At the request of Pope Francis, more than 250 bishops from across the country gathered at Mundelein Seminary outside Chicago for a one-week retreat Jan. 2-8 to reflect on the issues surrounding the sexual abuse of minors. Can you offer a few thoughts on how the retreat went for you? There was a very good spirit throughout the retreat. It was a silent retreat. We gathered every day for morning prayer, which was followed by a talk by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, a Capuchin Franciscan priest who has served since the 1980s under Pope John Paul II as the “preacher to the papal household.” He’s a very learned and holy man. His responsibilities include offering retreats to the pope during Advent and Lent. He also has spoken many times in the Archdiocese of New Orleans at conferences sponsored by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. After Father Cantalamessa’s morning talk, we had quiet time until 11 o’clock Mass, where he preached. That was followed by a silent lunch, a break in the afternoon for private prayer and rest and then another talk at 4 p.m. We had evening prayer together, supper and then a Holy Hour from 7 to 8. It was all prayer and reflection – no business discussions at all.

Divine Word Father Jerome G. LeDoux, the longtime pastor of St. Augustine Church in New Orleans, died Jan. 7 in Lafayette following heart surgery. He was 88 and had served as a priest for 61 years. The native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, entered the Divine Word High School Seminary in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, at the age of 13 in 1943, began novitiate studies at the Divine Word Seminary in Techny, Illinois, in 1947 and took first vows in 1949. He attended Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, and then St. Augustine Seminary in Bay St. Louis, taking final vows in 1957. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 11, 1957.

Apedido del Papa Francisco, más de 250 obispos de todo el país, se reunieron en el Seminario Mundelein, en las afueras de Chicago, para un retiro de una semana del 2 al 8 de enero, para reflexionar sobre los temas relacionados con el abuso sexual de menores. ¿Podría ofrecer algunas ideas sobre cómo le fue en el retiro? Hubo un muy buen espíritu durante todo el retiro. Fue un retiro silencioso. Nos reunimos todos los días para la oración de la mañana, a la que siguió una charla del padre Raniero Cantalamessa, un sacerdote franciscano capuchino que, ha servido desde la década de 1980 bajo el papa Juan Pablo II, como el “Predicador de la Casa Papal”. Sus responsabilidades incluyen, ofrecer retiros al Papa durante el Adviento y la Cuaresma. También, ha hablado muchas veces en la Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleáns, en conferencias patrocinadas por la Renovación Carismática Católica. Después de la charla matutina del padre Cantalamessa, tuvimos un momento de silencio hasta la Misa de las 11, donde predicó. A eso le siguió un almuerzo silencioso, un descanso en la tarde, para orar en privado y descansar, y luego otra charla a las 4 p.m. Tuvimos la oración de la tarde juntos, la cena, y luego una Hora Santa, de las 7 a las 8. Fue toda de oración y reflexión, sin discusiones de negocios.

Blaming huge numbers of violent killings, assaults, sex crimes and drug overdoses on undocumented immigrants, President Donald Trump in his first prime-time speech from the Oval Office (Jan. 8) said, “This is a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul,” and insisted that Congress provide $5.7 billion for a wall extension along the U.S.-Mexico border. President Trump’s words are absolutely correct: “This is a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.” But how he applies these words are absolutely incorrect.

Students from nursery age to seventh grade at St. Louis King of France School in Metairie showed their unflagging support for New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis Oct. 8. Davis was originally fined by the NFL for wearing a headband with the spiritual message, “Man of God,” under his helmet. At a schoolwide assembly, students each wore a “Child of God” headband, while teachers donned either “Woman of God” or “Man of God” headbands. Ironically, the same day of the support rally, the NFL rescinded Davis’ fine for violating the league’s dress code policy.

Can one quarterback from the same Texas high school outplay the other? Can Nick Foles, one of the greatest relief pitchers in recent NFL history, out-perform Drew Brees in the Superdome? If so, it would be one of the great items on an already sterling resumé compiled by the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback. Others have tried and failed. On Nov. 4 at the Superdome, L.A. Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 12 of 16 passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in the first half. But, he was bested by Brees, who completed 17 of 22 first-half throws for 211 yards and three touchdowns.

