St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge is embarking on a new tradition as it invites faithful parishioners and friends to its inaugural First Wednesday adoration from 10 a.m. to noon on Ash Wednesday, March 2. Eucharistic adoration is a centuries-old practice rooted in an essential teaching of Catholic Christianity that Jesus Christ is truly and completely present in the Eucharist.
Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School is changing its name but not its mission of educating low-income children in north Baton Rouge. School officials on Feb. 22 announced the school is not renewing its membership with the Cristo Rey network for the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, it will be renamed Franciscan High School as the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady will retain its sponsorship.
The recent comment by Pope Francis that people who have pets instead of children are, sometimes at least, manifesting selfishness brought predictable howls from pet lovers and those who felt he was treading on their sacred right to do whatever they please.
The amazed joy of Simeon and Anna at encountering and embracing Christ at the Temple is a virtue that consecrated religious should remember and imitate, the pope said in a homily addressed to religious brothers and sisters.
Father Eric Gyan, pastor at St. Theresa of Avila Church in Gonzales, sprinkles the area where officials from St. John Primary School in Prairieville and St. Theresa Middle School in Gonzales prepare to break ground on a new building at St. Theresa. The project includes construction of a 2,225-square-foot building and the renovation of an existing 1,690-square-foot building. “The renovation/addition will give St. Theresa a true face and front of the school,” St. Theresa principal Micha Ballow said at the groundbreaking Feb. 1. Scheduled to be constructed are a lobby and reception area, offices for a guidance counselor, coordinator for religious education and disciplinarian, a new teacher workroom and lounge, restroom, an administrative suite and a conference room. Construction is expected to take six to eight months, with Ballow’s “dream” to be in by the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator
Schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge celebrated Catholic education’s mission of helping students excel and see the world through the eyes of faith during Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 30 – Feb. 5.
With a successful participation rate in the fall for the Baton Rouge 40 Days for Life Campaign, plans are being made to host a spring campaign, according to Darryl Ducote, director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, and Charles Carpenter of Baton Rouge Right to Life.
Bishop Michael G. Duca announced the appointment of Father Jamin David as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in a letter addressed to priests, deacons and the Catholic Life Center Community on Jan. 28.
On Feb. 2, Claire Breaux, the new Director of the Diocesan Tribunal and Judge of the court, made a formal Profession of Faith and swore other oaths of fidelity to the church’s magisterium, confidentiality in Tribunal proceedings and right conduct in ministry. Holding the Bible is Judicial Vicar Father Paul Counce. After two years of graduate study at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Breaux has received her pontifical licentiate in canon law. She is the first layperson to be appointed a judge in the 60-year history of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator
The Diocese of Baton Rouge is flourishing in terms of the ministries and opportunities to participate in the life of church parishes, according to parishioners who attended a synod meeting for the Baton Rouge Deanery at the Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge on January 26.
Holiness and union with God: two facets of life in Christ. As we listen to Jesus’ words in the Gospel of St. Luke during the Sixth and Seventh Sundays in Ordinary Time, we are taught the radical call to holiness, the radical call to love, by Jesus, offering a paradigm shift for then and now. The call of beatitude, holiness and harmony.
St. Gabriel Church in St. Gabriel celebrated its 250th anniversary on Feb. 2, 2020. Hundreds of people enjoyed a sun-drenched day to celebrate Mass, share lunch and take a walk through history that was on display in the original church, which, although not in use today, still greets motorists driving along River Road. The Archives department of the Diocese of Baton Rouge displayed a number of exhibits, including baptismal records dating to the 1700s. The church was founded in 1768 by Acadian exiles and 250 years later still retains its original roots. File photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator
While pondering “what we are going to sacrifice for Lent” one might consider the time as preparing to bare down for a test of endurance and ask, “When does Lent officially end?”