebonne-Lafourche Right to Life .......24 Vandebilt Catholic Open House ............68 Vision Communications .........................43 World Mission Sunday Collection ..........33

Bayou Catholic Vol. 35, No. 4 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 The Bayou Catholic is published monthly, for the people of the Roman Catholic Diocese of HoumaThibodaux 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. National and world-wide news service and photos by National Catholic News Service.

Louis G. Aguirre

editor and general manager

Lawrence Chatagnier managing editor

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

Peggy Adams

advertising manager

Anna C. Givens

advertising accounts executive

Janet Marcel staff writer

Pat Keese

secretary and circulation

Lisa Schobel Hebert graphic designer

Janet B. Eschete

accounts payable assistant

Meridy Liner

accounts receivable assistant

First Place Winner 2013-2014 General Excellence www.bayoucatholic.com

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Welcome

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Editor’s Corner Louis G. Aguirre Editor & General Manager

Synod on Family As the extraordinary Synod of Bishops convenes at the Vatican Oct. 5-19 to take a deep look into the church’s role in today’s family, the “family” under discussion will bear little resemblance to the family of 50 or even 20 years ago.

According to a report by Nancy Frazier O’Brien of Catholic News Service, “the blended and extended families created by high rates of divorce, remarriage and cohabitation – along with the worldwide migration prompted by economic turmoil and war – have combined to change forever the view of family as limited to a mother, father and their children.”

But children are still most likely to live in twoparent families in all countries except South Africa, according to the World Family Map 2014.

“The family is the core institution for childrearing worldwide, and decades of research have shown that strong families promote

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

positive child outcomes,” says Laura Lippman, co-director of the World Family Map. The family in the United States -- once a black and white nation -- is now becoming a rainbow. In 1960 the U.S. population was 85 percent white, 10 percent black and four percent Hispanic. By 2060, according to Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, whites will make up 49 percent of the population, Hispanics 31 percent, blacks 13 percent, Asian-Americans eight percent and other races or ethnicities six percent.

Randall Woodward, an associate professor of theology/religion at St. Leo University in Florida, says divorce is the biggest issue facing American families. He says “Catholics in the U.S. generally aren’t particularly distinct or different from the rest of the culture here.”

Woodward says the synod will need to find a way to make divorced Catholics who have remarried feel welcomed into the church, even if their status might preclude them from receiving the sacraments.

“Cultural issues are challenging to address for the church because (they) can make people feel alienated, but often it’s the same people who need help,” Woodward says. Churches, he concludes, have to do a better job of conveying an understanding that, yes, these things happened, but you’re still welcome here. “It’s the same message with a different tone.”

You’re invited to a

Mass of Thanksgiving in honor of

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre on his

25th Anniversary of Priesthood and

One Year Anniversary as Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Sunday, October 19, 2014 9:00 a.m.

Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma A reception will follow in the Youth Center

Comment Comfort For My People

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Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

Here in south Louisiana the month of October is usually experienced as the breaking point between the seasons of summer and fall. While the month of September usually instills in us a near but also distant promise for coming cooler weather, the month of September nonetheless usually presents us with a continuation of the sometimes unrelenting heat of the summer.

In contrast to September, the month of October is usually when the promise begins to be fulfilled and we actually can begin to “feel the fall season in the air.” More often than not at some point during October we experience relief from the heat and humidity, and really do begin fully to enjoy the many activities of fall. In my opinion, some of the best weather to be enjoyed here in south Louisiana usually occurs during the month of October. I like the season of fall, so I enjoy the month of October.

However, the month of October also celebrates many other things. I join wholeheartedly with the Catholic Church here in the United States in marking each October as “Respect Life Month.” During the month of January we give special attention to overcoming the evil of abortion in our country because of the occurrence during January of the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade.

For many reasons seeking to

end abortion does warrant special attention and effort on our part as we strive to respect all human life. However, during the month of October the church invites us to remember that in addition to legalized abortion there are many things that attack the sanctity of human life. A list of such other attacks on the sanctity of all human life would include: euthanasia, capital punishment, hunger, violence and senseless killing, inadequate health care, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and human trafficking, to name only a few.

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God grant that through our prayer and constructive action we might soon see an end to all attacks on the sanctity of all human life.

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During the month of October we are called in a special way to reflection, prayer and constructive action to end these attacks against the sanctity of human life as well.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has invited us during this year’s Respect Life Month to reflect on the sanctity of all life from the perspective of the theme that “Each of Us is a Masterpiece of God’s Creation.” This year’s theme roots itself in Pope Francis’ 2013 Day for Life Greeting, when the pope stated that “even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live forever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect.” You can find more

pro-life information elsewhere in this issue of Bayou Catholic. God grant that through our prayer and constructive action we might soon see an end to all attacks on the sanctity of all human life.

October is also a wonderful time for me personally to reflect upon the sanctity of human life because my birthday falls each year during the month of October. On Oct. 25, I will be 51 years old, and I am grateful to God and to my parents for the gift of my life! The Lord has been faithful to me throughout my 51 years, and I look forward to the future filled with hope that God has promised to all who are faithful in living as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The month of October also now invites me to celebrate the anniversary of my installation as the Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux! I was installed here to serve as your bishop on Oct. 30, 2013, and so during this month I will celebrate one year of serving the People of God here in our diocese.

What a joy it has been to come to know the wonderful people and the parishes, schools and other institutions in this diocese! I have enjoyed my trips across the diocese and look forward whenever and wherever I am able to be present with you in the parishes and other places in prayer and ministry as we continue to serve the Lord here in our diocese. I assure you of my ongoing gratitude for the manner in which you have received me here as your bishop, as one who serves, and I am truly grateful for your support offered in prayer and in so many other ways.

In addition, as always, I am deeply grateful for your strong and enduring faith. Thank you for all the joy, grace and blessings that have filled my first year! I look forward to future opportunities to pray, celebrate and serve together.

God’s peace and blessings to you now and always!

Respect Life Month

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Each of Us is a

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Comentario

Mes de Respeto a la Vida

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En el Sur de Luisiana el mes de octubre es por lo general el punto de transición entre el verano y el otoño. Mientras el mes de septiembre tiende a ser irregular con la promesa de un clima más frío, el mes de septiembre nos expone con la continuación del incesante calor de verano. En cambio, el mes de octubre es cuando la promesa de un clima más templado se cumple y comenzamos a «sentir el otoño en el aire.» Con frecuencia durante el mes de octubre sentimos un alivio lejos del calor y la humedad y comenzamos a vivir con plenitud las actividades de otoño. En mi opinión, los mejores momentos climáticos se gozan aquí en el Sur de Luisiana durante el mes de octubre. Disfruto el otoño y por tanto el mes de octubre.

Sin embargo, el mes de octubre también celebra muchas otras cosas. Comparto plenamente con la Iglesia Católica aquí en los Estados Unidos en el nombramiento del mes de octubre como «Mes de Respeto a la Vida.» Durante el mes de enero rendimos atención especial al mal del aborto en nuestro país porque en enero se observó el aniversario de la decisión Roe v. Wade por la Corte Suprema de Justicia. Por muchas razones el reto de terminar el aborto legal requiere atención especial y mucho esfuerzo de nuestra parte para respetar toda vida humana. No obstante, durante el mes de octubre la Iglesia nos invita a recordar que además del aborto legalizado hay otras cosas que atacan la santidad de la vida humana. Una lista de otros ataques a la santidad de toda vida humana incluye: la eutanasia, la pena de muerte, el hambre, la violencia y homicidios sin sentido, servicios de salud inadecuados, estudios de células madre embrionarias, la creación de clonos humanos y el tráfico de

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

seres humanos sólo por mencionar algunos.

Durante el mes de octubre recibimos el llamado para que reflexionemos de manera especial, para que oremos y actuemos para abolir estos ataques a la santidad de la vida humana. La Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB) nos ha invitado durante el Mes de Respeto a la Vida a reflexionar sobre la santidad de toda vida bajo el punto de vista que «Cada uno de Nosotros somos una Obra de Arte de la Creación de Dios.» El tema de este año se origina en el Día de Saludo a la Vida 2013 del Papa Francisco; cuando

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Dios otórganos, por medio de nuestra oración y actos el fin de todos los ataques a la santidad de toda vida humana.

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el Papa declaró que «aún los más débiles y vulnerables, enfermos, ancianos, los que no han nacido y los pobres son obras de arte de la creación de Dios hechos a su imagen, destinados a vivir por toda la eternidad y mereciendo la mayor reverencia y respeto.» Ustedes podrán leer más información provida en esta publicación de Bayou Catholic. Dios otórganos, por medio de nuestra oración y actos el fin de todos los ataques a la santidad de toda vida humana.

Octubre es también un mes maravilloso para mí para

reflexionar sobre la santidad de la vida humana porque mi cumpleaños se celebra este mes.

El 25 de octubre tendré 51 años de edad y ¡le agradezco a Dios y a mis padres el don de mi vida! El Señor ha sido fiel conmigo a través de mis 51 años de vida y espero con ansias un futuro lleno de esperanza que Dios le ha prometido a todo aquél que es fiel en su vida como discípulo de Jesucristo.

El mes de octubre también nos invita a celebrar el aniversario de mi nombramiento de ¡cuarto Obispo de la Diócesis de HoumaThibodaux! Fui asignado a esta diócesis para servirles como su obispo el 30 de octubre de 2013 y durante este mes celebraré un año de servicio al Pueblo de Dios aquí en nuestra diócesis. ¡Qué felicidad ha sido llegar a conocer a los maravillosos feligreses, las parroquias, escuelas y otras instituciones en esta diócesis! He disfrutado mis viajes a través de la diócesis y espero con optimismo las oportunidades que tenga para estar con ustedes en las parroquias y otros lugares en oración y misa en nuestro afán de servir al Señor en nuestra diócesis. Les ofrezco mi incesante agradecimiento por la manera en que ustedes me han recibido aquí y les agradezco de verdad por el apoyo que me han aportado con sus oraciones y otras maneras.

Además, como siempre, les agradezco por la férrea y perdurable fe que han demostrado. ¡Gracias por toda la felicidad, gracia y bendiciones que me han otorgado en mi primer año! Aguardo con afán las oportunidades futuras para rezar, celebrar y servir juntos. ¡Qué la paz y las bendiciones de Dios los colme a ustedes hoy y por siempre!

Traducido por Julio Contreras, feligrés de Annunziata Catholic Church en Houma.

Each of Us is a

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Binh luan bang loi

Tháng Dành Cho Sự Sống

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Tháng mười ở Miền nam Louisiana thường là sự giao điểm giữa mùa hè và mùa thu. Trong khi đó tháng chín lại cho chúng ta cái cảm giác cái gì đó gần tới nhưng cũng rất xa vời với cái không khí dễ chịu, tuy rằng thế tháng chín lại cho chúng ta cái nóng oi bức liên lỉ của mùa hè. Trái với tháng chín tháng mười thường mang lại một vài thành tựu mà ta đã khởi sự và chúng ta thật sự “cảm nhận được mùa thu ngay trước mặt.”

Rất nhiều ngày trong tháng mười chúng ta cảm nhận được thời tiết dễ chịu và khô hơn, và thật sự bắt đầu thưởng thức được mọi sinh hoạt trong mùa. Theo tôi thời tiết dễ chịu nhất ở miền nam Louisiana thường xảy ra vào tháng mười. Tôi thích mùa thu, vì thế tôi thích tháng mười. Tuy nhiên, tháng mười cũng có nhiều lễ nghi. Với tất cả tấm lòng tôi sẽ liên đới với Giáo Hội Công Giáo Hoa Kỳ tưởng nhớ tháng mười là “Tháng Dành Cho Sự Sống.” Trong tháng giêng chúng ta đặc biệt chú tâm đến chiến thắng sự dữ về phá thai trong đất nước chúng ta bởi vì trong tháng đó phá thai đã được Tối Cao Pháp Viện chấp thuận trong phiên tòa gọi là Roe chống lại Wade. Lý do này hay lý do khác tìm cách kết thúc luật phá thai là làm nổi bật đến công sức mà chúng ta đã bỏ ra chứng minh rằng chúng ta tôn trọng sự sống. Tuy nhiên, trong tháng mười này Giáo hội cũng mời gọi chúng ta không chỉ chú ý đến phá thai, mà còn đến những khía cạnh khác của cuộc sống mà chúng đang bị đe dọa. Danh sách đó bao gồm: trợ tử, án tử hình, nghèo đói, bạo hành và giết người không gớm tay, thiếu bảo đảm y tế, nghiên cứu tế bào phôi thai, tạo dựng phôi thai người (human cloning) và buôn bán người, đó chính là một vài ví

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

dụ cụ thể.

Trong tháng mười chúng ta cũng được mời gọi một cách đặt biệt suy tư, cầu nguyện và hành động thực tiễn để chấm dứt những gì đang tấn công vào sự sống. Hội Đồng Giám Mục Hoa Kỳ mời gọi chúng ta trong Tháng Sự Sống năm nay suy tư về sự thánh thiêng của sự sống từ một góc cạnh với chủ đề “Mỗi Người Là Kiệt Tác Trong Sự Tạo Dựng Của Thiên Chúa.” Chủ đề năm nay lấy từ nguồn gốc Lời Chào Một Ngày Sự Sống năm 2013 của của Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô khi ngài nói “kể cả những người yếu đuối và giòn mỏng,

‘

Trong tháng mười chúng ta cũng được mời gọi một cách đặt biệt suy tư, cầu nguyện và hành động thực tiễn để chấm dứt những gì đang tấn công vào sự sống.

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ốm đau, tuổi già, trẻ chưa chào đời và người nghèo đều là kiệt tác trong sự tạo dựng của Thiên Chúa, được dựng nên giống hình ảnh Ngài, được tiền định sống muôn đời, và phải được tôn trọng và tôn kính một cách tuyệt đối.” Anh chị em còn có thể tìm được nhiều tin tức phò sự sống trong số báo Công Giáo Đầm Lầy tháng này. Xin Chúa ban qua lời cầu nguyện và hành động thực tiễn của chúng ta sớm nhìn thấy không còn có gì nữa tấn công vào thánh thiêng của sự sống.

Tháng mười cũng cho riêng tôi cơ hội suy tư về thánh thiêng của sự sống vì sinh nhật của tôi lại xảy ra

vào tháng mười mỗi năm. Ngày 25 tháng mười tới tôi sẽ trọn 51 tuổi, và tôi tạ ơn Chúa và cám ơn cha mẹ đã cho tôi món quà sự sống! Thiên Chúa luôn đồng hành vớ tôi trong suốt 51 năm trời, và tôi nhìn về tương lai với niềm hy vọng mà Chúa đã từng hứa với những ai chung thủy sống là những môn đệ của Ngài.

Tháng mười cũng đưa tôi đến ngày kỷ niệm mà tôi đã trở thành giám mục chính toà thứ tư của giáo phận Houma-Thibodaux! Tôi đã chính thức trở thành chủ chăn của anh chị em vào ngày 30 tháng 10, 2013, và vì thế tôi sẽ kỷ niệm đúng 1 năm phục vụ con cái Chúa trong giáo phận.

Thật là một niềm vui mà tôi đã được biết đến những giáo dân, giáo xứ, trường học và những cơ sở tốt lành khác trong giáo phận. Tôi rất cảm hứng về những chuyến tông du trong toàn giáo phận và hướng về tương lai ở bất cứ thời điểm nào và ở đâu mà tôi được gặp gỡ anh chị em trong giáo xứ và những nơi khác trong kinh nguyện và mục vụ mà chúng ta tiếp tục hành trình phục vụ Chúa trong giáo phận của chúng ta.

Tôi đảm bảo với sự biết ơn của tôi về những cử chỉ mà anh chị em đã dành cho tôi là giám mục của anh chị em, như là tôi tớ của Chúa, tôi thật lòng biết ơn anh chị em về sự nâng đỡ trong kinh nguyện và những cử chỉ khác nữa.

