Bayou Catholic November 2015 Issue by Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

INSIDE

Bayou Christmas Traditions

Catholic

Papal Visit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

Bayou

Francis presence inspires millions

HOUMA, LA ~ NOVEMBER 2015 ~ COMPLIMENTARY

The collection will be held on November 21 and 22, 2015 Thank you for your generous support.

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Contents FEATURES

34 Catholic Community Radio By Janet Marcel

COLUMNS

Comfort For My People

By Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

14 Pope Speaks By Pope Francis I

15 Question Corner By Father Kenneth Doyle

16 Readings Between The Lines

By Father Glenn LeCompte

30 Seeing Clairely By Claire Joller

31 Reading with Raymond By Raymond Saadi

54 Overtime By Ed Daniels

IN EVERY ISSUE

6 Editor’s Corner 18 Scripture Readings 20 Diocesan Events 22 Heavenly Recipes 28 Young Voices

GUEST COLUMNS

Bayou

Catholic

24 Vocations Awareness Week By Father Andre’ Melancon

40 Eucharist: Thanksgiving By Father John Nambusseril

47 Catholic Campaign for

Human Development

By Margie Duplantis

ANNOUNCEMENTS

26 Rev. Stephen Lefort

Bayou Christmas raditions

Priesthood Ordination Nov. 28

39 Native American Mass Nov. 20, St. Ann, Bourg

41 Mass for Black Catholics Nov. 6, St. Lucy, Houma

43 Food for the Journey Bishop Shelton J. Fabre speaks

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

On Our Cover Pope Francis arrives at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to celebrate vespers with priests, and men and women religious Sept. 24. In his column this month, Bishop Shelton J. Fabre says, “The pope is a visible sign of our unity as Catholics, and I know from my own experience and from speaking to many Catholics that this unity was keenly felt by many during the pope’s recent visit. Pope Francis during his days here reminded us of our collective and individual responsibilities and concerns as church and society to be the presence of Jesus Christ to one another by striving after the common good for all people.” CNS Photo/L’Osservatore Romano

Bayou Catholic Vol. 36, No. 5 How to reach us: BY PHONE: (985) 850-3132 BY MAIL: P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395 BY FAX: (985) 850-3232 BY E-MAIL: bayoucatholic@htdiocese.org

Where to find your Bayou Catholic

The Bayou Catholic is published monthly, for the people of the Roman Catholic Diocese of HoumaThibodaux by the H-T Publishing Co., P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395. Subscription rate is $35 per year.

Bayou Catholic magazine can be found at all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, at the three Catholic high schools in Houma, Morgan City and Thibodaux, as well as the 10 elementary schools throughout the diocese. You may also visit the merchants listed in the Advertisers’ Index to pick up your copy. Those wishing to receive the magazine by mail can call Pat Keese at (985) 850-3132 or write to Bayou Catholic, P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395. Subscription price is $35 annually. For the online edition, go to www.bayoucatholic.com

The Bayou Catholic is a member of the Catholic Press Association, the National Newspaper Association and an associate member of the Louisiana Press Association. National and world-wide news service and photos by National Catholic News Service.

Louis G. Aguirre

editor and general manager

Index to Advertisers Advanced Eye Institute .......................50 Barker Honda ......................................69 Bayou Catholic ..............................29, 73 Bueche’s Jewelry ................................26 Cannata’s ............................................23 Cardinal Place .....................................59 Catholic Campaign for Human Development .....................................2 Catholic Schools Office ......................33 Channel 10 ..........................................21 Daigle Himel Daigle ............................61 Diocesan Outreach Line .....................43 Diocesan Website ...............................57 Fabregas Music ..................................69 Family Vision Clinic .............................60 Felger’s Foot Wear ..............................63 God’s Promises Books & Gifts .... 41, 64 Haydel Memorial Hospice ..................51 Haydel Spine Pain & Wellness ...........39 Headache & Pain Center ....................45 Houma Digestive Health Specialists ...41

Houma Orthopedic Clinic ...................53 HTeNews .............................................75 Johnny’s Men’s Shop .........................66 KEM Supply House, Inc. .....................66 Landmark Home Furnishings .............62 LeBlanc & Associates, LLC .................54 Mary Bird Perkins Cancer CenterTGMC...............................................65 Re•Bath ..............................................32 Rod’s Superstore ................................17 Seminarian Education Burses ............27 Spotlight ..............................................39 St. Joseph Manor ................................25 Sunshine Equipment ..........................76 Synergy Bank ......................................71 Terminix ...............................................52 The Wishing Well, Inc. ........................69 Thibodaux Physical Therapy ..............26 U-Drop Packing & Shipping ................60 Vandebilt Catholic High School ..........35 Vision Communications ........................3

Lawrence Chatagnier managing editor

Glenn J. Landry, C.P.A. business manager

Peggy Adams

advertising manager

Anna C. Givens

advertising accounts executive

Janet Marcel staff writer

Pat Keese

secretary and circulation

Lisa Schobel Hebert graphic designer

Meridy Liner

accounts receivable/payable assistant

First Place Winner 2013-2014 General Excellence

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Welcome

Editor’s Corner Louis G. Aguirre Editor & General Manager

Lord’s gift of families 6

Pope Francis is back in Rome and all the hoopla of his visit to the United States is, rightfully, going from celebration to meditation. During his visit, the pope, by words and example, touched and inspired many to reevaluate their personal and communal lives. Rather than scolding, Francis gave us ways of overcoming concerns and difficulties as individuals and as country in realistic, yet merciful ways. As he reiterated during his trip here, Francis said the key challenge for the Catholic Church – in the United States and elsewhere – is “not about building walls, but about breaking them down.” Those were his words to the bishops, clergy and religious of Pennsylvania. From the beginning of his trip – Sept. 19 in Havana – the pope made it clear that with all the important meetings he would have, his primary purpose was to join the celebration of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia Sept. 26-27. During the meeting, Francis told more than 100 bishops who came from around the world, that the big challenge is to recognize just how many beautiful families God has blessed the church with. “For the church, the family is not first and foremost a cause for concern, but rather the joyous confirmation of God’s blessing upon the masterpiece of creation,” he told the bishops Sept. 27. “Every day, all over the world, the church can rejoice in the Lord’s gift of so many families who, even amid difficult trials, remain faithful to their promises and keep the faith!” In writing about the meeting with families, Catholic News Service’s Cindy Wooden says: “Tossing aside the text he had prepared for the nighttime festival of families Sept. 26, Pope Francis had tens of thousands of people watching

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

CNS PHOTO/L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS

Pope Francis poses for a photo with the Walker family of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sept. 27 in Philadelphia. The family traveled 13,000 miles to be with the pope during the World Meeting of Families.

him with awe or with laughter or with tears as he described the blessing of real-life families.” The pope quipped: “Some of you might say, ‘Of course, Father, you speak like that because you’re not married,’” he admitted. But he proved he knew what he was talking about. “Families have difficulties. Families – we quarrel, sometimes plates can fly, and children bring headaches. I won’t speak about mothers-in-law.” But mothers-in-law deserve a break and understanding, if one applies the pope’s words to the bishops the next morning and to hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the event’s closing Mass. Trust the Holy Spirit, he told the crowds. Recognize that God is at work in the world. Treasure the little daily gestures that show love within a family. Affirm all those who do good, whether or not they are “part of our group.” “Anyone who wants to bring into this world a family which teaches children to be excited by every gesture aimed at overcoming evil – a family which shows that the Spirit is alive and at work – will encounter our gratitude and our appreciation. Whatever the family, people, region or religion to which they belong!” Francis concluded.

Bayou Spirit

La Caridad

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was the main celebrant at a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre at Sacred Heart Church in Morgan City recently. “La Caridad,” is Cuba’s patroness. The day included a procession, Mass and a traditional Cuban meal featuring singing and dancing.

Photos by Louis Aguirre

www.bayoucatholic.com

Comment Comfort For My People Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

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Though the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to the United States occurred over a month ago, I am certain that the spiritual benefits and grace of this visit will be with us for a very long time. I have been asked to share some of my own thoughts and reflections on this visit of our Holy Father, and I am happy to do so. Many people were captivated by the Pastoral Visit of Pope Francis to the United States that took place in September 2015. Witnessing the welcome and adulation afforded to the pope by Catholics, by people of other faith denominations and by all people in general, one can understand my own personal feeling that in a special way it was a wonderful experience of all that it means to be Catholic, and of all that is good about the Catholic Church. While I acknowledge the sins of various human persons in the church, sins that cut deeply and hurt many, I nonetheless also believe that the presence of the pope here in our country was another occasion to remind us of all that is good about the church, as well as of all the good that the church continues to accomplish. The pope is a visible sign of our unity as Catholics, and I know from my own experience and from speaking to many Catholics that this unity was keenly felt by many during the pope’s recent visit. As Catholics, we stand in union and unity with Jesus Christ, and with

the vicar of Christ on earth, the pope. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have many responsibilities entrusted to us by the Lord Jesus. Pope Francis during his days here reminded us of our collective and individual responsibilities and concerns as church and society to be the presence of Jesus Christ to one another by striving after the common good for all people. In many of his addresses here in our country,

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress as Vice President Joe Biden (left) and Speaker of the House John Boehner look on in the House of Representatives Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington Sept. 24.

the pope lifted up and explicated for us some of these responsibilities and concerns that very often the pressures of daily living cause us to so very easily forget. A partial and very limited listing of these responsibilities would include: care for the poor; care for God’s creation; respect for all human life and for the human dignity of each and every person, especially those who are marginalized by society; the importance of encountering one another in our different cultures and races as a gift from God; and striving for justice and peace for all people. I have never personally met Pope Francis, and even though

his recent visit did not provide an opportunity for me to personally meet and greet the pope, it was nonetheless a joy to simply be in his presence. It was a special grace to be present for the pope’s address to the bishops of the United States at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, for the Mass of Canonization for Junipero Serra at Catholic University, and for the pope’s address to a joint session of Congress. Pope Francis went on to visit New York City, where he addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations, and to Philadelphia, where he was a part of the World Meeting of Families. All of the addresses and homilies of Pope Francis during his visit contained wonderful insights into our faith, and were a call and challenge to us to embrace and to strive after all that Jesus Christ invites us to be. I know that the pope’s visit will provide us with spiritual reflection, courage and strength for many months and years to come. Let me also state that I marveled at the pace that the pope was able to keep, and was very impressed that he was able to be faithful to the challenging schedule that had been planned for him. Clearly he desired to be present to and to encounter many people during his visit here in the United States. We are now into the month of November, a month when we reflect as church on our own morality as we honor the Saints on All Saints’ Day and pray on All Souls’ Day for all who have died. As we pray in a special way for our beloved dead during this month, may they know rest and eternal peace in God’s presence. The end of the month of November invites us on Thanksgiving Day to always be thankful to God for his many blessings given to us. I wish to all a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!! Please know that I remain always thankful for your faith, for your sacrifice, and for your service to the church!

The pope is a visible sign of our unity as Catholics

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

Comentario

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El papa es señal visible de nuestra unidad católica

A través de la Visita Apostólica del Papa Francisco a los Estados Unidos hace más de un mes, tengo la certeza de que los beneficios espirituales y la gracia de esta visita permanecerán con nosotros por mucho tiempo. Me han pedido que comparta algunos de mis pensamientos y reflexiones sobre la visita del Santo Padre y tendré el gusto de hacerlo. Multitudes han sido cautivadas por la visita pastoral del Papa Francisco en septiembre del 2015 a los Estados Unidos. Presenciando la bienvenida y halago que los católicos, personas de otras denominaciones religiosas y el pueblo en general le rindieron al papa, podrán apreciar mis propios sentimientos de lo especial que ha sido esta experiencia maravillosa y sobretodo el significado de ser católico y de todo lo bueno de la Iglesia Católica. Mientras reconozco los pecados de las diversas personas en la Iglesia -pecados que hieren con profundidad y lastiman a muchosyo, no obstante, también creo que la presencia del papa aquí en nuestro país ha sido otro momento para recordarnos de todo lo que es bueno en la Iglesia y lo bueno que la Iglesia sigue logrando. El papa es una señal visible de nuestra unidad católica y sé por experiencia propia y por las conversaciones que sostuve con muchos católicos que esta unidad la sintieron muchos con intensidad durante la visita reciente del papa. Los católicos estamos unidos y en unidad con Jesucristo y con el vicario de Cristo en la tierra, el papa. Siendo discípulos de Jesucristo, el Señor Jesús nos ha dado muchas responsabilidades. El Papa Francisco durante su visita nos hizo recordar nuestras responsabilidades individuales y colectivas y la función que ejercemos como Iglesia y sociedad de manifestar la presencia

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

llamado y un desafío a aceptar y a de Jesucristo el uno con el otro cumplir todo lo que Jesucristo quiere esforzándonos por llevar a cabo el que realicemos. Sé que la visita del bien común de todo el pueblo. En papa nos dará la oportunidad de varios de sus discursos aquí en este reflexionar de manera espiritual, país, el papa elevó y nos explicó con valor y fuerza en los meses y algunas de las responsabilidades años venideros. Quiero también y preocupaciones que muy seguido declarar que me asombró el paso suelen las obligaciones de la que el papa pudo mantener durante vida cotidiana hacernos olvidar su gira y me impresionó mucho la con facilidad. He aquí una lista puntualidad que mantuvo durante parcial y muy limitada de estas su viaje con la rigurosa agenda que responsabilidades: La atención de los pobres; el cuidado de la creación; el respeto por toda la vida humana y por la dignidad humana de cada persona, en especial aquéllos que han sido marginalizados por la sociedad; la importancia de encontrarnos uno con otro en nuestras culturas y razas diversas CNS photo/Paul Haring como un don de Pope Francis blesses a prisoner as he visits the CurranDios; y luchando Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia Sept. 27. por la justicia y la tenía planificado para sí mismo. Es paz para todos los pueblos. evidente que su deseo era conocer Yo nunca he conocido al Papa a muchos durante su visita a los Francisco en persona y aunque Estados Unidos. su visita reciente no me haya Ya es el mes de noviembre, un dado la oportunidad de conocerlo mes de reflexión para la Iglesia y saludarlo, no obstante, ha sido sobre nuestra propia moralidad una gran felicidad estar en su mientras honramos a los Santos presencia. Fue una gracia muy en el Día de Todos los Santos y especial presenciar el discurso oramos en el Día de los Muertos por que el papa llevó a cabo ante los todos aquéllos que han fallecido. obispos de Estados Unidos en la Nuestras oraciones se dirigen de Catedral San Mateo celebrando manera especial a nuestros seres la canonización de Junípero Serra queridos ya fallecidos durante este en la Universidad Católica y el mes pidiendo qué descansen en paz eterna en la presencia de Dios. discurso que llevó a cabo ante el El final del mes de noviembre nos Congreso de los Estados Unidos. invita en el Día de Acción de Gracias El Papa Francisco llevó a cabo una a siempre dar gracias a Dios por visita a la Ciudad de Nueva York las bendiciones abundantes que donde habló ante la Asamblea nos otorga. ¡¡ Les deseo a todos un General de las Naciones Unidas y bendito Día de Acción de Gracias!! a Filadelfia donde se incorporó la ¡Sepan que les doy las gracias a Reunión Mundial de las Familias. todos ustedes por su fe, su sacrificio Todos los discursos y homilías del y su servicio a la Iglesia! Papa Francisco durante su visita Traducido por Julio Contreras, tuvieron revelaciones portentosas feligrés de la Iglesia Católica de nuestra fe y nos hicieron un Annunziata.

