Connection The Catholic
Vol. 29 No. 3 Oct 2019
Maintaining OUR Cemeteries
Contents
FEATURES
7
9 33 Years Later... Deacon Clary Nash to Retire by John Mark Willcox
16 Catholic Cemeteries: Who is Responsible for Maintaining Them? by Randy G. Tiller
17 Blessing for All Souls by Kate Rhea
18 Blessing of the Graves: Times and Locations
COLUMNS
4 MIKE’S MEDITATIONS Being Present to Life by Mike Van Vranken
5 LIBRARY NOTES by Kate Rhea
6 FAITHFUL FOOD From Strength to Strength by Kim Long
7 SECOND COLLECTIONS
Second Collections for October by Father Rothell Price
2 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
9
16
8 VOCATION VIEWS
23 Remembering Rev. Joseph
10 CATHOLIC CHARITIES
24 Safety Measures Help Prevent
Puthuppally by John Mark Willcox
Preparing for the Priesthood by Jeb Key
CCNLA Offers Parenting Classes
Katherine Stringer-Davis
26 Around the Diocese
11 FROM THE POPE
from the Vatican Press Office
28 School News
12 Hopelessly Devoted
30 September Calendar
Devotion to the Holy Rosary
by Melina Sanchez
On the Cover
13 Hispanic News
Parroquias con Ministerio Hispano en la Diócesis de Shreveport por Rosalba Quiroz
Tragic Disasters by Randy G. Tiller
14 Mary’s Mission
Fall in Love with Your Spiritual Life
by Mary Arcement Alexander
15 Youth Corner
Welcome to the Beginning
by Mark Loyet
NEWS
20 New Spiritual Directors by Dianne Rachal
22 Our 2019-2020 Seminarians
The Calvary at St. Joseph Cemetery, Shreveport. Photo by: Stuart Bright
FROM THE EDITOR
Connection The Catholic
The Catholic Duty to Protect all Life
Publisher Fr. Peter B. Mangum Editor Samantha Maiette Contributors
Mary Alexander Jeb Key Kim Long Mark Loyet Fr. Rothell Price Rosalba Quiroz Dianne Racha
D
uty. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines duty as: obligatory tasks, conduct, service, or functions that arise from one’s position. Every person has a duty to something, whether it is our duty to our family, a significant other, our country or to God; we all have something which we must commitment ourselves to. This month, The Catholic Connection is dedicated to those who have moved on from this life to be with our Creator. This month, I wanted to showcase a different aspect of life. The afterlife. Every year, in celebration of All Souls Day, our priests and deacons take time to bless the graves of those resting in our Cemeteries. You can read all about the history and importance of the Blessing of the Graves on pages 16 and 17. At one point, those who are long gone once took care of us. Now it is our turn to protect and care for their final resting place. Please join our priests and deacons as we bless those who have gone to be with our Creator. You can find a list of places and times on pages 18 and 19. The beginning and end of life is beautiful, and it is our duty to protect and preserve it.
The Bonds of Priesthood This past month, Fr. Peter B. Mangum took the chance to visit with Seminarian Kelby Tingle while visiting the North American College in Rome.
Kate Rhea Melina Sanchez Katherine Davis Randy G. Tiller Mike Van Vranken John Mark Willcox .
Editorial Board Lisa Cooper Kim Long Fr. Matthew Long Dianne Rachal Melina Sanchez Randy G. Tiller Deacon Mike Whitehead John Mark Willcox Mission Statement The Catholic Connection is a monthly publication funded by your Diocesan Stewardship Appeal; mailed to every known Catholic household in the Diocese of Shreveport. Our Mission is to advance knowledge and understanding of our Catholic Faith among the faithful. We seek to foster the application of Christ’s teachings and our Church’s mission in our daily lives and to encourage our sense of Catholic identity within our family, parish, and diocesan faith community. Subscriptions & Address Changes Contact: Samantha Maiette, Editor Email: smaiette@dioshpt.org Write: Catholic Connection 3500 Fairfield Avenue Shreveport, LA 71104 Call: 318-868-4441• Fax: 318-868-4609 Website: www.thecatholicconnection.org
The Catholic Connection is a member of the Catholic Press Association.
The Diocese of Shreveport complies with Virtus’s Protecting God’s Children program. Classes are offered every second Wednesday of the month at the Catholic Center in Shreveport. To report child sexual abuse by a cleric or church worker in the Diocese of Shreveport, call Glennda Lawson. Hotline is 318-294-1031 and your local law enforcement agency.
OCTOBER 2019 3
MIKE’S MEDITATIONS
B e i n g P re s e n t t o L i f e By Mike Van Vranken
T
he Kingdom of God is among you” Luke 17:21. Throughout his public life, Jesus reminded everyone to be present to today. Most of his parables were begging us to be present to the circumstances around us. Be present to suffering like the Good Samaritan. Be present to the son coming home in pain like the Father. Be present to your faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed. In the garden of Gethsemane, he asked those with him if they could be present with him for one hour. “Don’t worry about tomorrow” he said in Luke 6:34. It seems Jesus was always teaching us that, to be fully alive is to recognize and live in God’s kingdom by being present to that kingdom which is already here. To live in the moment (the present) is to live in the kingdom. Jesus came that we may have life in abundance (John 10:10). Van Vranken And any reading of the gospel stories easily helps us see that life on earth is about being present to every “Kingdom of God-filled moment.” Someone once wrote that contemplation is taking a long, loving look at the real. In other words, when we sit in the silence, with God, in the present circumstances of our life, in the present moment of our life – this is contemplation. Taking time to practice contemplation each day teaches us how to take long, loving looks at every present moment to find Christ and his kingdom already present in that moment. I’m convinced this is the abundant life Jesus came to bring us. A life of individual moments where we are present to his presence. How can I be present to Christ in every present moment? When I am at work, can I be so present to God in the work I’m doing that I am only doing it for him (Col 3:17)? Can I be so present to my co-workers that I love them as I work with them? While speaking to someone on the phone, can I not pretend that I am multi-tasking – ignoring that person while I’m trying to do something else? Can I be present to those suffering I see on the news? Can I stop and pray for them at that moment? Can I pray for the person who was shot and killed? Can I pray for the person who did the shooting. The Kingdom of God is among us. Do I look for the kingdom in every situation? Am I really present to this kingdom? This is the life we are called to live – right now. The Prodigal Son left his present life looking for something better. He squandered what he had; his family, food, shelter, friends. Would he have wandered away if he realized the Kingdom of God was among all that he already had? In Luke’s gospel, the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5). They do this right after Jesus has taught 4 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
them to always forgive. It seemed impossible to them. Would it have been easier if they were living life in the presence of the Kingdom of God which was already among them? Maybe it’s time now to practice contemplation. Am I willing to be truly present to life by setting aside twenty minutes or so each day to be quiet and still in the moment, and allow God to change me? To pay attention to God’s continuing presence? To be present to God’s presence? The world around us will continue to bombard us with its own distractions. Practicing contemplation rewires us to be able to be present to God even in the middle of those noisy disturbances. And some of those distractions are both the joys and sufferings of real life happening all around us. Jesus calls us to be present there too. But, in that presence to know that we are still in the Kingdom of God that is among us. In that presence, we can still be present to God. Jesus said he came to bring us life in abundance. I believe this is the abundant life: to be present to God’s ever-present kingdom no matter what the real circumstances are that are constantly surrounding us. I also believe it takes a lifetime to develop this practice of living in the present. Our life is a gift from God. He has told us it is precious, has dignity, and it, along with all creation, belongs to him. To give our reverence and respect to this life, Jesus calls us to be present to every moment of it. And when we are present, I believe we get glimpses of the Kingdom of God that is already among us. And in this presence, we might begin to learn the infinite meanings of the phrase: “Pro-Life!” Mike Van Vranken is a spiritual director, author, speaker and teacher. You can contact him at mikevanvranken@comcast.net
LIBRARY NOTES
Explore the Slattery Library
One of the most common resource requests that the Slattery Library receives is for adult bible study materials. Whether reviewing lessons learned as a young Catholic, or exploring more detailed concepts of God’s word, adult bible study is vital to fortifying one’s relationship with God. Adults are self-directed learners which makes guided bible study courses perfect for individuals or groups. The Slattery Library & Resource Center has several courses available for check-out, each featuring a workbook, DVD, and teacher’s manual.
Seven Deadly Sins. Seven Lively Virtues. By Bishop Robert Barron
The seven deadly sins are patterns of dysfunction that lead us to unhappiness. Bishop Barron explains the pervasiveness of pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust and shows us how to counteract these sinful patterns through a conscious focus on a specific virtue for each sin.
Priest, Prophet, King
By Bishop Robert Barron The better we understand Jesus, the better we understand ourselves. But who was Jesus, this itinerant preacher whom many called the Messiah? In Priest, Prophet, King, you'll discover Jesus as the Anointed One - the ultimate priest, prophet, and king foreshadowed throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. Using biblical insights and engaging stories, Bishop Barron affirms that we see Jesus most clearly through the lens of the Old Testament.
