In order to provide pastoral care for the people of God in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archbishop Aymond has made the following appointments:  ADMINISTRATOR Rev. Ronald Boudreaux, S.J., as Administrator, Holy Name of Jesus Parish, New Orleans.  PAROCHIAL VICAR Rev. Walter Butor, O.M.I., as Parochial Vicar, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, New Orleans.  Rev. David Paternostro, S.J.,  as Parochial Vicar, Immaculate Conception Parish, New Orleans.

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Ascension of Our Lord, Knights of Columbus, Council 9623, awarded Eve Anders a check July 11 to assist her in n becoming a Catholic nun. She will be attending classes at The Servant of The Pierced Heart of Jesus and Mary in Miami, Florida. Anders is the daughter of Dawnell and Mark Anders. Pictured from left to right, are: Mark Anders, Eve Anders and Grand Knight Mike Abbate.

The St. Dominic Knights of Columbus #3729 held its installation of new 0fficers for 2018-19 July 12. They are, front row, from left: Chris Mickel, recorder; Tim Viezer, deputy Grand Knight; Rene Crais, warden; and Mike Champagne, chancellor; Back row: Mike Caillouet, outside guard; Keven Colomb, advocate; Don Schindler, trustee; Paul Tchiblakian,  Grand Knight; Robert Crais, trustee; Jim Kenny, lecturer; and Vic Welker, financial officer.

There is an emotional power that one gains when exploring an archives and finding a true historical nugget of golden truth. Sometimes it is tracing the history of our ancestors or knowing how a church community started. Historical documents offer intrigue, first-hand knowledge, and yes, gossip. The Archives of the Archdiocese of New Orleans is no different. It documents a fascinating and colorful history, one which has its beginnings three-quarters of a century before the diocese was established.  The mission of the Office of Archives and Records is to document and care for the historical records, publications, manuscript collections and related records documenting the Catholic experience in Louisiana. Records date from 1718 to the present.

Catholic schools are not an assembly line, but at a Metairie restaurant recently, all eyes were focused on the end product – a man or a woman whose life had been changed by attending Catholic schools. The archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools hosted its first Distinguished Alumni Award ceremony in May, honoring 34 Catholic school graduates nominated for the inaugural honor by their respective schools.

Loyola University New Orleans has opened a state-of-the-art, $1.2 million donor-funded Student Success Center that brings together services previously offered in various parts of the campus. Strategically located on the second floor of the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library, a major hub on campus, the new center emphasizes Loyola’s roles as a center of academic excellence and a place of welcome for all students. The first year of college is critical for retention of students, and Loyola officials say the new center will be an important part of that success rate, which has been steadily on the rise over the last two years.

The vision of one man from France, St. John Baptist de La Salle, to educate poor and marginalized children resulted in the establishment of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1680. Today, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools operates 1,000 educational centers educating 850,000 students (children, youth, adults) in 79 countries that adhere to the core principles of faith in the presence of God, concern for the poor and social justice, respect for all persons, quality education and inclusive community. The De La Salle Christian Brothers will mark three milestones in their history with the year-long celebration in 2018-19, “Procuring God’s Glory from Generation to Generation.”

From its establishment in November 2013 as the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center in Metairie (the former Cenacle Retreat House), the archdiocesan retreat ministry has benefitted from the philanthropy of a special angel wielding a mighty skillet. Chef John Folse, a Catholic, has hosted a dinner gala for the retreat facility each year since 2014, with the proceeds going toward year-round operations of the center, which this year will sponsor 25 retreats, most for women and their families, and as well as host other days of reflections for parishes and schools. Folse will team up with New Orleans chef Susan Spicer, the owner of Bayona, Mondo and Rosedale restaurants, for a “wine and dine” gala, “Once Upon a Time,” Aug. 3 at Chateau Golf and Country Club, 3600 Chateau Blvd., in Kenner. Cocktails will be served at 6:15 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:15. “John is tremendously generous in giving back,” said Dr. Paul “Buddy” Ceasar, director of the retreat center. “What he consistently says is that God has been very good to him, and he feels more honored and privileged to be able to give something back. He’s very committed to the work of the retreat ministry, and he’s happy that he can help us.”

Eric DesOrmeaux, a 1995 graduate of Holy Cross School, has been named chief school officer in the school’s leadership team restructuring to a one-school model. He will direct the “school’s curriculum, discipline and teaching teams” in all academic areas, including primary, middle and high school grades on its two campuses. DesOrmeaux joined Holy Cross in 2006 as dean of men and head wrestling coach. He previously was a teacher and administrator in St. Bernard Parish for six years. DesOrmeaux earned his bachelor of science degree in secondary education and social studies at Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of New Orleans. “Because I had a strong relationship with the faculty and staff, it was easy to transition into this role,” he said. “The staff has been behind me in what I expect from them.”

In the midst of an unbeaten season in 1998, Tulane’s head  coach Tommy Bowden and LSU director of athletics Joe Dean were guests of the New Orleans Quarterback Club. Bowden was taking questions from the audience: “Why doesn’t LSU play Tulane in football?” Bowden simply bent the microphone over to Dean. The crowd chuckled. The question at the time seemed relevant. Especially when the Green Wave, in 1997 and 1998, won 19 games and lost four. Jog ahead 20 years. Tulane director of athletics Troy Dannen said LSU and the Green Wave will not play baseball in the 2019 season. Dannen said it is likely the clubs will play one game, the Wally Pontiff Classic at the Shrine on Airline, in 2020.

