Catholic Connection November 2016

Connection The Catholic

Vol. 26, No. 4 November 2016

Struggling with

ANXIETY

Navigating Internal Turmoil and Taking Hoplessness to Jesus

Also Inside: Finding God’s Mercy in Our Suffering November 2016 1

Connection The Catholic

Publisher Bishop Michael G. Duca Editor Jessica Rinaudo Contributors

Rosalba Quiroz Shelly Bole Jessica Rinaudo Cathy Cobb Sr. Martinette Rivers Lisa Cooper Katie Sciba Bishop Michael Duca Duane Trombetta Kim Long Mike Van Vranken Lucy Medvec Linda Webster Deacon Clary Nash Fr. Rothell Price Editorial Board Kim Long Fr. Matthew Long Kelly Phelan Powell Dianne Rachal Christine Rivers Deacon Mike Whitehead John Mark Willcox Mission Statement The Catholic Connection is a monthly publication funded by your Diocesan Service Appeal; mailed to every known Catholic household in the Diocese of Shreveport.

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

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

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

Don't Forget to Visit the Holy Door!

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he Holy Year of Mercy will be coming to a close soon. And if you haven’t yet, now is the perfect time to visit the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans and walk through the Holy Door. (Read more about it on page 11).

Here’s what you need to do!

1. Establish a specific date and time for your pilgrimage. 2. Contact the

Cathedral (318-221-5296) to ensure the Holy Door will be open at the time you plan to arrive. 3. Think of ways to make your pilgrimage spiritual. Pre-determine the prayers, psalms, scriptures or reflections you will reflect on during your journey.

4. Bring your Bible. 5. Are there other churches along the way where you can stop and visit the Blessed Sacrament? Or cemeteries to stop at and pray for the dead?

6. Consider stopping at other churches along the way and pick up other pilgrims for your caravan. 7. If you need to stop for lunch, pack a simple picnic meal or pre-determine a restaurant where a simple meal is available. 8. Consider inviting families from PSR programs, Catholic schools or youth groups to join you. 9.

As you walk through the Holy Door, offer prayers of gratitude for the opportunity and for arriving safely. 10. Once inside, quietly spend time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Read one of the scriptures or reflections.

The Cathedral of St. John Berchmans expresses gratitude to all of the churches and groups who have made a pilgrimage to the Cathedral and the Holy Door during this Extraordinary Jubilee Year! Almost every parish has participated!

The closing of the door will take place November 20, at the 11:00 a.m. Mass.

bishop’s november calendar NOVEMBER 1 All Saints Day Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 5:30 p.m.

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

NOVEMBER 6 Harvest Day Mass & Celebration; Sacred Heart Parish, Oak Grove; 11:00 a.m.

NOVEMBER 11-18 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ meeting; Baltimore, MD

NOVEMBER 7 Coadjutor Bishop David P. Talley’s Welcome Mass; Alexandria; 10:00 a.m.

NOVEMBER 20 Close Door of Mercy Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 5:30 p.m.

NOVEMBER 8 Priests Retirement Committee Meeting; Catholic Center, Shreveport; 11:00 a.m.

NOVEMBER 21 Bishop-Elect Robert M. Coerver’s Mass of Episcopal Ordination & Installation; Lubbock; 2:00 p.m.

NOVEMBER 9 Loyola College Prep Style Show; Shreveport Convention Center, Shreveport; 11:00 a.m.

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

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

2 Catholic Connection

Theology on Tap; Red River Brewing Company, Shreveport; 6:30 p.m.

Our Lady Queen of Palestine Mass (Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem); Holy Trinity Parish, Shreveport; 5:30 p.m.

NOVEMBER 10 Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast; Shreveport Convention Center, Shreveport; 7:00 a.m.

NOVEMBER 22 Annual Business/ Clergy meeting; Catholic Center, Shreveport NOVEMBER 24 Thanksgiving Day Mass; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Shreveport; 9:00 a.m.

NOVEMBER 25 – DECEMBER 7 Trip to India

contents

november 2016

columns Thankfulness: A Joyful Awareness of God's Love by Bishop Michael Duca........... 4-5 Mike’s Meditations: Hungering for His Majesty by Mike Van Vranken.................. 6 In Review: Messy & Foolish: How to Make a Mess, Be a Fool and Evangelize the World by Jessica Rinaudo ............................................................. 7 Faithful Food: Offering Comfort in Times of Grief by Kim Long............................ 8

5

Domestic Church: Don't Be Just a "Fan" of the Saints by Katie Sciba................. 9 From the Pope: New Cycle of Catechesis on the Works of Mercy from Vatican Information Services...............................................................................10 Navigating the Faith: Holy Door Pilgrimages by Shelly Bole ................................11 Catholic Campaign for Human Development by Fr. Rothell Price .....................12 Vocations View: Seminarian Practices Mercy in Orlando Hospital

by Duane Trombetta ....................................................................................................... 13 Mercy in Action: Lake Providence Youth Pay It Forward to Community Members by Linda Webster ......................................................................................18 Kids' Connection: Saint Margaret of Scotland .....................................................24

14

features Struggling with Anxiety: Navigating Internal Turmoil and Taking Hoplessness to Jesus by Katie Sciba ........................................................ 14-15 Finding God's Mercy in Our Suffering

by Cathy Cobb ........................................................................................................ 16-17

news Catholic Charities' Immigration Program Offers Services Unique to North Louisiana by Lucy Medvec.............................................................................19 Loyola's Ben Hyde Rallies Students to Corporal Works of Mercy

by Lisa Cooper ..........................................................................................................20 God is Calling – Are You Listening? by Deacon Clary Nash ..................................21

20 on the cover

Relic from Saint John Berchmans Coming to Cathedral ..................................21 A Thanksgiving Reflection on Gratitude and Love by Sr. Martinette Rivers, ols .... 22 Hispanic News by Rosalba Quiroz ...........................................................................23 School News ...........................................................................................................25 The Challenges of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops...............................................26-27 Across the Globe: Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals from Vatican Information Services ..............................................................................28 Around the Diocese ...............................................................................................29 Mark Your Calendar ...............................................................................................30 Blessing of the Graves ..........................................................................................30 November Calendar .............................................................................................31 Picture of the Month...............................................................................................32

Photo © Lightpoet | Dreamstime.com

November 2016 3

la reflexión Del Obispo por Obispo Michael G. Duca

Agradecimiento: Una Realización Gozosa del Amor de Dios

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ada primero de noviembre mis pensamientos vuelan hacia el Día de Gracias. Creo que se me viene este pensamiento porque he sido muy bendecido con una vida de felices recuerdos en torno a mi familia en la épica comida de ese día. También pienso en esta fiesta por la actitud espiritual de un corazón agradecido que es un remedio necesario para sanar las heridas de nuestro mundo moderno. Si se me dieran la oportunidad, lo haría un día santo obligatorio.

Crecí en una familia donde nos enseñaron a decir, “Gracias.” Estaba tan acostumbrado que en momentos específicos cuando mi mamá me hacía la pregunta, “¿QUE SE CONTESTA?” ya sabía que una de las respuestas era “Gracias” y si no la otra era “Perdón”. Pero lo que esto enseñaba era a cómo ser amable. Hay una importancia aún más profunda al ser agradecido y que es una lección muy necesaria en el mundo de hoy.

Ser agradecido significa reconocer que hemos recibido un regalo y una bendición no merecida. Ser agradecido es el fruto de nuestra fe en Dios. Ser agradecido implica reconocer al Dios amoroso que provee y nos bendice con las cosas buenas en nuestras vidas. Cuando vivimos con una actitud bien cimentada en el agradecimiento, la vida no se trata de nuestras cosas, nuestros logros, de lo que merecemos o lo que se nos debe, sino más bien se trata de las bendiciones de Dios y de ser buenos administradores de los regalos que hemos recibido.

Si ponen atención escucharán que ahora se usa un lenguaje diferente.

En respuesta a algo bueno la gente dice, “me lo merezco,’ “por fin recibiré lo que se me debe,” “esto es mío… me lo gané.” En el mundo de hoy, entre mas y más gente empuja a Dios fuera de sus vidas, nada se ve como una bendición. Más bien se juzgan los logros por medio de todas las cosas que tenemos, por el dinero y la influencia que tengamos y, a pesar de nuestra edad, en que tan jóvenes y al día estamos. Claro que la persona sabia reconoce que no hay fin a este correr frenético porque siempre hay alguien con más poder e influencia, con más dinero, y además estamos destinados a ser ancianos. La persona que siempre quiere más nunca encontrará la paz porque nunca podrá contestar la pregunta, “Cuanto es suficiente?” ellos nunca podrán ver las bendiciones que ya tienen porque siempre necesitarán más.

Un corazón agradecido, en el sentido espiritual más profundo, se encuentra no solamente cuando nos humillamos ante Dios y admitimos que todas las cosas vienen de Él como bendiciones, especialmente nuestras vidas. La verdadera paz y gozo que tienen un hombre o una mujer nos esta en los logros ni las cosas que poseen, sino en su amor a Dios, en reconocer el cuidado leal de Dios y en la espera de una vida futura aún mejor. Todas las otras bendiciones se ven a la luz de bendiciones que son para disfrutarse y para compartirse como Dios las ha compartido con nosotros. Cuando me doy cuenta de las bendiciones en mi vida y las veo como regalos de Dios, estoy más dispuesto a compartirlas de la misma manera como regalos de y para los demás. La generosidad no se basa en lo mucho que tenemos que compartir, sino más bien en darnos cuenta de 4 Catholic Connection

cuanto hemos recibido de Dios.

Esta búsqueda frenética por la felicidad no tiene éxito porque Dios no es parte de la ecuación. Por eso es que la gratitud es un bálsamo, una cura para el mundo moderno que continua buscando reconocimiento terrenal. El agradecimiento, mas allá de ser simple amabilidad, es un gozo libertador de lo mucho que nos ha bendecido Dios. Con esta nueva manera de ver el mundo, podemos ver que las bendiciones están aquí: nuestros hogares, familia, amigos, y nuestras vidas mismas, y, lo más importante, un Dios amoroso que nos perdona y nos redime.

Esta es una verdad al centro de nuestra fe.

