Catholic Connection December 2017

Connection The Catholic

Vol. 27, No. 5 December 2017

ACTS-ME

Catholic Students at Louisiana Tech Minister to the Eldery

Also Inside

Uniting Church and Home During Advent Praying Publicly for Christian Unity New Seminarian Burse Program Kicks Off in the Diocese December 2017 1

Connection The Catholic

Publisher Bishop Michael G. Duca Editor Jessica Rinaudo Contributors

Rosalba Quiroz Lisa Cooper Dianne Rachal Fr. Jerry Daigle Bishop Michael Duca Jessica Rinaudo Sr. Martinette Rivers Aimee Eucyer Katie Sciba Kim Long L'Anne Sciba Lucy Medvec Olga Trejo Kevin Mues Kelly Phelan Powell Mike Van Vranken John Mark Willcox Fr. Rothell Price 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 Stewardship 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.

2 Catholic Connection

Advent

Reconciliation Services

St. Jude Parish

Tues., December 5

6:30 p.m.

St. Pius X Parish

Wed., December 6

6:30 p.m.

Mary, Queen of Peace Parish

Wed., December 6

6:00 p.m.

Cathedral of St. John Berchmans

Mon., December 11

6:00 p.m.

Holy Trinity Parish

Mon., December 11

5:00 p.m.

St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport Wed., December 13

6:30 p.m.

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish

Thurs., December 14 6:30 p.m.

Christ the King Parish

Sat., December 16

10:00 a.m.

St. Mary of the Pines Parish

Mon., December 18

6:30 p.m.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish Tues., December 19

6:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart Church, Shreveport Wed., December 20

6:30 p.m.

bishop’s december calendar DECEMBER 1 St. Joseph School Mass; St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport; 8:15 a.m.

Advent Meal; David Wade Correctional Center, Homer; 6:00 p.m.

DECEMBER 3 Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 5:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 8 Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 12:05 p.m.

DECEMBER 10 Society of St. Vincent de Paul Annual Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans; 11:00 a.m.

DECEMBER 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Vespers with the St. Cecilia Choir; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 6:00 p.m.

DECEMBER 13-14 Bishops of Region V Episcopal Support Days; Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat Center, New Orleans DECEMBER 15 Fr. Joseph Ampatt’s 40th Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood Mass; Mary, Queen of Peace Parish, Bossier City; 5:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 16 Rite of Candidacy Mass: Kevin Mues; Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish, Monroe; 4:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 17 Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 5:30 p.m.

DECEMBER 25 Midnight Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 12:00 a.m.

contents

december 2017

columns Uniting Church and Home During Advent by Bishop Michael Duca.................... 4-5 Mike’s Meditations: Experience God in the Ordinariness of Life

by Mike Van Vranken................................................................................................. 6

In Review: Not Alone reviewed by Kim Long .......................................................... 7

5

Faithful Food: Searching for Authenticity in Life and Food by Kim Long............ 8 Domestic Church: Overcoming Self Comparison by Katie Sciba....................... 9 From the Pope: The Mass is a Prayer from VIS.......................................................10 Navigating the Faith: The Visitation by Dianne Rachal .........................................11 Second Collections for December by Fr. Rothell Price .........................................12 Vocations View: What Does it Mean to be a Candidate for Holy Orders?

by Kevin Mues .................................................................................................................. 13 Kids' Connection: Our Lady of Guadalupe..................................................... 28

14

features ACTS-ME: Catholic Students at Louisiana Tech Minister to the Elderly

by Jessica Rinaudo .................................................................................................. 14-15

news Catholic College Students Save Soles by Amy Eucyer.........................................16 Year End Giving by John Mark Willcox .....................................................................17 Praying Publicly Together for Christian Unity .......................................................18 Diocesan Seminary Burses by Fr. Jerry Daigle .......................................................... 19 Reflection: Wrapped in Jesus' Joy This Christmas by Sr. Martinette Rivers, ols ......20 Pay It Forward with Catholic Charities of North Louisiana

by Lucy Medvec........................................................................................................21 Mary's House Open for Two Years by L'Anne Sciba...............................................21 Mackey Celebrates 20 Years; Bolsters Third Graders at St. John's

by Kelly Phelan Powell.................................................................................................. 22

19 on the cover

Connection The Catholic

Vol. 27, No. 5 December 2017

Hispanic News by Rosalba Quiroz............................................................................23 School News ...........................................................................................................24-25 Around the Diocese ...............................................................................................26-27 Across the Nation: USCCB Urges Congress to Provide Funding for Climate Change; President of USCCB Responds to Mass Shooting in Texas from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ..............................................29 Mark Your Calendar ...............................................................................................30 December Calendar .............................................................................................31

ACTS-ME

Catholic Students at Louisiana Tech Minister to the Eldery

Also Inside

Uniting Church and Home During Advent Praying Publicly for Christian Unity New Seminarian Burse Program Kicks Off in the Diocese December 2017 1

Louisiana Tech students volunteer to minister to the elderly.

December 2017 3

la reflexión DEL OBISPO por Obispo Michael G. Duca

Uniendo el Hogar y la Iglesia durante el Adviento

E

l mes de diciembre es un mes maravilloso en la vida de la Iglesia porque entramos a la temporada de ADVIENTO con lecturas llenas de esperanza y la Misa que nos encamina hacia la celebración del misterio de la encarnación y el nacimiento de Jesús el Día de Navidad.

Esta temporada llena de esperanza trae a mi corazón abundantes recuerdos de como celebraba este tiempo santo en familia. Un recuerdo muy claro es como la Corona de Adviento se ponía en un lugar central en nuestro hogar y como ésta daba forma y resumía nuestra fe católica, especialmente durante el Adviento y Navidad, estaba siempre presente de una manera concreta en el corazón de nuestra vida familiar en el hogar.

Mientras más reflexiono sobre esta simple devoción, más me doy cuenta que contiene una profunda sabiduría sobre nuestra fe y la importante de vivir esta fe en el contexto de la familia. La Corona de Adviento estaba generalmente encendida durante la cena familiar. La cena en mi hogar era un ritual sólido y constante. Era fácil para nuestra familia porque mi papá trabajaba siempre el mismo horario y llegaba a la casa casi al mismo tiempo todos los días. También mi mamá, aunque tenía un trabajo de ayudar a pagar los gastos, estaba siempre en la casa a tiempo para tener la comida lista para cuando mi papá llegara a la casa. Era una bendición que yo tal vez no entendía cuando pequeño. La vida, yo sé que está más ocupada hoy con los horarios competitivos, los dos papás trabajando fuera de casa y una gran cantidad de distracciones electrónicas. Pero La Corona de Adviento aun nos habla de sabiduría aun en nuestros estilos de vida tan ocupados y nos recuerda que el compartir una cena no es solo comer, sino el tiempo que nos unimos, nos conectamos en amor y unidad en la familia. La cena familiar es una experiencia que se necesita para contra atacar las influencias que nos dividen en nuestra cultura de hoy. Esta cena es también algo importante porque nos recuerda como nos reunimos alrededor del altar en la Misa para compartir la comida del sacrificio del Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo. Con la Corona de Adviento en el centro de la mesa estamos conectando el hogar y la iglesia, así que el mensaje espiritual del Adviento no solo se experimenta en la iglesia, sino que encuentra el camino hacia el corazón de la familia y en nuestras vidas diarias.

Si ven que es casi imposible tener la cena en familia regularmente, piensen en la Corona de Adviento como una oración familiar diaria donde tomen tiempo juntos para unir toda la familia, todos los días en algún momento – tal vez en la noche o antes de salir a la escuela en la mañana – prendan las velas y digan una oración de Adviento juntos.

La belleza simple de la Corona de Adviento es que llama la familia a orar en el hogar y nos da un tiempo verdadero para apreciar la temporada de Adviento, que es regularmente eclipsado por el alboroto de los anuncios seglares de la Navidad. La Corona de Adviento nos llama a reflexionar sobre lo que significa esperar y nos ayuda a tomar el tiempo para considerar el verdadero significado y corazón de la Navidad, (El nacimiento de CRISTO).

La Corona de Adviento es también una oportunidad para que los niños vean a su papá y a su mamá como líderes de la oración en la familia y cada niño pueda también tener una parte activa en la oración cuando sea el 4 Catholic Connection

momento de encender la vela.

También creando una corana para la familia puede ser un recordatorio para orar o iluminar y compartir de como nuestros hogares pueden reflejar nuestra fe en la vida diaria. Algunos días tal vez solo viendo que las velas no se han encendido nos invita a orar y lentamente cambiar la rutina para que la oración familiar de alguna manera se convierta en parte de la rutina de la vida familiar.

En un mundo que se está convirtiendo cada vez más seglar, necesitamos hacer de nuestros hogares un oasis de fe y conectar la iglesia y la casa más seguido. Veo un hermoso ejemplo de esto en la noche del 11 de diciembre, el día anterior a la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, en la que nuestras hermanas y hermanos Hispanos se reúnen para una noche de oración hasta la medianoche cantando en honor a María para comenzar su festividad.

Como parte de la celebración, las familias traen sus imágenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y las colocan alrededor del altar. Después de saludar a María durante la noche con cantos de alabanza, bendigo las imágenes y luego las regresan a sus hogares. Aquí veo claramente como el hogar y la iglesia se unen. Así también, la Corona de Adviento es otra manera de unir el hogar y la iglesia.

Para cuando ustedes reciban la Catholic Connection de este mes, el Adviento ya ha comenzado. Si aún no tienen una Corona de Adviento, no se preocupen por que sea tarde.

Hagan o compren una y comiencen esta costumbre de oración. Aun cuando ésta sea una simple señal, hablará mucho y puede ser el comienzo de una conexión más profunda entre la iglesia y la familia en su hogar. •

bishop’s REFLECTION

by Bishop Michael G. Duca

Uniting Home and Church During Advent

T

he month of December is a wondrous month in the life of the Church as we enter into the season of ADVENT with the hopeful readings at Mass leading us to the celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. The season, filled with hopeful waiting fills my heart with abundant memories of how we celebrated this holy time within my family. One deep abiding memory is how the Advent Wreath was given a central place in our home and how it shaped and summed up how our Catholic faith, especially during Advent and Christmas, was always present in a concrete way at the heart of our family life at home.

The more I reflect upon this simple devotion, the more I realize that it contains deep wisdom about our faith and the importance of living our faith in the context of the family. The Advent Bishop Duca Wreath is usually lit at the family meal each evening. The dinner meal in my home growing up was a constant and rock solid ritual. It was easy for our family because my father’s work was so predictable that he would return home almost at the same time each evening. Also my mother, even when she had a job to help pay the bills, was always at home in enough time to have dinner ready when my father arrived home. It was a blessing that I took for granted.

Life, I know, is more hectic today with competing schedules, two parents working and a host of electronic distractions. But the Advent Wreath still speaks wisdom to our hectic lifestyles and reminds us that sharing a meal is not just about eating, but it is also a time to deepen the bond of love and unity in the family. The family meal is a needed experience to counter the dividing influences of our culture today.