Binh luan bang loi

Đức Giáo Hoàng là dấu chỉ hữu hình của sự hiệp nhất của chúng ta là những người Công giáo

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Mặc dù chuyến viếng thăm mục vụ của Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đến Hoa Kỳ đã xảy ra hơn một tháng trước đây, tôi chắc rằng những lợi ích thiêng liêng và ân sủng của chuyến viếng thăm này vẫn còn lưu lại với chúng ta trong một thời gian rất dài. Tôi đã được yêu cầu chia sẻ một vài suy nghĩ và cảm nghiệm của riêng tôi về chuyến viếng thăm này của Đức Thánh Cha, và tôi rất vui sướng để chia sẻ. Nhiều người đã bị lôi cuốn bởi cuộc viếng thăm mục vụ của Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đến Hoa Kỳ diễn ra vào tháng 9 năm 2015. Chứng kiến sự chào đón và ca ngợi dành cho Đức Giáo Hoàng, thuộc thành phần người Công giáo, người thuộc các tôn giáo khác và của tất cả mọi người nói chung, một người có thể hiểu cảm giác cá nhân của riêng tôi, trong một chiều hướng đặc biệt, đó là một kinh nghiệm tuyệt vời của tất cả những gì có ý nghĩa như là một người Công giáo, và của tất cả những gì là tốt đẹp về Giáo Hội Công giáo. Trong khi tôi nhìn nhận tội lỗi của những phần tử khác nhau trong Giáo hội, những tội lỗi đã in sâu và làm tổn thương nhiều người, nhưng dù sao tôi cũng tin rằng sự hiện diện của Đức Thánh Cha ở đất nước chúng ta đây là một cơ hội khác để nhắc nhở chúng ta về tất cả những gì là tốt đẹp về Giáo hội, cũng như của tất cả những gì tốt đẹp mà Giáo hội vẫn tiếp tục thực hiện. Là những người Công giáo, Đức Thánh Cha là dấu chỉ hữu hình của sự hiệp nhất của chúng ta, và tôi biết từ kinh nghiệm của riêng tôi và từ việc tiếp xúc với nhiều người Công giáo cho rằng sự hiệp nhất này được nhiều người thấy rõ trong chuyến viếng thăm mới đây của ngài. Là người Công giáo, chúng ta ở trong sự liên đới và hiệp nhất với Chúa Giêsu Kitô, và với vị đại diện của Chúa Kitô trên trần gian, là Đức Thánh Cha. Là những môn đệ của Chúa Giêsu Kitô, chúng ta có rất nhiều trách nhiệm đã được Chúa Giêsu trao phó cho. Trong những ngày ở Hoa Kỳ, Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đã nhắc nhở tất cả chúng ta về những

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

trách nhiệm và mối quan tâm khi Giáo hội và xã hội trở nên sự hiện diện của Chúa Giêsu Kitô đối với nhau bằng việc tranh đấu cho lợi ích chung cho tất cả mọi người. Trong nhiều bài diễn văn của ngài ở tại đất nước chúng ta, Đức Thánh Cha đã đề cao và giải thích cho chúng ta một số trách nhiệm và mối quan tâm này rất thường bị những áp lực của cuộc sống hằng ngày khiến chúng ta rất dễ dàng quên lãng. Một danh sách ngắn gọn và rất hạn chế của

CNS PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAND

những trách nhiệm này là: sự chăm sóc người nghèo; sự bảo quản công trình sáng tạo của Thiên Chúa; sự tôn trọng đối với tất cả sự sống của con người và đối với phẩm giá của mỗi người và mọi người, đặc biệt là những người đang bị ruồng bỏ bởi xã hội; tầm quan trọng về sự gặp gỡ nhau trong các nền văn hóa và chủng tộc khác nhau như một món quà từ Thiên Chúa; và việc tranh đấu cho công lý và hòa bình cho tất cả mọi người. Tôi chưa bao giờ đích thân gặp Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô, và ngay cả chuyến viếng thăm mới đây của ngài cũng không cho tôi một cơ hội để tiếp xúc cá nhân và chào đón Đức Thánh Cha, tuy nhiên đây là một niềm vui để gần gũi sự hiện diện của ngài. Thật là một hồng ân đặc biệt để hiện diện trong buổi nói chuyện của Đức Thánh Cha dành cho các Giám mục Hoa Kỳ tại Nhà thờ Chính toà St. Matthew, ở

Thánh lễ phong thánh cho Linh mục Junipero Serra tại Đại học Công giáo, và ở buổi thuyết trình của Đức Giáo Hoàng cho phiên họp lưỡng viện của Quốc hội. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô đã viếng thăm thành phố New York, nơi đó ngài đã thuyết trình với Hội đồng Liên Hiệp Quốc, và đến thành phố Philadelphia, nơi mà ngài là một thành phần tử của Đại hội Thế giới về Gia đình. Tất cả các bài diễn từ và bài giảng của Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô trong chuyến thăm của ngài chứa đựng những hiểu biết tuyệt vời cho niềm tin của chúng ta, và cũng là lời mời gọi và thách thức đối với chúng ta để đón nhận và tranh đấu cho tất cả những gì Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã mời gọi chúng ta. Tôi biết rằng, chuyến viếng thăm của Đức Giáo Hoàng sẽ đem lại cho chúng ta bài suy niệm thiêng liêng, lòng can đảm và sức mạnh trong nhiều tháng và nhiều năm tới. Tôi cũng rất ngạc nhiên trước các diễn biến mà Đức Thánh Cha đã có thể thực hiện được, và tôi rất có ấn tượng rằng ngài đã có thể trung thành với một lịch trình đầy thử thách đã được lên kế hoạch trước cho ngài. Rõ ràng ngài đã ao ước hiện diện và gặp gỡ nhiều người trong chuyến viếng thăm của ngài tại Hoa Kỳ. Bây giờ chúng ta đang ở trong Mười Một, tháng mà như giáo hội, chúng ta suy nghĩ về luân lý đạo đức của mình khi chúng ta tôn vinh các Thánh vào ngày Lễ Các Thánh và cầu nguyện cho tất cả những người đã chết vào ngày Lễ Các Đẳng Linh Hồn. Mỗi khi chúng ta cầu nguyện cách đặc biệt cho những người thân yêu của chúng ta đã chết trong tháng này, chúng ta nguyện xin cho họ được nghỉ yên và bình an vĩnh cửu trong Tôn nhan Chúa. Ngày Lễ Tạ Ơn vào cuối tháng Mười Một cũng mời gọi chúng ta luôn biết tạ ơn Thiên Chúa vì muôn vàn ân phúc Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta. Tôi chúc phúc lành cho tất Anh Chị Em và cầu chúc mọi người được hưởng ngày Lễ Tạ Ơn thật vui vẻ hạnh phúc!! Xin nhớ rằng tôi vẫn luôn cảm ơn Anh Chị Em qua đức tin, qua sự hy sinh, và sự phục vụ của anh chị em cho Giáo hội! Dịch thuật do Lm. Francis Bui, SDD và Thầy Paul Vu, SDD. Tu Đoàn Tông Đồ Giáo Sĩ Nhà Chú

Comment The Pope Speaks

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Old Testament shows that even a prophet who is chosen by God and preaches God’s word can end up thinking his work is more important than God’s mercy, Pope Francis said at his early morning Mass. Preaching at Mass Oct. 6 in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope focused on the attitude of Jonah not only in the day’s first Scripture reading -- Jonah 3:1-10 -- but also in the chapter that follows. In Chapter 3, Jonah preaches to the people of Nineveh that in 40 days God will destroy their city; the people believe him and change their “evil ways.” God sees their repentance and relents. But Chapter 4 says Jonah was angry at the Lord’s compassion. Jonah’s preaching “truly worked a miracle because he set aside his stubbornness and obeyed God’s will and did what the Lord commanded,” the pope said at the Mass, which took place on the second day of the Synod of Bishops on the family, although the Mass was not part of the synod agenda. Reacting to Nineveh’s conversion, the pope said, Jonah “experienced great displeasure and was angry” to the point that he “reproached the Lord.” In effect, Pope Francis said, Jonah told God, “I did all the work of preaching, I did my job really well and you forgave them?” Jonah’s heart was so hard that God’s mercy could not find a way in, the pope said. Jonah thought, “my preaching is more important, my thoughts are

CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING

Pope Francis waves as he leaves the opening session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 5.

more important, the whole list of those commandments that must be obeyed are more important -- all of this is more important that the mercy of God” in the mind of Jonah. “Where there is the Lord, there is mercy,” the pope said, adding a phrase that he attributes to St. Ambrose: “And where there is rigidity, there are his ministers.”

“Stubbornness,” the pope said, “challenges the mission, challenges mercy.” Pope Francis prayed that as the Catholic Church prepares to celebrate the Year of Mercy, Catholics would ask God to shower mercy upon all people “because one understands God’s mercy only when it has been poured out on us, on our sins, on our miseries.”

Experience and rejoice in God’s mercy, pope says at Mass Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

Question Corner

death, even if that might shorten life. He is quoted also in No. 65 of the document as saying that “if no other means exist, and if, in the given circumstances, this does not prevent the carrying out of other

religious and moral duties.” So before the morphine might result in rendering the patient comatose, that patient should surely be offered the opportunity to speak with a priest in case there might be any unfinished business.

Father Kenneth Doyle

Morphine to the terminally ill

Q A

Q. What is the church’s position on the practice of administering morphine to a terminally ill patient until he or she dies? (Indianapolis) A. Morphine, which is a strong opiate, is commonly administered to dying patients to help ease their pain, and this is not only permitted by the church but encouraged. The answer to your question has everything to do with intention. The purpose of the drug is not to hasten death but to help provide comfort in dealing with pain. Some medical experts have said that in most cases, the use of morphine may prolong life by relieving anxiety and suffering. But if an unintended consequence of the morphine were to shorten somewhat the patient’s life, the medication would still be justified under the traditional moral principle of double effect. As St. John Paul II said in “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”) in No. 65: “In such a case … death is not willed or sought, even though for reasonable motives one runs the risk of it: There is simply a desire to ease pain effectively by using the analgesics which medicine provides.” I would, though, offer one caution. Many years ago, Pope Pius XII was asked by a group of physicians whether narcotics could be used to remove pain and consciousness at the approach of

Confession and dementia

Q. I am 87 years old, a Catholic all my life, and I have been diagnosed with dementia. My memory is terrible; my wife has to identify even relatives for me by name. How should I handle this problem in confession with a priest? Should I tell him my problem first? I have always used the commandments of God and the church in examining my conscience, but now I wonder if I should be wasting a priest’s time by going to confession if I can’t even remember my sins. I’m looking forward to a response which will let me continue to be a good Catholic. (City of origin withheld.)

A. You certainly are a “good Catholic,” and your devotion to the sacraments is commendable. I would encourage you to continue to go to confession even though you can’t remember specific sins.

Tell the priest that you are 87 years old, have been diagnosed with dementia, that you can’t remember any specific sins but that, if there’s anything you have done to offend the Lord, you are sorry. You surely have the sincere contrition that is required for the sacrament, and the priest will give you absolution for any and all sins. (And if you can’t remember what penance the priest has given you, don’t worry: just say an Our Father and a Hail Mary.) The sacrament will bring you grace and blessings; each sacrament is an act of worship, because you are thanking God for his goodness. (Pope Francis has said that he goes to confession every couple of weeks and that it helps him to think about the great mercy of the Lord.) Catholic News Service Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@ gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y. 12208 www.bayoucatholic.com

Reflections Readings Between The Lines Father Glenn LeCompte

The souls of the just are in God’s hand

“everlasting life” and the wicked to “everlasting shame and contempt.” Considered within the larger context of the book of Daniel this resurrection to eternal life is an act of vindication by God on behalf of those who died resisting the attempt of the second century Greek ruler (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) of Palestine to eradicate Jewish religion and culture. Wisdom 1:16—3:9 interpolates the concept of God’s vindication of

E 16

Even as we commemorate the faithful departed on the solemnities of All Saints (Nov. 1) and All Souls (Nov. 2), on or near these feasts cemeteries are often blessed. Also during November, many parishes commemorate the faithful departed by placing a wreath or banner with the deceased’s names on it in a prominent place in the Church. Often read at funerals and an option for the first reading on All Souls Day is Wisdom 3:1-9. Given the close connection between Wisdom 3:1-9 and the November commemorations of the faithful departed, I decided to comment on this passage for the November issue. Wisdom 3:1-9 has to be considered within its context within the first six chapters of the Book of Wisdom. Wisdom 1:1-15 is an exhortation to seek wisdom, which is qualified as righteous living. Verse 15, a key passage in Wisdom 1-6, asserts that “righteousness is undying.” In other words, a right relationship with God is eternal, and so is the life of the righteous person, that is, one who is in a justified relationship with the Eternal One. The concept of life-after-death in the Old Testament appears only in very late literature. Daniel 12:1-3 describes a general resurrection of the just to

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

martyrs in the midst of persecution into the everyday struggle between the just and the wicked. Having stated the wise truth that “righteousness is undying” (1:15) the author of Wisdom presents the foolish reasoning of the wicked, who reject any idea of life-after-death, therefore, they advocate a kind of hedonism (2:6-9). Additionally, the wicked decide to oppress the poor, because they are easy targets, for their own gain. The just, who challenge the wicked’s folly, annoy and are despised by them. The wicked, then, decide to torment the righteous, who

claim that because of their right relationship with God, they will enjoy protection. The wicked go so far as to subject the just to death so as to put them in a crucible of contradiction. Premature or violent death was generally seen in the Old Testament as a sign of God’s disfavor with a person. In 2:21-22, the author points out the wrongness of the wicked’s argumentation by asserting that the wicked have not understood the reason for which God created life. “For God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity” (Wisdom 2:23). Beginning with Wisdom 3:1, the author dismantles the argument of the wicked in 2:3, when they say that the fate of human beings is that their bodies turn to ashes and their spirits dissipate. Rather, just people’s souls are in God’s “hand” (an image of protection), and never (the New American Bible’s “no” does not reflect the strength of the Greek double negative) shall torment touch them. The Greek word for “souls” here is psychai, a word that can simply be a reference to one’s own person, the self. But considered in the context of what has come before, psychai refers to the soul, the immortal part of a human being in contrast to the corruptible body. This is a Greek concept of the human being, not a Semitic one. A Semite can only conceive of life-after-death in terms of the bodily reconstitution and transformation of the entire person into an ultimate form of existence. Righteous people’s “going forth” (exodos in Greek, 3:2) is reckoned “mistreatment,” a concept that envelops the thought of the wicked that since there is no life after death the violent death to which the wicked subject the just is tragic. The wicked’s thinking is folly, whereas wisdom recognizes that the just are at “peace,” referring to the state of the deceased righteous person’s relationship with God (3:3). Verse 4 contrasts the human view (punishment) of the just’s fate with the wiser heavenly view, that is, that the just have hope of immortality. Here, the author applies the critical theological principle, “righteousness

is undying,” (1:15) to the just’s situation in 3:1-9. Because the righteous show their faithfulness by not compromising their relationship with God even in the midst of persecution and death, God greatly blesses them (3:5). The suffering to which the wicked subjected the righteous is seen by the author not as misfortune, but as a trial through which God tests the just’s worthiness, a trial wherein the just triumph. In 3:6, the author uses two favorable similes to describe the fate of the righteous. The first, a Greco-Roman business image, is that they are like gold purified in a furnace. The second, that they are a pleasing offering to the Lord, reflects sacred Jewish sacrificial practice. The implied reader is a Hellenistic Jew living, probably in Alexandria, Egypt. Verse 7 mentions the just “shining” at the time of God’s intervention into their lives for judgment, an image that his judgment is favorable. They are also described as “running about” as sparks through stubble, an

image of victory. In addition, the vindicated just are given reign over nations, even as the Lord reigns over the just (verse 8). Verse 9 speaks of the just as “those who are convinced” concerning God, that is, those who believe in the vindication of the just by means of the gift of immortality, as knowing (in the future) truth. In typical Old Testament thought, knowing truth and having a right relationship with God are not separate concepts, but go handin-hand. The reason the just will

have the benefit of knowing truth is because they are chosen (“elect”) by God, which means that God bestows special favor upon them. Just as the Book of Wisdom applies the concept of the vindication of the just who die in a holy war to the everyday struggle they have with the wicked, so Catholic theology, in turn, applies the principle of vindication of the just by means of the divine gift of immortality to the everyday struggle we encounter with choosing between evil and good.

Questions n idst of o i t c e fl h in the m Re on in fait

nsolati we find co o causes us? d w o H n loved one a of th a e ed d the grief th ” with Go lationship re t h ig r “ n death? being in a of our ow t n How can c e sp o r p face the fidence help us to ional con ot m e d n a iritual ct with we gain sp people rea re e h w n How do s n tio st of situa our faith? in the mid ecause of b s u d r a tow hostility

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November

Saints

Holy Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prayer intentions

Martin de Porres 1579 - 1639 feast - November 3

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This illegitimate son of a freed Panamanian slave and a Spanish knight became a hero to the people of Lima, Peru, his birthplace, for his compassionate care of the sick and poor. Apprenticed at age 12 to a barber-surgeon, Martin also learned herbal medicine from his mother. After working for several years at a Dominican monastery as a Third Order member, he made his profession as a lay brother in 1603. He founded an orphanage and foundling hospital, ministered to African slaves, practiced great penances and experienced mystical gifts. Martin was carried to his grave by prelates and noblemen and all Peruvians acclaimed him their beloved saint. He is the patron of hairdressers and interracial justice.

Saints

Josaphat

c. 1580 - 1623 feast - November 12

CNS file photo

Universal Dialogue. That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ from our own.

An early ecumenist, Josaphat was born in Ukraine. Not happy with a mercantile apprenticeship in Lithuania, he spent his spare time learning church Slavonic to enhance his liturgical and prayer life. In 1604 he entered a monastery in Vilnius, where he began promoting Orthodox union with Rome and reform of Ruthenian monasteries. This movement eventually became the Basilians of St. Josaphat. As an abbot, bishop and archbishop in Eastern Europe, he constantly called for unity with Rome, a position that became increasingly controversial. In 1623, after preaching openly in Vitebsk (Belorussia), he was attacked by a mob, shot and thrown in a river. This patron of Ukraine is the first Eastern-rite saint whose cause was processed by Rome.