Catholics in the United States have excelled in developing amazing structures and resources for pastoral leadership formation at all levels in seminaries, houses of formation, colleges and universities, pastoral institutes, online programs and catechetical formation initiatives, among others.  After visiting Catholic communities in several parts of the world, I get the sense that no other nation has as many highly educated and well-qualified Catholic pastoral leaders as we do in the U.S. This reflects, in many ways, the social and cultural context within which we build faith communities, the importance given by our society to education and professional training, and the access to countless resources for education.  However, a large contingent of highly qualified pastoral leaders is not something that happens overnight. It took decades to educate them. Most of these well-formed pastoral leaders are white, Euro-American. 

Jumpin’ for Joy Campers filled St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s gymnasium with the sounds of beating drums during a Dancing Drum session at summer camp. Founded in 2002 by musician and educator Steve Campbell, Dancing Drum educates, entertains and inspires people of all ages through interactive, percussion-based programs. In the photo are: Dancing Drum Founder Steve Campbell (left) leading Jumpin’ for Joy campers Caroline Thomas, Sadie Cambre, Elise Turner and Taylor Litolff for a session at St. Mary’s Dominican High School’s Summer Camp.

De La Salle's  first co-ed class of 1993 held a recent reunion with several members and former members of the faculty and the graduates reunited. The school became co-ed about the same time 25 years ago that  De La Salle’s principal, Brother Jeffrey Calligan, proposed to make the school co-educational since the Brothers of the Christian Schools had indicated that all their schools should become co-ed about the same time that Mercy High School and Holy Angels High School, both all-girls' schools, decided to close their doors..

Three Jesuit students, Bradley Fugetta, William Wells and John “Jack” Zvonek Jr earned the highest possible composite score of 36 when they took the ACT® test in June. A total of nine Jesuit students have now achieved a perfect ACT score in the last two years. Bradley Fugetta is a member of Jesuit’s Class of 2019. He attended Christian Brothers and St. Philip Neri before attending Jesuit. He is the son of Margaret Diaz-Fugetta and Frank Fugetta. At Jesuit, Fugetta is a member of student council, the academic support tutoring program, mock trial, academic games, Mu Alpha Theta, Quiz Bowl, National Honor Society, and the varsity bowling team. This year, Fugetta is a finalist in “18 in ’18,” an arts and literary contest for high school juniors put on by the Patrick F. Taylor foundation to celebrate the tricentennial of New Orleans. He also placed 10th in individual state math competition for analysis, having placed first in the competition in geometry as a freshman. Over the summer, Fugetta is tutoring underprivileged middle school students who show academic potential through Operation Upgrade

On June 24, Anselm Catholic Church held a reception to celebrate the ordination of permanent Deacon Ed Morris. Pictured, left to right, are:  Deacons Dennis Hickey and Jack Glover, Father Travis Clark, Deacon Ed Morris, Father Thien Nguyen, Msgr. Frank Giroir (pastor) and Deacon Pat Wellmeyer.

One sign of demand is a ringing telephone. When Archbishop Gregory Aymond dedicated the new offices of Catholic Counseling Service inside a venerable and remodeled two-story building across from Notre Dame Seminary, he expressed his gratitude that counseling with a Catholic orientation for individuals, couples and families would be available for up to seven clients at one time. “The need is tremendous,” Archbishop Aymond said late last month after blessing the archdiocesan facility, the former home in the 1960s of the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic and, later, used as Crescent House for battered women at the corner of Carrollton Avenue and Pritchard Place, where a lion statue stands guard. “When we started this just a few years ago, we didn’t know how much this would grow, but the need grows greatly every year,” the archbishop said.

Greg Kandra was a good-enough Catholic, observant and Mass-going, although he admits his wife was by comparison the real lion of the faith as they attended church at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish in Forest Hills, New York. Before he got married, Kandra had forged quite a career for himself at CBS through the written and spoken word. His professional arc had started at ground zero. After all, in the early 1980s, when interest rates on home mortgages were on the Evita Perone side of 16 percent, an English degree from the University of Maryland and a dollar bill could fetch a cup of coffee. “I graduated in the middle of the last big recession in 1981, and I couldn’t find a newspaper job to save my life,” Kandra recalled. “The Washington Star had just gone out of business. The Baltimore News-American was in bad shape. Nobody was hiring. I found myself spending entirely too much time at home, driving my parents crazy.” At a dinner party, his father ran into a news producer for CBS and wistfully pleaded with him, “I’ve got this kid who needs a job.”

More than a few tears are shed each year as children prepare to go back to school – or go to school for the first time. Last year, Riley Blanchard entered pre-K2 at St. Louis King of France in Metairie with some trepidation, as her class photo attests. “Every picture was of her crying,” said Marian Blanchard, Riley’s grandmother. “She cried when she took her bunny pictures; she cried when she took her Santa pictures.” But everything ended well. “Every grandmother thinks her grandchild is smart, but Riley amazes me!” Blanchard said. 

All Christians are called to be missionaries, concerned more with sharing the Gospel than with earning money or even with being successful at winning converts, Pope Francis said. “A baptized person who does not feel the need to proclaim the Gospel, to announce Christ, is not a good Christian,” the pope said July 15 before reciting the Angelus prayer with an estimated 15,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Francis was commenting on the day’s Gospel reading, which told about how Jesus sent the disciples out two-by-two to preach and to heal in his name. “It was a kind of apprenticeship for what they would be called to do with the power of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection of the Lord,” the pope explained. Speaking only in the name of Jesus, he said, “the apostles had nothing of their own to proclaim and none of their own abilities to demonstrate, but they spoke and acted as emissaries, as messengers of Jesus.”