Llamamos Misa a la “Eucaristía,” que es la palabra Griega para Agradecimiento. Nuestra oración central en la Iglesia es primeramente y sobre todo una oración de agradecimiento y de alabanza al amor que Dios comparte con nosotros y el regalo invaluable, Su propio Cuerpo y Sangre. Ahora que escribo esto, me doy cuenta que no necesitamos un Santo Día de Obligación de Acción de Gracias pues cada día es una Eucaristía, un agradecimiento a Dios. Y entre mejor entendemos esto, más y más nuestros corazones estarán agradecidos, y más y más nos sentiremos satisfechos y en paz lo que nos hará más generosos con los que lo necesitan. •

bishop’s REFLECTION

by Bishop Michael G. Duca

Thankfulness: A Joyful Awareness of God's Love

E

very first of November my thoughts go to Thanksgiving Day. I think this holiday comes to mind because I have been blessed with a lifetime of happy memories around this epic family meal. I also think of this holiday because the spiritual attitude of a thankful heart is a needed remedy to some of the wounds in our world today. If given a chance, I think I would make Thanksgiving Day a holy day of obligation.

I grew up in a family where we were taught to say, “Thank you.” It was so ingrained in me that in particular moments when my mom would put the question to me, “WHAT DO YOU SAY?” I knew that one of the answers to that question was “Thank You.” (The other possible answers were “I'm sorry,” Bishop Duca or “Excuse me”). But this lesson was about manners and politeness. There is a deeper and more profound importance to being thankful which is a needed lesson in today's world.

Thankfulness means acknowledging that we have received a gift and an undeserved blessing. Being thankful is the fruit of our faith in God. Thankfulness assumes a loving God who provides and blesses us with the good things of our lives. When we live with a foundational attitude of thankfulness, life is not about our things, our accomplishments, what we deserve or are due, but rather about the blessings of God and being stewards of the gifts we have received.

If you listen you will hear a different language being spoken today.

In response to some good thing people will say, “I deserved this,” “I am finally getting what is owed me,” “This is mine... I earned it.” In today's world, as more and more people push God out of their lives, nothing is seen as a blessing. Instead a successful life can only be judged by how much stuff we have, by how much money and influence we have and, in spite of our age, how young and relevant we are. Of course the wise person knows that there is no end to this frantic merry-go-round quest because there is always someone with more power and influence, with more money, and we are destined to get old. The person who always wants more will never find peace because they will never be able to answer the question, “How much is enough?” They will never be able to see the blessings they already have because they always need more.

A thankful heart, in the deepest spiritual sense, is found only when we humble ourselves before God and admit that all things come from God as a blessing, especially our very lives. The truth that brings a man or woman of faith joy and peace are not the accomplishments or the amount of things they own, but their love of God, His faithful care and the knowledge of an even better life to come. All other blessings seen in this light are blessings to be enjoyed, but also shared as God has shared them with us. When I become aware of the blessings of my life as gifts from God, then I am more willing to likewise share these gifts with others. Generosity is not based on how much we have to give away, but

rather on the awareness of how much we have received from God. This frantic searching for happiness is unsuccessful because God is not part of the equation. This is why thankfulness is a balm, a cure for a modern world that continues to seek worldly recognition. Thankfulness, beyond simple politeness, is a freeing and joyful awareness of how much God has blessed us.

With this new way of viewing the world, we can see the blessings right in front of us: our homes, family and friends, our very lives, and, most importantly, a loving God who forgives and redeems us.

This is a truth at the center of our faith. We call Mass the “Eucharist,” which is the Greek word for Thanksgiving. Our central prayer in the Church is first and foremost a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to the love God shares with us and the priceless gift of His own body and blood. Now that I write this, I realize we do not need to have a Holy Day of Obligation for Thanksgiving, because every day is a Eucharist, a thanksgiving to God. And the more we understand this, the more our hearts are thankful, the more we will feel satisfied and peaceful and the more generous we will be to those in need. • November 2016 5

mike’s meditations

by Mike Van Vranken

Hungering for His Majesty

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’m convinced that people everywhere today are starving for a great leader: someone who upholds all that is good and fights anything that remotely even smells of evil. If we look around, we actually do find people with such moral authority.

Pope Francis immediately comes to mind. So, let’s spend a few minutes and imagine that perfect, earthly leader who brings peace and wholeness to our world.

Our imaginary superior wants to overcome evil of every kind. They want to wipe out poverty, feed the hungry and heal the sick. They will annihilate Van Vranken oppression, ignorance and abuse. Respect for human life will be at the top of their priorities, and everyone will be immediately attracted to this upright and righteous guide.

Picture yourself as one of the helpers. You are willing to do whatever it takes to change our world while following this person’s lead. He or she promises you that, if you will labor with them every day, and work hard to restore all that is good, you may share loneliness and sleepless nights; you may be hungry at times and your clothes may be ragged; but in the end, you will also share in the victory of a loving and peaceful world. In your mind you are trying to compare this pioneer you want to follow with others you have known or read about. This person fights for social justice with the fervor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and holds and cares for the hungry and sick with the compassion of Mother Teresa. You find yourself so inspired and exhilarated by the call of this godly leader, you volunteer to follow him or her until the victory is complete.

In his spiritual exercises, St. Ignatius Loyola begins one of his contemplations with a similar dreamlike exercise. He asks those on retreat to imagine making a commitment to follow such a holy hero that they are excited and dedicated to do anything it takes to bring about this cause to fruition. Ignatius wants those making the exercises to ask themselves: “How could anyone refuse the call of this moral and holy challenge?”

Then, once the person making the exercises has fully engaged in this scenario, Ignatius asks a better question: “If you will give such passionate consideration to the call of such an earthly leader, how much more worthy of consideration is it to look on Christ our Lord, the eternal King?” In other words, if we can get this excited about a good and moral human leader that we will give our time, our talents and even our money to follow, how excited should we be to follow the call of the King of kings and Lord of lords?

On the cross, Jesus faced the taunts of the crowds. The soldiers mockingly asked him if he was the “king” of the Jews. One of the criminals being crucified asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom.

Pilate had previously asked Jesus if he was a king, and then had the words “King of the Jews” inscribed above his head on the cross.

Revelations makes it quite clear he is the “King of kings.”

But how do we picture Christ as our king? Let’s use our imaginations, but this time, contemplating what it looks like to unreservedly follow 6 Catholic Connection

King Jesus, the eternal royal shepherd who has promised us victory over sin, death and evil. What does your loyal discipleship really look like? Are you still excited and inspired to follow him daily? Is your heart on fire to be his light to the world? Do your words and actions bring peace to those around you?

Are you standing up for those who are oppressed and vulnerable? If you had an audience with King Jesus right now, how would the conversation go? •

MONTHLY REFLECTION In your daily prayers this month, spend a few moments picturing yourself in front of the eternal King of the universe. Ask him for the grace to show you exactly how he wants you to serve him that day. Ask him to be specific. Ask him for his perspective on how you are doing as his loyal follower.

And be mindful, he is not like any earthly king who has ever lived. King Jesus brings us healing where there was sickness, food where there was hunger, justice where there was oppression and life where there was death. And most of all, King Jesus loves you more than you can think or imagine. Believe it, and proclaim him your King today.

Mike is a writer, teacher, and co-author of the book, Faith Positive in a Negative World. You can contact him at www.mikevanvrankenministries.org

in REVIEW

by Jessica Rinaudo

Messy & Foolish: How to Make a Mess, Be a Fool and Evangelize the World

by Matthew Warner

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admit, as a mother of four young children the thought of making a mess as a means of changing the world was appealing to me. That, after all, sounded like something easily attainable for our lifestyle. But the mess Matthew Warner talks about in Messy and Foolish, is one that is a bit more challenging. Warner’s “mess” comes from the challenge Pope Francis made during 2013’s World Youth Day, “I want a mess,” said Pope Francis.

“I want the Church to go out in the streets!”

This small book is broken up into four sections and aims to give concrete ways we can evangelize from where we are right now in our lives.

In the introduction, Warner states that the current “problem” of the Church in the world today is the constant decline of adults, and subsequently their children, maintaining their faith. He proposes the answer to this problem is to help others see the world differently.

Part One of this book focuses “On Messes.” Warner describes a series of messes, that although seemed tough or bad, were ultimately good. He asks us to be artists of evangelization, moving past the vulnerability of sharing our art with the world. He then challenges us to start the mess within ourselves, with all the things we love more than God. Warner poses some pointed questions that help us to reevaluate how we see and love God in our personal lives.

Part Two describes “foolishness” as something to embrace. To define foolishness, Warner looks at what the world thinks it means to be successful, and how people who don’t spend every

ounce of their lives striving for only themselves and their personal interests may seem foolish to others. He also addresses living faith positively, instead of viewing the Church as a set of negative rules. “…instead of talking about how beautiful the faith is, let’s show the world its beauty.” And later he adds, “People will learn more from what you do than from anything you will ever say. We’ve forgotten this when it comes to changing the world.”

To live in a way that allows Christ to radiate through our lives, Warner says, we must be willing to embrace Christ every day, despite the distractions and overwhelming circumstances of our lives.

The third part of this book covers “Evangelizing the World,” and Warner starts the section by asking you to begin transforming your life and evangelizing at this very moment, and not to wait around for something to happen first. Instead, he urges you to trust God. Warner also unpacks the idea of loving your neighbor as yourself, challenging you to reach out to your literal neighbor instead of getting hung up on the idea of finding a way to help many at once. He urges us to love a few deeply instead of casting a wide and shallow net.

Warner asks us to look at our lives, the messiness, the difficult things, and embrace them, making even more sacrifices to gain the love of Christ as the focal point of our lives. And in doing so, in loving God and embracing the people around us, we can begin to evangelize the world. •

““God could have revealed himself to us in numerous ways. He could have explained himself nicely and neatly. But he knew that the only way to really get through to us was to make an absolute mess of things.”

– Messy and Foolish: How to Make a Mess, Be a Fool, and Evangelize the World

Messy and Foolish is available to borrow through the Catholic Center's Slattery Library, or for purchase online through DynamicCatholic.com or Amazon.com.

November 2016 7

faithful FOOD

by Kim Long

Offering Comfort in Times of Grief Make Yourself a Gift of Christ's Love to One Another

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here is a stack of paper on my kitchen counter, mail that I have dumped there along with recipes, receipts and any number of things. It is how the order in my house begins to buckle. Finally, with an Long afternoon whose time is unaccounted for, I began to sort through them and I found two programs from recent funerals, for the fathers of two of my friends, my sisters with whom I worship, talk, pray and dance with.

About two years ago several women and I began meeting at church to learn Irish celli dancing, the social dancing of Ireland whose heritage we all share. Over time we have bonded, learned to trust being vulnerable in dance and in life.

Our sisterhood was untested until the past couple of months.

My phone’s text alert woke me late one evening. The message on the brightly lit screen was simple, “Pray for my dad, it doesn’t look good.” My heart sank as I responded, “Praying.” Later another text came through, “He is gone.”

My heart broke for my friend, my sister in sweat, as we laughingly call ourselves.

I texted the rest of our dance group and they in turn sent messages of support.

We attended the services as a group.

She was glad to see us and, to be honest, I was glad to be in the company of prayerful women who share a common heritage and who care about one another, women who are closer than “just friends.”

A few weeks later a similar text came through, a bit earlier in the evening – a request for prayer.

Another friend’s dad was preparing to make the journey to be with the Lord.

We stayed in contact and the next day I received the expected message that he too was gone. We met together at the same funeral home to pay our respects and show our support and love.

As I looked around at the funeral home and saw us offering comfort and Christ’s love to each other, I recalled the passage from the Psalms telling us our mourning had been turned into dancing, that our sackcloth had been loosened

Becky's Luscious Chicken Soup Ingredients: • 1/3 cup butter • 3/4 cup flour • 2 cups chicken stock • 1 cup milk • 1 1/2 cup cooked, diced chicken • salt and pepper to taste • Optional ingredients: shredded carrots, English peas & pinch of dried thyme

8 Catholic Connection

Directions: 1) Blend butter and flour over low heat.

2) Add chicken stock and milk.

Blend slowly til thickened.

3) Add chicken and heat to boiling (stir so it doesn’t stick).

4) Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) Add optional items if desired.

Serve with bread or grilled cheese sandwiches or just a spoon!

and we were girded with gladness.

Our little dance group’s our steps did not come naturally. We practiced for hours. Similarly, neither does gladness greet us the morning after a loss but we practice our faith, we believe and we trust that gladness does indeed comfort us when we are ready to accept it.

There is an old cookbook on my shelf, In My Mother’s Kitchen by Mimi Sheraton, it was the first ever cooking memoir I read. She writes an entire chapter on grief and food. As well as stories and recipes, there is a proverb I have never forgotten, “Don’t compound grief with hunger.” I find this to be true.

Many of us in the south have our “goto” recipes for funeral food offerings: fried chicken, a variety of substantial salads and, of course, cake. I offer a comfort food from a dear friend’s larder.

It isn’t considered funeral food, but is usually offered in the weeks after the funeral. It’s a gentle reminder that death is not the victor and life is not ended, but changed. • Kim Long is the Director of Religious Education at St. Mary of the Pines Parish in Shreveport.

domestic CHURCH

by Katie Sciba

Don't Be Just a "Fan" of the Saints

I

own every Garth Brooks album. A fan since the tiny age of 3 when “Friends in Low Places” thrilled country radio, I soaked up nearly every line Garth ever sang.

Seeing him live in 2007 was hands-down, the BEST day of my life (outside of family).

I’m a huge fan of Dave Ramsey. His principles make sense and following them has lead Andrew and me on a road of Sciba financial hope. We facilitated his course and attended his Smart Conference in Dallas two years in a row. A friend told me to go work for him, and I joked that he can’t afford my enthusiasm.

But here’s the thing – I don’t know either of these guys. Despite all my lyrical and lucrative knowledge, I have no relationship with Garth or Dave. Tragically, we’re not friends and probably never will be. I’m a fan; and the nature of fan-ship is admiration from a distance.

I studied St. Elizabeth of Hungary my junior year of college. Most know her for her love for the poor, but what drew me was her devotion to her husband and their deep friendship. Freshly engaged, I tried to emulate her dedication in my relationship with Andrew; but, it occurred to me recently that I really haven’t invoked her aid in years. She’s at the top of my “Saints Who Inspire” list and I happily sing her praises, but there’s no connection. I had become a fan, admiring her from a distance.

The distance, however, can be breached.

Thanks to the grace of God, the saints who behold His face are accessible regardless of time or tongue. When we’re drawn to peers, they become friends; and friends go on to impact our lives by behavior and insight. Consider how a similar bond with a saint would be more powerful because they experienced the same earthly struggles, but won the imperishable crown. The saints are available as friends to those of us who have a bit of

The Saints in Their

Own Words

There’s nothing like the thoughts and reflections of the saints to help us sort the wheat from the chaff in our lives. Read just a few paragraphs a day to keep your eyes and heart focused on heaven.

Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco

Come Be My Light

by St. Teresa of Calcutta

time before death. They hear us and offer us hope and strength through their written words and prayerful intercession while we fight the good fight. I’ve had favorite saints whose stories fascinate me or whose virtues I want to mimic; isn’t that admiration itself a nudge from God? Go on, He says, you guys will get along great.

There are incredible and fruitful friendships available to us now and all we need to do is speak up, “Help me out here.”

So I’ll talk to my friend St. Elizabeth when I need to love Andrew better. I’ll talk to St. Monica because I need to give selflessly to my children. I’ll ask St. Therese to give me her humility, and St. Matthew to guide me as I manage our cash flow. I’ll ask Mary, my Holy Queen, to help me choose Christ every day.

And you know what? They’ll respond.

100% of the time. Because a person who’s achieved perfect holiness isn’t going to snub a soul in need. The saints are happy to be in heaven and happy to help the rest of us get there.

My life has crosses and, along with Christ, who better to help me carry my part than those who are capable of conveying the Lord’s love to me? Don’t waste time being a fan of a saint when a connection deeper and more profound is just a prayer away. •

The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales Divine Mercy in My Soul the Diary of St. Faustina The Interior Castle

by St. Theresa of Avila The Secret of the Rosary

by St. Louis de Montfort The Confessions

by St. Augustine The Way, Furrow, The Forge wisdom from St. Josemaria Escriva The Story of a Soul

by St. Therese

Katie Sciba is the author of thecatholicwife.net. She lives in Shreveport with her husband, Andrew, and four children.

November 2016 9

from the POPE from Vatican Information Services

New Cycle of Catechesis on the Works of Mercy

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he pope announced he will dedicate a new cycle of catechesis to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

“It is not enough to experience God’s mercy in our lives,” the pope observed.

“It is necessary for those who receive it also to be a sign and instrument Pope Francis for others. ... It is not a question of making great efforts or superhuman gestures. The Lord shows us a far easier path, made up of little gestures but which, in His eyes, have great value, to the point of saying that it is on these that we will be judged. ... Jesus says that every time we give something to eat to a hungry person and give something to drink to one who thirsts, we dress the naked and welcome the stranger, or we visit the sick or imprisoned, we do this also to Him. The Church calls these gestures corporal works of mercy, as they assist people in their material needs.”

However there are also, as Francis recalled, another seven spiritual works of mercy, that respond to other equally important needs, “especially nowadays, as they affect the most intimate aspect of the person and often make them suffer more. We all surely remember one which has entered into common parlance: to bear patiently those who wrong us. …

It may seem to be of little importance, or indeed make us smile, but instead it contains a sentiment of profound charity; and it is the same also for the other six, which are good to remember: to counsel the doubtful, to instruct the ignorant, to admonish sinners, to console the afflicted, to forgive offenses and to pray for the living and the dead.”

“It is better to start with the simplest ones, that the Lord shows us as the most 10 Catholic Connection

urgent. In a world that is unfortunately afflicted by the virus of indifference, works of mercy are the best antidote.

They educate us, indeed, in attention towards the most elementary needs of ‘the least of our brothers,’ in whom Jesus is present. ... This enables us always to be vigilant, avoiding that Christ may pass by us without us recognizing him. St. Augustine’s phrase returns to mind: ‘I fear Jesus will go by,’ and I will not recognize him, that the Lord will pass by my side in one of these little people, in need, and I will not realize it is Jesus.”

The works of mercy “reawaken in us the need and the capacity to make faith live and work through charity. I am convinced that through these simple daily gestures we can effect a true cultural revolution. ... If each one of us, every day, did one of these, this would be a revolution in the world!

How many saints are still remembered today not for the great works they performed, but for the love they knew how to transmit! Mother Teresa, for example, recently canonized: we do not remember her for the many houses that she opened throughout the world, but because she stooped to all the people she met in the street to restore their dignity to them.

How many abandoned children she held in her arms; how many dying people she accompanied on the threshold to eternity, holding their hands!”

“These works of mercy are the features of the countenance of Jesus Christ, who cares for the least of his brothers to bring God’s tenderness and closeness to every one. May the Holy Spirit help us; may the Holy Spirit kindle in us the desire to live in this way. Do at least one of them a day, at least! Let us learn again by heart the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and ask the Lord to help us to put them into practice every day and at the moment in which we see Jesus in a person in need.” •

In theWords of

Pope Francis

“The heart of Mary, more than any other, is a humble heart, capable of accepting God’s gifts. In order to become man, God chose precisely her, a simple young woman of Nazareth, who did not dwell in the palaces of power and wealth, who did not do extraordinary things. Let us ask ourselves – it will do us good – if we are prepared to accept God’s gifts, or prefer instead to shut ourselves up within our forms of material security, intellectual security, the security of our plans.” (Marian Jubilee, 10/9/16) “The prayer of the rosary is, in many ways, the synthesis of the history of God’s mercy, which becomes a history of salvation for all who let themselves be shaped by grace.”

(Pope’s Meditation After Praying the Rosary, 10/8/16) “Praying the rosary does not remove us from the problems of life. On the contrary, it demands that we immerse ourselves in the history of each day, so as to grasp the signs of Christ’s presence in our midst. Whenever we contemplate an event, a mystery of the life of Christ, we are asked to reflect on how God comes into our own lives, so as to be able to welcome Him and follow Him.” (Pope’s Meditation After Praying the Rosary, 10/8/16) “Throughout her life, Mary did everything that the Church is asked to do in perennial memory of Christ.

In her faith, we learn to open our hearts to obey God; in her self-denial, we see the importance of tending to the needs of others; in her tears, we find the strength to console those experiencing pain.” (Pope’s Meditation After Praying the Rosary, 10/8/16)

navigating the Faith

by Shelly Bole

Holy Door Pilgrimages

November is the Last Opportunity to Visit the Holy Door at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans

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ilgrimage and Holy Door Spiritual Meaning The practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a visitor, a pilgrim traveling along the road, making his way to the desired destination. Similarly, to reach the Holy Door in Rome or in any other place in the world, everyone, each according to his or her ability, will have to make a pilgrimage. This will be a sign that mercy is also a goal to reach and requires dedication and sacrifice. May our pilgrimage be an impetus to conversion: by crossing the threshold of the Holy Door, we will find the strength to embrace God’s mercy and dedicate ourselves to being merciful with others as the Father has been with us. (Misericordiae Vultus) Why a Holy Door of Mercy? The mystery of God, rich in mercy and compassion (Eph 2:4 & Jas 5:11), is manifested and brought about in Christ, the Father’s face of mercy (MV 1), and is continually at work through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22-23).

