VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Since marriage and priesthood both demand the total devotion and self-giving of a man to his vocation, “it does not seem possible to realize both vocations simultaneously,” retired Pope Benedict XVI said in a new book.

At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church committed herself irrevocably to following the path of the ecumenical venture, thus heeding the Spirit of the Lord, who teaches people to interpret carefully the “signs of the times” (Pope St. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, “Ut Unum Sint,” 1995).

Lovely melodies have been written for today’s responsorial psalm (the response is “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will”), which make for pleasant congregational singing. Sometimes, however, I feel a disharmony, not in the music but in me. The statement I’m making by joining in and the way I feel about some part of my life don’t fit together.

When local music legend Ellis Marsalis was listening to New Orleans radio in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, popular music of the day echoed in his soul, especially hearing Artie Shaw play the clarinet. “I like to say the music I heard, which was mostly on the radio, the music spoke to me,” Marsalis said.

The Loyola Institute for Ministry, in collaboration with Dominican Father David Caron of the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Dr. Alice Hughes and Deacon Michael Whitehouse of the archdiocesan Office of Religious Education, recently hosted a packed workshop on Pope Francis’ 2019 document “Christus Vivit” (Christ is Alive!), a post-synodal exhortation focused on the needs and concerns of the young-adult church.

Since I already was participating in many activities at school but also wanted to experience a mock trial, I knew I needed to juggle my schedule. This did not work out very well. Our mock trial coaches gave me and my other team members an ultimatum: If we really wanted to win, we’d have to be more dedicated to our preparation.

I have never met Daryl Morey, but I am a huge fan. Morey, the general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, had the temerity to tweet out support for the protesters in Hong Kong.

El 7 de enero, usted representó a los obispos Católicos de Luisiana en un servicio de oración a la luz de las velas, destacando el hecho de que no ha habido ejecuciones en el estado en los últimos 10 años. ¿Es eso una señal de progreso hacia la abolición total de la pena de muerte en el estado?

Archbishop Gregory Aymond admits he wasn’t much of an athlete, which made the reception he hosted Jan. 9 for the East Bank Little Leaguers even more special. The archbishop gave each member of the team that captured the Little League World Series last summer a medal of St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes.

Christians survive trials and tribulations with the help of their faith in Christ and pay it forward by being compassionate toward others who suffer, Pope Francis said.

At St. Edward the Confessor Church on Jan. 12, a newly formed rosary group called the Intercessors of St. Josephine Bakhita prayed the Sorrowful Mysteries for a very special intention – the victims, survivors and perpetrators of human trafficking.

On a Sunday night in New Orleans in January, Bourbon Street looked like the Sunday night before Mardi Gras. The LSU band played, as thousands of Tiger fans were singing and dancing. There was lots of purple and gold interspersed with some Clemson orange.

Queridos hermanos todo el mundo sabe lo que es la publicidad. Vamos por la carretera o por las calles de nuestras ciudades y las vallas publicitarias nos dicen qué es lo que tenemos que comprar: los coches, las casas, los electrodomésticos o los servicios que necesitamos para ser felices. La radio, la televisión, los periódicos están llenos también de publicidad.

Father Joshua Johnson, a priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, is a young pastor, so it is understandable he has not heard everything under the sun about ministering to a congregation. But when the engaging priest, who was ordained in 2014, was trying to spread the word about his church to a family about what the parish had to offer, he was met with almost a blank stare.

When Beth Mouch was growing up in Franklin (near Morgan City) as the only daughter of a surgeon, there weren’t too many things in life she could wish for that she didn’t already have. There were two sides of the tracks in Franklin, and Beth definitely lived on the correct side.

ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON, school open house for prospective students and their families for 2020-21 school year, Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m., 4335 Sal Lentini Pkwy., Kenner  (behind Divine Mercy Church). Meet in the school cafeteria for a brief welcome and refreshments. Home and School Association members will conduct school tours; faculty will answer questions about their grade levels. www.seasschool.org, 468-3524.

The day young Craig Cowand wandered into the De La Salle gymnasium and announced to its head basketball coach Jimmy Dykes, “I want to be your team’s manager,” changed the lives of the coach, his basketball players and young Cowand.

By Charla Spalluto MISSE, NOLA Catholic Parenting January is recognized by the Catholic Church as the month of the Holy Name of Jesus. In a column last summer, I encouraged a renewed reverence for the Lord’s name....

At St. Mary’s Dominican High School, 60 students were inducted recently into the National Honor Society (NHS). Membership into the National Honor Society is based on the four pillars: character, scholarship, leadership and service.

Last October, the Clarion Herald published “A Pastoral Letter on the Death Penalty” by the East St. Tammany-Washington Deanery (https://tinyurl.com/wk9f3kj). Here’s the story of how it came to be, offered as an example of clergy-lay collaboration....