Catholic Connection March 2015

Vol. 24, No. 8 March 2015

n o i t i d E Kids' Inside

e r u t a e F l ia c e p S

for KIDS of

All Ages

Lenten Activity

Acts of Love Tree

Book Review St. Joseph's Story

March 2015 1

Lenten Reconciliation Services Publisher Bishop Michael G. Duca Editor Jessica Rinaudo Contributors Theresa Brandle Cathy Cobb Bishop Michael Duca Kim Long Theresa Mormino Kelly Phelan Powell Susan Prest Fr. Rothell Price

Rosalba Quiroz Jessica Rinaudo Katie Sciba Randy Smith Bonny Van Mike Van Vranken John Mark Willcox

Editorial Board Kim Long Fr. Matthew Long Kelly Phelan Powell Dianne Rachal Christine Rivers Deacon Mike Whitehead John Mark Willcox Mission Statement The Catholic Connection is a monthly publication funded by your Diocesan Service Appeal; mailed to every known Catholic household in the Diocese of Shreveport.

Our Mission is to advance knowledge and understanding of our Catholic Faith among the faithful. We seek to foster the application of Christ’s teachings and our Church’s mission in our daily lives and to encourage our sense of Catholic identity within our family, parish, and diocesan faith community.

Subscriptions & Address Changes Contact: Jessica Rinaudo, Editor Email: jrinaudo@dioshpt.org Write: Catholic Connection 3500 Fairfield Avenue Shreveport, LA 71104 Call: 318-868-4441 Fax: 318-868-4609 Website: www.thecatholicconnection.org

The Catholic Connection is a member of the Catholic Press Association.

The Diocese of Shreveport complies with Virtus’s Protecting God’s Children program. Classes are offered every second Wednesday of the month at the Catholic Center in Shreveport. To report child sexual abuse by a cleric or church worker in the Diocese of Shreveport, call Glennda Lawson.

Hotline is 318-294-1031 and your local law enforcement agency.

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MARCH 4: St. John Berchmans School, Shreveport, 8:15 a.m.

MARCH 4: Loyola College Prep, Shreveport, 9:30 a.m.

MARCH 4: Mary, Queen of Peace Parish, Bossier City, 6:00 p.m.

MARCH 7: Christ the King Parish, Bossier City, 10:00 a.m.

MARCH 9: Holy Trinity Parish, Shreveport, 5:00 p.m.

MARCH 10: St. Jude Parish, Benton, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 11: Little Flower of Jesus Parish, Monroe, 6:00 p.m.

MARCH 12: St. John the Baptist Parish, Many, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 16: Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Shreveport, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 18: Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport, 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 18: Sacred Heart Parish, Oak Grove, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 19: St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 19: St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Ruston, 6:00 p.m.

MARCH 23: St. Joseph Parish, Zwolle, 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 24: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Shreveport, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 25: St. Joseph School, Shreveport, 9:45 a.m.

MARCH 25: St. Pius X Parish, Shreveport, 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 26: St. Patrick Parish, Lake Providence, 6:30 p.m.

bishop’s march calendar MARCH 2-3 Louisiana Interchurch Conference Annual Assembly; Alexandria MARCH 3 Western Deanery Clergy – Vespers/Gathering; Bishop’s Residence; 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 4 Dalton Trust Board meeting; St. Frederick High School, Monroe; 12:00 p.m.

MARCH 10 Reception in honor of Father Jonathan Morris; home of Drs. Carter & Bernadette Boyd, Shreveport; 6:00 p.m.

MARCH 11 5th Annual Pro-Life Banquet; Bossier Civic Center, Bossier City; 6:30 p.m.

MARCH 12 Notre Dame Seminary & St. Joseph Seminary Board of Trustees meetings; St. Joseph Seminary, Covington; 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

MARCH 13 Stations of the Cross; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 5:30 p.m.

MARCH 14 Dedication of Joe & Roger Luffey Catholic Life Center; St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Ruston, 2:00 p.m.

MARCH 15 St. Patrick’s Day Mass; St. Patrick Parish, Lake Providence; 9:00 a.m.

MARCH 16 Presbyteral Council meeting; Catholic Center; 1:00 p.m.

MARCH 17 St. Vincent Academy Alumni Tag Day; Catholic Center; 6:00 p.m.

MARCH 18 Ecumenical Lenten Luncheon; Sacred Heart Parish, Rayville; 12:00 p.m.

MARCH 23 Ordination/Installation of Bishop Fernand J. Cheri, III, OFM, Auxiliary Bishop-Elect of New Orleans; the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, New Orleans; 2:00 p.m.

MARCH 27 President James Henderson’s Investiture Mass & Ceremonies; Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception/ NSU, Natchitoches LCWR Region V Meeting/Luncheon; Lake Providence; 12:00 p.m.

MARCH 29 Palm Sunday Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans; 11:00 a.m.

MARCH 31 Chrism Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 6:00 p.m.

contents

march 2015

columns Strive to be Faithful, Not Perfect, This Lent by Bishop Michael G. Duca................ 4-5 Mike’s Meditations: A Favorite Prayer Partner

by Mike Van Vranken.................................................................................................6 Second Collections: March Second Collections

by Fr. Rothell Price .....................................................................................................6 From the Pope: Children: A Gift from God That Opens Up the Future

by Vatican Information Services..................................................................................7 In the Words of Pope Francis by Vatican Information Services...............................7 Catholic Food: Cooking in Community by Kim Long............................................8 Domestic Church: Living and Praying Together by Katie Sciba.........................9 Keeping the Faith by Katie Sciba ...........................................................................9 Book Review: The Way of Serenity written by Fr. Jonathan Morris

by Kim Long ..............................................................................................................10 Book Review: St. Joseph's Story written by Geraldine Guadagno

by Kelly Phelan Powell ...............................................................................................10 Navigating the Faith: Honor Your Father and Mother by Cathy Cobb...............11

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feature Kids' Connection Special Edition of the Catholic Connection Just for Children!

by Katie Sciba .......................................................................................................... 12-13

news Lenten Acts of Love Tree by Theresa Brandle .........................................................14 The Way of the Cross: A Cancer Survivor's Meditation by Jessica Rinaudo .......14 Buried Treasure Uncovered at St. John the Baptist Parish in Many

by Bonny Van ............................................................................................................15 Lent: There's a Diocesan App for That! ................................................................15 St. Joseph Altar: A Tradition Rich in History by Susan Prest....................................16 Catholic Charities: Helping Families in Need Get on Their Feet

by Theresa Mormino...................................................................................................16 The East Extends a Helping Hand by Randy Smith ...............................................17 Hispanic Corner by Rosalba Quiroz ........................................................................18 Around the Globe Eighth Session of the Council of Cardinals; Reform of the Curia at the Center of the Extraordinary Consistory

by Vatican Information Services.................................................................................19 School News ...........................................................................................................20 Around the Diocese ...............................................................................................21 Upcoming Events....................................................................................................22 March Calendar ....................................................................................................23 Picture of the Month...............................................................................................24

15 on the cover

Sarah Rinaudo and Harper Powell enjoy St. Joseph's Story.

(Photo by Jessica Rinaudo)

March 2015 3

LA REFLEXIÓN del obispo

por Obispo Michael G. Duca

Esta Cuaresma, Esfuérzate por ser Fiel, no Perfecto

Q

¿

ué tal les va de Cuaresma?

Una persona que trata de Ya estamos en el tiempo de ser perfecta en la Cuaresma Cuaresma y para ahora tal está intentando llegar a una vez ya tuvieron la tentación de darse meta noble, pero no es la por vencidos o tal vez ya fallaron en meta mas importante y por el cumplimiento de las promesas de lo regular lleva a la persona a Cuaresma. ¡Escuchen! No es importante un orgullo espiritual o a darse el ser perfecto en su disciplina de por vencida. Por ejemplo, si Cuaresma si no el ser fieles. en algún momento falla con La Cuaresma es la temporada de su promesa, y si su meta es renovación. Originalmente este era un ser perfecto, entonces ya se tiempo para que los Catecúmenos (los dan por vencidos y dicen “Ya que se preparan para el bautismo en la fallé….. le intenté. Se sentirán Pascua) hicieran las últimas preparaciones suficientemente culpables pero para convertirse en cristianos. Los 40 después de un tiempo ya no días de la Cuaresma nos recuerdan de harán nada más por el resto de los primeros Catecúmenos, y también a la Cuaresma. nosotros nos recuerda de los 40 días que Cuando nuestra meta es Jesús pasó en el desierto preparándose ser fieles, no nos damos por para su ministerio público. De la misma vencidos cuando fallamos, sino manera la Cuaresma es un tiempo de que al contrario, intentamos renovación y conversión para ayudarnos otra vez inmediatamente. mejor a vivir nuestro compromiso de Comenzamos cada día como si cristianos. fuera Miércoles de Ceniza.

