Bayou Catholic | February 2012

Bayou

Catholic

The magazine for the people of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

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The Catholic roots of Mardi Gras FEBRUARY 2012 ~ COMPLIMENTARY

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Contents

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Jesus Is Lord Bishop Sam Jacobs: Let this Lent be an evangelized and evangelizing one

Heavenly Recipes Heart Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

53 Cover Story

Pastoral Letter

Father Michael Bergeron writes about the Catholic roots of Mardi Gras

Celebrating the Year of New Evangelization

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Our Schools

Special Section

Central Catholic: Nurturing every student’s mind, body and soul

Mardi Gras 2012: The area’s most comprehensive guide to the carnival season

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Our Churches

Lent

The Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales: Mother Church of Terrebonne Parish

Father Joshua Rodrigue takes us on a journey through Lent

• Bayou Spirit • Father Zeringue

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• Pope Speaks

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• Reflections

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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

Bayou Catholic Vol. 32, No. 11 February 2012

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.

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.

• Calendar

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• Scripture Readings

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Louis G. Aguirre

editor and general manager Lawrence Chatagnier

assistant editor Glenn J. Landry, C.P.A.

business manager Peggy Adams

advertising manager Janet Marcel

staff writer Pat Keese

secretary and circulation Lisa Schobel Hebert

graphic designer Janet B. Eschete

accounts payable assistant Meridy Liner

accounts receivable assistant

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Where to find your Bayou Catholic Bayou Catholic magazine can be found at all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. It is also available at the three Catholic high schools in Houma, Morgan City and Thibodaux. You may also visit the merchants listed in the Advertisers’ Index below 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.

Index to Advertisers BAC Productions .................................42 Barker Honda.......................................84 Bayou Catholic.....................................45 Bishop’s Appeal...................................88 Black & Indian Collection.....................49 Cannata’s...............................................3 Channel 10...........................................75 Charles A. Page & Sons......................83 Community Bank.................................79 Conference Office................................17 Daigle Himel Daigle.............................59 Diocesan Outreach Line........................5 Diocesan Website................................69 Dr. Neil Maki Orthopaedics..................61 God’s Promises Books & Gifts... 25 & 58 Gold’n Gifts Unlimited..........................82 Haydel Spine & Pain Specialty Care...32 Houma Area Convention & Visitors.....56 Kelsi Mason Realtor.............................39 KEM Supply House, Inc.......................74 Lafourche Ford Lincoln........................57 Lewis & Co...........................................42 Lirette Ford Lincoln..............................87 Marie’s Wrecker Service......................80 Norman Tuxedos..................................64 Re·Bath.................................................41 Seminarian Burse.................................11 Southland Dodge Chrysler..................71 Southland Mall.......................................2 Spotlight.................................................6 Spotlighting the Diocese......................81 St. Joseph Manor.................................17 Synergy Bank.......................................67 Terminix................................................39 TGMC – Outreach Calendar................23 TGMC...................................................77 The Wishing Well, Inc..........................60 Thibodaux Physical Therapy...............63 Thibodaux Regional Medical Center...35 Vision Communications.......................73 Vocations/Seminarians........................13 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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 or Toll free 1-866-444-4241 or Call the Victim Assistance Coordinator at (985) 850-3129

Línea de Comunicación Diocesana

Con el fin de cumplir con las Políticas de la 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 (previamente la 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 HoumaThibodaux.

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 Llamada gratuita 1-866-444-4241 o Llame al Coordinador de Asistencia para las Víctimas al (985) 850-3129

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 hoaëc Soá mieãn phí: 1-800-444-4241 hoaëc goïi Nhaân vieân Trôï giuùp Naïn nhaân soá (985) 850-3129 February 2012

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Opinion

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

Welcome!

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ou are holding a copy of the inaugural issue of the new Bayou Catholic magazine. It is the culmination of many months of planning and hard work by our small staff. It is our sincere hope that you will enjoy reading it and that you will pass it on to family or friends so they may, too, enjoy it.

You may notice the inclusion of the fleur-de-lis to our name. As some may already know, the fleurde-lis is an ancient symbol adopted in Europe (particularly in France).

The Encyclopaedia Britannica says: “One legend identifies it as the lily given at his baptism to Clovis, king of the Franks (466–511), by the Virgin Mary. The lily was said to have sprung from the tears shed

by Eve as she left Eden. From antiquity it has been the symbol of purity and was readily adopted by the Roman Catholic Church to associate the sanctity of Mary with events of special significance.”

The Diocese of HoumaThibodaux’s Coat of Arms includes both the fleur-de-lis (to signify our French heritage) and St. Joseph’s Lily (in recognition of the patron saint of our Co-Cathedral).

Within the folds of this first issue readers will see the rich tapestry of Catholic traditions, services and activities that permeate our community. From carnival to Lent, from celebrations to evangelization, it’s all here.

Enjoy your new Bayou Catholic!

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Did you know?