Catholicism
By Bishop Robert Barron Bishop Robert Barron created the groundbreaking CATHOLICISM Adult Study Program as a thematic presentation of what Catholics believe and why, so all adults can come to a deeper understanding of the Catholic Faith. Not a video lecture, Church history, or scripture study, this engaging and interesting formational program uses the art, architecture, literature, music, and all the treasures of the Catholic Tradition to illuminate the timeless teachings of the Church.
Catholic Social Teaching By Michael Pennock
Catholic Social Teaching: Living and Learning Justice introduces the Church's rich body of social teaching that comes to us from the essential writings of the popes, highlighting the works from Pope Leo XIII onward. While exploring how societies work, an overarching theme of the text is a discussion of the foundational values that ought to govern a just society.
Catholicism: The New Evangelization This documentary and study series from Fr. Barron’s Word On Fire, continues the story of CATHOLICISM and explores the Church’s mission and the challenges of contemporary culture. With the original CATHOLICISM series, Fr. Barron took us on a journey around the world deep into the Faith. Now, experience this Faith in action in CATHOLICISM: The New Evangelization. OCTOBER 2019 5
FAITHFUL FOOD
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From Strength to Strength
ctober, one of my favorite months, brings pumpkins, mums, All Hallow’s Eve, a good ghost story and a longed-for break from the heat. October sits in Long a unique spot, a real transition month. We cannot wait to go from summer’s oppressive heat to a lightly crisp and cool atmosphere, but in Louisiana, we are not there yet. We are in the process of changing from one state of being to another. So it is with our lives. Looking back, October has taught me more than I realized. October in my childhood was a truly magical experience providing an invitation to celebrate summer’s end and welcome fall . When the Halloween costumes arrived, we combed the Dollar Store’s racks which offered endless possibilities. With a flick of the wrist, the hangers moved under our fingers changing from princess to nurse to doctor to clown and even witch waiting to be chosen. Jack O’Lanterns guarded every home on our street, its occupants safe and cosseted, as they counted down the days. The anticipation of Halloween and Trickor-treating were palpable. That night was anything except ordinary. Feeling safe and free we explored our “other selves” via our costume choices. When my children were young it was much the same. We added a bonfire, made s’mores and courted ghosts as we sat around the fire full of love and mesmerized by the art of storytelling. Everyone wore a costume and got to “be someone else” for a couple of hours. That seemed as important as the other aspects of the evening, the pumpkins, bobbing for apples, and the standard roasted hotdog. Today we still gather while telling a few stories and eat a little different, though no less traditional, menu. Time passes. The childhood gift of “playing dress-up” has grown into a more adult understanding. In Louisiana, we don costumes and masks at both Halloween 6 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
By Kim Long
Halloween King Cake Ingredients:
• King Cake dough (your favorite recipe) • Whole block of softened cream cheese • ½ pint heavy whipping cream • ½ cup chopped candy corn • 2 Tbsp powdered sugar • ½ cup brown sugar
Directions: 1. Make your favorite King Cake dough (you can use a box dough if you do not have a recipe just make sure to add cinnamon and sugar to the dough as you are mixing it.) and Mardi Gras, attempting to recapture some of the childhood experience which allowed us to slip into an “alter ego” for a brief respite; but we do not, cannot, live there. We reflect on the lessons learned and the change that came as we saw the world through other eyes. The transition which is wrought from those changes comes to us finally like a gift. Like the cool October mornings these changes leave us refreshed, encouraged, and urged forward. Time passes. Scrolling through a list of October saints is like a who’s who of several of my favorite prayer partners. But it wasn’t always the case. I formerly prayed “on my own” and went “straight to God.” After all, I did not grow up Catholic with the tradition of the communion of saints behind me. I transitioned slowly into asking for help, even with “earthly” saints or friends. Growing up with a faith-filled but stoic role model, prayer was understood to be a private thing. My grandmother prided herself on rarely asking for help for personal matters and by osmosis, I followed suit
2. For the filling: mix cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, candy corn, powdered sugar and brown sugar until it holds together and is smooth and you are able to spread it.
3. Spread the filling over the dough, roll and bake. 4. Garnish with whole pieces of candy corn.
for many years. My move away from solitarily entreating God to come to my aid or thanking Him for blessings, which began long ago, is recalled each October when I celebrate the changing of the seasons, both internal and external. So as I fill in my calendar, marking every moment, breeze, and prayers for both, the living and the dead, I ask this October company of saints to keep me and mine close. St. Therese and her heavenly mission of doing good on earth, St. Francis and his willingness to give the literal cloak off his back, to my guardian angels who are begging for a union break. November with its themes of gratitude and grace tries to creep in but I stave it off for just a little bit longer. I want to hold on, to be here, in the moment, experiencing the mechanics of transition, warts and all. God is always with me, with us, in every transition and change. May October find you reveling in that truth! Kim Long is the director of Religious Education at St. Mary of the Pines Parish in Shreveport, LA.
SECOND COLLECTIONS
Second Collections for October by Father Rothell Price
Remembering that the World Mission Sunday Collection not only helps missionaries bring Christ to people who do not know Him, but it also helps us know Christ more intimately and so fulfill our personal baptismal call to be missionaries in our local circumstances. In that spirit, I share with you these quotes from Pope Francis: “Celebrating this (Extraordinary Missionary) month will help us first to rediscover the missionary dimension of our faith in Jesus Christ, a faith graciously bestowed on us in baptism…. Through our communion with God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we, together with so many of our other brothers and sisters, are born to new life… This missionary mandate touches us personally: I am a mission, always: you are a mission, always: every baptized man and woman is a mission…. Each of us is a mission to the world, for each of us is the fruit of God’s love…. From eternity (God) has destined each of his children to share in His divine and eternal life (cf. Eph 1: 3-6).” The Latin phrase, so intimately connected to World Mission Sunday and the Pontifical Mission Societies who do the Church’s work of taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world is, “missio ad gentes.” Missio ad gentes means “(the) mission to the people.” The World Mission Sunday Collection is about you and me fulfilling the mission and mandate Jesus Christ gave each of us to, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16: 15. At the end of our liturgical services there is a formal dismissal of the People of God. There are four dismissal options for Mass: Second Collection for October 2019 World Mission Sunday Collection Collection Dates: October 19th & 20th Announcement Dates: October 6th & 13th
B
aptized and Sent” is the theme for the 2019 World Mission Sunday Price and Collection. Pope Francis has set October as an Extraordinary Missionary month. The purpose of this “extraordinary” month is to re-ignite our personal transformation in Christ so that we may help others know and be transformed by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The logo for the Extraordinary Missionary Month October 2019 is a missionary cross using the five primary colors of gold, white, red, blue, and green to represent the five continents of our planet. The theme, “Baptized and Sent” with its accompanying logo are chosen to remind us of the two foundations of every Christian: baptism and proclamation. Our proclamation can be with words, deeds, or contemplation, or any combination of these. Our life, as believers in Jesus, the Savior of the World, is meaningless, if we do not in some clear and tangible way share Him with others.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Go forth; the Mass is ended. Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord. Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. Go in peace.
These options send us from our Father’s House and Table in a renewed state of mind and with a fixed purpose. Having heard the Scriptures proclaimed and explained, we are equipped to go forth and authentically represent Jesus Christ in our thoughts, words, and deeds. Having received Jesus in Holy Communion, our personal and transforming encounter with Him animates us to go forth and share Him. The World Mission Sunday Collection invigorates us and our designated missionary men, women, and pontifical societies to be “Baptized and Sent.” Please participate generously in the World Mission Sunday Collection.”
Father Rothell Price, Moderator of the Curia, is the Director of Second Collections for the Diocese of Shreveport. OCTOBER 2019 7
VOCATIONS VIEW
What Does it look like to Prepare for the Priesthood? By Seminarian Jeb Key
I
n the day to day life of seminary formation, one of the things that seminarians hear is that we are being “Prepared for the Priesthood.” But what exactly does this mean? The “Program of Priestly Formation” outlines that seminarians are to be prepared for the Roman Catholic Priesthood by being formed according to four different dimensions of Priestly Formation. These dimensions, or pillars, are the Human Pillar, the Spiritual Pillar, the Intellectual Pillar and the Pastoral Pillar. To be a good priest, a seminarian must first and foremost be a good man. St. Thomas wrote “Grace Builds on Nature,” so if we are not men of God how can our ministry help anyone. When a seminarian prepares himself for the Priesthood, he looks at himself as a man and asks, “What are some of the ways that I can become a better man.” Often times this means that the seminarian works to become a more kind, caring, and dedicated servant of the Lord. He must work to become a man that can live a life of selfless service in order to do the work that the Lord asks of his priests. Just as a father must put the needs of his wife and children before his own needs or wants, so the seminarian must learn to lay down his own selfishness and put himself completely at the service of the Church. A seminarian preparing for the priesthood must also consider the Spiritual Pillar of Formation in his day to day life. Contrary to what some may think, living a life of intense prayer while remaining in the world of distractions and noise is extremely difficult. Preparing for the Priesthood in the spiritual sense means that the seminarian is preparing himself to be a man of prayer. If we rightly consider that the priest gives himself to the Church in the same way that a man might give himself to a woman in marriage, his prayer life is the way in which he becomes closer to God. Through prayer, the seminarian also comes to love the Church more, because it is for and with the Church that he prays in all of Her liturgies. If a seminarian has not prepared himself to be a man of prayer, how could he possibly be a priest who is able to help others pray more fervently. Any time we have a problem, we always want to go and see the best and most knowledgeable person in a given field to help us fix this problem. In preparing for the priesthood, the seminarian must prepare himself to be an expert in all things having to do with God and His Church by intellectually preparing himself for the priesthood. We study 2000 years of Church Tradition, Scripture Studies, Spirituality classes, and even classes on the Law of the Church. In order to truly be a trustworthy source of spiritual information for the people we will serve, the seminarian has to be knowledgeable in a vast 8 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
number of topics. Our studies help us to understand God in a very academic and intellectual way, but this new understanding only helps the seminarian to deepen his own spiritual understanding of God. The final dimension of Priestly Formation, the Pastoral Dimension, is in a way the synthesis of the other three dimensions. In this pillar of formation, the seminarian works to prepare himself to be a pastor of the Church. As we all know, it is not an easy job. A pastor is responsible for a vast number of things in the parish, including the souls of every single parishioner he serves. To help his parishioners he must be a good man who is capable of teaching and preaching well so that he can spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a good pastor requires that the priest uses all of his prayer, all of his personality, and all of his intellect to provide for his flock in whatever way they need and ultimately bring them closer to the Lord. If a priest is not well formed in the spiritual, human, intellectual and pastoral dimensions of priestly formation, he will be ineffective at leading his flock and teaching them the path to Heaven in his words and in his actions.
