February 2021

The Catholic

Connection Vol. 30 No. 7 February 2021

2021 Annual Diocesan

Stewardship Appeal FEBRUARY 2021 1

Connection The Catholic PUBLISHER

Bishop Francis I. Malone

EDITOR

Kierstin Richter

CONTRIBUTORS

Mike Van Vranken Kim Long Kate Rhea Mary Arcement Alexander Patti Underwood Deacon Andrew Thomas Rosalba Quiroz Erin Smith John Mark Willcox Katherine Bernal Father Peter Mangum Sr. Carol Shively Polly Maciulski Ashley Timmons Amy Fakhre

EDITORIAL BOARD

contents Features

Annual Diocesan Stewardship Appeal ............. 8 Tackling this Lent like Never Before.................. 15 Reset: A Lenten Reflection........................................20 Daughters of the Cross Series: Saint Vincent de Paul & The Daughters of the Cross ........................26 Martyrs to their Charity: Praying through the Intercession of a Servant of God ............................. 30

Columns

Deacon Mike Whitehead John Mark Willcox Kim Long Kate Rhea Rosalba Quiroz Fr. Matthew Long Dr. Carynn Wiggins

From the Bishop ...................................................... 4

SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADDRESS CHANGES

Mike’s Meditations: Responding to the Call .........18

Contact: Blanca Vice Email: bvice@dioshpt.org Write: The Catholic Connection 3500 Fairfield Ave. Shreveport, LA 71104 Call: 318-868-4441 Fax: 318-868-4609 www.thecatholiconnection.org SUBMISSIONS Contact: Kierstin Richter Email: krichter@dioshpt.org

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

The Diocese of Shreveport complies with Virtus’ 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 your local law enforcement agency and Mary Katherine Arcement, Diocesan Victim Assistance Minister, at 318-584-2411.

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From the Pope: The Prayer of Praise ................... 6 Mary’s Mission: Giving is Receiving .................. 14 Spiritual Direction: A Director’s Reflection ..........17 Faithful Food: A Different Kind of Valentine .......21 Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities Provides Immigration Legal Services .................................... 22 Hispanic News: Misericordia-Papa Francisco .... 24 Cemetery: Look to Calvary ................................... 29 Yellow Fever Graphic Novel Series..................... 31

News

School News ........................................................... 34

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editorial

the power of holy hour

“Contemplation is nothing else but a secret, peaceful, and loving infusion of God, which if admitted, will set the soul on fire with the spirit of love.” -John of the Cross.

There is nothing more intimate than eye contact. There is something sacred about a beckoning gaze that warrants no words, where all is understood and nothing has to be said. You have nothing to prove or protect as He calls you into something deeper, something greater. You lovingly gaze into the silence, without competing, comparing, labeling, or analyzing anything - to be in complete wholeness and intimacy with the presence of Christ. Or that’s where you eventually get, so I’m told.

In all reality, adoration is hard. We beat ourselves up about it because we get distracted and start thinking about the things we forgot to do or the things we still have to get at the grocery store.

But it’s the journey of falling deeper and deeper into love and intimacy with His Holy presence that you start to find it easier to quiet your mind and sink into His grace. Flannery O’Connor once said, “All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful.” Being in silence can be painful. But it’s the kind of pain that leaves you with the satisfaction of sore

muscles and a sense of contentment.

But it’s “in the inner stillness where meditation leads, the spirit secretly anoints the soul and heals our deepest wounds.” (John of the Cross).

It’s kind of like training for a 5k. If you’ve never run before, you’re probably dragging the whole way, thinking “Why did I even do this?” as your legs turn to jelly and your chest burns in anger.

But with each following run, you build endurance, learning to release the mental blocks that say “I can’t do this!” and you finally become okay with the burning in your lungs and pounding of your heart. You fall into the flow of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We build endurance in adoration, just like running. Usually the first half of the hour is pretty restless, at least for me. I have to read or journal in order to quiet my mind and ground myself.

Even Teresa of Avila wouldn’t be caught without a book. “...when I was without a book, my soul would at once become disturbed, and my thoughts wandered,” she said. By the time you’ve made it to the forty minute mark, you’ve caught a second wind, and you lose your sense of time, not wanting to leave.

As you grow closer to God, you meet a lover, not a dictator, which makes the

Saint Jude Catholic Church, Benton

time in adoration feel more like a love affair than an obligation. You begin to look forward to the hour, which sometimes turns to two, and maybe three if you’re really crazy about it. When you sit in the silence of Christ’s presence, you start to listen to all the uncomfortable thoughts floating around in your head which is why silence is hard. It exposes the dark, dirty parts of yourself you’re usually able to drown out in daily life. It fleshes out this convicting conversation with both yourself and God, which is a grace, but also a challenge.

This lent, I encourage you to try a Holy Hour. (See page 39 for a list of parish times). I can’t say it’s easy, but I can say it will change your life.

Kierstin

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 faith community.

FEBRUARY 2021 3

from the bishop

Bishop Francis I. Malone

M

ore times than not, the month of February accompanies the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. This year, Ash Wednesday will be on February 17th. All of our parishes and schools will mark this day with the blessing and donning of ashes. Some of us will also engage in fasting and 4 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

abstinence. The Scriptures for Ash Wednesday will remind us of the need to perform acts of charity and an increase in our prayer life.

Seems like a lot of expectations the Church places on us at a time when many of us are experiencing difficulty in the pandemic.

Might I suggest that this year, this Lent, you and I approach this season by an exercise that

will certainly make us better prepared for the season itself, and its culmination in Holy Week and the commemoration of the suffering death and resurrection of the Lord?

The first part of this exercise is answering a sobering question, “how well do I know myself?”

There’s a risk in asking this question, because for most of us, it surfaces an answer (or answers) that tells us that there are things

about our individual lives that need to be changed for the better.

Just re-reading the Ash Wednesday Gospel (Matthew 6: 1-6,16-18), where Jesus admonishes us to be a) more charitable to others without calling attention to ourselves; b) to be more prayerful in our lives, especially in the quiet of our rooms, and c) to be self-sacrificing, not for show, but to discipline ourselves in conformity with the self-sacrificing life of the Lord – we do these things because, for most of us, we “need” to do these things as they help us to conform our lives with Jesus.

And after all, isn’t that what the Lenten season is all about?

Conforming our lives to the Lord?

To do so means that we undergo internal changes that make us more like Jesus.

I don’t pretend that such changes are easy – in fact, more than the New Years Resolutions we make and quickly forget, these Lenten promises bring about a change in our lives that can make all the difference in our spiritual journey.

I ask you to join me as February arrives to make this year’s penitential season the most fruitful one we have ever had – and then anticipate with tremendous joy the greatest feast of our year – Easter.

May you be blest in your journey.

Isn’t that what the Lenten season is all about?

Conforming ourselves to the Lord?

To do so means that we undergo internal changes that make us more like Jesus.

FEBRUARY 2021 5

from the pope

The Prayer of Praise GENERAL AUDIENCE: Library of the Apostolic Palace Wednesday, 13 January 2021 Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Let us continue our catechesis on prayer, and today we will give space to the dimension of praise.

We will take as our starting point a critical passage in the life of Jesus. After the first miracles and the involvement of the disciples in the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the mission of the Messiah goes through a crisis. John the Baptist doubts and makes Him receive this message John is in jail: “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Mt 11:3), because he feels this anguish of not knowing whether he is mistaken in his proclamation. There are always dark moments, moments of spiritual nighttime, and John is going through this moment. There is hostility in the villages along the lake, where Jesus had performed so many prodigious signs (see Mt 11:20-24). Now, precisely in this disappointing moment, Matthew relates a truly surprising fact: Jesus does not lift up a lament to the Father, but rather He raises a hymn of jubilation: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth”, says Jesus, “that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes” (Mt 11:25). So, in the midst of a crisis, amid the

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darkness of the soul of so many people, such as John the Baptist, Jesus blesses the Father, Jesus praises the Father. But why?

First and foremost, He praises Him for who He is: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth”. Jesus rejoices in His spirit because He knows and He feels that His Father is the God of the Universe, and vice versa, the Lord of all that exists is Father “My Father”. Praise springs from this experience of feeling that He is “Son of the Most High”. Jesus feels he is Son of the Most High.

And then Jesus praises the Father for favouring the little ones. It is what He Himself experiences, preaching in the villages: the “learned” and the “wise” remain suspicious and closed, who are calculating; while the “little ones” open themselves and welcome His message. This can only be the will of the Father, and Jesus rejoices in this. We too must rejoice and praise God because humble and simple people welcome the Gospel. When I see these simple people, these humble people who go on pilgrimages, who go to pray, who sing, who praise, people who perhaps lack many things but whose humility leads them to praise God… In the future of the world and in the hopes of the Church

there are the “little ones”: those who do not consider themselves better than others, who are aware of their own limitations and their sins, who do not want to lord it over others, who, in God the Father, recognise that we are all brothers and sisters.

Therefore, in that moment of apparent failure, where everything is dark, Jesus prays, praising the Father.

And His prayer also leads us, the readers of the Gospel, to judge our personal defeats in a different way, to judge differently the situations in which we do not see clearly the presence and action of God, when it seems that evil prevails and there is no way to stop it. In those moments Jesus, who highly recommended the prayer of asking questions, at the very moment when He would have had reason to ask the Father for explanations, instead begins to praise Him. It seems to be a contradiction, but it is there, it is the truth.

To whom is praise helpful? To us or to God? A text of the Eucharistic liturgy invites us to pray to God in this way, it says this: “Although you have no need of our praise, yet our thanksgiving is itself your gift, since our praises add nothing to your greatness, but profit us for salvation” (Roman Missal, Common Preface IV).

By giving praise, we are saved.

The prayer of praise serves us. The Catechism defines it this way - the prayer of praise “shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing Him in glory” (no. 2639). Paradoxically it must be practised not only when life fills us with happiness, but above all in difficult moments, in moments of darkness when the path becomes an uphill climb. That too is the time for

praise. Like Jesus [who] in the dark moment praises the Father. Because we learn that, through that ascent, that difficult path, that wearisome path, those demanding passages, we get to see a new panorama, a broader horizon. Giving praise is like breathing pure oxygen: it purifies the soul, it makes you look far ahead so as not to remain imprisoned in the

In those moments Jesus, who highly recommended the prayer of asking questions, at the very moment when He would have had reason to ask the Father for explanations, instead begins to praise Him. It seems to be a contradiction, but it is there, it is the truth.

its beat, that Saint Francis composed at the end of his life: the “Canticle of Brother Sun” or “of the creatures.”

The Poverello did not compose it in a moment of joy, in a moment of wellbeing, but on the contrary, in the midst of hardship. Francis was by then almost blind, and he felt in his soul the weight of a solitude he had never before experienced: the world had not changed since the beginning of his preaching, there were still those who let themselves be torn apart by quarrels, and in addition he was aware that death was approaching ever nearer. It could have been the moment of disillusionment, of that extreme disillusionment and the perception of his own failure. But Francis prayed at that instant of sadness, in that dark instant: “All praise is yours, my Lord”. He prays by giving praise. Francis praises God for everything, for all the gifts of creation, and even for death, which he courageously calls “sister.” These examples of saints, of Christians, and also of Jesus, of praising God in difficult moments, open to us the gates of a great road to wards the Lord, and they purify us always.

Praise always purifies.

The Saints show us that we can always give praise, in good times and bad, because God is the faithful Friend.

This is the foundation of praise: God is the faithful friend, and His love never fails. He is always beside us, He always awaits us. It has been said, “He is the sentinel who is close to you and keeps you going with confidence.”

In difficult and dark moments, let us have the courage to say: “Blessed are difficult moment, in the darkness of you, O Lord.” Praising the Lord. This difficulty. will do us so much good. Thank you.

There is a great teaching in that prayer that for eight centuries has never lost FEBRUARY 2021 7

2021 Annual Diocesan

Stewardship Appeal By: John Mark Willcox

AS A NEW year unfurls before us, we can begin by thanking all of our wonderful Appeal donors who found a way to support last year’s campaign to the tune of $1,256,000.

Whether it was by mail, through the Internet, with on-line gifts or giving while at your parish, Appeal donors were determined to stay faithful to the programs and ministries that remain so important to the people of our diocese.

Raising funds for the Church is always challenging, throw in a lethal pandemic and the difficulty level rises substantially.

Yet the people of our faith community stepped up to provide for the many blessings that our Appeal offers.

Paramount among Appeal allocations is the support of our Vocations Program and the care it provides to our seven seminarians who continue to build toward ordination and service to us as our future priests. This year will see Deacon Raney Johnson ordained to the priesthood on June 5th by Bishop Francis Malone. Welcoming a new priest to our fold 8 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

is always cause for celebration and Deacon Raney’s ordination will be followed by another ordination next year.

When priests reach the age of retirement, they too, deserve the support of the Church as they seek a meaningful life after active service to the faithful. Currently the diocese cares for eight retired priests who depend upon the generosity of Appeal donors. With an aging Presbyterate, more of our priests will join the ranks of the retired soon and Appeal support for this particular ministry will become even more critical.

Caring for the least among us remains a solid part of Appeal funding as we seek to provide for the needy through St. Vincent de Paul and Catholic Charities. Both of these organizations remain committed their mission to serve others as they continue to provide meaningful helping outreach throughout the diocese.

The current Covid pandemic has been a real challenge for our Catholic Schools, but they have risen to the occasion to have

stewardship appeal

continued to provide quality education to the students in our care throughout this pandemic. Your Appeal has a long history of supporting our schools and providing tuition assistance through the Bishop’s School Fund. The future of this local Church is in good hands when one examines the excellence of our Catholic Schools and the amazing students they are privileged to serve.

Young adults need to remain connected to the Church and this can be accomplished through the outreach of Campus Ministry, which is provided to five area colleges throughout the diocese. Your Appeal helps provide a Catholic influence on college-aged individuals who are just learning to be active Catholics outside of their home environment. Youth and young adult ministry also remains a vital part of Appeal funding as we seek to retain these special members of our faith community.

The very publication you are reading has been the beneficiary of Appeal funding throughout its award-winning existence.

Without the yearly assistance from the Appeal, The Catholic Connection would not be provided to the faithful of our diocese free of charge. In addition, the nationally recognized publication has spawned a heavy on-line audience who depend on Catholic social media to stay informed about the Church in our diocese.

The Hispanic Community of our diocese remains a vibrant, growing part of our Catholic family and your Appeal remains committed to serving this community and enhancing leadership opportunities in Latino congregations throughout the diocese.

The number of masses held in Spanish remains high and they are celebrated in each of our deaneries.

Appeal funding helps provide outreach to those individuals incarcerated through a Restorative Justice Program that remains active in prisons located in each Deanery. In addition, pro-life efforts continue in the diocese in union with those of other faith traditions who share our sanctity for life and dedication to the unborn and those facing difficult end of life challenges.

“I arrived in Shreveport just prior to the crushing Covid pandemic,” says Bishop Malone. “And despite the challenges of those terrible months, our faithful showed strength, ingenuity and dedication to the work of Christ in our diocese. I am so thankful for this response to the needs of our diocese and I expect the same this year as we seek to recover from 2020, and work toward a brighter, productive 2021.”

Remember, there are a variety of ways to support your Annual Diocesan Stewardship Appeal. You can give at your parish, you can mail in your pledge or you can seek to make an electronic gift by visiting our website www.dioshpt.org.

Students of Saint John Berchmans School

Students attending the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)

Jose Aguilar receiving a blessing from Fr. Fidel Mondragon at the Rock Chapel in Desoto Parish during a Hispanic Retreat.

Appeal Sunday is February 28, 2021

FEBRUARY 2021 9

auditors’ report

10 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

auditors’ report

FEBRUARY 2021 11

statement of financial position

12 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

statement of activities

FEBRUARY 2021 13

G

ive and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you. Luke 6:38 I am sure you have all heard the saying, “Better late than never!” That has unintentionally been my motto when it comes to tithing. As a Christian, I have known all my life about tithing. I grew up watching my dad place his envelope into the basket each Sunday, heard multiple people speak about the importance of tithing, read various literature about why we should tithe, and yet it took me over 40 years to finally get into the weekly habit of tithing to my church. I can say, without a doubt, that it has been a huge blessing in my life. I originally was afraid to give 10% for I thought I did not have enough money to tithe, but once I made my decision regardless of my income, I realized that God would always provide.

Giving truly is receiving. I do not say that to imply you should give to receive; rather, we are called to give because what you receive, money cannot buy.

When it comes to stewardship, that, too, took me about 40 years to implement into my church life. I realized sharing my gifts with my church family was equally important as tithing to my church. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace 1 Peter 4:10. For many years, I was convinced God had forgotten about me when it came to handing out gifts. I tended to think gifts meant something artistic such as singing or playing an instrument, but truthfully, our gifts from God can range anywhere from singing to taking care of a child. Whether you realize it or not, you are gifted. If you are shaking your head no while reading this, then it is time to spend more time being uncomfortable and allow God to reveal your gifts. I believe God uses our discomfort to bring about change, which can then help us

Mary’s Mission

to discover our gifts. For example, I disliked English while in school but I especially disliked writing. I must have told myself this one statement dozens of times throughout my young adulthood. In my early 40s, I decided to give blogging a try “just to see,” and I wound up discovering that writing is fun! This one decision led to my next random decision several years later to write for the Catholic Connection. Here I am, almost two years later, and I love to write! Because of stepping outside my comfort zone, I realized writing is

It’sTime to Get Uncomfortable.

Guard your heart and make sure you are not allowing worldly things to infiltrate it.

Center your heart on Jesus instead, and He will infiltrate your whole being. one of my God-given gifts. Brothers and sisters, it is time to get uncomfortable.

The Church needs you and your gifts.

We are all called to be good stewards of the Lord.

The Bible is full of scripture on both tithing and stewardship. Here are two, in particular, I want to dissect a bit more, Matthew 6:21 and Proverbs 3: 9-10: Matthew – For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

We live in a world where too many people treasure their possessions. They acquire much stuff, which, if not careful, can lead to the idolatry of said stuff (cars,

houses, purses, jewelry, etc.). We come into this world with nothing and leave the same way. If you place too much emphasis on your worldly possessions, you end up placing too little emphasis on Jesus. Your heart lies with your stuff instead of with Him. When you tithe, you are showing God how much He means to you as well as telling Him, “I trust, Lord, that although my finances are tight, you will provide for my needs.”

Guard your heart and make sure you are not allowing worldly things to infiltrate it. Center your heart on Jesus instead, and He will infiltrate your whole being.

Proverbs – Honor the Lord with your wealth, with first fruits of all your produce; then will your barns be filled with plenty, with new wine your vats will overflow I believe God wants us all to be wealthy, but not in the earthly sense. Some gifts take the form of monetary wealth, but others, as a wealth of talent. Perhaps you have a talent for landscaping. Maybe God is calling you to help out your local parish or community park with their landscaping needs. Perhaps you have a knack for the word and public speaking.

Maybe God is calling you to teach.

Maybe he’s encouraging you to share the Word.

From your willingness to honor the Lord first with your wealth, both monetary and not, your life will be plentiful in love, joy, respect, finances, and so much more.

Mary Arecement Alexander is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a private practice in Shreveport, LA. You can read more on her blog, www.throughhiseyes.love 14 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Tackling this Lent Like Never Before

L

ast Lent was kind of a disaster, wasn’t it? First of all, the world went bonkers because a guy ate a bat, and we were all stuck at home, feeling united only by Oklahoma native, Joe Exotic. (If you didn’t watch Tiger King during quarantine, what were you doing? Probably something productive. I sure wasn’t.)

I think a lot of us forgot about our Lenten promises/sacrifices because, well, there were bigger fish to fry.

This season of Lent was nothing we expected. If advertised for TV, Chris Harrison would have introduced it as “Lent! The Most Dramatic Season Yet!” No kidding, right? I totally lost my mind and allowed my sixteen year old sister to chop off my hair with kitchen scissors. I think we all had a bit of a crisis.

As far as I know, churches were still closed, and many of us watched Easter Mass from our couches. We were separated from the Eucharist and our friends and families. The enemy works in isolation - but so does God. Your most defining, transformative moments are usually when you’re alone. And boy were we alone.

It was rough, but I think it was the best representation of what Lent is really supposed to look like. Lent is supposed to turn our world upside down. Our world was turned upside down for us, and We. Freaked. Out.

By Kierstin Richter, Editor

Lent is meant to change our hearts.

Usually after Easter, we eat our chocolate bunnies and move on. We fall back into whatever we gave up and continue on the year with the relief we can drink our coffee in peace again.

So I’ve compiled some ideas to get your noodle churning. But don’t take my word for it! Use this as a jumping off point and get creative! What is it that has gotten in the way of your relationship with Christ? Start there.

At-Home Holy Hour.

Make your cup of joe. Create a designated spot in your home for prayer. (Don’t make it in bed, you’ll fall back asleep. Trust me.) Maybe it’s a floor cushion in the corner with a little bookshelf (that’s mine). Maybe it’s the second chair at your dining room table.

Maybe it’s the swing on the back porch (eh, it’s still cold.) Or maybe it’s the floor in your closet. (Weirdly peaceful, actually.) So make it a spot. Keep a little stack of books and a notebook there. Make some tea. The first thirty minutes you may be restless, but the last twenty or so, you won’t want to get up.

Give up your car radio/bluetooth.

If you’re anything like me, I need a motion picture soundtrack to accompany me while I dodge through crazy traffic. I need the heavy bass and intensity of thinking I’m in an action movie or something. But sometimes, when my phone dies and I’m stuck in the silence of my fishbowl of a Volkswagen, my mind starts to drift, and even as someone who doesn’t really like saying the rosary, I start praying Hail Mary’s on my knuckles.

Read all four gospels. At once.

This is more of a one time challenge during Lent. It’ll take you about ten hours. (You may need coffee for this one.) But while you’re reading, don’t just read it to know what happens. Let yourself sink into the stories. Like a method actor, become each character in the story. Put yourself in Jesus’s shoes.

Put yourself in the Blessed Mother or Mary Magdalene’s shoes. How about Judas? Have fun with it. I promise you’ll finish it with a richer perspective on the meaning of the Gospel.

Cold Showers That’s a shock. (It’s also very good for your skin and hair. It’s a win win. A very chilling win-win.) Even if it shocks you and you scream, “Oh God!” you’re one step into a prayer. Roll with it. Shiver with it.

FEBRUARY 2021 15

Give Up Talk Show News If you have a smartphone, sign up for a news app like the Associated Press and subscribe to which notifications you would like. Reading “just the facts ma’am” instead of hearing people talk about the news is definitely a less anxiety inducing way to stay in the loop.

When you get back, you’ll see the world is just as much on fire as it was forty days ago. And people still don’t agree on anything. You won’t have missed much. And you’ll feel a lot better.

Go to Daily Mass Many daily masses are offered before and after work hours. It’s an excellent way to start the day or to take a breather on your lunch break. (Please be safe and wear a mask.)

Get off Facebook.

Seems like a go to sacrifice for this generation, but really. Abstaining from social media is an excellent way to cleanse the “fear of missing out” or “comparison syndrome.”

You won’t have to see how many people are dying. I won’t have to see how many of my classmates are getting engaged. It’s a win for anyone. Chances are, you won’t miss all your friends posting their quiz results from “What kind of fish are you?” You could do without it, trust me.

Please, don’t be discouraged if you trip on on your Lenten promise or accidentally drive through Popeyes on a Friday. It happens to the best of us.

We’ve all slipped up on our promises and fallen short of what we dedicated ourselves to. But that’s the beauty of God’s grace - it’s that no matter how many times we slip up, God’s mercy pulls us back into his everflowing love again, ready to start anew. As Saint Francis de Sales said, “Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”

Saint Joseph Church Narthyx in Shreveport

Lenten Checklist 1. Find something to sacrifice.

It could be a habit, it could be time for prayer - it’s up to you.

2. Find a new prayer or litany.

Or write your own! Keeping your prayer life fresh is a good way to stay motivated.

3. Try a Holy Hour. See page 39 for a list of local parishes that offer Eucharistic Adoration.

4. Stock up on your frozen seafood. Find some new recipes on Pinterest.

(I recommend shrimp linguine with greek seasoning.)

5. Find a spiritual/theological book. I’d recommend The Interior Castle by Saint Teresa of Avila. It was written in 1588, but the message is timeless.

Can’t make it to the chapel? Set up a little prayer corner in your house. It could be a chair or a floor cushion (I chose the latter), but be forewarned, if you have cats, they also think it’s very cozy.

16 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

A Director’s Reflection Katherine Bernal, Spritual Director

Y

ears ago while I was living in Lafayette, Louisiana, our church hired a new D.R.E. In her introductory talk, she mentioned she was a spiritual director.

That sparked my interest and I made an appointment with her. Yvette began our session by asking me to tell her about myself. Then she asked me about my prayer life. At the time, I was using the publication “Living Faith,” saying the rosary and going to daily Mass. I thought she would be impressed.

Her next comment was something like: “It sounds like you are doing a lot. Have you thought about just spending ten minutes quietly alone with God?” To her question, I made a face. She smiled and asked, “So you don’t think spending quiet time with God could change your life?” Wow! I was stunned as that question began to sink in.

My prayer life began to deepen as I followed her simple suggestion to adjust my prayer practice. When I read my “Living Faith” meditation, I would pick one of the scriptures at the bottom of the

page, read it slowly and just sit with it for a while. Even though no big revelations came, I felt I was closer to God during the days when I was faithful to this practice. This is how I was introduced to the Ministry of Spiritual Direction.

When our family moved to North Louisiana, it was difficult to find a spiritual director.

It was rare that I found someone who even knew what a spiritual director was.

Since that time, I have had several spiritual directors on and off – as they retired or moved.

After a time without one, I met a trained spiritual director who lived in Shreveport. Our sessions worked out so well that I began to discern the call to become a spiritual director myself.

In my discernment I was amazed at how the Lord worked to let this happen. My husband, Joe, found a program in New Orleans for spiritual direction training. I was able to retire early, making it easy to meet in Shreveport once a month for direction and later on go to New Orleans once a month for training and formation. We both applied and were accepted into the program that began the following year.

The prerequisites were: an interview,

“It sounds like you are doing a lot. Have you thought about just spending ten minutes quietly alone with God?” To her question, I made a face. She smiled and asked, “So you don’t think spending quiet time with God could change your life?”

be in ongoing direction, go through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola (either as a 30-day retreat or the adaptation for everyday life. I chose the latter which took me nine months) and attend a 5-day silent directed retreat.

For two years we traveled once a month to New Orleans for training.

The whole time was a process of discernment. I put everything in God’s hands. If it was His will, all would be well. I felt confirmed and blessed at how everything fell into place. I even planned and carried out our youngest daughter’s wedding. All before the deadline for the first training class.

In training we were encouraged to pray to be aware of our shortcomings and blind spots. I learned that advicegiving is God’s job. That lesson has come in handy in my personal life as well as my ministry.

In praying through the Spiritual Exercises, I learned to truly dialogue with Jesus. Occasionally, I was given the same scripture for several days running.

I used to think repeating scripture was a waste of time. (I already knew the plot). Then I came across the Gospel passage where Jesus told the Apostles to go out and cast their nets again after they had fished all night and caught nothing. In this meditation I realized what a slow learner I am.

Being a spiritual director has taught me humility as I listen to directees talk about their relationship with our Lord.

I learn compassion as I listen to others’ pain and confusion when they share their yearnings to be closer to God even when they feel disconnected or that He is absent in their life.

The Covid-19 pandemic has put a cramp in my style as a spiritual director.

I am technologically challenged so Zoom meetings are not an option for me at this time. I much prefer a faceto-face session than an on-screen one.

My own spiritual direction continues to be a meaningful part of my spiritual and personal life.

FEBRUARY 2021 17

I

Responding to the Call Mike Van Vranken, Spiritual Director

18 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

started the first grade in a three-room Catholic school in the fall of 1957.

Within weeks of Christmas, my parents told my older sister, brother, and me that we would be moving to live with my great-aunt and uncle. Years later, I found out my dad’s employer hadn’t paid him in a few months and had finally filed bankruptcy. We were evicted from our small rental house, our only car was repossessed, and we had no place to live. As we moved into Uncle Ed’s and Aunt Elsie’s house, they showered us with love and protection.

I knew something was not quite right, but we were safe. My dad found a job delivering furniture for a local store, my mom went to work for an accountant, and the five of us eventually moved into a 600 square foot, two-bedroom house where my parents slept on the couch, my brother and I in one bedroom, and my sister in the other.

Catching up financially is a difficult hill to climb. I remember about a decade later, as a teenager, bill collectors calling our home and telling me to inform my parents that one or another of our utilities would be cut off if the bill wasn’t immediately paid. I dreaded telling my dad and seeing the pain on his face that one of his children was given the ultimatum to pay our bills; bills we all knew my parents couldn’t pay. Although I watched this throughout the rest of their lives, I know I will never understand the emotional grief they suffered in addition to the anxiety of living from pay-day to payday. Fortunately, their faith never wavered, and they constantly lived their lives of love for God and family.

Many of you reading this know a similar story. Some of you are living it right now.

There are about 10.7 million unemployed in our country; about 170,000 of those right here in Louisiana. Many more are

mike’s meditations While the church exists to teach, guide, and make available liturgy and sacraments, it is also called to walk with, assist, and provide for the needy. It is a much more overwhelming venture than we often realize. We would rather not think about it.

retired but cannot live above poverty because the lowinterest rates on their life savings won’t support them very well. Others are disabled because of sickness, accidents, and pandemic viruses. Countless more are living on minimum incomes and some working two or more jobs. I wonder how many of these are right here in our diocese.

I wonder how they are all coping. How many have an “Ed and Elsie” to go live with; to help pay their bills. I imagine how they are explaining it all to their children and even grandchildren.

I do not pretend to say I know how they feel. I don’t. But, I do have some insight into it and, like you, I am filled with compassion.