The door is a symbol in recognition of Christ as the sole door through which we enter salvation (cf Jn 10:9) and the one way that leads to the Father (Jn 14:6).

The pilgrimage is representative of the Church’s ongoing pilgrimage toward “Jesus Christ (who) is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8).

What is a Pilgrimage? A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to a sacred place for the purpose of venerating it or to ask for heavenly aid, and ultimately to come to know God better. During the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis asked that every diocese designate a Holy Door at a Cathedral or other church.

Pilgrimage is reflective of the journey each of us makes in life and the pilgrimage to the Holy Door should serve as an impetus to conversion. In the Diocese of Shreveport, the Holy Door is at the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans.

Receive a Plenary Indulgence All Catholics who visit the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans and its Holy Door of Mercy on pilgrimage and who fulfill the conditions ordinarily attached to a plenary indulgence (remission of temporal punishment for sins already forgiven, Canon 992) shall, with the proper intention and disposition, receive the plenary Jubilee Indulgence available during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. These conditions are: 1. recipient must be a baptized Catholic in the state of grace (free from mortal sin) at time of indulgenced work (pilgrimage); 2. recipient must internally express a detachment from and rejection of sin at time of indulgenced work (pilgrimage); 3. recipient must make a sacramental confession within 20 days of indulgenced work (pilgrimage), preferably, but not required, on the day itself; 4. recipient must receive Holy Communion within a week of indulgenced work, preferably, but not required, on the day itself;

5. recipient must pray for the intentions of the Holy Father at the time of the indulgenced work (pilgrimage), and make a profession of faith, one “Our Father,” one “Hail Mary” and one “Glory Be” or other suitable prayers.

The Jubilee Plenary Indulgence may be obtained for the living or the dead and will be available only one time daily.

What is a Plenary Indulgence?

Temporal punishment can be thought of as a type of “penalty” that remains even after sacramental confession. Some type of restorative, purifying “process” can take place either in this life or in purgatory.

Because the baptized are members of the Communion of Saints, some or all of the temporal punishment for sin is removed by the Plenary Indulgence, and any remaining restoration/reparation happens when we exchange holiness with one another. A plenary indulgence, when conditions are met, is a way of recognizing that all of what we have and do comes from Christ. • November 2016 11

second COLLECTIONS

by Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General

Catholic Campaign for Human Development

www.facebook.com/povertyusa

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www.povertyusa.org

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www.twitter.com/endpovertyusa

Copyright © 2015, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: CCHD/Peter Howard. 40200216

Catholic Campaign for Human Development Collection Dates: November 19th & 20th Announcement Dates: November 6th & 13th

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am so happy to begin this appeal with a heartfelt thank you from Bishop Duca for your loving generous participation to our Special Collection for Louisiana Flood Relief Fund. Your love for Jesus Christ and our brothers and sisters in south Louisiana moved you to dig deep and give $144,232.42 for the spiritual and material needs of our people so gravely affected by the floods of August 2016. Bishop Duca divided this collection among the Dioceses of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles. May our Good Lord greatly bless you for this tremendous outpouring of spiritual and corporal mercy. What a wonderful message to send to Price our bishops and their flocks in south Louisiana in this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Your generous mercy resounds loud and clear to the glory of God. I am pleased to present to you the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, our second collection for the month of November. In this last month of our liturgical year, and the last month of this Jubilee Year of Mercy, this second collection reminds us of the work of Jesus Christ and his Church to transform the world with divine grace. Through this “campaign” the Bishops of the United States work to permanently change the lives of people for the better. This “campaign” embodies the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy of our Catholic faith. It is a response to heed Pope Francis’ call to, “be merciful like the Father.”

The term “campaign” indicates a concerted and sustained effort to accomplish a goal. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is our unified effort to 12 Catholic Connection

end poverty here at home. The campaign is a way out, not a hand out. The collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development addresses the root causes of poverty in America through promotion and support of community-controlled, self-help organizations and transformative education. Grants are awarded by the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development with the approval of local bishops.

November is a month of remembrance in the life of the Church. We remember ALL the many saints of God. We remember our faithful departed.

We remember that Jesus Christ is King of the Universe. At the heart of remembrance is gratitude. We gratefully thank our God who has graced our days with family, friends and blessings, as we look forward to future graces in this life. In our own diocese, CCHD funding made community organizing possible which led to day and night public transportation for workers, employer driven re-training of workers for “living wage” jobs, fair housing standards and other improvements.

I thank you in advance for your generous participation in the second collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Your donation is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty. Give from your heart to the CCHD collection. Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving! • Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General, is the Director of Second & Special Collections.

vocations View

by Duane Trombetta, Seminarian

Seminarian Practices Mercy in Orlando Hospital

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s a seminarian of the Diocese effects were felt at my hospital in the of Shreveport, I relish every northern suburb of Altamonte Springs. opportunity to grow in the That brought about some of the most intellectual, pastoral, spiritual and difficult challenges I faced as a chaplain personal dimensions of my studies and serving the sick and suffering of formation at Notre Dame Seminary.

Orlando.

Each summer, I look forward to My regular hospital work consisted practical ministry, such as parish of day shifts in my assigned unit, and ministry, volunteer service and spiritual overnight or weekend shifts throughout exercises. During the summer of 2016, the entire hospital. I encountered I undertook a 10-week chaplaincy many diverse people with varied reasons internship program called “Clinical for hospitalization. Some expressed Pastoral Education” (CPE) at Florida gratitude, others grief, and still others Hospital in Orlando. just needed a sympathetic ear. I prayed CPE is a professional education with many. I experienced celebrations program designed to teach pastoral care of the joys of new life and love, and to ministers of all religious beliefs and I learned how to minister to families faith practices. It includes a hospital at moments of dying and death. One component (visits with patients, thing remained consistent: every time medical staff and fellow chaplains) and a classroom component One thing remained consistent: (dynamic interaction with a every time I entered a supervisor and a team of fellow patient's room, I received chaplains). My goals for CPE were to increase my experiences an opportunity to in pastoral ministry to hospital encounter Jesus Christ in patients, learn more about the spiritual care needs of medical care a fellow human being. providers, and increase my ability to carry out the task of ecumenism – the promotion of unity among I entered a patient’s room, I received Christians. I knew that successful an opportunity to encounter Jesus accomplishment of these goals would Christ in a fellow human being. My serve me well as a Catholic seminarian work with patients proved to be a most and future priest. fulfilling, rewarding and prayerful Sadly, just after I arrived in Orlando, supplement to my seminary studies and a terrible shooting was perpetrated formation. at a nightclub located across town During CPE, I maintained focus on from my hospital assignment. It was the theological virtues – faith, hope, the deadliest mass killing and worst and charity – during patient visits terror attack in the U.S. since 9/11. and interactions with fellow CPE The unspeakable violence inflicted participants. By faith, one believes in spiritual and emotional suffering upon God; in CPE I learned I must not only not just those present, but upon all keep faith, but bear witness to it and the people of Orlando. The victims of spread it by works of mercy and justice. that shooting were taken to a trauma By hope, one desires the kingdom of hospital downtown, but many ripple heaven; in CPE I learned happiness is

at times elusive to the sick, but remains accessible by the grace of the Holy Spirit in eternal life. By charity, one loves God and neighbor; in CPE I encountered charity’s fruits of joy, peace and mercy.

Florida Hospital’s motto is the unambiguously Christian phrase “Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ.” As I reflect back upon my summer CPE experience, I ponder anew what it means to extend the healing ministry of Christ as a Christian, as a Catholic and as a chaplain. I call to mind that familiar prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” It seems to me that “extending the healing ministry of Christ” is very much like being an instrument of God’s peace. I am humbled and honored to have spent my summer being such an instrument of God. • Interested in a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? Contact Fr. Matthew Long, Director of Vocations, 318-868-4441, or mlong@dioshpt.org.

November 2016 13

Struggling with ANXIETY Navigating Internal Turmoil and Taking Hoplessness to Jesus

by Katie Sciba

know I’m not the first to speak up, but right there in the middle of my struggles, I thought I was both alone and legitimately crazy. I have anxiety. Not the general kind when I worry sometimes, but the paralyzing, every mole hill is a mountain kind. Anxiety attacks like this look like racing thoughts, increased heart rate, tears, and total cessation of rational thinking.

And you know what? I’m in great company.

I recently bared my soul to a group of friends online. “I’m struggling,” I told them, “the things that used to make me happy are insurmountable…I don’t know how I’m going to homeschool, write or stay on top of the house. I’m barely functioning.”

It was a matter of minutes before my inbox was full of messages from friends in the same sinking boat. These people wrote to me, “I’ve never told anyone this but…” followed by story after story of their own struggles with anxiety. Eye-widening, personal, pained stories released from these friends just because one woman openly confessed difficulty.

“I’ve been on medication for years.”

“I totally lost it…”

“I needed my counselor.”

“There was no hope in sight.”

And those were just the messages online; I heard even more accounts from others, men and women alike, and quickly realized if any struggle is real, it’s this one. There are dimensions of anxiety that we’re afraid of, and there are antidotes. They may not dissolve our problems entirely, but they might calm the waves while we ride out the storm.

Anxiety is isolating We closet our issues because we feel shame; shame because we’re not in total control, shame because we’re on medication, or shame because we’re experiencing difficulty at all. I kept it in because I was embarrassed. We want to look like we’ve got it together and life is smooth sailing; but how many of us are struggling to keep our heads above water without saying a thing?

It’s a little terrifying to admit the challenge because we don’t know how others will respond. In my anxiety, I never wanted pity or friends to walk on eggshells around me, so silence it was. But while keeping quiet carries a sense of safety, I’ve learned the power of letting it out. …but it could be unifying.

After individually telling a friend or two in person, a few chimed in with their own stories. I had 14 Catholic Connection

no idea any of them had experienced anxiety. “I didn’t want anyone to know – friends or family,” one told me. Even though hearing other’s stories didn’t make my anxiety vanish, I was strengthened. I felt validated. And that validation gave me courage to face the rest of the day. I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t alone.

Learning that any friend had the same struggles made us closer in our weaknesses.

The Lord uses us as channels of mercy and consolation for each other. We don’t necessarily have to shout our hardships from the rooftops, but entrusting a precious few with this sensitive information will give us an opportunity to be vulnerable like Christ, and give them the chance to love like Christ. Win win.

Anxiety is overwhelming We glorify a packed calendar and praise anyone who seems to “do it all.” Though it is a blessing to know our missions in life, we put too much pressure on ourselves to deal with everything and anything, keeping our plates full even when something like anxiety comes knocking. Beyond immediate tasks, there are the demands of marriage and children, both of which call for ultimate giving of self. …but it’s a reason to pull back for just a while.

So I stopped. Everything. I posted on my blog’s Facebook page that I wasn’t going to write for a while. I stopped cooking and stocked up on frozen pizzas. I stopped homeschooling and let my sons impress people with their PBS Kids education.

Logged off Facebook. Barely checked texts.

Fragile and frail, I stopped everything nearly certain I’d never begin again.

I breathed and prayed.

Pulling back and saying no to further commitments freed me from where I was. I have to remind myself to keep my todos limited while the Lord affords improvement; otherwise I’ll overdo it and go right back where I came from without giving due course to time and healing.

It’s ok if we’re not all better tomorrow or even next month, but in stepping back and clearing life, we’ll be better than we were yesterday. Right now I have peace in slowly approaching obligations, like my baby learning how to walk. Tiny, uncertain steps are still steps.

Anxiety is scary I was previously handling my life out of fear. I felt pressure to write for fear of letting myself or readers down. I skirted the topic of homeschooling, afraid my husband would be disappointed in me for not showing the day’s work. I made excuses for the unfortunate dinners I made. The fears came from anxiety and fueled my anxiety, coming to a head on Easter this past year.

With my issues increasing steadily over weeks, I suffered a complete meltdown after Andrew suggested we start getting ready for Mass. I tried to push through, but I lost my breath and hit the floor. I was out of commission for a couple of days.

That was the worst of it – thanks be to God, but this one event combined with a stack of lesser episodes made me realize this was out of control.

And that scared me. …but perfect love casts out all fear.

In the midst of writing this very piece, a friend sent me this line from St. Faustina, one of my dearest friends above: “O Jesus, today my soul is as though darkened by suffering…

The storm is raging and Jesus is asleep. O my Master, I will not wake You… I believe that You fortify me without my knowing it.”

When we’re in the fog of anxiety, it’s hard to see anything clearly, especially God’s hand at work. He sustains. He provides.

In the few moments of clarity, looking back at “what God’s hand has wrought” (Psalm 143) has given me at least the knowledge that this too will pass; even if I’m blind to hope, I know the Lord who has sustained me in the past will continue to do so.

With as much or as little faith as we can muster, we can take our hopelessness to Jesus. I saw no way out of my darkness, but he restores my soul and is loving me out of this slowly and carefully.

Anxiety doesn’t have to be as taboo as it is. Whenever I’ve feared judgment, I’ve been met with compassion. I thought I was alone, but I was caught off guard by ready solidarity. Sure that everything I had going was shot, I’m seeing it all with restored vision and hope in Christ.

As many the causes are for these crosses, there are aids.

Medication, counseling, withdrawing from life’s demands, whatever avenue you walk for relief, couple it with prayer and dare to make yourself vulnerable to at least one trusted person.

Take it to Jesus and show him the pain.

Talk to a friend and know for certain you are not alone.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, fear not!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you’” (Is. 35:4). •

November 2016 15

Finding

God's Mercy IN OUR Suffering

by Cathy Cobb

In conjunction with the Year of Mercy, Pope Frances declared in Miseracordia Virtus that “God’s mercy is not an abstract idea but a concrete reality.” 2016 turned out to be year that God’s mercy has been shown to me in abundance.

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary provide a framework for sharing how that unfolded for my family, and by extension some of the ways that the Church helps reveal God’s mercy to us all when we suffer.

The Agony in the Garden

Last summer, my mom had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and began chemotherapy, and I was deeply involved in helping my dad care for her.

Over Christmas I developed a severe illness which resulted in a hospitalization.

As I waited on tests, and thus proper treatment, my condition deteriorated rapidly. I could not help but think of Jesus’ agony in the garden. There are moments in life when you are just going to sweat some blood. This was a time to stay in the moment and not look too far ahead. During this time of unknowing, I found it helpful to pray the liturgy of the hours. The psalms anticipate these emotions and much more, and they help develop perspective. The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick helped strengthen and support me. The Church teaches that visiting the sick is a corporal work of mercy, and it was such a blessing every time the hospital ministers brought communion. That was a moment I could let my defenses down, let God know how I really felt, and experience God’s merciful love.

The Scourging at the Pillar

After a diagnosis of lupus and some stabilization of my symptoms, I was able to go home. Two days later, my mom went 16 Catholic Connection

into hospice, and I was way too sick to be with her nearly as much as I wanted to be.

The doctors told me to avoid work and crowds, including going to Mass, and I felt deeply separated from that support as my siblings and I tried to help our parents through that dark hour. When illness gets a foothold in our lives, it can bring along its friends, fear and despair, and shine a light on our desire to be in control. This is to be expected, and that expectation can help us resist. It

The Sorrowful mysteries are accompanied by the Glorious, Joyful and Luminous mysteries, and our faith tells us that while darkness may have its day, good will always have the last word.

Mom told me often that she was offering

up

her suffering for her

children and grandchildren, a tradition that gives

our suffering meaning.

was a comfort that this was unfolding during Lent – all over the world, we knew people were with us in the desert with its promise of purification, joining us in prayer, fasting and almsgiving. When my parents and I were unable to attend Mass, we were able to view Mass online or on television, connecting us to the larger community as we prayed, “Lord, have mercy.”

The Crowning with Thorns

As my condition slowly improved, my mother’s rapidly deteriorated. The cancer left my family scrambling as outof-town siblings arrived to help. The prayers we memorize as children offer us words for times like this when we have no words. Each time I left my mother’s bedside, she asked to pray the “Glory Be,” “Our Father” and “Hail Mary.”

Afterwards, she would drift off with her lips moving, as those prayers helped send her into deeper interior prayer. Mom told me often that she was offering up her suffering for her children and grandchildren, a tradition that gives our suffering meaning. Spiritual works of mercy include praying for the sick, and I can attest it helps. My mom, my dad and I all received beautiful prayer blankets, cards and home visits. At every Mass we always remember to pray for the sick in our intentions and our Eucharistic prayers. These concrete acts build a strong and merciful foundation that offer great sustenance at such moments.

The Carrying of the Cross

Within a few short weeks, mom entered her final days. We were fortunate to be able to gather as a family with her to help her carry her cross. When she lost consciousness, we noticed that when we would pray the rosary with our mother, her breathing would change to match the rhythm of the prayers.

A lifetime of prayer had prepared her for that moment. Our prayer was heartfelt – Lord, have mercy.

The Crucifixion

The time came, as it eventually does for us all, when it was time for mom to cross over from this life into the next life. The Pastoral Care of the Sick offers a commendation of the dying, which includes a litany of saints that we prayed with our mother. Viaticum offers “food for the journey.” We were able, during our bedside vigil, to settle on readings and songs for mom’s funeral, which she hoped would evangelize her grandchildren. We knew we could not hold onto her; our faith tells us that the tomb precedes the resurrection. This is the deepest heart of faith that our mom passed on to us.

The Mass of Christian Burial gave us the opportunity to pray the scriptures and songs we had prayed at her bedside, but this time surrounded by our faith community. The graveside service honored her body which had been such a good temple of the Holy Spirit for 82 years. We took great comfort in all this, and continue to experience God’s loving mercy as the Church prays for the dead at every Mass, on All Soul’s Day, and in a particular way during the month of November.

We are fortunate to have a Church that helps us reflect on the great mysteries of suffering and death. The Sorrowful mysteries are accompanied by the Glorious, Joyful and Luminous mysteries, and our faith tells us that while darkness may have its day, good will always have the last word. I have found much new life in the months since my mother died.

By Easter, I was able to return to Mass and active ministry at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. My prayer life is deeper and new interests help me to find enjoyment in life even as I work through grief and major adjustments in my lifestyle. My compassion has grown. My family has drawn closer together from our shared experience, and we have grown more unconditional in our love for one another. My siblings and I collaborate to support our dad, who misses his wife of 60 years very much. Our need for mercy never goes away. We are surrounded by a communion of saints, named and unnamed, the living and the dead, all of whom point us toward a deeper experience God’s mercy as a concrete reality. • November 2016 17

Mercy in Action

Lake Providence youth with Fr. Mark Watson and Youth Director Shelia Howard

Lake Providence Youth Pay It Forward to Community Members

by Linda Webster

W

hen your youth group, your parish and your town are small in numbers, how do you put together a caring, creative mercy ministry?

“We were having one of our meetings at El Agave, a Mexican restaurant, last November when our youth decided to take up a collection to help out Miss Jessica, our waitress, whose child is legally blind,” explained Shelia Howard, Director of Youth Ministry at St. Patrick in Lake Providence. “Miss Jessica knew everyone in the group and we’re a small town, so we knew what she was facing with her child.”

The idea hatched at that meal was to help out someone they all knew, but with a catch. “Ann Marie Walters is the spokesperson for our group. She explained to Miss Jessica that they wanted to do something nice for her by collecting the money and that they hoped she would, in turn, do something nice for someone else.”

This pay-it-forward ministry is a very personal outreach since every one they help is well-known to the youth. Since helping Miss Jessica in November, the group has raised funds to help out two additional members of the community.

“We had a bake sale and silent auction to raise money to help with baby Harper’s heart surgery in Boston,” said Kiley Condrey, a member of the youth group. “We raised around $1,600 and presented the money to Miss Jamie at school.”

Jamie Clement, Harper’s mother, was a kindergarten teacher at Briarfield Academy. The family incurred large medical bills when Clement had to move to Boston while pregnant so that Harper could have open heart surgery immediately after birth. The baby needed a second surgery in July, again in Boston. Although Clement resigned her position to care for Harper, members of the church stay in contact by following the family on social media as Harper continues to receive medical care.

The youth group is small but inclusive. Youth from other churches are welcome to participate and everyone knows everyone else, so an evening at El Agave or at the Howards’ home for a cook-out is comfortable for all.