The Good Samaritan Food Banks of Thibodaux, Raceland, Houma and Dulac, which operate under the auspices of Catholic Charities Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, provided much needed food and household items for 4,281 families in the year 2011.

Diocesan Programs This Week “Revival”

Host: Bishop Sam G. Jacobs Co-Host: Regina Thibodeaux Wednesday 8:30 p.m.

Friday 9:30 a.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m.

HTV/VISION COMMUNICATIONS, CHARTER COMM. & COMCAST CHANNEL 10 ALLEN’S TV CABLE MORGAN CITY CHANNEL 71 (Digital Channel 30.1-UHF & Channel 7.1-VHF) Mondays - 9:30 am Thursdays - 9:30 am & 11:00 pm Saturdays - 9:30 pm

“Spotlight on the Diocese” Host: Louis Aguirre With Guests: Most Rev. Sam G. Jacobs and Mrs. Shawn Lapeyrouse Director: Conference Office

If you are not receiving these programs in your area, please contact your local cable provider.

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Bayou Spirit

They’re everywhere

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As one travels through the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux the French heritage becomes evident in the landscape in which the fleurde-lis adorns buildings, fence posts, churches and yards along bayou communities.

Bayou Catholic Photos

by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Opinion Jesus Is Lord Bishop Sam G. Jacobs

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s we inaugurate the new changes in the Bayou Catholic, it is appropriate that my first article is on the season of Lent. Yes, it is that time of the year when we, as Catholics, set our focus on the up-coming Pascal Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

There are a number of foci to look at during the Lenten season and the Easter season. Traditionally, the church asks us to enter into deeper prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a time to turn away from sin and to turn (be more deeply converted) to God. It is not a matter of saying more prayers, but of being more intentional and conscious of God throughout the day. The fasting is not just from certain foods on certain days, but it is also fasting from what leads us into sin (the near occasions of sin). It is not just giving more in charity, but having a truly servant’s heart caring for those in need.

Besides these, I would like to ask us to focus on another aspect. As you know, the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux has set the theme for this year of 2012: The New Evangelization. If we use this as a lens through which we look at Lent, it will give this season a different flavor for each of us.

The question we can begin with is this. Will our prayer, fasting and almsgiving bring us to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, whose gift of salvation we are preparing to

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

celebrate? Do we have a real, at the center-of-our-life personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

To what extent are we opened to be directly led by the Lord and the Holy Spirit on our life-journey?

Have we taken seriously our baptismal and confirmation call to be prophetic witnesses of God’s personal love by sharing this with others?

When Popes Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI speak about New Evangelization they begin by emphasizing that evangelization is the mission of the church, namely every baptized and confirmed follower of Jesus Christ. They acknowledge that many have been baptized, confirmed and received the other sacraments but have never been fully evangelized and brought into an acknowledged, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

They go on to challenge those who have been evangelized to their next step in the process, namely, to evangelize others. That has been the consistent call in the New Testament where Jesus

evangelized and those who were evangelized, witnessed to others and brought them to Jesus. This has been the consistent call of the church over the last 50 years.

Therefore, besides each of us coming into a deeper, personal relationship with Jesus Christ this Lent in preparation for Easter, I would encourage that we also strive to fulfill the second phase of evangelization, namely reaching out to others. How? Ask God to bring to mind those who are inactive as Catholics and begin praying for them. But pray specifically that they would be open to God’s grace to join us at our Easter family celebration (Mass). Invite them personally to join you when you go.

If you want to send me their name and address, I will send them a personal letter also encouraging them to be part of the family gathering at Easter. Whether they come or not, continue to pray for them and encourage them to come when they are ready.

Let this Lent be truly an evangelized and evangelizing one for each of us.

Let this Lent be an evangelized and evangelizing one

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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Permita que esta Cuaresma sea sobre la Evangelización

hora que inauguramos los nuevos cambios en Bayou Catholic, es apropiado que mi primera publicación sea sobre la Cuaresma. Sí, es la época del año en que nosotros los católicos enfocamos el Triduo Pascual: Jueves Santo, Viernes Santo y Domingo de Resurrección.

Hay una variedad de temas que enfocar durante la Cuaresma y la Pascua. Tradicionalmente la Iglesia nos pide que nos profundicemos en la oración, ayunemos y demos limosna. Es cuando debemos alejarnos del pecado y mirar hacia Dios (en una conversión profunda).

No es suficiente sólo rezar, es necesario llevar la intención de estar con Dios todo el tiempo.

El ayuno no es solamente evitar ciertos alimentos algunos días, es también evitar esas cosas que nos conducen al pecado (las ocasiones cercanas al pecado). No se trata de dar más limosna, sino de tener el corazón dispuesto a servir a los necesitados.

También me gustaría tratar otro tema. Cómo ustedes saben la Diócesis de Houma-Thibodaux ha creado el tema para este año 2012: La Nueva Evangelización. Si este es el lente con que observamos esta época tendremos una Cuaresma con un sabor diferente para cada uno de nosotros.