While the church exists to teach, guide, and make available liturgy and sacraments, it is also called to walk with, assist, and provide for the needy. It is a much more overwhelming venture than we often realize. We would rather not think about it. You and I are alive at this moment as part of God’s church. Now is a good time to sit with God and pray for the grace of wisdom to know how he is calling this Diocese of Shreveport to be Christ in our communities.

Supporting our diocese with our gifts is part of our calling. As a community, we all have the desire to reach out and help everyone in need. And as a community, we must realize our diocese is one of the best ways we can

engage in Christ’s mission.

My parents were married 58 years when my dad died; my mother five years later. They never had more than a simple life filled with the love of their children, grandchildren, friends, and their small but giving church family. They relied on that church for spiritual, emotional, and physical support. Some of you may be relying on your church right now. The strength of our diocese to support you depends on the rest of us generously and lovingly sharing. How will we respond?

this month’s challenge As you sit alone in your favorite prayer chair, light a candle, or soften your electric lights. Gaze on an image of Jesus washing the feet of his friends. How does it feel to have your feet washed? How does it feel to know that someone is caring enough, loving enough to be right there with you, to enter into your own experience of need, and to gingerly and carefully minister to you? Maybe you are feeling comforted. Maybe you feel some resistance to accept the help. It’s all ok. Be gentle with yourself and share your innermost feelings and movements with Jesus. Ask Jesus what his perspective on all of this is.

In your next meditation session, begin again with candlelight, quiet, and this time, imagine yourself as Jesus, giving that comfort, that assistance, that love to someone who needs it. How do you feel now? Is it easy to wash someone else’s feet? Do you feel empowered to help? Do you feel inadequate; with not enough resources?

Mike Van Vranken is a spiritual director, a member of the teaching staff for the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center of New Orleans Formation of New Spiritual Directors, an author and a speaker. He can be contacted at mikevanvranken@comcast.net FEBRUARY 2021 19

RESET

A Lenten Reflection A reset means to start anew. This is how Lent beckons to me on a personal level. To begin again, a fresh start and by the time Mardi Gras revelry is winding down, I realize just how much I need it.

Receive

“Everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” 1Timothy 4:4 I have engaged in many conversations about language over the years; its use, abuse, and origins. One discovery I made was that like many other groups Catholics have their own “jargon”. We often say one thing, know that we mean something else, and non-Catholics hear something else altogether. For example “taking” communion. Catholics know this means we are receiving, but it is a very different take on this action when we say we are receiving. When I taught older elementary students, I illustrated the difference by asking them how they position their hands if they are going to receive something; of course, they opened their hands wide. That’s what I strive for during the Lenten season- to imagine my whole self “open wide” to God. The sacrament of reconciliation helps me do that. Vulnerability is never easy, but it isn’t as though God doesn’t know our deepest, darkest, most petty secrets anyhow. As I have grown older, I have embraced the fact that if I rid myself of these attitudes and actions and the anxiety of going over and over them in my mind, I am in a much better position to accept the forgiveness and love of God, and with that garbage out of the way, there is more room to truly receive the life God has given me.

20 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Renew

“Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new.” Isaiah 43:18 I have been to my share of counseling throughout my life. There have been consequences and the fallout from events and experiences in my life which have been more than difficult - they have seemed insurmountable. I have never hesitated to seek help where it is found... eventually anyhow. I have learned a thing or two based on those sessions. One of the popular images used in counseling was that of heavy luggage and the assurance I can just set it down, and I never have to pick it up again. Many cliches illustrate this point-don’t look back - you’re not going that way; when your past calls, don’t answer. I’m sure we each have those go-to sayings. The point they illustrate is simple but not easy. Once or twice I have experienced this “letting go” in a profound way, but that doesn’t happen to me very often, so I’m grateful for Lent, a gift of time flavored with intention, which helps me settle and focus and when I do renewal is clearer. I reach Easter with a lighter heart and dancing feet.

One of my friends and I have discussed the ideas of happiness and joy. She always opts for joy, and for years, I thought I’d just be ok with happiness. After many conversations, I have come around to her way of thinking. She pointed out, for the millionth time that one comes from the inside and the other is contingent on externals. After the one millionth and one time, I must say I agree with her. I find myself opening up to real joy from within a divine space, as opposed to the fallacy of the fleeting things of this world that do not offer the security of true wholeness.

With my Lenten work, my Easter arrival is always more joyful and as a result, Ordinary Time finds me a little more eager to learn all I can.

I like music. I am particularly fond of poetic lyrics. John Prine, the late American folk singer, penned some of the best. His song One Red Rose was a favorite of mine long before I made it to catholicism. This is my favorite part of the song “rain came down on the tin roof, hardly a sound was left from the birthday party, kitchen light fell asleep on the bedroom floor.” Since then I have reflected on this bit from that song and I was surprised that it described in a very real way the road map from Lent (rainy and introspective) to Easter (birthday party and all it entails) and beyond to Ordinary Time (a light that rests but returns). There is joy resting in each of these seasons. My Lenten hope is that we follow the map God has fashioned for each one of us and as we travel those steps let us be mindful of our own personal God-given ability to avail ourselves to restart-to start anew again and again.

Rejoice

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible.” 1 Peter 1:8-9

Kim Long

faithful food Gran’s Snow Cream Kind of like cornbread dressing or any iconic, reputation staking dish, everyone has their one recipe for snow ice cream. Here is mine.

Start with one bowl of clean snow. Begin slowly adding whipping cream and stirring at the same time. When the consistency reaches a thick but stirrable mixture add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar (use your taste buds here and adjust accordingly).

Then either vanilla, almond, or coconut extract (1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 of the other two) and taste. If, like me, you were out of vanilla you can substitute liquid non-dairy coffee creamer. This morning I used Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Coffee Creamer and continue stirring.

Have someone taste it, preferably someone under eighteen. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze. Eat within seven days.

A Different Kind of Valentine My sister and I were of two minds about the secular celebration of the feast day of St. Valentine; she contended it was for husbands and wives, I said the children should have some chocolate. These statements were made during a rather lean time in our personal histories. In other words we were making ends meet but only just. As a result treats did not abound 24/7 and Valentine candy was a pretty big deal to all the kiddos.

For years I subscribed to a nostalgic bent on February 14. I shopped for the small boxes of chocolates, which seemed like a glamorous gift in the lean years, maybe four to six in a heart shaped blisteringly red box marked one dollar each. I left them on the beds of my children so that when they came home from school there was a surprise waiting. As for cards-they were nearly always off center hearts cut from construction paper and my attempt at artwork. The chocolates were much more appreciated!

Today when I consider food and cooking it centers almost exclusively around those whom I love. We have a weekly family dinner and the menu runs the gamut- sale circulars, nostalgic dishes, family faves, things we have never tried before, you name it. Emily Dickenson’s famous quote “there is no frigate like a ship to take us lands away” is not an exclusive mode of mental travel. Cooking can do that too. As I am chopping, peeling, stirring, seasoning, and yes, sampling the delicious result, this process involving once living things, which now serve to further our own lives, can whisk me away to a place I have visited, a table where I was a guest, the home of a friend or family even to countries and occasions I have not experienced firsthand.

Travel does change us, enlarging our worldview as well as our palette. I hope it has the same transforming effect on my own family as well as yours.

Some weeks the food feels rushed but there are days when that process of cooking begins early in the week as I decide the menu for the day and I begin to prepare long before the table is set. Not unlike preparing to celebrate Eucharist according to Gabe Huck who told us once that we should arrive at Mass exhausted from the anticipation and preparation of it all. This exhaustive state is certainly true during the holidays but what about an ordinary, nothing special Sunday. Sometimes. But oh on those days that are not weary instead filled with love, memories, tenderness, and the anticipation and desire of opening the door to your loved ones.

Also in this realm of thought comes the foods which are true gifts - things which are eaten only when in season locally.

Here are some examples - persimmons, fiddlehead greens (a delicacy I gorged on in Maine and have never forgotten), Louisiana strawberries, and snow.

Snow is a rarity here. When it is predicted with fingers crossed I watch the sky and pray that we get just enough snow to transform our usual vistas into a fairy land. And when that happens I make snow ice cream, even if no one is there at that moment. This year I made snow-creamsicles. They are in the freezer, waiting on Sunday to cycle back around. They are waiting for my family.

1st Timothy 4:14 tells us not to neglect the gift God gave us. So whether it is snow whipped into ice cream, or birthday cakes or spaghetti or pizza may we recognize God’s gifts and presence in the food we bring forth and in those we love.

Kim Long is a convert and DRE for Saint Mary of the Pines Parish.

FEBRUARY 2021 21

catholic charities

Catholic Charities Provides Immigration Legal Services Erin Smith, Director of Development For those interested in applying for DACA, here are the basic requirements for consideration: 1. Under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012 or must be born after June 15, 1981; 2. Came to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday; Briana Bianca, Immigration Attorney; Gilda Rada, DOJ Accredited Immigration Representative; Andrea Ortega, Immigration Advocate.

The foreigner who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the foreigner as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34 At Catholic Charities of North Louisiana, we live out our faith by assisting the entire Diocese through programs like Immigration Legal Services.

In recent years, the Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals – or DACA as it’s more commonly known – has made headlines in the US. The program began in 2012 under the Department of Homeland Security and provides for deferred action for a period of two years for people who came to the United States as children.

There are several guidelines and qualifications that must be met in order for a person to be eligible for this type of deferral. To explain it simply, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program provides protection from deportation and employment authorization for qualified individuals. They are able to work legally, get driver’s licenses and live without fear of deportation. However, the consideration must be renewed every two years and does not make the person a citizen nor does it provide any permanent immigration benefits or make them eligible for most federal programs. It simply allows them to live and work here legally.

As of December 4th, 2020, the United States began accepting new DACA applications again. Being the only nonprofit organization north of I-10 that assists with immigration services, Catholic Charities of 22 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

North Louisiana’s immigration legal services staff has been bombarded with new DACA requests since December’s announcement.

“There have been so many requests for assistance with new DACA applications that we’ve had to start a waiting list,” said immigration services representative Andrea Ortega. “There are currently more than 40 applicants waiting for appointments, and the immigration phone lines stay busy.”