Thêm vào đó, như thường lệ từ đáy lòng tôi rất cám ơn về đức tin mạnh và kiên trung của anh chị em. Xin tri ân về niềm vui, ân sủng và phép lành đã đến vớ tôi trong năm đầu tiên này!

Tôi nhìn về tương lai với nhiều dịp cùng cầu nguyện, dâng Thánh Lễ và làm mục vụ với anh chị em. Bình an và ơn thánh của Chúa hằng ở cùng anh chị em hôm nay và mãi mãi.

Dòch thuaät: Linh Muïc Pheâroâ Leâ Taøi, Chaùnh sôû nhaø thôø Our Lady of the Isle.

Each of Us is a

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Comment The Pope Speaks

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When will people ever learn that war is madness and conflicts are only resolved by forgiveness, Pope Francis asked.

The pope said it is believed that more than 8 million soldiers and 7 million civilians died during World War I -- a four-year-long conflict that began 100 years ago.

The number of so many lost lives “lets us see how much war is insanity,” Pope Francis said after praying the Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

“When will we learn this lesson?” he asked, telling people to look at the crucified Christ “to understand that hatred and evil are defeated with forgiveness and good, and to understand that responding with war only augments evil and death.”

The pope’s remarks came the day after a morning visit to Italy’s largest war memorial -Redipuglia, a town in northeast Italy near the border with Slovenia. Giovanni Bergoglio, the pope’s Italian grandfather who later immigrated to Argentina, fought nearby during the Italian campaign against the AustroHungarian Empire.

The memorial made of enormous stone steps leading to three bronze crosses pays homage to more than 100,000 Italian soldiers. while a nearby military cemetery is the final resting place for some 15,000

Austro-Hungarian soldiers -- all of whom lost their lives in nearby battlefields. The pope laid a floral wreath at the cemetery, celebrated Mass at the memorial, and prayed for all victims of all wars.

The gorgeous landscape used to be a place where men and women worked hard to raise their families, children played and the elderly daydreamed, he said in his homily.

Instead of safeguarding God’s creation, especially his “most beautiful of all, the human being,” people have set about destroying it through war, he said.

“Greed, intolerance, a lust for power, these are the reasons that incite decisions to go to war,” he said.

Also, “behind the scenes, there

the sneering motto of war” -- Cain’s complaint of “What do I care?”

“All these people, here in eternal rest, they had plans, had dreams, but their lives were broken. Why? Because humanity said, ‘What do I care?’”

Today the world is still up in arms with a kind of “World War III (waged) ‘in bits and pieces’ with criminal acts, massacres and destruction,” he said.

“To be honest, the newspaper front page should have the headline: ‘What do I care?’”

“Those who plot terror, organizations fueling conflict, as well as arms manufacturers, all have ‘What do I care’ engraved in their hearts,” he said.

And like Cain, their hearts have

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Italian military personnel, including some in historic dress, stand at attention as Pope Francis celebrates an outdoor Mass Sept. 13 in front of the war memorial in Redipuglia, Italy. The memorial honors the 100,000 Italian soldiers who died during World War I.

are special interests, geopolitical plots, lust for money,” he said, as well as the powerful arms industry.

But the most shocking aspect of so much bloodshed is the continued legacy of indifference, the pope said. Being indifferent began with Cain murdering his brother Abel and then rebuking God for asking where his now dead brother was, replying, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Above the tombs of so many dead, Pope Francis said, “hovers

become so corrupt, “they’ve lost the ability to cry,” much less do what Jesus asks -- to help the sick, the wounded and the hungry, the pope said.

The pope asked people to pray that their heart be transformed from one that has stopped caring to one that can weep “for all those who have fallen in useless massacres, for all the victims of the insanity of war of every era. Tears. Brothers and sisters, humanity needs to cry, this is the moment to cry.”

Pope: People have yet to learn that war is madness, indifference a sin Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Question Corner Father Kenneth Doyle

Why the church does not ordain women

Q A

Q. As a practicing Catholic, what should be my answer when my Protestant friends ask me why my church does not ordain women to the priesthood? (City of origin withheld) A. Catholics believe that the ordained ministry has its origin in Christ’s choice of the Twelve Apostles. Why Jesus selected only males for this sacramental and teaching ministry, no one can say with certainty, but the church feels bound by the decision of its founder and by its earliest and consistent tradition.

There were proponents of female priests in the first four centuries of the church’s history, but always the response from church leaders was the same: that’s not our call to make, not our prerogative; the action of Jesus is normative.

Even Eastern Orthodox churches, which split with Catholics on several theological issues, never questioned that the priesthood was reserved to males.

Some would argue that if Jesus were alive today when society has a greater appreciation of women’s dignity and gifts, he would have picked some women

among his apostles.

But that forgets the fact that the historical Jesus had no problem being controversially countercultural: he chose Matthew -- scorned by society as a tax collector -- and welcomed several women, including Mary Magdalene, as close companions and friends.

So the church’s teaching has nothing to do with gender equality and everything to do with Jesus and the history of the church. St. John Paul II in a 1994 apostolic letter explained that since even the Virgin Mary was not given the ministry and mission proper to the apostles, the decision by Jesus was surely not a statement on the relative dignity and holiness of the sexes.

Pope Francis, in his 2013 exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium,” even while reaffirming the teaching on a male-only priesthood, added a critical nuance. He said that decision-making should not be linked to ordination and urged that women be given a greater voice in church deliberations.

Offering chalice to disabled

Q

Q. The church that we attend has front-row seating for disabled members of the congregation, and that is where my husband and I sit. At Communion time,

the host is always brought to us at our seats.

However, many times the ministers of the cup forget us and we don’t have the opportunity to receive the precious blood of Jesus. I don’t know the rules on who can receive from the chalice; I would be very grateful for an explanation in your column, in case other parishes are doing the same. (Appleton, Wisconsin)

A

A. Sometimes I choose a question for the value of the question itself, as well as for the answer. Such is the case here. Your question serves as a reminder that the same consideration must always be given to people with disabilities as to other members of the congregation.

When the congregation is offered the opportunity to receive the Eucharist under both species, that same privilege should be accorded to parishioners who are disabled. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002 issued norms for the distribution and reception of holy Communion under both kinds, saying that 15 receiving under both species was the norm for the first millennium of the church’s existence and more clearly fulfills Christ’s invitation to “take and eat ... take and drink.”

The norms cautioned that when the chalice is used, there should be “no danger of the profanation of the sacrament.” Special care should therefore be taken that the precious blood not be spilled, but that should not be an issue when those who are disabled are seated in a convenient location (in your case, in the first row of seats.)

2014 Catholic News Service

Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@ gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y. 12208 www.bayoucatholic.com

Reflections

‘Thy Kingdom Come’: For what are we asking?

16

Readings Between The Lines

O

Father Glenn LeCompte

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come ... .” That the coming of God’s kingdom is at the heart of Christian faith is evident in its central prayer, the “Our Father,” when we say, “thy kingdom come.” What is the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed and how does it “come”?

While in English grammar the phrase “kingdom of God” is a noun, it should really be understood as a verb, more like, “the ruling activity of God,” or the reign of God. Jesus, his contemporaries and those who interpreted his teaching for their communities all held firmly that God reigned over the universe. God, reigns,

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

but his people have rebelled and subjected themselves to the reign of evil. Jesus communicates that God begins to assert his rightful claim over his subjects and is working to gather his people back to himself.

God will not do so forcibly, but by extending to them overwhelming love.

In this article I am presenting some characteristics of the kingdom Jesus preaches in Matthew’s Gospel. At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus goes about Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom and curing diseases among the people (4:23). The combination of healing with proclamation indicates that Jesus’ establishment of the kingdom is meant to reverse the effects of sin and suffering, which represent an unraveling of the harmony of creation. The coming of the kingdom entails a restoration to wholeness for people who embrace it. Inasmuch as the sick are isolated from community, the kingdom’s advent breaks down exclusion from society.

Another type of inclusiveness the kingdom creates is universalism.

The people of God will broaden to

include Gentiles as well as Jews. In 8:5-11 Jesus encounters a Roman centurion who, amazingly, displays great faith by asking Jesus to heal his severely ill slave. The centurion trusts that Jesus’ command from a distance will be enough to effect the healing. As Jesus recognizes the faith of this Gentile, he declares that people from the expanse of the earth will join the great patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the banquet of the kingdom (8:11).

Even as Jesus compares the kingdom to a banquet, he also uses parables to make further comparisons between the kingdom and institutions of everyday life.

The kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed sowed in a field; the seed surprisingly grows into a large shrub (13:31-32). Similarly, a small amount of yeast which causes a mass of dough to rise when the yeast is kneaded into it is another image for the kingdom (13:33).

Jesus teaches here a message of hope: though the beginnings of the kingdom may seem insignificant to those who believe in Jesus’ message, it will emerge with great magnitude.

As the kingdom emerges,

a

it will meet challenges, such as are exemplified in the parable of The Weeds and the Wheat (13:2430). Just as the smallness of the mustard seed may have appeared to be an obstacle to its growth, so the presence of children of the evil one among the children of the kingdom may seem to present a difficulty for the kingdom’s flourishing.

Children of the kingdom need not fret, however, for God will separate the good from the wicked at the judgment.

Similarly, The Parable of the Net (13:47-50) teaches that while the kingdom may attract both those who are disposed to it and those who are not, God will separate them at the judgment. The parables of The Weeds and the Wheat, and The Net both demonstrate that God will break the power of evil as the kingdom emerges fully.

The Matthean Jesus’ very first message about the kingdom (4:23) is that it has “drawn near.” The verb “to draw near” is in the Greek perfect tense, which represents a present state emerging from a past action. In Jesus’ presence

God’s reign is not only manifested in the world but established with permanence. The fixed presence of the kingdom confronts people with an urgent decision about embracing it. Such urgency is depicted in Jesus’ parables of The Buried Treasure and The Pearl Merchant (13:44-46), in each of which someone finds something of such great value that they take drastic action to obtain it. The kingdom’s nearness challenges

people to choose it decisively or not to do so; there can be no halfhearted choice of the kingdom.

While the church, which is so important for Matthew, is not per se the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom is manifest in the activity of the church, specifically in Jesus’ giving to Peter the authority to bind and loose (16:19).

In my next column I will consider the Matthean Jesus’ requirements for participation in the kingdom.

dom estions u ’s king d Q o G n of ss tio nearne Reflec ve the

percei do you ll w o H n om’s fu fe? d i g l n i n k w e ro es to th e those in you obstacl how ar e d m n o a s t are society n Wha n our i s n o i t sta allenge e? the ch manife m of o c r w e e i es ov gdom? ly in v obstacl d’s kin o ecisive d G t c of a resence do you y the p n How b u o y ted to presen 17

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and a listing of Feast days and saints Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

1 October 2

Friday

3

Saturday

Sunday

4

5

Memorial of Francis of Assisi, religious Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 Luke 10:17-24

Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 5:1-7 Philippians 4:6-9 Matthew 21:33-43

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Weekday Galatians 1:6-12 Luke 10:25-37

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary Galatians 1:13-24 Luke 10:38-42

Weekday Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14 Luke 11:1-4

Weekday Galatians 3:1-5 Luke 11:5-13

Weekday Galatians 3:7-14 Luke 11:15-26

Weekday Galatians 3:22-29 Luke 11:27-28

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 25:6-10a Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20 Matthew 22:1-14

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Weekday Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31—5:1 Luke 11:29-32

Weekday Galatians 5:1-6 Luke 11:37-41

Memorial of Teresa Weekday Ephesians 1:1-10 of Jesus, virgin and doctor of Luke 11:47-54 the church Galatians 5:18-25 Luke 11:42-46

Memorial of Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr Ephesians 1:11-14 Luke 12:1-7

Feast of Luke, evangelist 2 Timothy 4:10-17b Luke 10:1-9

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 45:1, 4-6 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b Matthew 22:15-21

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Weekday Ephesians 2:1-10 Luke 12:13-21

Weekday Ephesians 2:12-22 Luke 12:35-38

Weekday Ephesians 3:2-12 Luke 12:39-48

Weekday Ephesians 3:14-21 Luke 12:49-53

Weekday Ephesians 4:1-6 Luke 12:54-59

Weekday Ephesians 4:7-16 Luke 13:1-9

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Exodus 22:20-26 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10 Matthew 22:34-40

27

28

29

30

31

1 November 2

Feast of Simon and Jude, apostles Ephesians 2:19-22 Luke 6:12-16

Weekday Ephesians 6:1-9 Luke 13:22-30

Weekday Ephesians 6:10-20 Luke 13:31-35

Weekday Philippians 1:1-11 Luke 14:1-6

Weekday Ephesians 4:32—5:8 Luke 13:10-17

October

Saints

Holy Father’s prayer intentions

Denis and Companions died circa 250 feast - October 9

Google, public domain

According to St. Gregory of Tours in the sixth century, Denis, the first bishop of Paris, was martyred with Rusticus, a priest, and Eleutherius, a deacon. The Italian-born Denis and several other bishops were sent by the pope to evangelize Gaul (France). Denis and his companions succeeded in spreading the Gospel from an island in the Seine, but were arrested during a persecution by Roman Emperor Decius. After a long imprisonment, they were beheaded and tossed into the river.

Their remains were recovered and buried; a chapel built over their graves was replaced by the Abbey of Saint-Denis, now a basilica in a northern Parisian suburb. Denis is a patron of France, and of those suffering possession and headaches.

Saints

Marguerite D’Youville 1701 - 1771 feast - October 16

Google, public domain

General Peace. That the Lord may grant peace to those parts of the world most battered by war and violence.

Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais was born in Quebec province and married a scoundrel who illegally traded liquor for furs with the Indians. He died in 1730, leaving her in debt with two young sons (four other children had died). After securing their future by running a general store, she began to nurse poor women in her home. This led to her administering Montreal’s only hospital and founding the Sisters of Charity of Montreal. During the French and Indian Wars, her Grey Nuns nursed everyone, earning much respect.

Canada’s first native saint, Marguerite was canonized in 1990; both her sons became priests. And, at her 1959 beatification, Pope John XXIII called her “the mother of universal charity.”

Saints

John of Capistrano 1386 - 1456 feast - October 23

Google, public domain

Missionary World Mission Day. That World Mission Day may rekindle in every believer zeal for carrying the Gospel into all the world.

See www.apostleshipofprayer.net

This Italian studied law in Perugia, where he married the daughter of a leading family and became governor of the city in 1412. Imprisoned during a civil war, he had a vision of St. Francis, followed by a spiritual conversion. Dispensed from his marriage vows, John joined the Friars Minor in 1416 and was ordained four years later. Going barefoot and wearing a hair shirt, he became a great preacher, worked diligently to reform the Franciscan orders, served as the friars’ vicar general and was named papal legate in a number of places in Europe and Palestine. He also led a wing of the Christian army in a victory against the Turks who besieged Belgrade in 1456. John is the patron of jurists and military chaplains.

Saints

CNS www.bayoucatholic.com

19

Feature

Altar servers Transmitting the love of Jesus Guest Columnist

20

D

Very Rev. Jay L. Baker, V.G.

During their pilgrimage to Rome, 50,000 altar servers from Germany, Lithuania, Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy met with Pope Francis on Aug. 5, 2014. At that time, he encouraged the young Catholics “to make careful use of their freedom, treasure their dignity as sons and daughters of God and to make time each day to pray.”

Pope Francis asked the young people to be very attentive when serving Mass, a service that ‘allows you to be close to Jesus, the word and bread of life.’

“I’ll give you some advice: the Gospel that you listen to during the liturgy, read it again personally, in silence, and apply it to your life; and with the love of Christ, received in holy Communion, you can put it into practice,” the Pope said.