This meal is also important because it echoes how we gather around the altar at Mass to share the sacrificial meal of the Body and Blood of Christ. With the Advent Wreath in the center of the table we are connecting home and church, thus the spiritual message of Advent is not just experienced in church, but makes its way into the heart of the family and into our daily lives.

If you find that the family meal on a regular basis is almost impossible, then consider the Advent Wreath as a daily family prayer event where you take time to gather all the family, everyday for some time – maybe in the evening or before leaving for school – and light the candle(s) and say the Advent prayer together.

The simple beauty of the Advent Wreath is that it calls the family to prayer in the home and gives us real time to appreciate the season of Advent, which is so often overshadowed by the din of secular advertising for Christmas. The Advent Wreath calls us to consider what it means to wait and helps us slow down to consider the real meaning and heart of CHRISTmas.

The Advent Wreath is also an opportunity for children to see both their mother and father as leaders of prayer, and each child can take an active part in the prayer when it is their time to light the candle.

Even just creating an Advent wreath for your family can stand as a reminder to prayer or shine a light on how little our homes can reflect our faith in daily life.

Maybe, just seeing that the candles have not been lit once can call us to prayer and slowly change the routine so that family prayer in some form becomes a part of the routine of family life.

In a world that is becoming more secular we need to make our homes an oasis of faith and connect church and home more often. I see a beautiful example of this on the evening of December 11, the day before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when our Hispanic brothers and sisters gather together for an evening of prayer until midnight so they can sing to honor Mary at the beginning of her feast day. As part of the celebration, families bring their statues and pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe and place their images and statues around the altar. After Mary is greeted at midnight with songs of praise, I bless the images and then they are returned to their homes. Home and church are now united. Like this event, the Advent Wreath is another way to bring home and church together.

By the time you receive this month’s Catholic Connection, Advent may have already begun. If you do not have an Advent Wreath yet, don’t worry about being late. Make or buy one and begin to establish this custom of prayer. Even if it sits as a simple sign, it will still speak volumes and may be the beginning of deepening the connection between church and family in your home. • December 2017 5

mike’s MEDITATIONS

by Mike Van Vranken

Experience God in the Ordinariness in Life

G

od chose to be in union with you and me. It was His decision.

“Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8 NAB).

We see words here describing Jesus as “emptied Van Vranken himself,” “humbled” and “slave.” Again, he willingly and deliberately chose to do this. Humility was a slave virtue in Jesus’ time. While we know this Jesus was divine, he also was a slave, which expresses his refusal of any self-elevation or importance. The slave in Jesus’ time was one who absolutely had no rights.

God not only wanted to be in union with human beings, He wanted to do it in the most basic of ways. He was God, the highest form of all beings and chose to be a human in the lowest form – that of a slave – someone with no importance – someone with no rights. While Jesus did not have a human master, he always made the Father his master.

And, like a slave, he came into the world in less than an ordinary way. Rather than picture his birthplace as the homely stable we see in movies and pictures, try to imagine the reality of his entry into our human world.

The stable or cave seemed to have straw and a manger. It was a place where livestock lived. It would have been filled with animal waste. There would have been the constant terrible smell that goes with such a scene.

Flies and other bugs buzzing around. Mary, Joseph and any one else would have had to watch where they stepped. Within a short distance, they probably could see people’s homes that were clean and warm. Yet, 6 Catholic Connection

they were outside with the animals and weather. And their first visitors were the lowly shepherds – some of whom may have been slaves themselves.

Surely, God is making some important point to us in all of this. He not only longed to be united with us so much that he came to live as a human with us, but he wanted to do it in the most humble of ways. I think one lesson we can take from this is that God wanted us to experience Him in the ordinariness of our lives. Not only in the ornate churches, the ritual of the sacraments and in His real presence in the liturgy; but also in our everyday comings and goings – He wants to be in union with us in everything we do.

This is how we can experience Incarnation: to experience God in all we do – even in the most ordinary events of daily life. By His Incarnation in Jesus, God united Himself with every woman and man. Because that union continues today (we are temples of the Holy Spirit 1 Cor 3:16), Incarnation continues today.

Jesus, who is fully God, came to live with us and to show us how to live as human beings. Today, you and I are called, as God’s temples, to bring God to the world around us. Or, put another way, we are called to be Incarnation to those around us. When we bring the Jesus in us to someone else, we are bringing God in flesh to someone else. If we are to truly be the missionary disciples we are called to be, we experience and minister to this Jesus within ourselves and in others – all within our ordinary lives. As we do this, Incarnation happens in the ordinary world just like it did when Jesus was born.

As we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, heal the sick, shelter the homeless and welcome the refugee, pray for those who are hurting, forgive 70 times seven times, smile at the lonely or encourage the depressed – in all of this we are being Incarnation.

This Advent and Christmas might be a good time to daily ask ourselves: How am I being called to Incarnate Jesus today in my ordinary life? • Mike is a spiritual director, author, speaker and teacher. You can contact him at mikevanvranken@comcast.net

in REVIEW reviewed by Kim Long

Not Alone by Miriam Neff

11 Inspiring Stories of Courageous Widows from the Bible

S

eldom will you hear me say “this book is the total package,” but in the case of Not Alone: 11 Inspiring Stories of Courageous Widows from the Bible, that is my assessment. This novel is part narrative, reflection and gentle prodding in the form of questions at each chapter’s end. Author Miriam Neff, has given voice to these women with all the aplomb of great narrators of our salvation history. Suitable for individual reflection or group interaction, its power lies in its directness, its ability to immediately connect with human emotions and situations.

In the 11 chapters we meet “again for the first time” incredible women who have suffered loss and learned much. I say meet again because in some cases these women are not even named, making them universal. The author has assigned attributes to each woman and those are used as a basis for the main lesson reflected in each individual's story.

We begin with a beautiful and powerful story of the widow’s mite from Luke’s gospel. This story, the first in the volume, hooked me from the first page. For even though I grew up on this story, I failed to flesh it out as the author has. This woman and the details of her life, her heart’s imagining, and her struggles come alive under this way of “teasing another layer of meaning from the text” as scholars from Christianity and Judaism have done for centuries. In her grief this woman, who does remain unnamed, grows beyond her sorrow and begins to trust in God. We are witnesses to her faith coming alive and moving beyond a cursory nod to religious observance and tradition to a real life relationship with God. Tucked into the book is a study guide with the theme of each chapter presented. We are also challenged

(gently) to consider when this was a problem for us in our own lives, which is paired with the text from sacred scripture. Next are study questions, again we are invited to probe into our own lives as it relates to this passage, story and “lesson.” Then we are invited to “think it over” and the author gives several concrete passages. Finally there is a small section where we are offered “practical ways” to put this lesson to use.

Neff also features perhaps the two most well known widows of scripture: Ruth and Naomi. If you think, like myself, that you have contemplated these two stories about as hard as possible...think again.

For the narrative of Naomi, Neff leads with the prayer of Naomi in which she is “fussing” or telling God exactly how she feels about the way her life has unfolded.

I love it that she has no pretense, because this is often how I pray. We see that Naomi’s focus soon settles on Ruth and having her life improve.

Ruth’s familiar story leads us through the lens of courage. The age-old story of Ruth and Boaz is retold as a sweet and orchestrated love story without the sentimentality which would divert our focus from the aspect of courage.

Each of these stories leads us deeper into their meaning and the meaning of their attributes in our own lives. That is the beautiful pairing of the universal themes of scripture and the daily lives we all lead. This book is very much like having a talk with older experienced aunts or sisters when we need a lift.

If you have been widowed, this book is for you. If you have ever lost anything or anyone who has been an important part of your life, this book is for you. If you lead or wish to lead a book study but don’t know how to begin, this book removes all guesswork. •

“I wore my widow's veil well, drew water, made bread, tended to my father's house and listened."

– Miriam Neff in Not Alone

Not Alone is available to purchase from Regency Faith and Amazon.com. It is available to borrow from the Slattery Library inside the Catholic Center in Shreveport.

December 2017 7

faithful FOOD

by Kim Long

Searching for Authenticity in Life and Food

T

oday there is a lot of talk about genealogy, DNA tests and finding out who “we” really are – a search for authenticity. I like the following definition for the word authentic: “conforming to an original so as to Long reproduce essential features.”

We certainly look for this in our liturgies, the evidence is plain when our churches swell to standing room only during Christmas, Easter and Ash Wednesday. Everyone seeks authenticity on many levels. During this time of the year we look in the stable, waiting for our hearts to be stirred by that age-old mystery of love. We long for a feeling to lead us back through memory to a place of security and belonging – a place where we feel utterly and completely loved. We seek God in a very particular way.

We do this in the kitchen as well and there is no time like the holidays to bring out the desire to get it right, to make it taste just like momma’s dressing, grandma’s sweet potato pie or whatever your family speciality is. When we are seated at the table with steaming dishes made with love, we are also seeking God in a very particular way.

My kitchen spirituality rests on two points: handwritten recipes scrawled in a busy moment decades ago and stuffed into other cookbooks and the memory of seeing all my relatives in the kitchen.

Their posture and expressions continuing to guide me as surely as any set of written instructions. It is at this time of the year that the retrieval of both is a given.

I have one of those scrawled recipes beside me as I type this. It came from a cooking maven from my childhood, “Miss Tut.” Her recipe for Charlotte Russe came to me from my beloved 8 Catholic Connection

Miss Tut's Charlotte Russe Ingredients: • ½ cup water • 2 envelopes Knox plain gelatin, softened in water • 3 egg yolks • 1 cup sugar • pinch of salt • 1 3/4 cup milk, scalded • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 1/4 cup sherry • 3 egg whites • 1 pint heavy whipping cream • lady fingers Directions: 1) Lightly butter springform pan and line with split lady fingers.

2) Beat egg yolks with sugar and salt.

3) Stir in scalded milk.

4) Cook in a double boiler over simmering water until mixture coats spoon. Pour over gelatin and stir well.

5) When it begins to set, blend in flavoring and sherry.

Aunt Carolyn. This was the first time I remember stepping out of my comfort zone and cooking an actual “grown up” dessert. I must have read the instructions “fifty ‘leven” times before I even added the ingredients to my grocery list.

I made it – and made it well – and not a bite was left. I desired to recreate the same again, and as Christmas hammers hard on my heels. I “googled” recipes and all results were laden with fruit and other accoutrements I found superfulous, and I went back for this recipe: the russe in a pure form. This recipe calls for heavy whipping cream – do NOT skimp! In fact make sure you get the highest fat content available. I get mine from a food service company who graciously sells me

6) Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt.

7) Whip the heavy whipping cream.

8) Fold both into the custard and pour into prepared pan. Chill and let set several hours but overnight is best!

9) When ready to serve remove from the pan carefully and garnish with extra whipped cream or fruit (not necessary but festive). Enjoy!

two or three quarts each Christmas.