If you would like more information on the priesthood, contact Fr. Jerry Daigle: jdaigle@dioshpt.org, or call 318-868-4441.
33 Years Later...
Deacon Clary Nash to Retire as Director of Permanent Diaconate
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By John Mark Willcox
eacon Clary Nash, who has served our diocese as the Director of our Permanent Diaconate Program for over two decades, is finally pursuing “quasi” retirement from his very active role in the life of our diocesan faith community. His commitment and dedication to our diaconate program over the years has been outstanding, and produced much fruit in the way of ordained Permanent Deacons in ministry throughout our diocese. A native of Janesville, Wisconsin, Deacon Clary Nash, his wife, Mary, and sons, Michael and Bryan, came to Shreveport by way of his employment with General Motors in August of 1980. While still in Wisconsin, Clary learned of a new GM facility opening in Shreveport and felt a tug at his heart from the Lord to put in for the position. When Clary’s boss approached him to take the Louisiana job, he accepted immediately without even knowing what his salary and benefits were. Quite an answer from one who had spent most of his life as an aggressive atheist and had only recently returned to the Church and was truly ready to trust the Holy Spirit. “I just said ‘Here I am, Lord!’ comments Deacon Clary. The next step was His, and I was prepared to follow.” At that time, St. Mary of the Pines Parish was the worship location of choice for those employed at the GM Plant in South Shreveport and this is precisely the church where the Nash family found themselves upon their arrival in Shreveport. St. Mary’s Pastor ,Fr. Bob Inzina, had a profound impact on Deacon Clary’s spiritual life and he credits Fr. Bob with his call to the Diaconate. Accepted into the very first Diaconate Formation Program for the then Diocese of Alexandria/Shreveport, Deacon Clary completed his training with eleven other men and was ordained just prior to the establishment of the Diocese of Shreveport in 1986. Following his ordination to the diaconate,he took a new assignment at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in to assist Msgr. Earl V. Provenza, V. F. When Bishop William B. Friend asked Deacon Clary to assume the newly created role of Diaconate Program Director his reply was the same as when he felt called by God to come to Louisiana; “Here I am Lord” was his answer to Bishop Friend’s question. It was not long before the Diocese of Shreveport had enough interested men to form its own program and in 2001, a first cohort of diaconate candidates for the Diocese of Shreveport began their formation and studies. May of 2005 saw eighteen new Deacons ordained at our Cathedral for service to our faith community. “That was a high point,” comments Deacon Clary. “To see my very first group of guys with their spouses enter into a new chapter of ministry to God’s people was very special to me.” In 33 years of active ministry as a Deacon, it is the simple things of community gatherings and worship that truly motivate Deacon Clary. “I just love greeting people!” gushes Deacon Clary. “I don’t want anyone to leave an hour of Catholic worship feeling like a stranger. With more time on my hands I can devote myself more fully to the needs of Sacred Heart’s worship community as I already do most everything from roof repair to mowing the lawn,” comments Deacon Clary. “Now I just may have the time to get involved in more things at the parish level.” Thank you Mary, Michael and Bryan Nash, for the gift of your husband and father to the Church! And many thanks to Deacon Clary Nash for making our little Catholic corner of the world a better place!
Seminarian Burses
For more information on donating to seminarian burses or the support of educating men in formation for the priesthood for our diocese, contact Fr. Jerry Daigle at 318-868-4441, or jdaigle@dioshpt.org.
Thanks to Our Recent Donors (014) Alfred & Susan Ozenne ($3050) (015) P. E. Carney ($100) (018) Deacon Charles & Nadalie Thomas ($50)
Completed Burses
(001) Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (010) Memory of Rita Scott from the John Scott Family ($10,000) (011) Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #1 ($10,000) (012) Jack E. Caplis, Jr., Memorial Burse ($10,000) (013) Mary Evans Caplis Burse ($10,000) (014) Alfred & Susan Ozenne ($10,000)
Incomplete Burses
(001) Fr. Mike Bakowski Memorial Burse #2 ($1,100) (002) Joseph & Antoinette Bakowski Memorial Burse ($2,500) (003) Sam R. Maranto Memorial Burse ($1,400) (004) Kathryn Atherton Cook Memorial Burse ($350) (005) Cathedral of St. John Berchmans ($450) (006) Msgr. J. Carson LaCaze Memorial Burse #2 ($3,082.12) (007) Dr. Carol Christopher Memorial Burse ($1,300) (008) St. Jude Parish ($5,718) (009) St. John Berchmans Knights of Columbus Council 10728 ($550) (011) Rev. David Richter Memorial Burse #2 ($2,104) (014) Bob & Peggy Semmes Memorial Burse ($6,500) (015) Bishop’s Seminarian Burse ($360) (016) Elaine Malloy Frantz Memorial Burse ($1,000) (017) Msgr. George Martinez Knights of Columbus Council 1337 ($7,521) (018) Knights of St. Peter Claver Council 144 ($850) (019) Margaret Glenn Memorial Burse ($1,250) OCTOBER 2019 9
CATHOLIC CHARITIES
Catholic Charities of North Louisiana Offers Parenting Classes with Gabriel’s Closet By Katherine Stringer-Davis
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amilies in our community are struggling. The women who enter the doors of Catholic Charities are single mothers who often work one or more minimum wage jobs and live paycheck to paycheck. The goal of our Family Strengthening Program is to empower clients to create longterm changes that lead to greater stability and independence. Catholic Charities of North Louisiana empowers pro-life with one of our Family Strengthening programs, Gabriel’s Closet. Gabriel’s Closet is a parenting program that offers help to families that are expecting a baby, have a newborn or have children under the age of four years-old. In order to receive assistance, parents complete an application and meet with our case manager, Suhad Salamah to assess their most pressing needs. We offer a merit-earning program which allows parents to redeem earned merits for items from Gabriel’s Closet. Gabriel’s Closet has many baby essentials including pack ‘n play cribs, diapers, baby beds, high chairs, car seats, strollers, walkers and more, as well as a large selection of gently-used or brand-new clothing. We also offer diapers, ointments, bottles, pacifiers and more. Alisa James, a mother of a one year old son has been coming to Gabriel’s Closet since she was two months pregnant. James learned about WIC (Women Infant and Children), a supplemental nutrition program, SIDS and how to properly care for a child. “Gabriel’s Closet restored my faith and motivated me to be a great mom. Before coming to Catholic Charities I had no
idea this place would teach me how to be a great parent,” she said. CCNLA collaborates with local agencies and organizations such as the Nurse Family Partnership, a nursing program through OschnerLSU Health which works with lowincome, underprivileged pregnant and new mothers. This program now refers their patients to Gabriel’s Closet, allowing mothers of young children and mothers-to-be to attend parenting classes in exchange for baby essentials. Other local agencies that regularly refer mothers to Gabriel’s Closet include Mary’s House, Heart of Hope, WIC and Care Pregnancy Center. If you know someone who could use our assistance, please contact our office at (318) 856-0200. Gabriel’s Closet is open on Monday and Thursday from 1pm-4pm.
Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat
• “This was the most powerful experience I have ever had.” • “Seeing God’s love and forgiveness, and the feeling of not being judged.” • “Forgiveness! God gives you the path to move forward and forgive.” • “Scripture based and Christ-centered.”
These are comments from participants at the first Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat in November 2018. Rachel’s Vineyard is the world’s largest ministry for healing after abortion. The motto for Rachel’s Vineyard is: “Healing the pain of abortion, one weekend at a time.” Rachel’s Vineyard retreats are a beautiful opportunity for any person who has struggled with the emotional or spiritual pain of abortion. This includes the mother and father of the child, as well as their parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, and even clinic staff. The retreat is a very specific process 10 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
designed to help one experience the mercy and compassion of God. It is also an opportunity to surface and release repressed feelings of anger, shame, guilt, and grief. The next Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat will be November 8-10, 2019. If you or someone you love is hurting from an abortion, please call 318 588-1064 for information, or visit the website at www.rachelsvineyard.org. Absolute confidentiality is maintained by team members and participants prior to, during, and following a Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat. A Rachel’s Vineyard retreat in Spanish is scheduled in the spring of 2020.