Pope Francis told them that ‘time is a gift from God’ but, like other gifts, it must be used well.

“Perhaps many young people waste too much time in useless things: chatting on the Internet or with your mobile phone ... the products of technology that should simplify and improve the quality of life, but sometimes take attention away from what is really important,” said the Pope.

When I was growing up, I couldn’t wait to be an altar server!

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

My brother Steve, being 13 months older, was able to serve a whole year before I could join him at the altar. In that time, Father Kasimir Chmielewski was appointed as our pastor. As a result, my earliest memories of serving in the church include Father Kasimir.

Four years after his ordination, Nazi forces plowed through Father Kasimir’s native Poland in 1939.

Making a choice not to register with the Gestapo, Father Kasimir

continued his priestly ministry underground. He was first arrested in 1941, but managed to escape.

For 14 months, he was the target of a manhunt. As a fugitive, Father Kasimir was aided by Catholics who, risking their own death, hid him in their homes until his second arrest. He was kept in a dungeon for six months before he was sentenced to hard labor. In December of 1943, he was sent to Dachau Concentration Camp

in Germany. Late one night, he escaped. But the Germans put out word that for every day he was gone, another priest or a sister or brother would be executed in his place. In a tale which could have been plucked from the hagiography of St. Maximillian Kolbe, Father Kasimir gave himself up and returned to the camp until the end of the war.

I remember that Father Kasimir always changed from his street shoes to crepe-soled shoes for Mass. One of my most vivid memories of serving for him was seeing him use a red corduroy pillow on which he would lay his head when he prostrated himself in the sanctuary on Good Friday.

And being of Eastern European descent, Father Kasimir was always big on processions. Even if the weather proved too inclement to be outdoors, we – the whole retinue of altar servers! – would process all around the inside of St. Bridget … up and down the center and side aisles.

In most parishes, altar servers comprise our youngest group of regularly scheduled liturgical ministers. I am always delighted when boys and girls ask to become altar servers. (As an aside, I remember a young man who had always wanted to be an altar server in the last parish where I was pastor. But for one reason or another, he never got around to it. I gladly welcomed him to the ministry and was happy that he could get that off of his “bucket list.” He was a high school senior AND a starter on the football team!) Even as I thank new altar servers for offering their time and talent to this particular ministry at the first Mass they serve, I always add: “As you grow, may you always find a place in the church to offer your gifts.”

In most parishes altar servers comprise the youngest group of regularly scheduled liturgical minsters.

Eight altar servers are pictured at a recent Mass at St. Joseph CoCathedral in Thibodaux where Very Rev. Jay L. Baker, V.G., pastor, was the celebrant. They are from left, Dexter Troxclair, Luke Hue, Brandon Parr, Samuel Gravois, Angel Joy Duncan, Samuel Konur, Serdave Duncan and Taylor Naquin.

21

Altar servers Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

www.bayoucatholic.com

Each life, each person is Guest Columnist

O 22

Father Wilmer Todd

October is Respect Life Month.

This beautiful time of the year reminds us that each life, each person is precious in the sight of God: the unborn child, the frail, the aging parent, those with disabilities or deformities, those dying with fatal diseases, those who are pure and innocent, and those who are wicked and evil who have caused great harm to others.

Why is all life precious to God? Because God created each person in God’s own image and declared, “You are very good.” Secondly, because Jesus died on the cross for everyone to show his love for even the worst sinners. Thirdly, because Jesus has breathed his Spirit into the heart of every human being, whether we listen to the prompting of that Spirit or not.

The dignity of each human person is the foundation of our society’s moral code of conduct.

The belief in the sanctity of human life and the underlying dignity of the human person is what Jesus tried to teach us when he said, “This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Jesus did not put restrictions on whom we should love. He even pushed us to love our enemies.

Jesus was totally pro-life, not just pro-birth. He associated with sinners and despised tax collectors. He took the side of the poor and those with repulsive illnesses. He treated women with equality and allowed them to be his followers. He forgave those who were guilty of the worst wrongdoing. By treating each person with dignity, we will be following the lead of our Master.

Christians believe that human life begins at conception. That is

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Precious in the sight of God

why we should all support family life so that everyone who comes into this world will feel loved. Our young people need to recognize that sex is not for recreation but for love making in marriage. That love between two committed people must continue to build up family life. We urge unmarried people to be careful and responsible in not taking the chance of bringing a life into this world outside a marital relationship. Being irresponsible might be a temptation to obtain an abortion and destroy that precious life. Married child-bearing-age couples should also exercise this same responsibility. There should never be such a thing as an unwanted child – unexpected maybe, but never unwanted.

Because we believe that each life is precious we oppose any type of action that threatens the sacredness of life. This would

include abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, torture, starting unjustified wars, opposing expanded health care for children, cutting school lunch programs, and standing by while hard-working Americans are losing their jobs and retirement protections.

It would also include discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, sexual preference or economic condition. Because we believe that life is precious, we insist that the resolution to present financial crisis should focus on the common good of all and not just the well-being of the wealthy few. Anything that destroys or diminishes the preciousness of life is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus.

Studies have shown that the

a

best way to combat abortion is to give women and families the tools they need to choose life. When women and families have health care, jobs, education and other essential supports, they are less likely to have an abortion. More than three out of four women who obtain an abortion say that economic factors were a primary reason for doing so.

As followers of Jesus, we believe that people are more important

SINCE FAST

l

than things. We believe the measure of every good business is not “how much money it makes,” but whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

A well-known speaker started his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” Hands went up.

He went on, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the bill.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?” All hands went up in the air.

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and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” Still, all hands went up. “My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.

“Often in life, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make or by the predicaments we encounter. We feel as though we are worthless.

However, no matter what has happened or what will happen, we will never lose our value in God’s eyes. To God, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, we are still priceless. Our lives have meaning, purpose and value, not because of what we do or who we are, but because we belong to God.” Rape victims or individuals who were physically, mentally or sexually abused as children often have a common response to their molestations, “I felt dirty, I felt that I was no good.” A similar response often occurs in people who have experimented with drugs, sex 23 or some type of deviant behavior at a young age.

In the past, many victims had no one to talk to about their devastating experiences. Some victims were even blamed for the incidents that took place. They often carried their burden with them throughout life.

We need to speak out against anything that threatens the dignity of a human person. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Let us stand up and defend all life!

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Heavenly Recipes

Father ‘Amang’s’

Pork Adobo Story and Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier This month’s heavenly recipe comes from Father Florentino “Amang” Santiago, pastor of St. Eloi Church 26 in Theriot. Father Amang is preparing Pork Adobo. It is a Philippine dish that he says is very common in his native homeland.

Cooking comes very easily for the priest, and the root of his cooking can be traced back to his parents.

He says that his father used to cook for weddings and other celebrations in the village where he grew up. His mother once had a small restaurant.

“I was in high school when I began cooking. I was living with some of my relatives and I had to learn to cook and take care of my own laundry then. When I entered the novitiate life I had to cook for myself. I was initially assigned to a poor parish in the Philippines and there was no money to hire a cook. I did the cooking there, also,” he says.

Father Amang was a priest in the Philippines for nine years; and has been serving in the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux for the past 25 years. All of his relatives with the exception of a nephew who lives in Florida are still in the Philippines.

“I miss my relatives and friends. I used to go back home about once a year when my parents, especially my mom, was alive. Now I go about every other year to visit,” says the pastor.

In the Philippines it is very common to have grandparents living with their children as they get older and need care. “There are not many nursing homes in the Philippines. In the country where I come from there is great respect for the elders of a family.

When talking to an uncle, grandparent or aunt, you address them as Uncle Juan, Grandfather Carlos or whatever. You never just use their first name out of respect.”

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Here in the U.S. among Filipino priests in this diocese Father Amang is considered a senior Filipino priest, second only to Father Domingo Cruz, pastor of St. Bridget in Schriever. “Some of the younger Filipino priests will come to me for advice now and then. We usually confer over matters and I help when I can.”

Father Amang finds much joy in his priestly ministry. He finds joy especially in the sacrament of reconciliation. “This is when I see people in a time of need. God can offer comfort and consolation. It is a very humbling experience.”

Pork Adobo

1-1/2 lb. pork belly (or country ribs) 2 pcs. bay leaf 1 tsp. peppercorn 1 tsp. salt 2 cloves garlic minced 1 medium sized onion minced 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup white vinegar 4 tbsp. cooking oil 2 pcs. chicken liver (optional) 2 tbsp. brown sugar Cut pork into 1-1/2 inch pieces then mix with salt.

In a wok or skillet put the oil and brown the pork (810 minutes). Mix the minced onion, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and lightly crush peppercorn and bay leaf.

Pour a cup of hot water and continue cooking until meat is tender. Add more water if meats needs time to tenderize. When meat reaches a good consistency (sauce has thickened), cut the chicken liver in half or quarter pieces, put on low heat and add the liver. Add sugar and mix well. Continue cooking for another two minutes. Serve hot over rice.

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Life and Legacy November is a special month set aside to remember and pray for all of the deceased. On all Saints Day Catholics recognize and honor the saints as well as other men, women and children who have led good and faithful lives, but who have not been officially named “saints” by the church.

At this time of the year, much time and effort is spent making the gravesites and cemeteries attractive with beautiful flowers and fresh paint as a sign of respect for those who have died. The cemeteries are visited by those who come from near and far to pray and remember their deceased family members and friends.

There are 30 Catholic cemeteries within the boundaries of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

“St. Joseph Diocesan Cemetery 28 in Thibodaux is the oldest Catholic cemetery in the diocese,” according to George Cooke, director of the diocesan Cemetery Office.

“The cemetery was officially adopted by the St. Joseph CoCathedral parish in 1817 when property was acquired by St. Joseph for the church and cemetery, but the cemetery was already in use at the time,” he said. “Some of the tombs were documented before 1817.”

St. Joseph Diocesan Cemetery has several points of interest as a historic cemetery of the diocese. In this cemetery lie the remains of the last soldier of Andrew Jackson’s Army to die, Pierre Aaman Lejeune, born in 1790 and died in 1894, who fought in the Battle of New Orleans. The tomb calls him “the pioneer of Thibodaux who walked

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all the way to Chalmette Field to join Jackson’s Army,” according to Cooke’s records.

Also buried in St. Joseph Diocesan Cemetery, is Father (Pere) Charles Menard, the pioneer of many churches and schools up and down Bayou Lafourche, in what is now the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

Pere Menard has been called “the Apostle of Bayou Lafourche.”

The gravesites of Bishop L. Abel Caillouet, former auxiliary bishop of New Orleans and the only native bishop of this diocese; Alexdre.

Ph. Nicolas Coulon, born in Paris in 1774, who was president of St. Joseph Church; and Richard Dalton William, an Irish Patriot and poet who died in 1862 at the age of 40, can be found in the historic cemetery.

According to Cooke’s records, one marker in the cemetery reads, “In Memory of Thirty-Nine Members

of Co. A 2nd Texas Calvary who fell at the Battle of Lafourche Crossing – June 21, 1863.”

The Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales parish has two cemeteries directly behind the church on Goode Street, and another four miles away on Hwy. 24 in the area known as Bayou Cane.

Other church cemeteries in the diocese include St. Andrew Cemetery, Amelia; St. Lawrence Cemetery, Chacahoula; Our Lady of Prompt Succor Cemetery, Chackbay; St. Patrick Cemetery, Gibson; St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery, St. Charles Community; St. Bridget Cemetery, Schriever; St. John Cemetery, Thibodaux; St. Anthony Cemetery, Gheens; St. Lawrence the Martyr Cemetery, Kraemer; St. Mary’s Nativity Cemetery, Raceland; St. Hilary Cemetery, Mathews; Holy Savior Cemetery, Lockport; Holy Rosary Cemetery, Larose; Sacred Heart Cemetery, Cut Off; St. Joseph Cemetery, Galliano; Our Lady of Prompt Succor Cemetery, Golden Meadow; Our Lady of the Isle Cemetery, Grand Isle; St. Louis Cemetery, Bayou Blue; St. Ann Cemetery, Bourg; St. Joseph Cemetery, Chauvin; Holy Family Cemetery No. 1 and 2, Grand Caillou; Holy Rosary Cemetery, Houma; Sacred Heart Cemetery, Montegut; Dugas Cemetery, Montegut; St. Charles Cemetery, Pointe-aux-Chenes; St. Eloi Cemetery, Theriot; and St. James Cemetery, Kraemer.

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30 cemeteries Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

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Life and Legacy

Grieving process before death

By PETE SHEEHAN

Catholic News Service

Grieving for a loved one can begin long before that loved one dies.

“I’ve said that the day they die is the day you cry, but it’s not the day that you lost them,” said Ralph Zerbonia, an entrepreneur from Youngstown, Ohio, who for years watched his mother, Gloria, decline through dementia.

“There is not even a certain date that you can cite where the loss takes place,” said Zerbonia. Before his mother’s illness, she was well known in her neighborhood and her parish for her outgoing, kind personality.

“I think the word that people used was ebullient,” he said.

As the disease progressed, she became angry, temperamental, demanding, Zerbonia said. She also couldn’t remember him or his brother.

Pam Bradley of South Bend, Ind., recalls her father’s decline

from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease -- a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

From her father’s diagnosis to his death, she found herself grieving “in baby steps.” The father that she and her brothers and sisters knew was vibrant and personable. He had kept active, even joining the YMCA as he grew older.

Then he found himself experiencing unsteadiness on his feet. Later he began falling. His doctor diagnosed him with ALS and told him that he needed a walking stick. Eventually he couldn’t drive a car.

“I remember when he couldn’t take off his socks,” Bradley said, but he was proud when he found a way to push them off with his cane.

Later, he needed a walker.

“At one point I remember realizing, ‘He’s not going to be

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able to visit us again,’” Bradley said. Even after he was confined to his bed, there were still new levels of grief.

“Dad was very friendly, and he loved to talk. His high school yearbook listed his nickname as ‘Joe the Jaw,’” Bradley said with an affectionate laugh. In time, he lost his ability to speak and was forced to communicate “with a strange spelling mechanism.”

“At each point, you realize,” Bradley said, “it is not the same dad or the same grandpa.”

“I don’t think it is unusual for a caregiver or a family member to begin grieving long before the person dies,” said Bill Dodds of Mountlake Terrace, Wash. Dodds, a veteran journalist, is co-founder and president of the Friends of St. John the Caregiver, an international Catholic organization for family caregivers. He and his late wife, Monica, for years wrote a Catholic News Service column on caring for an elderly parent.

He said he heard many stories

through the years of how people coped with the health decline of a parent.

“They grieve losses along the

Process ‘can be very lonely’ for family and caregivers way and the relationship changes.

Every story is the same and every story is unique,” he said, noting that the reason for and the nature

of the person’s decline and the individual family’s circumstances all make the experience different.

Yet the reality of the loss is universal, he noted.

One husband he knows had a wife with Alzheimer’s disease. She had forgotten who her husband was. She was at a nursing home “and sometimes would flirt with a male resident.”

The husband visited her daily and understood, Dodds said. “He wrote of her lovingly.”

Dodd’s knowledge of this subject also comes from personal experience. During the last year of his wife’s life as she battled cancer, he said he “had to gradually let go of things” -- whether it was the trips they enjoyed, long nightly walks or eventually the ministry that they practiced together.

He said the process “can be very lonely” as caregivers and family members cope with the gradual losses they suffer. “It helps to know that there are others going through the same kind of experiences.”

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Life and Legacy

Bringing food to the bereaved

By CAROL ZIMMERMANN Catholic News Service

32

Often after the death of the loved one of a friend, neighbor or coworker, people are at a loss for what to say or do but they might be quick to whip up a batch of brownies or a chicken casserole.

And that is just the right thing -- for the person who cooks it and the recipients -- say those who have been there.