Like our search for authenticity through genetics, so it is with cooking and most everything else we do out of love for our families and friends. In DNA research we receive scientific evidence of our origins and in the kitchen we are enveloped in the day to day reality of food which sustains and celebrates continued life.

May your Advent and Christmas season lead you back to the stable and the table. “Where your heart lies, there your treasure is also.” • Kim Long is the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary of the Pines Parish in Shreveport.

domestic CHURCH

by Katie Sciba

Overcoming Self-Comparison

C

hristmas is around the corner.

We’re about to experience the birth of Jesus, who wants to be born into our hearts. Let’s pray for the grace to work through some common walls we use to keep Jesus out.

Though overwhelming, we find each of their antidotes in the life of Mary.

“No time.” We’ve all Sciba made this excuse. Our schedules and our families are so busy we’re glad to just make it to Mass, nevermind individual prayer at home. It’s clear that we need the peace of Christ.

I don’t know how busy Mary was, but when we consider when 12 year-old Jesus was missing and the consequential panic of his parents, we feel relief when Mary and Joseph found him in his Father’s house.

This is the cure for our frenzy, too. We need the grace of the Sacraments. Away from church, simply putting ourselves in the Father’s gaze for five minutes will help us breathe easily in our hustle and bustle.

But deeper than busyness is the obstacle of self-comparison. We keep Jesus out when comparing ourselves to others in a way that rouses jealousy and selfdeprecation (we don’t have what they have), or even conceit (we take credit for our blessings). We measure ourselves by others’ successes and gifts and, finding ourselves either lacking or superior, we disregard the Lord’s will in our lives.

Looking to Mary, we find humility as the antidote. When given the highest honor of bringing Jesus into the world, she glorified God, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord… he has regarded the humility of his handmaid… He that is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name” (Luke 1:46-49). The Lord blesses and withholds with wisdom, and when something we desire is truly out of reach, trust in God will be our highest wisdom and deepest consolation.

Though busyness and self-comparison

Prepare Ye the Way...

During Advent and Christmastime, meditate on these words to ready your heart and focus your mind on Christ’s coming. Amid the world’s commercial interpretation of the season, recall that the Lord is the reason for our celebrating.

are obstacles to opening our hearts to Christ, the hardest reason is our own pain.

Like it or not, we’re all battered by life’s storms in one way or another, and rather than revealing our anger, sadness or hurt to Jesus, we sometimes shut him out and turn to the world. “Retail therapy,” addiction, approval of others – there’s always something to bandage the wound, though it never heals the way Christ does.

Newly pregnant and thus a societal outcast, Mary praised God. Without a proper place to give birth, she submitted to the stable. She remained near her Son during his torture and death. Mary was no stranger to pain, but regardless of circumstance, she hoped in God. St. Thomas Aquinas said that hope is looking forward to “a future good, difficult but possible to attain,” and we receive it “by means of the Divine Assistance... on Whose help it leans.” Hope is trusting that,

by God’s grace, greatness will come.

Taking our busyness, insecurities and pain to the Lord finally allows Him a place to dwell in our hearts. It’s being humble like Mary, and submitting ourselves to the Divine Will; it’s being hopeful that God has only our benefit in mind when we encounter pain. And ultimately, in imitating Mary, we will find the Christ Child within us, ready to bring comfort and joy from his birth. •

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [State your intention(s) here...] through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of his blessed Mother. Amen.

God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Katie Sciba is married to Andrew and together they have five children. She is the author of thecatholicwife.net.

December 2017 9

from the POPE from Vatican Information Services

"The Mass is a Prayer" General Audience 11.15.17

T

o understand the beauty of the Eucharistic celebration I wish to begin with a very simple aspect: the Mass is prayer, or rather, it is the quintessential prayer, the highest, the most sublime, and at the same time the most “concrete.” It is the encounter of love with God through His Word and the Body and Blood of Jesus. It is an encounter with the Lord.

But first we must answer a question. What truly is prayer? It is first and foremost dialogue, a personal relationship with God. And man was created as a being in a personal relationship Pope Francis with God, who finds his full realization only in the encounter with his creator. The road of life is towards the definitive encounter with the Lord.

The Book of Genesis affirms that man was created in the image and semblance of God, Who is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, a perfect relation of love that is unity. From this we can understand that we were all created to enter into a perfect relationship of love, in a continuous giving and receiving so as thus to find the fullness of our being.

When Moses, before the burning bush, received God’s calling, he asked what His name was. And how did God answer? “I am Who I am” (Ex 3: 14). This expression, in its original sense, expresses presence and favor, and immediately after God adds, “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”(v. 15). In this way Christ too, when he calls to his disciples, calls them to stay with him.

This, therefore, is the greatest grace: to be able to experience the Mass, the Eucharist is the privileged moment for staying with Jesus and, through him, with God and our brothers.

Praying, like any true dialogue, also means knowing how to stay in silence. In dialogues there are moments of silence – in silence together with Jesus. And when we go to Mass, perhaps we arrive five minutes beforehand and begin to chat with the person next to us. But it is not the moment for chatter: it is the moment for silence, to prepare ourselves for the dialogue. It is the moment to collect ourselves in our heart to prepare for the dialogue with Jesus.

Silence is so important. Remember what I said last week: we are not going to a show, we are going to an encounter with the Lord, and silence prepares us and accompanies us. Staying in silence together with Jesus. From the mysterious silence of God springs His Word, which resonates in our heart. Jesus himself teaches us that it is truly possible to “stay” with the Father and he demonstrates this with his prayer. The Gospels show us Jesus who withdraws to secluded places to pray; the disciples, seeing this intimate relation of his with the Father, feel the desire to be able to participate, and they ask him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11: 1). We heard this in the first reading, at the beginning of the audience. Jesus answers that the first thing necessary to pray is to be able to say “Father.”

Beware: if I am not able to say “Father” to God, I am not capable 10 Catholic Connection

of praying. We must learn to say, “Father,” that is, to place oneself in His presence with filial confidence. But to be able to learn, it is necessary to recognize humbly that we need to be instructed, and to say with simplicity: Lord, teach me to pray.

This is the first point: to be humble, to recognize ourselves as children, to repose in the Father, to trust in Him. To enter into the kingdom of heaven we must make ourselves small like children. In the sense that children know how to trust, they know that someone will take care of them, of what they will eat, of what they will wear and so on (cf Mt 6: 25-32). This is the first attitude: trust and confidence, like children towards their parents; knowing that God remembers you and takes care of you, you, me, everyone.

The second predisposition, again typical of children, is to allow oneself to be surprised. The child always asks a thousand questions because he wants to discover the world; and he wonders even at little things, because everything is new to him. To enter into the Kingdom of Heaven we must allow ourselves to be astonished.

In our relationship with the Lord, in prayer – I ask – do we allow ourselves to be astonished, or do we think that prayer is talking to God like parrots? No, it is trusting and opening the heart to wonder. Do we let ourselves be surprised by God, who is always the God of surprises? Because the encounter with the Lord is always a living encounter, not a museum visit. It is a living encounter, and we go to Mass, not to a museum. Let us go to a living encounter with the Lord.

The Gospel speaks of a certain Nicodemus (Jn 3: 1-21), an elderly man, an authority in Israel, who goes to Jesus to meet him; and the Lord speaks to him about the need to be “born again” (cf. v. 3). But what does this mean? Can one be “reborn?” To return to having the taste, the joy, the wonder of life, is it possible, even when faced with so many tragedies? This is a fundamental question of our faith, and this is the desire of every true believer: the desire to be reborn, the joy of starting over. Do we have this desire? Does each one of us have the wish to be reborn always, to encounter the Lord?

Do you have this desire? Indeed, it can easily be lost because, as a result of many activities, of many projects to be put into practice, little time is left over and we lose sight of what is fundamental: our life of the heart, our spiritual life, our life that is the encounter with the Lord in prayer.

In truth, the Lord surprises us by showing us that He loves us even in our weaknesses. “Jesus Christ … is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2: 2). This gift, a source of true consolation – but the Lord forgives us always – this is a true consolation, it is a gift that is given to us through the Eucharist, that nuptial banquet in which the spouse encounters our fragility. Can I say that when I take communion in the Mass, the Lord encounters my fragility? Yes! We can say this because it is true! The Lord encounters our fragility to restore us to our first calling: that of being the image and semblance of God. This is the environment of the Eucharist, this is prayer. •

navigating the FAITH

by Dianne Rachal

The Visitation

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. LK 1:39-40

T

he Church recounts Mary’s visit to Elizabeth with Luke’s gospel on the Feast of the Visitation of Mary on May 31, as well as on the Solemnity of Mary’s Assumption on August 15. We will also hear about this famous encounter between Mary, the mother of God, and her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, two times during the season of Advent: on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, and again four days before Christmas on December 21. This gospel story is particularly appropriate during Advent, not only because we are waiting and preparing for the nativity of our Lord, but also because it gives us insight into the depth of faith, love and strength of these two chosen and blessed kinswomen.

Following Gabriel’s announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus, he informs her of God’s power at work in Elizabeth’s life: “And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing is impossible with God.”(LK 1:36-37) Mary quickly leaves to visit her elderly cousin Elizabeth, a journey of about 90 miles on foot.

What was it about Elizabeth that drew Mary to her side?

Perhaps it was because Mary wanted to witness the birth of this first miracle baby – both to help her prepare for her own, and to see the one who would set the stage for her own child’s mission.

Young Mary enters the house and speaks words of greeting to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Feeling suddenly invigorated and inspired, Elizabeth blooms as a prophetess. Her greeting to Mary reverberates through the centuries, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (LK 1:42) Elizabeth’s elation upon seeing Mary is even mirrored by John inside her, “the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” (LK 1:44) Mary is blessed because the Lord has come to dwell in her as a tabernacle. Blessed is Mary because in her body is found the fruit and fulfillment of all prophecy, of all that is good. Mary responds with her famous hymn of praise, the Magnificat, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (LK 1:46) This is one of the most unusual encounters in human history: two pregnant women meet, one barely out of childhood herself, the other old enough to be a grandmother. But in Elizabeth the wrinkles of old age have become luminous and life-giving.

What woman cannot appreciate how amazing it must have been for Elizabeth to feel her old, tired, wasted body become unexpectedly a place of growth, to perceive the flurried stirring of that tiny life within her? How comforting it must have been for Mary to have her great secret revealed and affirmed

by Elizabeth, to be able to share her joy, thoughts and wonder.

Elizabeth is an elder kinswoman whose wisdom and insight could be invaluable to Mary. Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months before returning home to Nazareth.

Angels figure prominently as messengers of God’s plan to both of these women: Gabriel to Mary, and an angel in the Temple to Zechariah, so the meeting of these two women promises something extraordinary. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and the Son of God became incarnate within her.