August 7, 2019
FROM THE POPE
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World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
od’s gaze, at the beginning of the another, is “God’s own ‘social network.’” Bible, rests lovingly on his creation. From It is also a season to reflect on our lifestyles, and habitable land to life-giving waters, from how our daily decisions about food, consumption, fruit-bearing trees to animals that share our transportation, use of water, energy and many other common home, everything is dear in the eyes of material goods, can often be thoughtless and harmful. God. Let us make an effort to change and to adopt more Tragically, the human response to this gift has simple and respectful lifestyles! Now is the time to been marked by sin, selfishness and a greedy desire abandon our dependence on fossil fuels and move, Pope Francis quickly and decisively, towards forms of clean energy to possess and exploit. Egoism and self-interest have turned creation, a place of encounter and sharing, and a sustainable and circular economy. Let us also into an arena of competition and conflict. In this way, the learn to listen to indigenous peoples, whose age-old wisdom environment itself is endangered. Deterioration has increased can teach us how to live in a better relationship with the in recent decades: constant pollution, the use of fossil fuels, environment. intensive agricultural exploitation and deforestation are causMany young people all over the world are making their ing global temperatures to rise. The increase in the intensity voices heard and calling for courageous decisions. They feel and frequency of extreme weather phenomena and the desert- let down by too many unfulfilled promises, by commitments ification of the soil are causing immense hardship for the most made and then ignored. The young remind us that the earth vulnerable among us. Melting of glaciers, scarcity of water, is not a possession to be squandered, but an inheritance to neglect of water basins and the considerable presence of plastic be handed down. They remind us that hope for tomorrow is and microplastics in the oceans are equally troubling, and not a noble sentiment. We owe them real answers, not empty testify to the urgent need for interventions that can no longer words, actions not illusions. be postponed. We have caused a climate emergency that Our prayers and appeals are directed first at raising the gravely threatens nature and life itself, including our own. awareness of political and civil leaders. I think in particular of In effect, we have forgotten who we are: creatures made in those governments that will meet in coming months to renew the image of God. We were created not to be tyrants, but to be commitments decisive for directing the planet towards life, at the heart of a network of life made up of millions of species not death. The words that Moses proclaimed to the people as lovingly joined together by our Creator. Now is the time to a kind of spiritual testament at the threshold of the Promised rediscover our vocation as children of God. We are beloved Land come to mind: “Therefore choose life, that you and your creatures of God, who in his goodness calls us to love life and descendants may live” (Dt 3:19). We can apply those prophetlive it in communion with the rest of creation. ic words to ourselves and to the situation of our earth. Let us For this reason, I strongly encourage the faithful to pray in choose life! Let us say “no” to consumerist greed and to the these days that, as the result of a timely ecumenical initiative, illusion of omnipotence, for these are the ways of death. Let us are being celebrated as a Season of Creation. This season of inaugurate farsighted processes involving responsible sacrifices increased prayer and effort on behalf of our common home today for the sake of sure prospects for life tomorrow. began on 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care In this regard, the forthcoming United Nations Climate of Creation, and ends on 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis Action Summit is of particular importance. There, governof Assisi. It is an opportunity to draw closer to our brothers ments will have the responsibility of showing the political will and sisters of the various Christian confessions. In this to take drastic measures to achieve as quickly as possible zero ecological crisis affecting everyone, we should also feel close net greenhouse gas emissions and to limit the average increase to all other men and women of good will. in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius with respect to This is the season for letting our prayer be inspired anew pre-industrial levels, in accordance with the Paris Agreement by closeness to nature, which leads us to give thanks to God goals. In October, the Amazon region, whose integrity is the Creator. Saint Bonaventure, that eloquent witness to gravely threatened, will be the subject of a Special Assembly Franciscan wisdom, said that creation is the first “book” that of the Synod of Bishops. God opens before our eyes, so that, marvelling at its order, Each Christian man and woman, every member of the its variety and its beauty, we can come to love and praise its human family, can act as a thin yet unique and indispensable Creator. In the silence of prayer, we can hear the symphony thread in weaving a network of life that embraces everyone. of creation calling us to abandon our self-centredness in order May we feel challenged to assume, with prayer and to feel embraced by the tender love of the Father and to share commitment, our responsibility for the care of creation. May with joy the gifts we have received. We can even say that God grant us the courage to do good without waiting for creation is a place of encounter with the Lord and one someone else to begin. OCTOBER 2019 11
HOPELESSLY DEVOTED
Devotion to the Holy Rosary
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By Melina Sanchez
he month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary, one of the most known Catholic devotions in the world. Each year on October 7th, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary established by Pius V in 1572. It is the perfect prayer to contemplate the essential mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ, taken by the hand of Mary, the first believer. Pope John Paul II once said “the Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and tribulation.” I entrusted it with so many worries; in it I always found comfort. This phrase means so much to me as it describes how I feel about the Rosary in my life. My devotion to the Rosary came in a way I would have never expected. Coming from a Catholic family, I watched my sister pray the Rosary. However, I was never devoted to praying it. Perhaps like some people, I didn't find the need or the objective of reciting the Hail Mary over and over again. It's sad to admit to it, but I started praying the Rosary in one of the most challenging parts of my life. I needed help, spiritual guidance and foremost, grace! Graces that could help me get back to the life God wanted for me, and the Rosary gave me that and much more. It also gave me the peace my life needed in those times of instability. It is sublime how just a couple of days meditating on the Rosary changed my perspective in general and how much spiritual guidance I received from the intercession of the Blessed Mother. Her protection not only served me but also those around me. Not to mention the rest of the promises the Blessed Mother gives to those who devoutly pray the Rosary. The Rosary has become my comfort and ally in times of difficulty and joy. After years of complaining about how boring praying the Rosary was, today, I am humbled, I can say that it has become my most treasured devotion. Perhaps I should say, life without the Rosary is not life. There have been times where I feel empty and incomplete without praying the Rosary in our current world; a world where we seem to have forgotten, not about God, but to ask God for spiritual protection and, to help us all grow in holiness and live in virtue. Since our Blessed Mother is our advocate, she will always intercede for our request as long as it is suitable for our salvation. It is absurd to see how many Catholics engage in oriental practices where the repetition of mantras is frequent, and yet, praying a Rosary for them constitutes an extra effort and sometimes seems meaningless. Pray the Rosary, look for a moment in your daily life to let Jesus, our savior, accompany you by the guidance of Our Blessed Mother, Mary. It may be boring if you are not familiar with the practice, but I think it can be conquered little by little. Offering a whole Rosary a week or a dozen roses daily, 12 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
how I call it, to Our Blessed Mother can help so much. Put your concerns and problems into the hands of the Blessed Mother. Open the doors to your hearts and let her in. Seek counsel in God through her intercession, and I promise you, you will see a change in your life. There is not a perfect time in your life to seek God, just the ideal way. To me, it has been the Rosary, but there are so many other devotions that can get you close to God; it's just a matter of wanting to have God in your life. I want to share, or for those who already know, a little reminder of the 15 promises Our Blessed Mother left those who devotedly pray the Holy Rosary; I assure you, without a doubt, you will have plenty of reasons to start praying the Rosary. The Blessed Virgin Mary promised to St. Dominic and all who follow that “Whatever you ask in the Rosary will be granted.” She left 15 Promises, here are a few of my favorites: 1. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 2. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice; he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 3. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church. 4. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the saints in paradise. 5. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 6. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
HISPANIC NEWS
Parroquias con Ministerio Hispano en la Diócesis de Shreveport Por Rosalba Quiroz
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n los pasados artículos, escribimos sobre las parroquias de San Pascual en W. Monroe y Sta. María de los Pinos en Shreveport. En esta ocasión hablaremos de la parroquia de San José en Mansfield. La primer Misa en español en esta parroquia se celebró en 1993 y aunque ha tenido momentos difíciles y sufrido la pérdida de muchos miembros por cuestiones de falta de trabajo en el área, también ha tenido momentos de frutos y de alegría. En su momento, han celebrado aniversarios de su establecimiento con festividades como mariachi, danza de matachines, y visitas de los Obispos William Friend y Michael Duca. Entre los sacerdotes que han servido en San José están el Rev. John Scanlan, el Rev. Richard Norsworthy, el Rev. Patrick Scully, el Rev. Edmund “Larry” Neihoff (quien sirvió por más de 15 años), el Rev. Philip Michiels, el Rev. Rothel Price, Rev. Rigoberto Betancurt, el Rev. Juan García, el Rev. Mathew Long, y el Rev. James Moran. Cuando ha sido necesario, se han usado traductores como el sr. Salomón Salamanca profesor de inglés en las escuelas de DeStoto y la Sra. Juanita Ibarra quien ha sirvió como coordinadora por más de 20 años; Juanita sigue apoyando a la comunidad no solo a nivel parroquial si no en varias áreas como maestra de inglés, traductora en asuntos legales, médicos y muchos servicios más. Durante los momentos difíciles, que por falta del idioma español de los sacerdotes no se han ofrecido servicios en Mansfield, la comunidad ha recurrido Shreveport y Bossier City para recibir los sacramentos. En este momento precisamente, solo celebran la Misa un domingo al mes, por lo que con frecuencia, estos fieles hacen el viaje a estas parroquias vecinas. Oremos a nuestro Señor, dueño de todo para que nos envíe más vocaciones sacerdotales y así las pequeñas comunidades como ésta puedan gozar de más servicios pastorales. MINISTERIO HISPANO CATOLICO - DIOCESIS Rosalba Quiroz, Directora (318) 219-7265; rquiroz@dioshpt.org Melina Sanchez, Secretaria (318) 219-7257; msanchez@dioshpt.org
Cristo Rey: Bossier City
Rev. Fidel Mondragon Rev. Rigoberto Betancurt (318) 221-0238 Oficina Domingo-1:00pm Lunes y Martes-7:00pm Sabado-6:00pm
San Juan Bautista: Many
Rev. Rigoberto Betancurt (318) 458-6045 Cell (318) 256-5680 Oficina 1er Domingo-5:00pm
San Pascual: W. Monroe
Rev. Luis Jost, OFM (318) 243-0115 Cell Domingo-4:00pm Coordinadora: Lorena Chaparro
Santo Tomás Aquino: Ruston
Calendario Diocesano de Septiembre, 2019 9
11-13
Retiro Búsqueda Scottsville.