Noelle Hawton, parishioner at Nativity of Mary parish in Bloomington, Minn., said when she was unexpectedly widowed at the age of 28, she had her first experience with lots of food suddenly arriving at her doorstep.

“I had never lost anyone before and found it odd and surprising that neighbors I hadn’t even met yet, as well as co-workers, were sending me food,” she told Catholic News Service in an email.

What she also hadn’t expected was how her home would become

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a central location for family members as they made plans for her husband’s funeral and burial.

“That food was a godsend, as it allowed us all to eat without having to plan meals or hit the store, which none of us had the energy to do,” she said.

Hawton, a senior vice president of Tunheim, a Minneapolis-based

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donors and bloggers suggest. Other suggestions include: trays of cutup vegetables and fruit, bagels and cream cheese, sandwich trays, soups or stews, pies or casseroles.

Ideally, food should be easy to transport and easy to eat. It should also hold well and freeze well.

Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and author based in Los Angeles, said “a lot of times, people have difficulty finding the right words to express their condolences, and a gift of food conveys their warm support.”

She also noted that even though “the family may get more food than they or their sympathetic friends can eat the gesture is what is important. Food is symbolic of nurturance, especially when the food is homemade. This conveys comfort to the grieving family.”

The way these good-intentioned foods are presented is also key. For example, donated meals should be given in containers that do not need to be returned. The food should also be labeled and include specific heating instructions. In

other words: do not put an extra burden on the receiver.

Another tip food givers should keep in mind is that they are very likely not the only ones with this idea. To avoid adding one more chicken dish to a refrigerator already filled with donated chicken pot pies donators should consider using websites that organize meals and drop-off schedules such as foodtidings.com or takethemameal. com.

These sites provide an online sign-up sheet for donated meals and post information such as food allergies and best times to drop off meals. The specific information for families is coordinated by a volunteer friend, neighbor or parishioner who coordinates the schedule on the website.

Often parishes use these sites because there needs to be some coordination for the amount of people who wish to donate.

Molly Piper, a blogger from Minneapolis, wrote tips about bringing meals to grieving friends that she learned from personal

experience after her daughter was delivered stillborn at 39 weeks, and she became the recipient of many lasagnas and chocolate chip cookies.

She said bringing meals to the bereaved is “essential, really” and is a “profound ministry to the hurting.”

She also advises givers not to think of the time of dropping off a meal as necessarily the chance for long discussion or commiserating because the bereaved might not be ready for that.

Piper also writes -– on mollypiper. com -- that there is no set timeline for bringing food to someone who is grieving.

“Most of you probably don’t know anyone who lost a loved one so recently that meals are still being organized for them,” she wrote. “But you do probably know someone who endured a loss six, seven, 12 months ago. I can almost guarantee that if you called and asked to bring dinner this week, you’d bless their oven mitts off. It’s never too late.”

www.bayoucatholic.com

33

Young Voices

What statement, inspirational quote or Scripture keeps you focused on living out your Catholic faith and why?

One quote that I have always related to my beliefs is “Seeing isn’t believing; believing is seeing.” As the quote says, seeing something is not necessarily believing in it, at least to me it’s not. In order to see something that is deemed unbelievable, we must believe in it. I have held on to this quote throughout my life; and as a practicing Catholic, I now fully understand that if you believe in God, you will always see him, in some way, shape or form. It could be through the acts you or someone else does or through the everyday life that surrounds you.

Faith is a powerful thing, and with simply believing in it, it will be stronger than you could ever imagine.

Benjamin Adams, 17 years old St. Charles Borromeo Church parish, St. Charles Community E.D. White Catholic High School

The Scripture from Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” keeps me focused on living out my Catholic faith because it reminds me that no matter what I am facing, God will always be there to help me and I can do all things through him.

Hannah Benoit, 17 years old Christ the Redeemer Church parish Thibodaux High School

34

An old man walked along a shore littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young girl was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. “Why do you bother?” the old man asked. “You are not saving enough to make a difference.” The young girl picked up another starfish, sent it spinning back to the water and said, “It made a difference to that one.”

This reminds me that we should make a difference in at least one person’s life.

Jackie Bruce, 18 years old St. Joseph Church parish, Galliano

In today’s world, being a Catholic is one of the hardest things to do. It’s so difficult because you’re either all in or you’re out. Jesus himself evens warns us not to be a lukewarm Catholic. Having to live every day, to the best of your ability to follow God is a monumental task. What keeps me going is imagining being face to face with God and quoting 2 Timothy 4:7 to the Lord. “I’ve fought the good fight; I’ve finished the race; I’ve kept the faith.”

Brennan Thibodeaux, 17 years old St. John the Evangelist Church parish E.D. White Catholic High School

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

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OCTOBER

n Return to the Lord Retreat, Oct. 17-19, Lumen Christi Retreat Center. Check-in begins Oct. 17 at 3 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Simon Peter Engurait Friday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. n Jesus in the Gospels, Thursday, Oct. 23, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Deacon John Pippenger. n Catholic Charities will be taking applications for its annual Christmas Toy Drive for residents of Terrebonne Parish, Oct. 20-24, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at St. Bernadette KC Hall, 5522 West Main Street. Terrebonne Parish residents on the Food Stamp program who find themselves financially strapped this holiday season are encouraged to apply.

Items needed to register are: Food

NOVEMBER

36

n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Nov. 4, Quality Hotel, Houma, 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Speaker, Father Wilmer Todd. n Man of God Gathering, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 4. Meal served at 6 p.m.; events begin at 6:30 p.m. Free event; all men over 18 years of age are invited. n Fundamental Theology, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, Wednesday, Nov. 5 and 12, 6-8 p.m. Speaker, Ms.

DECEMBER

n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Dec. 2, Quality Hotel Houma, 10:45-12:45 p.m.

Stamp printout, child support printout, proof of birthdates for all children, check stubs and proof of all monthly household expenses. n Adore, Wednesday, Oct. 29, Houma Municipal Auditorium, 7 p.m. n C.E.N.T.S. will be offering the Small Business Course beginning in October through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

This course is free and is designed to help people who are interested in starting a small business.

It will be held one evening a week for nine weeks. A different business topic will be discussed each week. Anyone who is interested in participating may call Brooks Lirette at (985)8760490 to schedule an orientation appointment.

DIOCESAN

n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Oct. 7, Quality Hotel, Houma, 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Speaker, Very Rev. Joshua Rodrigue, S.T.L. n Fundamental Theology, Wednesdays, Oct. 8, 15, 22 and 29, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m.

Speaker, Ms. Katie Austin n Blue Mass, Thursday, Oct. 9, St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, 11 a.m. n Woman of God Gathering, Tuesday, Oct. 14, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall.

Meal served at 6 p.m.; events begin at 6:30 p.m. Free event, all women over 18 years of age are invited. n The Old Testament, Thursday, Oct. 16, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m.

Speaker, Deacon John Pippenger.

Katie Austin. n The Trinity, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, Thursday, Nov. 6, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Father Jules Brunet. n Young Adult gathering consisting of Adoration, Mass and a social, Friday, Nov. 7, St. Lucy Church in Houma, at 6 p.m. n Mass for Black Catholics celebrating St. Martin DePorres, Friday, Nov. 14, St. Luke Church in Thibodaux, 7 p.m. n Baptism and Confirmation, diocesan Pastoral Center

Conference Hall, Thursday, Nov. 20, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Very Rev. Robert Rogers, V.F. n TEC 73, Friday through Sunday, Nov. 21-23, Lumen Christi Retreat Center Souby Building, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. n Native American Mass, St. Charles Borromeo, Point-auxChenes, Friday, Nov. 21, 6:30 p.m. Reception to follow at the KC Home.

Speaker, Very Rev. Robert Rogers, V.F. n Deadline to register for

Junior High Faith Experience, Friday, Dec. 12.

www.bayoucatholic@htdiocese.org

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

EVENTS

The annual diocesan Blue Mass will be celebrated Thursday, Oct. 9, at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux, at 11 a.m., by Very Rev. Joshua Rodrigue, S.T.L. This Mass, which honors firefighters, law enforcement and military personnel is usually planned on or near the feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (Sept. 29.) St. Michael is the patron saint of community protectors.

All law enforcement, military and fire department personnel throughout the diocese including the South Lafourche communities and Morgan City as well as the Houma-Thibodaux area are invited to attend this special Mass in their honor.

On the weekend of either Oct. 1112 or Oct. 18-19, church parishes of the diocese will offer special prayers for medical and mental health professionals or members of the healing profession. People in these professions will be recognized at Masses on these designated weekends. One should consult their parish bulletin to determine if medical and mental health professionals will be recognized at one or several Masses on these weekends.

St. Luke, whose feast day is October 18, is associated with the healing professions due to the mention of a certain “Luke, the beloved physician” in Colossians 4:14.

The annual diocesan Red Mass was celebrated the first Thursday in October, near the opening of the judicial season to pray for members of the legal profession, that is, judges, lawyers and their staffs.

“These Masses are celebrations of the entire local church, not simply of those for whom we offer special prayer intentions. We encourage all of the faithful to join in the celebration of these Masses,” says Father LeCompte.

Complete coverage of these Masses will be in the November issue.

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Church Alive

Inspirational Teachers of the Year The Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux recently announced its 2014 Inspirational Teachers of the Year in a ceremony which took place before the annual diocesan Educators Conference, which is attended by all of the Catholic school teachers and administrators in the diocese.

An inspirational teacher in a Catholic school witnesses to the life of Christ, has the ability to see Christ in students, incorporates Gospel values, teaches life skills, values and respects students, impacts students’ achievements, is compassionate and understanding, goes above and beyond what is required, and never gives up on a student, says Marian Fertitta, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools.

Earlier this year, parents and students were given an opportunity to nominate a Catholic school teacher they felt had been an inspiration to them.

An evaluation committee used a rubric to rate the anonymous nominations and determine a winner from the elementary (pre-kindergarten through fifth grade), middle (sixth through eighth grade) and high school (ninth through 12th grade) levels. No names or pertinent information was made available to the 38 evaluation committee.

Sherrel Landry, who teaches Pre-K3 at Holy Cross Elementary School in Morgan City, was named elementary school Inspirational Teacher of the Year.

Her nominator says: “She ignites an interest in God within the children she works with. With her, it’s not about being “good or bad” or “behaving or misbehaving.” She teaches her young students to live the Golden Rule. Some may not think that a Pre-K teacher’s role is as important as an upper grade educator, but for us it certainly is! For many families, Pre-K is their child’s first experience with school.

In Pre-K, there is such an important foundation to be developed, not only in the children’s minds, but in their hearts. This teacher exemplifies a perfect balance between instruction and nurturing of her students.”

Other teachers nominated at the elementary school level are: Erica Annis, Jodie Sternfels, St. Genevieve Elementary School, Thibodaux; Ruth Braden, Jane Daigle, Danielle Knoblock, Lacie Picou, Sherry Voisin, St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School, Houma; Meghan Breaud, St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School, Thibodaux; Mae Rose Chaisson, Holy Rosary Elementary School, Larose; Jenny Chamberlain, Holy Cross Elementary School, Morgan City;

From left are Bishop Fabre, Sherrel Landry, Bill Barbera and Marian Fertitta

From left are Bishop Fabre, Craig Foret, John Rogers and Marian Fertitta

a

Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

From left are Bishop Fabre, David Malone, Jerry Ledet and Marian Fertitta

Celeste Gisclair, Renee Naquin, Holy Savior Elementary School, Lockport; Matthew Hise, Maria Immacolata Elementary School, Houma; Reagan Oncale, Dawn Theriot, St. Bernadette Elementary School, Houma.

Craig Foret, 8th grade science teacher at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux, was named middle school Inspirational Teacher of the Year.

His nominator says: “If you ask this teacher a question, he will take as long as it takes to answer it and make sure you understand it. This teacher is one of the most religious people I’ve ever met. Most teachers just say a Hail Mary before class, but he takes us through a small retreat through Loyola Press; despite my being non-Catholic I find these thoroughly inspiring. He is like no other teacher. He has been more of a friend and role model to me than anything, and he managed to teach me science in the meantime.”

Other teachers nominated at the middle school level are: Brandi Authement, Alisha Bergeron, Tiffany Bourgeois, David Constant, Guy Guidry, Sarah Johnson, Shonie Morvant, Fran Naquin, Melanie Oncale, Tim Robichaux, Tommy Schexnayder, Shane Trosclair, Marcey Zeringue, E.D. White Catholic High School, Thibodaux; Tammy Benoit, St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School, Thibodaux; Kathryn Bernard, Zachary Miller, St. Genevieve Elementary School, Thibodaux; Jamie Cheramie, Holy Savior Elementary School, Lockport; Millie Duet, Holy Rosary Elementary School, Larose; Celeste Goodwin, St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School, Houma; Shellen Liner, Ann Robichaux, Vandebilt Catholic High School, Houma.

David Malone, 10th, 11th and 12th grade social studies teacher and track coach at Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma, was named high school Inspirational Teacher of the Year.

His nominator says this teacher “has been inspirational for my class throughout this year, but has inspired everyone he teaches, both past and present. This teacher demonstrates the Catholic faith every day and teaches us about Catholicism through history. He inspires me, and others, to do things that I would never dream of being capable of doing, whether in the classroom, in sports or just in everyday life. I

know for a fact that I am a better person because of this teacher, who believes in me more than I believe in myself. He cares not only about the subject, but about the people. No matter who you are or what you’ve done in the past, he cares. That sets him apart from other teachers. He has both passion and compassion, which are the keys to success in a Catholic school environment.”

Other teachers nominated at the high school level are: Brad Adams, Ami Bourgeois, Irma Colasurdo, Wendy Couvillon, Jane Falgout, Gary Phillips, Ana Vice, Vandebilt Catholic High School, Houma; David Irwin, Brittany Matte, Central Catholic High School, Morgan City.

Jerry Ledet, president and CEO of Synergy Bank, Bill Barbera, chief financial officer and vice-president of Community Bank, and John Rogers, vice-president of retail banking and customer service at Coastal Commerce Bank, attended the awards ceremony to present the three winners with a cash award of $500, which was donated by each bank.

“Congratulations to our Inspirational Teacher of the Year winners and to all those who were nominated.

Our Catholic schools are truly blessed with devoted and caring teachers. This is evidenced by the praise that was given to each by the students and parents who nominated them. Thank you teachers for being an inspiration to your students and others whose lives you have touched in a profound way,” says Fertitta.

39

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Church Alive

Mini-grant winners Story by Janet Marcel Photo by Lawrence Chatagnier

40

As part of the diocesan Catholic Schools Office’s 2014 Inspirational Teachers of the Year awards program, teachers were given the opportunity to write for $300 minigrants. Four grants were chosen for funding this year.

“Write the Right Way,” written

by Renee’ Naquin, third grade teacher at Holy Savior Elementary School in Lockport, will be used to help students develop their writing skills through the use of the Six Traits method.

“Thinking Critically,” written

by Kristen Miller, eighth grade language and fine arts teacher at Central Catholic High School in Morgan City, will be used to

purchase three kits that encourage hands-on problem solving in math and science.

“Maintaining Homeostasis,” written by Kris Guillot, biology teacher at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux, will be used to purchase science materials such as thermometers and blood pressure kits to use with their iPads for experiments exploring

Diocesan Programs This Month “Spotlight on the Diocese” Host: Louis Aguirre With Guest: Most Rev. Shelton J. Fabre HTV/VISION COMMUNICATIONS, CHARTER COMM. & COMCAST CHANNEL 10 ALLEN’S TV CABLE MORGAN CITY CHANNEL 71 (Digital Channel 30.1-UHF & Channel 7.1-VHF) Mondays - 9:30 a.m.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

mathematical and scientific concepts.