Saints

Elizabeth of Hungary 1207 - 1231 feast - November 17

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Evangelization Pastors. That pastors of the church with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.

See www.apostleshipofprayer.org

Elizabethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s short life was nonetheless full; she had a happy marriage and children, was a secular Franciscan, and was so devoted to the poor and sick that she gave away royal robes and founded hospitals. The daughter of a Hungarian king, Elizabeth married a nobleman of Thuringia, Louis, at age 14. He complained about the expense of her many charities until he witnessed a miracle involving Elizabeth, bread and roses. After he died during a Crusade, she became a Third Order Franciscan at Marburg, Germany, where she founded a hospital to care for the sick. Elizabeth, who was declared a saint in 1235, is the patron of bakers, young brides, widows, those falsely accused, countesses and secular Franciscans.

Saints

CNS www.bayoucatholic.com

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Dec. 1, Quality Hotel, Houma, 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Speaker, Bishop Shelton J. Fabre. n Deadline to register for

Speaker, Rev. Jules Brunet. n Directors of Religious Education meeting, Wednesday, Nov. 5, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 9 a.m.-Noon. n Mass for Black Catholics, Friday, Nov. 6, St. Lucy, 7 p.m. n Marriage Preparation Day for pre-registered couples, Sunday, Nov. 8, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. Contact your church parish or call the Office

of Family Ministries at (985) 850-3129 for registration details. Additional information available online at www.htdiocese.org. n TEC 75 Retreat, Nov. 13-15, Lumen Christi’s Souby Building, beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and concluding at 4 p.m. on Sunday. n Native American Mass, Friday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m., St. Ann Church in Bourg.

Junior High Faith Experience 2016 is Tuesday, Dec. 1. n Adore, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7 p.m., diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall.

n Adult Faith Formation: Baptism and Confirmation, Thursday, Dec. 3, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Rev. Robert Rogers.

jANUARY 2016

n Adult Faith Formation: Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Thursday, Jan. 7, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Rev. Robert Rogers. n Junior High Faith Experience, Saturday, Jan. 9, E.D. White Catholic High School, Thibodaux. Doors open at 9 a.m. n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Jan. 12, Quality Hotel, Houma, 10:45-12:45 p.m. Speaker, Rev. Glenn LeCompte.

n Adult Faith Formation: Matrimony and Holy Orders, Thursday, Jan. 14, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Rev. Robert Rogers. n Adult Faith Formation: The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Church, Thursday, Jan. 28, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Rev. Jules Brunet. n C.E.N.T.S. will be offering the Small Business Course beginning

in January through Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. This course is free and is designed to help people who are interested in starting a small business. It will be held one evening a week for nine weeks. A different business topic will be discussed each week. Anyone who is interested in participating may call Brooks Lirette at (985)876-0490 to schedule an orientation appointment.

www.bayoucatholic@htdiocese.org

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

DIOCESAN

n Food for the Journey, Tuesday, Nov. 3, Quality Hotel, Houma, 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Speaker, Jimmie Danos. n Adult Faith Formation: Liturgy, Wednesdays, Nov. 4 and 11, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m. Speaker, Very Rev. Josh Rodrigue. n Adult Faith Formation: The Trinity, Wednesday, Nov. 5, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, 6-8:15 p.m.

EVENTS

e n Tu To... In

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6:30 A.M. 9:00 A.M. 9:30 A.M.

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SUNDAY

Proclaim the Good News/The Rosary Closer Walk Comfort For My People

MONDAY Proclaim the Good News/The Rosary Focus Spotlight

TUESDAY

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THURSDAY Proclaim the Good News/The Rosary Focus Spotlight Spotlight

FRIDAY

Proclaim the Good News/The Rosary Live With Passion Comfort For My People

SATURDAY Proclaim the Good News/The Rosary The Choices We Face Spotlight

Programs produced by the Diocesan Office of TV Communications. We reserve the right to make program changes. www.bayoucatholic.com

Heavenly Recipes Story and Photo by Lawrence Chatagnier

This month’s heavenly recipe, Sardine Chicken, comes from Dora Delancey, a native of Guatemala. It is her favorite recipe and is one that her mother passed on to her. Dora grew up in Guatemala City and learned to cook from her mom. “I would watch my mom cook. She would give me a small pot and I would chop onions, and put it in the pot along with a small piece of meat and imitate my mom cooking right beside her. I followed what she was doing on the stove and actually cooked what she was cooking. Even now my sisters call me when they want a recipe that our mom used to prepare,” she says. Dora remembers growing up in a close knit neighborhood where she and her family lived near a Catholic Church. “My mother and I would go to church daily and pray the rosary before Mass. We would pray to the Blessed Mother. I also attended Catholic school in Guatemala. Dora always had a love for music. “I have an aunt who was a soprano in Guatemala. When I was seven I would sing with her as part of an international theater group.” At the age of 17 she left the familiar surroundings of her family and friends and her father’s store which was named “Dorita” after her, and moved to Houma with her brother. At that time she had cousins who also lived in Houma. When Dora first came to America she had to learn to speak English. “When I first arrived here I didn’t speak English very well. I attended English classes at Vandebilt Catholic High School where the sisters taught me how to speak English.” As time passed on she became involved with the Voice of the Lord ministry. She was the leader of a prayer group and a Hispanic choir. It was during this time that she became more and more involved in Hispanic ministry in particular helping those who were coming to America for the first time. “I wanted to help the Hispanics by bringing them to church. I began working with small groups as they would come to the area. Part of my

Dora’s

e n i d r Sa n e k c i Ch

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

ministry was visiting people in the hospital and the jails,” she says. Dora received her U.S. citizenship 15 years ago. She says it is an accomplishment that she is very proud of. Today she is still involved in Hispanic ministry by working with young mothers during their pregnancy and being there for them even during the delivery of their babies. She works closely with the St. Vincent de Paul Society and Catholic Charities HoumaThibodaux in helping those who need help. Dora is a member of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference. She is a certified catechist, has completed the diocesan Lay Ministry program. Knowing how difficult it is for someone coming to a new place and not knowing how to speak the language has prompted Dora to offer English classes for Hispanics new to the area. She also directs people to immigration lawyers and helps translate to doctors for those who do not speak English.

One of her proudest moments was when she was given the Bishop’s Medal by Bishop Michael Jarrell, second bishop of HoumaThibodaux. “Before my mother died she told me I can see you in a theater singing for the Lord. When I received the medal I offered her name to the Lord and gave thanks for all that she taught me.” Sardine Chicken 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (de-skinned) 15 red tomatoes (chopped) 1 yellow onion (chopped) 1 red bell pepper (chopped) 5 cloves garlic (minced) 3 cloves 3 dry bay leaves 1/2 tsp. rosemary Brown chicken in 1/4 cup oil. Saute’ all vegetables until transparent. Add water to cover chicken. Add salt, pepper, cloves, bay leaves and rosemary. Simmer until chicken is cooked and water has reduced to half. Serve over white rice.

Church Alive

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9/21/15 5:19 PM

Praying and encouraging young people considering Christ’s call Guest Columnist

Father Andre Melancon

What a blessing it is to speak about Vocations Awareness Week, which once again this year coincides with the Solemnity of All Saints that is celebrated at the beginning of November. It is my privilege as the director of the

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Houma Thibodaux to share the many blessings that have come from the prayers of the faithful and to once again remind everyone of the constant need to pray for vocations. While many try hard to paint a picture of a world that is full of darkness, we don’t have to look hard to see that there is much light that shines as people young and old strive to live the call of Christ in their lives. Clergy, religious and lay continue to work to build God’s kingdom as they respond to his call to come and follow him. One of these rays of light is the continuous rise in vocations in the United States and many other

places in the world. The church in the United States has seen an even greater increase in the number of young people who have said yes to formally discern a call to the priesthood and religious life through formation. Locally, Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict are reporting record enrollment years. The Diocese of Houma Thibodaux has also been blessed with three new seminarians this year and two young women from our diocese who have entered religious life. Our new seminarians are Caleb Anderson, Matthew Prosperie and Nicholas Lecompte. All three young men have entered St.

Joseph Seminary College to continue their discernment for the priesthood. Anderson and Prosperie joined formation right out of high school. Anderson is a graduate of South Terrebonne High School and a parishioner of St. Joseph Church parish in Chauvin. Prosperie is a graduate of Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma and a parishioner of St. Ann Church parish in Bourg. Lecompte returns to the seminary after attending Nicholls State University in Thibodaux for a year. He is a parishioner of Annunziata Church parish in Houma. These three men join our 12 other seminarians as they all together support one another in discerning God’s call. Haley Leblanc and Amanda Trahan have recently entered religious life to formally discern whether God is calling them to be his bride through vowed consecrated life. Leblanc entered the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Alabama. She attended Nicholls State University and is a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua Church parish in Bayou Black. Trahan entered the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity in North Dakota. She attended Nicholls State University and is a parishioner of St. Joseph Church parish in Chauvin. Please pray for these courageous young people in our diocese who have taken a big step to pursue God’s call in their lives. The diocesan Vocations Office staff continues to work hard to reach young people where they are while striving to help them listen to God’s call and engage the life of the church so they can be more docile to the will of God in their lives. We have two new ministries to help us engage our young people. Night Light is a new ministry to young adult Catholics in the diocese which meets once a month for Holy Hour at the Cathedral. There is a reflection offered at the beginning of the Holy Hour by one of our priests; and other priests are available to hear confessions. Afterwards, everyone goes to the old St. Francis Convent for fellowship. The other new ministry is Anchor, a ministry for high school young men that we meet with one Saturday a month at the Cathedral. We offer these young men opportunities for prayer, fellowship and formation of what it means to be a man of God. We are continuing to offer our diocesan Come and See retreats for men and women as well as discernment and formation groups in the high schools and at Nicholls State University. Vocations Awareness Week is also a special time as in all of our Catholic schools and parish religious education programs, children will be studying about different vocations in the church and how they can discern the vocation God may be calling them to in their lives. With all of the things that the Vocations Office sponsors, it may seem as though everyone else can just sit back and relax; but not so! I believe the real work of promoting vocations happens in the thousands of relationships that we have with our young people. Priests, religious, parents, teachers, youth ministers, mentors, etc., each have a unique opportunity to influence young people to the reality that God is calling

them to a vocation of love and a specific way of living that out. Pope John Paul II in his apostolic exhortation, I Will Give You Shepherds, a letter about the formation of future priests, spoke about the call for every Catholic to pray for vocations. He is speaking specifically about priestly vocations but it could be applied to all vocations. He says, “The priestly vocation is a gift from God. It is undoubtedly a great good for the person who is its first recipient. But it is also a gift to the church as a whole, a benefit to her life and mission. The church, therefore, is called to safeguard this gift, to esteem it and love it. She is responsible for the birth and development of priestly vocations. Consequently, the pastoral work of promoting vocations has as its active agents, as its protagonists, the ecclesial community as such, in its various expressions: from the universal church to the particular church and, by analogy, from the particular church to each of its parishes and to every part of the people of God.” Christ is counting on all of us to engage in prayer and encouragement of young people to consider the call. No one is excluded from this mission. Please continue to pray for all our priests and religious, seminarians and all that God is calling. (Father Andre Melancon is the diocesan director of the Office of Vocations, director of Seminarians at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans; and pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church parish in Thibodaux.) 25

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Ordination to priesthood Rev. Stephen Lefort to be ordained Nov. 28

The Rev. Stephen Lefort will be ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Saturday, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m., at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre will be the ordaining prelate. The Rev. Lefort is a 28 year old native of Houma. He lived in Cut Off, LA, from the time he was five years old until high Rev. Stephen Lefort school, and then moved to Thibodaux. His parents are Victor and Emily Lefort, and he has an older brother Adam and a younger sister, Julie. He graduated from E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux in 2006, attended St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict and graduated from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans with a master’s of divinity degree May 6, 2015. As part of his priestly formation, he ministered at St. Thomas Aquinas on the campus of Nicholls State 26 University in Thibodaux during the summer of 2008; at St. Genevieve Church parish in Thibodaux between 2010 and 2011; at St. Mary’s Nativity Church parish in Raceland during the summer of 2012; as a deacon intern at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2014; at Our Lady of the Rosary Church parish in Larose for the 2014-15 school year, and at Holy Cross in Morgan City for a deacon internship in 2015. “I am most looking forward to living out the dreams God has planted within me from a young age to serve the people of God in this diocese with the best years of my life. I am looking forward to sharing the many rich blessings God and the people of this diocese have given me by providing the material means necessary for my priestly formation and education. Of course, I am also very excited about finally being able to celebrate the sacraments of Eucharist, penance and

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anointing of the sick for and with the church,” says the future priest. Rev. Lefort says he is eternally grateful for the many people and faithful departed of this diocese, and the greater church at large, that have constantly interceded for his vocation to reach the altar as a priest of Jesus Christ. “I have received so much support and affirmation of my vocation at every level of the church and much of society over these past nine years in the seminary that my only response can be gratitude and a faithful desire to perform priestly ministry. Thank you Bishop Shelton J. Fabre for believing in my vocation, Bishop Sam G. Jacobs for accepting me as a seminarian, and Bishop Michael Jarrell for writing the “Called by Name” letter when I was 14 years old to begin discerning the priesthood. I am indebted to my family, immediate and extended, countless friends near and far, spiritual mothers and fathers, seminarian brothers, teachers, and brother priests who have mentored me up to this point. To Jesus through Mary in the hands of Joseph,” says the Rev. Lefort. Father Lefort will celebrate his first Mass of Thanksgiving on the First Sunday of Advent, Nov. 29 at Sacred Heart Church in Cut Off at 11 a.m.

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Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Seminarian Education Burses

What is a seminarian burse fund? A seminarian burse fund is an invested sum of money where the interest is used in perpetuity to help fund the education of men to the priesthood in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

How does someone establish a seminarian burse fund? Very simply, a burse may be established and named for anyone you choose, be it family, friend, bishop, priest, deacon, religious, etc.

When is a seminarian burse complete? A seminarian burse fund is complete once it reaches $15,000. If you choose to continue to contribute, a new burse will be created for you.

Who do I contact to contribute to or establish a burse fund? To contribute or establish a burse, send funds to Pastoral Center, Attn: Seminarian Burse, P. O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395 or call Jeremy Becker, Director of Stewardship and Development, at 985-850-3155 for more information.

Completed Burses of $15,000 each

Note: those wtih a number stipulates the number of completed burses* - Anonymous - Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Bienvenu - Harry Booker - Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux (3)* - Mr. Eledier Broussard - Rev. Adrian J. Caillouet - Rev. James Louis Caillouet - Bishop L. Abel Caillouet - Judge/Mrs L. P. Caillouet - Msgr. Lucien J. Caillouet - Abdon J. & Ada B. Callais - Harold & Gloria Callais Family - Paul A. Callais - Peter W. Callais - Vincent & Fannie Cannata - Minor Sr. & Lou Ella Cheramie - Maude & Edith Daspit - Mr. & Mrs. Caliste Duplantis family (3)* - Clay Sr. & Evelida Duplantis

- C. Remie Duplantis - Marie Elise Duplantis - Warren J. Harang, Jr. - Msgr. Raphael C. Labit - Msgr. Francis J. Legendre - Rev. Charles Menard - Dr. & Mrs. M.V. Marmande & Fly - Donald Peltier, Sr. (3)* - Harvey Peltier (30)* - Richard Peltier - The Peltier Foundation (4) - Orleans & Louella Pitre - Msgr. Joseph Wester - Robert R. Wright, Jr. - Rev. Kermit Trahan - St. Bernadette Men’s Club - Diocesan K of C - Leighton Delahaye - Endowment Fund - $119,136.90

September 2015 Burse Contributions Deacon Connely Duplantis ................................ $500.00

Matthew Prosperie is a Freshman at Saint Joseph Seminary College. He is from St Ann Church in Bourg, LA and attended Vandebilt High School.