In addition to the wait list, the immigration staff has taught front office personnel basic Spanish phrases to accommodate walk-ins requesting the DACA application. “We put a sign at the front desk in Spanish and have put together packets of information and streamlined some of the processes to handle the increased workload,” said Executive Director Meg Goorley. “We are excited that so many of our foreign-born neighbors want to stay in the US legally. Many of these people don’t have families in other countries; they’ve only ever known life in the US.” In 2017, the administration attempted to terminate the DACA program completely.

A later court decision ruled that the Department of Homeland Security had not followed proper legal requirements to terminate the program and ordered them to continue accepting applications. In response, acting Secretary of DHS Chad Wolf suspended all new DACA applications but allowed annual renewals. “It was really confusing for clients who wanted to make an initial application. They weren’t sure if they’d get accepted, rejected, or denied and possibly deported,” said CCNLA’s immigration legal

3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time; 4. Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making your request for consideration of deferred action with United States Customs and Immigration Services; 5. Had no lawful status on June 15, 2012; 6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and 7. Have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

For more information on the immigration legal services provided by CCNLA, please visit www.ccnla.org or call 318-865-0200. attorney Briana Bianca. On November 14th, the court reaffirmed that the earlier rulings required DHS to begin accepting new DACA applications again. “In all of this process with DACA, we have tried to keep up with the changes in order to be able to inform and serve our clients accurately,” stated Gilda Rada, Department of Justice accredited immigration representative.

en espanol

Catholic Charities Proporciona Servicios Legales de Inmigración Erin Smith, Directora de Desarrollo “El extranjero que resida con ustedes será para ustedes como ciudadano entre ustedes; amarás al extranjero como a ti mismo, porque extranjeros fuisteis en la tierra de Egipto: yo soy el Señor vuestro Dios. - Levítico 19:34 En Caridades Católicas del Norte de Luisiana, vivimos nuestra fe al ayudar a toda la Diócesis a través de programas como los Servicios Legales de Inmigración.

En los últimos años, la Consideración de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia, o DACA como se le conoce más comúnmente (por sus siglas en inglés), ha sido noticia en los Estados Unidos.

El programa comenzó en 2012 bajo el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional y prevé la acción diferida por un período de dos años para las personas que llegaron al país cuando eran niños. Hay varias pautas y requisitos que deben cumplirse para que una persona sea elegible para este tipo de aplazamiento. Para explicarlo simplemente, el programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia brinda protección contra la deportación y autorización de empleo para personas calificadas. Pueden trabajar legalmente, obtener licencias de conducir y vivir sin temor a ser deportados.

Sin embargo, la consideración debe renovarse cada dos años y no convierte a la persona en ciudadano ni proporciona ningún beneficio migratorio permanente ni la hace elegible para la mayoría de los programas federales.

Simplemente les permite vivir y trabajar aquí legalmente.

A partir del 4 de diciembre de 2020, Estados Unidos volvió a aceptar solicitudes nuevas de DACA. Al ser la única organización sin fines de lucro al norte de I-10 que ayuda con los servicios de inmigración, el personal de servicios legales de inmigración de Caridades Católicas del Norte de Luisiana ha sido bombardeado con nuevas solicitudes de DACA desde el anuncio de diciembre. “Ha habido tantas solicitudes de asistencia con las nuevas solicitudes de DACA que hemos tenido que comenzar una lista de espera”, dijo la representante de servicios de inmigración

Andrea Ortega. “Actualmente hay más de 40 solicitantes esperando citas y las líneas telefónicas de inmigración están ocupadas”.

Además de la lista de espera, el personal de inmigración le ha enseñado al personal de la oficina de recepción frases básicas en español para adaptarse a las personas sin cita previa que realizan la solicitud de DACA. “Pusimos un letrero en la recepción en español y reunimos paquetes de información y optimizamos algunos de los procesos para manejar el aumento de la carga de trabajo”, dijo la directora ejecutiva Meg Goorley.

“Estamos emocionados porque muchos de nuestros vecinos nacidos en el extranjero quieren quedarse en los Estados Unidos legalmente. Muchas de estas personas no tienen familias en otros países; solo han conocido la vida en los Estados Unidos”.

En 2017, la administración intentó terminar por completo el programa DACA. Una decisión judicial posterior dictaminó que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional no había cumplido con los requisitos legales adecuados para terminar el programa y les ordenó que continuaran aceptando solicitudes. En respuesta, el secretario interino del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, Chad Wolf, suspendió todas las nuevas solicitudes de DACA, pero permitió renovaciones anuales. “Fue realmente confuso para los clientes que querían hacer una solicitud inicial. No estaban seguros de si serían aceptados, rechazados o denegados y posiblemente deportados “, dijo Briana Bianca, abogada legal de inmigración de CCNLA. El 14 de noviembre, el tribunal reafirmó que los fallos anteriores requerían que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional volviera a aceptar nuevas solicitudes de DACA. “En todo este proceso con DACA, hemos tratado de mantenernos al día con los cambios para poder informar y atender a nuestros clientes con precisión”, dijo Gilda Rada, representante de inmigración acreditada por el Departamento de Justicia.

Para aquellos interesados en solicitar DACA, estos son los requisitos básicos para su consideración: 1. Haber sido menor de 31 años al 15 de junio de 2012 o haber nacido después del 15 de junio de 1981; 2. Haber Llegado a los Estados Unidos antes de cumplir 16 años; 3. Haber residido continuamente en los Estados Unidos desde el 15 de junio de 2007 hasta la fecha; 4. Haber estado físicamente presentes en los Estados Unidos el 15 de junio de 2012 y en el momento de realizar su solicitud de consideración de acción diferida con los Servicios de Inmigración y Aduanas de los Estados Unidos; 5. No Haber tenido estatus legal el 15 de junio de 2012; 6. Estar actualmente en la escuela, haberse graduado u obtenido un certificado de finalización de la escuela secundaria, haber obtenido un certificado de desarrollo de educación general (GED) o ser un veterano dado de baja honorablemente de la Guardia Costera o las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos; y 7. No haber sido condenado por un delito mayor, un delito menor significativo o tres o más delitos menores, y no representar una amenaza para la seguridad nacional o la seguridad pública.

Para obtener más información sobre los servicios legales de inmigración proporcionados por CCNLA, visite www.ccnla.org o llame al 318-865-0200.

FEBRUARY 2021 23

hispanic news

Misericordia – Papa Francisco Rosalba Quiroz, Directora

La misericordia de Dios transforma el corazón del hombre haciéndole experimentar un amor fiel que lo hace capaz de ofrecer misericordia.

Es siempre un milagro el que la misericordia divina se irradie en la vida de cada uno de nosotros, impulsándonos a amar al prójimo y animándonos a vivir lo que la Iglesia llama las obras de misericordia, corporales y espirituales. Ellas nos recuerdan que nuestra fe se traduce en gestos concretos y cotidianos, destinados a ayudar a nuestro prójimo en cuerpo y espíritu, y sobre lo que seremos juzgados: nutrirlo, visitarlo, consolarlo y educarlo.

La otra pobreza en el mundo está en quien cree que es rico, pero en realidad es el más pobre de los pobres por ser esclavo del pecado, que lo empuja a utilizar la riqueza y el poder no para servir a Dios y a los demás, sino parar sofocar dentro de sí la íntima convicción de que tampoco él es más que un pobre mendigo. Y cuanto mayor es el poder y la riqueza a su disposición, tanto mayor puede llegar a ser este engañoso ofuscamiento.

Llega hasta tal punto que ni siquiera ve al pobre Lázaro, que mendiga a la puerta de su casa (cf. Lc. 16,20-21), y que es figura de Cristo que en los pobres mendiga nuestra conversión.

Lázaro es la posibilidad de conversión que Dios nos ofrece y que quizá no vemos.

La Cuaresma es para todos un tiempo favorable para salir de nuestra 24 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

alienación existencial gracias a la escucha de la Palabra y a las obras de misericordia. Mediante las corporales tocamos la carne de Cristo en los hermanos y hermanas que necesitan ser nutridos, vestidos, alojados, visitados, mientras que las espirituales tocan más directamente nuestra condición de pecadores: aconsejar, enseñar, perdonar, amonestar, rezar.

Por tanto, nunca hay que separar las obras corporales de las espirituales.

Sólo en este amor está la respuesta a la sed de felicidad y de amor infinitos que el hombre — engañándose— cree poder colmar con los ídolos

del saber, del poder y del poseer. Sin embargo, siempre queda el peligro de que, los soberbios, los ricos y los poderosos acaben por condenarse a sí mismos a caer en el eterno abismo de soledad que es el infierno.

No perdamos este tiempo de Cuaresma favorable para la conversión.

Por: Su Santidad Papa Francisco http://w2.vatican.va El Papa muy acertadamente nos invita a reflexionar lo que estamos dispuestos y haciendo por nuestros hermanos más necesitados – a quienes Jesús dijo: “siempre los tendrán entre ustedes.” (Juan 12:8).

Calendario de Febrero, 2021 – Sábado 6, Clase de Oración de Intercesión, Cristo Rey, 9am-3pm

hispanic news

Por el Bispo La mayoría de los años, el mes de febrero viene acompañado de la temporada de Cuaresma. Este año, el Miércoles de Ceniza será el 17 de febrero. Todas las parroquias y escuelas celebrarán este día la bendición e imposición de cenizas. Algunos de nosotros también participaremos con el ayuno y la abstinencia. Las lecturas del Miércoles de Ceniza nos hablan sobre la necesidad de hacer actos de caridad y acrecentar nuestra vida de oración. Pareciera que la Iglesia tiene muchas expectativas para nosotros en este tiempo en que muchos estamos pasando dificultades con la pandemia.

Les puedo sugerir que este año, esta Cuaresma, ustedes y yo vivamos esta temporada con un ejercicio que nos prepare mejor para la Cuaresma, para su culminación en la Semana Santa y la conmemoración del sufrimiento, muerte y resurrección de nuestro Señor.

La primera parte de este ejercicio es responder a la pregunta profunda, “¿Que tan bien me conozco a mí mismo?” Tiene riesgo el hacernos esta pregunta, porque para la mayoría de nosotros, hace surgir una respuesta (o respuestas) que nos dicen que hay cosas sobre nuestras vidas que necesitan mejorar o ser cambiadas.