Mount Carmel Academy instills in its students the belief that with a good education, one can accomplish great things.  What better way to exhibit this empowerment than to have students investigate and embody their favorite historical woman for the entire school?  This is exactly what English teacher Jaime Carroll asked her students to do during the recent “Living HERstory” biographical celebration. Students chose an influential woman, investigated her life and historical significance and portrayed that woman in a costume that represented her, creating games and giving presentations.

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans (CCANO) hosted a celebration Dec. 6, to celebrate a decade of services to the elderly with its PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) GNO Centers, its supporters of PACE as well as the expansion to full-time services at Hope Haven at St. John Bosco PACE Center, at 1101 Barataria Blvd., in Marrero. PACE GNO is an affiliated ministry of CCANO. The St. John Bosco PACE Center had been operating three days a week – Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. – since its inception in 2014 as an adult health center for the elderly. A $1.6 million renovation had been completed at that time to the former Hope Haven site, originally established by Msgr. Peter Wynhoven in 1925 to shelter and educate orphans and children in need.

Have you ever felt stuck?  About a year ago, I was trying to discern God’s will for me, and it was a bit of a struggle.   I was in a job that was very emotional and stressful. But it was more than just the job that had been frustrating me; the stress of this job was affecting my personal life. I had been praying to know God’s will for me. Should I stay at my job? Should I leave? If I leave, where will I go? What will I do? So many questions that it got a bit overwhelming, and my head would spin so fast that I had to take a break from asking God what his will is for me.  It’s like when you are driving along and get stuck in mud. The harder I pushed my questions and worries, the more the tires  would spin, and I couldn’t move forward.  

Wherever we look, anger is on the rise and is calling for a deeper look at its anatomy. Anger, which is one of the seven capital sins, is often painted as evil. Psychologists would advise, however, that we take a closer look at it before condemning it completely. Anger can be good when it addresses a disorder that needs immediate attention. My dad was a very patient man and could put up with almost anything. One day his anger stunned me when he caught a dishonest merchant trying to pull the wool over his eyes. The confrontation that followed corrected the situation and hopefully helped the merchant to reconsider his honesty.

Christians are not better than other people, but they do know that God is their father and they are called “to reflect a ray of his goodness in this world thirsting for goodness, waiting for good news,” Pope Francis said. Leading his first general audience of 2019, the pope continued a series of talks about the Lord’s Prayer. Pope Francis explained how the Gospel of Matthew presents the Lord’s Prayer as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which also includes the eight Beatitudes.

46th Annual March for Life Friday, January 18, 2019 Where National Mall – 12th St. Washington, D.C Speakers and Performers:

We’ve been there, which makes the journey of recovery now facing St. Dominic Church in Panama City, Florida, both a history lesson and a teachable moment, filled with grace. When Hurricane Michael, a near-Category 5 storm packing winds of 155 mph, slammed into the Florida panhandle in October, it created a 40-mile wide swath of destruction for hundreds of miles in its path. “It was basically like a 40-mile-wide tornado,” said Father Michael Nixon, the 36-year-old pastor who was ordained in 2010 but never learned anything about hurricane theology in the seminary. “The devastation was just incredible. No, there was no training for this.”

As the new year rings in, we turn our thoughts to what it will bring. Will 2019 be different from 2018 or will it bring more of the same?  The problem with that kind of questioning is the lack of agency involved. We, as individuals, make change, not the year itself. We start off with resolutions for change, and it’s up to us to make them happen. Is it any wonder, then, that for Catholics, our new year begins each year with the Epiphany? Epiphany means revelation. As the Christmas season comes to a close, we celebrate the three revelations of Jesus as the son of God to the world: the visit of the three magi to the baby Jesus, his baptism and the wedding at Cana. We begin each new year with a reminder of Jesus as a source of renewal, or, as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI wrote in The Spirit of the Liturgy, “the dawning of the new light, the true sun of history.”

The repurposing of the former St. Rose de Lima Catholic Church property on Bayou Road has resulted in a new home for Southern Repertory Theatre as well as rental space for nonprofits and the Waldorf School. Southern Rep, which has used the former St. Rose de Lima Church space in some way for the past two years, will have an inaugural ball Jan. 19 beginning at 4 p.m. with the ringing of the bells in the former church bell tower. Cocktails will follow from the new Sanctuary bar (constructed of materials from the confessional, Communion rail and other church elements), rotating entertainment and tours of the facility until 10 p.m. “I wanted to have something that was definitely about dancing, music and dressing up,” said Aimée Hayes, Southern Rep Theatre’s producing artistic director. “It’s a chance for  us to show off Southern Rep to everyone and have a good time.”

La familia es el corazón de la Iglesia doméstica y, como miembros de la familia, todos tenemos historias especiales que, nos encanta transmitir de generación en generación. De la misma manera, nuestras comunidades cívicas y religiosas, tienen historias que transmitir. Una historia asombrosa que ha sido contada durante más de 200 años por nuestras familias cívicas y religiosas, tiene sus raíces en lo que sucedió en la Batalla de Nueva Orleáns, el 8 de enero de 1815, en Chalmette, justo río abajo de Nueva Orleáns. Es una historia de perseverancia en la oración, durante una vigilia nocturna en la víspera de la batalla. Las Hermanas Ursulinas y, las esposas e hijos de muchos de los soldados estadounidenses, invocaron la intercesión de Nuestra Señora del Pronto Socorro, para ayudar a salvar a la ciudad de la invasión del ejército británico, una fuerza muy superior en número a la desorganizada fuerza estadounidense, e improvisada por el general Andrew Jackson.

The family is the heart of the domestic church, and, as family members, we all have special stories that we love to pass on from generation to generation. In the same way, our civic and religious communities have stories to pass on. One amazing story that has been retold for more than 200 years by both our civic and faith families has roots in what happened in the Battle of New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815, in Chalmette, just downriver from New Orleans. It is a story of perseverance in prayer during an overnight vigil on the eve of the battle. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) –The clerical abuse crisis and the “crisis of credibility” it created for the U.S. bishops have led to serious divisions within the U.S. church and to a temptation to look for administrative solutions to problems that go much deeper, Pope Francis told the U.S. bishops as they met Jan. 2-8 in retreat near Chicago. Without a clear and decisive focus on spiritual conversion and Gospel-inspired ways of responding to victims and exercising ministry, “everything we do risks being tainted by self-referentiality, self-preservation and defensiveness, and thus doomed from the start,” the pope wrote.

The most anticipated event that culminates a sports season is the selection of the coveted All-State team. And the most talked-about by prep hacks is the All-State football team, chosen by a group representing the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The last of five teams – Class 5A – was published on Jan. 6. It contained 14 players on the offense side and 14 defensive selectees.  And by some ill-conceived, all-inclusive philosophy that declares everyone a winner, the committee went out of its way to pick 93 (count ’em) players for honorable mention.

Enero 13, 2019 Fiesta del Bautismo del Señor Gospel: Lucas 3: 15-16.21-22 Navidad, Epifanía y el Bautismo, forman un tríptico que nos recuerda los primeros pasos de la ma-nifestación de Dios a los hombres. Con el Bautismo terminan las fiestas de navidad. Está claro que el Bautismo de Jesús, que aparece en los cuatro evangelistas, supone un corte radical; en él se nos muestra el principio de su vida pública.  Juan bautizaba con agua, predicaba que es necesario convertirse, cambiar; Jesús se pone en la cola de los que van a ser bautizados como un pecador más, pero ocurre algo inesperado: “Apenas salió del agua, vio rasgarse el cielo y al Espíritu bajar hacía él como una paloma. Se oyó una voz del cielo: Tú eres mi Hijo amado, mi preferido”. Dicen algunos que en este momento Jesús tomó conciencia de su realidad mesiánica, lo que sí quedó claro, es que su proyecto de vida contaba con el beneplácito del Padre y la presencia del Espíritu.