Open Burses with Balance as of 9/30/15 Sidney J. & Lydie C. Duplantis ........... $13,000.00 Donald Peltier, Sr. #4 ............................ $13,000.00 Joseph Strada Memorial ...................... $12,642.63 Msgr. Raphael C. Labit #2 .................. $11,080.00 Harvey Peltier #31 .............................. $10,486.91 Clay Sr. & Evelida Duplantis #2 .......... $10,000.00 C. Remie Duplantis #2 ........................ $10,000.00 Marie Elise Duplantis #2 ..................... $10,000.00 Maude & Edith Daspit #2 .................... $10,000.00 Msgr. George A. Landry ...................... $10,000.00 Elie & Dot Klingman .............................. $8,720.00 Mr. & Mrs. George C. Fakier ................. $8,400.00 Rev. Victor Toth ..................................... $7,000.00 Mrs. Shirley Conrad ............................... $7,000.00 Brides of the Most Blessed Trinity ......... $6,165.00 Rev. Peter Nies ..................................... $5,900.00 Msgr. William Koninkx ........................... $5,400.00 Msgr. Francis Amedee ........................... $5,150.00 Mr. & Mrs. Love W. Pellegrin ................. $5,000.00 Anonymous #2 ...................................... $5,000.00 Mr. & Mrs. Caliste Duplantis Fmly.#4..... $5,000.00 Rev. William M. Fleming ........................ $5,000.00 Mrs. Ayres A. Champagne ..................... $5,000.00 Rev. Kasimir Chmielewski ..................... $4,839.00 Rev. Gerard Hayes ................................ $4,786.00 Catholic Daughters ................................ $4,705.00 Rev. Guy Zeringue ................................ $4,400.00

Joseph “Jay” Fertitta .............................. $4,350.00 Rev. Henry Naquin ................................. $4,281.00 Harry Booker #2 .................................... $4,138.00 Kelly Curole Frazier ............................... $3,610.96 J. R. Occhipinti ...................................... $3,400.00 Anawin Community ............................... $3,100.00 Msgr. James Songy ............................... $3,075.00 Mr. & Mrs. Galip Jacobs ........................ $3,060.00 St. Jude ................................................. $3,000.00 Diocesan K of C #2 ............................... $2,894.62 Rev. Peter H. Brewerton ........................ $2,600.00 Willie & Emelda St. Pierre ...................... $2,000.00 St. Joseph Society ................................. $2,000.00 Warren J. Harang, Jr. #2 ......................... $2,000.00 Rev. H. C. Paul Daigle ........................... $1,900.00 James J. Buquet, Jr. ............................... $1,650.00 Alfrances P. Martin ................................. $1,650.00 Msgr. Francis J. Legendre #2 ................ $1,645.00 Rev. Robert J. Sevigny .......................... $1,600.00 Msgr. Emile J. Fossier ........................... $1,545.00 Dr. William Barlette, Sr........................... $1,525.00 Msgr. Stanislaus Manikowski ................ $1,525.00 Mr. & Mrs. John Marmande .................... $1,500.00 Deacon Robert Dusse’ ........................... $1,450.00 Msgr. John L. Newfield .......................... $1,200.00 Preston & Gladys Webre ........................ $1,150.00 Deacon Connely Duplantis ..................... $1,125.00

Rev. John Gallen .................................... $1,100.00 Rev. Anthony Rousso ............................. $1,100.00 Rev. Hubert C. Broussard ...................... $1,050.00 Rev. Clemens Schneider ....................... $1,000.00 Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux #4 ........... $1,000.00 Msgr. John G. Keller .............................. $1,000.00 Jacob Marcello ....................................... $1,000.00 Deacon Willie Orgeron ............................. $800.00 Ruby Pierce .............................................. $800.00 Deacon Roland Dufrene ........................... $750.00 Juliette & Eugene Wallace ......................... $700.00 Ronnie Haydel .......................................... $685.00 Deacon Edward J. Blanchard ................... $660.00 Judge Louis & Shirley R. Watkins .............. $600.00 Deacon Raymond LeBouef ...................... $550.00 Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Cannata .................... $500.00 Deacon Harold Kurtz ................................ $300.00 Richard Peltier #2 ..................................... $300.00 Anne Veron Aguirre ................................... $280.00 Claude Bergeron ...................................... $250.00 Bernice Harang ......................................... $200.00 Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Naquin .......................... $150.00 Deacon Pedro Pujals ................................ $100.00 Joseph Waitz, Sr. ...................................... $100.00 Deacon Eldon Frazier .............................. $ 50.00 Deacon Nick Messina .............................. $ 50.00 Rev. Warren Chassaniol ........................... $ 50.00

Overall Seminarian Burse Totals: $1,530,951.02 www.bayoucatholic.com

Young Voices

What Catholic saint’s life inspires you to become more of a servant for God and why?

St. Dymphna dedicated her life to Christ at the age of 14 years old, following in her mother`s footsteps, who shortly after passed away. Her pagan father loved his wife so much that upon seeing St. Dymphna`s resemblance to her he wanted to marry her. Remembering her vow to Christ, St. Dymphna, the king`s fool, two servants, and her confessor Father Gerebernus fled to Belgium where she is later found and killed by her father at the young age of 15. St. Dymphna`s life inspires me to become more of a servant for God because she loved Christ so much that she even fled from her own father in order to keep her vow to him. It is often difficult to stay true to Christ when it seems like everyone around is tearing you down and the pressure to sin is so great, but by taking a look at St. Dymphna`s troubled life, it is easy to see that staying true to Christ is possible and the reward is infinitely greater than the pressure to sin. Lauren Prestenback, 17 years old St. Bernadette Church parish H.L. Bourgeois High School

28 St. Rita of Cascia inspires me to become more of a servant for God because of her everlasting faith. St. Rita never gave up even after being denied entrance into the convent simply because she was once married; she kept her faith strong and trusted in God’s plan. St. Rita of Cascia is a constant reminder to me, of why I should always trust in him and his plan because with him, things will always work out for the best. Lerin Prestenback, 17 years old St. Bernadette Church parish H.L. Bourgeois High School

St. Germaine, patron of child abuse, was abused by her stepmother as a child. Germaine had continuous conversations with God throughout her childhood and showed piety as she forgave her stepmother and did anything she could to help others in need. She inspires me to be more of a servant for God by forgiving all and helping others, especially children who experience abuse. I feel there is nothing crueler than abuse. Samantha Hebert, 17 years old Sacred Heart Church parish, Cut Off South Lafourche High School

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

When people ask me what saint inspires me to live a more godly life, the first saint that comes to mind is undoubtedly St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis lived a truly courageous life where he unconditionally trusted God. So much so that he challenged Muslim scholars to a test of true religion by fire. After they refused, St. Francis offered to enter a pit of fire, and, if he came out unharmed, they would declare Christianity the true religion of God. The lead Muslim scholar rejected St. Francis’ test, but was so impressed that he gave St. Francis permission to preach Christianity in his lands. The heroism of St. Francis has most definitely inspired me to put my trust in what God has in store for each and every person, and shows me how trusting God can work wondrous miracles. Braden Venable, 16 years old St. Bernadette Church parish Terrebonne High School

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Entertainment

Seeing Clairely Claire Joller

N 30

November’s onset always brings with it a prompting for me to deliberately acknowledge the things for which I should be grateful. After all, Thanksgiving Day is only weeks away, and its circled date on the calendar page flipped from October’s says, “It’s the season to especially acknowledge your life’s blessings.” This examination is particularly important to me because any year’s hard knocks can all too easily consume too much attention. Thanksgiving helps me to look back on all my years with eyes focused on the good things my life has held, and it wells up in me a renewed perspective on goodness itself. I try to go beyond the obvious— my immediate and extended family, our good health, our material blessings, and other tangible gifts, for which I am profoundly thankful. This mental mining for graced moments often leads to glimpses from as far away as childhood. Today I had a vivid memory of an otherwise unremarkable day when I was about eight years old. In a soft summer twilight, my family sat on the front steps of our house. The supper dishes were done and we lounged in the sweet evening air there on those wooden steps. My dad sat on the edge of the top step holding my only brother, a curious toddler. My mom was next to him cradling my baby sister. My two older sisters and I sat together on the bottom step, speaking in hushed tones, taking our cue from our parents’ soft conversation. This evening seemed to call for quiet. A large mimosa tree in full bloom spread its branches and its blossoms’ aroma only feet away. We sat there, lulled by the

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

Appreciation in retrospect descending dusk and the unstated agreement on silence. After a while, Daddy slowly leaned over to point out hummingbirds that had appeared from the gathering dark. We were all mesmerized by their swiftness, their closeness, and their beauty. We sat in utter silence, watching the lovely birds and the pink blossoms dip ever-so-slightly to the hummingbirds’ beaks. I’ve asked myself why this memory is so distinct from all the other twilights of my childhood. I think it’s because of the shared intimacy of my family on those steps. I felt secure, content and loved, through no greater an occasion than sitting close together in the twilight air and appreciating this simple natural tableau. It’s a sweet memory for which I am truly grateful. On further introspection, I remember the gravel road that led to my grandmothers’ houses. That road was the nemesis of housewives who battled its dust, my neat aunt among them. But as I think of it now, the gravel played a large role in the life of the community. It forced autos’ slower speeds, which gave drivers time to wave at porch sitters and to see sociable smiles

and signals in return. It seems to me that lawns back then were always peopled by women pulling weeds or hanging clothes, by men working on spreading trawl nets or on fence building or steps strengthening. The shrimp boats were glorious docked along the bayou banks as far as the eye could see. Those of my young years were high-prowed to meet with authority the Gulf and bays’ waters. Their huge trawls hoisted high glistened in the sunlight. The visibility of neighbors and strangers gave me a sense of camaraderie with a wider world. Other sights along the bayou also gave me a sense of our place’s different way of life, far removed from the world of “Father Knows Best” or “Leave it to Beaver” on television. I admit that as a child I would have wanted to be a part of the more mainstream world. But I realize now that those sights gave me a strong connectedness to the area’s people and landscape. That’s a thing to be grateful for. Most of all, I am thankful that the nature of remembrance points to the fact that sometimes childhood is most appreciated in retrospect.

Book Reviews

Reading with Raymond Raymond Saadi

HENRY HOWARD Louisiana’s Architect

By Robert S. Brantley with Victor McGee The Historic New Orleans collection $60 Howard has been described as “a man who did more than any other person to define the architecture of New Orleans during its most opulent era.” Many structures credited to him still stand: Nottoway and Madewood Plantations, the Pontalba buildings of Jackson Square, the Courthouse and jail in Thibodaux. Others were St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church and the Presbytery of the First Presbyterian Church in Houma, destroyed in 1885. Brilliant color and black and white photographs complement his storied career.

The Tweetable Pope By Michael J. O’Loughlin Harper One $19.99 If you followed any, or all, of Pope Francis’ travels here in the U.S. you must have been impressed with the crowds, his comments and his composure throughout. If you’d like to hear more from his holiness just click on his Twitter site @Pontifex where, even though limited to 140 characters, he makes powerful statements on prayer, suffering, service and, even sports. With every tweet from his Twitter account (which he inherited from his predecessor Pope Benedict who only tweeted twice before retiring), Francis reaches 21 million followers around the world. Example: “Sometimes it is possible to live without knowing our neighbors; this is not Christian.” Another: “We cannot be part-time Christians! We should seek to live our faith at every moment of every day.” Author O’Loughlin, a reporter covering the Catholic Church, expands on most tweets and as well, explains this whole business of “Tweeting.” This is a refreshing read and would make a welcomed gift.

The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous By Ken Wells Yale Books $15 I had read all I ever wanted about Hurricane Katrina, I thought, until Yale reissued this original book with a new preface. It’s still a gripping first-person collection of stories of survivors in St. Bernard Parish; hit head on by the eye of the storm. Wells, a Houma native and my friend and competitor for local news when he was a newspaper reporter and I reported for KHOM radio, has refreshed this story updating the resilience of the people he met and befriended. So much of what has been written has focused on New Orleans leaving the story of the Cajuns in “Da Parish” to be told by someone with the empathy award-winning reporter Wells brings to the adventures of trawler captain, Ricky Robins, his family and multitude of friends and fellow survivors. I found it still most poignant and touching of the many Katrina books.

www.bayoucatholic.com

Special

Anne Landry

Celine Laubach

Chalisse Naquin

Jodie Sternfels

Cheri Whatley

Catholic schools grant winners announced By Janet Marcel Catholic school teachers in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux were given an opportunity in the spring to write for $500 grants to be used this school year. Five grants were chosen for funding. In a ceremony that took place before this year’s 32 diocesan Educators Conference, which is sponsored annually by the Catholic Schools Office, five teachers were presented with $500 each to fund the grants they submitted. “Calculating Success,” written by Chalisse Naquin, sixth and seventh grade math teacher at St. Genevieve Elementary School in Thibodaux, will be used to purchase a Texas Instruments TI-30X IIS Calculator Class Pack for sixth and seventh grade math students.

SINCE FAST

“Learning All Around,” written by Celine Laubach, first grade teacher at Holy Cross Elementary School in Morgan City, will be used to purchase English language arts materials in the areas of effective reading instructionphonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension. “Creating Hands-on Experiences for Young Children,” written by Jodie Sternfels, kindergarten teacher at St. Genevieve Elementary School, will be used to purchase materials for classroom math lessons as well as individual and small group instruction. “Kindle Fire in the Classroom,” written by Cheri Whatley, second grade teacher at St. Bernadette Elementary School in Houma, will

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be used to purchase three Kindle Fires for work station learning as well as for individual students who need additional instruction. “Measuring and Shaping Our Future,” written by Anne B. Landry, second grade teacher at St. Genevieve Elementary School, will be used to purchase mathematics manipulatives to aid in teaching measurement, data and geometry standards, as well as allowing students to participate in handson learning through the real-life application of mathematics skills. Funding of these grants was made possible by Coastal Commerce Bank, First American Bank and Trust, Morgan City Bank, Synergy Bank and United Community Bank.

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Walk-in Tubs

Pro-Life Mass Knights of Columbus Houma Council 1317, along with the Fourth Degree Knights of Houma-Thibodaux, sponsored a Pro-Life Mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Sunday, Oct. 4. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre.Â The children presented as ProLife representatives were Aubrey Olivia Boudreaux, daughter of Neil and Kristie Boudreaux, and Joel Anthony Fredrick, son of Ben and Ellen Fredrick.

The

Office

wishes to thank these sponsors of the 2015 Teacher Grant awards.

www.bayoucatholic.com

Special

Catholic Community Radio WQNO 690 AM reaches our diocese Story by Janet Marcel Catholic Community Radio, Inc. is a non-profit organization that was established “to evangelize and share the good news of salvation in a spirit of truth and love.” Its mission statement goes on to say that its “programs are delivered in a compelling, modern, educational, entertaining and uplifting manner.” Before Catholic Community Radio, there was no existing Catholic radio station with local and national programming that was broadcasting to New Orleans, the Northshore and Southeast Louisiana, says David Dawson, CEO. The first station, which is located in Baton Rouge, was started by parishioners of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Baton Rouge. It went on the air Dec. 8, 2009. Catholic Community Radio recently purchased the old WTIX-AM radio station in New Orleans, The call letters were changed to WQNO (Queen of New Orleans) because a lot of petitions went out to Our 34 Lady of Prompt Succor during the process of trying to buy the station, which is able to cover the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, says Dawson. The station, whose frequency is 690 AM, went on the air Dec. 9, 2013. Dawson explains that they were able to purchase the old station at a good price because it was damaged during Hurricane Katrina. It originally had four towers but was left with only one beat up tower after Katrina and they were required to build at least one new tower. After some research into different types of technology that could be used to build the tower, they discovered they could actually afford to build two, which will allow them to broadcast at 9,100 watts. They hope to have the new towers operating by the end of the year. Dawson says that right now the station reaches as far east as Mobile, AL, as far west as Baton Rouge, as far south as Grand Isle, and as far north as Hattiesburg, MS. The station airs several different programs throughout the day. During the morning drive time, there is a local program geared for the people of South Louisiana called “Wake Up Louisiana Live!,” with mostly local guests, but occasionally there are nationally known guests, also. The station features national programming from EWTN, which includes a lot of papal coverage. Mass celebrated at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans airs at Noon each day; the rosary is prayed from 12:30 -1 p.m. and the divine mercy is prayed at 3 p.m. In the afternoon from 5-7 p.m., a call-in show entitled “Catholic Answers Live,” is broadcast. In the evening, Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

The “Wake Up” Morning show crew: Johnny Hebert, Karen Hornsby and Jeff Blackwell

the EWTN news is aired. One popular program is a food show entitled “Around the Table” that airs every Friday. It features restaurants, cookbook authors and chefs. Sometimes the program takes place in a restaurant. The objective is to try to get families to eat dinner “around the table.” The station is also looking at possibly airing music blocks on the weekends. The goals of Catholic Community Radio are: n to discuss the teachings of the Catholic Church on religious and social issues; n to encourage fallen away Catholics to return to the church through outreach; n to defend the Catholic Church through education and dialogue; n to foster unity and spiritual growth within the local Catholic community. The station supports the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Diocese of Baton Rouge and the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux by advertising local events and/or news from these dioceses.

Father Chris Decker prepares for a radio show.