Simplemente re-leyendo el Evangelio de Miércoles de Ceniza (Mateo 6: 1-6,16-18), donde Jesus nos reprende diciendo que, a) seamos más caritativos con los demás sin

vanagloriarnos a nosotros mismos; b) seamos personas de más oración en nuestras vidas, especialmente en la quietud de nuestras habitaciones, y c) hagamos más sacrificios, no para mostrar al mundo, sino para disciplinarnos y actuar con el don de darse a sí mismo como lo hizo nuestro Señor – haciendo estas cosas porque, para la mayoría de nosotros, “necesitamos” hacerlas porque nos ayudan a que nuestras vidas estén en acorde con la vida de Jesus.

Y después de todo, no es de esto de lo que se trata la temporada de Cuaresma – de ajustar nuestras vidas en acorde a la del Señor, porque hacerlo significa que pasaremos por cambios internos que nos hacen semejarnos a Jesus.

No pretendo hacerlos creer que estos cambios serán fáciles – de hecho, aún más que los Propósitos de Año Nuevo que hacemos y pronto olvidamos, estas promesas de Cuaresma deben traer un cambio en nuestras vidas que puedan hacer una diferencia en nuestro camino espiritual.

Les pido que nos unamos ahora que comienza febrero y hagamos de esta temporada penitencial el año más fructífero que hayamos tenido – y que esperemos con un gozo enorme la fiesta más grande del año – La Resurrección del Señor. ¡Bendiciones en su viaje!

Misas en Espanol CRISTO REY: BOSSIER CITY Rev. Fidel Mondragon 318.221.0238 Oficina Domingo 1:00pm Lunes & Jueves 7:00pm Sabado 6:00pm Coordinador Oscar Gomez 972.567.2710

SAN PASCUAL: W. MONROE Rev. Luis Jost, OFM Domingo: 4:00pm Coordinadora: Lorena Chaparro 318.267.4018

SANTO TOMAS AQUINO: RUSTON Rev. Tony Posadas, OFM 318.225.2870 Oficina Domingo 1:30pm Coordinadora: Luz Martinez 318.224.0980

NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL PEPETUO SOCORRO: FARMERVILLE

Rev. Luis Jost, OFM Sabados 7:00 pm Coordinadora: Paola Gonalez 817.801.3499

STA MARIA DE LOS PINOS: SHREVEPORT Rev. Mark Watson 318.687.5121 Oficina Domingo 11:30am Coordinadora: Alma Mendoza 318.678.9306

SAGRADO CORAZON: OAK GROVE

Rev. Joseph Kallookalam, CMI 318.428.2683 Oficina • Cada dos semanas, Domingo 5:00pm

CONTACTO DIOCESANO: Rosalba Quiroz, Directora 318.219.7265 rquiroz@dioshpt.org

Maria Ivelis Sanchez, Secretaria 318.219.7257 isanchez@dioshpt.org

FEBRUARY 2021 25

SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL & THE

https://www.biusante.parisdescartes.fr/histoire/images/index.php?refphot=00997

26 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

HE DAUGHTERS OF THE CROSS Patti Underwood The year is 1612. A 15-year-old girl, home from boarding school, is paying a visit to a relative’s home with her family. There is a special guest present, the priest recently assigned to the local parish. Relationships are formed that will last throughout their lives.

Marie l’Huillier d’Interville has returned from the Royal Abbey of Longchamps where, following the death of her mother, she has been educated for seven years by the Daughters of St. Claire. Marie is visiting the home of her cousin, Louise de Marillac, nearly six years her senior.

The new pastor of Saint-Medard in Clichy is Monsieur Vincent de Paul in his first parish post. The following year, the two young ladies are married and Monsieur Vincent is recalled to Paris to serve as tutor for the de Gondi family. During the remaining years of the decade, Marie copes with the adjustment to marriage and motherhood in the family home of her much older husband.

After being widowed in 1620, Marie moves again into a convent through the generosity of her sister, Helene Angelique. Discerning a vocation to the religious life, Helene donates her inheritance to establish the first Parisian house of the Sisters of the Visitation; she names her sister Foundress. Monsieur Vincent, who has been appointed Ecclesial Superior to the Sisters by Bishop Francis de Sales, grants permission for Marie and her two young daughters to

Saint Vincent de Paul. “Les Filles de la Croix de Paris, date de fondation 1641,” Daughters of the Cross Collection, LSUShreveport Archives and Special Collections.

reside there. During the ensuing years, Marie not only has recourse to the spiritual direction of Monsieur Vincent, she engages in various works of charity in cooperation with him.

Among other things, she devotes her afternoons to ministering to the needs of the patients at the local hospital, the Hotel Dieu, as a Lady of Charity.

In 1630, two schoolteachers from the town of Roye in Picardy in the northeast of France come to the Sorbonne in Paris to present their case. They have been accused by the former schoolmaster, who resigned in disgrace, and his cronies, of misleading their students. For the distress caused them by this calumny, they are dubbed “Daughters of the Cross” by the townsfolk. After presenting a detailed account of FEBRUARY 2021 27

their curriculum and methods, they are exonerated of all charges and commended for their work. During her stay in Paris, one of the teachers, Marie Samier, is introduced to Marie de Villeneuve, who has begun to establish schools for poor children in Paris. Seeing in the spirit and methods of the Roye teachers the qualities she desires for her future institute, she begins negotiations to bring some of their members to Paris to aid her in the schools and lay the foundations for the new establishment.

Meanwhile, the priests directing the teachers in Roye have been accused of heresy and imprisoned. Their case also is brought to the Sorbonne, and the examiner is none other than Monsieur Vincent. After a thorough investigation, the good priest comes to three conclusions: the two priests are innocent of the charges, the school is excellent and worthy of expansion, and the instructors are deserving of the name “Daughters of the Cross.”

After the Order of the Daughters of the Cross is founded in 1641, Monsieur Vincent continues to provide spiritual guidance and support for Mother Marie de Villeneuve and her Order.

When, upon her death, financial and administrative problems come to such a head that influential benefactors despair of the institute’s survival, Monsieur Vincent steers its course so effectively that he is considered the “Restorer” of the Daughters of the Cross.

Two centuries later, Mother Marie Hyacinthe, D. C., faces the devastation of schools and convents in the Diocese of Natchitoches, Louisiana, in the Civil War. Acting on a tip from Father Jean Pierre,

Photo provided by Patti Underwood; also featured in Across Three Centuries by Sister St. Ignatius Le Roux, published in 1932

pastor of Holy Trinity Church, and with support from family and friends in France, she purchases a 100-acre plantation near Shreveport to make

Photo provided by Patti Underwood

a new beginning. She chooses as patron for the new convent and school the Restorer of the Order, St. Vincent de Paul.

Patti Underwood is a lover of history and is blessed to be a graduate of St. Vincent’s Academy and LSU-Shreveport. This article is the second in the series she is writing on The Daughters of the Cross. Our last remaining member is Sister Lucy Scallon, D.C., and she loves to receive mail. If you’d like to write her, please send to c/o Sr. Lucy Scallon, D.C., 3500 Fairfield Ave. Shreveport, LA 71104 28 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

To order a prayer card featuring Shreveport’s five Servants of God, please visit www. shreveportmartyrs.org.

These beautiful full-color, tri-fold keepsakes are available featuring Father Isidore A. Quémerais, Father Jean Pierre, Father Jean Marie Biler, Father Louis Marie Gergaud, and Father François LeVézouët individually, as well as a card featuring all five, or a complete set of all six cards. You will see on the website, donations to cover the expense of the cards are appreciated at the rate of .25 per card plus a postage fee.

Look to

Calvary O

n a rainy day in March of 1942, a large group of supporters gathered together in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery to witness Most Reverend Daniel F. Desmond, Bishop of Alexandria at the time, deliver a sermon and blessing to celebrate the erection of the Calvary monument honoring the martyred priests of Shreveport’s Yellow Fever epidemic.

The monument, featuring stairs ascending to a stunning sculpture of Christ crucified featuring the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalen, and

Saint John the Apostle. This became the striking apex of the beautiful cemetery grounds.

With the recent news that The Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of the Saints granted permission for Bishop Malone to officially recognize the martyred priests as Servants of God, a designation that puts them on the path to canonization, the Diocese of Shreveport is moving forward with carefully planned restoration efforts for the monument. Plans include updating the original stone crosses, installing large, customized granite

ledger stones to the tops of the aboveground crypts and cenotaphs for each priest, and displaying information on the story of the priests’ martyrdom so that visitors can learn more about these Servants of God. The Diocese of Shreveport offers its sincere thanks to the wonderful patrons and donors who helped establish this monument as well as those who have and will help as we continue to restore and care for this treasured memorial. For more information on how you can help, please contact the Catholic Center or e-mail Kate Rhea at krhea@dioshpt. org.

Kate Rhea, Cemeterian FEBRUARY 2021 29

Martyrs to their Charity

Praying through the Intercession of a Servant of God

By Father Peter Mangum

H

appy the diocese that could lose such men, happy the earth watered by their sweat and sanctified by their death. Martyrs to charity or martyrs to persecution, in their venerated tombs will grow the deepest roots of the Holy Church of the One whose death was our life.

These are the words of the first Bishop of Natchitoches, Auguste Marie Martin, who extolled “the ministry and the admirable virtues of these saintly priests,” Isidore Quémerais, Jean Pierre, Jean Marie Biler, Louis Gergaud, and François LeVézouët, who died in the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873 in Shreveport. Bishop Martin had recruited from his native land of Brittany, France, steeped in Catholicism, to the noble

30 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

appeal that offered them no salary.

No recompense. No holidays. No pension. But much hard work, a poor dwelling, few consolations, many disappointments, frequent sickness, a violent or lonely death, an unknown grave.

Each of these willing souls, trusting in God’s Providence, answered Bishop Martin’s call with a courageous and resounding yes, and came to sow rich seeds of the Gospel for the Church in the unknown frontier wilderness of Louisiana, ultimately achieving “an apostolic career filled with work and rich in the fruits of life which will live after them.”

These five diocesan priests who served in what are now the Diocese of Shreveport and the Diocese of Alexandria are now officially Servants of God! Bishop Malone

of Shreveport wrote the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of the Saints in May 2020 asking that they review portfolios regarding their lives with the view of possibly beginning the cause of beatification and canonization. On December 8, 2020, Bishop Malone announced that he received notification from the Vatican stating that there are no obstacles to pursuing the process for beatification and canonization for these five priests who are henceforth worthy of special consideration and honor for their free and voluntary offer of their lives, inspired and sustained by charity, and persevered with this determination unto death in pure and final fulfillment of Christian virtue on God’s earth, to ease the suffering of humanity.

They are:

The Catholic Connection is running a graphic novel series each month featuring the story of five priests who gave their lives in service to others in the Shreveport Yellow Fever epidemic of 1873. This graphic novel is provided courtesy of the Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans and is illustrated by Deacon Andrew Thomas.

FEBRUARY 2021 31

From Left: Rev. J.M. Biler, Rev. Louis Gergaud, Rev. Jean Pierre, Rev. François Le Vézouët and Rev. Isidore Quémerais (Courtesy of Holy Trinity Catholic Church)

Servant of God Isidore Quémerais Servant of God Jean Pierre Servant of God Jean Marie Biler Servant of God Louis Gergaud, Servant of God François LeVézouët

great works that the saints in heaven perform for us. As fellow members of the Communion of Saints, they love us and want to help us in our needs. We trust in this reality of our Church that we can share in the joy of those brothers and sisters in heaven as they join in our concerns and endeavors here below.

In the canonization process, the People of God are encouraged to seek intercession of those who are on the path to be canonized saints.

The proof of a miracle through a Servant of God’s intercession can be seen almost as the assurance of a divine seal upon a human judgment that he or she is indeed a saint.

The great end of all miracles is the glory of God. The secondary end is the good of man. For these two ends, God will many times perform miracles through the intercession of saints or those in the process of becoming a saint.

Now that they are “Servants of God” further work is to be done, investigating their lives and ministries, and, especially, the offer of their lives. Once the historical commission has completed its work, the bishop will submit more information with the request to the Vatican that they be declared “Venerable.”

In the meantime, they are not only deserving of admiration and imitation but also our intercession, namely, we can directly pray to them to intercede on our behalf. Godwilling, with miracles attributed to each Servant of God, they will be recognized as Blessed and later as Saint. We can ask them to help us and pray for us as sure as we ask anyone alive to pray for us or some What not to do loved one. Intercession is one of the When invoking the intercession of 32 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

a Servant of God, do not invoke all at the same time or in conjunction with one who is already a saint.

For example, if a Servant of God is invoked with a Blessed or a Saint, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, then the “resulting miracle is attributed to the person of the highest grade,” Mary being of the very highest grade, followed by St. Joseph, the other Saints, then Blesseds and finally Servant of God. To put it simply, the Servant of God invoked would not get the ‘credit.’

Seeking a Servant of God’s Intercession

For a miracle to be attributed to a Servant of God, call upon one Servant of God only. Pray only through his intercession over a period of days or weeks for that particular request. The invocation must be univocal; this means that a direct line between you and the invoked Servant of God must be clear. You must be very intentional, not spontaneous or sporadic, in

directly calling upon the one Servant of God. Regarding the Shreveport Martyrs, read about their lives and select one who most ‘speaks’ to you or whom you most identify with.

Pray to him. An unorganized, random invoking of several names at various times must be avoided.

Write down the intention and the one through whose intercession you are making the request. For example, pray the prayer specific to that Servant of God, as seen on the holy card of that Servant of God, or the one below.

The invocation of the Servant of God must take place before the miraculous event occurs. It is necessary to demonstrate a clear connection between the invocation as the cause with the resulting miracle. When a relatively short amount of time passes between the moment of invocation and the miracle, the connection is easy to see and verify, especially when natural means would not permit this speed to occur.

Every such prayer of intercession should be offered in a spirit of faith above all in God who is the principal cause miracles while the saints are instruments of charity in bringing them about. Miracles do not go against the force of nature, but above it. Miracles take place above the order of nature (‘super’natural), but not contrary to the laws of nature. Therefore seeking the intercession of something that is contradictory to the natural order should not be done, like praying that an inanimate object become animated, or for the death of a person, or for reversing the events of time.

Ultimately, to verify the reality of a

proposed miracle through a Servant of God’s intercession, it must be univocal, as mentioned above, and have the characteristics of being rapid, complete, permanent and unexplainable.

For medical healings, it is needed that the cure is unexplainable from a medical perspective. There must be clear records of diagnosis and the prognosis of the sickness and also the ineffectiveness at least partially of medical treatment and

therapy. For non-medical miracles, it must be something that defies physics, such as overcoming air/ water pressures, resistance to heat, burning or freezing and the like.

Be very specific in documenting any miracle. Notify the Office of the Postulator (beatification@dioshpt. org). Your fervent pray may very well be the means of a miracle and be approved by the Vatican assisting our Servants of God on the path to sainthood.

Sample prayer: Almighty and merciful God, you filled the heart of ____________ with apostolic zeal, an energetic nature, patience and forgiveness in the face of persecution and discrimination, courage in leadership, a pastor’s heart toward all and humility instead of personal advancement.

Inspired and sustained by charity, this true man of God, calling it his duty, made the free and willing offering of his life to care so directly for the sick and dying, and to bury the dead, in a far-off city during a virulent epidemic, knowing his decision would result in his premature death.

Bestow upon me the grace to ardently love my neighbor and fully trust in Your providential love, as did this martyr to his charity. If it be Your will, O God, glorify our beloved Servant of God ____________ by granting the favor I now request (state your specific intention), so that, we pray, all may know of his heroic virtue and holiness and may imitate his love for You and Your Church.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

FEBRUARY 2021 33

STUDENT OF THE YEAR WINNERS NAMED FOR 2021 By: Sr. Carol Shivley, Superintendent The North Louisiana Private School 5th grade Student of the Year award goes to John Thomas Foret II. He is the son of Adam and Catherine Foret and is a student at St. Joseph Catholic School. He excels as a straight-A Honor Roll student, National Elementary Honor Society, Religion Scholars Bowl, Xtra Math Achiever, Duke Talent Identification, and many other academic programs. John is an avid sportsman, particularly in baseball. He enjoys healthy eating and taking care of the body that God to him. As a lover of pets, John has volunteered hundreds of hours with the Humane Society.

John is a genuine and

compassionate young man, and we are blessed that he is a part of our St. Joseph Catholic School community. John is also the Diocese of Shreveport 5th Grade Student of the Year.

Congratulations, John.

Carter Daly Doyal has been selected as the 8th grade North Louisiana Student of the Year. He is the son of Greg and Lisa Doyal of Shreveport, LA, and is an exceptional student at St. Joseph Catholic School. His academic honors include A Honor Roll, Top AR Reading Award, PreAlgebra Academic Rally, DUKE TIP award for ACT score and a Religion Scholars Bowl delegate.

Presently he serves as Student Council Officer, National Junior Honor Society, and many other

From left to right: John Thomas Foret II, Carter Daly Doyal, Cameron Sage Oglesby

academic endeavors. He is a member of the Jets football team and offered his leadership skills to the 4th-grade basketball team as a volunteer. Carter contributes so much to the St. Joseph Catholic School community, and we are grateful to his family for sharing him with us. Carter is also the Diocese of Shreveport 8th Grade Student of the Year.

Congratulations,

Carter.

The Diocesan 12th grader Student of the Year is Cameron Sage Oglesby of St. Fredrick High School. She is the daughter of Darren and Tracy Oglesby of Monroe, LA. Cameron is the President of the Senior Class, serves as a Student Ambassador, FBLA Chapter President the Captain of the varsity cheerleaders. During the

pandemic, she established and anchored a morning news broadcast for her peers to connect. She also treasures her role as a member of the Discipleship Team. Her faith life has grown so much during this time.

Cameron is a gift to us, and we are happy to see her grow into such an outstanding Warrior at St. Frederick High School.

SANTA VISITS JESUS THE GOOD SHEPHERD SCHOOL By: Amy Fakhre Just a few hours before school dismissed for Christmas break on Friday, December 18, JGS School welcomed a very special visitor. Santa arrived atop an old school bus with a message of Christmas joy! Santa went on to visit with all of the good boys and girls at JGS School from atop his mobile sleigh and explained to them

AROUND THE DIOCESE 34 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Hispanic Ministry builds a traditional altar for Our Lady of Guadalupe at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Farmerville.

that the greatest gift of all was the birth of Jesus, God’s only Son, who was sent to us to save us from our sins and to show us how to live and love others!

Thank you to Mr. Alan Brockman and crew for arranging this wonderful visit with Santa and for reminding us all of the true meaning of Christmas!

The Saint John the Baptist Kindergarten/First Grade Class learned about the Epiphany during their Parish School of Religion.

BOTH SAINT JOSEPH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF THE YEAR ADVANCE TO STATE COMPETITION By: Polly Maciulski Saint Joseph Catholic School is pleased to announce that our fifth and eighth grade Students of the Year for 2020-21 are both advancing to the State Competition in Baton Rouge next month. The Student of the Year Award recognizes students in grades fifth, eighth and twelfth who achieve excellence in the classroom and community. SJS chooses candidates using grades and test scores, as well as an interview at the school level. Winners were announced in December, then students participated in interviews at the regional level on

Wednesday, January 13th.

Fifth grader John Foret is the elder son of Drs. Adam and Catherine Foret, and has been a student at SJS since Kindergarten.

Carter Doyal is the elder son of Greg and Lisa Doyal and has also been a student at SJS since Kindergarten.

Both boys are known to pursue excellence in the classroom and in service to their community.

After being named SJS Students of the Year in December, they advanced to the regional level for competition among nonpublic schools on January 13, at which time they

earned a trip to compete at the state level.

SJS is proud of our students and wishes them the best as they represent us in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, February 10; winners are announced in April. “Our motto

is to provide academic excellence surrounded by faith, and these two students exemplify that mission both in and out of the classroom,” said Clayton Cobb, Principal of St. Joseph Catholic

School. “We pray that all of our students will strive even harder to live out this motto, as well, creating an atmosphere in which virtue leads to excellence in all areas of life.”