17-18
Entrenamiento “Fe en Acción” Wesley Centro de Conferen- cias en Woodworth, LA.
26
Gran celebración por diez años del retiro Búsqueda. Cristo Rey 10:30-6:00pm con Misa.
29 Reunión en
preparación para Experiencia Cristo#9. Parroquia Cristo Rey, 9-12p.m.
Vicario General para la Diocesis de Shreveport Padre Rothell Price, JCL, V.G. (318)219-7259; rprice@dioshpt.org Coordinador de la Vicaría del Este Padre Luis Jost, OFM (318) 243-0115; pluisofm@yahoo.com
Sta Maria de los Pinos: Shreveport
Rev. Rigoberto Betancurt (318) 458-6045 Cell (318) 687-5121 Oficina Domingo-11:30am Coordinadora: Alma Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Mendoza Socorro: Farmerville (318) 678-9306 P. Luis Jost, OFM (318) 243-0115 Sábado-7:00pm Coordinadora: Paola Gonzalez (817) 801-3499
Rev. Tony Posadas, OFM (318) 225-2870 Oficina Domingo-1:30pm Coordinadora: Luz Martinez (318) 224-0980
Clase de Protegiendo a los Niños de Dios, Santa María de los Pinos, 6-9pm
Sagrado Corazon: Oak Grove
Rev. Joseph Kallookalam, CMI (318) 428-2683 Oficina Domingo-5:00pm
San José: Mansfield
Rev. Rigoberto Betancurt (318) 458-6045 Cell 3er Domingo 3:00pm
OCTOBER 2019 13
MARY’S MISSION
Fall in Love with Your Spiritual Life
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By Mary Arcement Alexander
ad anyone told me in my 20’s that I would actually fall in love with my spiritual life, I would have laughed. Hard. How do you fall in love with your spiritual life? Is that even possible? And isn’t falling in love just meant for people? These are all things I would have asked then. Today I am not only in love with my spiritual life, I am excited about it! “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4 Tell me, are you in love with your spiritual life? Do you get excited about prayer and devotional time? Do you look forward to spending time with God outside of church? What does your Alexander spiritual life look like today? Are you longing for more of a connection with God other than one hour a week? If you’re unsure of the answers you’d give, then read on. I’ve learned on my own as well as through others how to answer each question with a resounding “yes” as well as being able to give a detailed description of my spiritual life. Listed below are simple ways to ensure you fall in love with your spiritual life. Set aside time EVERY day for prayer. This is crucial in order to begin this process. If you don’t first set the time aside each day, then it just won’t happen. This time needs to be the same each day. I encourage you to carve out 15 minutes to start. Ideally this time is in the morning (but it’s okay if not), even if you are a self proclaimed “I’m not a morning person” person. “And pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and request. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Eph. 6:18. Read scripture during your daily prayer time. For those who struggle with where to begin, I recommend reading Living Faith, a daily Catholic devotion. It contains three months worth of devotions in one small yet powerful booklet. Each day has scripture readings printed at the bottom of the page. It’s easy to read and always includes a great message to go along with the scriptures. Pick up your copy from church or visit www.livingfaith.com. Listen to a Catholic podcast. I highly recommend The God Minute podcast. This is one of my absolute favorite podcasts! Each episode is roughly 10 minutes long and contains two scripture readings, a few prayers and a great message. This podcast never fails to leave me both feeling good and longing to be closer to God. Attend daily Mass as often as you can. I did not attend my first daily Mass until I was well into my 30’s. After my first time, I can remember thinking, “Why am I not here everyday?” Daily Mass is a great way to start your day. It fills
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you with both the Holy Word but also, more importantly, the Holy Eucharist. It is short, sweet, to the point and fills you up with a shot of spiritual goodness. Get involved in your church. I cannot stress this one enough. For so many years I only attended church and never involved myself. Invest in your spiritual life by first investing in your church. Most churches have tons of options for involvement. Although going to Mass is important and fulfilling on its own, when you invest your time in your church the rewards are beyond what you can fathom. Being involved connects you with the congregation, the pastors, deacons and most importantly, Jesus. Start a gratitude journal. To begin a journal can be difficult for many. It may even be a little daunting. Beginning with a daily gratitude journal is a great start. The beauty of a gratitude journal is you don’t need to write down your deep, deep thoughts. All you need to do is look around and notice all the things you are most grateful for, both big and small. For example, in one of my entries I happened to be looking out through my French door onto our patio and noticed how purple my purple petunias were. And in that moment I realized how grateful I was for the brilliant color of purple. “You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps. 118:28-29 Tell me, are you ready to fall in love with your spiritual life?
Mary Alexander is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has her own practice in Shreveport, LA.You can contact her at mkarcement@gmail.com
YOUTH CORNER
Welcome to the Beginning By Mark Loyet
opportunity here at the Diocese. Not only has our Diocese been without a Director of Campus, Youth and Young Adult Ministry for some time, my position is brand new and encompasses a broader spectrum of ministry so I am thrilled about the huge opportunity for new ideas and strategies. I want you all to know that my door is ALWAYS open and I very much desire to hear from everyone who has ideas about how we can serve our Heavenly Father and our brothers and sisters in Christ across north Louisiana in all areas relating to pastoral ministry. I always say that the best ideas I have, I have gotten from someone else. In Romans 12:4-6 (NAB), the Apostle Paul wrote “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ reetings Diocese of Shreveport friends and and individually parts of one another. Since we have fellow laborers, and thank you all very much gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let for your prayers and warm welcome as I begin us exercise them.” Indeed let us collaborate, strategize this new path as Director of Pastoral Ministry for our and work together to build God’s kingdom. diocese. I am excited and humbled by the confidence Over the next year, my initial plan and goals which the administrative team has placed in me. As are to assess the different pastoral ministries that I have visited the Catholic Center over the last few are operating throughout the diocese, network and weeks, I have been very blessed to see firsthand a team establish communication with the many clerical and of people with servants’ hearts whose enthusiasm for Loyet lay pastoral ministers, and develop a comprehensive ministry and our new path breathes life into my own strategy for each of the various pastoral ministry branches in enthusiasm. I strongly encourage everyone to make an effort collaboration with their directors, employed members and to get to know the team members here who are faithfully volunteers. serving our diocese. As a builder, I am less an artist than a pragmatist. I am When I began my work as Youth Minister at Jesus the driven by what works. Clinging to tradition or innovation Good Shepherd in Monroe in August of 2015, if you had simply for their own sakes is not what I have observed to be asked me where I see myself in 4 years, I would have said, effective in ministry, nor have I seen a one-size-fits-all “Still here at JGS hopefully polishing an established youth approach work on a large scale. Generally speaking, ministry program.” Well as the saying goes, “If you want to make God (youth ministry for example) is going to look slightly, or even laugh, tell Him your plans.” I am very proud of the work our vastly different, based on location, population, community youth ministry team accomplished over the last 4 years and I history, etc. Therefore, I am a strong believer that we must can honestly say we have accomplished most of what we set be docile to the Holy Spirit as He works through us to out to do in building a youth program. Now, to my surprise, accomplish His will. He has called me to a new challenge and I look forward to In addition to communicating with many of you beginning a new project. individually via phone and e-mail, I will also strive to provide Without repeating what Randy Tiller said in his article diocesan pastoral ministry related news via this magazine and last month which introduced my new position, I would like social media. to summarize myself with one word: builder. When I came to JGS in 2015, there had not been a youth coordinator or program for many years. The advantage of Mark Loyet is the Director of Pastoral Ministries. that was that I was able to start from scratch and build the You can contact him at mloyet@dioshpt.org program from the ground up without being compared to the past or having to “fill someone else’s shoes,” nor did anyone have any concrete expectations. This was very freeing. In His providence, I believe God has given me a very similar
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OCTOBER 2019 15
Catholic Cemeter ies Who is Responsible for Maintaining Them? By Randy G. Tiller
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here are approximately 15 Catholic Cemeteries spread across the 16 civil parishes that comprise the Diocese of Shreveport. Presently all except one is maintained by a parish; some parishes even have multiple cemeteries to maintain. The one exception to this rule is St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Shreveport, LA located on Texas Avenue in West Shreveport. This cemetery was established in 1882 on property purchased by the second pastor of Holy Trinity Parish. Fr. Joseph Gentille purchased 10 ½ acres of land for a Catholic Cemetery using his own savings for $210.00. He designated the name of the cemetery; St. Joseph in honor of his patron saint. Fr. Gentille was the pastor that succeeded Fr. John Pierre the founding pastor. Ten years after the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1873 in Shreveport, Fr. Gentille secured permits from the Board of Health to transfer the remains of Fathers Pierre, LeVezouet and Queremais, who had perished in the epidemic, to St. Joseph Cemetery. The two sacred places in the Catholic faith are those which are assigned to divine worship or to the burial of the faithful by the dedication or blessing which the liturgical books prescribed for this purpose. (Canon 1205) Based on the teachings of Jesus works of mercy are recognized as “charitable actions by which we help our 16 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
neighbors.” (USCCA). They respond to the basic needs of humanity. The Church recognizes seven corporal works of mercy; the seventh is to bury the dead. These practices are evidence of our Christian ethics and acts of penance and charity. Through the corporal works of mercy we can gain the graces which lead to holiness (USCCB). We often hear ourselves or others say, "May God have mercy on me!" or “May God have mercy on someone else!” This is a cry for leniency, a plea to mitigate punishment, a request to be kind and accepting. Burying the dead is a work of mercy, it is a plea that God smile on that person, forgive them their sins and give them eternal peace and salvation. Through participating in the Christian Burial Rites of the Church we are offering our support to others to be sure no one walks alone. It allows us to grieve and through the prayers and actions show our respect for the life of loved ones and offer solace and consolation to their families and friends. That does not stop with the final prayer and the lowering of the casket into the grave. Our responsibility to care and maintain that sacred ground, to continue to delight in the life of the individual, to continue to show our love and our support to the surviving family members, to show mercy continues long after the funeral is over.