Producer Gaby Chauvin in the control room

Dawson is currently working with Louis G. Aguirre, director of the Office of Communications for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, to promote the Bayou Catholic magazine as well as upcoming diocesan events on air; and to give Bishop Shelton J. Fabre an opportunity to share the good news with the people of his diocese on the air. The station is funded by donations, underwriters and local businesses. A radio-thon, which is three days of live radio where people are asked to call in to make donations, is held three times a year. Several priests and bishops, including Bishop Fabre, have been featured during the radio-thons. The next one is scheduled for Nov. 3, 4 and 5. Underwriting is a different than advertising because there are certain things the radio station canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say about a privately-owned business, explains Dawson. Most of the stationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s underwriters are from New Orleans. There are a couple from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, but Dawson would like to see more become involved. The station is a 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible and underwriter rates are much cheaper than commercial, secular radio, he says. The Louisiana Catholic Business Network also supports Catholic Community Radio in its efforts to evangelize. For more information about the station or to support Catholic Community Radio, go to www. catholiccommunityradio.org. www.bayoucatholic.com

Church Life

Wedding

Anniversaries

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre presided over the annual wedding anniversary celebration recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma which honored 256 couples and was sponsored by the diocesan Office of Family Ministries. Wedding anniversary couples shown with the bishop from left are, Robert and Angela Adams, 25 years, Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales; Arthur and Cynthia Ordoyne, 40 years, Christ the Redeemer; and Richard and Eve Guidry, 50 years, Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales.

Diocese honors 256 couples

The annual diocesan wedding 36 celebration which is sponsored by the Office of Family Ministries was held recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre presided over the prayer service where 256 couples celebrating 25, 40, 50, 60 or more years of marriage were honored. 25th Anniversary Celebrants Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Robert and Angela Pertuit Adams, Philip and Lynn Davis McMahon; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: Terry and Stacey Hebert Bergeron, David and Brigitte Kraemer LeBoeuf; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Frank and Corie Barker Davis; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Josh R. and Rebecca Morvant Bourgeois; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Matt and Shellie Borne Lasseigne; Sacred Heart, Montegut: David and Randa Pinell Smith, Corey and Stacie Thibodaux Tabor; Sacred Heart, Morgan City: Michael and Gina Loupe Dupuis; St. Ann, Bourg: Ivy Jr. and Connie Naquin Dupre, Timothy and Mona Brien Maronge; St. Anthony of Padua, Bayou Black: Henry III and Amy Luke Stein; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma:

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

Paul and Jackie Blue Doiron, Dale and Dawn Deroche Prosperie; St. Charles Borromeo, Pointeaux-Chenes: Thomas and Phia LeBoeuf Kreamer; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux: Mark and Michelle Richard Chiasson, Mark and Rachel Pope Hebert, Ryan and Cindy Tauzin LeBeouf, Nolan and Rebecca Boudreaux Naquin, Christopher and Cheryl Procell Powell; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Ralph Jr. and Odette Colombo Griffin, John and Denise Dupont LeBlanc; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Lance and Poppy Dupre Lirette, Michael and Carla Stringer Thibodaux; St. Joseph, Galliano: Chuckie and Kelly Matherne Cheramie; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Steven and Angela Cenac Blanchard, Aubrey and Janice Sear Carlos, Craig and Janice Brownlee Naquin; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Derrel and Crystal Orgeron Knight, Russell Jr. and Shari Plaisance Porche; St. Thomas Aquinas, Thibodaux: Charles and Renee’ Babin Ordoyne; 40th Anniversary Celebrants Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Curtis and Jennifer Saucier Briggs, Gerard and

Annette Stewart Parfait; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: Arthur and Cynthia Mike Ordoyne, Donald and Dorothy “Dot” Rhodes Pellegrin, Keith and Sheila Robertson Toups; Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Perry and Penny Parfait Pellegrin; Holy Savior, Lockport: David and Stephanie Labat Chiasson, Luke and Earline Plaisance Chouest, Blaine and Sandra Garlington Degruise; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Clinton and Arlene Cheramie DeHart, Willy and Penny Messmer St. Pierre; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Victor and Sharon Hebert Rodrigue; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Golden Meadow: Calvin and Norma Faucheux Duet, Glen and Susan Cheramie Terrebonne; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Mervyn and Laurie Whitney LeBlanc; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Ricky and Mitzie Terrebonne Angelette, Rodney and Jan Serigny Doucet; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: John and Michelle Blouin Authement; St. Bridget, Schriever: Gary and Cheryl Trosclair Henderson, Burnelle and Margaret Fanguy Landry; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles

Community: Craig and Tanya Pitre Schreiber; St. Eloi, Theriot: John “Pete” Jr. and Paula Crochet Luke; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Rickey and Gina Capro Foret, Randall and Carol Madere Haydel, Christopher and Kathy Martinez Louviere, Leon and Merlie Hamburger Richard; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Walter and Susie Bourgeois Richard; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Robert and Carolyn Portier Gorman, Richard Jr. and Aimee Chauvin Lasseigne; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Iris Jr. and Priscilla Dupre Collins, Timothy and Merita Levron Lyons; St. Joseph, Galliano: Irvin and Kathy Sevin Billiot; St. Lawrence the Martyr, Kraemer: Mark and Jan Dempster Martinez; St. Lawrence, Chacahoula/Gibson: Danny and Deborah Usner Theriot; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: John and Phyllis Brien Eschete, Ralph and Debra LeBoeuf Robichaux; St. Luke, Thibodaux: Martin and Rosetta Myles Dickerson; St. Thomas Aquinas, Thibodaux: Bill and Bonnie Brownlee Martiny; 50th Anniversary Celebrants Annunziata, Houma: Roy and Joan LeBlanc Blanchard, Shelby and Janice Desselle Bordelon, Norton and Karen Rousseau Bourg, Michael and Linda Doiron Hebert, Michael and Anita Whitney Kelpsch, Jose and Elba Pineda Molina; Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Clark and Catherine Malbrough Carlos, Robert and Beverly Lind Cazayoux, Stephen Ernest and Sandra Schmedtje Ellender, Richard and Eve Boudreaux Guidry, Howard and Therese Smith Oubre, William and Catherine McCaa Wilder; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: Reese and Bernice Guillot Bernard, Wilson and Joy Hotard Knight, Claude “C.J.” Jr. and Louise Savoie Riche’; Holy Cross, Morgan City: Robert and Judy Leonard Darby, Gene and Audrey Bailey Falcon; Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Glynn and Phyllis Collins Duplantis, Wilson and Margie Blanchard Fabre, Stanley and Marie Lirette Luke; Holy Savior, Lockport: Frederick and Elaine Dominique Allemand, Bruce and Linda Ledet Arcement, James and Florence Picou

Bradford, Gordy and Patricia Hunter Dominique, Robert and Carol Folse Gautreaux, Gerard and Murial Clement Leonard, Hubert and Helen Gautreaux Loupe, Raymond and Janice Adams Loupe, Gary and Linda Masse Twigg, James and Bertha Roussel Vedros; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Wilfred and Honorine Delatte Mars, Joseph and Edwina Rose Perque, Eugene and Merrill Guidroz Thomassie; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Floyd and Marie Mitchell Eschete, Larry and Linda Aucoin Hutchinson, Roberto and Patricia Poiencot Sanchez; Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Jimmy and Doris Rodrigue Guidry, Evans and Judy Ougel Naquin; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Edward and Peggy

Bruce Borne, Gerald and Elvina Lorraine Cheramie, Larry and Jean Lafont Cheramie, Tony and Jeannette Adams Duet; Sacred Heart, Montegut: Charles and Elaine LeBoeuf Pitre, Gerald and Arlene Stoufflet Pitre; Sacred Heart, Morgan City: Jerry and Carolyn Songe Watson; St. Ann, Bourg: Randolph and Kathleen Reulet Bascle, Gilbert and Judy Hebert Stoufflet; St. Anthony of Padua, Bayou Black: Donald and Carmen Gagnon Chauff; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: James and Gladys Faucheux Dusenbery, Carlton and Dorothy Portie Trahan; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Roy and Carolyn Mire Bourgeois, Michael and Patricia Weimer Robichaux, Ralph and Jean Ann Barrios Zeringue; St. Eloi, Theriot: Gerald and Betty Dehart Gautreaux; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux: Edward and Veldene Thibodaux Delatte, Dale and Barbara Benoit Leonard; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Robert and Virginia Arzate Griffin; St. Hilary of Poitiers,

Mathews: Andrew and Marilyn Stover Baudoin, Michael and Betty Guidry Breaux, Richard and JoAnn Adams Marcombe, Robert and Sylvia Dufrene Theriot; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Nolan and Emmalene Kraemer Hebert, Clarence Jr. and Dolores Chiasson Leonard, Eugene and Paulette LeCompte Plaisance; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Eddie and Elaine Legendre Hebert; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Donald and Theresa Lapeyrouse Chauvin, Daniel and Norma Adams Lirette, Ural and Thelma White Neal; St. Lawrence the Martyr, Kraemer: Warren and Beatrice Cortez Delatte, Rogers and Bonnie Cortez Thibodaux; St. Lawrence, Chacahoula/Gibson: Glenn and Marlene Voisin Champagne; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Richard and Linda Picou Charpentier, Norman and Patricia Stewart Naquin; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Donald and Lois Foret Brassette, Nelson and Phyllis Baye Foret, Daniel and Judy Babin Kraemer, Daniel and Sherry Folse Melancon; St. Thomas Aquinas, Thibodaux: Jim 37 and Suellen Cox McIlvaine; 60th Anniversary Celebrants Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma: Eugene and Lorraine Leonard Folse; Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux: LeRoy and Barbara Richard LeBouef; Holy Cross, Morgan City: Gerald and Carolyn LeBlanc Barbier, Leo and Marie Tena Rousso Grizzaffi; Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Rudolph and Bernadette Cunningham Luke; Holy Savior, Lockport: Herbert and Geraldine Plaisance Chiasson, Clarence and Doris Parr Ledet, Wilton and Mary Forestier Morvant; Maria Immacolata, Houma: James and Yvonne Porche Hutchinson; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Golden Meadow: Floyd and Shirley Toups Terrebonne; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Cecil and Evella Boudreaux Champagne, Camille and Betty Martin Dupre, Larry and Daisy Boudreaux Porche; Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Mervin and Shirley Berthelot Ledet; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Numa and Melvina Schouest Breaux, Irvin and Dora Chabert Curole, Raleigh and Lois

www.bayoucatholic.com

Anniversaries

Callais Pitre, E.J. and Katherine Curole Richardelle, Lurey and Jeanette Danos Terrebonne; St. Bernadette Soubirous, Houma: Carroll and Ruby Daigle Dugas; St. Charles Borromeo, Pointe-aux-Chenes: Hubert and Gloria LeBouef Champagne; St. Eloi, Theriot: Norris and Mazel Lirette Guidry; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux: Louis and Shirley Leray Adams, Frankie and Irene Whipple Tabor; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Weldon and Mary Ann Robichaux LeBoeuf; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Ralph and Carol Boudreaux Miller; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Charles and Barbara Badeaux Eschete; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Philip and Patricia Lapeyrouse Chauvin, Ludger and Ouida Lapeyrouse Lirette, John Jr. and Emelda Collins Trahan; St. Lucy, Houma: Allen and Audrey Liner Dugas; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Arlen and Lillie Blanchard Badeau, 38 Warren and Joyce Babin Dufrene, Ricardo and Marion Babin Labat, Claude and Gloria Rousseau Matherne, Rudolph and Rose Mary Guidry Robichaux; 61st Anniversary Celebrants Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Marion and Veraldine Dugruise Martinez; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Henry and Frances Falcon Rodrigue, Norman and Geraldine Duplantis Voisin; St. Ann, Bourg: Kirby and Helen Hetherington Fabre, Berwick and Regina Crochet Olivier; St. Eloi, Theriot: JB and Earline Brunet McElroy; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux: Louis and Theresa Duplantis Arsene; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Norris and Joyce Bergeron Boquet; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Boyd Sr. and LouAnn Richard Hebert; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Alcide and Julia Naquin Adams, Eugene and Yvonne LeBoeuf Soudelier; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Eroy and Rosalie Robichaux Benoit, Virgy and Mary Bonvillain Estay, Clifford and Doris Arcement Lagarde; 62nd Anniversary Celebrants Holy Savior, Lockport: Edgar

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

and Gloria Gravois Hicks; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Hartwell and Myrtle Babin Aucoin; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Gleason and Shirley Gros Sanchez; St. Joseph, Galliano: Ivy and Nancy Griffin Lasseigne; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Calvin and Doris Babin Breaux, Donald and Patricia Grimes Kliebert, Benjamin and Gertrude Champagne Matherne; 63rd Anniversary Celebrants Holy Family, Grand Caillou: James and Beverly Authement Trosclair; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Darwin and Geraldine Terrebonne Lafont; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Dan and Robbie Guedry LeBlanc; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Raymond and Betty Lefort Melancon; St. Eloi, Theriot: Patrick and Thelma Brunet Duplantis; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Wade and Leah Lecompte Use; St. Joseph, Galliano: Ervin and Aline Adams Bruce, Kearn and Lolita Guidry Chouest; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Leonard and Alice Robichaux Borne, Larry and Daisy Pierce Galjour; 64th Anniversary Celebrants Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Paul and Jeanette Boudreaux Luke; St. John the Evangelist, Thibodaux: Sterling and Inez Bourg Aysen; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Herbert and Rose Lee Brown Toups; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Dudley and Betty Foret Adams, Gus Sr. and Bernice Matherne Falgout, Harrison and Jeannette Gervais Matherne; 65th Anniversary Celebrants Holy Savior, Lockport: Calvin and Anna Rose Marie Guidroz Allemand; St. Ann, Bourg: Gene and Dolores Nettleton Ventura; St. Genevieve, Thibodaux: Charles and Mamie Blanchard Braud; St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Thomas and Rita St. Romain Robichaux; St. Joseph CoCathedral, Thibodaux: O.K. Pat and Beverly Fremin Szush; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Joseph and Marie LeBlanc Champagne, Bolton and Cerita Foret LeBlanc;

66th Anniversary Celebrants Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Richard and Jenny Defelice Rodrigue; Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Roman and Mabel Autin Guidry; St. Joseph, Galliano: Eumes and Julia Sanamo Griffin; 67th Anniversary Celebrants Holy Savior, Lockport: Raymond and Marion Adams Birdsall; Maria Immacolata, Houma: Billy and Jane Boudreaux Bundy; Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chackbay: Charles and Elsie Legendre Landry; Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Howard and Jeanette Hebert Breaux; St. Gregory Barbarigo, Houma: Melvin and Betty Carlos Abadie; St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux: Roland Sr. and Billie Babin Soignet; St. Joseph, Galliano: James and Irma Cheramie Cheramie, Arsen and Doree Dufrene Lasseigne; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Ivy and Shirley Waguespack Foret; 68th Anniversary Celebrants Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Houma: Evans (Vince) and Miriam Bonvillain Hebert; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Norman and Joyce Grabert Brown; 69th Anniversary Celebrants Sacred Heart, Cut Off: Weston and Doris Richoux Smith; St. Louis, Bayou Blue: Jackson and Loretta Marcel Chaisson; St. Mary’s Nativity, Raceland: Philip and Delta Sampey Monier, Camille and Aline Borne St. Pierre; 70th Anniversary Celebrants Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Evest Jr. and Mary Crochet Voisin; St. Joseph, Chauvin: Ruby and Dolores Voisin Brunet; 71st Anniversary Celebrants Holy Family, Grand Caillou: Irvin and Drussella Eschete Duplantis; 72nd Anniversary Celebrants St. Joseph, Galliano: Gilbert and Irene Plaisance Griffin; 73rd Anniversary Celebrants St. Charles Borromeo, St. Charles Community: Joseph A. and Erline Ledet Toups; 75th Anniversary Celebrants Our Lady of the Rosary, Larose: Harry and Enola Ledet Allemand; St. Ann, Bourg: Charley and Flavia Crochet Redmond; 77th Anniversary Celebrants St. Hilary of Poitiers, Mathews: Douglas and Genevieve Folse Acosta.

Diocesan Programs This Month “Spotlight on the Diocese” Host: Louis Aguirre With Guest: Very Rev. Mark Toups Chancellor

Native American Mass

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The Annual Native American Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, Friday, Nov. 20 at St. Ann Church in Bourg, beginning at 6:30 p.m. This cultural heritage celebration will be followed by a reception at St. Ann’s parish center. All are invited to attend.