Espero que hayan escogido una Así es como se ve más práctica cuaresmal concreta que los la conversión. Intentamos desafiara en áreas de su vida que cada día hacer lo correcto. necesitan estar mas en conexión con Admitimos nuestras fallas pero volvemos Cristo. a comenzar, No tiene respondemos Rezo porque no perdamos que ser un a la gracia compromiso de Dios, el corazón y que grande sino sabiendo que intentando cada día ser uno al que se ser perfectos comprometan no es nuestra fieles nuestros corazones fielmente. meta; nuestra sean cambiados a ser Como seguro meta es ser que ya fieles y el mas como el corazón escogieron su intentarlo compromiso, cada día. de Jesús. me gustaría Siendo fieles sugerir que es seremos hagamos nuestra meta fundamental esta perfectos. La fidelidad también nos abre Cuaresma lo que sea nuestra práctica a una vida espiritual más rica. Si de cuaresmal, que sea de fe y no perfecta. verdad intentamos cada día buscaremos 4 Catholic Connection

perdón por nuestras fallas, tendremos humildad, sacaremos fuerza de los Sacramentos y cada día nos daremos cuenta de cuanto necesitamos la gracia de Dios. Si prometemos cada práctica Cuaresmal con esta clase de compromiso podremos ver que no es solo una meta que alcanzar, sino también un encuentro con la debilidad humana y con el amor y la gracia de nuestro Salvador Jesucristo.

Rezo porque no perdamos el corazón y que intentando cada día ser fieles nuestros corazones sean cambiados a ser mas como el corazón de Jesús. No todo se cumplirá en 40 días, pero será por seguro un buen comienzo. De verdad busquemos el ser fieles esta Cuaresma, no el ser perfectos. •

bishop’s reflection

by Bishop Michael G. Duca

Strive to be Faithful, Not Perfect, This Lent

H

ow is your Lent going? We are into the Lenten season and, by now, we may have been tempted to give up, or even failed to live up to our Lenten commitments.

Take heart. It is not important to be perfect in your Lenten discipline, but to be faithful.

Lent is the Bishop Duca season of renewal.

Originally it was the time for the Catechumens (those preparing for Baptism at Easter) to make a final preparation for becoming Christians. The 40 days of Lent reminded the first Catechumens, and us as well, of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert preparing for his public ministry. In the same way Lent but it is not the most important goal is a time of renewal and conversion and will usually lead a person to spiritual to help us better live our Christian pride or to giving up. For example, commitment. if at some point a person fails in their I hope you have chosen a concrete Lenten commitment, if being perfect is Lenten practice that will challenge you in their goal, then they will give up and say areas of your “Well I blew life that need it…I gave it to be more a good try.

A person who tries to be configured They will feel perfect in Lent is trying for a to Christ. It sufficiently doesn’t have guilty but noble goal, but it is not the to be a big after a while most important goal and commitment, they will but one that simply do will usually lead a person you will stick nothing for to spiritual pride or to to faithfully. the rest of Since you Lent. giving up. have probably When our chosen your goal is to be commitment, faithful, we I would like to suggest that we make our don’t give up when we fail, no, we begin fundamental goal this Lent, what ever again immediately. We start each day as our Lenten practice is, to be faithful and though it was Ash Wednesday. not perfect. A person who tries to be This is more what real conversion perfect in Lent is trying for a noble goal, is like. We keep trying each day to do

what is right. We admit failure but keep starting over, responding to God’s grace, knowing that being perfect is not our goal; our goal is to be faithful to trying each day. It is in being faithful that we are perfected. Faithfulness also opens us up to a richer spiritual life.

If we really try each day then we will need to seek forgiveness for our failings, have humility, draw strength from the Sacraments and each day realize how much we need God’s grace. If we approach each Lenten practice with this kind of commitment you can see that it is not just a goal to be achieved, but also an encounter with our human weakness and the love and grace of our Savior Jesus Christ I pray we will not lose heart and that by trying each day to be faithful our hearts will be changed to be more like the heart of Christ. Not every change will be accomplished in 40 days, but a good beginning can be made for sure.

Let us strive to be faithful this Lent, not perfect. • March 2015 5

Meditations MM Mike's

by Mike Van Vranken

Collections SC Second

by Fr. Rothell Price

A Favorite PRayer Partner

March Second Collections

onsider for a moment your favorite prayer partner; that go-to believer you run to whenever you need someone to agree with you in prayer.

You trust the strength of their relationship with God so much that you allow them to know some of your most intimate needs and ask them to approach the throne of glory on your behalf. Perhaps you gain a certain hope in the Lord knowing the deep faith this prayer warrior has developed. That hope can even bring with it the gift of the peace of Christ the world cannot understand. We find comfort knowing we have our most cherished prayer partner.

Now consider this passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 8, verse 34: “ ... Christ Jesus, the one who died, or rather is raised, (is the one) who stands at the right hand of God and makes intercession for us?” Yes, you read that correctly.

Jesus is standing at the right hand of God the Father making intercession just for you. Talk about a prayer partner. This explains the question Paul asks in verse 31: “ ... If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Taken in context, Paul is giving us a mental picture of our final judgment. He implies that while God did not require Abraham, in the end, to sacrifice his own son, He did require of Himself exactly that. Because of this act of love, Paul asks who will bring accusation against us? Who will condemn? The obvious answer is that it doesn’t matter if an enemy accuses or condemns us. After sacrificing his own son, God is certainly prepared to carry out His divine plan of salvation for all of us.

And Jesus, for his part, after dying and rising for our salvation, is now in continuous intercession on our behalf. Talk about hope!

The God of the universe is for us because He loves us so much He even gave up his only son.

Because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, I’m confident that He not only pleads for us at our final judgment, he loves us enough to intercede on our behalf at all times. And the more we develop our relationship with him, we realize he is our ultimate prayer partner before the Father.

Carve out some time each day this month and imagine the savior of the world having an intimate conversation with his father about you; about your dreams; about your needs; about the deepest desires he has put on your heart. Then, begin to include Jesus with your earthly prayer partners whenever you approach the throne of grace. You will be filled with the hope, filled with the great expectation of answered prayer. If God is for us, who can be against us? • Mike is a writer and teacher, and co-author of the book: Faith Positive in a Negative World. You can contact him at www. mikevanvrankenministries.org

THE CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES (CRS) COLLECTION Collection Dates: March 21st & 22nd Announcement Dates: March 8th & 15th men, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (MT 25: 40) We are reminded that Jesus identified himself with our poorest brothers and sisters. The Catholic Relief Services Collection serves Jesus in the victims of human trafficking, in those who suffer from unjust laws and in those who need pastoral care and humanitarian assistance across the globe. The CRS Collection works at home and abroad to give aid to struggling, poor and underrepresented families. The six worldwide organizations supported by the collection provide humanitarian aid, pastoral support and disaster relief to our suffering brothers and sisters around the world. This collection offers an opportunity for each of us to help Jesus in disguise. Please give generously to the Catholic Relief Services Collection.

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PONTIFICAL COLLECTION FOR THE HOLY LAND Collection Dates: Good Friday, April 3rd Announcement Dates: March 22nd & 29th or 800 years, the Holy Land Franciscans have served in the land made holy by the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus.

With your support, the Holy Land Franciscans will continue to nourish Christians in the Holy Land with presence, care and service.

Once a year on Good Friday, we are called to support Christians in the Holy Land who depend on this collection for their lives.

Franciscans and others in the Holy Land are housing and feeding the poor, providing religious formation and education, maintaining shrines and parishes, and conducting pastoral ministry. The Good Friday Collection is requested by the Holy Father. Please be as generous as your abundance allows. “Be strong, and let your hearts take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Psalms 31: 24)

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DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT CHURCH VOCATIONS COLLECTION Collection Dates: April 4th & 5th Announcement Dates: March 22nd & 29th “ esus turned and saw them following him and he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?” They said to him, ‘Rabbi …where are you staying?’ He said to them, “Come and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.” (John 1: 38-39) The Diocese of Shreveport Church Vocations Collection makes it possible for men and women within our diocese, from among our families and parishes, to hear the voice of our Lord and abide with Him in spiritual formation in seminaries, convents, priories and monasteries. The end result is a priest or a religious man or woman who has been transformed by the love of Jesus and is thus moved to love and serve His holy people who are the Church. Your enthusiastic and grateful participation in the Diocese of Shreveport Church Vocations Collection makes their response to the Lord and His Church possible. In honor of our Lord’s cross and resurrection, give generously to the Diocese of Shreveport Vocations Collection. • Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General, is the Director of Special Collections.

J

from the

from Vatican Information Services

Children: a gift from God that opens up the future

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atican City, (VIS) – The Pope held the February 12th general audience in St. Peter’s Square. In his catechesis, the Holy Father continued his reflections on the family, referring on this occasion to children as a gift from God to their parents and to society as a whole. “There is a close link between Pope Francis the hope of a people and harmony between the generations,” he said. “The joy of children makes their parents’ hearts leap and opens up the future. Children are the joy of the family and of society. They are not a matter of reproductive biology, or one of the many ways of producing them, much less their parents’ possession. Children are a gift. They are a gift. Each one is unique and unrepeatable, and at the same time unmistakably linked to his or her roots. Indeed, to be a son or a daughter according to God’s plan, means carrying in oneself the memory and hope of a love that has become tangible by kindling the life of another human being, original and new. And for parents each child is himor herself, different, unique.”