Caring for a cemetery is not without costs, without some degree of difficulty due to vandalism, to storms, lightning strikes, tornadoes and floods and without a commitment on our part to keep that cemetery in pristine shape. In the cemetery are the mortal remains of the “faithful departed” that were blessed during the funeral services. This is where the rubber hits the road, the cemetery. This is where our faith and hope of the resurrection of the body come together. From the sacred spaces in the cemetery the faithful departed will rise into eternal life. As we look upon the cemetery as the holy place that it is, it is our responsibility, the responsibility of the living to see that these ground remain sacred both in the nature of the ground and the ground itself. We are asked to see to the care and maintenance of the cemetery by that the graves and tombstones are kept in good condition, are not desecrated or not used for profane purposes but reserved for the beauty of what lies beneath. Cemeteries must be kept clean, headstones erect and repaired, ample walkways and roads so the grave sites themselves can be respected and not walked across. Families and
descendants have a responsibility to care for and maintain the monuments placed on the lots, to not add to or detract from the shrubbery, or plants and flowers without prior arrangements. Care is meant to be general care, keeping the grass cut, cleaning the grounds, raking leaves and removing broken trees; general care of the roads, fences; maintain a level of security so you
can visit loved ones. There are many ways to meet our responsibility to maintain the cemetery, not just at St. Joseph but at all Catholic cemeteries. It starts with each one of us, whether we own plots that have not been used, have plots where we have laid our dearly departed to rest, or know of others that have no family left in the area to help maintain their plots. As St. Paul reminds us in the book of Romans,“To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ,” let us find hope in the Lord within our cemeteries and be at home with Him while visiting the graves of the dead. Please help the Diocese to meet our responsibility by meeting your responsibility to maintain all Catholic Cemeteries.
A Blessing for All Souls
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By Kate Rhea
he tradition of blessing the graves dates back to the sixth century when Benedictine monasteries created a tradition of commemorating the deceased on Whitsunday, the 7th Sunday after Easter. The tradition wasn’t official until the 11th century, when Odilo of Cluny inaugurated a formal day to bless the souls of all the faithful departed to take place the day after All Saints’ Day, establishing All Souls’ Day. Later referred to as The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed or Cemetery Sunday, the blessing features a solemn prayer to God in remembrance of those who have perished and now rest in the consecrated ground of a cemetery. Families pray to help their deceased loved ones and for themselves as they grieve and remember all who have passed. The Blessing of the Graves is a spiritual communion among the communion of the saints, a moment to cherish and sanctify the Mystical Body of Christ. This year, the Diocese of Shreveport would like to begin what we hope will become a new tradition for families and Catholics to practice on Cemetery Sunday. This year a special event will take place at St. Joseph Cemetery in conjunction with the Blessing of the Graves. The faithful are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy prior to the blessing ceremony.
St. Joseph Cemetery will provide beverages and restroom conveniences along with tables and chairs to encourage fellowship as we remember Msgr. Earl V. Provenza presdies at a Cordaro family Mass held and pray for on September 1, 2019. our dearly departed. As is the custom at St. Joseph, after the general blessing if you stand at your loved ones gravesites, the priest or deacon will come and do a special blessing at that site. This event will take place on Sunday, November 3rd from 11:00am until the Blessing of the Graves ceremony begins at 2:00pm. If you and your family plan on joining us, please RSVP to Kate Rhea at krhea@dioshpt.org with the number of people attending.
OCTOBER 2019 17
Blessing of the Graves Southern Deanery Thursday, October 31, 2019 St. John the Baptist Cemetery, Rambin 5:15 p.m.
Saturday, November 2, 2019 St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, Frierson 10:00 a.m.
Blessing
Blessing St. Mary Cemetery, Rambin 6:00 p.m.
Logansport Cemetery 6:00 p.m.
Blessing Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Carmel & Rock Chapel Cemetery, Carmel 11:30 a.m.
Mass &Blessing
Blessing Friday, November 1, 2019 St. Joseph, Mansfield 8:00 a.m.
Mass Mansfield Cemetery 9:00 a.m.
Blessing Highland Cemetery 9:45 a.m.
St. Ann Cemetery 2, Stonewall 5:30 p.m.
Blessing St. Ann Cemetery 1, Stonewall 6:00 p.m.
Mass &Blessing
Blessing
Note: All Blessings and Masses will be celebrated by Fr. John Paul Crispin, FMH and Deacon Bill Kleinpeter.
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Blessing of the Graves Western Deanery Saturday, October 26, 2019
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Forest Park West Cemetery 1:00 P.M. Fr. Kevin Mues Deacon Jeff Chapman Deacon Homer Tucker Meet at Mausoleum
Centuries Cemetery 1:00 P.M. Rev. Msgr. Earl V. Provenza, V. F. Deacon Freeman Ligon Deacon Larry Mills Meet at gazebo – north end of property
Lincoln Park Cemetery 1:00 P.M. Fr. Joe Martina Deacon Bill Roche Meet at office Round Grove Cemetery 1:00 P.M. Fr. John Bosco Uwamungu Deacon Charles Thomas
Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery 1:30 P.M. Fr. Fidel Mondragón Deacon Ricardo Rivera Deacon Daniel LeMoine Meet at mausoleum
Sunday, October 27, 2019 Forest Park East Cemetery 2:00 P.M. Fr. Duane Trombetta Deacon John Basco Deacon Daniel LeMoine Meet at mausoleum across from office Rose-Neath Bossier Cemetery 2:00 P.M. Fr. Michael Thang’wa, FMH Deacon Mike Wise Deacon Steve Lehr Meet at statue in Catholic section on right
Sunday, November 3, 2019 St. Joseph Cemetery 2:00 P.M. Very Rev. Rothell Price Deacon John Basco Deacon Bruce Pistorius Deacon Daniel LeMoine Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery 2:00 P.M. Deacon Bill Kleinpeter Deacon Mike Whitehead Meet at committal shelter
Note: St. Paschal in West Monroe, will have a blessing of the graves at St. Paschal Cemetery on Saturday, November 2, at 8:30 a.m.
OCTOBER 2019 19
St. Joseph Shreveport to Host a Pet Blessing
New Spiritual Directors By Dianne Rachel
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t. Joseph Catholic Church is excited to announce a Pet Blessing in celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, on Friday, October 4. Father Matthew Long, Pastor of St Joseph Catholic Church, will bless the animals at 6 pm at University Veterinary Hospital on East Kings Highway. Pet owners may arrive between 5:15-6:00 pm at the UVH fenced pet park and parking lot, and may park at UVH and across the street at Ladies in Waiting. UVH will provide refreshments and treats, and those attending will receive a blessed St. Francis medal. All socialized animals are welcome! Pets may include leashed dogs and/or cats, birth or small animals in carriers. Photos of pets are also welcome, if it is difficult for your pet to attend the blessing. St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and the environment. The Church celebrates the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on October 4th each year, commemorating the life of St Francis, who was born in the 12th century. St. Francis died on October 4, 1226, and Pope Gregory IX pronounced St Francis a Saint in 1228. St. Mary of the Pines Church will also be hosting a Blessing of the Pets on October 6. For more information please check the calendar on page 31.