Elizabeth, against all odds, knows that she has been quickened in her old age with a child from the Lord. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and announced the presence of her Lord. Who could best the blessedness of these two women of faith and their power to change the course of salvation history?

This story in Luke’s gospel, in fact, announces two “incarnations”: Jesus in the womb of Mary, and the Holy Spirit who filled Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth extols Mary for her belief in what would happen to her, it was also Elizabeth’s belief that enabled her to conceive John as well as recognize the presence of the Savior in her midst through Mary.

Mary and Elizabeth gently lead us into the depths of the Christmas mystery. Our own belief “that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled” enables the “incarnation” within us of both the presence of the risen Christ and the Holy Spirit. Blessed are Mary and Elizabeth, and blessed are we to whom God comes and within whom God dwells.

Jesus’ incarnation, which began with Mary’s fiat, her “yes,” was the beginning of a life of obedience to his Father, obedience which meant offering his body for our salvation. Mary and Elizabeth show us the way by cooperating with God’s plan of salvation. Always our encounters with God lead to an annunciation of God’s presence, an incarnation of that presence within each of us, and an unprecedented blessedness as we share in the very life of God. • December 2017 11

second COLLECTIONS

by Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General

Second Collections for December

T

he Solemn Feast of Christ, the King of Universe, was the last Sunday Eucharistic Celebration in the 2017 Liturgical Year. Having re-newed our loyalty to Jesus Christ, Eternal King of the Universe, we now express our profound hope in His second coming. The Season of Advent begins our new liturgical year 2018, with us, the holy people of God, expressing our great hope and longing for Jesus Christ. With the Christian faithful of every age we say, “Maranatha!” meaning, “Come, Lord Jesus!” In preparation for his glorious return with the fullness of Price salvation for us, may we continue to live and walk close to him with enthusiasm and love.

RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS COLLECTION DATES: DECEMBER 9TH & 10TH “Please give to those who have given a lifetime.” As a people of faith, we value commitments. Baptism, confirmation, holy matrimony and holy orders are our sacraments of commitment. They mark intensely pivotal moments in our faith journey. Generous and joyful participation in The Retirement Fund for Religious Collection is a beautiful expression of our gratitude for and ongoing commitment to those who have been committed to our salvation.

Many senior religious continue to serve in a wide range of volunteer and prayer ministries. Others, weakened by advanced age and illness need our assistance. These consecrated women and men are a treasure. Their dedication and hard work laid the foundation for our Catholic Schools, hospitals and numerous social service organizations. Please give to those who have given a lifetime.

Your gift to the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection provides vital support for medications, nursing care and more. It also helps religious communities make long-term plans to ensure both quality eldercare and continued service to the People of God. I am grateful for the spiritual commitment and service of religious sisters, brothers, deacons and priests.

I hope you, too, recall a religious who made a positive difference in your life. Thank you for your participation in the Retirement Fund for Religious Collection on December 9th and 10th. In honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Solemn Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, please give to those who have given a lifetime.

DIOCESAN INFIRM PRIESTS FUND COLLECTION DATES: DECEMBER 24TH & 25TH Our Diocesan Infirm Priests’ Fund Collection is a gift and expression of our gratitude and support to the sick and infirmed priests of our diocese.

They who once served us, now are in need of our service. Your generous participation in this collection is a beautiful Christmas present to the holy Christ Child, his Church, and his priests. Our infirmed diocesan priests have labored sincerely to connect us with the compassionate love of Jesus whose second advent we await and whose incarnation we celebrate. The Diocesan Infirm Priests’ Fund collection blesses us with the opportunity to shower 12 Catholic Connection

Fr. Richard Lombard is one of our many priests who benefits from Diocesan Infirm Priests' Fund.

Christmas joy on our sick and infirmed priests at Christmas and throughout the year. This is one of your Christmas gifts that lasts the whole year through.

This year, we honored with Christian burial our retired priest, Fr. Walter Ebarb.

This priest of Jesus Christ and Navy veteran served God and country. May he rest in peace. Fathers John Kennedy, Richard Lombard, Joseph Puthuppally and Kenneth Williams are depending on us. The infirmed priests of the Diocese of Shreveport are strengthened by your prayers and financial assistance. Your donation to our Diocesan Infirm Priests’ Fund brings them comfort and hope. At the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Christmas Eve and Day, December 24th and 25th, please add to their Christmas joy by generously participating in the Diocesan Infirm Priests’ Fund Collection. • Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General, is the Director of Second Collections.

vocations VIEW

by Kevin Mues, Diocese of Shreveport Seminarian

What Does it Mean to be a Candidate for Holy Orders?

F

ive years ago when I first told friends and acquaintances that I was going to begin my seminary formation, I was met with laughs, puzzled expressions, and even one, “You’re never gonna make it.” Happily, that prediction is proving to be erroneous. Seminary formation involves many hours of personal soul-searching as well as conversations and instructions from other men who have answered God’s particular call to the Catholic priesthood. Many hours of prayer, reflection, study and spiritual direction have brought me to this point in my life. God has been with me throughout my discernment process and has brought me to where I will soon be admitted to Candidacy for Holy Orders.

Becoming a Candidate for Holy Orders means that I will stand in front of the bishop and declare that I intend to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders and be ordained to the transitional diaconate and then to the priesthood. It is a special time because it acknowledges that through prayer, study and discernment of God’s will in my life, I have decided to move forward on the path to ordination. It is also the bishop’s acceptance and affirmation of my continued work in seminary formation.

It's a formal declaration of desire

that's been in my heart since I first started praying and considering the

priesthood as my vocation.

In its most simple form, it is me standing up in front of God, the bishop, and the Church and saying, “Yes, I want to be a priest.” It’s a formal declaration of the desire that’s been in my heart since I first started praying and considering the priesthood as my vocation. The best comparison I can make for this is an engagement before marriage. When a couple gets engaged, they are saying, “I want to enter into this sacramental union with you for the rest of my life.”

Admission to Candidacy means that I am stating my intention to enter into a sacrament and my serious commitment to follow through with the formation process. It is a public expression of my continued walk with Christ toward Holy Orders.

Candidacy is a personal call to me to continue to seek God’s will in my life and a reminder that priesthood is not a vocation for the individual but a vocation that is lived out for the entire people of God. I am so excited to have reached this point in my journey. I can’t wait to begin my lifelong service to the people of the Diocese of Shreveport. Please continue to pray that I am prepared here in seminary to be the best priest and servant of God that I can be. •

Rite of Candidacy Mass for

Kevin Mues Saturday

December 16 4:30pm Mass

with Bishop Michael G. Duca

Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish 2510 Emerson Street Monroe, LA 71201

If you would like more information about the priesthood, contact Father Jerry Daigle, jdaigle@dioshpt.org, or call 318.868.4441.

December 2017 13

ACTS-ME

Catholic Students at Louisiana Tech Minister to the Eldery

by Jessica Rinaudo

W

hen leaving for college, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of independent living, classes and new friends, but often students find the distance from their families lonely and sometimes difficult to bear.

Cassie Rebeor, a student at Louisiana Tech was having a particularly difficult time with homesickness. That combined with the stress of college had her contemplating dropping out.

But Cassie made a connection with a few elderly parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Ruston, and that began to change everything.

“By making this connection with this elderly parishioner and noticing how much of a need there was and how important having that connection was to both her and myself – it helped me stay in college and I picked up a minor in gerontology and it really redirected my life,” said Cassie.

This call to minister to the elderly quickly spilled over into the Association of Catholic Tech Students. The organization has an active and vibrant student-led leadership team. Together they decided to expand their work with new ideas, committees and ministries.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do because I didn’t want to take anything else on, but I did want to start visiting more of our elderly parishioners,” said Cassie. “So I talked with Brother Michael Ward, our campus minister, and I told him this is what I wanted to do. He said, ‘Cassie, why don’t we start a ministry to the elderly?’”

And so, ACTS-ME (Association of Catholic Tech Students – Ministry to the Elderly) was born with the help of around 12

other students. Like Cassie, other students soon found joy in visiting the elderly.

“It was the summer of my freshmen year, and I was bored and lonely,” said Tristan Kramer, a fellow Louisiana Tech student.

“Cassie, one of the few students who stayed for the summer, invited me to visit Ms. Anne with her. I was hesitant at first, but it was a great experience. I had missed my grandmother who lived seven hours away. By visiting Ms. Anne, the hole in my heart got a little smaller. It made my day to see her smile.”

To launch the ministry, Cassie got in touch with Eucharistic Ministers at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish who knew of homebound and nursing home bound seniors who would like visitors. From those names, ACTS-ME created a binder with information on each participant, including their story and interests.

“For example if there was an individual who loved football, loved talking sports, like hardcore, then we would talk as a group and have a student who understood football and also liked football assigned to that individual,” said Cassie. “So we try to match interests so that way it’s easier to connect and make a really good friendship.”

Once participants and students are paired up, students go in pairs to visit once a week or once every other week. Together the students and elderly person play cards, watch the news or football and share stories.

One of the special ministries ACTS-ME students participate in is bringing Christmas joy into the homes and rooms of the homebound. Sometimes it comes in the form of decorating

In the most simple, basic terms, God

calls each one of us to love unconditionally.

14 Catholic Connection

that person’s home for life stories,” said Cassie.

Christmas. “ My favorite part of “Decorating Ms. Anne’s the ministry is building house for Christmas was relationships with the a standout moment,” said parishioners, especially Tristan. “There were over my parishioner I am 15 young college students assigned to. I like to sit singing Christmas carols, down and hear about baking cookies, decorating her life, family and a tree, and watching a interests,” said Tristan. game all in Ms. Anne’s “I love hearing about little house. It was her family members the awesome. The pure joy most.… When she talks on her face was beautiful, about family, she seems to and I have no doubt she glow with pride. It is very enjoyed every second of it sweet. I like to hear her just as much as we did.” love stories too – of how But not all living spaces she met her late husband lend themselves to big or how she lost her only Christmas trees, so ACTSson. When describing ME has come up with sad events, my heart some other ways to share breaks for her, but many Christmas cheer. times she talks about it so “We’re thinking about naturally with peace and putting wreaths on doors,” wisdom. It’s a true joy said Cassie. “We also have and privilege to meet her a group from St. Thomas and other parishioners, that goes and sings. Our and be a part of their choir will go and carol. lives. It is humbling.”

So we’re going to partner “I see this ministry up with them to bring as an extension of my As part of their ministry to the elderly, Catholic students at Louisiana some Christmas joy. …

Catholic faith, because Tech decorate homes and bring Christmas cheer to the homebound.

Christmas is when people God calls us to perform really miss being home. And for someone who’s in a facility, corporal and spiritual works of mercy,” Tristan added. “I think or someone who’s homebound and their family can’t get to see that by visiting these beautiful people that I am doing those them, having people come and sing with them and give them works He’s called us to do. In the most simple, basic terms, some cookies can really bring in the Christmas spirit.”