Francis emphasised the gratuitous dimension of the love that we receive as sons and daughters: “children are loved before they are born. I often encounter expectant mothers in the square who ask me to bless their unborn babies. These children are loved before they come into the world. This is gratuitousness, this is love; they are loved before they are born, like the love of God, Who always loves us first. They are loved before having done anything to deserve it, before being able to speak or to think, even before being able to come into the world. To be sons and daughters is the fundamental condition for knowing God’s love, which is the ultimate source of this authentic miracle. In the soul of every child,

although vulnerable, God places the seal of this love, which is the basis of his or her personal dignity, a dignity that nothing and no-one can destroy.”

The Pope remarked that the good relations between generations can be learned from the Heavenly Father Who “does not take steps backwards in His love for us – never! He always moves forward, and if He cannot go ahead He waits for us, but He never goes backwards; He wants all his children to be courageous and take their steps ahead. Sons and daughters, on their part, must not be afraid of the commitment to building a new world: it is right for them to want it to be better than the one they have received! But this must be done without arrogance, without presumption.”

He mentioned the fourth commandment, to honor one’s father and mother, and explained that “a society of children who do not honor their parents is a society without honor. It is a society destined to become full of barren and greedy young people.” He added that a society in which the adult generations “do not love to be surrounded by children, considering them above all as a worry, a burden, a risk, is a depressed society” and that while the conception of children must be responsible, having many children should not automatically be considered an irresponsible decision, and choosing not to have children is “a selfish decision.” “Life is rejuvenated and acquires energy by multiplying; it is enriched, not impoverished. … In the multiplication of generation there is the mystery of the enrichment of the life of all, that comes from God Himself.

We must rediscover this, challenging prejudice; and live it, in faith and in perfect joy.” He concluded by addressing the mothers and fathers who raise their children to be blessed as he passes through the square: “it is a gesture that is almost divine. Thank you for doing it!” •

Words

In the of

Pope Francis

“Having come to earth to announce and fulfill the salvation of every person and of all mankind, Jesus shows a particular predilection for those who are wounded in body and spirit: the poor, sinners, the possessed, the sick, the marginalized. He thus reveals Himself as a physician of both body and soul, the good Samaritan of humanity. Jesus’ healing of the sick invites us to reflect on the meaning and value of sickness.” (Angelus 2/8/15) “You, women, know how to embody the tender face of God, His mercy, which translates into willingness to offer time rather than occupy space, to accommodate rather than exclude.

In this sense, I like to describe the feminine dimension of the Church as a welcoming womb for the regeneration of life.” (Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture 2/7/15) “There are various reasons why we are seeing, also in Africa, a trend towards the breakdown of the family.

In response, the Church is called to evaluate and encourage every initiative to strengthen the family, which is the real source of all forms of fraternity and the foundation and primary way of peace.” (Audience with representatives from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) 2/7/15) Pope Francis highlighted every person and every people’s search for “the beauty we create with our art, our music, our painting, our sculpture, our literature. Educate in beauty, because harmony means beauty, and we cannot achieve harmony in our educational system without having this perception of beauty.” (Closing ceremony of the Fourth World Congress organized by Scholas Occurrentes 2/6/15)

March 2015 7

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Catholic Food

by Kim Long

Cooking in Community

S

ince my grandmother passed away and I can no longer call to ask her a question about cooking or crafting, I confess YouTube has become my go-to solution. I have used it to learn crochet stitches, how to make paper maché, how to fix things and some cooking techniques.

It isn’t the same as speaking with my grandmother, but for sheer information it does seem to cover all the bases. It does not, however, provide the experience of being with others, talking and relating.

The old saying “too many cooks spoil the broth” was disproved for me on two recent occasions. In February, two different groups of women of various ages gathered in the St. Mary of the Pines Parish kitchen to cook for feast day celebrations honoring saints from very different places: St. Brigid of Ireland and St. Joseph. The menus were,

Italian Almond Cookies Cookie Ingredients: • 3 cups all purpose flour • 1 tablespoon baking powder • ½ teaspoon salt • 3 eggs • ½ cup sugar • ½ cup vegetable oil • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract • ½ teaspoon pure almond extract Icing Ingredients: • 2 tablespoons milk • 1 tablespoon egg white • 3 cups powdered sugar • ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract • 2 drops food coloring of your choice Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter two baking pans.

2) In one bowl mix the dry ingredients.

3) In a mixer mix the eggs and sugar

8 Catholic Connection

of course, different as were the people, but we all had a stake in the success of our respective ventures, united in a common purpose to honor saints we had grown up with.

I grew up with a mother who prized our Irish origins.

We were no strangers to Saint Brigid and her legendary faith and hospitality. Trish, Joan, MaryAnn, Rita, and Deb had a special connection to Saint Joseph, his trust and fidelity to God and the beautiful tradition of the St. Joseph’s Altar.

I was introduced to this custom in the late 1980’s as a new convert. Few things have left an impression on me like that very first altar. This year we brought it back to St. Mary’s and for the very first time we honored St. Brigid on

her February 1 feast day. Try and picture this scene: one person running a sink of hot soapy water, two women manning the food processor and turning out batch after batch of dough; two more women rolling and cutting the dough; two more icing cooled cookies and worrying about having enough icing, all with the following running dialogue: “Who’s on icing? I am.

Awesome keep it coming. Should we make more dough? Yes until we’re out of eggs.

How many cookies do you think we will need? Should I run to the store for more wax paper? Yes, please!” On it went until we wiped down the counter and turned out the light in the parish kitchen. A similar conversation ensued as we gathered the week prior to bake 18 loaves of Irish soda bread and enough Dublin coddle to feed everyone in the parish hall and send some to the fire station.

Several things sprang to mind as I reflected on these happy scenes: passages from scripture such as “When two or until pale yellow and fluffy. With the mixer three are gathered there I am,” “where running, drizzle in oil, extracts and mix. your treasure is there is your heart also.”

4) Add the dry ingredients and mix until And one cannot be in group settings just combined. like these and not have someone start 5) Turn the dough onto a LIGHTLY floured singing! surface.

With those thoughts I leave you with 6) Divide dough into roughly four pieces this – the chorus to one of my favorite and roll each piece from the middle songs, “‘oro’ se’ do’ bheatha ‘bhaile’," towards the end into logs. which translates roughly to, "oh yes you 7) Cut into ¾ inch pieces (cut on the are most welcome home.” diagonal) and place on prepared pans.

I miss my grandmother and being 8) Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 with her when she cooked for the minutes. family, but on these two occasions I felt 9) When cool, ice by dipping the top of comfortable, cared for, purposeful and I cookie into a bowl of icing. Give it a bit of felt welcome and very much at home. a shake to rid excess and set on trays for My prayer for each of us during this icing to set (or dry). These may be frozen Lenten season is that we reach Easter in single layers but it’s doubtful they will last feeling the warmth of being welcomed that long! home! •

Church DC Domestic

by Katie Sciba

LIving & Praying Together Our behaviors and expressions of gifts encourage each other

I

was late for Mass. Frantically grabbing shoes and my purse before I dashed out the door, I slipped into a back pew just two minutes into the 8 o’clock. Not far behind me was a woman who stepped into the same pew, and we exchanged a quick smile before praying.

She was a total stranger, but it was funny that our behaviors in Mass were so similar – bowing deeply during the Nicene Creed and keeping the same posture during the whole Liturgy of the Eucharist. What I found especially uplifting, though, was her singing. I consider myself to be an active participant in Mass, however I wouldn’t say that I “sing out.”

Despite a choral background, I sheepishly maintain a volume that renders my voice indistinguishable in the congregation.

It was obvious that this girl possessed no such timidity - she was confident and hearing her helped me shake my shyness and prayerfully sing each hymn, considering the lyrics like never before. It was encouraging sitting next to someone who not only shared the same Mass-ly mannerisms, but who also unknowingly helped me along when I was tempted to spectate instead of participate.

After such a positive experience, I realized the whole thing was evidence of a greater truth: that this is why we as humans, as Catholics, are designed to live as a community with one another. By this I mean with family, in keeping good friendships, and in being active members of our parishes. God Himself is a triune God, living in community as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If we are made in His Image and Likeness, then we should imitate His existence, especially in this way. Alone I might atrophy spiritually speaking, but with like-minded company, I’m strengthened to pursue my relationship

with God with reckless abandon. If you have a pile of burning coals and you keep them together, they blaze powerfully.

Take a single coal away from the pile, though, and the spark quickly goes out. In hindsight, all the periods of my life when my virtues weakened and my prayer life lay neglected were when I had stepped away from those who were on fire for the faith.

Living in communion with one another fosters faithfulness and happiness. Actions speak more loudly than words and it’s through our regular behaviors and expressions of our gifts that we encourage each other. For example, my mom’s steady prayerfulness throughout her life cultivated the love of God and Catholicism that I have. My husband Andrew is graced with virtue and daily heroism that inspire me to follow his example.

Not only are we designed to live in community, but we’re called to express ourselves outwardly so that others will be encouraged by our light. My friend Amy once casually told me that every time she prayed the Rosary, she started with the Joyful Mysteries and happily concluded that they must be her favorite. I doubt she knows that this single conversation piece exchanged among thousands stood out as encouragement for me to pray the Rosary.

Within a community, we sharpen each other; we can help perfect each other because God has bestowed a variety of gifts among us. These talents are meant to differ and they are meant to be expressed and shared. By nature, Catholics are out among the world being watched. “So let your light so shine” and reveal to the world charity and bold faith. • Katie Sciba is the author of thecatholicwife.net. She lives in Shreveport with her husband, Andrew, and four children, Liam,Thomas, Peter and Jane.

Keeping the Faith Life is a challenge and we need faith and friends for the journey. Try the following to keep yourself on the walk to Eternity:

Actions Sing Louder

Sing out! Smile during the Sign of Peace; linger after Mass to talk to fellow parishioners; pray before meals in public; be kind to strangers and extra loving to family members.

Faithful actions will encourage others to do the same while you simultaneously build good habits.

Huddle Up to Keep Hot Just like a pile of hot coals will keep the heat longer than one by itself, so will surrounding yourself with positive, faithful people maintain goodness and strength in you. Find a Bible study group, men’s group, moms’ group or young adult group to find like-minded souls to fan the flame of faith.

Reap Grace!

The sacraments are a fountain of grace! Go to Mass during the week and visit the confessional regularly to receive strength.

Memorize It!

“Where one alone may be overcome, two together can resist.

A three-ply cord is not easily broken.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

March 2015 9

BR

Book Review

by Kim Long

by Kelly Phelan Powell

for

Kids!

The Way of Serenity

St. Joseph's Story

s I readThe Way of Serenity, I found my thoughts returning to my days of regular attendance in the Al-Anon program. My sponsor told me that this program was “simple but it isn’t easy.” She was right.

Christianity could be described in her statement as well – simple, but not easy.

The serenity prayer itself can become a bit like 1 Corinthians 13: spoken so often it is no longer heard. I find that people either love or hate the serenity prayer. Many people associate it with the AA program and take it no further, but in this book Fr. Morris hits the nail squarely on the head. He opens up the beauty and simplicity of that prayer so that, if one is willing to see, its wisdom is laid open. There are no “requirements” necessary to benefit from Fr. Morris’ treatment of this prayer, which he encourages the reader to pray daily.

The book is divided into three sections and in each he breaks down the three main thoughts of the prayer. Section one “the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,” goes through a very readable discussion of the three main elements of the first portion of the prayer: serenity, acceptance and acknowledgement of the things we cannot change, reminding the reader that God wants not the material definition of serenity and peace, but that which only He can give.

Section two “the courage to change the things I can” focuses on the next three components: courage, change and changeable things. He defines courage with fortitude, a prime virtue on which other virtues depend. Fr. Morris reminds us that changing things requires courage to abandon the comfortable status quo of our lives in order to break into the unknown of what could be.

In the third section “the wisdom to know the difference,” Fr. Morris writes the following “So how do we learn wisdom? The good news is that for those of us who have already begun to put the first two parts of the Serenity Prayers into practice, the wisdom to know the difference between what we can change and what we cannot usually follows.”

In this final section, we are reminded that trying to change something we cannot is a waste of energy, time and an exercise in futility. The point is reinforced that a final aspect of Christian wisdom is the primacy of people over things.

Lest my review makes The Serenity Prayer sound like a book where someone is preaching at you, know that Fr. Morris quotes everyone from Pete Seeger to Pope Benedict to C. S. Lewis. He uses examples from movies, from real life experiences, his own as well as others, and seems to be on this journey to serenity with us.

This is a book I know I will return to again and again. Readable and real, this is a book for everyone. • The Way of Serenity can be found in Slattery Library at the Catholic Center, as well as Amazon.com.

t wasn’t until I had our daughter Harper, who’s now 3, that I realized how tricky it can be to explain the Holy Family to a small child. About Jesus we say, “He saved the whole world” and “He showed us that love is real.” And Mary’s role as Jesus’s mother is pretty straightforward from a little one’s point of view. But how do you adequately explain what a “foster father” is to a child who has no experience with that sort of thing? My husband and I try to talk to Harper frequently about the Holy Family, but whenever we would say that God was Jesus’s father but St. Joseph was Jesus’s foster father, she would just look at us blankly and then change the subject. As far as signals go, this was a pretty clear indication that our theological explanation left quite a bit to be desired.

So when we learned about the children’s book, St. Joseph’s Story, I bought it that very day from Jacob’s Well, the Catholic bookstore in Shreveport. At 29 pages, it’s a little longer than some of Harper’s other storybooks, but Lo Cascio’s illustrations are vivid and attractive.

St. Joseph’s Story begins with Joseph as a boy, learning carpentry from his father and growing up to be a holy young man who loved God. He meets a young woman named Mary and becomes engaged to marry her, and the rest of the story is pretty familiar to most of us. Where this children’s book differs, though, is it doesn’t skim over Joseph’s shock and confusion when Mary announces that she’s going to have a baby. It explains that St. Joseph was troubled, so he prayed to God, and an angel came to him in a dream and said, “Don’t be afraid, Joseph. Mary is good and kind.

She has done nothing wrong. God wants you to marry her and look after her. Mary’s child is from the Holy Spirit. She will have a Son, and you will call him Jesus.”

From there, the book tells the rest of the nativity story but from Joseph’s point of view. It ends with Joseph taking Mary and Jesus to Israel and home to Nazareth where, like his father before him, he teaches Jesus to work and pray.

The book has quickly become one of Harper’s favorites and it’s obvious that since we’ve read it repeatedly, she has a much better handle on Joseph’s important role in the life of our savior.

Whereas before, when we talked about the Holy Family, Harper would only mention Jesus and “Mother Mary,” she now refers to Joseph as well. In short, he’s gone from a bit player in her mind to his rightful place as an integral part of the story of Jesus Christ, and we have the book’s simple but thorough detail of the life of St. Joseph to thank for that.

Needless to say, we would highly recommend this book to parents of young children. It’s engaging and easy to read, and the illustrations are pretty. If you’re looking for a way to help your children love and appreciate St. Joseph, this book is perfect for your family. •

A

10 Catholic Connection

I

Navigating the Faith

Honor Your Father and Mother

by Cathy Cobb, DRE, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish

H

onor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. (Ex 20:12) According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Ten Commandments state what is required in the love of God and love of neighbor. “The first three concern love of God, and the other seven love of neighbor (CCC 2067)... The fourth commandment, to honor our parents, shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after Him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our own good, has vested with His authority (CCC 21972198).”

Our understanding of this commandment naturally evolves as our lives unfold. When I was a child, this commandment was the one most likely to land me in the confessional after having failed to do my chores. It can be difficult for children, with their limited experience and maturity, to fully understand how God has surrounded them with adults who truly love them and are committed to looking out for their best interests.

When I look back now on what it must have taken for my parents to have five young children in church every week, and how exasperating we must have been for them at times, I am so grateful for how they blessed us with their commitment to our family and faith. Our families, our domestic churches, are where we learn “to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped and the poor (CCC 2208).” The sacrificial love our parents show to us, inspired by the example of Christ, is the starting point for this generosity of spirit towards others.

Part of growing up is learning to separate from our parents as we discern our lives’ vocations. As we do so, our understanding of this commandment moves beyond simple obedience as we enter into adult relationships with our parents. Those who have children of their own find a whole new dimension.

I recall my amazement as my parents, who were pretty strict when we were growing up, joyfully began indulging their grandchildren. Being a parent has also shown me how children honor the lives of parents. When we left the hospital with each of our newborns, my husband and I were only too aware of our limitations and shortcomings. As new parents, we learned on the job, and our poor kids bore the brunt of our inexperience. Our children taught us to make sacrifices out of pure love rather than a sense of duty, how to place their needs above our own, and when we made mistakes, how to pray that they would come to know God’s loving mercy.

Watching them grow into the fine adults they are now has been more gratifying than we could have ever imagined.

As my parents grow older, they inspire me through their tender concern and care for one another. There is a new ease, humor and gentleness that they share with one another, their children and grandchildren, and the Lord. Those qualities emerge from having gotten through the different obstacles that every family faces in varying degrees. No one knows your flaws like your own family members. However, if our families are dysfunctional, we are in good company. As Fr. Robert Barron reminds us, Jesus’ family tree illustrates the height of dysfunctional families. Jacob struggled all night with the Lord and was permanently wounded. Ruth was an outsider. Rahab was a prostitute.