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Eucharist: Thanksgiving Guest Columnist Father John Nambusseril

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“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). I came from India to this great nation in the year 2003 and fell in love with it. I became a citizen of the United States of America in the year 2013. Now I am not an outsider but an important part of this great nation. I was asked by the Bayou Catholic to write an article about my views on Thanksgiving Day celebrations. For me, every day is a Thanksgiving Day for many of God’s blessings to us. Thanksgiving Day is the most uniquely American of all of our holidays. As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking Nov. 26, 1789, “as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favours of almighty God.” President Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, established Thanksgiving Day as a formal holiday in which we express our thanks to God for the many blessings he has provided. Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday of many Americans and it is mine, too. It has the simplicity of a family gathering together for a meal. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have. For some it is a time for trips and to visit family and friends. However, Thanksgiving Day also has a profound religious meaning because giving thanks is the very heart of our natural and spiritual life. For us as Catholics, the central act of worship is called the Eucharist,

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

a Greek word for Thanksgiving. In the Mass, we give thanks to God through Jesus and share a sacred meal in which we acknowledge the fact that everything we have comes from God. Winston Churchill loved to tell the story of the little boy who fell off a pier into deep ocean water. An older sailor, dove into the stormy water, struggled with the boy, and finally, exhausted, brought him to safety. Two days later the boy’s mother came with him to the same pier, seeking the sailor who rescued her son. Finding him, she asked, “You dove into the ocean to bring my boy out?” “I did,” he replied. The mother quickly demanded, “Then where’s his hat?” God desires gratitude from us for the many blessings we receive from him. He feels pain at our ingratitude. Let us remember on this day the immigrants who came from many nations to make new homes in the Americas. They came in search of a better life. It was not easy for them to establish themselves. They had to work hard to make this place a better place. The immigrants hoped for freedom and good fortune in their new lives. Their hopes for the future gave the immigrants courage to face the problems of life. They didn’t have enough money to afford the most basic necessities. There wasn’t enough food or water. They fought for freedom. They gave us the freedom that we enjoy now to worship God and to live a free life.

Those first immigrants who came to this nation are like the Israelites headed toward the Promised Land. For 40 years the people in the nation of Israel were wanderers in the wilderness; God gave them bread from heaven and often gave them water by a miracle. God was with them throughout their journey to the Promised Land. We share the same story that God brought our forefathers to this land. God was always with them. They trusted in a providing and caring God. Often we are ungrateful to God; although we receive so much from him, we often take it for granted without appreciating his gifts. We allow the negatives of our lives to hide the blessings we have received. In times of need, we pray with desperate intensity; but as time passes we forget God. Many of us fail to offer a grace before meals or allot a few minutes of the day for family prayer. God gave us his only son, but we seldom give him a word of thanks. “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!” (Shakespeare). We owe a great debt of gratitude to our friends, teachers, doctors, pastors—but we often fail to thank them. Let us thank our almighty God for all of his blessings every day of our life and especially on this Thanksgiving Day. (Father John Nambusseril is the pastor of Holy Savior Church parish in Lockport.)

Black Catholic Mass LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

The annual Mass for Black Catholics in honor of St. Martin de Porres will be celebrated by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre, Friday, Nov. 6 at St. Lucy Church in Houma at 7 p.m. All are invited to attend.

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Celebration

St. Andrew, Amelia, is

St. Andrew Church parish in Amelia recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre and con-celebrated by visiting priests and former priests of the parish. Music was provided by the members of the Hispanic and St. Andrew community choirs. Father Joseph Chacko, I.M.S., thanked all who helped make the anniversary celebration possible.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier Bayou Catholic â&#x20AC;˘ Houma, LA â&#x20AC;˘ November 2015

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre

Food for the Journey Dec. 1 The diocesan Office of Religious Education sponsors a monthly lunchtime speaker series on the first Tuesday of the month at the Quality Hotel on Hollywood Road in Houma across from Vandebilt Catholic High School. The speaker for Dec. 1 is Bishop Shelton J. Fabre. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre studied at St. Joseph Seminary-College in St. Benedict, LA, and the Katholiek Universiteit te Leuven in Louvain, Belgium. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Baton Rouge Aug. 5, 1989. Bishop Fabre served as associate pastor and pastor of several church parishes in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2006 and ordained by Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes in 2007. Bishop Fabre was installed as the Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux on Oct. 30, 2013, at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Those who plan to attend the Dec. 1st event should RSVP with their name, phone number and church parish by Thursday, Nov. 26. To RSVP, email FoodForTheJourney@ htdiocese.org or call (985) 8503178. Doors open at 10:45 a.m. Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. The program begins at Noon with the speaker’s presentation from 12:10-12:45 p.m. Cost is $17 and includes meal, drink and tip. Only cash or checks will be accepted. All are invited to come “eat and be fed.”

Diocesan Outreach Line

In response to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is offering an Outreach Line (formerly known as the Child Protection Contact Line). The Outreach Line is an effort to continue the diocesan commitment to support healing for people who have been hurt or sexually abused recently or in the past by clergy, religious or other employees of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Outreach Line operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A trained mental health professional responds to the line. Individuals are offered additional assistance if requested.

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Outreach Line Telephone number is (985) 873-0026. For detailed reporting procedures see: www.htdiocese.org. Click on the Safe Environment tab, then on S.E. Forms and Links.

Línea de Comunicación Diocesana

Con el fin de cumplir con las Políticas de Protección de Niños y Jóvenes de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Los Estados Unidos, la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux ofrece una Línea de Comunicación (antes Línea de Contacto para la Protección de los Niños). La Línea de Comunicación es parte del esfuerzo diocesano de comprometerse con el mejoramiento de aquéllos que han sido lastimados o abusados sexualmente recientemente o en el pasado por miembros del clero, religiosos u otros empleados de la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux. El horario de la Línea de Comunicación de la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux es de 8:30 a.m. a 4:30 p.m., de lunes a viernes. El encargado de esta línea es un profesional capacitado en salud mental. Se ofrece asistencia adicional al ser solicitada.

Línea de Comunicación de la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux Número de teléfono (985) 873-0026. Vea el detallado procedimiento de informes en: www.htdiocese.org. Haga clic en Safe Environment y luego S.E. Forms and Links.

Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp Giaùo phaän Ñeå höôûng öùng Hieán chöông Baûo veä Treû em vaø Giôùi treû töø Hoäi ñoàng Giaùm muïc Hoa kyø, Giaùo phaän Houma-Thibodaux ñang chuaån bò ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp (luùc tröôùc laø ñöôøng daây lieân laïc baûo veä treû em). Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp laø moät söï coá gaéng cuûa giaùo phaän nhaèm cam keát haøn gaén naâng ñôõ nhöõng ai ñaõ bò toån thöông hoaëc bò laïm duïng tính duïc hoaëc gaàn ñaây hoaëc trong quaù khöù bôûi giaùo só, tu só hoaëc caùc coâng nhaân vieân cuûa Giaùo phaän Houma-Thibodaux. Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp Giaùo phaän hoaït ñoäng töø 8:30 saùng ñeán 4:30 chieàu, thöù hai ñeán thöù saùu. Moät nhaân vieân chuyeân nghieäp veà söùc khoûe taâm thaàn traû lôøi treân ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi. Nhöõng caù nhaân seõ ñöôïc trôï giuùp naâng ñôõ theâm neáu caàn. Ñöôøng daây ñieän thoaïi Cöùu giuùp Giaùo phaän Soá ñieän thoaïi: (985) 873-0026. Caàn bieát theâm chi tieát veà caùch baùo caùo xin vaøo trang web cuûa ñòa phaän laø www.htdiocese.org. Baám vaøo muïc Safe Environment, sau ñoù tôùi muïc S.E. Forms vaø Links.

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Church Alive

Blue Mass 44

The annual Blue Mass, honoring community protectors, firefighters, law enforcement, military personnel, and first responders to emergencies was celebrated recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was the main celebrant of the Mass. Community protectors who have died during the past year were remembered in a special way in the Prayers of the Faithful.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic â&#x20AC;˘ Houma, LA â&#x20AC;˘ November 2015

“Call us First”

Red Mass

The annual Red Mass, honoring all judges, lawyers and those in the legal profession was celebrated recently at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was the main celebrant of the Mass. The Red Mass, which is usually celebrated when the Supreme Court opens its new term, has its origins in the 1200s when judges and professors wore red.

Mimi Wilson, OT, PA-C Jimmy N. Ponder, Jr., MD Adolfo Cuadra, MD

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Church Alive

Life Chain

Hundreds of people participated in the annual Life Chain which was held on Respect Life Sunday. People lined the medians of Canal Boulevard in Thibodaux and Tunnel Boulevard in Houma praying silently and holding signs protesting abortion.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic â&#x20AC;˘ Houma, LA â&#x20AC;˘ November 2015

Guest Columnist

CCHD: Bringing Catholic social teaching to life

Margie Duplantis

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is the domestic anti-poverty program of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, working to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ”… to bring good news to the poor … release to captives … sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18). The belief that those who are directly affected by unjust systems and structures have the best insight into knowing how to change them is central to CCHD. CCHD works to break the cycle of poverty by helping low-income people participate in decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. CCHD offers a hand up, not a hand out. CCHD was founded in 1970 by the Catholic bishops of the United States as their domestic antipoverty program. They realized that established charitable services alone were not creating the changes people needed to stay out of poverty. With a goal of creating sustainable systems, the bishops worked to address the policies and structures that perpetuate poverty. CCHD seeks to eliminate poverty by building solidarity in communities. CCHD brings Catholic social teachings to life by funding community and economic development programs across the Unites States that help poor and marginalized people join together to make decisions, seek solutions to local problems, and find ways to improve their lives and neighborhoods. Economic development initiatives help create new businesses and jobs. CCHD also provides educational opportunities for Catholics to learn about poverty, stand in solidarity with those affected

by it, and reflect on their own responsibility before the great need of others. For over 30 years, non-profit organizations in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux have received more in CCHD grants than we have sent in the collection. The campaign gives grants to nonprofit organizations working to help people to help themselves out of poverty. Getting involved with CCHD you can make a difference. Donate. Your generous support, in the parish collection and throughout

the year, is vital to CCHD’s antipoverty mission and creates real change. Learn. CCHD offers awareness programs to learn more about poverty, those affected by it, and our responsibilities as members of the church. Visit www. povertyusa.org. Pray for those who give and receive CCHD support, in thanksgiving for generous donors, and to ask support for those struggling. (Margie Duplantis is the associate director for Catholic Charities Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux’s Parish Social Ministry.) www.bayoucatholic.com

Celebration

Filipinos honored Filipinos from across the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux gathered at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Bayou Black for a Filipino Mass celebrating the feast of St. Lawrence Ruiz and St. Peter Calungsod. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre was the main celebrant of the Mass which was concelebrated by Bishop Jose’ Corazon Tala-oc, of the Diocese of Aklan, Philippines; and Filipino priests of the diocese.

Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

Papal Visit

Francis Americans ‘surprised by the warmth of the people’

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- As the American Airlines plane taking him to Rome from Philadelphia took off, Pope Francis said he pictured the faces of all the people he met, and he prayed for them. At the end of his first-ever visit to the United States, the pope told reporters he “was surprised by the warmth of the people” and how they were “so loving. It was beautiful.” Spending close to 50 minutes with members of the media flying back to Rome with him Sept. 27, the pope said he also was struck by the sincere piety of people at his Masses and prayer services. Shortly after takeoff, Pope Francis responded to a dozen questions, including why he spoke with such compassion to U.S. bishops in Washington about what they went through in the aftermath of the clerical sex abuse crisis. “I felt a need to express compassion because what happened was horrible, and many of them suffered a lot,” the pope said. For “men of prayer, good pastors” the crisis was truly a “tribulation.” Sexual abuse occurs in families, schools and other environments, he said, but when the abuser is a priest it is “a kind of sacrilege,” because a priest’s job is to help a person grow in love of God and, instead, an abusive priest “squashes” his victims. An abusive priest “has betrayed his vocation, the call of the Lord, and those who covered these things up is also guilty; even some bishops covered this up. It was a horrible thing. And my words of comfort were not to say, ‘well, be tranquil, it was nothing,’ -- no, no, not that. But it was such a bad time that I

Pope Francis addresses the media onboard his return flight to Rome.

imagine they wept a lot.” Pope Francis said he understands survivors who feel they cannot forgive their abusers and those who have lost their faith in God because of it. “I pray for them,” he said. On another topic, a U.S. reporter referred to the Kentucky county clerk, Kim Davis, who refused to issue a marriage license to a gay couple because of her religious beliefs. The reporter asked Pope Francis to comment on the discussions in the United States regarding religious liberty and its possible limits Pope Francis said he had no idea of the specific case, but he insisted that “conscientious objection is a right -- it is a human right.” If some rights can be denied in certain circumstances, he said, then it would turn into a situation where people were determining some human rights were more important than others. When asked further about the county clerk, the pope said since the official was a human being then that official should enjoy the full range of human rights, including

CNS PHOTO

the right to follow her conscience. Asked about the role of women in the church, Pope Francis said not ordaining women does not mean the church does not recognize how essential they are to its life and ministry, which is one of the reasons he highlighted the contributions of consecrated women. “The sisters in the United States have done marvelous things -- in the field of education, in the field of health care. And the people of the United States love the sisters.” “I felt like I needed to thank them for what they have done,” he said. Asked if the success of his visit to the United States made him feel powerful or like a star, he said power is not his ambition: “It is something that passes. You have it today, but tomorrow it’s gone.” For those who follow Jesus, he said, the only power that counts is the power to serve others. “True power is service ... humble service, and I still need to make progress on this path of service because I feel like I am not doing all that I need to do.” After participating in the World Meeting of Families in

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Papal Visit

Philadelphia and looking ahead to the opening Oct. 4 of the Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis was asked about his decision to streamline the process for declaring the nullity of marriages. He insisted the change was strictly juridical and not doctrinal. It is not “Catholic divorce,” he said. The annulment process needed reform because with automatic appeals “there were processes that lasted 10-15 years.” The annulment process does not dissolve a marriage, but rather investigates whether or not a valid sacramental marriage was present from the beginning, he said. The decision to issue the new rules for the process responds to a request made by the majority of bishops at the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family last year, he said. The question of finding some sort of process or “penitential path” to readmit to the sacraments Catholics who have remarried without an annulment is something still on the synod’s agenda, he said. “It seems a bit simplistic to me to

say they can receive Communion,” but it is an issue that needs further discussion. Another issue touched upon during his U.S. visit was migration. Pope Francis had told the U.S. Congress, “Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War.” On the plane he told reporters

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

The power that counts is the power to serve others

that the world cannot pretend the crisis currently impacting Europe sprang up overnight. He said it was provoked by years of war and tensions in the Middle East and by decades of hunger and tensions in Africa, a continent that continues to be exploited by the world’s rich nations when some investment would create jobs and help

people live dignified lives in their homelands. As for the idea of some European nations to start building walls or fences to keep migrants out, Pope Francis said the influx of newcomers needs to be handled intelligently, “but walls are not the solution.” Erecting walls, he said, “the problems remain and they remain with increased hatred.” Pushed to comment on his popularity, Pope Francis insisted he doesn’t feel like a “star” because of all the crowds that flocked to meet him. Besides, he said, stars tend to come and go. The pope is called to be “the servant of the servants of God -that’s a bit different than a star,” he said. “Stars are beautiful to watch; I like to gaze at them when the sky is clear. But the pope must be the servant of the servants of God.” Asked about the primary task facing the church in the United States, the pope said, “The challenge of the church is to be what it always was -- close to the people, not detached,” he said.

Joys of the papal visit By Catholic News Service The excitement over Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia, New York and Washington was not just about the man born Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The joy beaming from a million faces, the pauses for deep contemplation and the careful study of words and gestures of course had something to do with the pope. But the emotions and thoughts of the week, now become memories of word and deed, have mostly to do with our response to the divine presence. We responded with joy not merely to the man who is Pope Francis but to the vicar -- the representative -- of Christ among us. That representation is not in itself explanation enough. It took the man from Argentina by way of Rome to help us see what has always been there but which we allow the cares of the day to obscure:

Almighty and ever-living God is with us. He is not a figure remote in space or the lead character in the Good Book. Francis reminded us last week of the divine life ever present within us, around us in creation and among us, his children. In Philadelphia, you could sense something out of the ordinary, divine even, in the silence during the liturgies at the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. Silence among 1,600 in the cathedral was remarkable enough; among hundreds of thousands stretched out on a long boulevard, the silence was other-worldly. In my view, the Holy Spirit was powerfully present in that old basilica or the two-mile long, openair cathedral of the parkway. The Spirit was present as well among the thousands of people jammed

behind security checkpoints who never made it into the Mass. Despite waiting hours to no avail, nevertheless they remained calm and cool. In Philadelphia, this was a small miracle in itself. You could sense truth in your bones as you listened to the pope’s speeches at Congress, at the United Nations and at Independence Hall. If they made us nod with agreement or squirm with discomfort, that wasn’t merely fine oratory by the speaker in white but an encounter with truth. Our conscience, if we openly engaged it, resonated with the truth like chords on a piano -- notes from without, harmonizing within. If you stood behind a barricade as Pope Francis passed by, it was thrilling to see him arms-length away in our own backyard. But more than your own excitement was that of everyone around

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Papal Visit

Joys of the papal visit you as a collective road rose up as the popemobile cruised by. That shared joy was a moment of the divine, a sign of the presence of the creator who delights in his creation. All this joy, this open-mindedness, basking in silence were signs of the Holy Spirit’s presence. We noticed those signs because Pope Francis helped dispose us to noticing. He opened a crack in our hearts and the spirit came pouring in. 52 But those moments happen all the time. The challenge is to recognize them when they occur and thank God for his loving presence. God is present in the joy of two grown men hugging and laughing like boys when their team scores a touchdown at the last moment to win the game -- more than football is going on there. God is present when we hear or read a pastor or speaker utter a phrase that strikes a chord within us, drawing us into a deep truth. God is present when we notice the silence while walking in the woods, or praying in an empty room, or sitting with a family as their loved one takes his or her last breaths, or meditating with the congregation in church. These are all divine moments, fleeting yet profound. Pope Francis has helped us to see them for what they are: signs of the God who is with us, walking with us in all the moments of our life. As the pope told thousands during the Festival of Families in Philadelphia: “All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful brings us to God. Because God is good, God is beautiful, God is the truth.” I believe that outlook on life is the legacy of the pope’s apostolic visit to the United States that may endure longest among more people than any of the memories imprinted upon us. It is the starting mark of a renewal not only for Philadelphia but for the country too, thanks to a man from far away who drew near to us, and we to each other, and all to God. Indeed they were “days of great grace,” as he said. Aren’t they all? Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano

U.S. President Barack Obama presents a gift to Pope Francis during his visit to the White House in Washington Sept. 23. The gift was one of the two original keys from the 1809 home in Emmitsburg, Md., of Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American canonized a saint.

