“Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your lives.” These words are used at Mass to send us back out into the world, to glorify the Lord.  But how do we do that?  How can our little lives add anything to the splendor and majesty of God?  Join us on five consecutive Tuesdays to explore Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “Rejoice and Be Glad: On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World”.

In five chapters, the Holy Father explores ways in which the Lord calls us all to holiness, “each in his or her own way”. Sessions will begin at 6 pm, and last about an hour. Each session will focus on one of the five chapters of the document.  No registration is required.  Presenter:  Fr. M. Keith LaBove, Pastor

Where:  St. Patrick Catholic Church – 406 E. Pinhook Road, Lafayette, LA
When: Tuesdays:  October 30, & November 6, 13, 20 & 27
Starting at:  6 p.m.

Download a flyer here.

Read the letter here.

 

Readings

The weekly Bulletin and the bulletin article are available.

The Sunday homily is not available.

Today marks the canonization of Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero, of San Salvador, along with Blessed Pope Paul VI & 5 others. You can read his last homily here, after which he was assassinated while celebrating Mass, March 24, 1980.  On the day before, the Archbishop had continued his mission of preaching the Gospel by speaking up on behalf of the poor and voiceless in his country, who were being mercilessly slaughtered by a brutal military regime (supported by the United States).  By preaching truth to power, Romero had put into practice that most fundamental element of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the preferential option for the poor.  Why was it deemed necessary by the powerful to silence this servant of God?  Consider these words he spoke in his homily on the day before his murder:

“I would like to make a special appeal to the men of the army, and specifically to the ranks of the National Guard, the police and the military. Brothers, you come from our own people. You are killing your own brother peasants when any human order to kill must be subordinate to the law of God which says, “Thou shalt not kill.” No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God. No one has to obey an immoral law. It is high time you recovered your consciences and obeyed your consciences rather than a sinful order. The church, the defender of the rights of God, of the law of God, of human dignity, of the person, cannot remain silent before such an abomination. We want the government to face the fact that reforms are valueless if they are to be carried out at the cost of so much blood. In the name of God, in the name of this suffering people whose cries rise to heaven more loudly each day, I implore you, I beg you, I order you in the name of God: stop the repression.”

 

I Am What I Am

1st Black Catholic Women’s Conference
St. Genevieve Middle School Cafetorium
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 – 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Registration ($30) required by Oct. 1st
More details and the registration flyer available here.

The Center for Loss & Transition at Hospice of Acadiana is offering a FREE 6-week workshop for those grieving the loss of a loved one.  Details are:

When:  Wednesdays, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
Dates:  October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 November 7
Where:  Hospice of Acadiana, Center for Loss & Transition
2600 Johnston St., Lafayette, LA 70503
Topics will include:  Common grief reactions, the impact of loss, and self-care
Facilitated by:  Alyssa Barras, MSW
Flyer attached with full details – please feel free to share with others!

Please RSVP with Alyssa Barras, MSW at 337-232-1234 or via abarras@hospiceacadiana.com.

Pope Francis has responded to new reports of clerical sexual abuse and the ecclesial cover-up of abuse. In an impassioned letter addressed to the whole People of God, he calls on the Church to be close to victims in solidarity, and to join in acts of prayer and fasting in penance for such “atrocities”.

 

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis
To the People of God

“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it” (1 Cor 12:26).  These words of Saint Paul forcefully echo in my heart as I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons.  Crimes that inflict deep wounds of pain and powerlessness, primarily among the victims, but also in their family members and in the larger community of believers and nonbelievers alike.  Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient.  Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated.  The pain of the victims and their families is also our pain, and so it is urgent that we once more reaffirm our commitment to ensure the protection of minors and of vulnerable adults. Continue reading “Pope Francis: Letter to the People of God (full text)” →

We live in a time when our nation is thrashing about in fear of the stranger – the foreigner, the refugee, the alien.  All our supposed toughness, our “zero tolerance”, our willingness to strip children from their parents’ arms is a result of that fear and insecurity.  We fear they make take from us something we have (to which we are certainly entitled!), or keep us from getting something we think we need.  People who are afraid build walls, rather than bridges, and take refuge in hatred and prejudice.

Three videos from Catholic Relief Services invite us to begin to turn the tide, three conversations that invite us to “Be Unafraid”.

St. Joseph Catholic Church in Broussard, Louisiana  is hosting a Men’s Prayer Breakfast on Saturday, June 16, 2018, 9:00 am, at St. Joseph Church – Bishop Perry Learning Center (232 St. de Porres St., Broussard, LA. Cost:  $10 per person, paid at the door. The organizers of this event are extending an invitation to all men of the diocese.  For additional information please feel free to contact call the Church’s office at:  (337) 837-6218.
Download the flyer here.

An Art Therapy Workshop:

Date changed to May 13th.

Our Lady of Fatima Church (2319 Johnston Street) will host Ms Gail Archer, Concert Organist, in recital on Sunday, May 6, 2018, at 2:30 p.m.  Included will be works by Back, Schumann, Reger & others. Ms Archer is concert organist at Vassar College and chair of the music program at Barnard College of Columbia University.  She also serves as director of the artist and young organ artist recitals at historic Central Synagogue in New York City.  The concert is free and open to the public. Flyer available here.

 

A time of recreation, fellowship, prayer and discussion to aid young men in discerning their vocations in life. June 26-28, 2018, at Community of Jesus Crucified, 103 Railroad Ave, St. Martinville, LA.  There will be priests, seminarians, and other young men like yourself gathered together for these days. No charge. To register:  http://www.lafayettevocations.org or 337-261-5690.