“And the Answer is … ,” written

by Denise Colwart, third grade teacher at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School in Houma, will be used to purchase the 2Know Classroom Response System, which encourages an environment where students are eager to engage in learning.

School personnel honored The following personnel were honored for 25 years of service during the annual Catholic School Educators Conference held recently at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux.

Honorees with Bishop Shelton J. Fabre and Marian Fertitta, diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools, are from left, Margaret Johnson, Vandebilt Catholic High School, Houma; Heidi Orgeron, Holy Savior Elementary School, Lockport; and Zachary Miller, St. Genevieve Elementary School, Thibodaux.

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Special

42

Educators Conference The annual Educators Conference sponsored by the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools was held recently at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux. Father Charles Latour, O.P., J.D., M.A., M. Div., principal of Archbishop Hannan High School in Covington was the keynote speaker for the event. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was the celebrant of the opening Mass in which approximately 425 educators from all of the Catholic schools of the diocese were in attendance.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Our Churches

St. Anthony

The Community of St. Anthony of Padua in Gheens, which is located off of Highway 308 near Mathews, has been serving the community since 1912 when it was a mission of Holy Savior Church parish in Lockport. Today the church is administered by the pastor of St. Hilary of Poitiers in Mathews.

The present church was built under the leadership of Father H.C. Paul Daigle and was blessed and dedicated Sept. 21, 1967, by Archbishop Philip Hannan of New Orleans. The building is the fourth in the history of the community, with at least two previous churches destroyed by storms.

One unique aspect of the community is that Highway 654 is the only way in and the only way out, says Father Sabino “Benny” Rebosura II, pastor since June 2009.

The parish is made up of 150 families in a close-

Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

knit community with a family-oriented atmosphere.

Almost all of the parishioners are related to each other in some way, notes the pastor.

Because of its unique time slot, Mass attendance at the 6 p.m. vigil Mass is typically over 200 people, with most of the congregation from neighboring parishes in attendance.

Although it is not considered a full-fledged parish, it has its own pastoral and finance councils, religious education program, altar servers, extraordinary ministers and lectors, volunteer musicians, and a small youth group that usually joins together with the St. Hilary Church parish youth group. They also have a separate food drive for Thanksgiving and a toy drive for Christmas.

“Even though there are no organizations, when something happens in the community or something needs to be done, the people all gather around each other. It’s really amazing to see. They are all there; you can see the whole community working together to help and support each other,” says Father Rebosura.

According to the parish’s history, the statue of

a

in Gheens

45

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, which stands in the church today, has had an interesting journey. Mrs. Alida Ayo donated the statue to St. Anthony Church in the early 1900s in thanksgiving for the full recovery of her baby daughter, May Ayo (Peltier) after injuries

Close-knit community with family-oriented atmosphere

to her skull, eye, nose and mouth from a horse when they were thrown from a horse-drawn carriage.

Mrs. Ayo had prayed to Our Lady of Prompt Succor for intercession. There was no place in the St. Mary’s Nativity Church in Raceland or Holy Savior Church

in Lockport for any more statues when it was offered.

Therefore, Mrs. Ayo thought it a good idea to donate the statue to the little mission in Gheens, which coincidentally, was near where the accident had happened.

The statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor stayed in the church until the 1920s when a storm destroyed the church. That statue was all that was left standing when the church was blown away. A Gheens resident took the statue in for several years until the church was rebuilt in 1945. Priests later decided that the statue was no longer needed at the church and it was again placed in the hands of local residents.

Throughout the years, the residents kept the statue safe and prayed many rosaries at the foot of it, continually showing devotion to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

In the early 1990s when Bernice Harang, daughter of May Ayo Peltier, decided to search for the statue, she learned that it had once again been returned to St. Anthony Church in Gheens. The statue was restored and dedicated in 1991 at the church. www.bayoucatholic.com

Our Churches

46

Staff The Community of St. Anthony staff includes Father Sabino “Benny” Rebosura II, pastor; and Sarah Salinas, CRE and youth coordinator.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

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47

Church Life

You’re invited!

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre will celebrate a Mass at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19 at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. This Mass will be in thanksgiving for his 25th anniversary of priesthood and one year anniversary as bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

A reception will follow in the Youth Center.

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux 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 or establish a burse, send funds to Pastoral Center, Attn: Seminarian Burse, P. O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395 or call Jeremy Becker, Director of Stewardship and Development, at 985-850-3155 for more information.

Completed Burses of $15,000 each

Note: those wtih a number stipulates the number of completed burses* - Anonymous - Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Bienvenu - Harry Booker - Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux (3)* - 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 - 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 & Fly - Donald Peltier, Sr. (3)* - Harvey Peltier (30)* - Richard Peltier - The Peltier Foundation (2) - Orleans & Louella Pitre - Msgr. Joseph Wester - Robert R. Wright, Jr. - Rev. Kermit Trahan - St. Bernadette Men’s Club - Diocesan K of C - Endowment Fund - $119,136.90

August 2014 Burse Contributions Judge Louis & Shirley R. Watkins ..................... $600.00 Mr.& Mrs. George C. Fakier .............................. $200.00 Msgr. William Koninkx ..................................... $200.00 Mr. Eledier Broussard ........................................ $100.00 Joseph “Jay” Fertitta .......................................... $100.00 Warren J. Harrang #2 ......................................... $100.00 Joseph Waitz, Sr. ................................................ $100.00

Open Burses with Balance as of 8/30/14 Mr. Eledier Broussard ................. $14,400.00 Sidney J. & Lydie C. Duplantis ........... $13,000.00 Donald Peltier, Sr. #4 ............................ $13,000.00 Msgr. Raphael C. Labit #2 .................. $10,960.00 Harvey Peltier #31 .............................. $10,486.91 Clay Sr. & Evelida Duplantis #2 .......... $10,000.00 C. Remie Duplantis #2 ........................ $10,000.00 Marie Elise Duplantis #2 ..................... $10,000.00 Maude & Edith Daspit #2 .................... $10,000.00 Msgr. George A. Landry ...................... $10,000.00 Elie & Dot Klingman .............................. $8,400.00 Mr. & Mrs. George C. Fakier ................. $7,900.00 Rev. Victor Toth ..................................... $7,000.00 Brides of the Most Blessed Trinity ......... $5,935.00 Rev. Peter Nies ..................................... $5,810.00 Mr. & Mrs. Love W. Pellegrin ................. $5,000.00 Anonymous #2 ...................................... $5,000.00 Mr. & Mrs. Caliste Duplantis Fmly.#4..... $5,000.00 Rev. William M. Fleming ........................ $5,000.00 Mrs. Ayres A. Champagne ..................... $5,000.00 Msgr. William Koninkx ........................... $4,900.00 Rev. Kasimir Chmielewski ..................... $4,839.00 Rev. Gerard Hayes ................................ $4,786.00 Rev. Henry Naquin ................................. $4,251.00 Harry Booker #2 .................................... $4,138.00 Catholic Daughters ................................ $4,080.00

Mrs. Shirley Conrad ............................... $4,000.00 Joseph “Jay” Fertitta .............................. $4,000.00 Kelly Curole Frazier ............................... $3,610.96 J. R. Occhipinti ...................................... $3,400.00 Rev. Guy Zeringue ................................ $3,200.00 Msgr. James Songy ............................... $3,075.00 Mr. & Mrs. Galip Jacobs ........................ $3,060.00 St. Jude ................................................. $3,000.00 Diocesan K of C #2 ............................... $2,894.62 Anawin Community ............................... $2,700.00 Rev. Peter H. Brewerton ........................ $2,600.00 Willie & Emelda St. Pierre ...................... $2,000.00 Rev. H. C. Paul Daigle ........................... $1,900.00 Warren J. Harang, Jr. #2 ......................... $1,800.00 James J. Buquet, Jr. ............................... $1,650.00 Msgr. Francis J. Legendre #2 ................ $1,645.00 Rev. Robert J. Sevigny .......................... $1,600.00 Msgr. Emile J. Fossier ........................... $1,545.00 Dr. William Barlette, Sr........................... $1,525.00 Msgr. Stanislaus Manikowski ................ $1,525.00 Mr. & Mrs. John Marmande .................... $1,500.00 Deacon Robert Dusse’ ........................... $1,450.00 Msgr. John L. Newfield .......................... $1,200.00 Rev. Hubert C. Broussard ...................... $1,050.00 Rev. Clemens Schneider ....................... $1,000.00 St. Joseph Italian Society ...................... $1,000.00

Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux #4 ........... $1,000.00 Msgr. John G. Keller .............................. $1,000.00 Rev. Anthony Rousso ............................. $1,000.00 Deacon Willie Orgeron ............................. $800.00 Jacob Marcello .......................................... $800.00 Ruby Pierce .............................................. $800.00 Deacon Roland Dufrene ........................... $750.00 Juliette & Eugene Wallace ......................... $700.00 Deacon Edward J. Blanchard ................... $660.00 Judge Louis & Shirley R. Watkins .............. $600.00 Deacon Raymond LeBouef ...................... $550.00 Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Cannata .................... $500.00 Ronnie Haydel .......................................... $485.00 Deacon Harold Kurtz ................................ $300.00 Richard Peltier #2 ..................................... $300.00 Claude Bergeron ...................................... $250.00 Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Naquin .......................... $150.00 Deacon Connely Duplantis ........................ $125.00 Deacon Pedro Pujals ................................ $100.00 Rev. John Gallen ....................................... $100.00 Joseph Waitz, Sr. ...................................... $100.00 Deacon Eldon Frazier .............................. $ 50.00 Deacon Nick Messina .............................. $ 50.00 Rev. Warren Chassaniol ........................... $ 50.00

Overall Seminarian Burse Totals: $1,452,213.39 www.bayoucatholic.com

49

Our schools

50

St. Genevieve School Educating children academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally

St. Genevieve Elementary School in Thibodaux throughout the world. Someone even dubbed us was established in 1960 with grades kindergarten ‘prayer warriors’ a few years ago, which I’m proud of. through three, 99 students and an all lay faculty and People ask us often to pray for others.” staff. In 1964, the School Sisters of Notre Dame took Knobloch says the children, the families, and the over administration of the school and remained there atmosphere at the school is what makes St. Genevieve until 1969 when they departed because of a lack of School unique. “Our faculty, staff and children are vocations. so welcoming, happy and friendly. People notice that Chris Knobloch, principal since the 2009-2010 right away.” school year, says there are approximately 480 Crissy DeGravelle has been teaching Pre-K at students currently enrolled in pre-kindergarten St. Genevieve School for five years. She says she through seventh grade. believes the Lord had a hand in sending her to St. “People tell us all the time there is just a feeling Genevieve and she feels blessed to be there. “You can of family and spirituality the moment you walk in feel the power of the Holy Spirit as soon as you walk through the doors of the school,” says the principal. through the doors. Our children are happy! They are “This is a very familynurtured in all aspects oriented school. of their development: St. Genevieve Elementary School We are known for socially, emotionally, principal Chris Knobloch poses with our spirituality and we academically and literally pray for people physically. Knowing students before the morning bell.

a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

that I have a small part in that development makes with social media issues that are creeping in to teaching at St. Genevieve special. It is true when elementary schools and keeping up with technology. we say, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here,’” says “There are so many things available to us today DeGravelle. and it’s going to come with its own unique set Sophia Sirois, who is in seventh grade, says, “As of challenges like privacy, cost and keeping kids a student at St. Genevieve School, I am extremely grounded in this fast-paced and ‘me’ world. We have grateful to the faculty and staff of our school and to keep students focused on what’s really important in church for their time, love and support. I am a life – loving and caring for themselves and others, and better person, a better student and have a better protecting God’s precious earth.” relationship with God because of the St. Genevieve Knobloch explains that they have just started a family.” new afterschool initiative where they are able to offer Parent involvement at some enrichment type the school is wonderful, activities they don’t have says Knobloch. “Parents time for during the day Story by Janet Marcel take classes to lunch and such as a Spanish class help in the library. They and a cross country Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier are very supportive; team. In addition, they the teachers comment offer a Legos science on that all the time. program with Bricks 4 Our parents trust us and support us, and we feel Kidz, and an art program with Brushworks. that support throughout the year.” The school also They also have some long standing traditions has such tremendous grandparent support that they like the Buddy System where seventh graders pair recently had to start having two Grandparent Masses, up with kindergarten students to mentor them all and the church is full with standing room only at both through the school year, Advent Wreath lightings, Masses.

Mass every Friday with different a grade level The school also offers a three-way goal setting sponsoring each week. conference each year in January where the teacher, Third grader Camille Richard says she truly loves the child and the child’s parents all meet together to going to school at St. Genevieve each day. “I can’t discuss the child’s needs and progress. wait to see my friends. Everyone at school is part Some of the challenges of operating a Catholic of one big family. I love learning science and going elementary school today, says Knobloch, are dealing to our library. I think it is special that we have our

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Our schools

St. Genevieve School

own Mass each week that is easy for students to understand,” says Camille.

The school offers a Patriot’s service club and a 4-H club that was awarded third place in participation in their division in Lafourche Parish in 2013-14, and a job program where middle school students actually apply for jobs. They have to fill out an application, get three references and participate in an interview. At the end of the year they get a letter of recommendation from “management.”

Fifth grade student Olivia DeGravelle says that she likes attending St. Genevieve School for a lot of reasons, “but mostly because we are able to live out our faith through Mass, prayer and religion class. I also enjoy activities such as the Halloween Bazaar, field trips and the Buddy program. And lastly, I like that Father Dean and Mrs. Chris, and all the teachers are so supportive in our education. I feel blessed to be able to go to St. Genevieve.”

Knobloch says the school is so fortunate that Father Dean Danos is very involved at the school.

St. Genevieve has done really well in keeping up with new technology mostly because of grants. There 52 are SmartBoards in every classroom, iPads and Microsoft tablets, and the school is getting ready to have fiber optics connected, according to the principal.

Zachary Miller just completed his 25th year at St. Genevieve. He taught sixth grade language arts and social studies for 23 years, and is going on his third year as technology coordinator and campus minister.

Miller says from a very young age, he dreamed of being a teacher, but life seemed to take him down other paths. “At the age of 37, I decided to go back to college, finish my degree and look for a teaching position, thinking this might be my last chance to do what I always wanted to do. After a year and a half of working midnight shifts and attending school all day, I received my diploma and was ready to begin my search for a teaching job. Almost immediately after graduating, the hand of God led me straight to St. Genevieve and Caroline Cappel, and here I remain to this day. What I found at St. Genevieve is what has kept me here. I spent my first eight years of school in a Catholic school, so it was like coming home, and it was a home I found at St. Genevieve. I also found a faith community totally committed to the spiritual development of both students and faculty, and a community that daily endeavors to live lives of Gospel values.”

“Safety has been a really big focus for me in the last few years,” says Knobloch. “We installed a camera system, a buzz-in system for entry, and a new fence around the property. Two years ago, I had a lieutenant from homeland security walk around the campus and he gave us a list of things to do. We have accomplished almost all of the recommendations he

a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Zachary Miller, technology coordinator and campus minister

Crissy DeGravelle, pre-k teacher

gave us.”

Because of the influx of people to the area from different parts of the world, the schools in the diocese are enrolling more students with diverse cultural backgrounds. Knobloch says that at times it can be somewhat of a challenge. “The children are pretty fluent most of the time. We usually have greater difficulty communicating with parents; the children adapt more readily. We also want to try to help these students preserve their own culture, as well.”

Abby Tregre began teaching fifth grade social studies, math and religion at the beginning of this school year. She says, “After fifth grade, my family made the decision to send me to a Catholic school which was called the ‘best kept secret of Thibodaux’ or St. Genevieve for short. I was allowed to tour the school during the traditional Swap Shop Day and was greeted by future classmates who were literally falling out of their classrooms to greet me. Belonging, acceptance and unconditional love from everyone at this school followed me throughout my remaining years until I was blessed enough to be hired as an After Bell employee. This is the tradition I hope to continue now as an educator.”

