No longer do Archbishop Chapelle students lug notebooks between school and home for religion class. Through the newly adopted iPad2s in archdiocesan high schools, students in ninth through 12th grades at Chapelle are highlighting words and text blocks, bookmarking pages, making flashcards, taking notes and more on their electronic Ave Maria Press textbook that’s loaded in their iPads.

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans received a $15 million grant Wednesday from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation to oversee a consortium of 16 nonprofits that provide mental health, counseling and direct assistance to fishing families severely impacted by the BP oil spill.

Now in its fourth year in New Orleans, the “40 Days for Life” celebration is attracting people of all ages and faiths. At a recent organizational meeting for this year’s month-long event Sept. 28-Nov. 6, yard signs and prayer cards were distributed and individuals signed up for a prayer shift during the 40 days for an end to abortion.

She may be small in stature, but Pat Evans’ verve to uplift others is as enormous as her faith. Her life’s work has united disparate groups. She worked to bring together Muslims and Croats in the war-torn Baltic States.

Cada iglesia de la Arquidiócesis tendrá programación de confesiones para el 14 de septiembre, a partir de las 7 pm ¿Cómo llegó esta iniciativa a la Arquidiócesis? Fue el resultado de dos debates. Cuando estábamos hablando del programa Católicos Regresen a Casa en la Cuaresma, quisimos asegurarnos de que las personas que se habían alejado de la Iglesia no sólo sintieran la bienvenida de la familia a la mesa, pero también el sacramento de la penitencia y  todas las bendiciones de la Iglesia Católica.

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sister Mary Lou Specha, executive director of Reconcile New Orleans, Inc., celebrated 25 years of religious life with a Mass and celebration Sept. 3 in Dubuque, Iowa.

By Maureen Pratt Guest Columnist While many children might be cringing now that  vacation is over, I imagine that some adults are thinking: “I wish I could go back to school!” I’ve embarked on learning journeys in  my life, and each endeavor was worth it for the knowledge, satisfaction and self-confidence that resulted.

Appreciating beautiful works of art is not just for cultural enrichment, it’s also an important way to experience God and become aware of the human thirst for the infinite, Pope Benedict XVI said. A sculpture, a painting, a poem or piece of music can arouse a feeling of joy when it becomes apparent it is more than just a chunk of marble, a canvas covered with colors, or words or notes on a page.

We all remember where we were, and what we were doing 10 years ago, Sept. 11. Back then, Monday night football was still airing on ABC. I had arrived home about 1 a.m. and crashed. Shortly before 8 the next morning, my daughter Erin called me on her way to school.

Sports editor Ron Brocato covers so many sporting events it’s hard to keep track, and now the best of his photos are available online clarionherald.org. Click on the “photos” tab and enjoy. Photo prints are available for purchase by calling 596-3036.

The state’s oldest high school football rivalry, matching Jesuit against Holy Cross ,was set to kick off at Tad Gormley Stadium on Sept. 9 for the 91st time. Or was it the 90th? That age-old question will never be answered.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Office of Catholic Schools and archdiocesan and religious-sponsored high schools will host the 2011-12 Catholic High School Information Night Sept. 14 at the University of New Orleans Human Performance Center at the Lakefront campus.

As the population of indivi duals of Latino descent continues to grow in the United States – the 2010 census estimates that 15 percent of the U.S. work force is Latino – reports of workplace injustice have increased at Mexican consulates nationwide.

Melanie Deck Williams, a registered nurse who specializes in labor and delivery, didn’t give it much thought when she was asked in July to schedule a follow-up ultrasound of her unborn child. “We had gone in just to find out if it was a boy or a girl,” Williams said, referring to the ultrasound appointment with her husband Brett.

St. Bernard Catholic Church will host a seafood dinner Sept. 9, beginning at 5 p.m., in Iverson Hall, 2805 Bayou Road in St. Bernard. Fried shrimp, oysters, fish, homemade crab cakes, desserts and more.

From Sept. 20-22, you will hold a convocation called “Cultivating Unity” for priests in the archdiocese. What was the genesis of this initiative? In my conversations with priests and in talking to priests at the Presbyteral Council and the Council of Deans, it became evident to me that priests were asking for more opportunities for fellowship, prayer and mutual support.

The government of Qatar came to the rescue of Xavier University of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and now the oil-rich, Middle Eastern country is determined to do something similar for earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

It was a “white-letter” day for the Sisters of the Holy Family on Aug. 31. Workers in the street signs department of the City of New Orleans replaced eight blocks of street signs in Tremé, changing out St. Claude Street for Henriette Delille Street in honor of the foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family.