God calls each one of us to love unconditionally. I think this But not every visit is easy or joyful. Tristan recounts a visit that ministry reinforces that, because we’re just college students was particularly difficult. who want to love the elderly and let them know that they “Cassie and I went to go pay a special visit to one parishioner. are not forgotten, they are loved, and they are valuable. God She was going through a tough mental battle because of her created them; they are valuable even if their minds or bodies transition into the assisted living facility. … That hard visit aren’t in the best shape.” touched me. It made me realize on a deeper level the hardships Cassie and Tristan both encourage anyone who might be each elderly person goes through. In our society, it is easy to interested in participating in this ministry to join them on ignore the elderly, to forget that they go through struggles, a visit. The time commitment is small and flexible and the pains and joys just like anyone else. They may not be as active benefit to both students and participants can’t be overstated. or quick as they once were, but that does not change their “I think the big thing with anything when you’re working value and worth. That visit made me realize the loneliness, fear, with any person - elderly or young, is just to step out of your hopelessness, anxiety and despair that the elderly are at risk for. comfort zone and open up. And that’s what ACTS-ME is Our ministry is to reach out and love the elderly in anyway we really good about. We saw there was a need with our elderly can through service and friendship.” parishioners and we took it,” Cassie said. “It’s all about you just There are some participants who get overjoyed when their showing them that they’re loved and St. Thomas still thinks student visitors come. “They say, ‘Oh it’s the St. Thomas girls! about them and cares about them a lot.”

Oh it’s the ACTS girls!’ They’re so excited. And they love talking To go on a visit or become involved with ACTS-ME, contact to them. They love telling them their life story and hearing our Cassie Rebeor at cassierebeor@gmail.com. • December 2017 15

local NEWS

Catholic College Students Save Soles

by Aimee Ecuyer

D

uring our Spring Quarter at Tech, the Association of Catholic Tech Students (ACTS) teamed up with an organization called Funds2Orgs to host a 90-day shoe drive that would also function as a fundraiser for ACTS. We settled on a very intimidating goal of collecting 3,000 pairs of new or gently worn shoes which would raise roughly $1,000 for our campus ministry. As the new fundraising committee chair for ACTS, I was interested in doing things a little differently than our typical restaurant fundraisers. How did I find out about Funds2Orgs? I googled “fundraisers for non-profits” and their shoe drive jumped out at me! I knew that it would be a huge amount of work, but after finding out more, I just had to say, “yes.”

Funds2Orgs essentially buys the shoes from us that we collect and then sells them at extremely low prices to “microentrepreneurs” (small business owners) in developing nations. Selling the shoes to the business owners instead of donating them helps to stimulate the local 16 Catholic Connection

We kept a “shoemometer” on display in our student center... The students and parishioners got so excited every time we were able to fill it in. economy and allows the business owners to stabilize their income. As an added bonus, the shoes that people give away are given a second life and are prevented from ending up in a landfill, for at least a little while longer. Once it is all over, Funds2Orgs sends a truck to you and picks up all of the shoes as long as you can provide a few people to help load up the truck.

Another great benefit about collecting gently worn shoes as a fundraiser is that it does not require people to donate the money out of their wallets, but merely the shoes in the back of their closets that

they have not worn in years anyway.

We kept a “shoemometer” on display in our student center to have a visual representation of our progress. The students and parishioners got so excited every time we were able to fill it in, which was also really motivating.

ACTS members contacted their parents, family members and friends who helped us to bring in shoes from all over. We collected shoes from all over southern Louisiana and parts of Texas. This shoe drive would not have been successful or even possible without the incredible dedication and support of our various communities.

In the end, our collection was so much more successful than most of us imagined it would be, especially given that we only had 90 days. We collected a grand total of 3,450 pairs of shoes which raised $1,069.52. Once the truck arrived to take away all of the shoes, STAY (St. Thomas Aquinas Youth) graciously helped ACTS load up the truck with minimal effort for an incredible wrap-up to a great fundraiser. •

Year-End Giving

by John Mark Willcox

percentage, or the residue of your estate to the Church.

Action Equals Benefits

I

n these times of rapid change, the end of the year can be an excellent time to review your important financial matters, especially those dealing with your desire to make any charitable gift to the Church before December 31, 2017.

One of the last tax savings opportunities completely within your personal control is monetary gifts you provide for the support of the ministry of the Church. Naturally, the higher your tax bracket, the more your charitable Church gifts will save you. The amount you save depends on tax rates and the portion of your gifts you are allowed to deduct. Facilitating your financial incentives to give to the Church before year’s end can significantly reduce the amount of taxes you will owe next April.

Gifts of Cash

Most of the Church’s faithful give in this way in the form of cash, electronic transfers or personal checks. When you itemize your tax deductions, up to one half of your Adjusted Gross Income or AGI can be positively affected by gifts of this nature.

Gifts of Appreciated Property

Mutual funds, bonds, securities or individual stocks that have risen in value can result in tax savings. If you have owned these items for more than

If you want to take advantage of the strategies listed above, the month of December is the time to act. See your advisors and accountant to provide you with your specific needs and take time right now to decide on how to best make your year-end gifts work best for you and the Church you love.

For more information on how your year-end or planned gift can help both you and the Church, contact the diocesan Office of Stewardship at 800256-1542. •

one year, they can be deducted from your income tax at full value. This also gives you the added advantage of avoiding capital gains tax due on a sale instead of a gift.

Many stock investments have increased in value during this year as 2017 comes to a close. Prayerfully consider making a charitable gift of sharply increased investments to the Church so that you might gain tax advantages and support the mission of Christ in our region.

Appeal Sunday slated for

February 11

Life Insurance Gifts

You may own an insurance policy that has accumulated cash value but is no longer needed for its original purpose.

You have the option of gifting the value of that policy to the Church and benefitting from welcome income tax savings.

Estate Plans

December is also an excellent month to review your immediate and long-range estate and financial plans. Retirement accounts, life insurance policies and wills are just some of the tools of estate planning that can leave a lasting legacy to the Church. These meaningful future gifts can also generate income while providing immediate tax savings. After your loved ones have been provided for, consider leaving a specific amount,

2017 Annual Diocesan

Bishop Duca has chosen the Masses of February 10-11, 2018, to launch our Our 2018 Annual Diocesan Stewardship Our Appeal Campaign. Please mark your calendars and begin to plan now how you can gift your time, talent and treasure to the good of our combined ministry to the people of this region.

Appeal highlights for the coming year will be featured in the February issue of your Catholic Connection and don’t forget, additional Appeal donations received at the Catholic Center on or before December 31st can be attributed to your charitable contributions on your federal income tax form for 2017.

December 2017 17

Praying Publicly Together for Christian Unity

Bishop Michael Duca, Msgr. Carson LaCaze, Fr. Peter Mangum, Rev. Dr. Chris Currie and Rev. Dr. Hill led the congregations of the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans and First Presbyterian Church in a Prayer for Christian Unity outside on Jordan St. (Photo courtesy of Neil Johnson).

R

ecently parishioners from the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans joined together with the congregation of First Presbyterian Church outside on Jordan Street in Shreveport to pray for Christian unity. We asked Fr. Peter Mangum, Rector of the Cathedral, a few questions about the day and how Catholics can work towards Christian unity.

How did the idea and planning for this prayer service come about?

Fr. Mangum: In October 2016, Pope Francis visited Sweden, in large part to work on Lutheran – Catholic relations in the ongoing effort towards reconciliation. Shortly after the pope’s visit, the pastor of First Presbyterian (Rev. Dr. Chris Currie) and I, because of a good rapport that has existed between us for several years, naturally spoke about what had happened and how we could do something concrete as a sign of our efforts locally.

The timing of this event coincided with the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Movement.

Why is this show of unity significant for Catholics and Protestants?

Fr. Mangum: Rev. Currie and I agreed that the anniversary was not one to be celebrated but simply commemorated. We acknowledge that Christ founded one Church. Here at the Cathedral, we used the adverse reaction as an opportunity for adult faith formation. We taught classes on the first 1500 years of Christianity and how there has been a cry for reform down through the centuries. With this Catholic Retrospective, together with a 10-part podcast series I produced, we were able to discuss the beauty of the Church and the doctrines and dogmas, none of which changed as a result of the Protestant Movement.

Who participated in leading the prayers?

Fr. Mangum: The pastors and their associates were present with our immediate supervisors, Bishop Duca and Rev. Dr. Hill.

18 Catholic Connection

For you, what were some of the highlights of the event?

Fr. Mangum: We coordinated a time for both congregations to depart their churches in order to process and meet in the middle on Jordan Street. All the ministers had an active role to play in the prayer service, which included choirs from both churches singing a variety of hymns on what turned out to be a most beautiful day. The ceremony concluded beautifully and appropriately with our exchange of peace, reflecting the ecumenical spirit and hospitality of the event.

How can we as Catholic Christians continue to work toward Christian unity?

Fr. Mangum: In the Roman Missal one can find that the Church has three separate Masses specifically praying for Christian unity. We must continue to offer the highest prayer we have as well as focus on the believable common ground we share.

Any other thoughts about this event and Christian unity you’d like to share?

Fr. Mangum: It was a great opportunity to bring our congregations together and to offer a visible witness of our desire for unity and to pass the peace of Christ to one another.

The Cathedral has produced a number of resources with a “Catholic Retrospective” look at the beginning of the Protestant Movement. Those items can all be accessed for free via the web!

To listen to Father Peter’s 10-part podcast, “Transcending History Through the Eyes of Faith,” you can visit http:// catholicretrospective.wordress.com, or search for “Catholic Retrospective” in the Apple podcast store.

To view the Cathedral’s Adult Faith Formation talks on topics ranging from “The Council of Trent” and “Luther’s 95 Theses” to Church history and religious demographics – all given by professors and priests – visit the Cathedral’s YouTube channel.

Search for “Cathedral of St. John Berchmans Media.” •

Diocesan Seminary Burses

by Fr. Jerry Daigle

B

ishop Duca and the Office of Church Vocations are pleased to announce the establishment of a Diocesan Seminary Burse program to provide all the faithful of North Louisiana the opportunity to invest in the education and formation of our seminarians into holy and effective priests to serve the Diocese of Shreveport.

What is a seminary burse, and how do they contribute to seminarians?

A seminary burse is an endowment used to pay tuition, room and board for the seminarians of the Diocese of Shreveport. The principal amount donated is not touched, but invested, and the support for our seminarians comes from the earned interest.

Each donation to a burse is truly a gift that will continue giving as more men enter priestly formation in the years to come!

Who can establish a burse?

Anyone can establish a seminary burse, and name it in honor of loved ones (e.g., family members, teachers, mentors, pastors), in honor of organizations and faith or social groups (e.g., Knights of Columbus councils, ACTS, schools, church parishes, cultural organizations), for themselves or their families as an instrument of personal giving, or in memory of a deceased loved one. Burses and their balances, and new

contributions, will be listed in future issues of The Catholic Connection.