“Like them,” he says, we too “are flawed, compromised, half-finished.” But God

sent his Son into our “ambiguous and dysfunctional” human family, and Jesus becomes our brother even though we are unworthy. For each one of us, that’s truly Good News (Fr. Robert Barron, Advent Day 23 Reflection, wordonfire.org).

Sadly, some people have fraught relationships with their parents, often times impacted adversely by addictions, compulsions or illnesses. The catechism states that “Each and everyone should be generous and tireless in forgiving one another for offenses, quarrels, injustices and neglect. Mutual affection suggests this. The charity of Christ demands it (CCC 2227).” Those who have been abused might understandably struggle to come to terms with how to approach this commandment. A starting point is to pray for the grace to imagine our father and mother when they were created, in the image and likeness of God, loved

by God, then and now. Prayer, pastoral guidance, psychological counseling and healthy boundaries can assist in this work.

Perhaps in these cases, the best way to honor our father and mother is to make the decision that any abuse, addiction and compulsions will end with us, and we can and should seek support from God and from other people in striving for forgiveness and healing, free from resentment.

When our parents are older, we honor them with the obedience of attentively and gently listening to their hearts as well as by tending to their physical needs.

And after our parents’ lives are over, the Church’s teaching on the communion of saints gives us hope that our relationships can continue to mellow and grow even after death, and that we can continue to pray for one another.

The fourth commandment is not only a command but also a promise – that you shall live long in the land that the Lord your God gives you. When we honor our father and mother, we are truly alive with peace, freedom, compassion and with the merciful love of our risen Lord. We are strengthened in our ability to honor God and our parents in the knowledge that “what God commands he makes possible by his grace (CCC 2081).” • March 2015 11

Kids' Connection!

by Katie Sciba

Ages 3

to

7

Photo of the Month: Saint Joseph

Catholic Craft

St. Patrick Shamrocks St. Patrick used shamrocks in Ireland to teach that God is three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one God. Paint shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day with very few items needed!

You'll Need

Memorize it!

“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

Paging Through the Faith

Toilet paper rolls Green paint Thick paper A paint brush

Directions

Bend the cardboard rolls into a heart shape and dip one end into the green paint. Dab the roll three times in a cluster, with the points of the three hearts attached. Add a stem with your paintbrush and voila! You have a shamrock!

The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith by Josephine Nobisso • The Princess and the Kiss & The Squire and the Scroll both by Jennie Bishop • St. Joseph Board Books Series: We Go to Mass Check these out from Slattery Library at the Catholic Center!

12 Catholic Connection

Ages 8-12

Pretty Cool Thought...

We all inherent features from our parents: eye color, facial features and, more importantly, personality traits. Considering that we pick up behaviors and mannerisms from our parents, it’s pretty cool to know that God specifically chose St. Joseph to raise Jesus, because God knew that Christ would grow up to mimic the behaviors of his earthly father.

Saint Joseph!

Saint Bio of the Month

S

t. Joseph married the Blessed Virgin Mary and together they raised Jesus in Nazareth.

He was the protector of the Holy Family, taking Mary as his wife and traveling with her and the Child Jesus to Egypt to flee from King Herod. The three finally settled in Nazareth, where Joseph was a carpenter. St. Joseph came from the line of King David, a lineage that he passed on to Jesus as his earthly father.

Cornered

Catechism What makes the Catholic Church stand out? The Four Marks of the Church represent the most important qualities of the faith.

O

NE Just like there are three persons in One

God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the Church is one with all its members.

We’re united in faith and government, but most importantly in the Mass.

H C

OLY Jesus is holy; and because he started the Church, the Church

is holy.

ATHOLIC The word “catholic” means

“universal.” The Catholic faith is all over the world and all over history. It’s a faith open to everyone and it’s not limited to particular cultures, races, time periods or geographies.

A

POSTOLIC The Catholic faith is passed

down from the teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles, the first teachers of the Early Church.

March 2015 13

NEWS

Lenten Acts of Love Tree

W

for

Kids!

hen my daughter, Heather, was five years old and Ash Wednesday was approaching, I was prayerfully discerning the best way to explain to her the upcoming season of Lent. That’s when the Holy Spirit inspired me with a unique idea: an Acts of Love Tree.

The morning of Ash Wednesday my daughter and I went for a walk and found a dried, dead tree limb with many small branches. We put it into a coffee can filled with rocks to support it and wrapped the can in purple cloth and displayed it on our coffee table.

Next, I cut up small white slips of paper with a hole punched in each piece. Then I explained to Heather that during Lent every good thing that she did for someone else could be offered to Jesus who loves her very much. At first I made suggestions of things she could do to serve others, like helping fold and put away clothes, picking up her toys or drawing a picture for her grandparents. A few days into Lent, she began coming up with her own “Acts of Love.”

I can remember how proud Heather was when she came into the kitchen after having filled our dog’s water dish with water from the outside faucet, even though a lot of the water was all over her! Each time she would do an act of love, I would write it down for her and she would carefully pick a spot to hang the piece of paper on one of the branches. By the time Holy Week arrived, the “tree” was covered with dozens of small reminders of all the acts of love, sacrifices and little services she had done and offered to Jesus.

On Easter morning, Heather came into the Living Room and found that the dried branch had been transformed. While she had slept Saturday night, my husband and I were busy with spray paint and decorations. What she beheld was glossy white branches, and where once her acts of love notes had hung, there was now beautiful ribbons, flowers, Easter ornaments and sparkling pastel colored lights. Easter candy spilled from around the base of the limb onto the coffee table and the purple cloth had been replaced with a lush green one.

Heather’s eyes grew wide and she exclaimed, “Look Mama, Jesus came with His mother Mary and took all my Acts of Love to Heaven!” Her smile was as bright as the sun that morning because she knew that during Lent she had truly helped Jesus by loving others.

We continued this tradition for many years and now that my daughter has her own children, she will be taking them for a walk each Ash Wednesday in search of the perfect Acts of Love tree! •

by Theresa Brandle 14 Catholic Connection

The Way of the Cross: A Cancer Survivor’s Meditation

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ettye, a Shreveport Catholic, received her cancer diagnosis in February 2012. Seeing her suffer from pain in her hip and an enlarged breast, her longtime family friend Julie Doolin insisted she go to a doctor. At 69, Bettye lived in poverty and had never visited a physician. Julie took Bettye to an urgent care center and the nurse who saw them immediately recognized the signs of breast cancer and put her in touch with a doctor.

On Ash Wednesday of that year, Bettye was diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, and shortly after beginning her chemo, she was diagnosed with a fractured hip. Her prognosis was grim. Over the the next year, Julie took Bettye to her doctor’s appointments and chemo therapy. They spent many hours together driving, waiting and talking. Many of their conversations turned to faith, and together they started to realize the similarities between the journey of a cancer patient and the journey of Jesus to Calvary.

Julie also noticed that Bettye was always coming up with profound words to express her spirituality. “Bettye is so spiritual,” said Julie.

“She has these one-line, ‘Bettyeisms,’ zingers that just cut to the chase.” Julie wrote down these sayings and kept them in a folder.

From their discussions, the idea of putting together a book surfaced. “I just started thinking that we needed to write this book with her sayings in it because it will help others. And that’s her whole goal. She doesn’t want any money, she doesn’t want any recognition.”

Together, with Bettye as the author and Julie as the editor, they published The Way of the Cross: Meditations of a Cancer Survivor. In the book, each page is dedicated to a Station of the Cross. Bettye and Julie take that station and look at it through the eyes of a cancer patient with a light of hope.

The book’s purpose is to be a beacon of hope to both cancer patients and anyone who is facing difficulty in their lives. As such, neither Julie, nor Bettye accept any of the profits from the book’s sales; instead all the proceeds benefit three organizations: the diocesan Seminarian Fund, the Shreveport Bossier Cancer Foundation League and the Loyola general scholarship fund.

“Jesus was able to step out of his anguish, physical torment, to pray for other people, and that’s what Bettye does,” said Julie. “She takes the focus off of her to pray for other people. And that’s what we try to convey. If I can take the focus off of me and offer my suffering for someone else, that’s so powerful.”

A year after receiving her initial grim diagnosis, doctors and friends alike were amazed to see Bettye’s cancer slowly retreat and then disappear all together – the result, Julie and Bettye believe – of amazing doctors and powerful faith. • Books are $20 each and available at Jacob’s Well Book Store, Loyola College Prep and Harrington House Studios. Julie loves to share Bettye’s story and can be contacted at lcprosary@loyolaprep.org.

by Jessica Rinaudo, Editor

Buried Treasure Uncovered at St. John the Baptist Parish in MAny “

W

hen I came here in July of last year, the first thing I noticed was the dingy carpet.” No, it is not the beginning of an episode of “House Hunters” on HGTV. Those are the words of Fr. Thomas Elavunkal, pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Many, describing his first glimpse of the sanctuary. “The first plan was to remove the old carpet and to replace it,” he says.