Podemos comenzar con estas preguntas: ¿Nos dará la oración, el ayuno y el dar limosna una relación más profunda con Jesucristo, nuestro Señor y Salvador? ¿Tenemos una relación verdadera con Jesucristo en el centro de nuestra vida personal? ¿Hasta qué grado estamos dispuestos a ser guiados por el Señor y el Espíritu Santo en nuestro camino de la vida? ¿Hemos tomado con seriedad nuestro llamado de bautismo y confirmación de ser testigos proféticos del amor personal de Dios y divulgarlo a nuestros semejantes?

Cuando los papas Pablo VI, Juan Pablo II y Benedicto XVI han hablado sobre la Nueva Evangelización ellos han comenzado con énfasis

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

que la evangelización es la misión de la Iglesia, principalmente con todos los seguidores bautizados y confirmados de Jesucristo. Han reconocido que muchos han sido bautizados, confirmados y que han recibido los demás sacramentos pero que nunca han sido evangelizados con plenitud y no han logrado una relación personal y reconocida con Jesucristo.

Los papas han pedido a aquéllos que han sido evangelizados que avancen al siguiente paso: el de evangelizar a los demás. Esto ha sido el llamado consistente en el Nuevo Testamento que nos dice que Jesús evangelizó y los que ya estaban evangelizados dieron testimonio a sus semejantes y los acercaron a Jesús. Esto ha sido el llamado constante de la Iglesia en los últimos 50 años.

Por tanto, además de que cada uno de nosotros establezca una relación personal y profundizada con Jesucristo esta Cuaresma

en preparación para la Pascua, le aliento que se una en nuestro esfuerzo por completar la segunda fase de evangelización que es hacer el llamado a nuestros semejantes. ¿Cómo? Pidiéndole a Dios que nos haga recordar a aquéllos católicos que no han sido partícipes activos en la Iglesia para que recemos por ellos.

Hay que rezar específicamente que reciban la gracia de Dios y que se unan con nosotros en nuestra Misa de Pascua. Invítelos personalmente para que vayan con usted a misa.

Si desea enviarme el nombre y dirección de estas personas yo me encargaré de enviarles una carta personal para animarlos a que sean parte de la familia que se congregará durante la Pascua.

Vengan o no, siga rezando por ellos y anímelos a venir cuando estén dispuestos.

Hagamos que esta Cuaresma sea en verdad una época de evangelización para cada uno de nosotros.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

February 2012

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Haõy laøm cho Muøa Chay naøy laø muøa rao giaûng vaø rao giaûng lôøi Chuùa

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eå ñaùnh daáu söï ñoåi môùi tôø baùo Ñòa phaän, ñieàu thích hôïp nhaát toâi thieát töôûng laø mình neân noùi veà Muøa Chay. Ñuùng vaäy, ñoù chính laø thôøi gian, laø nhöõng ngöôøi Coâng Giaùo, neân chuù troïng vaøo nhöõng ngaøy cuoái Muøa Chay: Thöù Naêm, Thöù Saùu Tuaàn Thaùnh vaø Chuû Nhaät Phuïc Sinh. Ñaây laø vaøi ñieàu caàn phaûi chuù taâm trong Muøa Chay vaø Muøa Phuïc Sinh.

Theo thoâng leä, Giaùo hoäi khuyeán khích chuùng ta ñi saâu vaøo caàu nguyeän, aên chay vaø boá thí. Noù cuõng laø thôøi gian hoaùn caûi vaø trôû veà vôùi Chuùa. Ñi saâu vaøo caàu nguyeän khoâng phaûi laø ñoïc kinh nhieàu hôn, nhöng chuù taâm hôn vaø caûm nhaän ñöôïc Chuùa trong ngaøy. AÊn chay khoâng chæ kieâng cöõ moät soá ñoà aên trong moät soá ngaøy nhaát ñònh, nhöng truy ra nhöõng gì daãn ta ñeán toäi loãi. Boá thí khoâng bao goàm cho theâm tieàn cho hoäi töø thieän, nhöng phuïc vuï ngöôøi ngheøo baèng chính taâm hoàn mình.

Ngoaøi nhöõng ñieàu naøy, toâi muoán anh chò em chuù taâm vaøo moät ñieåm khaùc nöõa. Nhö anh chò em ñaõ roõ, Ñòa phaän Houma-Thibodaux choïn chuû ñeå cho naêm 2012 laø Taân Phuùc AÂm Hoùa.

Neáu chuùng ta duøng chuû ñeà naøy nhö oáng kính trong Muøa Chay, noù seõ cho ta moät muøi vò khaùc laï.