18 Catholic Connection

When they get together for the fall cook-out at the Howards’ home, they should have some news about Derrick Arrington, the science teacher who was the third person to benefit from the payit-forward ministry.

“Mr. Arrington is a minister as well as a science teacher, so we invited him to speak to our group,” said Kade Howard.

“He just started at the school last year and we all knew that he was planning to go to Tijuana for surgery because it was less expensive than having surgery here.

Before he spoke, we told him that we had something for him. We gave him a little gold box with our collection inside. He almost cried when he found out what we had done.”

According to Shelia Howard, Arrington told the group that they lived their faith every day by helping others as they helped him and that they were awesome for inviting so many others into their circle of caring.

Howard began working with the youth at St. Patrick about five years ago. For the first few years, she planned several events while school was in session and those younger than seventh grade were often included.

“We did a reverse Trick-or-Treat at Halloween a couple of times where the youth gathered to make up goodie bags for shut-ins. Then we would deliver the goodies to them as giving rather than receiving. However, many of the elderly didn’t want to answer the door because they thought the kids wanted candy and they didn’t have any since it was the week prior to Halloween,” she laughed.

They were more successful with delivering small, live Christmas trees to the sick, elderly and shut-ins throughout the community.

“Last year, we decided to try to meet once a month but it’s difficult to get everyone together. Our K-12 population is just around 200 students and that means everyone participates in every sport, so it’s difficult to find time for regular meetings.

We have a kick-off event in the fall with burgers on the dock and see what we can plan for next year.” •

local NEWS Catholic Charities' Immigration Program Offers Services Unique to North Louisiana

by Lucy Medvec

Maria and Jose Quinonez, participants in Catholic Charities of North Louisiana's Immigration Integration program, on October 12, the day they became United States citizens.

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ednesday, October 12, was a very special day for seven people in North Louisiana.

It was after years of hard work, patience and faith that Ricardo Aranda, Patricia Johnson, Elisa Perez, Jose Genaro Quinonez, Marina Regina Quinonez, Roberto Tovar and Maria Villasenor became citizens of the United States. This process was made possible by Catholic Charities of North Louisiana’s (CCNLA) Immigration Integration program and staff members Guiel Hausen and Briana Bianca. Since its inception in 2011, CCNLA’s Immigration Integration program has provided assistance to clients throughout North Louisiana who need legal assistance, representation, advocacy, education and citizenship preparation.

CCNLA is the only local organization that provides immigration assistance; otherwise people would have to travel to New Orleans or Dallas.

Each of these new citizens has a story about their journey, but we wanted to highlight Jose and Maria Quinonez’s story

and how they received assistance from Catholic Charities. Here is a letter they sent to CCNLA. Dear Guiel: My husband Jose and I are very grateful for the effective, fast, friendly and compassionate services that we have received in your office. From the beginning, we felt support in all that we needed, with questions and necessary assistance for our case. With immediate communication on calls or emails, your staff has been incredibly good; they have shown their support and encouragement at all times, especially to my husband who felt very insecure of becoming a citizen because he received very little education, and we believed that being a citizen was only for the rich and educated. You were so patient in helping him study for his interview. It is very sad to be illiterate, but you inspired him and showed him that he can now learn more.

All of our children are professionals, but it was due to the lessons they learned from my hardworking husband. Since

age 14 he was picking strawberries, cotton, and nuts in the lands of this country. After 45 years of hard work, with a broken back, he helped me raise six children successfully. Our children, all born and raised in this country, shall enjoy this citizenship also and that makes us very happy.

We are a united family because this country allowed us to be together and to fight together.

We are pleased to take this new step in our lives because we know that becoming American citizens will give us greater stability in this country. We know that as citizens we will have more responsibilities and benefits that we want to fulfill.

Because we love this country, I bless you in the name of Jesus, because he has given us everything we needed since we got here. So now we know that this country will soon have two more voters; we will still gather and collaborate in the community.

There are many feelings in our hearts, but the strongest is the appreciation we have for God and this nation. May God bless the United States America and its entire government, so that public and private institutions continue working together to continue helping many families like us to fulfill their American dream!

Thank you in advance for your support in moving forward our naturalization case.

Yours Faithfully, Jose and Maria Quinonez For more information about Catholic Charities of North Louisiana, please visit our website at www.ccnla.org. • November 2016 19

Loyola’s Ben Hyde Rallies Students to Corporal Works of Mercy

by Lisa Cooper

L

oyola senior Ben Hyde serves as the student coordinator for the Loyola Student Governement Association’s (SGA) Garden Park Nursing Home community outreach. Three years ago, a local nursing home contacted Loyola’s SGA about their need for student volunteers to come out once a week to help residents learn how to use iPads and give technology assistance. Eager to help, Hyde, along with other students, began going as volunteer workers. The nursing home coordinated the visits and activities in the beginning, but asked to have a student coordinator after the first year.

Hyde readily accepted this responsibility.

As part of his work as coordinator, he schedules student volunteers and plans the programs for the residents each week.

Technology learning time, different arts and crafts activities, and time for visiting with the residents are all included in each week’s program. Additionally, Hyde plans a theme for each week’s activities, and his brother Max Hyde comes on each visit to play the violin for the residents. The Garden Park residents have grown so close to the Loyola student group, that they painted a “welcome back” banner for students at their first visit of this school year in August.

20 Catholic Connection

In order to keep the program alive after he graduates this year, Ben is working with new, younger student coordinators to make the transition seamless. What originally began as a few Loyola students visiting an assisted living facility, has grown into a weekly event everyone, both Garden Park residents and Loyola students, looks forward to. Through Hyde’s hard work and dedication, the Garden Park initiative was presented with Louisiana Nursing Home Association’s Group Volunteer Award.

In addition to his work with Garden Park residents, Hyde also serves as one of the chairmen for F.Ai.T.H. – Flyers Aiding the Hungry.

F.Ai.T.H. is an organization started by a Loyola student over 25 years ago that gives food baskets and Christmas gifts to families in need in our surrounding community. For two years as a F.Ai.T.H. member, and last year as a F.Ai.T.H. officer, Ben worked so tirelessly that he

was chosen to be one of four chairmen for this year’s event. As a F.Ai.T.H. chair, Ben is responsible for working with area businesses to sponsor food baskets, organizing canned food drives for students, speaking to parent and alumni groups, working with local nonprofits to identify those in need and organizing the actual event day. On F.Ai.T.H. day, laundry baskets are filled with various canned goods, ham, bread, rice and other food staples, and Christmas gifts are organized, so that when community members come, they can receive their basket and gift. In previous years, chairs have set it up to give away 600700 baskets. Last year’s chairmen were able to give away 900 baskets in one afternoon; this year Ben and his cochairs have a goal of 1,200 baskets!

Hyde says, “I do it because it’s important for me to put my faith into action. There is importance in selfless actions, and these projects give so many people a chance to be a part of serving others. As people contribute as they are able, with a single canned good or money for F.Ai.T.H. or in spending time with the residents at Garden Park, they are amazed at what they are part of accomplishing.

Small things really can change people’s lives.”

Because of his humility and dedication to leading and serving others, Hyde is Loyola’s nominee for the NCEA Proclaim Youth Virtues, Valor, and Vision Award, a national award that formally recognizes extraordinary young people in Catholic schools who through their selfless service, determination, innovation and ideals are changing the world. •

God is Calling – Are You Listening?

Diocese is Seeking New Deacon Candidates

by Deacon Clary Nash

R elic from

Saint JOhn Berchmans COMING TO

Cathedral

T

he call to service is a call to the entire community, not just a select few. God’s plan is that we serve one another. The Diaconate is an order of the Church committed to service.

The word deacon derives from the Greek word for service. As an ordained member of the clergy, a permanent deacon is unlike the transitional deacon, which is the first order to the priesthood.

A permanent deacon is ordained to the order of deacon for life.

The diaconate formation is established by the Church to encourage, support and train Catholic men to fulfill a need in the Church and who feel called by God to offer their lives to the Lord in service. Deacons serve the community in many ministries. Deacons are official clergy in the Church, although they lead lay lifestyles. Most are married, have families and secular jobs while serving the Church and society.

The diaconate continues to grow in the United States. Today there are over 15,000 ordained deacons serving the needs of ministry. Over 3,000 are preparing for ministry of the diaconate in the United States.

The Diocese of Shreveport is again seeking men who are being called into service. A sense of excitement is felt for these men who answer the call,

for the Church and the community they live in. They will enrich the lives of their families, church community, friends, neighbors and fellow workers.

They will do this by proclaiming and living the good of God’s love for His creation. The third diaconate formation will begin in September 2017 to fulfill the need for more deacons. This formation will also offer an Advanced Catholic Education Certificate from the University of Dallas for those not seeking ordintation. The application and selection process are underway.

The call to service is a call to the entire community. These men and their families will need your prayers, financial support through the Bishop’s Annual Service Appeal and your personal support. Some men, traveling long distances across our diocese, will bring their wives and family and will need extra considerations. God’s plan is that we serve one another in a win-win relationship.

For more information or to schedule a presentation about this in your parish, please call Deacon Clary Nash, Director of Permanent Deacon Formation Program, at 318-868-4441, or go online to the Diocese of Shreveport website at www.dioshpt.org/ministries/ permanent-diaconate. •

We invite you to celebrate a holy and monumental occasion, the 150th Anniversary of the Apparition and Miracle of St. John Berchmans.

On December 7, the holy heart of St. John Berchmans will make its journey from Belgium to Shreveport, Louisiana. In the 12 days that follow, we will celebrate with pilgrims from all over the world the life of this pure and holy saint.

To commemorate this event, join us December 8 – 18 for liturgies, guest speakers, opportunities for veneration, exhibit of relics and memorabilia and much more!

Look for more on this glorious event in our next issue, and visit:

www.sjbdevotion.org

November 2016 21

A Thanksgiving Reflection on Gratitude and Love

by Sr. Martinette Rivers, OLS

Sisters and novices of Our Lady of Sorrows come from countries around the world and share meals together.

J

ust as Jesus walked the length and breadth of Galilee, we have walked from season to season, celebrating one Thanksgiving after another, giving thanks. Saying “Thank you” forces us to recognize one another, and when we say the words we are reminded that we need others. Let us live our lives like Jesus, the thankful one, and imitate the saint of gratitude, St. Ignatius of Loyola.

This can deepen our appreciation of others and make us more of a “gratitude person” as we age.