“Then, to replace it with tile because carpet would just get dirty again and tile would be easier to clean.”

However, nothing could prepare parishioners, staff or Fr. Thomas for what lay beneath that dirty old carpet. Workers pulling up the carpet uncovered the design of a large clam shell superimposed over a gold triangle on the original terrazzo floor that dates back to the 1920s, when the church was built.

Stephanie Barnhill DeKeyzer was there working at the time. “The men started oohing and ahhing over it, so Fr. Thomas went over to see what they had found.”

She recalls, “He said, ‘Oh, how beautiful!

This is part of your church and part of your history,’ and explained that the triangle stood for the Holy Trinity and the clam shell represented baptism.” She says Fr. Thomas and the workers then started talking about how to preserve the design.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church is not only rich in history and tradition, it is also rich in beauty. The first church, a wood-frame structure, was built in 1871.

After fire destroyed that building in 1922, a much larger church was built, showcasing traditional Spanish architecture. The church sits on a precipice on San Antonio Avenue, not far from downtown Many, welcoming and wowing visitors at the same time.

Since its construction, the church has undergone numerous renovations. “In 1952, the church went through a total renovation and a new brick rectory was built,” says office assistant and church historian Shirley Rivers. Rivers has chronicled the history of the church in a book entitled Journey of Faith: The story of Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, Many, Louisiana.

Another remodel came in the early

1970s. DeKeyzer, a life-long parishioner, remembers it vividly. “That’s when they raised the floor with the wood frame so that the altar could be seen and covered it all with carpeting. That’s when all the altars were turned around to face the church, right after Vatican II.” Both DeKeyzer and her husband Richard were baptized at St. John the Baptist, as were their son and two granddaughters.

Now, taking care of the church is a family affair. Stephanie and Richard DeKeyzer, along with Richard’s brother Steve, Dale Royal, Jimmy Martin, Rufus Shuff, Greg Yokell and Eddie Richard, worked on the new framing and flooring around the altar.

In order to preserve the clam shell design in front of the altar while still allowing everyone to see it, workers built a frame around it and added lighting. A specially designed tempered glass that can support up to 600 pounds covers it. “When we started this work, only good things happened,” said Fr. Thomas.

On April 24, 12 candidates will be confirmed at St. John the Baptist, standing near the altar. They will become part of the history that makes this church so special to its members and to the community. And, it will be the first big event in decades that will include the historical design that was part of so many other celebrations in the church. “The sanctuary was neglected and that is the most important part of the church,” says Fr. Thomas. Uncovering it, he said, “It is the providence of God.” •

by Bonny Van

Lent: There's a Diocesan App for That!

T

his year our diocese has made available a special Lenten Program on our NEW diocesan app CathConnect. In the app stores it will be called CatholicConnections. Drawing on this monthly magazine, the Catholic Connection, but by simply adding an “s,” we wanted to focus on engaging people – helping them to make those connections to our faith in our daily, messy lives.

Enhance your spiritual journey through Lent and into Easter on your smartphone or tablet. Pray along with others in our diocese and around the globe with daily prayer in English or Spanish. The audio, in part, was done by members of our diocese! Many other popular Catholics and Catholic resources are featured on the app, including Catholic News Service, Busted Halo, Steve Angrisano, Jesse Manibuson and Word on Fire with Fr. Robert Barron. Reflect with Catholic artists with exclusive videos. Get notifications helpful for prayer, almsgiving and sacraments.

Download our new “CathConnect” app from the iTunes, Google Play, or Windows Phone stores. This free app is made available by the Diocese of Shreveport.

March 2015 15

NEWS

St. Joseph Altar: A Catholic Charities: Helping Tradition Rich in History Families in Need Get on THeir Feet

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T

he St. Joseph Altar is celebrated each year on or near March 19, the Feast Day of St. Joseph. The Altar is an Italian tradition brought to America by Sicilian immigrants dating back to the 1800s.

As the story tells us, the tradition began after Sicily experienced a very long drought which caused crops to be lost and the fields to become barren. Sicilians had little to eat and survived on fava beans. Used as livestock feed, fava beans were served at the farmers’ tables and they felt lucky that the beans grew in the drought conditions.

They prayed to St Joseph, their patron, to send rain.

Their prayers were answered. The rains came and the crops flourished. In thanksgiving for their answered prayers, the people built an altar honoring St. Joseph.

They decorated the altar and filled it full of fresh fruits and vegetables. All were invited and welcomed to eat from the bountiful harvest.

The St. Joseph Altar continues to be embraced for a host of personal and private reasons such as the intentions of blessings bestowed throughout the year or for a sick loved one. There are many altars still built in homes and churches – no two alike. Many families make pilgrimages around the city to visit the individual St. Joseph Altars. You will find each to be representative of the rich traditions and customs passed down over the years to celebrate this wonderful family event.

Our altar at St. Joseph Parish in Shreveport, depicts the life of Joseph, including live characters of the Holy Family chosen from among the children of our parish and school. The altar is decorated with statues, relics and an array of homemade cakes and Italian cookies, along with fresh produce and pasta donated by the children of St. Joseph Catholic School. A special dinner is served and bags of Italian cookies, St. Joseph medals and fava beans are given to take home with each visitor.

St. Joseph Catholic Church wishes to invite each of you to come and experience our St. Joseph Altar at 211 Atlantic Avenue in Shreveport. There will be a Rosary on March 21 at 5:15 p.m. and a special meal on March 22 from 10:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. •

by Susan Prest, St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport 16 Catholic Connection

tress and worry: how is it possible in this world to avoid them? For most of us, there are many resources we can call upon to get us through almost anything. In our faith we find solace and encouragement. Through our family, friends and church we have a solid foundation that bolsters us against whatever we may be facing.

For Jenney and David their journey together began on shaky ground. Every day they were pummeled by the storm of fear and uncertainty without the love and concern of family or friends.

Jenney was eight months pregnant and David was struggling to find a decent place for his family to live as well as everything their new baby would need, but he had no idea where he would find help. Their rundown rental didn’t even have running water. He knew he could not bring a new baby into that place. He wanted more for his family.

When they learned about Catholic Charities and Gabriel’s Closet, they were excited to have such great resources available. During their initial visit, the volunteer working with them learned of their poor living conditions and began building a plan to improve their lives. She encouraged both to sign up for well-baby classes taught by our nurse volunteer. There was much to learn and they were eager students, learning how to do the things that would keep their new baby safe. They took parenting classes to help them be the best at this most important job. Through their efforts they earned enough merits to get a car seat, portable bed, diapers and clothing for their little son. The Catholic Charities Emergency Assistance case manager worked with them to find safe housing and to develop a workable budget they could embrace.

After the baby’s birth, Jenney got a job allowing this now two-income family to pay their bills. Without the guidance, direction and concern of the staff and volunteers of Catholic Charities, they may not have changed their circumstances so dramatically for the better.

David and his family came to the United States from China, fleeing a repressive regime that enforced limits on the number of children allowed per family. David’s pregnant mother and his family applied for asylum but were denied. He faced deportation but with help from Catholic Charities through DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) he was able to get the necessary documentation to stay and work in this country without fear.

David is grateful to Catholic Charities for the help that allows him to pursue his dream and to be in pharmacy graduate school.

These are the real people with real crises that come to Catholic Charities every day. When you are considering how you will make a difference and how you can follow the teachings of Matthew 25 for “the least of these,” please remember the Bishop’s Annual Diocesan Stewardship Appeal and open your hearts to the many ways you can have an impact on your community and on those in need. It is our reminder and our opportunity to support the programs we care so deeply about. •

by Theresa Mormino, Catholic Charities of North Louisiana

THe East Extends a Helping Hand

by Randy Smith

T

he Diocese of Shreveport is blessed to have many Catholics who work diligently in all parts of the diocese to help those in need through a variety of programs including everything from providing Meals on Wheels and the Family Promise Organization to helping women overcome abusive situations and outreach with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The helping hands and hearts of service are many, and Randy Smith, Community Outreach Coordinator at Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish, is involved in many of these programs and has highlighted some of the activities our Catholic parishes participate in.

S

erving those in need is a way of life for Catholic churches in the Eastern Deanery of the Diocese of Shreveport.

St. Patrick Parish in Lake Providence is an active member of the Interfaith organization in Northeast Louisiana, and in such capacity has supported the NOVA job training program and the Fuller Center, which participates in the building and renovation of homes. St. Patrick is also involved in Catholic Charities in the Lake Providence area. The church also participates in a Lenten lunch program and in a monthly lunch event which is open to all churches in Lake Providence.

Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish in Monroe is very active in community outreach work. Not only are its members active with the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy in Monroe and its annual fundraising event, The Poor Man’s Supper (a number of Catholic churches in the area participate in this event), but it is heavily involved with planning and conducting the Northeast Louisiana SVdP Society Friends of the Poor Walk held each September.