Chuùng ta neân baét ñaàu baèng caâu hoûi nhö sau. Lieäu lôøi nguyeän, aên chay vaø vieäc baùc aùi ñöa ñeán söï lieân heä maät thieát vôùi Ñöùc Gieâsu, Chuùa chuùng ta vaø laø Ñaáng Cöùu Ñoä, moùn quaø ôn cöùu roãi cuûa Ngaøi maø chuùng ta ñang chuaån bò laõnh nhaän? Chuùng ta thöïc söï coù söï lieân heä vôùi Chuùa Gieâsu, nhö laø taâm ñieåm ñôøi soáng khoâng? Chuùng ta côûi môû ñeán möùc ñoä naøo ñeå Chuùa höôùng daãn vaø ñeå Chuùa Thaùnh Thaàn dìu daét trong ñôøi soáng? Qua Bí Tích Thaùnh Taåy vaø Theâm Söùc chuùng ta thöïc söï coù laøm chöùng nhaân cho Chuùa vaø chia seû noù vôùi ngöôøi khaùc khoâng?

Khi caùc Ñöùc Giaùo Hoaøng nhö Phaoloâ VI, Gioan Phaoloâ II vaø Beâneâdictoâ XVI noùi veà Taân Phuùc AÂm Hoùa caùc ngaøi nhaán maïnh ngay töø ñaàu laø rao giaûng phuùc aâm laø boån phaän cuûa Giaùo Hoäi, coù nghóa laø moãi moät tín höõu ñaõ röûa toäi vaø chòu pheùp theâm söùc laø moân ñeä cuûa Chuùa. Hoï nhaän thöùc ñöôïc raèng nhöõng ngöôøi Kitoâ khaùc ñaõ February 2012

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

ñöôïc röûa toäi, chòu pheùp theâm söùc vaø ñaõ laõnh nhaän nhöõng bí tích khaùc nöõa nhöng chöa thöïc söï thoâng thaïo ñaïo lyù vaø coù söï lieân lieân heä maät thieát vôùi Chuùa Kitoâ.

Hoï tieáp tuïc thaùch ñoá nhöõng ai ñaõ thoâng thaïo ñaïo lyù böôùc keá tôùi cuûa hoï laø rao giaûng cho nhöõng ngöôøi khaùc. Ñaây laø lôøi keâu goïi lieân læ trong Taân Öôùc maø chính Chuùa ñaõ rao giaûng vaø nhöõng ai ñöôïc thuï huaán tieáp noái con ñöôøng ñoù vaø ñaõ ñem chieân laïc veà cho Chuùa. Ñaây laø lôøi môøi goïi cuûa Giaùo hoäi trong 50 naêm qua.

Vì theá, ngoaøi muïc ñích gaén lieàn vôùi söï lieân heä caù nhaân vôùi Chuùa Gieâsu trong Muaø Chay ñeå chuaån bò cho Phuïc Sinh, toâi khuyeán khích anh chò

em coá gaéng chu toaøn böôùc thöù hai laø rao giaûng tin möøng, nghóa laø môû roäng baøn tay ñoái vôùi ngöôøi khaùc. Laøm caùch naøo? Xin Chuùa ñaùnh ñoäng taâm can nhöõng ngöôøi Coâng Giaùo khoâ ñaïo vaø caàu nguyeän cho hoï. Vaø phaûi caàu nguyeän vôùi yù nguyeän laø nhöõng ngöôøi ñoù môû taâm hoàn ñoùn nhaän ôn Thaùnh vaø tham döï Thaùnh leã Phuïc Sinh vôùi coäng ñoaøn. Môøi goïi hoï tröïc tieáp. Neáu anh chò em cho toâi teân vaø ñòa chæ cuûa hoï toâi seõ göûi thö ñeán vaø khuyeán khích hoï tham gia Leã Phuïc Sinh. Cho duø hoï döï Leã hay khoâng thì vaãn tieáp tuïc caàu nguyeän cho hoï vaø khuyeân khích hoï tham döï Leã khi naøo saüng saøng.

Haõy duøng Muøa Chay naøy laø muøa rao giaûng vaø rao giaûng lôøi Chuùa.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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.

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.

Completed Burses of $15,000 each

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, religious, etc.

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.

DECEMBER 2011 Contributions

Note: those wtih a number stipulates the number of completed burses* - Clay Sr. & Evelida Duplantis - C. Remie Duplantis - Marie Elsie Duplantis - Warren J. Harang, Jr. - Msgr. Raphael C. Labit - Msgr. Francis J. Legendre - Rev. Charles Menard - Donald Peltier, Sr. (2)* - Harvey Peltier (30)* - Richard Peltier - Orleans & Louella Pitre - Msgr. Joseph Wester - Robert R. Wright, Jr. - Rev. Kermit Trahan - Diocesan K of C - Endowment Fund - $119,136.90

- Anonymous - Mr. & Mrs. C. Thomas Bienvenu - Harry Booker - Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux (3)* - 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)*