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Pope Francis gives a copy of the Gospel of Luke to a family during the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia Sept. 27.

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Sports

Overtime

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Ed Daniels

Nicholls Coach Rebowe: Better days are ahead

Nicholls State football was in the midst of a 23 game losing streak, stretching back to October of 2013, but the long term solution was as optimistic as ever. “We should have two wins, right now,” said new head football coach Tim Rebowe. One of those near misses was an early October 28-24 loss at Stephen F. Austin. The Lumberjacks converted a fourth and one, and then scored on the winning drive with 26 seconds to play. “The kids were crushed,” said Rebowe. But, he’s convinced better days are ahead. Rebowe’s task, turning around Colonels’ football, won’t be easy. Since Nicholls State began playing football in 1972, only one head football coach, Sonny Jackson, departed with a winning record. Nicholls State hasn’t won a Football Championship Subdivision playoff game since Jackson’s final season, 1986. But, Rebowe sees improvement. And, he sees something that is almost as welcomed. “We came home after three straight road games, and had 8,000 people in the stands (for the McNeese State game). “We haven’t had that type of support in years.” Rebowe, a former head coach at Destrehan High School and Louisiana Lafayette assistant, and his staff hit the ground running in recruiting. They have already nabbed several commitments, including linebacker Evan Veron of Riverside Academy, and quarterback Chase Fourcade of Rummel. While Rebowe cannot comment on commitments, it is clear that he values high school players from winning teams. Fourcade has led Rummel to two state championships, and a semifinal appearance in his first three seasons. The Colonels have also nabbed a commitment from Sophie B. Wright athlete/quarterback Kevin Johnson, who can be a difference maker at any skill position on offense or as a defensive back. Nicholls State also has a commitment from Covington quarterback Marquell Hollins, who projects as a defensive back. Rebowe has already won over his players. “I have three kids right now who are in the program,” said John Curtis Patriots head coach J.T. Curtis. “They have nothing but positive things to say about

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

coach Rebowe and his staff. They like the fact that he stresses academics and is doing his best to improve facilities.” “Coach Rebowe is the right man for the job,” added Curtis. “He understands recruiting in southeast Louisiana.” But, says Curtis, in college football, a head coach can only be as good as his administration will allow. “If they (Nicholls State) give Tim the support he needs, he will be successful.” Rebowe says better days are ahead. “Even though we lost to McNeese State, there were times during the game when we looked like a good football team.” “We just have to play with more consistency.” “It takes time, but we are headed in the right direction.”

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Christmas Traditions

Adopt-a-Family Bringing happiness to the needy

Doing without the things that most of us take for granted is a way of life for some families in our community. Jennifer Gaudet, associate director for Individual and Family Assistance for Catholic Charities Diocese of HoumaThibodaux, says that some children cannot go to social events, cannot expect certain toys for Christmas or their birthday, or even have a Christmas tree because their families cannot afford these things. At Christmas time, there are organizations such as Catholic Charities Adopt-a-Family program that strive to help children make their dreams come true. “Since I 56 have an understanding of what it feels like to live in poverty conditions, I am extremely grateful to the businesses and families that call upon us to “adopt” families for Christmas. I am not sure if they fully understand how deeply their gifts reach into the human soul. It is more than just a toy that is being given. A gift helps children’s selfesteem and lessens the financial stress the parents feel as holiday season approaches,” says Gaudet. Gaudet sees children receive some things that go beyond the joy of receiving a toy. “This program is more than just giving and receiving. It is mainly about sharing one’s love and strength with someone else who feels tired and run down. By participating in this type of program, the strength of the loving Christ child becomes present to both parties and joy fills the air,” Gaudet says. How to Adopt a Family for Christmas There are two options for those who would like to participate: n Businesses and families who wish to interact directly with a family in need may participate in the Adopt a Family program. Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Once a group knows how much money they have available to assist a family, they need to decide how they wish to help – with food, badly needed items for the home, clothes for the family or toys for the children. Once this decision is made, the group may call Catholic Charities in Houma at (985) 8760490. Gaudet will help match the group with a needy family. Once a decision is made, the group will deliver the gifts to the family or if they prefer to remain anonymous, they can have Catholic Charities’ staff distribute the gifts to the adopted family. n In lieu of purchasing gifts,

cash donations may be made to the program by sending checks to Catholic Charities Christmas Drive, 1220 Aycock St., Houma, LA 70360. Any small donations will be combined and used to assist a family (or families depending on the amount received) with gifts when a donor does not wish to adopt an entire family themselves. Gaudet says that Catholic Charities cooperates with the Salvation Army, The Ark Houma, First United Methodist Church, and Faith Ministries in the area to ensure names of the needy are not duplicated and that children in need are helped.

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Christmas Traditions

Happy Birthday, Jesus! By KELLY BOTHUM

Catholic News Service

I wish I could say we are the kind of family who has it together by the time Christmas rolls around. You know the ones, those whose Advent candles are melted in an appropriately descending order, because, well, they can actually find their candles. They also remember to light them. They’re the ones who not only have a Christmas tree, but a Jesse tree, one that represents the family tree, or genealogy of Jesus Christ, as well. Each tree is suitably adorned for the season. (They also know that an Advent calendar is more than a churchsanctioned excuse to eat chocolate every day for four weeks.) They’re the ones whose holiday song playlist has more “Away in a Manger” and less “Christmas in Hollis.” Martha Stewart we are not, but we do rock some righteous cheer at this time of year, most notably by fully embracing the idea that Christmas is one big party. For as long as I can remember, since I’ve had kids -- which is not the eternity is seems -- we’ve eaten birthday cake on Christmas morning. It’s as much a part of our holiday tradition as fighting over who gets to unwrap the first present. To be clear, this is no whitegloved, have-a-bite-let’s-get-onwith-the-presents kind of cake. It’s usually an all-chocolate Catholic sugar bomb, decorated with entirely too much frosting and rainbow sprinkles, reused wax candles and festooned with Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

wobbly, uneven “Happy Birthday, Jesus” calligraphy that can only be scripted with an untrained hand. In other words, it’s perfect. Betty Crocker we are not -although it’s her packaged mix the kids use to make their chocolate masterpiece, usually after Mass on Christmas Eve. Note, I say them, not me. They’re the ones who gather the ingredients. They mix the batter and fill the pans. I’m usually squirrelled away in my closet, trying to remember where exactly I hid their presents. They listen to Christmas songs. They take turns licking spoons, spatulas and mixers. For a brief time, they enjoy being together -my own Christmas miracle among siblings known to fight over who is breathing too loudly. On Christmas morning, they’re almost as excited to sing “Happy Birthday” as they are to open presents. (Well, almost might be a stretch, but they’re pretty pumped about it.)

And yes, we serenade our sinless cherub in the same over-the-top birthday karaoke style we reserve for only the closest family members. I should note that we do skip the “You live in a zoo” line of the alternate-verse, kid-favorite version of the “Happy Birthday” song, though a manger probably doesn’t smell all that much different. Is it wrong for us to celebrate the arrival of Jesus our savior in the same way as we fete the rest of our wacky tribe? Of course not. Jesus is family. And for my kids enjoying that silly moment, Jesus becomes more than the elusive-yet-everywhere figure they hear about in church. He’s a sleepy, fat-faced baby with a mom and a dad and a cake and people making a big deal that he’s a part of their life. He’s one of us. And what better present is there than that? Bothum, a mother of three, is a freelance writer who lives in Newark, Delaware.

Joseph: Best supporting actor By MARCELLINO D’AMBROSIO Catholic News Service

newborn. If this were God’s son, shouldn’t there be an easier way? Joseph may or may not have thought these things. I would have. At the very least, I would have hesitated. Yet Joseph simply believed and acted. When the angel came a third time and told him to make the long trek back to Nazareth, he obeyed again. In this he reminds us a lot of Abraham, the great example of faith in the Old Testament. Paul said we walk by faith, not by sight and Joseph fits this model of faith because he keeps walking, even in the dark. D’Ambrosio writes from Texas. He is co-founder of Crossroads Productions, an apostolate of Catholic renewal and evangelization.

In the drama of the Incarnation, Jesus is, of course, the star. That’s the way it is at every birth. All eyes are on the baby and mom, the co-star. Without her love and labor, the event could not have happened. In this case, without mom’s faith, it couldn’t have happened either. But there is a best supporting actor in this drama. While God carefully selected the mother of his son, God must have been equally careful selecting the man who would care for Jesus. Jesus, in his humanity, had to grow in wisdom, age, and grace. Joseph was responsible for a good deal of this. Joseph was Jesus’ male role model. From Joseph’s LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC example, Jesus learned more than the trade that he would practice for some 20 years. Joseph was a just man, an honest man, a courageous man, a man of integrity. His integrity would not allow him to marry an adulteress and pretend the child Mary was carrying was his. But he would not expose the woman he loved to shame and punishment. He did not procrastinate or waffle, but decided to divorce Mary quietly. Then came a messenger. In Luke’s Gospel, we hear about the annunciation of Mary, but Joseph gets one, too. We forget that he also was told the unbelievable and believed. He changed his plans, received Mary into his home and accepted responsibility for the special child. While Mary needed no revelation to know hers was a virginal conception, Joseph had to go by what an angel told him in a dream. Do you think he may have been tempted at some point to second-guess when things did not go smoothly? After all, when a plan is from God, aren’t doors supposed to open? Yet when they arrived in Bethlehem, the door Exclusive Apartment Homes of the inn was slammed in their face. If this were Maintenance Free Living God’s child, wouldn’t God provide a room? And if this were really God’s son, wouldn’t God have turned back For More Information Contact: Herod’s hit men? Natalie Barbera Then the angel shows up in dream again, saying Herod had sent soldiers to destroy the baby, telling (985) 446-9050 Joseph to flee to Egypt with Mary and the child. 1209 Cardinal Drive ~ Thibodaux, LA 70301 Wasn’t the 70-mile walk to Bethlehem with a pregnant woman enough? Now he faced another long www.cardinalplace.org journey into pagan territory with a nursing mom and

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Christmas Traditions

God so loved the world

By DANIEL S. MULHALL Catholic News Service

Christmas is a time of music, decorations, family traditions, food and presents, for those who are fortunate. At the center is the baby Jesus, usually seen scene surrounded by his mother, Mary, and Joseph, her husband. When St. Francis of Assisi introduced the Nativity scene to the people of Greccio, Italy in 1223, he did so to promote a devotion to and worship of Jesus. While Christmas marks a wonderful time of the year, have you ever wondered what we’re celebrating? Have you considered why Jesus was born or why God became man? We recite the creed at Mass each Sunday, proclaiming our belief that Jesus “became man.” This is known as the Incarnation, which means “became flesh” and it is one of the fundamental mysteries of the church, a mystery rich beyond measure but one that we can never fully comprehend. That said, there is nothing preventing us from trying. All inquiries about Jesus, his ministry, and mission must begin with Scripture. While the New Testament writers reflect on these questions, there isn’t a passage that provides a definitive answer as to why God became 60 man. Matthew’s Gospel, written for a Jewish Christian community, emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to send a Messiah, a successor to the Hebrew king, David. As such, Jesus fulfills the many prophesies in the Old Testament and then some. He’s not only the Messiah but also the son of God. Luke offers a more complex story of who Jesus is and why he came. For Luke, Jesus is the presence of the Lord who breaks into this world through miraculous means to bring glad tidings. Luke says (Lk 1:50-55) that Jesus comes to show mercy, to disperse “the arrogant of mind and heart,” to throw down rulers but lift the lowly, and fill the hungry with “good things.” In Luke 1:77-78, we hear that Jesus is here to “give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God.”

While the Nativity stories found in Matthew and Luke are the most familiar, the Gospel according to John gives us the most complete answer. John says God became flesh and lived among us so we could see his glory, and through that glory, experience God. Pope Francis has been calling us to be a church of mercy, to experience God’s mercy and to share it. How does our understanding of Christmas change if,

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when we look at the Nativity scene and see the Christ child in the manger, our first thought is of God’s love for us? How will our experience of Christmas change if we are overwhelmed with an appreciation of God’s mercy and are moved to share that mercy with everyone?

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Jesus is the tender mercy of our God

Our Christmas celebrations may become richer and more meaningful when we celebrate the wonders that God’s loving mercy creates in our hearts and minds. Mulhall is a freelance writer and a catechist for adults. He lives in Laurel, Maryland.

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Christmas Traditions

Taking perfection out of Christmas By LOUISE MCNULTY

Catholic News Service

Most Christmas celebrations are shaped by the expectations of a “perfect” day. Whoever does the planning tries to fulfill each person’s dream of a perfect Christmas. That may or may not include the planner’s wishes. It also may not take into consideration the family budget, time constraints, or even trying to incorporate religious meaning into the day. 62

“Stunning in its Simplicity”

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If you’re the type to get stressed out by these expectations, try something new this year. Shed the external pressures. Remember that what’s important is to share the love and peace Jesus brought. That often gets lost in the sea of baking, cooking, buying presents, and making sure everything is “perfect.” Simplify and focus on what’s important. Christmas celebrations do not come in one size and no Christmas, except the first, is perfect. If finances are limited (and for most people they are), limit the presents you give to immediate family to three in order to emulate the gifts of the Magi. It will cut down on time and expense and provide meaning in gift-giving. For little ones, age 6 and under, buy one present they ask for, one object they need, and one that will provide an opportunity to learn. Many families put in place a lottery system in which each member picks one name and buys one present for that person. This can help relieve the financial

pressures of the holidays and allow people to focus on the one gift we all received on the first Christmas. Any extra money you would have spent can go charity. One couple I spoke with said taking their young son to Christmas Mass is the best present

Most perfect Christmas night may be a quiet evening they can give, even though they know their child won’t understand what is happening, but their gift is that of instilling a beautiful habit in the boy. They also will buy an age-appropriate Nativity set, one that will allow him to play with the figures as they teach him the story of the first Christmas.

A couple that has four adult children scattered across the country said that time is the best gift they can give because it’s hard for all to adjust schedules and gather in one place. So, mom and dad get on a plane and visit each child one by one, starting out on Christmas Eve until New Year’s Day, until they have visited each one. As they travel, they visit various Catholic churches along each stop. A highlight of one of these adventures came during a Christmas Eve surprise trip. At Mass, church choir members sang “Silent Night” in various languages. The couple’s son sang it in his father’s native Croatian. It was a true gift for a couple who had traveled far to be with their children. We all have a different idea of what a “perfect” Christmas might be like, but the most perfect might be a quiet evening pondering that greatest and priceless of gifts we received long ago. McNulty is a freelance writer who lives in Akron, Ohio.

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Christmas Traditions Chef Chris’ Chicken Liver Pate Serves 10-12 This is about the easiest, tastiest pate I know. If you don’t have the goose fat from roasting the goose, don’t sweat it. Butter works wonderfully well as a replacement. Ingredients

Recipes PHOTO BY MAURA McEVOY

Chef John Besh

2 cups chicken liver 2 eggs 1/2 tbsp. celery salt 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder 1/2 tbsp. onion powder 1 pinch ground white pepper 1 tbsp. salt 1-1/2 cups hot melted butter n Preheat the oven to 300°. Place all ingredients except for the butter into a blender. While blending, pour butter slowly into blender. Continue to blend until all incorporated and smooth. Pour into a 1-1/2 quart oven safe baking dish. n Place the baking dish into a water bath n Bake for 30-45 minutes until the pate is firm in the center. Remove and cool for about 2 hours before serving. Serve with toast points or croutons.