Henry David Thoreau said, “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of the earth.”

During all the different seasons, we should be growing in gratitude as we became new and different people.

Celebrating Thanksgiving for so many years should change us. Being filled with gratitude this Thanksgiving should bring us great happiness, joy and pride.

We are sometimes like the early pilgrims who arrived on Plymouth Rock. They had one difficulty after another, but once they befriended the Native Americans, many things changed. Their gratitude began to grow and they wanted to celebrate it. The 22 Catholic Connection

pilgrims and the Native Americans learned to share their gifts with each other and their sense of belonging deepened. God’s gift of gratitude became like lasers which pierced their flesh and mended their differences, making them whole. They were touched to know about one another because it was a genuine recognition of the holy and gave them a sense of unity. Their gratitude poured out as they shared the first Thanksgiving meal together – a teachable moment for us today, some 227 years later.

“The thankful,

joyful

person can not help but be a balanced person who can harvest what they

sowed with love.”

Deo gratias, is a Latin term meaning, “Thanks be to God!” Think about all the different religions that give thanks to the Divine, be it the Jews or the Christians – it permeates everything we do. God is the GIVER of all gifts! How do we keep the spirit of gratitude alive within our hearts, for all the immigrants who

came to our country and for all their contributions? Be grateful for that, as well as the poor, who we always have with us. Consider helping a family in need this year.

We are living in a world filled with problems, with those who do not accept others who are different, creating barriers. Jesus consistently instructed us in the Gospel to eliminate unhealthy attitudes, and Pope Francis has electrified the whole world by saying, “Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity.” He reminds us to reach out to the whole world, speaking to us as Jesus did. He says this is what God is inviting us to do, break barriers that separate us from others. This is mercy and love and gratitude in action!

A.J. Cronin said, “Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.”

This season is a good time for us to develop a sense of gratitude and recognize the love of God in everything He has given us: the turkey on the table, our family gatherings, even a person we don’t know much about like someone from a different culture, or the immigrants who just moved into our neighborhood. Let’s focus on life’s blessings and not all its shortcomings.

Jesuit, Charles M. Shelton said, “Gratitude makes us better people.”

Wrap your minds around that. Your gratitude should touch your spirit as we celebrate one of our greatest American traditions – Thanksgiving.

The thankful, joyful person cannot help but be a balanced person who can harvest what they sowed with love.

They are even in better health.

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “If you cease to have gratitude, you begin to die.”

Let your joy and thankfulness flow out of you as you enjoy your day with family and friends. Have a marvelous season of Thanksgiving and gratitude! •

hispanic NEWS por Rosalba Quiroz

Noviembre, Mes de Acción de Gracias

¡

Q

ué bonita tradición de día de Acción de Gracias! Hay que aprovechar este día de descanso reflexionando en todo lo que hemos recibido y pensemos cómo podemos ponerlo al servicio de Dios y de los demás no solo un día si no todos nuestros días.

Cuanto se ha de alegrar nuestro Padre cuando con cariño y agradecimiento le

dedicamos este día y le decimos en voz alta, Gracias Señor por todo lo que nos das, por la vida, por una familia, por mostrarnos el camino de la Salvación por medio de tu Hijo y de tu Palabra.

La Biblia está llena de esperanza y enseñanzas que nos ayudan a vivir el día de hoy con entusiasmo, energía y entrega.

Trotando con esperanza hacia el mañana que vendrá y así sucesivamente vendrán los días hasta que en uno de ellos, el Señor nos llame, nos pida cuentas sobre nuestras acciones en esta vida temporal, y nos juzgue según nuestras obras. ¿Qué buenas obras encontrará el Señor el día que nos llame? ¿Nos encontrará siendo agradecidos, sembrando paz, bondad, esperanza y justicia con un corazón entregado a su servicio? ¿Encontrará en nosotros solo miedos, arrebatos, discordias, perezas, vicios, y demás aberraciones?... Sabemos que el morir es algo que tenemos por seguro, pero, ¿Cómo asegurarnos entonces que así como tenemos la muerte segura, recibamos con seguridad también la gloria y la salvación eterna?

San Pablo nos lo dice: “Sabemos que aquel que resucitó a Jesus, nos resucitará también con Jesús y nos pondrá cerca de él con ustedes. Y todo esto para bien de ustedes; los favores de Dios se

Calendario del Mes de Noviembre 11-13 Retiro para jóvenes adultos “Experiencia Cristo” Scottsville, TX 19 EscuelaEscuela de Liderazgo (Servicio) Pastoral, Parroquia de Cristo Rey, 9 am – 5 p.m.

24 Día de Día de Gracias.

van multiplicando y también se irá ampliando cada día más la acción de gracias que tantas personas rinden a Dios para gloria suya. Esperamos nuestra casa en el cielo por eso no nos desanimamos; al contrario, aunque nuestro exterior está decayendo, el hombre interior se va renovando de día en día en nosotros.

No se pueden equiparar esas ligeras pruebas que pasan aprisa con el valor formidable de la gloria eterna que se nos está preparando. Nosotros pues, no nos fijamos en lo que se ve, sino en lo que no se ve; porque las cosas visibles duran un momento, pero las invisibles son para siempre”. (2 Cor. 4:14-18.) ¡Gracias Señor por tu amor e infinita misericordia! •

MINISTERIO HISPANO CATÓLICO - DIÓCESIS DE SHREVEPORT Rosalba Quiroz, Directora 1-800-256-1542, Ext. 265; o (318) 219-7265; rquiroz@dioshpt.org Gabriela Willis, Secretaria (318) 219-7257; gwillis@dioshpt.org Fidel Mondragón, Apoyo Pastoral (318) 751-1661, fmondragon0509@yahoo.com

Cristo Rey, Bossier City

425 McCormick Street Misa: Domingos 3pm Lunes, Martes, Jueves y Sabados 7pm Ricardo Rivera (318) 572-7629

Santo Tomás Aquino, Ruston

810 Carey Avenue Misa: Domingos 2:30 pm

Nta Sra del Perp. Socorro Farmerville

600 E. Water Street Misa: Sabados 7:00 pm Claudia Wade (318) 282-9971

Sagrado Corazón, OakGrove

San Pascual,W. Monroe

201 Purvis Street Misa: Domingos 5pm Feliciano y Rosa Alviso (318) 428-2137

711 N. 7th Street Domingos 2:30 pm Lorena Chaparro, (318) 267-4018

San José, Mansfield 305 Jefferson Street

Domingos 3pm

Sta María de los Pinos Shreveport

1050 Bert Kouns Ind. Loop Misa: Domingos 11:30 am Carmen Bradford (318) 455.2300

Sacerdotes: Bossier - P. Rigo Bentacurt (318) 754-6104; Farmerville/W. Monroe - P. Luis Jost (318) 243-0115 Oak Grove - P. Mark Watson (318) 559-1276; Ruston - P. Blane O’Neill (318) 255-2870 November 2016 23

Kids' Connection!

This Month We Learn About

saint margaret of scotland who was she?

Margaret was born an English princess and later married Malcolm III and became a Scottish queen. She brought many changes to the Scottish Church to make it more like the Catholic church in Rome. She also inspired her husband and children to be just and holy rulers. Margaret was good to the poor and orphans and served them every day before her meals, sometimes washing their feet. She also invited the Benedictines to build a monastery at Dunfermline and created boats to help visiting pilgrims travel to St. Andrews in Fife.

Word Find PRINCESS

CHARITABLE

MONASTERY

DUNFERMLINE

ORPHANS

QUEEN

IONA

PILGRIMS

REFORM

MALCOLM

POOR

SCOTLAND

24 Catholic Connection

interesting Facts

• St. Margaret of Scotland’s feast day is November 16.

• She was sometimes called the “Pearl of Scotland.”

• Margaret had eight children: six sons and two daughters.

• St. Margaret’s Chapel in Edinburgh Castle was founded by her son, King David I. It is the oldest building in Edinburgh and is still there today.

school NEWS

First School Mass

SJB Student Begins Elite Training

S

t. John Berchmans’ 6th grader, Julia Krzywanski, recently attended a regional gymnastics training camp in Orlando, FL, followed by a week-long tryout for a place on an elite/international competition team. Julia tried out at two gyms for two different Olympic coaches. After only 30 minutes with each coach, she was offered spots in their elite training groups. She had a hard time deciding, but she ended up choosing Steve Nunno, former coach to Olympic Gold Medalist, Shannon Miller.

Julia’s determination and hard work has paid off and she will begin training immediately, however, she must depart from her SJB family.

Julia’s parents, Sara and Dave say Julia will miss SJB. “She has learned so much at SJB and we are confident that she has a firm academic foundation to begin her homeschooling. Thank you again for everything you have

J

esus the Good Shepherd School celebrated their first school Mass with Bishop Duca.

SJS Collect Pet Donations

done to encourage and support her!

Knowing that each of you believed in her really pushed her toward making this move and reaching for her dreams.”

OLF Participates in STEM Playground

O

ur Lady of Fatima is participating in the STEM Playground.

Sponsored by Northrop Grumman, STEM Playground is a worldwide competition where students compete by engaging in various experiments and activities and record the results. Students are paired up in teams and must work collaboratively to complete the experiment. OLF is currently the only school in the area who is competing. On, Friday September 23, they completed the first activity where they built a tower using only 14 pieces of spaghetti and 14 marshmallows. The students

enjoyed the experience and look forward to future experiments.

S

t. Joseph School celebrated the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi by holding a pet food drive October 3 -7. Together with the Pet Pantry of Northwest Louisiana, a contest was held between grades to see which grade could donate the largest amount of pet food.

The 1,083 pounds of donations they collected will help 300 low income families in need of assistance in feeding their pets.

St. Fred's Names Homecoming Court

S

t. Frederick High School crowned their 2016 Homecoming Queen and court at the Homecoming presentation on Friday, September 23.

November 2016 25

26 Catholic Connection

November 2016 27

across the GLOBE from Vatican Information Services

On Sunday, November 20, Solemnity of Christ the King, at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Holy

I will concelebrate Holy Mass with the new Cardinals.

Year of Mercy,

– Pope Francis

Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals

D

ear brothers and sisters,” said the pope after praying the Angelus, “I am glad to announce that on Saturday, November 19, on the eve of the closure of the Holy Door of Mercy, a consistory will be held for the appointment of 13 new Cardinals from the five continents.

Their provenance, from 11 nations, expresses the universality of the Church, who announces and bears witness to the good news of God’s mercy in every corner of the earth. The insertion of the new Cardinals in the diocese of Rome, furthermore, manifests the indissoluble bond between the See of Peter and the particular churches around the world.”

“On Sunday, November 20, Solemnity of Christ the King, at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy, I will concelebrate holy Mass with the new cardinals, with the College of Cardinals, with the archbishops, bishops and presbyters.

These are the names of the new cardinals:

“

28 Catholic Connection

1. Archbishop Mario Zenari, Italy, who will remain as apostolic nuncio in the beloved and troubled Syria 2. Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui, Central African Republic 3. Archbishop Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid, Spain 4. Archbishop Sérgio da Rocha of Brasilia, Brazil 5. Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, United States of America 6. Archbishop Patrick D’Rozario of Dhaka, Bangladesh 7. Archbishop Baltazar Enrique Porras Cardozo of Mérida, Venezuela 8. Archbishop Jozef De Kesel of Mechelen-Brussels, Belgium 9. Archbishop Maurice Piat of Port Louis, Mauritius 10. Bishop Kevin Joseph Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Families and Life, United States of America 11. Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Tlalnepantla, Mexico

12. Archbishop John Ribat of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 13. Archbishop Joseph William Tobin of Indianapolis, United States of America.”

After announcing the names of the future cardinals, the Holy Father explained that the members of the College of Cardinals will also include “two archbishops and a bishop emeritus, distinguished for their pastoral service, and a presbyter who has given clear Christian witness. They represent many bishops and priests who in the Church as a whole build up the People of God, announcing the merciful love of God in their daily care for the Lord’s flock, and in the confession of the faith. They are: 1. Archbishop Anthony Soter Fernandez, emeritus of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“They represent many

bishops and priests who in the Church as a whole

build up the people of God. ” 2. Archbishop Renato Corti, emeritus of Novara, Italy 3. Bishop Sebastian Koto Khoarai, emeritus of Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho 4. Rev. Ernest Simoni, presbyter of the archdiocese of Shkodër-Pult, Albania.”

Finally, the pope asked all those present to pray for the new cardinals, so that, “confirming their adhesion to Christ, supreme merciful and faithful Priest, they help me in my ministry as bishop of Rome, and as a ‘permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion.’” •

around the DIOCESE

Blessing of Pets at STMOPS

Back the Badge Day in Mansfield

T

he Annual Blessing of Pets and Low Cost Pet Vaccination Clinic was held at St. Mary of the Pines Parish on October 2. They celebrated St. Francis Day by blessing the pets.

Zwolle & Ebarb Youth Sing for Flood Victims

S

t. Joseph Parish’s Men’s Club in Mansfield hosted a “Back the Badge – Law Enforcement Day” on September 9. There were around 175 law enforcement officers in attendance. They enjoyed a brisket lunch cooked and served by the St. Joseph Men’s Club and members of the St. Joseph and St Ann Catholic Churches. Officers were presented a St. Michael prayer card and medallion by Fr. Matthew Long, as well as an Emergency Responder Survival Kit of candy treats. Fr. Long told the officers that the St. Michael Prayer is prayed at every Mass for them.

Christian Service Breaks Ground on New Location

C

hildren of St. Joseph Parish in Zwolle and St. Ann Church in Ebarb enjoyed singing Vacation Bible School songs to help the Christian Benefit for Flood Victims in south Louisiana.

Pilgrims Visit Holy Door

C

hristian Service, a ministry founded in 1970 by Sister Margaret McCaffrey to serve those in need, broke ground on September 28 for their new building at Hope Connections. Christian Service will become the food and clothing part of the collaboration of 12 non-profits to meet the crisis

needs of those who are homeless of close to being homeless in our community.

Christian Service will be doubling their capacity in the new 10,000 square foot facility and will be able to serve more people in an atmosphere of dignity, love, and hope, as their mission statement says.

M

embers of Jesus the Good Shepherd in Monroe, Sacred Heart in Oak Grove and St. Patrick in Lake Providence participated in a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans as a means of entering into the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.

November 2016 29

mark your CALENDAR Blessing of the Graves

11/4

Mission Marketplace The Mission Marketplace offers goods from fair market organizations that sell products from mostly women and children living in poverty, escaping the slave trade, as well as from handicapped and the homeless. The event will take place at Broadmoor United Methodist Church, on the corner of Youree and Albany on November 4 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Broadmoor Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Broadmoor United Methodist Church, Noel United Methodist Church and the Cathedral of St. John Berchmmans, along with Evergreen and Holy Angels, are presenters of the event.

11/14

Parish Mission at St. Paschal Parish St. Paschal Parish in West Monroe is holding a three-day Parish Mission. The presenter will be Fr. Rothell Price, Vicar General of the Diocese of Shreveport.

Presentations begin at 7:00 p.m. on November 14, 15 and 16. Fr. Price will also preach at all the Masses over the November 12 weekend. Everyone is welcome to attend.

11/20

Christian Service's Poor Man's Supper Christian Service celebrates its 46 year serving those less fortunate in the community at the annual Poor Man’s Supper. Please join them for this special event, Sunday, November 20, at 5:00 p.m. in Hunter Hall of First United Methodist Church in downtown Shreveport.

11/27

Mission at St. Mary of the Pines Parish Please join St. Mary of the Pines, located at 1050 Bert Kouns Industrial Loop in Shreveport, for their Advent Mission on November 27, 28, 29 at 6:30 p.m.

Childcare available, light reception after talk. Fr. Whitney from Lake Charles will lead the discussion, "Keeping the Spirit of Mercy Going." For more information, contact the church office at 318-687-5121.

30 Catholic Connection

T

he Church seeks to help the faithful departed, especially those souls in purgatory, by earnest prayer to God. We collectively remember our faithful departed on All Souls Day and throughout the month of November.

In the communion of Christ’s members with one another, the Church obtains spiritual help for those who have preceded us in faith. This spiritual communion brings the consolation of hope to those of us who pray for our

Thursday, November 1, 2016 Catholic Cemetery at St. Lucy Hodge after 6:00 p.m. Mass Rev. Pat Madden St. Ann Cemetery Stonewall 5:15 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.

Rev. Matthew Long Thursday, November 2, 2016 St. Paschal Cemetery West Monroe 8:45 a.m.

Rev. Frank Coens St. Catherine Cemetery Noble 9:00 a.m.

Rev. Tim Hurd, Rev. Richard Norsworthy St. Ann Cemetery Ebarb 10:00 a.m.

Rev. Tim Hurd, Rev. Richard Norsworthy San Miguel Cemetery Zwolle 11:00 a.m.

Rev. Tim Hurd, Rev. Richard Norsworthy

dearly departed with gratitude, love and devotion. Our belief in Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the reason we commemorate our faithful departed on All Souls Day and bless their graves.

We entrust them to the purifying, merciful love of the One Eternal God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Our priests and deacons will offer prayers at our local cemeteries on the weekends closest to All Souls Day on the following dates: Saturday, November 5, 2016 Hillcrest Cemetery Haughton 1:00 pm Rev. Karl Daigle, Deacon Larry Mills, Deacon Ricardo Rivera, Deacon Michael Straub Centuries Memorial Cemetery Shreveport 1:00 pm Rev. Francis Kamau, FMH, Deacon Mike Whitehead Sunday, November 6, 2016 St. Joseph Cemetery Shreveport 2:00 pm Msgr. Earl Provenza, Deacon John Basco, Deacon Jorge Martinez Carver Cemetery Shreveport 2:00 pm Rev. John Paul Crispin, FMH, Deacon Jack Lynch Veteran Cemetery of Northwest LA Keithville 2:00 pm Deacon Bruce Pistorius

NOVEMBER

2016

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

SATURDAY

30 31 1 2 3 4 5 Halloween

ALL SAINTS DAY

ALL SOULS DAY

Principals Meeting, Eastern Catholic Center, 9:30am

St. Charles Borromeo, bishop

Eastern Deanery Youth Network Meeting, Catholic Center

Diocesan Youth Council Meeting, Catholic Center, 12pm 2nd Collection: Archdiocese for Military Services, USA

St. Martin de Porres, religious

ALL SAINTS DAY / NOV 1

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Daylight Savings Time Ends Week of Prayer for Vocations 2nd Collection: Archdiocese for Military Services, USA

Coadjuter Bishop David Talley's Welcome Mass, Alexandria

ELECTION DAY

Our Lady Queen of Palestine Mass, Holy Trinity, 5:30pm

Priests Retirement Committee Protecting Meeting, Catholic Center, God's Children, Catholic Center, 11am 6pm The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Deadline for December Catholic Connection

Theology on Tap, Red River Brewing, 6:30pm St. Leo the Great, pope & doctor of the Church

Veterans Day Experiencia Cristo Retreat (thru 11/13)

St. Josaphat, bishop & martyr

USCCB Meeting (thru 11/18) St. Martin of Tours, bishop

VETERANS DAY / NOV 11

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Western/ Southern Deanery Youth Network Meeting, St. Joseph, 6pm

St. Margaret of Scotland; St. Gertrude, virgin

St. Elizabeth of Hungary, religious

St. Albert the Great, bishop & doctor of the Church

The Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter & Paul, apostles; St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, virgin

2nd Collection: Catholic Campaign for Human Development (thru 11/20)

CLOSING THE HOLY DOOR/ NOV 20

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Closing of the The Presentation Annual Business Clergy Meeting, Holy Door, of the Blessed Catholic Center Cathedral of St. Virgin Mary John Berchmans Theology on 11am Tap, Monago Christian Fieldhouse, Service Poor Monroe, 6:30pm Man's Supper, Shreveport, 5pm St. Cecilia, virgin & martyr Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of

St. Clement I, pope & martyr; St. Columban, abbot

THANKSGIVING DAY

Catholic Center Closed for Thanksgiving St. Andrew Dung-Lac, priest, & companions, martyrs

Catholic Center Closed for Thanksgiving St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin & martyr

THANKSGIVING DAY/ NOV 24

27 28 29 30 1 2 3 The First Sunday of Advent

St. Andrew, apostle

St. Francis Xavier, priest

ADVENT BEGINS / NOV 27 November 2016 31

Connection The Catholic

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT 3500 Fairfield Ave.

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Shreveport, LA 71104

Photo of the Month Pilgrims joined Fr. Jerry Daigle, Jr., Parochial Vicar of St. Jude Parish, in visiting the Shrines of Italy.

32 Catholic Connection

Fairfield