Donald Peltier, Sr................................................$1,000.00 Eledier Broussard..................................................$100.00 M/M George C. Fakier..........................................$100.00 Warren J. Harang, Jr..............................................$100.00 Msgr. William Koninkx.........................................$100.00 Rev. Gerard Hayes..................................................$50.00

Open Burses with Balance as of 12/31/11 Mr. Eledier Broussard ................. $11,200.00 Sidney J. & Lydie C. Duplantis .......... $10,800.00 Msgr. Raphael C. Labit #2 .................. $10,600.00 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 St. Bernadette Men’s Club .................... $8,000.00 Rev. Victor Toth .................................... $7,000.00 Mr. & Mrs. George C. Fakier ................ $6,700.00 Brides of the Most Blessed Trinity ....... $5,935.00 Rev. Peter Nies ...................................... $5,450.00 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 Rev. Kasimir Chmielewski ................... $4,839.00 Harry Booker #2 ................................... $4,138.00

Rev. Gerard Hayes ................................ $3,886.00 Rev. Henry Naquin ............................... $3,710.00 Msgr. William Koninkx ........................ $3,700.00 Kelly Curole Frazier ............................. $3,490.96 J. R. Occhipinti ..................................... $3,400.00 Mr. & Mrs. Galip Jacobs ...................... $3,060.00 St. Jude ................................................. $3,000.00 Catholic Daughters ............................... $2,930.00 Diocesan K of C #2 .............................. $2,894.62 Joseph “Jay” Fertitta ............................. $2,845.00 Rev. Peter H. Brewerton ....................... $2,600.00 Mrs. Ayres A. Champagne .................... $2,000.00 Rev. H. C. Paul Daigle .......................... $1,900.00 Msgr. Francis J. Legendre #2 ................ $1,645.00 Msgr. Emile J. Fossier ........................... $1,545.00 Dr. William Barlette, Sr.......................... $1,525.00 Anawin Community .............................. $1,500.00 Rev. Robert J. Sevigny .......................... $1,300.00 Msgr. John L. Newfield ........................ $1,200.00 Donald Peltier, Sr. # 3............................ $1,100.00

Msgr. Stanislaus Manikowski ............... $1,025.00 Rev. Clemens Schneider ....................... $1,000.00 St. Joseph Italian Society ...................... $1,000.00 Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux #4 ........... $1,000.00 Msgr. John G. Keller ............................. $1,000.00 Warren J. Harang, Jr. #2 ........................... $900.00 Deacon Willie Orgeron ............................ $800.00 Rev. Anthony Rousso ............................... $750.00 Mr. & Mrs. John Marmande .................... $700.00 Deacon Edward J. Blanchard ................... $660.00 James J. Buquet, Jr. .................................. $650.00 Deacon Roland Dufrene ........................... $550.00 Deacon Raymond LeBouef ...................... $550.00 Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Cannata .................. $500.00 Deacon Robert Dusse’ .............................. $450.00 Richard Peltier #2 .................................... $300.00 Claude Bergeron ...................................... $200.00 Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Naquin ....................... $150.00 Deacon Harold Kurtz ............................... $100.00

Overall Seminarian Burse Totals: $1,326,092.39 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

11

Church Life

Father Guy Zeringue dies at age 62

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Father Guy Zeringue (photo at left) died Dec. 23 at the age of 62. Priests from across the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux attended the funeral of Father Zeringue at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. Bishop Sam G. Jacobs, the main celebrant of the Mass of Christian burial, addresses Father Zeringue’s brother and sister at the conclusion of the Mass.

Father Guy Zeringue, a priest of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, died December 23, following complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 62.

“I am saddened at the death of Father Zeringue,” says Bishop Sam G. Jacobs. “Even though he has been suffering from a number of illnesses over the years, he was not one to complain. Even to the end he maintained this attitude. I am grateful to God for his dedicated priestly ministry in our diocese over the years. I pray that he will be another intercessor for the diocese and its work proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. May he rest in the eternal peace of Christ.”

Father Zeringue was born on May 19, 1949, in Houma. He attended St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School. He was ordained to the priesthood May 24, 1975.

Father Zeringue served as associate pastor at Sacred Heart in Morgan City and Holy Savior in Lockport. He served as pastor of St. Ann in Bourg, St. Louis in Bayou Blue and most recently at St. John the Evangelist in Thibodaux.

He is survived by his sister, Carlean Groves of Houma, and his brother, Kevin Zeringue of Decatur, AL. Bishop Jacobs celebrated a Mass of Christian burial with interment at St. Francis de Sales Cemetery No. 2.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER PHOTOS/BAYOU CATHOLIC

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Comment The Pope Speaks

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Eucharist sustains those who are tired, worn out or lost in the world and transforms human sin and weakness into new life, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Speaking at his weekly general audience Jan. 11, the pope focused on Jesus and the Last Supper, where he instituted the Eucharist, “the sacrament of his body and blood.”

“Jesus’ gift of himself anticipates his sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection,” the pope said.