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Oyster Au Gratin Serves 6-8 You can make your gratin in a single large baking dish, in several small casserole dishes, or even spoon the sauce and gratin topping onto each individual oysters on its half shells. Ingredients 4 tbsps. butter 1/4 cup flour 1/2 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 cups milk 2 heaping tbsps. prepared horseradish 3 cups shucked oysters, drained and patted dry Freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup dry bread crumbs 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes n Melt the butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat, stir in the flour, and cook the roux, stirring frequently, until it turns blond; this should take no longer than 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue cooking, stirring often, until the onions are soft. n Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Add the clove and bay leaf; let sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes. n Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the horseradish. Season with salt, then strain sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Set sauce aside to let it cool. n Preheat the oven to 450Â°. Season the oysters with salt and pepper and lay them in the bottom of a baking dish in a single layer; then pour the cooled sauce evenly over the oysters. n In another bowl, mix the bread crumbs, olive oil, parmesan and pepper flakes. Sprinkle over the oysters and sauce in the casserole. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the topping becomes golden brown.

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Christmas Traditions Shrimp Remoulade Serves 12 Boil the shrimp in advance which will give you time to peel and marinate them with the remoulade sauce an hour or two before serving. I like to have them boiled a day or so before I serve them so that I’m not dealing with peeling shrimp just before my guests arrive. Ingredients 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 2 tbsps. prepared horseradish 2 tbsps. parsley, chopped 2 green onions, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 1 tsp. Tabasco 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 1/2 stalk of celery, minced Salt 24 jumbo shrimp, boiled and peeled

First make the remoulade sauce. Combine all of the ingredients except for the shrimp in a medium bowl and stir well. Reserve to use later. Marinate the shrimp in the remoulade sauce an hour or so before serving.

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Patty Joe’s Duck Poppers Ingredients For the duck 1-1/2 lbs. mallard duck breast, skin removed and cut into 1/4 inch X 2 inch strips 3 pickled jalapeños, sliced thin 10 strips thick cut smoked bacon, blanched in boiling water For the cream cheese 4 oz. cream cheese 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped Salt & pepper For the cane syrup 6 oz. cane syrup 6 oz. sherry or balsamic vinegar n Rub the duck breasts with salt and pepper. n Wrap each breast strip around a slice of pickled jalapeño, then wrap a piece of bacon around the duck. n Skewer the poppers. n Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature.

PHOTO BY GRAHAM BLACKALL

n Once soft, mix in the herbs and season with salt and pepper. n Add the cane syrup and vinegar to a small sauce pot. n Reduce the syrup vinegar mix by half. n Grill the skewers of poppers until the bacon is crispy and slightly charred. n Smear some of the cream cheese in a line on a plate. n Remove the poppers from the skewer and place on top of the cream cheese. n Drizzle some of the cane syrup over the poppers. 2 cups sliced okra 1 tablespoon fresh or dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1∕2 inch thick 67 4 green onions, chopped 2 tablespoons from My Creole Spice Jar Salt and pepper Tabasco 1 pound medium wild American shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 pint shucked oysters and their liquor 1 cup crabmeat 6 cups white rice

PHOTO BY MAURA McEVOY

Mamma’s Seafood Gumbo Serves 10 When I say I cook at home more and more like my mother and grandmother did, this gumbo is a great example. Cooking it makes me so happy! I get that deep shellfish flavor from cooking the crabs at least 45 minutes before adding the other seafood. It’s all about tasting, adjusting the flavors, and really just cooking from your heart. Ingredients 3∕4 cup canola oil 3∕4 cup flour 2 large onions, chopped 6 blue crabs, quartered 1 stalk celery, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 quarts shrimp or shellfish stock (Store bought is fine substitute)

Make a roux by heating the oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over high heat. Whisk the flour into the hot oil. It will immediately begin to sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and continue whisking until the roux turns a deep brown color, about 15 minutes. Add the onions, stirring them into the roux with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to medium low and continue stirring until the roux turns a glossy dark brown, about 10 minutes. Add the blue crabs and stir for a minute to toast the shells, then add the celery and garlic. Raise the heat to medium and cook, stirring, for three minutes. Add the stock, okra, thyme and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim off the fat from the surface of the gumbo (moving the pot half off the burner helps collect the impurities). Add the sausage and green onions to the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Season well with the Creole spices, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Add the shrimp, oysters and their liquor, and crabmeat to the pot and cook for about five minutes. Serve with rice. www.bayoucatholic.com

Christmas Traditions

Honoring sacrifice A worthy Christmas ritual

By FATHER EUGENE HEMRICK Catholic News Service

When we envision strength, we usually think of physical strength, of standing strong and united in the face of adversity. However, another type of strength exists much stronger than this: moral strength that helps unify hearts to pull together in dedication to others. No place exists better to experience this strength and unity than Arlington National Cemetery at Christmas time. That’s when any visitor will be greeted with the sight of thousands of Christmas wreaths, one at each grave of the approximately 400,000 soldiers buried there. Thousands of volunteers turn out with the organization Wreaths Across America for the yearly Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

event honoring soldiers buried at Arlington. Add to this 500,000 wreaths placed on the graves of soldiers nationwide, with all expenses covered by donations, and suddenly there is the realization of the ritual’s greatness. In the consecration at Mass we recite, “Do this in memory of me.” The phrase reminds us of God’s love and the sending of his son for our redemption. Placing wreaths on soldiers’ graves is a sacred reminder of those who, like Christ, loved us and gave up life for us. It is a reminder of duty. Circumstance sometimes demands that we leave our comfort zone to restore God’s order. As the red ribbons placed on the wreaths remind us, this sometimes requires the shedding of blood. Viewing the colorful wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and thinking about our

buried soldiers there touches me deeply. What’s also very moving is the presence of the thousands of volunteers who turn out to remember the soldiers. A wreath is a circle of woven branches. A circle, for some, symbolizes God, who has no beginning or end. Just as God has no end, a soldier’s life doesn’t end here on earth. We pray that he or she is now with God in eternity. Wreaths in ancient times often were placed on the head of champions symbolizing victory. Although war is often envisioned in terms of victors vanquishing the enemy, the true victory of war is not destroying the enemy but in a heartfelt spirit that believes in fighting for truth. Protecting our loved ones is the ultimate victory in life. Christmas is a time of joy, and as Pope Paul VI reminded us, one of the beautiful qualities of joy is serving others. It’s fitting that those who served for us be honored at this special time. Although Arlington National Cemetery is home to the dead, it is far from lifeless. Thousands visit the venue throughout the year to remember the devotion of men and women who served our country. They are remembered in summer, in the yearly practice of placing a flag on each grave. In the winter, at Christmas time, we see the wreath on each one of the graves, reminders that those who died did not suffer in vain. They still live with us in spirit, giving us strength and inspiration to follow their example. Father Hemrick is a freelance writer and a columnist with Catholic News Service.

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Christmas Traditions

Extending our merciful hands to do

God’s work By FATHER DAVID O’ROURKE Catholic News Service

A dozen years ago I became pastor of a parish whose priest had retired a year earlier. The town was quite small and though the church was truly lovely, it was over 100 years old and set on an open hillside near the sea. So, for a hundred years, its wooden sides had borne the brunt of winter storms rolling in off the ocean. Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

There hadn’t been a priest living there for six months -- and it showed. In my younger days, I had worked as a maintenance man in an old, decaying paper mill during my summers off from college. I knew what to do: You roll up your sleeves and you get to work with your hands. I recall crawling up and down the aisles of the little church with a roll of duct tape in one hand, tearing off chunks to tape down the many torn ends of carpet

so our older folk wouldn’t trip and fall. I was ordained over 50 years ago. As part of the ceremony -- an important part -- the bishop anoints the hands of the new priest with sacred oil. It is the same oil used in baptism and confirmation. Anointing the hands is no quick action. I still remember the moment as the bishop rubbed and rubbed the oil well into the palms of my hands. Maybe he figured I needed it. I remember that particular moment because in the past half-century my hands have played an important role in my life and ministry. Just this past week I spent what seemed like hours untangling the Christmas lights from the mess I always seem to leave them in each year. It’s a tough job for my stiff, arthritic fingers. They’re getting so bad now that I even have a hard time grasping the Host from the ciborium at Communion time. At Christmas, we renew our belief that God became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We read that in the Gospel on Christmas morning, in the words of St. John: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Centuries ago that all-essential passage was set in Latin letters right into the stone floor, in a circle at the spot where Mary heard the message of the angel telling her that she would be the mother of the Messiah:

‘

“Verbum caro hic factum est,” or “Here the Word was made flesh.” It was absolute simplicity in the holiest of our holy places. Over the years, in the course of my work, I have come to realize how we also are to be messengers of that same holiness. We live in God’s merciful hands. That is a beautiful image. But in a sense that is all it is, an image. For God has no hands, except ours. The reality is that our hands are the hands of God’s mercy. There are many religions that make much about having clean and pure hands. We are not among them. Our hands, whatever their travels and histories, are to be merciful hands. Flawed, scarred, battle-sore, our hands are still God’s merciful hands, and they have to be because there are no others, except ours. Ours are the only ones there are. The Word was made flesh and the Word had human hands. There are few things in this world holier than merciful hands and that is not a poetic image. It is a human reality. I don’t know why our little church, barely surviving, is so full on Christmas. But somewhere in there is the need to renew our sense, no matter how clouded or tired it becomes, that our hands, whatever their histories and flaws, are still God’s merciful hands. Dominican Father O’Rourke is a senior fellow at Santa Fe Institute in Berkeley, California.

Our hands are still God’s merciful hands

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Christmas Traditions

Warm Christmas yumminess wrapped in love and tradition By NANCY WIECHEC

Catholic News Service

A tamale is like a little present. Its soft, warm husk must be unwrapped before enjoying the savory goodness inside. 72 Christmas brings out the best of culinary traditions and in Arizona, where Mexican tamales are a popular feast day food, especially at Christmas. Even those who are not of Mexican heritage seek out tamales from friends, neighbors or even restaurants for their Christmas table. Found in several Mesoamerican cultures, tamales are steamed in a nonedible wrapper made of corn husks or banana leaves. In Mexico, the dough that surrounds the filling is “masa de maiz,” dough made of corn. They are filled with beef, chicken or pork, flavored with onions, garlic, peppers and other ingredients called for in handeddown family recipes. Mexican-American, and other Latin American families, are known for setting up assembly lines of tamale makers at this time of year, to churn out these homemade treats. In Arizona you’re likely to find tamales sold by the dozen at church Christmas bazaars. The family of Arizona resident Martha Morales, who is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, has been making Christmas tamales for generations. Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

“Christmas is the most important day for us. It is the time we are making our special foods,” said Morales, a coordinator for religious education at Sts. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix. Ahead of Christmas Eve, Morales and helpers make more than 200 tamales, including meat filled ones and also sweet dessert tamales that contain raisins or pineapple. All will be shared with and enjoyed by family and friends. Morales said the sharing with family and friends and the celebration of faith is what comes first. But love is the ingredient that brings everything together. “On special days, like Christmas and Thanksgiving … our tradition is to first pray and give thanks to God that we are together, that we are with life,” she said. “After that we share our food. Everybody brings different food like tamales, posole [a soup made with hominy] and dessert food, and we pass the time trading food and sharing memories.” The Morales family prepares for Christmas with a novena starting Dec. 16. They reenact the posadas,

a procession recalling the search for shelter by Mary and Joseph before the birth of Christ. They also pray the rosary for the well-being of the world. “Villancicos navidenos,” songs for Christmas, are an important part of the celebrations especially popular with children. Relatives, friends and neighbors are invited to take part in activities, which are accompanied by food. Another Morales Christmas tradition is for each family member and visitor to receive a small bag of candies. Morales said the candy represents gratitude for the many blessings received from God throughout the year. Their holiday customs persist because of the important value the family places on the celebrations and also because they’re repeated in the same way every year. “My children say to me, ‘Mom when I get married I will be keeping our cultural traditions, because it’s very good to be together and important to share that happiness.’” Wiechec, former visual media manager at Catholic News Service, lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mexican Tamale Recipe Traditional Beef or Pork Tamale Recipe 5 dried New Mexican chiles or California chiles 5 dried pasilla chiles (ancho or negro) 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce or dried, (optional) 2 quarts water for softening chiles 1 medium onion, chopped 2-3 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 pounds pork or beef roast, cooked, shredded or cubed Salt to taste 2 to 3 dozen dried corn husks, cleaned of debris and soaked in warm water until pliable (about 20 minutes) 2 pounds prepared masa Discard stems and seeds of dried chiles. Rinse chiles in a colander and place chiles in a medium pot. Add 2 quarts water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until chiles are soft, 20-25 minutes. Drain chiles. Reserve 3 cups of liquid.

In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Place chiles, garlic, onion and cumin in a blender with 2 cups of reserved liquid. Puree to a smooth sauce. Force sauce through a fine sieve or food mill to remove skin and any missed seeds. Transfer to a saucepan. Add remaining 1 cup liquid, and simmer about 45 minutes. Add cooked meat and simmer 15 more minutes. Add salt to taste. Drain corn husks. Spread about 1/4 cup masa on the smooth side of 1 corn husk (if you spread it on the other side, it will stick). Spread it across the wider end, covering it from side to side and extending approximately halfway to the narrow tip. Add about 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of chile mixture in the center. Fold right edge of corn husk to the center, and fold the left side over it. Then fold narrow end even with the wide end. Press ends together to seal contents. Repeat with remaining corn husks, masa and filling. Cook tamales in a tamale steamer or in a conventional steamer. Line tray or basket with corn husks; place tamales on top. The tamales should not come in contact with the water. To prevent steamer from drying out, put a coin in the bottom of the steamer. You will hear it clinking as long as there is boiling water in the steamer. Steam tamales for about 1 hour. They are done when the masa no longer sticks to the corn husks when tamales are unrolled. 73

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Christmas Traditions

A WELCOME gift By FATHER STANLEY J. KONIECZNY Catholic News Service

The unseasonably warm weather gave Tim one last opportunity to add to the lights and Christmas decorations on his porch and lawn. But gusty breezes made it difficult to hold onto the latest additions -- banners that read, “Hope,” “Peace,” “Joy” and other traditional watchwords of the season. Struggling with “Peace” in the shape of a dove, Tim glanced across the street at the stark, somewhat untidy porch of his bachelor neighbor, Walter, who did not even bother to hang a wreath of holly. “Next year, we’re going to simplify 74 our display like old Walter; maybe he has the right idea,” Tim vowed as “Peace” snapped in his face and around his head. Over the flapping of nylon, Tim heard a door slam and then a pleasant “Morning.” It was Walter, who always was economical with the words of his greetings. “I’m off to do my Christmas shopping down at the hardware store,” he mentioned to Tim. “Christmas shopping at a hardware store? What an odd man,” Tim thought. Within 30 minutes, Walter was back. “I finished my Christmas shopping and decorating in one stop,” he yelled to Tim, who muttered, “This I have to see.” Tim crossed the street in time to find Walter picking up a handful of yellowed fliers for lawn services and delivery pizza from around his front door. “You’re just in time,” Walter told Tim as he reached inside the door, and, with a flourish, produced a brand new doormat with the word “welcome” scrolled in black script against deep brown pile. Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA • November 2015

“You buy a new doormat and you call that Christmas shopping and decorating?” Tim asked in exasperation. “No, not a doormat; a welcome mat,” Walter corrected, adding, “And it is a decoration that happens to celebrate the most important word in all of Christmas.” Walter sat down on the porch, made himself comfortable and then explained: “You see one Christmas, a number of years ago, I was far from home on business. I went to Mass and heard a priest preach about ‘welcome’ as the most important word, the holiest word uttered at the first Christmas. This priest said that the word that everyone longed to hear at Bethlehem that holy night was ‘welcome.’ “After their long journey to Bethlehem, the only word that Joseph and Mary prayed to hear was ‘welcome.’ “Can you imagine how they felt when one caring innkeeper finally extended his hand to the carpenter, saying, ‘My friend, you and your wife are welcome to stay in the stable out back’? “And then, when shepherds ducked their heads in to peer onto the poor shelter, they were

blessed by Mary’s gentle greeting of ‘Welcome. This is my son, Jesus,’ as she invited the visitors to come closer to the tiny bundle that she cradled tenderly.” “Well, when I came home from that trip, I noticed that the welcome mat by my front door was becoming a little thin and threadbare, just like the rest of the place. So that holiday season and every year after that I have replaced my doormat and have renewed that most holy message of Christmas: Welcome! “That is all the decorating I need to do.” Walter then picked up a hardware store bag, extended it to Tim, and said, “Oh, Tim, sorry to mention it, but I noticed that your welcome mat is a bit worn, too. Here’s your replacement. Merry Christmas! You and Anne are welcome to come over this evening for a bit of Christmas cheer and to break in my welcome mat.” Then Walter added, “And tell Anne that she’s welcome to bring a plate of her Christmas cookies as well.” (Father Konieczny is pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, Smithton, Ill.)

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