Some of Knobloch’s goals for the future of the school include continuing to provide a quality Catholic education for every student, keeping tuition affordable, keeping up with technology and with safety. “We just want to give kids the best we can to have them be the best they can be academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally,” she says.

Camille Richard, third grade student

Olivia DeGravelle, fifth grade student

Abby Tregre, fifth grade social studies, math and religion teacher

Sophia Sirois, seventh grade student

53

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Guest Columnist

T 54

Faather Robert-Joel T. Cruz

The theme for World Mission Sunday 2014 is “I Will Build My Church” (Matthew 16:18). The story of the church in Mongolia, the world’s youngest Catholic Church, just 20 years old - began with decades of struggling in a communist ruled country, with no religious freedom; it was just a little more than 20 years ago that the people of Mongolia had the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

“The church is called to transmit the joy of the Lord to her children,” Pope Francis reminds us. And doing that — true to his faith and the mission in the church — is Bishop Wenceslao (Wens) Padilla, a missionary priest and now the first Bishop of Mongolia. He and two missionary priests arrived in Mongolia in 1992, to build the Catholic Church, and to serve the poor of this Asian nation.

By proclaiming and sharing their faith through spiritual and practical outreach, including education, medical care and vocational skill training programs, the first missionaries slowly built the Mongolian Catholic Church in a country where, for generations, there was no proclamation of the Gospel.

Sadly, countless communities in Mongolia and across the world are still yet to hear the Good News. With no local priests or sisters, nor any local income to sustain the outreach, our mission family in these areas needs our help. In Mongolia, for example, your prayers and assistance help to build new schools and churches, train catechists, run medical centers, and provide for English and skills training classes, and homes for children with disabilities and who are homeless.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

World Mission Sunday: ‘I Will Build My Church’ 2014 World Mission Sunday Appeal www.OneFamilyinMission.org

Matthew 16:18

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith a Pontifical Mission Society

We are invited to reach out to help our mission family in Mongolia build their local church, as well as to help their brothers and sisters throughout the missions build local churches in the remotest corners of the world. Through the work of these churches, and their witness to Christ, the poor receive practical help and experience God’s love and mercy, his hope and peace.

On World Mission Sunday, we are called in a special way to be missionaries through prayer and participation in the Eucharist, and

by giving generously to the collection for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In a world where so much divides us, World Mission Sunday rejoices in our unity as missionaries!

And it provides an opportunity to support the life-giving presence of the church among the poor and suffering in more than 1,150 mission dioceses.

(Father Robert-Joel T. Cruz is the diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.)

About Us Bishop’s Office Contact Us Deanery Organization …will Support Local Parish Needs

History of our Diocese

…will create An Endowment Fund for Seminarian Support

…will create An Endowment Fund for Catholic Charities

Links/Resources Lumen Christi Retreat Center Officials of the Diocese Offices A-Z Policies and Guidelines Safe Environment Tribunal Web Mail

V Online Safe Environment Training Still can Access: Diocesan Calendar Specific office information extensive Catholic Charities information Bishop’s articles & videos

www.catholicfoundationsl.org (985) 850-3116

V Videos from Food for the Journey programs available

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V Conference registrations available V Online links to Catholic News Service and Vatican YouTube for national and international news

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Spiritual resources Online contributions (ABA, Disaster Relief) Updated parish information with times for Mass and other liturgical services and parish personnel

Bayou Catholic

Past Ordinations Daily Scripture Other Resources

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Together in the

Work of the Lord For we are God's fellow workers.

You are God's field, God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:9

For more information, visit: www.htdiocese.org

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

w w w. h t d i o c e s e . o r g www.bayoucatholic.com

55

Entertainment

Seeing Clairely

A 56

Claire Joller

A long bayou-hugging road ends in the parking lot of a marina restaurant. The building sits a staircase height off the ground, and I caught a first glimpse of docked boats through the stand of hefty pilings under the structure as we parked.

The wave of longing that overtook me when I left the car was startling in its unexpectedness.

The sight of those boats in the placid water, a faint odor of fish, the smell of the parking lot’s shells and the building’s wood tugged at something in me that had been tucked deep away years ago.

I couldn’t explain to my husband the tears that sprang, unsummoned, into my eyes as we headed toward the stairs to take us up to the restaurant and my godson Jeremy’s birthday party. We emerged on a landing that looks out on the water that meanders in all directions through great expanses of bright green marsh.

That view continued in the dining room, where great panes of glass frame water and wetlands I considered achingly beautiful lighted as they were by late afternoon sunlight. A couple of small boats emerged from the marsh and docked beneath us in soft amber light from an enormous ocher sun dropping behind a bay on the horizon.

At that moment I could finally identify the source of the lump in my throat and the yearning I felt.

This was my dad’s world, where he had worked for decades of his life before we moved “to town.” Seeing the pristine marsh that day, I could hear his voice recounting how his father and he had had to break through ice in the wintertime marsh dawns of

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

At the end of the road

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

his youth, to reach the traps they had set for muskrats. His voice hinted at a kind of admiration he tried to impart to us for the natural world he knew in all its abundance and in its challenges from which he protected us.

He had trawled waters much like the ones below us. Had built humble wooden boats that were perennial fixtures in our “town” back yards as he took delight in pounding nails and planing wood. Had knitted and repaired any number of small trawls, his large needle flashing hefty twine expertly, as he sat on our back steps. All of this he did even when his occupation took him to the courthouse every day instead of into bayous, bays, or marsh.

As enamored of the shore as Dad was, Mom was always afraid of the water and had shielded us from too many encounters with it.

Only once or twice do I remember going fishing, actually mostly boat riding, with my parents, and that was when I was in high school.

One of those times was on a September Sunday in 1962. Daddy identified bayous we traveled and lakes we crossed and talked about his years working them. For the first time in my bookish life I took time to engorge my senses with the loveliness of the watery world we live in.

It was such a deep sensation that when I got home I wrote a (not very good) poem about September Sunday, 1962: Purple wild irises Encircle the aged cypress knees Behind cattails and stiff-fanned palmettos Barricading Oyster Bayou’s bank.

Briefly, a lone egret whitens the sunset.

I realized that night at the marina that we have seen more of Maine’s and Florida’s coasts than our very own. Looking through those windows, I felt full force Daddy’s profound connection to this land, and I regretted not keeping that connection more alive.

The

Office

congratulates its 2014 Inspirational Teachers of the Year Sherrel Landry

Holy Cross Elementary School, Morgan City Elementary School Level (Pre-Kindergarten – 5th grade)

Craig Foret

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E.D. White Catholic High School, Thibodaux Middle School Level (Grades 6 – 8)

David Malone

Vandebilt Catholic High School, Houma High School Level (Grades 9 – 12)

Our most sincere thanks to the following sponsors of the 2014 Inspirational Teachers of the Year Awards

www.bayoucatholic.com

Special

A day in the life of a

Rosary Maker

In a quiet neighborhood off of Bayou Black in Houma Richard Guidry sits quietly in a corner of his living room creating precious keepsakes from rose petals.

Guidry makes rosaries, rosary bracelets, chaplets and crosses of rose petals that mostly come from the funeral of a loved one.

“I used to make rosaries with regular beads. About 25 years ago a lady asked why I wasn’t making the rosaries from rose petals. I told her I had never

a

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Story and Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

heard of them,” says Guidry.

The woman gave Guidry the name of a nun, Sister Eugene from Chicago, IL, who made rosaries from rose petals. Guidry still wasn’t interested in working with rose petals at that time. Later two other people approached him with the idea to do it. “I remember one was named Theresa and the other, Therese. I felt there was a connection with St. Therese of Lisieux showering people with roses and what those ladies wanted me to do.”

The rosary maker then decided to contact Sister Eugene about the rosaries made from the rose petals.

“When I first contacted the sister she was reluctant. I contacted her in the form of a letter and she wrote back to me. I noticed that she used what is called a “Palmer r” for the letter “r” in her writing.

I recognized that style from letters that my parents wrote and figured that Sister Eugene must have been around the same age as my parents who were in their 80s at that time.

I used her age to try and convince her to share with me her method of making the rosaries. She agreed to share her “formula” for making the rosaries under the condition that I would only pass it on to a family member or to someone who was genuinely interested in making the rose petal rosaries. The sister’s religious order made the rosaries and it was not to be shared with anyone who wanted to make them

for wholesale,” says Guidry.

Sister Eugene shared her formula, and on his first attempt at making the rosaries he failed. “When she wrote the original formula, one of the ingredients was supposed to be in the amount of a teaspoon. She had written a cup. It had become a challenge. I was ready to get on a plane and fly to Chicago to learn from her directly. She mailed another copy of the formula and I compared the two and discovered

Guidry prays for people while making the rosaries the discrepancy. The only way the two of us communicated was either by phone or in the form of a letter. I never met Sister Eugene.”

After trying the new formula he mixed a batch of petals and told the Blessed Mother if this is what you want me to do you have to help me and show me the right way to do it.

“I was in the kitchen in my home and the countertops were all white.

I had petals everywhere. When I cleaned the countertop with a

damp cloth the moisture from the mixture and petals turned blue. To me that’s the Blessed Mother’s color and there was my confirmation to continue.”

Eighteen years has passed since that day in his kitchen and Guidry has made thousands of rose petal rosaries since. “I never advertise 59 that I make rosaries, it is purely by word of mouth. Someone usually approaches me with rose petals from a funeral of a loved one and asks me to make a rosary for them. Generally, one can expect a year from the date of the order to receive the rosary. I also tell people that it doesn’t work with any other flowers. It only works with roses,” says Guidry.

He makes rosaries for happy occasions also, such as 50th anniversaries, weddings and other special occasions. “A woman from New Iberia whose boyfriend proposed to her with a dozen red roses asked me to make them into a man’s rosary so she could present it to him on their wedding day. I obliged and it was a great gift to her husband,” he says.

Guidry says he prays for people all the time while he is making the rosaries. “I know from the beginning why the flowers were given in the first place. I always remember the occasion. God has blessed me; no matter how bad things get I can go back and think of these stories. It is comforting to me.” www.bayoucatholic.com

Special Events

Food for the Journey is Nov. 4

Rev. Wilmer Todd

The diocesan Office of Religious Education sponsors a monthly lunchtime speaker series on the first Tuesday of the month at the Quality Hotel on Hollywood Road in Houma across from Vandebilt Catholic High School.

The speaker for Nov. 4th is New Orleans native Father Wilmer Todd.

Father Todd, who retired from active ministry in June 2007 after almost 44 years of service to the people in Southeast Louisiana, is currently serving as pastor of St. Joseph Church parish in Chauvin.

He attended Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and was ordained to the priesthood Dec. 21, 1963.

He also has a master’s degree in education and is a certified teacher.

Father Todd’s first assignment was as associate pastor of St. Joseph

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Open House

for prospective students and their parents

Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 6:30 P.M. “Where Tradition Embraces the Future” 2015-2016 Application Form will be distributed at Open House Call Alisha Bergeron at 985.446.8486 ext. 116 or email edwadmissions@htdiocese.org for more information

555 Cardinal Drive, Thibodaux, LA 70301 985.446.8486 www.edwhite.org Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Church parish in Chauvin. He also served as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in Thibodaux, Holy Cross in Morgan City, St. Bernadette in Houma, and St. Genevieve and St. Luke in Thibodaux.

Those who plan to attend the November 4th event should RSVP with their name, phone number and church parish by Thursday, Oct. 30. To RSVP, email FoodForTheJourney@htdiocese.org or call (985) 850-3178.

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 $13 and includes meal, drink and tip. Only cash or checks will be accepted.

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

“Call us First” Rev. Simon Peter Engurait

Rev. Andre’ Melancon

Mimi Wilson, OT, PA-C Jimmy N. Ponder, Jr., MD Adolfo Cuadra, MD

Your Spine & Pain Relief Specialists

61 Very Rev. Joshua Rodrigue

Rev. Mark Toups

Diocesan Vocations Office appointments given The appointment of a diocesan director of the Office of Vocations and three assistants, all effective immediately, have been announced

by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre.

The Rev. Andre’ Melancon, who serves as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church parish in Thibodaux, has been appointed as diocesan director of the Office of Vocations and vocations director for a period of six years. Father Melancon is a native of Thibodaux, LA. He was ordained June 4, 2011.

The Rev. Simon Peter Engurait, who serves as associate pastor of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales parish in Houma, has been appointed as assistant vocations director for a period of six

years. Father Engurait is a native of Uganda, East Africa. He was ordained May 25, 2013.

The Very Rev. Joshua Rodrigue, S.T.L., who serves as pastor of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales parish in Houma, has been appointed as assistant vocations director for a period of six years. Father Rodrigue is a native of Thibodaux, LA. He was ordained August 10, 2002.

The Rev. Mark Toups, who serves as pastor of Christ the Redeemer Church parish in Thibodaux, has been appointed as assistant vocations director for a period of six years. Father Toups is a native of Houma, LA. He was ordained May 26, 2001.

• Low Back Pain • Neck Pain • Herniated Discs • Joint Pain • Shingles • Arm and Leg Pain Gray

985-580-1200 New Iberia

337-560-0880 answertopain.com NO REFERRAL NECESSARY

www.bayoucatholic.com

Special Events

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

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The Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus Assemblies of the diocese recently presented a check in the amount of $3,744 to Bishop Shelton J. Fabre to be used by the diocesan Office of Religious Education to train adult catechists. The Fourth Degree Knights have been making a contribution to this fund since 1989. Representatives who presented the check to Bishop Fabre are from left, Bill Curth, Judge A.J. Caillouet

Assembly, Houma; Nathan Arceneaux, St. Pius X Assembly, Cut Off; Gary LeCompte, August W. Vandebilt Assembly, Houma; Donald Naquin, diocesan chairman of Excellence in Religious Education and Father Patrick V. Curran Assembly, Chauvin; Norman “Joe” Legendre Jr., Father Kermit Trahan Assembly, Raceland; Allen Trahan, Holy Family Assembly, Grand Caillou; and Ernest Larose, E.D. White Assembly, Thibodaux.

• Married to Denise Marcel Alfred, daughter of the late Judge Cleveland Marcel, Sr. • Practicing Attorney for 36 years • Former Houma Junior High teacher, Nicholls instructor • Parishioner of St. Bridget Church and past president of St. Bridget, St. Bernadette and St. Francis parish councils

www.RandyAlfredforJudge.com

• Member of Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce, Knights of Columbus, and Kiwanis Club of Houma • Served as Special Assistant District Attorney and Special Parish Attorney • Voted Best Family Attorney by Courier readers for three years

The Judge for ALL People of Terrebonne Parish

Early voting is Oct. 21-28, 2014. Primary Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Thank You for Your Support!

Alan Ames

‘Healing Service’ is Oct. 29 A “Healing Service” with Alan Ames, Catholic evangelist and mystic with the gift of healing, is scheduled for Oct. 29 beginning with Mass at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma.

Ames, who struggled with various addictions 20 years ago, travels the world sharing his “Saul to Paul” conversion story and powerful healing ministry in which he has thousands of documented healings worldwide. He has spoken in 50 countries on six different continents.

Everyone is welcomed to attend.

For more information about Alan Ames International Ministry, visit www.alanames.org.

Photo contest

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) is sponsoring a photo contest now through Oct. 12.

It will featuring two categories: n Three pelican – capture these mesmerizing birds flying high, swooping down or sitting low in a group of three. The best picture in this category will win a Tabasco Gift Basket. n Loving Louisiana’s Coast Category – this category includes everything great about Louisiana: seafood, sunsets, boats, beach, marsh, trees, anything that you love about Louisiana. The best picture in this category will receive a Ruby Slippers Cookbook, Sarah Ott bracelet and a CRCL hat.