He offers his life before it is taken from him on the cross and as such “transforms his violent death into a free act of giving himself for others. Violence immediately is transformed into an active, free and redemptive sacrifice,” the pope said.

The pope said that, at the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for his disciples, especially Peter, warning him, according to the Gospel of Luke, that “Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat.” But Jesus prayed that his disciple’s faith would not fail and that Peter, who would betray Jesus, would return to strengthen the others’ faith, the pope said.

“The Eucharist is food for pilgrims, which becomes (a source of) strength also for those who are tired, worn out and lost,” he said.

Jesus’ words at the Last Supper were meant to help Peter, and others who stray, find the strength to be able to follow Christ once again, he said.

CNS PHOTO/ALESSANDRO BIANCHI, REUTERS

Pope Benedict XVI waves after leading a vespers service in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome Jan. 25.

Taking part in the Eucharist today is “indispensable for Christian life” and is still a source of strength so that “our life is not lost, despite our weakness and our infidelity, but is transformed.”

The pope asked that people join their prayers with the Lord’s and offer their lives, “transform our crosses into free and responsible sacrifice, of love for God and our brothers and sisters.”

At the end of the audience, a rare young Cuban crocodile was shown off to the pope in honor of his upcoming trip to Cuba.

The 15-inch long reptile is set to be introduced to its natural habitat in Cuba during the pope’s trip in March.

About 80 percent of the critically endangered species has been

decimated and can be found only in a small area in Cuba, according to Bioparco, the Roman zoo that takes in and rehabilitates wild animals that have been illegally smuggled into Italy.

Representing the zoo was Paolo Giuntarelli, the president of the zoo’s foundation, together with two small children who gave the pope a tiny sculpture of a turtle hatching from its egg to symbolize the many successful births at the zoo. The zoo, one of the oldest in the world, was also celebrating the end of its 100th anniversary.

Also, brightly dressed clowns, jugglers and acrobats from four different circuses juggled, flipped, balanced and danced for the pope and the estimated 4,000 people in the Vatican audience hall.

Pope: Eucharist gives strength to those who are weak, weary

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Question Corner Father Kenneth Doyle

Belonging to two different religions

Q

The small parish to which I have belonged since my baptism 70-plus years ago used to have three full-time priests.

Now it is down to one, and even he is shared. For the past quarter of a century, our pastors have often been elderly men with health problems. Pastoral attention is practically nonexistent, and this is true of most of the Catholic churches within driving distance.

I have found, however, a wonderful congregation nearby that is active and caring. They have given much to me, so I would like to join this congregation officially. But it is not Catholic. Is there any problem with belonging to two different denominations at the same time? (The rituals and theology seem very similar.)

(Richmond, Va.) For a believer in Jesus, it seems to me, it’s important to decide which Christian denomination can trace its descent most clearly from the time of Christ. In my own mind, that is the Catholic Church.

The regular celebration of the Eucharist, its recognition as the body and blood of the savior and the sacrament of the forgiveness of sins find their origin, I believe, in the words of Christ and the actions of the earliest believers.

That pedigree is also true of the hierarchical church, with the pope

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

as the final arbiter of religious doctrine.

(Remember how, in the Acts of the Apostles, the first Christians appealed to Peter to decide whether gentile converts to the new faith needed to follow Jewish rituals and rules?)

So to answer your question, I don’t think it’s logical to “belong” to two different religious denominations -particularly when one of them does not include some, or even all, of the elements mentioned above.

However, I do understand that you are finding satisfaction in, and drawing benefit from, certain programs offered by your neighboring church, even though it is not Catholic. It may be a program of Bible study, a course on prayer or a food pantry or soup kitchen that has sparked your interest.

I would encourage you to maintain your involvement with those particular programs -- while not actually enrolling as a “member” of that denomination -- but at the same time to continue to worship and receive the sacraments at your local Catholic parish.

Fast after Communion

Q

When I was a student in Catholic school many years ago, we were taught that we needed to fast from food and drink from midnight in order to receive holy Communion in the morning.

That has since been shortened to one hour.

My wife came in to the Catholic Church about five years ago, and she has asked me why we don’t wait at least an hour after communion before we eat anything. Frankly, I couldn’t think of a good answer.

It seems that we get together after Mass with our friends and go somewhere for breakfast as soon as we can. Is there a rule about this -- or should there be? ( M o u n t Vernon, Ohio) As happens with many recent converts, your wife’s question is perceptive and profound since it recognizes the special reverence due to a special gift. There is no rule about fasting

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after the reception of Communion, although the common advice of spiritual directors would be to wait at least 10 or 15 minutes before eating or drinking.

This seems to stem from the church’s belief that Jesus remains present in the Eucharist for as long as the “species” of the host continue to exist (size, color, taste, etc.) while the digestive process begins to take place.

Many spiritual writers, though, encourage an even longer period of fasting and prayer following Communion, since that is an ideal time for an intimate exchange with the Lord and a “preview” of the divine presence in heaven.