Jesus the Good Shepherd is also actively involved in the Family Promise organization, which serves meals to underprivileged individuals some four or five weeks a year, and the DeSiard Street Shelter in downtown Monroe. Its SVdP conference is also involved in assisting with the payment of utility bills and apartment and home deposits for those in need and participating in the Meals On Wheels program. JGS also assists Mercy Ministries, an organization which helps young women overcome abusive situations, bad habits and poor decision making. The church sponsors five major activities a year.

Each Christmas season Sacred Heart Parish in Rayville and St. Theresa of Delhi work with the Family Services office of Richland Parish to provide gifts to foster children.

According to Sacred Heart parishioner Ruthie Coenen, parishioners select names from posted wish lists. Church members in the Rayville area are also involved in the

Saturday Meals Project, which helps provide 160 meals each month to needy citizens of the parish.

St. Matthew Parish in Monroe is also involved in multiple ministry efforts. According to parishioner Marilyn McMahan, the church is involved in hospice efforts whereby visits are made to individuals residing in the St. Joseph Nursing Home in Monroe. According to Marilyn, being a good listener, knowing how to offer words of encouragement and praying with the residents of the facility are major components of this ministry.

When those in need come to the office at St. Matthew’s seeking help, they are always given a bag of grocery items donated by church members. Members of the church also contribute food items to help stock the pantry at the St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy. Church members also participate in the weekend Meals on Wheels program.

Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Monroe also participates in a number of social service projects. According to church secretary Dolores Fox, the church is very active in providing meals to the needy. Once a month church members serve a noon meal at Grace Place, a ministry in southern Monroe.

Additionally, twice a year Fatima’s Altar Society provides lunch for 180 individuals at the Catholic student center on the campus of University of Louisiana in Monroe.

The church is also involved in a meals on wheels soup kitchen ministry. Volunteers prepare a signature dish, appropriately named “Soup for the Soul,” which was inspired by deceased Fatima parishioner, Betty Cummings.

Food baskets are also assembled to give to underprivileged individuals who drop by the church seeking assistance.

The churches of the Eastern Deanery are truly blessed by the generosity and compassion shown by their various parishioners, whose donation of time, talent and resources, have helped make serving their communities a way of life. •

March 2015 17

HISPANIC corner

por Rosalba Quiroz 318-868-4441

Calendario del Mes de Marzo del 2015

Durante la Cuaresma todos los viernes obliga la abstinencia. Este es también un tiempo de ser más conscientes con Oración, Ayuno y Buenas Obras.

7

Escuela de Fe: Clase Historia de la Iglesia, Centro Católico de 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

18 Catholic Connection

11 Banquete Pro-Vida, Civic Center de Bossier. Contactar a su parroquia para reservaciones.

29 Domingo de Ramos, principio de Semana Santa.

across the

by Vatican Information Services

Eighth session of the Council of Cardinals

V

atican City (VIS) – The Eighth Session of the Council of Cardinals took place from February 9 to 11, with meetings both in the morning and the afternoon.

All members of the Council were present, and the Pope participated in all the meetings apart from on Wednesday morning, as usual, due to the General Audience.

The first meeting on Monday morning was dedicated to the preparation of the Report on the work carried out by the Council and on the theme of reform of the Curia.

The Secretary of the Council, Bishop Semeraro, gave a presentation.

Monday afternoon was dedicated to a meeting with Cardinal Ravasi regarding the Pontifical Council for Culture within the framework of reform of the Curia.

The Tuesday morning meeting was dedicated mostly to a presentation

by Msgr. Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Commission for Vatican Media, of the Commission’s Interim Report, with the main results and proposals for the reorganization of Vatican media.

In the afternoon, questions regarding the Secretariat and Council for the Economy were again taken into consideration, in view of the finalization of the statutes of these new entities.

The first part of the meeting on Wednesday morning was devoted to the preparation of the following day’s Consistory, while during the second part an update was offered on the organization and activities of the Secretariat for the Economy.

In the final meeting, on Wednesday morning, the topics covered were examined again with the Holy Father, and a report was given by Cardinal O’Malley on the recent plenary session of the new Commission for the Protection of Minors. •

Reform of the Curia, at the center of the Extraordinary Consistory

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atican City (VIS) – A total of 165 cardinals participated in the February 12 first session of the Extraordinary Consistory with the Holy Father. Twenty-five were unable to attend due to illness or other serious problems, according to a report from the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, following the morning meeting.

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga explained that the meeting of the Council of Cardinals (the so-called “C9”) which came to an end the afternoon of February 11, focused primarily but not exclusively on the reform of the Curia; other themes addressed were the regulation of the Synod, the work of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, and relations with the economic entities of the Holy See (COSEA and IOR).

Bishop Marcello Semeraro, secretary of the C9, presented the main lines of reform of the Roman Curia, in the light of the meeting of heads of the dicasteries that took place in November 2014. The issues to be considered are the functions of the Roman Curia, its relationship with other entities such as the episcopal conferences, the criteria for rationalization and simplification that must guide it in its tasks, the Secretariat of State, the coordination of the dicasteries of the Curia, the relationship between religious and laypersons and the procedures that must govern the preparation of the new constitution.

Reference was also made to the institution of two congregations. The first would encompass those organisms that until now have been concerned with the laity, the family and life. The second would deal with matters linked to charity, justice and peace. The collaboration of the Pontifical Councils and Academies dedicated to these themes could be strengthened.

Twelve prelates intervened during the morning session, observed Fr. Lombardi: mainly cardinals who have a profound knowledge of the workings of the Curia, although there have been contributions from a diverse range of contexts. It has been observed that reform is twofold, theological and juridical, and many of its assumptions relate to canon law and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, as well as relationships with the episcopates. It was also noted that the Pope is assisted not only by the Curia, but also by the College of Cardinals and the Synod of Bishops. In this regard, the themes of synodality and collegiality were discussed, and preference was expressed for the latter denomination rather than the former.

The issue of the ongoing training of staff of the Roman Curia was not overlooked, and consideration was given to the possibility of a rotation of duties to counteract routine.

In this sector, both favorable and contrary opinions were expressed by the cardinals, who emphasized that some fields require a high level of specialization and that for this reason, change would be inadvisable. •

A Message from Bishop Duca: Appeal Sunday occurred last month on February 15th. Thanks to the generous support of our faithful, we are off to a good start on this year’s campaign. If you have provided your pledge to this year’s Appeal you have my sincere appreciation. Thank you and God bless you for your support.

Please know that we still have a long way to go before we reach our pledge goal of $1,500,000. The month of March is a critical time each year for our Appeal, as follow-up efforts are taking place in each worship location to secure additional pledges for this combined effort to serve the needs of the people of our diocese. Please take some time now to consider your 10-month pledge to support our array of Appeal ministries. A pledge card can be found on page 22, and you may use this to facilitate your annual gift to our Appeal. Those making pledges this month will receive their first Appeal statement in the month of April.

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school NEWS < A dozen St. Joseph School 5th-8th grade boys enjoyed “Pizza with the Priests” as part of SJS�s Catholic Schools Week celebration. In 5th grade, three students were nominated by their peers as having qualities that could someday lead to a vocation in the priesthood or diaconate; in middle school, students were asked to come forward if they would like to attend the lunch. SJS Pastor, Fr. Mark Franklin, Fr. Michael Thang’wa, Vocations Director Fr. Matthew Long, and Permanent Deacons Bill Roche and Bruce Pistorius were all on hand to visit with the boys and answer any questions they had about a vocation in the Church.

^ An Apostolic Blessing from Pope Francis was presented to Fr. Keith Garvin at the Catholic Schools Week’s All Schools Mass.

Students from St. Frederick High School, Jesus the Good Shepherd School and Our Lady of Fatima School all attended the Mass held in the Msgr. Marsh Memorial Gym at SFHS. > Jesus the Good Shepherd School found a fun way to raise money for the West Monroe Civitan Smiles Park Project. Students brought a dollar for “admission” to the JGS basketball shoot-out and enjoyed watching a competition between Fr. Keith Garvin from Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish and his teammate, Sue Blackford, compete against Fr. Lijo Thomas from St. Joseph Parish in Bastrop, and his teammate Fr. Mark Watson from St. Patrick Parish in Lake Providence and Sacred Heart Parish in Oak Grove. JGS school was able to donate over $1400 to the Smiles Park Project.

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^ Loyola College Prep SGA members attended the Louisiana Association of Student Councils Convention at Captain Shreve High School. They made history by running for the office of state parliamentarian for the first time ever. They finished second in the race, but made a name for themselves and Loyola across the state.

^ Our Lady of Fatima School had some very special visitors in the form of the King and Queen of the Monroe Mardi Gras Krewe of Janus. The local royalty visited with the students and taught them about parade safety.

around the DIOCESE

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St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Ruston recently had a special service for their Parish School of Religion classes on the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas, January 28.

During the Winter Quarter, the Liturgy Committee of ACTS (Association of Catholic Tech Students) sponsored a seminar entitled “Aware of Prayer.” The purpose of this student-led activity was to expose college students to the different varieties of prayers in our Catholic tradition. Members of ACTS not only came up with the concept, but were also the presenters. The informative and conversational gatherings were held on three Tuesdays. The types of prayers discussed were Adoration, Liturgy of the Hours and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Liturgy Committee of ACTS is one of seven Christ-centered, student-led committees available to those involved with the Catholic Campus Ministry Program of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Ruston.

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The congregations of St. John the Baptist Parish in Many and St. Terence Church joined together to celebrate Fr. Thomas Elavunkal’s 17th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood on Sunday, January 25 at the 10:00 a.m. Mass. The Knights of Columbus prepared a gumbo lunch for the congregation and visitors. Fr. Thomas was ordained in India on December 28, 1997. He was presented with a Papal Blessing from Pope Francis, a new vestment and an oil painting of recently canonized Saint Chavara from India.

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On Sunday, February 8, the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Oak Grove enjoyed a potluck lunch to kick off a Pre-Lenten mission that was held Monday -Thursday nights. Fr. Simeon Gallagher presented the mission and his topic was Spirituality for Relationships. Each morning a Mass and a short presentation were held at St. Patrick at 10:30. Each evening a soup and sandwich supper was held at Sacred Heart at 5:30, followed by the presentation at 6:30. Those attending during the week were richly blessed by Father Gallagher’s talks.

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Confirmation Students from St. Joseph Parish in Zwolle served the ladies of the Circle of Catholic Women at their annual Appreciation Dinner.

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upcoming EVENTS March 1-3: Parish Mission at Christ the King Parish Fr. Keith Pellerim from the Diocese of Lake Charles will present a three-day mission entitled, "Who Are We? Chosen, Blessed, Broken and Shared." The mission will take place from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., March 1-3 at Christ the King Church, located at 425 McCormick St., Bossier City. All are welcome!

For more information, contact the church office at 318-221-0238.

March 2-4: Parish Mission at Mary, Queen of Peace Parish Mary, Queen of Peace is hosting a Lenten Mission on March 2, 3, 4, with guest speaker Fr. Jose Robles Sanchez of Steubenville South Youth Ministry from the Diocese of Alexandria. They will meet in the parish hall for soup and bread at 5:30 p.m. each evening. The Mission will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the church. On Wednesday, March 4, they will have the mission talk followed by their Lenten Reconciliation Service. Fr. Jose is a dynamic speaker with a wonderful message to share. For more information, contact the parish office at 318-318-752-5971.

March 6: Christopher West to Speak at Cathedral Join best-selling author Christopher West, writer of Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing, as he explores the ancient and forgotten truth that our deepest desires of body and soul are meant to lead us to the infinite, to God. The event is from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, located at 939 Jordan St. in Shreveport. Tickets are $10 and available

through the church office. Please call 318221-5296. www.christopherwest.com March 7: Lenten Mission at St. John the Baptist Parish St. John the Baptist in Many will be having its Lenten Mission from Sunday, March 8 through Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. with Fr. Andy Cravalho of the Fathers of Mercy from Auburn, KY. The mission hour each evening includes the Mission Conference ending with Exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Benediction.

Confessions will be heard each evening at 6:00 p.m. and immediately after the mission.

A Penance Service will be held on Thursday evening, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. to conclude.

They invite all to attend for an enriching Lenten experience! For more info, contact the church office at 318-256-5680.

March 11: Bishop Duca's Pro-Life Banquet The speaker for this year’s banquet will be Fr. Jonathan Morris, formerly parochial vicar of the historic Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in New York City and news coordinator for the Fox News Channel, Fox Business Channel, and the Wall Street Journal. Fr. Morris offers coverage of the ethical, social and religious news stories of the day. He holds separate degrees in classical humanities, philosophy and theology, and a licentiate degree in moral theology (ethics) from Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome. Fr. Morris is the author of The Promise: God’s Purpose and Plan for When Life Hurts, God Wants You

Happy: From Self-Help to God’s Help and The Serenity Prayer.

The pro-life banquet committee also seeks volunteers to help in any way with this important event. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Banquet Chair, Bernadette Boyd by email at prolifedioshreveport@dioshpt.org.

For more information see the diocesan web site www.dioshpt.org and click on Pro-Life Ministry.

March 14 & 15: St. Joseph Altar at St. Mary of the Pines St. Mary of the Pines will host a St. Joseph's Altar on Sunday March 15 in Vandegaer Hall. On Saturday, March 14 after the 4:00 Mass, the altar will be blessed and the Rosary prayed in Italian and English.

All are welcome. For more info, please contact the church office at 318-687-5121.

March 27: Passion of the Christ Production at St. Mary of the Pines The Passion of our Lord, according to St. John, will be presented at St. Mary of the Pines Parish, located at 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop in Shreveport, on March 27 at 6:30 p.m. This is a joint production with Sacred Heart Church, combining the talents of both churches. All families are invited to go and witness the Passion of Christ. This is a free presentation with a large cast, props and music. The Knights of Columbus and Men’s Club will be selling catfish dinners before and after the production. For more information, contact Jeff Sepulvado at 318-218-2812.

2 0 1 5 D i o c e s a n s t e wa r d s h i p A p p e a l

I / We would like to contribute to the Diocesan Stewardship Appeal with a total yearly pledge of: $10,000 $7,500 $5,000 $3,500

$2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000

Please send monthly reminders to:

$800 $750 $650 $500

$400 $350 $300 $250

At this time I / we are enclosing:

$200 $150 $100 $_______

$_____________

Print Name________________________________________________________________________________

Diocese of Shreveport The Catholic Center 3500 Fairfield Avenue Shreveport, LA 71104 www.dioshpt.org

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Address___________________________________________________________________________________ City______________________________________________________State_________Zip Code____________ My / Our Church Parish______________________________________________________________________ Signature__________________________________________________________________________________ You may make a credit card payment online at: www.dioshpt.org (Click on Stewardship)

calendar

march 2015

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 St. Casimir

St. Katharine Drexel, virgin

Second Sunday of Lent

Lenten Reconciliation Service, Christ the King Parish, 10am Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs

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Third Sunday of Lent

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Lenten Reconciliation Service, Holy Daylight Savings Trinity Parish, 5pm Time Begins St. Frances of Rome, religious

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Lenten Reconciliation Service, St. Jude Parish, 6:30pm

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Lenten Bishop Duca's Reconciliation Annual Pro-Life Service, St. John Banquet, Bossier Civic Center, 5pm the Baptist Parish, 6:30pm Lenten Reconciliation Service, Little Flower Parish, 6pm

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Lenten Reconciliation Services

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Dedication of Joe & Roger Luffey Catholic Life Center, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Ruston, 2pm

Pro-Life Banquet / MARCH 11

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Fourth Sunday of Lent

Presbyteral Council Meeting, Catholic Center, 1pm

St. Patrick, bishop

Lenten Reconciliation Service, Sacred Heart Church, Shreveport, 6:30pm

Lenten Reconciliation Services, Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, 5:30pm & Sacred Heart, Oak Grove, 6:30pm Protecting God's Children, Catholic Center, 6pm

Women's Retreat, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Ruston, 9:30am

Lenten Reconciliation Services, St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport, 6:30pm & St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 6pm St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2nd Collection: Catholic Relief Services

Palm Sunday / MARCH 29

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Fifth Sunday of Lent 2nd Collection: Catholic Relief Services

Lenten Reconciliation Service, St. Joseph Parish, Zwolle, 5:30pm

Ordination/ Installation of Bishop Fernand J. Cheri, III, OFM as Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans

Lenten Reconciliation Service, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 6:30pm

Lenten Reconciliation Services, St. Joseph School, 9:45am & St. Pius X Parish, 6:30pm

Lenten Reconciliation Service, St. Patrick Parish, 6:30pm

The Annunciation of the Lord

Chrism Mass / MARch 31

29 30 31 1 2 3 4 Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Chrism Mass, Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, 6pm

Holy Thursday

Good Friday

Holy Saturday

2nd Collection: Pontifical Good Friday Collection for the Holy Land

2nd Collection: Diocese of Shreveport Church Vocations

Good Friday / APRil 3 March 2015 23

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.

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Shreveport, LA 71104

Fairfield

Photo of the month

St. John Berchmans Catholic School hosted its 6th annual Religion Scholars Bowl during Catholic Schools Week in January.

Students in grades 3rd through 8th competed in grade level teams by answering oral questions, taking a written exam and performing a skit. Schools that participated were St. John Berchmans School and St. Joseph School in Shreveport, St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s School in Natchitoches, and Our Lady of Fatima, Jesus the Good Shepherd and St. Frederick High School from Monroe. The seventh grade team came in first place, with sixth grade placing second, and third grade taking third place.

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