Growing up, I had mixed feelings about the celebration of Palm Sunday. On one hand, it meant that the end of Lent was approaching and I could again indulge in what I had given up; on the other, it meant the Passion play and a long Mass.

Fifty years ago, Blessed Pope Paul VI gave to the world a truly prophetic encyclical letter Populorum Progressio (“The Development of Peoples), and just days later Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his powerful speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence.” As kindred spirits in Christ, they both knew the grave dangers facing humanity – dangers still staring us in the face.

At a recent Louisiana Association of Student Councils (LASC) state convention held at Archbishop Hannan High School, De La Salle junior Ben Calico, above, was elected the District 1 Student Council State president.

Academy of Our Lady’s Drama Club – the Thalian Society – recently presented its spring musical, “Leader of the Pack,” a lively ’60s musical about a young New York girl aspiring to achieve musical success.

At the March 4 regional First Tech Challenge Robotics Competition that drew 19 teams statewide to the University of New Orleans’ Human Performance Center, St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s robotics team, the Dream Team, won first place for the Motivate Award and third place for the Connect Award, and its Digibots team placed third for the Think award.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center will host a series about Pope Francis’ pontificate titled, “The Ever Unfolding Vision of Pope Francis,” April 12, 19 and 26, from 6:30-8 p.m. Presenters are Msgr.

“If you are a baptized Catholic, then you are a missionary,” are words inside the handbooks for V Encuentro, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to evangelize or “encounter” our Catholic brothers and sisters on the periphery of the church and make them feel welcomed.

The Office of Black Catholic Ministries will transition in May from one dynamic leader to another when current director Dr. Ansel Augustine leaves to become resident campus minister for student leadership at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.

Care for others was a trait Blessed Pauline von Mallinckrodt absorbed as a child, accompanying her Catholic mother as she helped the poor in Germany and something she maintained throughout her life. As “The Woman Who Couldn’t Be Stopped” – a book Sister of Christian Charity Delphine Wedmore later wrote about her – Blessed Pauline exemplified the meaning of courage, fortitude, faith and being a servant of the poor.

In keeping with the goals of the archdiocesan synod, the Archdiocese of New Orleans has established a new ministry to persons with same-sex orientation and their families, as well as those who have questions about the Catholic Church’s teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity.

¿Puede explicar la decisión de reunir a cientos de personas – sacerdotes, directores, catequistas, religiosos, consejeros escolares, ministros de campus y directores de IT – la semana pasada, para hablar sobre el tema de la pornografía, especialmente cuando afecta a niños y adolescentes?

The observation, as they say in Gentilly, slapped me upside the head. The irony of last Sunday’s Gospel passage of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, when juxtaposed against the illuminating undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s calculating efforts to squeeze maximum value out of human body parts, was almost impossible to ignore.

Can you explain what went into your decision to bring together hundreds of people – priests, principals, religious catechists, school counselors, campus ministers and IT directors – last week to talk about the issue of pornography, especially as it affects children and teenagers?

Pulling back the veil of secrecy and openly discussing society’s exponentially increased use of pornography is a critical, first step in combating the problem that has led to rampant addiction and to marriage and family problems, the business development leader of Covenant Eyes told Catholic teachers, catechists and youth ministry leaders March 28 at Notre Dame Seminary.