The Jesuit saints Ignatius of Loyola and Aloysius Gonzaga are said to have spent two hours on their knees in prayer after receiving the Eucharist -- although that may seem beyond the reach of average Catholics and could wreak havoc with Sunday Mass schedules!

St. Louis de Montfort would remain in church after Mass for half an hour. No worry or engagement could deter him, and he said he would not give up that time of prayer even for an equal time in paradise.

As a practical matter, it would seem a worthy and productive habit to stay after Mass at least a few minutes in order to pray in gratitude for this divine nourishment.

2012 Catholic News Service

Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@ gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, N.Y. 12208

February 2012

15

Reflections Readings Between The Lines Father Glenn LeCompte

Drawing on strength of the Spirit

W 16

hat’s My Line was a popular U.S. television game show which ran from 1950-1975.

Four panelists had to question an unknown guest on the program to determine his or her “line” or occupation. On one segment of the program a mystery guest, a wellknown person, was the contestant.

The panelists were blindfolded and questioned the mystery guest to venture a guess at who he or she was.

The first two parts of Mark’s story of Jesus (1:1-13, 1:14-8:26) leads the reader to an understanding of the identity of his main character, Jesus. The very first verse of the Gospel identifies the man Jesus, whom Mark’s intended readers may have known but more likely were introduced to him by word of mouth, as the Messiah (= Christ) and Son of God. Apparently, however, Mark has to show his reader why he makes this assertion by narrating a story comprised of a series of brief episodes. Throughout these two sections Mark continues to have characters raise the question regarding Jesus’ true identity.

In addition, Mark says that this is the beginning of the Gospel. The beginning will conclude with Jesus’ resurrection. Mark’s narrative, however, is part of a larger story which extends beyond the confines of the ministry of Jesus. The larger story looks toward Jesus’ return in splendor at the close of the age.

Mark’s story is “gospel,” that is, good news that God’s end-time rule has, through Jesus, drawn near to February 2012

offer all people salvation.

Mark begins, not as Matthew and Luke do, with a narrative of Jesus’ birth and youth, but with a quote attributed solely to the prophet Isaiah, but which is really a composite of Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3 and Exodus 23:20. The purpose of this quote is to condition the reader to see that the following story will bring about a fulfillment of prophecy. The events in which both John the Baptist and Jesus will be involved are under God’s governance.

As Mark introduces John the Baptist he describes his clothing, a significant detail for it associates him with the great prophet Elijah who, according to Malachi 4:5-6 (Revised Standard Version) would return in the time of fulfillment. Assuming the role of the great end-time prophet, John also serves as Jesus’ forerunner. John’s Baptism of Jesus makes the way for the revelation of Jesus’ divine Sonship, which had been mentioned at the very beginning of Mark’s story.

Mark then goes on to introduce the figure of Jesus, Mark’s main character. In Jesus’ baptism, the declaration that Jesus is God’s beloved Son is heard only by Jesus and not by other characters in the Gospel. This is the first indication that the discernment of Jesus’ identity will be a major issue for the characters in Mark’s story. But there is more. In the baptism scene, Jesus’ mission is divinely inaugurated.

The Spirit’s hovering over Jesus in a dove-like form depicts Jesus’ empowerment to become the agent of baptism with the Holy Spirit that John prophesied he would be in 1:8.

Described as having a unique filial relationship with God, Jesus

can be portrayed as God’s supreme agent of salvation. Jesus’ role as the Son who represents the Father is confirmed later in the parable of the Wicked Tenant Farmers (12:1-8).

Behind any story is the author’s “point-of-view,” the author’s agenda comprised of the values he espouses. Jesus is presented to the reader

by God, and since God is supreme ruler of the universe and all history, the reader is lead to recognize that what Jesus will say and do reflects not only Mark’s point-of-view, but, more importantly, God’s! Consequently, the extent to which any character’s understanding of Jesus’ identity coincides with or diverges from God’s understanding will reflect the extent to which it is right or wrong, true or false.

The same Spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism thrusts him out into the desert to be tested.

The spatial setting is important.

Whereas the Spirit descended upon Jesus from the heavens, in the desert Jesus encounters Satan. Jesus’ temptation (1:12-13) indicates that Jesus will be in the middle of a cosmic struggle for power. Jesus’ resistance of temptation here foreshadows Jesus’ coming encounters with hostile forces over whom he will emerge victorious.