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Thomas
Straub
he Diocese of Shreveport welcomes two new spiritual directors. Congratulations to Nadalie Thomas and Deacon Mike Straub on their completion of two years of formation in the Archdiocese of New Orleans Internship in Spiritual Direction. Nadalie and Deacon Mike join nine certified spiritual directors in the diocese, all of whom have completed at least a 2-year internship at an approved spiritual direction formation program. All spiritual directors in the diocese are trained in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, as retreat leaders, and in one-on-one spiritual direction. All spiritual directors participate in on-going peer supervision. What is spiritual direction? Spiritual direction assists a person in becoming more aware of God’s presence in their life, and guiding a person in growing a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. Who is spiritual direction for? Everyone who is in a relationship with God would benefit from spiritual direction with a trained spiritual director. If you would like more information about spiritual direction, please contact a spiritual director. You can find a spiritual director at: http://www.dioshpt.org/
OCTOBER 2019 21
Our 2019-2020 Seminarians As we begin to turn our thoughts to the season of Advent and the splendor of Christmas, let us continue to pray for those men in priestly training for service to the people of our diocese. Know that every seminarian believes that your prayers make a difference in their lives as they attend to their daily routine of worship, classes, study and prayer. If you would like to send them a note of encouragement, their addresses are listed below.
Chris Dixon
Francis Genusa
Notre Dame Seminary 2901 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118
St. Joseph Seminary College P.O. Box 552 St. Benedict, LA 70457
Birthday September 15
Birthday: January 30
Nicholas Duncan
Raney Johnson
Notre Dame Seminary 2901 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118
Notre Dame Seminary 2901 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118
Birthday November 24
Birthday April 12
Tristan Frisk
Jeffery B. Key III
St. Joseph Seminary College P.O. Box 552 St. Benedict, LA 70457
Notre Dame Seminary 2901 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118
Birthday May 3
Birthday August 4
Kelby Tingle Pontifical North American College Kelby Tingle Vatican City State Europe 00120 Birthday August 1 22 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
Remembering Rev. Joseph Puthuppally By John Mark Willcox
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ev. Joseph Puthuppally, a beloved retired priest and long-time leader of Monroe’s Catholic Community, passed into eternal splendor on August 20, 2019 at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe after a short illness. Fr. Joe will be missed by the many people whose lives he touched in a meaningful and positive way. A native of Kerala, India, Fr. Puthuppally was born February 22, 1938, the son of Joseph and Aley Puthuppally. He attended a papal seminary in his home state of Pune, India before being ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Andrew D’Souza on October 2, 1966. His early life of priestly service was spent in his native country ministering in the field of education at St. John’s School in the Diocese of Varanasi, India where he finished as the principal of the school in 1984. Part of his time was spent in the missionary field and he famously was able to work side by side with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Fr. Puthuppally first came to America in 1986 to both study at Rutgers College and to work in ministry. He then applied for work in hospital ministry in our diocese and was installed as a chaplain at St. Francis Medical Center in 1992. In 1997, Fr. Puthuppally was appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Matthew Church by the late Bishop William B. Friend who later incardinated Fr. Joe into the Diocese of Shreveport, naming him as Pastor of St. Matthew Church in 2000. That appointment made Fr. Puthuppally the first priest from India to be named a Pastor for any parish within the Diocese of Shreveport. For over a decade, Fr. Joseph gave himself completely to both St. Matthew Church and the Catholic Community of the area. He maintained a passion for restoring both the exterior and interior of the
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St. Matthew’s historic sanctuary and he took great care to instill pride among the faithful in the remarkable history of Monroe’s downtown worship community. Fr. Joe was also renowned for his extraordinary outreach to people of all faith traditions and his ecumenism was inspirational to the whole Christian community. Fr. Puthuppally was also dedicated to the mentoring of additional priests from India who thankfully followed him in service to the Catholics of North Louisiana. He spent countless hours assisting his brother Indian priests in the transition to life in America and helped them better understand the nuances of mission work in America’s bible belt. Fr. Joe was truly a believer who made a difference and his leadership and gentle nature with God’s people will be greatly missed.
Diocese to Resume White Mass
he 2019 White Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, October 27, 2019 at 11 am at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans. Very Reverend Peter B. Mangum, Diocesan Administer, will preside. This White Mass will recognize and bless physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and all health care workers, and is co-sponsored by Christus Shreveport-Bossier Health System. The White Mass is held near the feast day of St. Luke, which is October 18th. A White Mass is the customary description for a liturgy for health care workers. Traditionally, health care workers wore white attire. In the Church, white symbolizes hope and comfort to the ill and hospitalized. All medical personnel and health care workers, as well as medical students in the diocese are welcome and encouraged to attend. A reception will follow in the Multi-Room.
OCTOBER 2019 23
Safety Measures Help Prevent Tragic Disasters By Randy G. Tiller
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he Diocese of Shreveport sponsored an important and timely seminar concerning the safety and the security of all parishes, staff personnel, and parishioners at the Catholic Center on August 13, 2019. Col. Gene Barattini, Retired, of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and Officer Tony LeBlanc head of Homeland Security for the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office partnered to present a workshop on how to improve churches and schools emergency readiness entitled, “All Hazards Approach to School and Church Planning: It’s not a case of “if ” but “when.” Some of our parishes; namely, St. Jude in Benton, Christ the King in Bossier and the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans have made great strides to make materials and knowledge available to their staff, parishioners and students in the event of a catastrophic event. It is prudent that as a diocese every parish and school should have an emergency preparedness program in place in the event of active shooters, tornadoes and flooding, fires, explosions, hazardous material spills, and suspicious objects containing dangerous contents such as bombs, poisons, germs or bacteria. 1. Be aware of possible threats from individual attempts to surveil or “case” the security in our locations; people dressed in unseasonably bulky clothes; someone deliberately trying to gain access to restricted areas; or asking atypical questions regarding security procedures. 2. Be aware of threats to the facilities, vandalism accompanied with a claim of responsibility from known or suspected terrorist groups and graffiti spray-painted at the facility. Be aware of unattended packages, bags, back packs or briefcases and the potential dangers that may be in each container. 3. Be aware of loitering, or unusual activities that cause diversions, people handing out terrorist literature or posting unsavory literature on public bulletin boards or at entrances 24 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
to events. These are only scratching the surface of the indicators of possible terrorist activities. It is already past the time to become part of the solution. By engaging in the following preventive measures ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors and our facilities can be protected: • Establish training programs, security procedures, and an alert system including a go-to person or phone number to report suspicious activity. • Maintain open lines of communication with law enforcement in your area; and know your first responders. • Establish direct communications with law enforcement persons and the ushers or sponsors of events. Learn the meaning of “run, hide, and fight.” • Establish tornado shelters, securing side doors five minutes before Mass begins, establishing exit routes and strategies, know where to go and how to get there in the event of an attack by weather or persons. • Know your fellow parishioners, do not be afraid to respectfully question unsavory or unknown persons carrying duffle bags or large backpacks; be vigilant and welcoming. • Know the parents of the other students in your child’s classrooms. • Know regular delivery personnel, vendors and especially authorized staff that are routinely on the property. • Install security cameras around the facility in the event of suspicious and dangerous activities. • Hire off duty law enforcement personnel in full uniform with weapons in plain sight for added security for open public events. (These arrangements can be made through the parish sheriff’s office for a nominal fee with a three or four hour minimum.) • Keep a log of any suspicious statements, behaviors, activities, items, persons and/or vehicles. Diocesan policy does not allow people to conceal and carry unless it is an active member of a law enforcement agency and they are known to the priest and preferably in full
uniform with weapons in plain sight; however, diocesan policy encourages action that ensures the safety and security of everyone present. Parishioners or visitors that do conceal and carry without prior knowledge of the pastor and ushers is a threat to themselves and others. Parishes are allowed to make ushers and staff aware of law enforcement in attendance at services or meetings or events. This is intended to make everyone aware of potential dangers and heighten that awareness to a level of action. We do not want our services or social events to become overburdened with security issues. We do want our services and social events to be safe! Please contact Officer LeBlanc at the Caddo Parish Sheriff Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness 318-675-2258 or email: tony.leblanc@caddosheriff.org for more information or to schedule an appointment for him to meet with your ushers or staff to help you establish a program. Although some may not be in Caddo Parish, Officer LeBlanc will contact your parish sheriff’s office on your behalf. In Bossier please contact Colonel Gene Barattini at 318-425-5352 or email: gbarattini@bohsep.org If you are interested in more information or a Safety Checklist for Disaster Preparedness please contact Ed Hydro, Facility Manager (ehydro@dioshpt.org; 318-219-7277) or
Randy Tiller, Chancellor (rtiller@dioshpt.org; 318-219-7256) Do not jeopardize your safety or the safety of others. Preventing these catastrophic events whether fire or weather related or terrorist events from happening is a community effort, a parish effort, a school effort. A partnership between the community and law enforcement is essential to the success of any emergency preparedness program. Please move your parish to action to prevent disasters!