Who can contribute to a burse?

Anyone can contribute any amount to any established seminary burse.

How can I establish or contribute to a burse?

You can establish and name a burse with a donation of at least $250, or you can contribute any amount to a burse simply by designating its name when the contribution is made.

Contributions may be mailed to the Office of Church Vocations, Diocese of Shreveport, 3500 Fairfield Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71104. Be sure to note the name of the burse in the memo line.

When is a burse completed?

Seminary burses are completed when the balance reaches $10,000. Once this goal, which is not a pledge, has been reached, and those who established the original burse wish to continue their donations, a new burse in the same name may be opened.

Where can I get more information?

For more information, please contact Fr. Jerry Daigle, Director of Church Vocations, at 318-219-7311.

We offer a special word of gratitude to Dr. George Bakowski for suggesting this program for the support of the seminarians of the Diocese of Shreveport, and for his generous efforts for its establishment and promotion.

001 002 003 003 004 005 006 007 008

THANKS TO OUR RECENT DONORS

COMPLETED BURSE

Dr. George and Sandra Bakowski Foundation ($10,000) Dr. George and Sandra Bakowski Foundation ($2,000) Dr. George and Sandra Bakowski Foundation ($1,000) Bob and Gloria Patterson ($200) John R. and Mary Cook Walker ($350) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans ($250) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans ($250) Friends of Dr. Christopher ($500) St. Jude Parish ($250)

001 Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse ($10,000)

INCOMPLETE BURSE 002 003 004 005 006 007 008

Joseph & Antoinette Bakowski Memorial Burse ($2,000) Sam R. Maranto Memorial Burse ($1,200) Kathryn Atherton Cook Memorial Burse ($350) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans ($250) Bishop’s Burse ($250) Dr. Carol Christopher Memorial Burse ($500) St. Jude Parish ($250)

Look for an article next month on the various charitable burses that exist within the Diocese of Shreveport and how you can support the continuing mission of the Church in our region.

December 2017 19

Reflection: Wrapped in Jesus' Joy This Christmas

by Sr. Martinette Rivers, OLS

M

uch of the world is preparing for Christmas once again and I am reminded of what St. Thomas Aquinas said: “Man cannot live without joy...”

The greatest miracle of all time has taken place in Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus, the JOY of the WORLD. Does the beauty of this event not blow your mind? Babies are so delightful and signify the future and our hopes for the continuity of our world.

Jesus’ birth brought humanity in touch with the marvel of what an awesome God could do for all Christians, for humankind.

This should flood your hearts with Christmas joy and a renewed Spirit. Let’s ready ourselves for this great celebration!

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor. 2: 9) God came in the human form of a baby to exchange His gift of love with us. This brings out that eternal child in us, a spiritual joy hidden deep within ourselves. Become totally immersed in the sacredness of the Christmas season as you pray before this newly born babe. May he become your guiding star throughout the year!

The birth of Jesus gives glory to God and demonstrates both His true love for humanity and His keeping faith with promises to save all men and women. St. Luke tells us that he brought the good news first to the poor and simple folks, who were considered social outcasts: the shepherds. (Luke 2: 8-20).

It brought peace among those whom He favors and who could at last find God’s salvation in Jesus. One of Luke’s key words is “love.” “It’s Christmas every time you let God love others through you...” said St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Let your joy come out and let your Christmas star shine brightly for all to see. Playfulness is a beautiful thing to see in an older person. This season has come and gone many times, so we may feel that we are in the “winter season of our lives,” but God has His ways of challenging us during this season with something new, something good, and perhaps even refreshments for the soul. Our lifelong experiences led us to the proverbial 20 Catholic Connection

“wisdom of old age.” Our aging teaches us life's lessons like nothing else can.

James Garfield said, “If wrinkles must be written on our brow, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should not grow old.”

Christmas is filled with delightful things and I like to think that as we age, our bodies are just as delightful. I realize that my body has its own delights: my soul has its intellect and free will, my spirit permeates my whole body and mind and my soul connects me to God, my designer. Thus aging has its own delights!

Make a difference this Christmas, if only by smiling at someone. We have learned that life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to walk through those “pearly gates” with a totally worn out body, thoroughly used up here on earth and shouting at the top of our voices, “WOW WHAT A RIDE!” Say to yourself, “I have made a difference.”

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, but just felt in the heart,” Helen Keller once said. This is your own season to shine like the stars. If you are feeling blessed with family and friends, repay the blessing by doing something for others. Wear the Christmas spirit with your charming smile. Wear something red and and spread your love

Give gifts of a cheerful

disposition, laughter, compliments, affection, listening and lots of love with Christmas cards.

around wherever you go. Give gifts of a cheerful disposition, laughter, compliments, affection, listening and lots of love with your Christmas cards. In the economy of the heart, these gifts are priceless.

Let us be grateful to God for another Christmas by being role models of His love and by not being lulled into the commercial world as you celebrate the Birth of Christ. Look for the face of Jesus in every person you meet during this season of God's love.

You can't possibly run out of love – Jesus doesn’t.

“Whoever has a heart full of love always has something to give,” said St. Pope John XXIII. Our aging hearts speak a language of love that no one else can speak. Let your inner glow of light shine through your eyes. Make this season yours again and make your Christmas the best ever. May this Christmas time remind you of God’s love because Jesus is the reason for the season. Sometimes it is we who must bring the light of His love to others. Then all of us oldsters can shine in God’s reflected glory with everyone during this beautiful Christmas season.

Have a happy and holy Christmas! •

Pay It Forward with Catholic Charities of North Louisiana

by Lucy Medvec

Mary's House Open for Two Years!

by L'Anne Sciba

A T

hank you for your support of Catholic Charities of North Louisiana in 2017. Your prayers, donations and hours of service have helped us grow since our opening in 2010. As we enter our eighth year of helping people throughout North Louisiana, we invite you to support our efforts by making a donation and paying it forward in 2018.

Last year we served 3,532 individuals throughout the Diocese of Shreveport. We helped them regardless of their race, religion or national origin – in fact, 96% of our clients were non-Catholic. Our focus is to serve as one of the main charitable arms of the Diocese of Shreveport. We bring Christ’s message of love to the poor and vulnerable by providing quality social services to families and individuals, without discrimination.

Catholic Charities provides education and assistance to those who

need help managing their finances, parenting young children, eating healthy, obtaining legal documentation and staying in their home.

Our message this year is “Pay It Forward.” Last year we received over 5,000 requests for emergency assistance to help people avoid eviction or shut off of utilities. We could only help 402 families due to limited resources. Your donation to Catholic Charities – your way to pay forward an act of kindness – will allow us to help more families throughout the year.

Since 2010, we have helped thousands of families in North Louisiana, but it would not have been possible without you. Please help us invest in people to alleviate poverty, distress and injustice. Please help us pay it forward.

You can support Catholic Charities of North Louisiana by making a taxdeductible donation at ccnla.org. •

s of November 20th, Mary’s House has been open for two years! Over 300 young women have come to Mary’s House for help. Whether they are pregnant or not, we reach out to them; we smile and listen. Here is a story that happens over and over at Mary’s House.

When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought it was a mistake - I was scared to death - I just couldn’t be pregnant. I wasn’t with the baby’s daddy anymore, and I didn’t want this to be happening. My first thought was to not tell anyone, then I thought about abortion.

When I googled “pregnancy,” I came across the website for Mary’s House and made an appointment. It was free, at least I’d be doing something.

I was so nervous when I walked in the door at Mary’s House. All I remember is that someone smiled at me. I filled out one page and then the peer counselor came to meet me.

We talked for the longest time. She heard all about why I was afraid and worried. She asked me questions about what I thought.

It seemed like she just cared about me and she wasn’t in a hurry to move me along.

Everyone there was like that. They acted like they cared about me.

I ended up having my sweet baby boy, but I won’t forget how those people at Mary’s House treated me. They even got me a doctor’s appointment and I loved that doctor! Thank you ladies so much for everything you’ve done!

Mary’s House of Louisiana, Inc. 906 Margaret Place Shreveport, LA 71101 December 2017 21

Mackey Celebrates 20 Years; Bolsters Third Graders at St. John's

by Kelly Phelan Powell

I

n her 20 years as a teacher at St. John Berchmans Catholic School in Shreveport, Catherine Mackey has positively impacted the lives of hundreds of students. Though she was new to Catholic education when she began at SJB, the transition was a natural one for her – in her previous position at CHRISTUS Schumpert’s Child Development Center, she had worked with children for 18 years. When Schumpert merged with Highland Child Development Center, Marie Rinaudo approached her with an offer to begin the K-3 program at SJB. “The major thing, in my opinion, that sets Catholic schools apart is the opportunity to build a closer relationship with God and attend weekly church services. SJB stands worlds apart because we are a safe haven that fosters the belief of a total commitment to developing a well-rounded individual,” she said.

Third grade is an exciting year for students at SJB. Mackey said third graders are able to participate in many different extracurricular activities like soccer, basketball, football, cheerleading, music and drama. They also participate in ArtBreak, the largest student arts festival in the South. SJB practices STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics) daily, and as part of that curriculum, third grade students have the opportunity to participate in an Elementary Science Olympiad competition.

“We have also partnered with fourth and fifth graders in a coding class, and we work with BoBots,” she said. This experience prepares and primes them for becoming members of the SJB Robotics Team.

“Through our Science class we are afforded the opportunity to do many STEM projects,” she said. “We are currently 22 Catholic Connection

working on making ‘balloon cars’. Our third graders also work on PRODIGY, which is a program to enhance and better their math skills.”

Though she started at SJB working with three-year-olds, Mackey says third grade holds a special place in her heart.

“I enjoy being with third graders because you can see and experience a part of their educational growth that will carry them to the stars and beyond,” she said. “They are willing and ready to learn in an environment that affords them a safe learning space. Students grow from learning the basic foundation of elements needed to become discoverers. Third grade is a year for taking a firm hold and becoming more accountable for their own education. I become a ‘mom teacher’ who helps them venture out to do their own thing, but is always available when needed.”

Mackey pointed out that the administration, faculty and staff are what make SJB a great place to be an educator. “The most satisfying thing about working at SJB aside from the children is the staff and faculty who work here. We are a close family of educators who aid and rely on each other. I am blessed to work with these individuals on a daily basis. I am honored,” she said.

Mackey attended Southern University in Shreveport and graduated from Southern University in Baton Rouge with a B.S. degree in Secondary Education with a major in Social Studies and a minor in English. She attended LSUS to complete Alternate Certification in Elementary Education. She and Michael Mackey, Sr. have been married for 34 years and have one son, Michael Mackey, Jr. “God is good,” she said. •

hispanic NEWS por Rosalba Quiroz

Nacimientos, Belenes, o Pesebres

S

an Francisco de Asís, fundador de la orden franciscana, fue el iniciador de los nacimientos entre 1200 y 1226.