For more information about the photo contest, please visit http:// crcl.org/events/national-estuariesweek.html.

Diocesan Outreach Line

In response to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is offering an Outreach Line (formerly known as the Child Protection Contact Line). The Outreach Line is an effort to continue the diocesan commitment to support healing for people who have been hurt or sexually abused recently or in the past by clergy, religious or other employees of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Outreach Line operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A trained mental health professional responds to the line. Individuals are offered additional assistance if requested.

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Outreach Line Telephone number is (985) 873-0026.

For detailed reporting procedures see: www.htdiocese.org.

Click on the Safe Environment tab, then on S.E. Forms and Links.

Línea de Comunicación Diocesana

Con el fin de cumplir con las Políticas de Protección de Niños y Jóvenes de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Los Estados Unidos, la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux ofrece una Línea de Comunicación (antes Línea de Contacto para la Protección de los Niños). La Línea de Comunicación es parte del esfuerzo diocesano de comprometerse con el mejoramiento de aquéllos que han sido lastimados o abusados sexualmente recientemente o en el pasado por miembros del clero, religiosos u otros empleados de la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux.

El horario de la Línea de Comunicación de la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux es de 8:30 a.m. a 4:30 p.m., de lunes a viernes. El encargado de esta línea es un profesional capacitado en salud mental. Se ofrece asistencia adicional al ser solicitada.

Línea de Comunicación de la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux Número de teléfono (985) 873-0026.

Vea el detallado procedimiento de informes en: www.htdiocese.org.

Haga clic en Safe Environment y luego S.E. Forms and Links.

Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp Giaùo phaän Ñeå höôûng öùng Hieán chöông Baûo veä Treû em vaø Giôùi treû töø Hoäi ñoàng Giaùm muïc Hoa kyø, Giaùo phaän Houma-Thibodaux ñang chuaån bò ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp (luùc tröôùc laø ñöôøng daây lieân laïc baûo veä treû em). Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp laø moät söï coá gaéng cuûa giaùo phaän nhaèm cam keát haøn gaén naâng ñôõ nhöõng ai ñaõ bò toån thöông hoaëc bò laïm duïng tính duïc hoaëc gaàn ñaây hoaëc trong quaù khöù bôûi giaùo só, tu só hoaëc caùc coâng nhaân vieân cuûa Giaùo phaän Houma-Thibodaux. Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp Giaùo phaän hoaït ñoäng töø 8:30 saùng ñeán 4:30 chieàu, thöù hai ñeán thöù saùu. Moät nhaân vieân chuyeân nghieäp veà söùc khoûe taâm thaàn traû lôøi treân ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi. Nhöõng caù nhaân seõ ñöôïc trôï giuùp naâng ñôõ theâm neáu caàn. Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp Giaùo phaän Soá ñieän thoaïi: (985) 873-0026.

Caàn bieát theâm chi tieát veà caùch baùo caùo xin vaøo trang web cuûa ñòa phaän laø www.htdiocese.org.

Baám vaøo muïc Safe Environment, sau ñoù tôùi muïc S.E. Forms vaø Links.

www.bayoucatholic.com

63

Church Life

Virtue-Based Restorative Discipline Disciplining based on the virtues

64 Kristie Cenac and Kelly Smith

Charismatic Renewal retreat at Lumen Christi Oct. 17-19

Rev. Simon Peter Engurait

A retreat entitled “Pathway to the Father’s Heart” sponsored by the diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal is being offered at the Lumen Christi Retreat Center in Schriever, Friday through Sunday, Oct. 17-19. The retreat is being led

by Father Simon Peter Engurait.

Opening Mass will be celebrated at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17. Checkin begins at 3 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5 p.m. The retreat will include daily Mass, teachings, small group sharing, praise and worship; and personal prayer ministry for forgiveness and healing. Other than Mass, small group sharing and meals, it will be a mostly silent retreat.

For more information, call (985) 860-4824 or (985)856-4269.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

By Kristie Cenac and Kelly Smith As concerned Catholic school educators, we are interested in helping to form the entire child academically, emotionally and spiritually. We wish to provide an atmosphere of acceptance in which each child can develop into the unique individual that God has created him to be. This summer, a small group of faculty members attended a conference in St. Louis, MO, which helped us in this journey.

This conference, Virtue- Based Restorative Discipline (VBRD), placed an emphasis on disciplining using virtues. Restorative Discipline instructs and demonstrates the best strategies for addressing classroom disruptions, bully prevention, and other antisocial behaviors. It offers teachers, students and parents a foundation on which to build, maintain and restore relationships which are key components to academic success.

By encouraging personal understanding and practice of character through teachings on virtue, we can more fully experience personal growth, and in turn, use these virtues in our interactions with those around us.

When harmful behaviors do occur, restorative practices are used to enable all parties to repair relationships and make things as right as possible.

VBRD places an emphasis on the studying and practice of virtues.

Any virtues can be used, secular character traits or theological virtues. Being a Catholic school, we chose to focus on the Colossian virtues (Colossians 3:12-15).

Education of the virtues is a must.

Our school defines them and teaches them to faculty, staff, students and parents. The defining is the easy part, of course. It is more difficult, and more important, to live these virtues. VBRD helps us to put our knowledge into practice.

We began with a faculty/staff retreat. Our overnight retreat consisted of prayer,

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LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

readings, music and spiritual talks all based on the Colossian virtues.

After reflection and prayer, each staff member chose her own particular virtue to work on for the year. We committed ourselves to the use of constructive language, eliminating judging, criticizing, gossip, and diminishing statements.

We also chose a common virtue for our school to work on for the year.

Our virtue this year is unity.

Our next step was to include the students. Each class taught the virtues the first week of school.

They were our first lessons of the year. We then immediately began the use of prayer circles. Our school was familiar with prayer circles because we do a classroom weekly prayer circle with Come, Lord Jesus!, a Scripture- based program focusing on the Sunday liturgy. We have integrated VBRD with Come, Lord Jesus! Prayer Circles begin with prayers of thanksgiving, a Scriptural reading, sharing and intercessory prayer. As facilitators, we demonstrate to the students the virtues in the Scriptures. We also try to show them how these virtues were lived by Jesus and his disciples, and how we, as his disciples, live these very same virtues today.

We have a class meeting once a month. During our class meetings,

with prayer, we discuss any behavior situations that may need addressing. Children are taught to express their concerns in a respectful manner. A teacher may also bring up an issue she feels needs to be addressed. All is done with respect for the human dignity of each person. A simple activity stressing a particular virtue is also completed.

We have also established “families.” All grades, pre-K 4 to eighth grade, are divided between the faculty members. Each teacher is assigned a “family.” In her family, a teacher will have 20-24 students ranging in age from 4-14.

The older children are encouraged to help the younger. We meet once a month for approximately an hour.

A prayer circle is completed and an activity is performed. This month all families created a “family quilt” depicting our chosen virtue – unity.

The teacher and principal address individual behavioral problems with VBRD, as well.

Conferences and discussions start and end with prayer. First, the injustice is identified. “What went wrong?” “What harm occurred here?” We establish safety if anyone is harmed. Second, equity needs to be restored. “How can this be made right?” Harm must be repaired for everyone involved. Third, “What

can we do to help each other in the future?” It is important to help students own the problem and the solution. If students behave inappropriately, they can be sent 65 to a classroom during recess where they quietly complete a reflection sheet. This sheet has areas where the student writes or draws what he did, what virtue was lacking, what action he could take to repair the harm. This sheet is then signed by teacher, principal, student and parent. Communication between all is essential. Specified consequences are still given for inappropriate behavior. VBRD is used in addition to our school’s behavior policy.

We are presently in the process of beginning our parent phase.

Our parents and grandparents are invited to meet in September to gather in prayer. They will join in prayer circles, just as our students and staff.

We hope that our entire school family will live more virtuous lives. We pray that we can bring kindness, gentleness, humility, forgiveness, patience and unity into our school and community.

(Kristie Cenac and Kelly Smith are the coordinators of the VirtueBased Restorative Discipline program at St. Mary’s Nativity School in Raceland.) www.bayoucatholic.com

State

Dr. Norman Francis retiring Patriarch of the Xavier University family since 1968

By Peter Finney Jr.

Catholic News Service

houses and Army surplus trailers in one city block.

Xavier’s burgeoning campus today is dotted with 16 buildings on 63 acres, and the endowment has grown from $2 million to more than $160 million.

More importantly, 20,000 students have earned degrees, and Xavier annually places more AfricanAmericans in medical school than any other college in the country. The school also leads the nation in the number of African-Americans earning degrees in biology, chemistry, physics and the physical sciences.

Francis, the son of a Lafayette barber and homemaker, graduated from Xavier in 1952 and became the first African-American to graduate from Loyola University New Orleans’ Law School. His older brother Joseph was the fourth black Catholic bishop in the U.S., serving as auxiliary bishop of

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Fittingly, the announcement came inside Xavier University of Louisiana’s sleek convocation center, the newest of many green-roofed monuments that Norman C. Francis, the longest-serving university president in the United States, had built through charisma, prayer and personal witness.

Francis, 83, the patriarch of the Xavier family since 66 1968, told thousands of students, faculty and staff Sept. 4 that he would step down in June 2015 as president of the only historically black Catholic university in the Western Hemisphere.

“After nearly 47 years, I know the time has come to take the brightly burning torch turned over to me CNS PHOTO/COURTESY XAVIER UNIVERSITY Norman Francis, 83, president of Xavier University of Louisiana since 1968, by the Sisters of told thousands of students, faculty and staff Sept. 4 that he would step the Blessed Sacradown in June as president of the only historically black Catholic university ment and pass it on in the Western Hemisphere. He is pictured in a 2010 photo. to new leadership,” Francis said. “I do Newark, New Jersey. this with a passionate confidence and absolute certainAfter serving in the Army, Francis worked with the ty that Xavier is better prepared than ever to continue U.S. attorney to help desegregate federal agencies in its educational and spiritual mission and to build on its the South. He returned to Xavier in 1957 as dean of tradition of excellence.” men and became the first lay president of the univerFrancis’ tenure spanned generations and overcame sity in 1968, getting the appointment from the Sisters many obstacles, not the least of which was restoring of the Blessed Sacrament on the same day civil rights a campus inundated by the floodwaters of Hurricane leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Katrina in 2005.

Memphis.

When Francis came to Xavier as a 17-year-old fresh“His assassination was like blowing up the dream,” man on a work scholarship in 1948, the campus conFrancis said. “I think it dulled our senses. sisted of just a few permanent buildings, several small

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

We were in shock.”

Francis often reflected on the many “miracles” produced by Xavier, but the biggest miracle of all, he said, is that it existed in the first place. Xavier was founded

by St. Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who entered religious life, formed the Blessed Sacrament Sisters and then used her family inheritance to educate blacks and native Americans throughout the U.S. St. Katharine opened the university in 1925, building an impressive administration and classroom building out of Indiana limestone. Xavier’s initial focus was to prepare African-Americans, who could not get a private school education in Louisiana, for future careers as teachers.

Francis said he was motivated by the example and discipline imparted by his parents, neither of whom graduated from high school.

“But they were as smart as anyone who had completed college,” Francis said. “I was full of dreams and more than a little bit of fear. Quickly, my fears were allayed and my dreams began to be nurtured by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, the rest of the caring faculty and staff, as well as my fellow students, who shared many of the same dreams and fears.

“My experience as a student shaped my personal ambitions and ideas for what my role could be in changing the world. My faith guided me to apply the gifts that God had blessed me with to serve others.”

Francis said he had fleeting thoughts about retiring after Katrina devastated the Xavier campus and

flooded 80 percent of New Orleans. But those notions quickly vanished as he pulled together a small core of administrators, faculty and staff in temporary headquarters in Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

“I thought about it, but not for long,” Francis said.

“I couldn’t leave, not just because of who I was, but because I knew that Xavier wasn’t ready to give up to a hurricane. We had 80 people who brought us back in four and a half months, and 75 percent of them had lost their homes. That was not easy. There’s something about adrenaline. There’s something about knowing when it’s time to make a decision.”

Francis had lost his home as well, but even in the midst of the recovery efforts he agreed to a plea from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco to chair the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the state panel that provided guidelines for how the region would use federal funds to rebuild. In 2006, Francis received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush.

Michael Rue, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, said there is no true way to measure Francis’ impact on thousands of students and on the New Orleans community.

“There’s not a lot of servant leaders in this world,” Rue said. “This man could have been a politician, a successful businessman, a very successful lawyer. A lot of doors would have opened for him. But Xavier needed him and the nuns needed him.”

Rue said board members hope to have a new president in place by July 1.

67

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Local News

Archdiocesan Spirituality Center informational meeting here Nov. 6

The New Orleans Archdiocesan Spirituality Center (ASC) will hold an informational meeting announcing its next Training Program in Spiritual Direction Thursday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the diocesan Pastoral Center, 2779 Highway 311 in Schriever, LA. Over the years this Internship in Spiritual Direction has certified over 200 spiritual directors now serving a number of dioceses in Louisiana. At this meeting there will be discussion about the program, its purpose, 68

prerequisites and structure.

The two year internship in Spiritual Direction Program will begin in August 2015, in two locations: Grand Coteau, meeting the third Wednesday of each month (August-May) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and at the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center in Metairie meeting the second Saturday of each month (August-May) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

For more information, contact Sister Dorothy Trosclair, O.P., at (504) 861-3254 or register at http://asc.arch-no.org.

Correction

Following is a corrected version of two pastoral appointments by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre that were announced in the August issue of Bayou Catholic.

The Rev. Basil T. Doan, C.M.C., who has been serving as pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church parish in El Dorado Springs, MO, since 2008, has been appointed associate pastor of Thanh Gia Church parish in Amelia, for a period of two years.

Father Doan is a native of Dalat, Vietnam. He was ordained May 30, 1999.

The Rev. “James” Thien Van Nguyen, C.M.C., who has been serving as an associate pastor of a Church parish in Vietnam since 2011, has been appointed pastor of Thanh Gia Church parish in Amelia, for a period of two years.

Father Van Nguyen is a native of Playou, Kontum, Vietnam. He was ordained June 24, 2008.

New Sister

Sister Antonieta Salazar

Sister Antonieta Salazar, M.C.S.H., a member of the Missionary Catechists of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, is the newest member of the Hispanic Ministry team.

Sister Antonieta, now joins Sisters Eufemia Santiago and Silvia Serrano in ministering to the thousands of Hispanic Catholics in the diocese.

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Vandebilt Brothers’ Hall 211 South Hollywood Road in Houma Questions may be directed to Mrs. Lisa Vegas at (985) 580-1868 or lvegas@htdiocese.org.

Vandebilt does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, or ethnicity.

Nation

Ice bucket challenge brings attention to pro-life research center

By Mark Pattison

Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Few people think of Iowa City, Iowa, as a hotbed of medical research. But in a roundabout way more Catholics are beginning to take notice of a Catholic, pro-life medical research center.

This summer’s ALS ice bucket challenge craze has netted nearly $100 million in donations for the ALS Association as celebrities and commoners alike are taking to social media, posting videos of themselves getting doused with ice-cold water (and sometimes ice cubes), and challenging four friends to do the same: Get an ice-cold soaking, make a donation, or both, all for the purpose of fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

But because the ALS Association has acknowledged conducting research using embryonic stem cells -- a practice opposed by the Catholic Church, and one the association said is funded by one specific donor and is coming to an end -- a few dioceses have recommended making donations instead to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, which conducts ALS research without using such cells.

The institute focuses on developing core technologies that all diseases need, and doing this within a pro-life value system.

Compared to what the ALS Association is pulling in from the challenge, the institute’s income thus far has been, well, a drop in the bucket, but it represents a 100 percent increase in donations.