Incomplete Burses:

(007) Dr. Carol Christopher Memorial Burse ($1200) (008) St. Jude Parish Burse ($6018) (009) St. John Berchmans Knights of Columbus Council 10728 Burse ($1550) (011) Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #2 ($3404) (015) Bishop’s Seminarian Burse ($2760) (016) Elaine Malloy Frantz Memorial Burse ($1000) (017) Msgr. George Martinez Knights of Columbus Council 1337 Burse ($7521.57)

(018)

SEMINARIAN BURSES Thanks to our Recent Donors: (002) Dr. George & Sandra Bakowski Foundation ($100) (001) Dr. George & Sandra Bakowski Foundation ($100) (003) Bob & Gloria Patterson ($250) Completed Burses: (001)

Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #1 ($10000) (010) Memory of Rita Scott from the John Scott Family Burse ($10000)

(011) (012) (013) (014) (026) (027)

Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #1 ($10000) Jack E. Caplis, Jr., Memorial Burse ($10000) Mary Evans Caplis Burse ($10000) Bob & Peggy Semmes Memorial Burse ($10000) Sheryl Seal Sweeney Memorial Burse ($10000) Rev. Richard Lombard Memorial Burse ($10000)

(001) (002) (003) (004) (005) (006)

Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #2 ($1050) Joseph & Antoinette Bakowski Memorial Burse ($2850) Sam R. Maranto Memorial Burse ($1650) Kathryn Atherton Cook Memorial Burse ($350) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans Burse ($950) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #2 ($3832.12)

(019) (020) (021) (022) (023) (024) (025)

Knights of St. Peter Claver Council 144 Burse ($880) Margaret Glenn Memorial Burse ($5580) Dr. James V. Ward Memorial Burse ($3915) Rev. Edmund “Larry” Niehoff Memorial Burse ($2000) Rev. Blane O’Neil, OFM Memorial Burse ($250) Msgr. Edmund J. Moore Memorial Burse ($1020) Rev. Joseph Puthupally Memorial Burse ($600) Kathleen Hightower Memorial Burse ($400)

The Diocesan Seminary Burse program provides 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.

Interested in contributing to or establishing 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. Burses are completed at $10,000.

FEBRUARY 2021 35

St. Joseph Catholic School’s “Best Private School in the Area” Award Brings Joy in 2021: Big Plans for Year of Saint Joseph and 70th Anniversary By: Polly Maciulski The faculty and staff of Saint Joseph Catholic School were both elated and extremely humbled to learn that we have been voted the best private school in the Shreveport-Bossier area in 2020.

The news came at the end of a year of uncertainty and anxiety in our country, and for schools all over the U.S. The year provided countless opportunities to adapt to ever-changing restrictions and requirements while also striving to provide the best possible education for the students who attend our institutions.

Private schools faced the possibility that parents would not want to pay tuition due to financial variability. SJS Principal Clayton Cobb has only held his current position for 14 months, but has seen the school community come together in this period, and has great hope for the school in 2021 and beyond.

“It is our prayer at St. Joseph that each child would be prepared to become leaders in their families, church, and community,” according to Cobb. “It is necessary to not only form the mind but to form the will. In doing so, one is capable of seeing the ways of God as matters that are good and pleasing, and it is our hope that our students are able to see these ‘goods’ and choose them freely after their time at SJS.” St. Joseph, in addition to a rigorous Religion curriculum, spends time each month focusing on a different virtue to emulate through the example of a saint.

Students who stand out in striving to be virtuous are recognized monthly as Christian Witnesses, which is the goal of a truly Catholic institution.

Guiding students to form good and virtuous habits is only part of the formation process. As faithful followers of Christ, we are called to serve others. Students at St. Joseph participate in a wide variety of service activities that includes, but is not limited to: serving, singing, and lectoring at the different liturgies, tending to the 36 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

grounds at local cemeteries, providing assistance such as food and clothing to the poor, the homeless, and mothers in need, as well as donating money to the diocesan clergy retirement fund. To “bear fruit that will remain” is the goal of St. Joseph Catholic School, so to provide avenues that will lead to a life-long commitment to service is very important here.

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis announced a year-long celebration dedicated to Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, marking the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being declared patron of the Universal Church. It is great timing for SJS, which celebrates 70 years of Catholic education in the heart of Broadmoor this year. Plans are underway to celebrate our patron this school year and into the next, in the liturgy, the classroom, and in the community.

Today, St. Joseph Catholic School proudly continues the tradition of academic excellence in a faith-filled environment. Students begin attending SJS in the K-Village program (as young as age 3) and continue to be formed in the tradition of Catholic education up to 8th grade. St. Joseph strives to prepare students for the next level by offering a rigorous and age-appropriate curriculum that allows middle school students to receive 2 Carnegie Units in Algebra I and Spanish. St. Joseph also partners with Loyola College Prep to provide additional opportunities to earn Carnegie Units in World Geography and Health.

Mr. Cobb invites anyone considering a Catholic education for their child or grandchild to attend our Open House on Wednesday, February 3rd, from 5:307 p.m., at 1210 Anniston Avenue in Shreveport. St. Joseph Catholic School is now accepting applications for the 202122 school year.

Saint Joseph Middle School Service Hours 6th grade - 451 hours 7th grade - 544 hours 8th grade - 705 hours Total - 1700 hours of service from our students

Educating the Whole Child-Mind, Body, and Soul: Saint John Berchmans Enrolling Now for Middle School By: Ashley Timons St. John Berchmans Catholic School is now enrolling for grades 6th-8th for the 2021-2022 school year. Middle School at SJB provides a total package, educating the mind, body, and souls of our students. The highly qualified faculty collaborates daily to ensure that students are engaged and challenged while being nurtured in a warm, supportive environment. STREAM is strong at St. John Berchmans. As the original pilot school, SJB’s Science class incorporates CYBER.ORG (previously NICERC) STEM EDA (Explore, Discovery, Apply) curricula, teaching the engineering design process through hands-on, cross-curricular lessons.

In addition to a new 4,100 square foot library and technology center, technology is integrated into every classroom with Smartboards and Chromebooks. Our faith is at the very foundation of who we are as a school and evident throughout every class with daily prayer, weekly mass and rosaries, and opportunities to take part in the sacraments. Students in middle school also take part in yearly spiritual retreats.

• • • • • • • •

All middle school teachers are pre-AP trained through College Board.

Advanced Math class option for 6th8th.

Opportunities to earn high school credit in Algebra I and Latin, World Geography, & Health Flyer Academy options for 8th graders; partnership with Loyola to earn high school credit Enrichment opportunities in computer literacy, library, Latin, art, P.E, music Before and after school care is available beginning at 6:30 am and ending at 5:30 pm.

Partnership with A Kid’s Choice to provide interventions for children with dyslexia or a specific need Financial assistance available through Arete and the Diocese of Shreveport

“What we offer at St. John Berchmans Catholic School is an education of the whole student--mind, body, and soul.

At the heart of our school is our Catholic identity, which is evident in the lessons taught; visible in the art and decorations on the walls; and practiced by all involved in the school. In addition to academic excellence, the real strength of SJB resides in the Catholic faith that surrounds every aspect of our school.”

-Father Peter Mangum, Pastor

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Science Olympiad Team Math Team Yearbook Club Guitar Lessons Piano Lessons Middle School Choir Drama Club SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS Student Council National Jr. Honor Society Guardian Angels Altar Servers Library Helpers ATHLETICS Boys’ and Girls Basketball Softball Cheer Cross Country Volleyball Archery Bowling Golf Tennis Jet’s Football

Schedule a tour by calling 318-221-6005 Visit our website to apply www.sjbcathedralschool.org FEBRUARY 2021 37

Bible Study with Father Pat Madden, PhD

Thursday Mornings: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

These classes will be available live via Zoom and the recordings subsequently available through the Diocesan web site. These classes will be designed for lectors and for any Catholics who want a better understanding of the Sunday scriptures before Mass begins.

For the Zoom link for his live class, please send him an e-mail: pmadden@dioshpt.org.

Father Pat Madden is one of our retired priests that continues to serve the Diocese through his teaching. The Retirement Collection for our retired priests is Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021.

38 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

Annual Diocesan Stewardship Appeal What shall I return to the Lord? ( ) $15,000 ( ) $10,000 ( ) $7,500 ( ) $5,000 ( ) Other $

( ) $3,500 ( ) $2,000 ( ) $1,500 ( ) $1,000

( ) $800 ( ) $750 ( ) $650 ( ) $500

( ) $400 ( ) $350 ( ) $300 ( ) $250

( ) $200 ( ) $150 ( ) $100

Please list below any special intentions or requests for which you would like prayer assistance:

Enclosed is a pledge payment of: $ for year 2021.

Please make checks payable to Diocese of Shreveport Name Address City/State/Zip Church

Diocese of Shreveport 3500 Fairifeld Ave Shreveport, LA 71104 Or donate online at www.dioshpt.org

Eucharistic Adoration Services Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Jesus Good Shepherd, Monroe: Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (Benediction followed

by Mass at 5:30 p.m.) Reconciliation is every Tuesday 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Saint Joseph, Shreveport: Perpetual Adoration, see church office for code St. Pius X Church: Wednesdays 8:30 a.m. - noon Cathedral of Saint John Berchmans: Monday - Friday 11:00-12:00 p.m.; Fridays of Lent: Fridays after Stations of the Cross which begin at 5:30.

St Mary of the Pines: Tuesdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Saint John the Baptist: Wednesdays, 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction beginning at 5:30PM Mary, Queen of Peace: Thursdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Extra Reconciliation on Wednesday & Thursday March 17 & 18, and Wednesday and Thursday March 24 & 25, 2021 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. or on Saturdays 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.(usual time).

St. Lucy Catholic Church: first Fridays of the month Saint Jude, Benton: following the 7:00 a.m. Wednesday Mass until 6:15 p.m. (the time of Benediction).

St. Paschal Church, West Monroe: Tuesday, March 2 from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m., Communal Penance Service on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:00 p.m. *Not an all inclusive list. If your parish is not listed, please check with the church office.

FEBRUARY 2021 39

Connection The Catholic

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.

•

Shreveport, LA 71104

40 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION

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The Holy Family at Saint Joseph Parish Shreveport