Una Navidad San Francisco construyó una casita de paja a modo de portal, puso un pesebre en su interior, trajo un buey y un asno de los vecinos del lugar e invitó a un pequeño grupo de gente a reproducir la escena de la adoración de los pastores.

La idea de reproducir el nacimiento se popularizó rápidamente en todo el mundo cristiano; y de los seres vivos, se pasó a la utilización de figuras pues los primeros misioneros en llegar a América fueron franciscanos y por supuesto siguieron la tradición de San Francisco de Asís.

Asimismo, la tradición señala que el primer nacimiento se construyó en Nápoles a fines del siglo XV y fue fabricado

con figuras de barro. Carlos III ordenó que los "belenes" se extendieran y popularizaran en todo el reino itálico y español; en América, los frailes introdujeron las costumbres navideñas cristianas utilizándolas para la evangelización de los naturales, y entre ellos, los nacimientos toman un papel importante.

Las iglesias contaban con sus nacimientos que utilizaban los religiosos y los vecinos para sus solemnes procesiones de Navidad. No había familia, por humilde que fuera, que no gozara al "poner el Belén", junto al cual cantaban unidos los villancicos.

Las figuras pueden ser de distintos tamaños (incluso a tamaño natural) y componen las distintas escenas que recorre el nacimiento del Niño Jesús, desde la búsqueda de la posada, el nacimiento, la anunciación del Ángel a los pastores, la adoración y las ofrendas al Niño por los lugareños y la escena de los Reyes Magos guiados por una estrella hacia el portal de Belén.

El misterio de la Natividad representado en el pesebre era indispensable en todas las casas. Esta tradición ha pasado de padres a hijos, cómo la labor que realizan los artesanos que, empleando los materiales más sencillos crean una magia que no se pierde a pesar de los años.

Artículo de la red católica aciprensa. www.aciprensa.com Y tu ¿Qué tradiciones tienes para celebrar el Nacimiento de Jesús? Comparte tus tradiciones y disfruta este año el Nacimiento de nuestro Señor. Celebra con tu familia y amigos la gran bendición del milagro que Jesús se encarnara y viniera a enseñarnos el camino a la salvación, siendo él mismo ese camino de salvación. •

Calendario del Mes Deciembre 2017 2. Reunión del Ministerio Hispano para Sacerdotes y coordinadores.

8. Festividad de la Inmaculada Concepción – Centro Católico cerrado.

12. Celebraciones de Nuestra Sra. De Guadalupe en las parroquias.

24. Día de Navidad - Centro católico cerrado.

MINISTERIO HISPANO CATOLICO - DIOCESIS DE SHREVEPORT Rosalba Quiroz, Directora (318) 219-7265; rquiroz@dioshpt.org Melina Sanchez, Secretaria (318) 219-7257; msanchez@dioshpt.org Cristo Rey, Bossier City

425 McCormick Street P. Rigo Betancurt P. Mark Watson (318) 221-0238 Domingo-3:00 pm Lunes y Martes-7pm

Sagrado Corazon, Oak Grove

201 Purvis St. P. Joseph Kallookalam (318) 559-2876 Domingo-5:00 pm

Santo Tomás Aquino, Ruston

810 Carey Avenue P. Luis Jost (318) 243-0115 Domingo-1:30pm

San Pascual, W. Monroe

711 North 7th Street P. Luis Jost (318) 243-0115 Domingo-4:00 pm

San Juan Bautista, Many

1130 San Antonio Ave. P. Michael Thang’wa (318) 256-5680 1er Domingo de Mes-5pm

Sta Maria de los Pinos, Shreveport

1050 Bert Kouns Ind. Loop P. Fidel Mondragon (318) 455-2300 Domingo-11:30 am

Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro, Farmerville

600 East Water Street P. Luis Jost (318) 243-0115 Sábado-7:00 pm

San José, Mansfield

305 Jefferson Street P. Juan Garcia (318) 872-1158 Domingo-3:00 pm

December 2017 23

school NEWS St. Fred's Students Serve Officers

by Olga Trejo

O

n October 4, St. Joseph Parish in Bastrop held its 14th Annual Blue Mass.

The Blue Mass dates back to 1934 and is traditionally celebrated on or near the Feast of the Guardian Angels, or the Feast of St. Michael, the patron saint of police officers. The Blue Mass was instituted to honor those men and women who protect the lives of others.

“The Mass is an opportunity for the community to show gratitude to first responders and their families,” said Retired Police Chief Downey Black.

These men and women are likened to our guardian angels because they watch out for others and, like St. Michael, they are there to defend all against evil.

“These men and women risk their lives for our safety and this is our way of giving back and inviting the community to come show support in praying for them through the Mass that is offered,” said Deacon Marc Vereen.

The Mass honors those employed in the public safety field and members of all forms of law enforcement, including members of the police, sheriff’s department, state troopers, fire and emergency medical personnel.

24 Catholic Connection

Through the Blue Mass, first responders ritually receive gratitude, support, honor, recognition, prayers and blessings from the Catholic community of the church. Their many sacrifices in service to the community are also remembered.

“The Mass not only provides these men and women a special blessing, but also demonstrates the support that we as a church community have for these professionals who place their lives in jeopardy for others,” said Elaine Johnston, spouse of a fallen officer.

A luncheon is held after the Mass for fellowship. To show their support, the Junior Class from St. Fredrick High School attended the Mass and took on the responsibility of serving all those in attendance.

“The students went above and beyond, they served these men and women with respect and honor,” said Olga Trejo, teacher at St. Frederick High School.

Teacher Bridgette Tannehill echoed her sentiments, “This was an amazing opportunity that the students were given to be the hands and feet of Christ: humbling themselves and serving others. We are grateful for the invitation to do God’s work.” •

Bishop Duca Visits JGS; Tries Archery

B

ishop Michael Duca celebrated Mass at Jesus the Good Shepherd School on November 10. Afterwards, he toured the school and classrooms, visiting with teachers and students. He also observed the new archery class, even demonstrating his archery skills for the students!

SJB Honor Society Helps Community

O

n October 26, St. John Berchmans School inducted the first members of the SJB chapter of the National Junior Honor Society. As a chapter, members will lead the school in various service projects. This year the SJB chapter is highlighting a different charity each month in order to expose the students of the school to various ways they can help in the community. The first organization they supported was Hope Connections. SJB families donated soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes and razors to the Hope Connections showers.

Loyola's 65th Annual Style Show

by Lisa Cooper

W

hat began in 1952 as a simple luncheon and fundraiser for the school has become the biggest and one of the most exciting productions for Loyola College Prep.

This year was no exception as 104 seniors took to the stage to dance and model fashions from several of Shreveport’s local stores and boutiques.

Chairs Amy Sarcar, Lisa Stewart and Jeri Thompson put in countless hours working with volunteers from 25 committees who coordinated everything from set building to feeding a crowd of 1300 for this year’s show, themed “Welcome to the Wild Wild West.”

Sarcar says of the volunteers, “They are really the ones who deserve the credit. Many of them worked six-hour days, five days a week, for 14 weeks preparing the set and table decorations, and that doesn’t include all the hours spent on weekends and at home.”

All of the chairwomen agree that a production of this magnitude is only possible through the efforts of all the volunteers who work tirelessly to bring everything together.

Adding their time spent in rehearsals to the long tally of volunteer hours, the seniors of 2018 were both nervous and excited to take center stage. Each student performed choreographed dancing and modeling as part of a group. Nerves were high during rehearsal as seniors worked to remember dance steps and break in slick shoes.

Once the students made their way under the lights though, their nervousness was assuaged and the fun and adrenaline took over.

Alex Warren said of his experience, “I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I would be.” When asked about learning and performing all the choreography, Warren says, “I’m not that coordinated, but it wasn’t that hard to learn the choreography. I had a really good time!”

Senior Alex Smith most enjoyed “being able to perform with [his] friends” and agrees with Warren

that once the Senior Walk was done, nervousness was no longer a factor.

While the senior boys impressed the crowd by boot-skootin’ in their western wear, the girls dazzled under the choreography of fellow senior Regan Stewart. Stewart, who is auditioning for TCU’s dance program later this year, says of her efforts, “It was so much fun getting to work with everyone. Dancing is what I love to do!”

As the Class of 2018 made their way from the stage after their finale, many were sad to see the Style Show end. With almost a year of preparation behind them, the chairwomen and other volunteers saw their hard work pay off in the two-hour production that seemed to fly by. When the crowd started to clear, the junior class worked to clear tables and clean the floors and set decorations – all covered in more than 400 pounds of glitter. After filling five trucks, a flatbed trailer and a U-Haul, drivers carried the last traces of the Style Show off to storage, and the new committee began work on next year’s production. •

SJS Middle School Visits Cemeteries on All Saints Day

O

n November 1st, in celebration of All Saints Day, the middle school students of St. Joseph School attended a day-long retreat at two of our local cemeteries.

They first visited St. Joseph Cemetery, where they learned about the history of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and its connection to the yellow fever epidemic of 1873. Students said the Prayer of the Faithful Departed.

The students then traveled to Greenwood Cemetery, where the retreat included a cultural twist. Students have been learning about Dia de Los Muertos in Spanish class with Mrs. Beatriz Sanchez, so a feast of homemade tamales, rice and beans, as well as “Bread of the Dead” and Mexican hot chocolate was provided for them.

When lunch was over, the students again offered the Prayer for the Faithful Departed, then SJS parents Mozel Byrd and Wendy Vance led students and chaperones on a tour of the cemetery and a scavenger hunt based on information gathered about those buried there. Music teacher, Mrs. Benoit, led the students in song to remind them of the promise of eternal life because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. • December 2017 25

around the DIOCESE

Youth Serve at St. Paschal Festival

Investitures in Equestrian Order

T T

he Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a papal order whose purpose is to support Christianity in the Holy Land. Christians only number 2% of the entire population in the Holy Land. The order supports Christianity through prayer, pilgrimage and financial gifts. They also attend special Masses as a group in Shreveport and strive to lead exemplary Christian lives.

Meetings are held annually for

the Southeastern region of the order in North America. This year the meeting was held in Mobile, AL, during the weekend of Hurricane Nate. Twelve new Knights and Ladies from North Louisiana were invested at this meeting. New Knights and Ladies include Drek and Amber Guidry, Mike and Susan Moffitt Henson, Tobie and Kris McKown, Glenn and Ellen Kinsey, David and Jan Pou, Ryan Smith and Cheryl White.

he St. Paschal Youth recently served the parish as they hosted the annual Herbal Harvest Festival. The youth worked the concession stand and helped with various other duties as well. The Herbal Harvest Festival is a community-wide event with over 60 vendors selling original arts, crafts, handmade items, baked goods and herbs.