“Last year, we raised $170,000 of private donations, primarily through word of mouth, people we know. Because we’re small, we don’t have an organizer for marketing, a professional fund-raising organization,” said Dr. Alan Moy, who co-founded the institute in 2006 with his wife Jeanne.

“In the last 10 days, we’ve re-

ceived exposure and that’s doubled.

That’s pretty significant,” Moy told Catholic News Service Aug. 29.

“But compared to ALSA, that’s peanuts.”

The institute’s website says that it saves money by being in the Midwest as opposed to either of the two coasts, and it doesn’t pay huge salaries to its researchers. In all, according to Moy, there are 10 full- or part-time employees in all phases of the institute, including nonresearch tasks.

Moy said the findings of the research done by the institute would have applications for ALS as well as for cancer and other debilitating illnesses.

Consider making donations to John Paul II Research Institute “Our model is what do we need to do that can reduce the time and money it costs to push a drug into a clinical trial,” he said.

At the institute, as at Catholic hospitals, “there’s a lot of people who may not be Catholic and they may not be pro-life, but they have to recognize that the hospital isn’t going to do anything that’s opposed to Catholic teaching,” Mow explained. “They’re going to have to abide by certain Catholic principles. As long as they know that, I want them to work passionately, work hard, and know what the end game is. ... People are interested in making a difference.”

The institute takes credit for several accomplishments: helping facilitate the first commercial adult stem cells for medical research; helping facilitate achieving the world’s largest repository of adult stem cells; helping facilitate the development of induced pluripotent stem cells, which takes a patient’s cell and, through genetic manipulation, creates a stem cell that has all of the biological features of an embryonic stem cell but without the need to destroy embryos; creating technology to convert stem cells into neurological cells; creating a clinical infrastructure to recruit patients from private centers around the country with less red tape than found in academia and government.

Moy said many of the adult stem cells created at the institute have 69 therapeutic potential for ALS. The institute, which partners with Mercy Hospital of Iowa City to gain access to patients, has a plan -- contingent on continued increased donations -- to “scale up” its activities, Moy said. Elements of that plan include recruiting more ALS patients around the globe, collecting their clinical data, creating personalized stem cells from them, screening drugs on those ALS stem cells to find the best lead drug candidates for entering into clinical trials, manufacturing FDA-approved adult stem cells that could be approved for ALS clinical trials, and then participating in those trials.

Moy also hopes to double the institute’s staff.

“The ice-bucket challenge created an awareness among pro-life individuals about ALS and the supportive position of the ALS Association towards embryonic stem cell research,” Moy said in an Aug. 28 email to CNS. “With all of the attention given to this media phenomena, pro-life individuals just stumbled across the institute and decided to give us financial support to conduct research on ALS.” www.bayoucatholic.com

World

Pope appoints 14 couples to attend Synod of Bishops on Family

By Carol Glatz

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than 250 participants, including 14 married couples from around the world, were expected to attend October’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family.

In addition to 114 presidents of national bishops’ conferences, 13 heads of Eastern Catholic churches and 25 heads of Vatican congregations and councils, the pope appointed 26 synod fathers to take part in the Oct. 5-19 synod.

A list of the appointments was released Sept. 9 by the Vatican.

Almost all of the 26 papally appointed voting members are from Europe. Of these, none of the 14 cardinals, eight bishops and four priests appointed by the pope is from North America or other Eng70 lish-speaking countries.

Some of the papal appointees include German Cardinal Walter Kasper, Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels, and Italian Cardinal Elio Sgreccia, as well as Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, director of La Civilta Cattolica journal, and Msgr. Pio Pinto, dean of the Roman Rota, a Vatican-based tribunal that deals mainly with marriage cases.

However, among the nonvoting members of 38 observers and 16 experts appointed by the pope, the majority are laymen and laywomen, including 14 married couples, and they are more geographically diverse, with several coming from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, as well as Europe.

Voting synod members include officials from the Roman Curia, heads of the Eastern churches, and archbishops of churches “sui iuris,” including Byzantine Archbishop William C. Skurla of Pittsburgh.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic SigBayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

nature, the Vatican’s highest court, were to attend as officials of the Roman Curia.

Among those attending who are part of the synod’s ordinary council include: U.S. Cardinals Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Donald W. Wuerl of Washington; Australian Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy; South African Cardinal Wilfrid F. Napier of Durban; and Philippine Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, who is also one of three delegate presidents of the assembly. Pope Francis will serve as president and Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri as the synod’s general

secretary.

Among the presidents or vice presidents of national bishops’ conferences who were to attend: -- Canadian Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec.

-- U.S. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky.

-- Mexican Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega of Guadalajara.

-- English Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster.

-- Scottish Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow.

-- Irish Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.

-- Australian Archbishop Denis Hart of Melbourne.

The theme of the extraordinary synod is: “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization,” and synod members will be called upon to find ways to improve the pastoral application of

church teachings, ways to explain it and to help Catholics live it.

Many of the 38 papally appointed observers and experts are lay and religious women and men active in family ministries and pastoral care, canon law and moral theology.

Among those invited to attend include: -- Jeffrey and Alice Heinzen, respectively director of the Office for Marriage and Family Life and natural family planning coordinator for the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin.

-- Steve and Claudia Schultz, U.S. executive members of the International Catholic Engaged Encounter, ministering to engaged couples.

-- Joan Clements, codirector of the World Organization of Ovulation Method Billings in Australia.

-- Christopher Meney, director of the Life, Marriage and Family Centre with the Archdiocese of Sydney.

-- Dr. Ron and Mavis Pirola, chairs of the Australian bishops’ Catholic Marriage and Family Council.

-- Sister Margaret Muldoon, a former superior general of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux.

-- Steve and Sandra Conway, regional directors of the Retrouvaille program in Southern Africa for couples experiencing difficulty in their marriages.

-- Riyadh Naoom Azzo and Sanaa Ibrahim Habeeb, a married couple from Iraq, “witnesses of Christian family life in an Islamic setting,” the Vatican list of appointments said.

Eight “fraternal delegates” will represent non-Catholic Christian communities, such as the Lutheran, Anglican and Baptist communities as well as Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, director of foreign relations for the Moscow patriarchate.

Rachel’s Vineyard retreat Oct. 31-Nov. 2

CNS PHOTO/TONY GENTILE, REUTERS

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia speaks during a press conference at the Vatican Sept.16. Archbishop Chaput gave updates about the World Meeting of Families which will be held in Philadelphia Sept. 22-27, 2015.

The Rachel’s Vineyard Ministry for healing after abortion is sponsoring a retreat the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2, at the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center, 5500 Saint Mary St., Metairie, LA. The cost of the retreat is $170 (some financial assistance is available, if necessary.) This Catholic retreat for healing the pain of abortion is open to everyone whose life has been touched by abortion. All faiths are welcome. For more information or to register, call Melanie Baglow at (505)889-2431 or (504)7106458, by email at mkbaglow@cox. net; or Pam Richard at (504)4609360, or (985)809-0773, by email at richj504@bellsouth.net. This retreat is strictly confidential.

Faith, Family, Service

Over 17 years criminal trial experience as a prosecutor Parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church Member of Knights of Columbus Board Member of Catholic Charities for over 20 years Married to the former Monique Guidry Father of Brooke-Ashlee and Cassie and Paw Paw of Riley-Grace Son of Dr. Werner Hagen and Mrs. Virginia Hagen

www.bayoucatholic.com

71

World

Pope’s advisors start first draft toward

Overhauling the Vatican

By Carol Glatz

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis’ international Council of Cardinals has begun creating the first draft of a new apostolic constitution that would implement a major reform of the Vatican bureaucracy.

The so-called C9, a papally appointed group of nine cardinal members, held its sixth meeting Sept 15-17 with Pope Francis at the Vatican to help advise him on the reform of the Vatican’s organi-

zation and church governance.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told reporters Sept. 17 that the series of discussions have now begun a more “concrete” phase with “putting ink on paper” in the form of a draft for the introduction to a new constitution.

“It may be assumed that, with the next two meetings of the council -- Dec. 9-11, 2014, and Feb. 9-11, 2015 -- the draft constitution will reach an advanced stage of preparation, making it possible for the

pope to proceed with further consultations,” the priest said in a written statement.

In a first step toward reorganizing the Roman Curia, Pope Francis created the Secretariat for the Economy in February as a way to begin universal oversight and standards for all of the Vatican’s financial assets and activities.

Father Lombardi told reporters that the cardinals’ discussions concerning financial issues have concluded, and that they now resumed looking at the different

a

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Please Vote

#

60 Anthony P. “Tony” Lewis 60 #

JUDGE, DIV. “B”, 17TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, PARISH OF LAFOURCHE “EXPERIENCED, FAIR AND DEDICATED TO JUSTICE” BIOGRAPHICAL: • Native of Larose, Louisiana • Resident of Thibodaux, Louisiana • Married to Debra Ezidore Lewis for over 30 years, with two children: Elliott and Morgan Lewis, both of whom are graduates of Vandebilt Catholic High School • One Granddaughter, Leah Lewis • Wife, Debra, has worked as a Registered Nurse at Terrebonne General for over 25 years • U.S. Army Veteran (1974-1977) Honorably Discharged • Sergeant in the Louisiana National Guard, Honorably Discharged in 1983 QUALIFICATIONS: • Graduated from South Lafourche High School, Galliano, LA • Graduated from Nicholls State University-B.A. in Government • Graduated from Southern University Law Center • Currently holds the position of Assistant D.A., and Chief Juvenile Prosecutor for Lafourche Parish

• Has practiced law in Lafourche Parish for more than 25 years • Former President of the Lafourche Parish Bar Association • Former Director of Paralegal Studies and Associate Professor at Nicholls State University • Former Law Clerk for the late Hon. Bernard L. Knobloch who served in Div.”B” of the 17th JDC

Primary Election is Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

pontifical councils of the curia, as part of a bigger strategy of finding the most effective and efficient way to reorganize the large bureaucracy.

In their three days of talks and study, the nine cardinals “focused on two principle hotspots,” the Vatican spokesman said in his written statement.

The first topic included the laity, the family, “the role of women in society and the church, youth, childhood, or matters related to lay associations and movements and so on,” he wrote.

The second topic combined the issues of “justice and peace, charity, migrants and refugees, health, and the protection of life and ecology, especially human ecology,” the written statement said.

The way the different issues were divided into two major areas seemed to lend credence to some news reports predicting the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family would be merged into one new congregation, and that the pontifical

councils for Justice and Peace, Cor Unum and Migrants and Travelers could be combined, since their areas of focus are closely related and often overlap.

Pope Francis would make the final decisions, Father Lombar-

The Vatican spokesman said the pope’s Commission for the Protection of Minors will meet Oct. 4-5 di said, based on input from the Council of Cardinals and regular talks with the heads of the curia, other cardinals and bishops.

The Vatican spokesman said the pope’s Commission for the Protec-

tion of Minors will meet Oct. 4-5, and any announcements or clarifications concerning new members and the group’s statutes would be made around that time.

Since its inception in July, the Commission on Vatican media was set to hold its first meeting Sept.

22-24 in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where the pope lives.

The 11-member body has been asked to review and recommend ways Vatican communications structures could be streamlined and modernized.

The commission president is British Lord (Chris) Patten, former governor of Hong Kong, former chairman of the BBC Trust and former chancellor of the University of Oxford. The commission secretary is Irish Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Greg Erlandson, president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing and a former correspondent in the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service, is a commission member.

73

Orville

#

65

CALLAHAN

A Proactive Marshal

CITY MARSHAL

I was born and raised in Terrebonne Parish and have a strong commitment to our Cajun lifestyle. I have 27 years Law Enforcement experience. I retired in 2001, where I held every rank including Police Chief. I’m currently on the Fire Protection Board and a volunteer fireman District 10, A Fourth Degree Knight Assembly 2215 in Dulac, Deputy Grand Knight with St. Eloi KC Council 8779 in Theriot, Member of St. Eloi Church and a 40 year member/Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4.

ISSUES Houma City Marshals office is in need of reform. As of June 16, 2014, it was found that there are 4675 active warrants. We must get these criminals off the streets to make Houma a safer place to live. The Marshal’s deputies have no radio communications and very little interactions with local law enforcement. This makes their job of serving warrants and other criminal/civil papers unsafe. In the event of an emergency they are unable to radio in. Corrective actions will have a positive effect in our community by lowering crime while working together with local law enforcement and making Terrebonne Parish a safer place to live.

Early Voting is October 21-28, 2014 Primary Election is Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Please Elect Orville Callahan City Marshal

For More Information, Contact Orville Callahan • Cell (985) 232-7019 www.bayoucatholic.com

Sports

Overtime

H 74

Ed Daniels

He was meticulous to a fault. He was organized.

And, as assistant coach his pedigree was terrific.

But, Charlie Stubbs never seemed to be the right fit for Nicholls State University.

Citing an illness, Stubbs resigned with a record of 10 wins and 38 losses.

Time for the Colonels to start over.

It is something they have done before. Only one coach in school history, Sonny Jackson (1981-1986), departed with a winning record.

It is a tough job; but, not an impossible one.

Here are three candidates the school should interview.

All three are or were successful high schools coaches in the New Orleans area. All three can attract the second or third level recruits that can form the backbone of your roster.

Here they are in alphabetical order.

Louisiana Tech assistant coach Jabbar Juluke. He coached Karr to back-to-back appearances in the Superdome finals. His 2012 team won the class 4A championship.

Juluke left after that season to join the staff at Louisiana Tech.

His teams at Karr were not only talented but disciplined.

And, his teams played hard.

Juluke would be an excellent recruiter in metro New Orleans.

Another possible candidate should be Mandeville High School head coach Guy Lecompte.

Lecompte coached the Skippers to back-to-back 5A semifinal

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • October 2014

Recipe

t x e n e h for t s l l o h c i N t a h c a co es c a l p s r e y a l p e k “C oaches can ta ” . s e lv e s m e h t e k t hey can’t ta

appearances.

He’s an excellent coach of quarterbacks. He employs spread principals on offense, while still running the football. And, his teams always seem to play good defense.

Lecompte is extremely hard working, organized and an excellent fund raiser.

And, he is quietly, one of the most competitive coaches in football.

When he got the job at Mandeville, he called and asked to play John Curtis.

A third candidate should be St. Charles Catholic coach Frank Monica.

Monica, a former Tulane assistant, coached the Comets to the 2011 3A championship.

He is a demanding coach, fanatical in his drive for perfection.

And, he knows just about every high school coach in the state.

Monica interviewed for the job

when Stubbs got it in 2010.

Monica bubbles with personality.

And, his quips are some of the best.

“They are so talented (fill in the opponent), their cheerleaders run 4.4.”

But, he doesn’t get enough credit for being an outstanding coach whose teams consistently overachieve.

And, that’s what the Nicholls State football program needs right now.

It will never be the greatest job.

It will never have the most money.

But, within one hour of metro New Orleans, the Colonels should be better.

A very prominent high school football coach in the metro area has the following sign in his office.

“Coaches can take players places they can’t take themselves.”

Sounds like the recipe for the next coach at Nicholls State.

From Our Archives

Devastating hurricane of October 1893 Just before the turn of the 20th Century, Caminadaville was a bustling fishing and oyster harvesting community on the Louisiana coast. On Oct. 1, 1893, a hurricane demolished the fishing village on Cheniere Caminada and killed about half of the 1,500 residents who lived there. Other coastal marsh communities were similarly ravaged by the storm. The home, shown in photo above, was one of only two buildings to survive the hurricane. Several families are said to have saved themselves inside the home. The roof, photo below, was all that remained of this Caminadaville home. As many as 70 people were reported killed when the house collapsed and was overwhelmed by the hurricane. (Photos and information were provided by the Cheniere Hurricane Centennial in 1993).

www.bayoucatholic.com

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BAYOU CATHOLIC • HOUMA, LA

OCTOBER 2014