From the Office of the Chancellor Randy G. Tiller Very Reverend Peter B. Mangum, Diocesan Administrator, has issued the following appointments. • Reverend Philip Michiels appointed Defender of the Bond effective August 13, 2019 for three years. • Deacon Clary Nash, Diocesan Director of Permanent Deacons and Coordinator of Permanent Deacon Formation Program retirement accepted effective September 30, 2019 • Deacon William “Bill” Roche appointed Diocesan Director of Permanent Deacons and Coordinator of Permanent Deacon Formation Program effective September 1, 2019 in addition to his assignment as Permanent Deacon at St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport. • Reverend Joseph Kuzhichalil, C.M.I. relieved as Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Bastrop, LA effective September 6, 2019. • Reverend Timothy C. Hurd, appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Joseph Parish, Bastrop, LA, effective September 7, 2019. • Reverend Biju Kuriakose, C.M.I, appointed Sacramental Minister of Sacred Heart Parish, Rayville, LA and St. Joseph Parish, Bastrop, LA effective October 1, 2019 in addition to serving as Sacramental Minister at St. Frederick High School, Monroe. Rrelieved of assignment as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Monroe and St. Lawrence Church, Swartz, LA. • Deacon Freeman Ligon appointed Contact Person for Catholic Scouting effective September 6, 2019 while remaining as Permanent Deacon at St. Joseph Parish, Shreveport, LA OCTOBER 2019 25
AROUND THE DIOCESE PSR Children Participate in Mass Activities at St. Paul.
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t. Paul Catholic Church’s PSR Program is excited to have our children involved in Mass! Hayden Hammett (7th grade) practicing the 2nd Reading for our Children’s Mass on September 15th.
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SR Students enjoyed a fun lesson about Holy Water! They made their own Holy Water Fonts to take home.
Let’s TACO ‘bout a Good Time
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t. Paschal Youth held their back-toschool Meet & Greet with a 'Let's TACO 'bout a Fiesta' theme. After enjoying a full taco bar, provided by El Jarrito Mexican Grill, youth competed in games and contests to win tickets to put toward prizes. The six pinatas provided for the fiesta were the highlight of the evening. Pictured are the prize winners at our 'San Pascual Pueblo'.
26 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
St. Joseph Catholic Church Shreveport Recognized for its Historical Importance
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enator Barrow Peacock co-authored a resolution to commend St. Joseph Catholic Church on the occasion of its 70th anniversary and to celebrate the faith and sacrifice of its founders. He presented the resolution to Father Matthew Long. Wording included the good works, spiritual guidance and educational scholarship provided by St. Joseph’s to the community it serves, encouraging the tenets of Catholicism through education. The resolution mentioned the modest beginnings at Broadmoor Theater and the ministries of the parish as well as a list of pastors. It said the faithful congregation are disciples who worship their God, rejoice in a living faith in Jesus Christ and reflect upon His love, goodness and teachings.
Celebrating Important Milestones
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hrist the King - Bossier City, recently celebrated Fr. Fidel Mondragón’s 43rd birthday and Fr. Rigo Betancurt’s 36th anniversary to the priesthood. Congratulations to both men on their years of service and life to the Church.
CCD Classes Kick off at St. John the Baptist
CCD classes are held each Wednesday at St. John the Baptist at 5:30PM. To begin the year, the children read the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. During Arts & Crafts time, they made an image of the serpent.
Send submissions to "Around the Diocese" to smaiette@dioshpt.org. Please include a photo that has not been resized and a brief description.
OCTOBER 2019 27
SCHOOL NEWS
A New Journey
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ongratulations on the arrival of the new principal of St. Joseph Catholic School, Mr. Clayton Cobb (pictured with his wife and two-month-old daughter). Mr. Cobb has served the Diocese of Alexandria as a teacher at the elementary, middle, and high-school levels, and he currently serves as the Dean of Students at St. Francis Cabrini School in Alexandria. He and his wife, Carrie, have four children (Matthew, Chase, Adam, and Amelia) and are looking forward to this opportunity and their move to Shreveport. Mr. Cobb is expected to begin his new journey with St. Joseph at the end of October or first of November. Please pray and welcome him and his family as they begin on this new path.
Save the Date: JGS Parish & School Fall Festival
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esus the Good Shepherd Church and School are gearing up for the 5th Annual JGS Fall Festival celebration on Saturday, November 2 from 5:30p.m.-8:30p.m. There will be many fun fair-style rides, class carnival games, bingo & beverages, food, country store, silent-auction and much more! We invite all neighboring parishes, schools and families to join us for this fun celebration of church, school and community. Grab a friend and come join us for an evening of fun and fellowship! For more information please call the JGS Church or School office.
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Loyola Student Named as National Merit Semifinalist
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ongratulations to Peter Vanchiere for being named a National Merit Semifinalist! Over 1.5 million juniors took the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test last year, and as a semifinalist, Peter is among the top 1% of high scorers in the state. At Loyola College Prep, Peter is involved in Spanish Club, Flyers Aiding the Hungry, and National Honor Society; he is an Altar Server, and he is a left-wing starter for the Loyola Men's soccer team. He truly exemplifies all of our three pillars - academic excellence, student involvement, and faith in action.
Diocese Youth Give Back to the Community
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he Our Lady of Fatima Youth Group became the hands of Christ as they painted the Our Lady of Fatima School cafeteria.
rances Barham, as part of her Capstone Leadership Project, collected our recently retired school uniforms. She washed, folded, and packed the uniforms and with the help of her family and classmates, worked at the Stampede Rodeo to raise the money necessary to ship them. St. Frederick High School is now United by Uniforms with Centro Educativo Esperanzo Para Guatemala. Frances is pictured on the left with her older sister Larkin. OCTOBER 2019 29
OCTOBER CALENDAR JGS Fall Festival - November 2
DIOCESAN EVENTS October 5
Monthly Meeting for Emmaus Retreat 9:00 a.m. Christ the King Church 425 McCormick St. Bossier City, LA 71111
October 9
Protecting God’s Children 6:00 p.m. Catholic Center 3500 Fairfield Ave Shreveport, LA 71104
October 9
FEAST DAYS October 1
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, virgin & doctor of the Church
October 17
St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop & martyr
October 2
October 18
The Holy Guardian Angels
St. Luke, evangelist
October 4
October 19
St. Francis of Assisi
October 5
Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, priest
October 9
St. Denis, bishop & companions, martyrs; St. John Leonardi, priest
October 11
St. John XXIII, pope
October 15
St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin & doctor of the Church
October 16
St. Hedwig, religious; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin
Sts. John de Brebeyf & Isaac Jogues, priests & companions, martyrs
October 22
St. John Paul II, pope
October 23
St. John of Capistrano, priest
October 24
St. Anthony Mary Claret, bishop
October 28
Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
HOLIDAYS October 14
Columbus Day 30 THE CATHOLIC CONNECTION
Protecting God’s Children (Spanish) 6:00 p.m. St. Mary of the Pines 1050 W Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Shreveport, LA 71118
October 27
White Mass 11:00 a.m. Cathedral of St. John Berchmans 939 Jordan Street Shreveport, LA 71101
PARISH EVENTS October 4 Blessing of the Pets 6:00 p.m.
University Veterinary Hospital 7700 E Kings Highway Shreveport, LA 71115 St. Joseph Shreveport will be hosting a Blessing of the Pets at the University Veterinary Hospital. All dogs, cats, birds and small animals, leashed or in a carrier, are allowed to attend.
October 6 Blessing of the Pets 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
St. Mary of the Pines Church 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Expy Shreveport, LA 71118
October 13
Silent Auction 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. A Silent Auction will be held at St. Mary of the Pines Church to benefit local parish educational programs. 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Expy Shreveport, LA 71118
October 19
St. Paschal Herbal Harvest 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Free Event West Monroe Convention Center 901 Ridge Ave. West Monroe, LA
October 27
Halloween Carnival 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. $3 admission Mary, Queen of Peace Church Children will enjoy trunk or treating while playing games and adults will be able to do some early Christmas shopping. All proceeds will benefit our youth programs. 7738 Barksdale Blvd
November 2
Jesus the Good Shepherd Fall Festival 5:30 p.m. 900 Good Shepherd Lane Monroe, LA 71201 Please join us for fun, food, fellowship, bingo and so much more. All proceeds benefit JGS Church and School
November 3
Special Mass 9:00 a.m. St. Mary of the Pines Church will be hosting its third National Black Catholic History Month Mass 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop Expy Shreveport, LA 71118
January 11, 2020
Convention of Councils 8:00 a.m. The Diocese of Shreveport will be hosting the Convention of Councils on January 11. The purpose of this event is for parish, pastoral and finance councils to come together and swap ideas to improve mission effectiveness in each parish. Catholic Center 3500 Fairfield Ave. Shreveport, LA 71105
February 11, 2020
Mary’s House Pro Life Fête for Life Time to be confirmed – evening event Tuesday, February 11, 2020 Bossier Civic Center 620 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA 71111
On the Back Fr. Peter B. Mangum accepts the Excellence in Religious Education Check from the Knights of Columbus. These funds are used to support lay students of our diocese in continuing their education in theology and pastoral studies. Pictured with Fr. Peter is Dave Bodden (Bossier Assembly), Jack Gustafson, Glenn Scioneaux, Ed Wicks (Monroe Assembly), Kenny Birch, Steve Cude, James Foshee (Shreveport Assembly), and Ed Corkern (West Monroe Assembly)
OCTOBER 2019 31
Connection The Catholic
DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.
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Shreveport, LA 71104
Fr. Peter accepts the Excellence in Religious Education check from the Knights of Columbus at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans.
Fairfield