"Freshman Crossing" Dinner at Tech

CWL Makes Hurricane Donation

I T

he Catholic Women's League made a $500 donation to Catholic Charities of North Louisiana for hurricane relief. The 26 Catholic Connection

Officers of Catholic Women's League, Patsy Remedies, Barbara Hall, Teresa Ranns and Theresa Billau presented the check to Lucy Medvec.

n an effort to reach out to the Catholic faculty and staff at Louisiana Tech, the Association of Catholic Tech Students (ACTS) organized a cookout with the help of Tech’s Department of Applied and Natural Sciences. The event took place at Tech’s South Campus. Both students and adults had a chance to mingle and get to know each other. The gathering was the brainchild of senior Rachel Dickson who chairs the ACTS freshmen peer ministry program, “Freshmen Crossing.” The dinner was the last event for the Fall Quarter.

Penny Royalty in Mansfield

P

enny royalty were crowned at the fall festival at St. Joseph Parish in Mansfield. Pictured are Fr. Jim Moran, CO, Jack Chamberlin and Teresa Fields.

Old Navy Helps with Meals Program

SEAS Youth Sing at Nursing Home

E

S

mployees of Monroe’s Old Navy assisted Sacred Heart in Rayville with their Saturday Meals program. The program provides meals to 150 needy citizens in Richland Parish.

First Pro-Life Mass at Sacred Heart Church, Shreveport

S

acred Heart of Jesus Church in Shreveport hosted their first ever Pro-Life Mass on October 22. Bishop Michael Duca was the main celebrant, assisted

by Fr. Francis Kamau, FMH, and Deacon Clary Nash.

Approximately 200 people attended, processing in prayer around the church prior to Mass. Parish children began the Mass singing, “Jesus Loves Me.” Five pro-life agencies were present to share ways to support life.

t. Elizabeth Ann Seton youth sang patriotic songs and delivered handmade gifts to veterans and residents at Azalea Estates as part their monthly Saturday of Service.

Last Priest Luncheon for Fr. Lijo Thomas Held in Bastrop

S

t. Joseph Parish in Bastrop holds luncheons for area priests as a sign of their appreciation of service. Fr. Lijo Thomas has been their parish priest, but is returning to India. Many area priests gathered in Bastrop for his last luncheon before returning home, including Fathers Madden, Kallookalam, Thekkemury, Fischer, Coens, Thunduparampil, Kuzichalil, Pazhayakari, Daigle, Edathinatt and Brother Gordon Hayes.

December 2017 27

This Month We Learn About

Our Lady of Guadalupe who is she?

The Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego at the Hill of Tepeyac in Mexico on December 9, 1531.

She asked for a church to be built there in her honor. Juan Diego told the archbishop of Mexico City, but the he did not believe him. Instead he asked Diego for a miraculous sign. But Diego's uncle got very sick and because of this, he was not able to go to Mary. He hurried to her the next day, and she found him. She told him his uncle had been healed and to gather roses from the top of the hill. He carried the roses in his tilma (cloak) to the archbishop. When he opened his cloak, the flowers fell and on the fabric was the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Word Find ARCHBISHOP

JUAN DIEGO

PILGRIMAGE

BASILICA

MEXICO

ROSES

CONVERSION

MIRACLE

TEPEYAC

GUADALUPE

OUR LADY

TILMA

28 Catholic Connection

Interesting facts

• These words Our Lady of Guadalupe said to Juan Diego are written over the door at the Basilica of Guadalupe, “¿No estoy yo aquí que soy tu madre?” (Am I not here, I who am your mother?)

• This event inspired millions of conversions to the Catholic faith in seven years’ time.

across the NATION from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

... the United States can direct attention and resources towards adaptation measures

that help all people, especially the poor, adapt to the effects of climate change globally.

– USCCB

USCCB Urges Congress to Provide Funding For Climate Change

W

ASHINGTON— In a letter to members of Congress, Bishop Frank J. Dewane and Bishop Oscar Cantú urge the United States to support international climate assistance during the year-end appropriations process. The bishops request that Congress dedicate $10 million to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the international body that guides climate policy.

The letter appeals to the responsibility to care for the common good and affirms that the “blessings of God’s creation and the duty to care for the common good overflow beyond our borders, especially when it comes to the air and climate shared with all peoples and creatures living on the planet.”

The UNFCCC facilitates international cooperation on climate change through initiatives such as the annual U.N. Climate Change Conference, which is currently taking place in Bonn, Germany.

Two years ago, this conference resulted in the Paris Climate Agreement, from which the United States intends to withdraw.

The U.S. bishops have expressed disappointment about the decision to

not uphold this agreement that is based on unified global action against climate change.

“Restricting funding to the UNFCCC will only weaken the ability of the United States to dialogue in the international arena using a common language based on the best science available,” said Bishops Dewane and Cantú.

“By supporting the UNFCCC, the United States can direct attention and resources towards adaptation measures that help all people, especially the poor, adapt to the effects of climate change globally,” continued the bishops. “By doing so, our nation can better pursue the national interest, support credible climate research and promote the common good within and beyond our borders.”

Bishop Dewane of Venice, FL, is chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. Bishop Cantú of Las Cruces is chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the USCCB. The full text of the letter can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/issuesand-action/human-life-and-dignity/ environment/upload/UNFCCCletter-2017-11-10.pdf. •

President of USCCB Responds to Mass Shooting In Texas

W

ASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel N DiNardo, of Galveston-Houston, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has issued the following statement in response to the mass shooting during a church service in Sutherland Springs, TX. Cardinal DiNardo's full statement follows: “Earlier today, we heard of the mass shooting at the Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. With Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, I extend my prayers and the prayers of my brother bishops for the victims, the families, the first responders, our Baptist brothers and sisters, indeed the whole community of Sutherland Springs. We stand in unity with you in this time of terrible tragedy—as you stand on holy ground, ground marred today by horrific violence.

We ask the Lord for healing of those injured, His loving care of those who have died and the consolation of their families.

This incomprehensibly tragic event joins an ever-growing list of mass shootings, some of which were also at churches while people were worshipping and at prayer. We must come to the firm determination that there is a fundamental problem in our society. A Culture of Life cannot tolerate, and must prevent, senseless gun violence in all its forms. May the Lord, who Himself is Peace, send us His Spirit of charity and nonviolence to nurture His peace among us all.” • December 2017 29

mark your CALENDAR 12/3

Advent Mission at St. Mary of the Pines Fr. Joe Legaspi, a Salesian priest and associate pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Staten Island, NY, will give a mission on “God Draws Straight with Crooked Lines.” The mission will be December 3-5 from 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Babysitting available and social afterward in the parish hall.

St. Mary of the Pines Parish is located at 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop in Shreveport, LA. For more information, call 318-687-5121.

12/9

Community Living Rosary Outside Fairview House On Saturday, December 9, Catholics will gather together outside Fairview House, located at 1000 Fairview St. in Shreveport, at 10:30 a.m. to participate in a public rosary. This event is open to everyone. Participants can park in the Sears parking lot and walk over. In the event of rain, the rosary will be held inside the lobby of the Catholic Center.

The Community Living Rosary is a new ministry that aims to bring the community closer together in prayer by honoring the Blessed Holy Mother and Jesus Christ through the recitation

of the Rosary. A Community Living Rosary will be held each month in a different location. For more information, contact Kim DeLouche at kimdelouche@earthlink.net.

12/12

Theology on Tap in Monroe Theology on Tap is an event for young adults to gather together in a casual setting and learn more about an aspect of the Catholic faith. The December 12 event will feature Olga Trejo speaking on “Our Lady of Guadalupe” at Fieldhouse Bar and Grill in Monroe at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Shelly Schmidt at shellyschmidt@yahoo.com.

12/19

A Christmas Tapestry St. Joseph Parish Music Ministry presents "A Christmas Tapestry” a choral program, featuring the Adult Choir and Handbell Choir of the parish and the St. Joseph School Choir.

Guest choirs this year are the Women’s Choral Ensemble and the Shreveport Regional Choral. They will host over 70 plus singers.

All are welcome! Admission is free. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. St. Joseph is located at 204 Patton Avenue in Shreveport.

Tapthe App

Did you know that the diocese has an APP? It is true! Since spring 2015 the Catholic Connections app has been live! Much of what people look for in a Catholic App, we provide. Let’s take a look:

Our Lady of Guadalupe Vespers

Info Catholic Connections Other Popular

Catholic Apps Liturgy of the Hours/ Divine Office X X Daily Readings Audio and Text X X Saint of the Day

X

X

Liturgical Calendar

X

X

NA Bible Revised Ed.

X

X

Vatican Website

X

Bishop Michael G. Duca will Preside

Catholic News Service

X

December 12

Diocesan Social Media

X

Diocesan Calendar

X

The Catholic Connection

X

Diocesan Churches

X

Diocesan News

X

with the St. Cecilia Choir Aaron D. Wilson, Choir Director Kaitlynn Eaton, Organist

6:00pm

Cathedral of St. John Berchmans 939 Jordan St. Shreveport 318-221-5296

30 Catholic Connection

DECEMBER SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

2017

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY

26 27 28 29 30 1 2 Protecting God's Children, Catholic Center, 9am

LCCB Meeting, Baton Rouge

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

St. Andrew, apostle

ADVENT BEGINS DEC 3

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 First Sunday of Advent

St. Nicholas, bishop

St. John Damascene, priest & doctor of the Church

St. Ambrose, bishop & doctor of the Church

The Immaculate 2nd Collection: Retirement Conception Fund for of the Blessed Religious Virgin Mary St. Juan Diego

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY/ DEC 8

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Second Sunday of Advent

2nd Collection: Retirement Fund for Religious SVdP Annual Mass, Cathedral, 11am

Deadline for January Catholic Connection

St. Damascus I, pope

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Protecting God's Children, Catholic Center, 6pm

Our Lady of Guadalupe Vespers St. Lucy, virgin & Service, martyr Cathedral, 6pm

St. John of the Cross, priest & doctor of the Church

Fr. Joseph Ampatt's 40th Anniversary to the Priesthood Mass, Mary, Queen of Peace Parish, Bossier City, 5:30pm

Rite of Candidacy Mass for Kevin Mues, Jesus the Good Shepherd Parish, Monroe, 4:30pm

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE DEC 12

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 St. John of Kanty, priest

St. Peter Canisius, priest & doctor of the Church

Third Sunday of Advent

RITE OF CANDIDACY OF KEVIN MUES DEC 16

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Fourth Sunday of Advent 2nd Collection: Diocesan Infirm Priests Fund

CHRISTMAS DAY 2nd Collection: Diocesan Infirm Priests Fund

St. Stephen, the first martyr

St. John, apostle & evangelist

The Holy Innocents, martyrs

St. Thomas Becket, bishop & martyr

31 The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph

CHRISTMAS DAY DEC 25 December 2017 31

Connection The Catholic

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.

•

Shreveport, LA 71104

Photo of the Month

On October 14, many gathered from across our diocese at the Catholic Center to take part in the Hispanic Diocesan conference, part of the process of the “V National Encuentro of Hispanic/Latino Ministry!”

32 Catholic Connection

Fairfield