4 minute read
From the Editor
From the Editor
We’re everywhere!
Bayou Catholic
The official magazine of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux
Catholic schools: Navigating a safe return to classrooms
SEPTEMBER 2020 ~ VOL. 41 NO. 3 ~ COMPLIMENTARY
Find us... In churches and local advertisers Like and Share us... with family and friends
Here we are in September. We are six months in on a worldwide pandemic that has changed the way of life for virtually everyone. The pandemic also made us change the way we communicated the Good News to the Catholic faithful of the diocese.
With the closing of churches, schools and businesses we had to figure out a way to reach our readers in another medium besides print. Fortunately, social media was the answer. Facebook and the Bayou Catholic’s web presence on the diocesan website became our main form of communication. It didn’t make sense to print a magazine if the main point of distribution (the churches) was not available. Like many church parishes in the diocese the Bayou Catholic began sharing Facebook posts of news and events happening across the diocese. We even stepped up our web presence and were able to post news and events in a fluid manner with daily additions to the Bayou Catholic’s webpage.
For those who may not have known that we were communicating via social media, just check us out on Facebook or the diocesan website for anything you may have missed out on in the past few months.
It is really good to be in print again. I would like to thank those who support our publication, our advertisers, our readers and of course our bishop, because without his support this publication would not be possible.
If there is one thing the pandemic taught us, it is that we cannot rely on our old ways of communication. I am excited to be part of “a new season for communications” for the diocese. Diocesan communications has been reorganized to further enhance intentional communication to the Catholic faithful. Jon Toups, chief operating and financial officer for the diocese, recently announced that the work of the Office of Communications will now be served through the management of Internal Communications, Media and Public Relations; HT Publishing and Bayou Catholic Magazine; and Creative Media and Strategy. These three arms of communication will work together to effectively and creatively communicate the message of our
Bayou Catholic
Follow us... on www.bayoucatholic.org
bishop, our church parishes, our Catholic schools, Catholic Charities and all other diocesan initiatives and ministries.
Plans for the Bayou Catholic include an expanded web page which will offer our readers information and articles in a timely manner. The webpage will be visually appealing and a resource for Catholic news and events on a local as well as a much broader scale. We will continue to utilize our Facebook presence to communicate with those who engage in that platform. The magazine will offer the usual insightful articles, columns and news. In addition, there will be inspirational faith filled stories from parishioners across the diocese and special features highlighting the good works of those who minister in the diocese. In all, the future looks bright for communications in the diocese.
Remember, after reading Bayou Catholic, pass it on to a friend or relative who might not be attending Mass. It’s one of the great ways to do your part in spreading the Good News! BC
Lawrence Lawrence Chatagnier Editor & General Manager
In March of this year, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux’s parish social ministry sponsored a day of listening, learning, loving and living entitled “20/20 Love Vision,” at the diocesan Pastoral Center in Schriever for church parish outreach team members as well as those discerning how to serve the poor and vulnerable in their communities.
Bishop Shelton J. Fabre opened the gathering with a prayer while recognizing the work that the participants do in their various social ministries in the diocese. He reiterated that social ministry is part of the church and the strategic plan of the diocese, and is very dear to him as it is to Pope Francis.
Speakers included Father P.J. Madden, Father Joe Krafft, Deacon Kevin Carges and Matt Rousso. Various topics were covered including social justice and faithful citizenship; opting for the poor and befriending the poor; the global impact of Catholic Relief Services collections, the call to act in love, best practices for outreach, the story of “Antigone” by Sophocles, human identity and the importance of faithful prayer; family faith altars in the home, and the need for the frequent practice of forgiveness as social ministers.
More than 40 people attended the “20/20 Love Vision” gathering and 12 parishes were represented.
A survey conducted at the retreat, says Agnes Bitature, associate director of Parish Social Ministry, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux, found that the diocese needs to invite more people to join social ministries and that the unmet needs in the diocese include shelters for the homeless, especially for women; ministry to the sick and elderly, and more comprehensive approaches that move from relief to integrated individual human development, among others. BC Church Life
Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier
