News - September 2021 RSS Feed

We do not have to put up a front and fix ourselves before going to Him. He wants us in our brokenness and our mess. He wants us in our childlike state of humanity where we can’t fully understand what is going on in our lives and turn toward a loving parent for guidance. When we can fully surrender in this childlike state, we are most free.

Recently at a workshop, a woman shared her anxiety about the death of her brother. Her older brother had died from COVID-19 before there were vaccines for it and had died because he had dangerously exposed himself to catching the virus.

Hurricanes are like getting rear-ended while waiting for a stoplight to change. Nothing you could have done caused the minor or major damage done to your property and/or to yourself and others with you. You just were in the wrong place at the wrong time. (This analogy does not hold for personal injury if ordered to evacuate by experts and civil authorities.)

Personal Bibles for the sixth-grade class are now blessed and ready to be studied at Catholic of Pointe Coupee Elementary in New Roads.  Deemed as a rite of passage at CPC, the sixth-grade class received their Bibles on Sept 3.  These Bibles will travel with the students as they continue their years at Catholic of Pointe Coupee. Photo provided by Megan Girlinghouse | Catholic of Pointe Coupee

Members of Our Lady of Mercy Church’s in Baton Rouge’s ACTS Retreat Ministry along with parish volunteers served healthcare workers fighting the good fight on the front line of the COVID pandemic. Parishioners prayed the rosary in the morning for all healthcare workers then served employees of Baton Rouge General Mid City hot plates of jambalaya and sides. Our Lady of Mercy’s youth ministry put together goodie bags of candy for a sweet treat to go along with the meal. Photo provided by Christy Haldane | Our Lady of Mercy Church

Shortly after Hurricane Ida unleashed its fury on the New Orleans area, Michael Acaldo received an urgent call from a friend seeking shelter for three families in need.

Mary Feathers was sporting a nifty grin as she prepared to board a Greyhound bus, the first step on the final leg of what had been a harrowing two-week journey that briefly landed her on the streets of Baton Rouge. 

After Hurricane Ida made its way through Louisiana via Port Fourchon on Aug. 29, the Category 4 storm remained “organized,” according to a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Slidell.

Even stronger than the furious winds and destruction of one of Louisiana’s worst storms, Hurricane Ida, is the generosity and support of church parishes in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

Bishop Michael G. Duca recently received two checks from the Knights of Columbus. Russell Roh, right, presented a check to the diocese for $4,380 for Excellence in Religious Education. Roh is a member of St. Alphonsus Ligouri Church in Greenwell Springs. James LaBauve, a member of St. Jean Vianney Church in Baton Rouge, presented Bishop Duca a check for $820 from Council 2247. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator

Bishop Michael G. Duca presents Father Joseph Vu with the key to Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant during a pastor installation ceremony. Bishop Duca installed Father Vu as Holy Rosary pastor Aug. 22. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator

Why should I pray the rosary?  Didn’t Jesus condemn repetitious prayer when he said “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words” (Mt 6:7)?

Father Jack Nutter was remembered not only for his love of life, unwavering devotion to others and a strong sense of loyalty but most importantly for his love of God during his Funeral Mass celebrated Sept. 18 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Baton Rouge.

Billed as the world’s smallest church, Madonna Chapel in Bayou Goula may be diminutive in statue but stands tall in spiritual and historical significance.

This Sunday marks four weeks since Hurricane Ida made landfall. Thousands have faced a difficult road of recovery with the loss of loved ones, property and businesses.

St. John Paul II and Archbishop Philip M. Hannan of New Orleans are shown leaving St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on their way to the Superdome during the pope’s visit to the Crescent City in 1987. The pontiff visited New Orleans Sept. 11-13, highlighted by an outdoor Mass at the University of New Orleans celebrated before 130,000 people who sat through torrential rain, which cleared before the Mass began. Photo courtesy of the Department of Archives | Diocese of Baton Rouge

The beginning of the Gospel of St. Matthew describes St. Joseph as a just man. As such, he is questioning how to best respond to the news of Mary’s astonishing pregnancy.