As Christians we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and declared adopted children of God. Like Jesus, however we often find ourselves in the midst of a cosmic struggle between the gradual emergence of God’s Kingdom and the resistance posed by the kingdom of evil. We need to draw constantly on the strength of the Spirit.

ons

Questi n o i t c Refle

d” r of Go e t h g u or da a “son g n i e b t does n Wha u? your o m in y s i t o t p a n mea ce of b nifican g i s e h t is t n Wha st of e mid gn ? h e t f i l n i f own ng rei oursel emergi find y e h u t o y n do betwee n How ruggle nce of evil? t s c i a sm the co nd the resist a d o G of Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Claude la Colombiere

St. Joseph Manor

1641-1682 February 15

CNS

Born in southeastern France, Claude entered the Jesuits at Avignon and completed theology studies in Paris. After ordination, he preached in Lyon. In 1675, he was named rector of the college at Paray-le- Monial and became confessor of the visionary Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque. He helped her spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1676 he was sent to London and reconciled many Catholics to the church they had abandoned. He was arrested and expelled in connection with an alleged plot to kill the king, and died upon returning to France.

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Saints

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Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta Marto 20th century February 20

CNS

Two of the three Fatima visionaries, this sister and brother were beatified in 2000. With their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, they had monthly visions of Mary at Fatima, Portugal, from May to October 1917. Mary asked the shepherd children to promote devotion to her Immaculate Heart and pray the rosary daily. Both Martos died of influenza, Francisco at age 10 in 1919, and Jacinta at age 9 in 1920.

Their cousin, who became a Carmelite nun, died in 2005 at age 97.

Fatima is among the world’s great Marian shrines and pilgrimage sites.

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Saints

Gabriel Possenti 1838-1862 February 27

CNS

The 11th of 13 children of a distinguished Italian lawyer who served the Papal States, Francesco Possenti was a bright, joyful youth, despite losing his mother when he was 4. Educated at the Jesuit college in Spoleto, he was seriously ill twice and vowed to become a religious if he recovered. He entered the Passionist novitiate in 1856, taking the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. He served dutifully, with great piety and cheerfulness, dying from tuberculosis at the age of 24.

Saints

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Sam G. Jacobs to the People of the Diocese

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The Year of New Evangelization Bayou Catholic Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier February 2012

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he call to evangelize is not a new call for Christians, even though John Paul II has coined the term “new evangelization.” “There exists today the clear need for a new evangelization. There is the need for a proclamation of the Gospel capable of accompanying man on his pilgrim way, capable of walking alongside the younger generation” (Crossing the Threshold, p. 117). What he insists is that it must be “new in method, new in expression and new in zeal” (1983). “The new evangelization needs new witnesses … people who have experienced an area of change in their life because of their contact with Jesus Christ, and who are capable of passing on that experience to others” (1991).

What is evangelization? John Paul II said: “Unchanging in its content which is Christ … it is not a theory but a life, a meeting of love which radically changes our life, today as at the beginning of the church … . To evangelize is to bring about life in Christ, the unique Redeemer of mankind” (1994).

Some Catholics shy away both from the word and from the work because they consider it too “protestant.” This is unfortunate as well as untrue. Evangelization is rooted in the commission of Jesus to his Apostles and disciples. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:19, 20).

Prior to that, he had sent them out two by two into the villages ahead of him to proclaim the message of the Kingdom of God. In a sense, this was the preevangelization that opened the hearts of the hearers to their encounter with Jesus. However, it was this encounter which made the difference.

Once Jesus had fulfilled his mission as Messiah through his death and resurrection and prior to his returning to the Father, he reminded the Apostles that they were to do the work of evangelization in the power of the Holy Spirit.

“While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for ‘the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit … . But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:4-5, 8).

Then 10 days later, on the Feast of Pentecost, the promise of Jesus was fulfilled as the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of tongues of fire and they, anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, went forth to witness and evangelize, as Jesus commanded. It is in the power of the Holy Spirit that the work of evangelization receives its effectiveness.

Even though the call to evangelize is rooted in the life and ministry of Jesus and the biblical mandate given by Jesus to his disciples and thus to the church of all ages, what Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI have done is to give new emphasis to the call for evangelization by raising it to the level of a new and present conscious awareness.

Paul VI said that the church exists to evangelize.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Some Catholics shy away both from the word and from the work because they consider it too “protestant.” This is unfortunate as well as untrue.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Pope John Paul II said “The new evangelization needs new witnesses … people who have experienced an area of change in their life because of their contact with Jesus Christ, and who are capable of passing on that experience to others” (1991).

Christine Streams proclaims the word at St. Luke Church in Thibodaux.

John Paul II called for a new zeal for evangelization by every baptized and confirmed Catholic. Benedict XVI has stated: “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. Likewise, at the root of all evangelization lies not a human plan of expansion, but rather the desire to share the inestimable gift that God has wished to give us, making us sharers in his own life.”

I am often struck by the words of St. John Chrysostom, an early church Father, who many centuries past spoke these words, very apropos for today. “There is nothing colder than a Christian who does not seek to save others … . How can such a person be a Christian? Tell me, if yeast did not make the whole mass like itself, is it really yeast? Again, if perfume failed to pervade all around it with its fragrance, would we call it perfume? Do not say: It is impossible for me to influence others. If you are a Christian, it is impossible for this not to happen. Things found in nature cannot be denied; so here, for it is a question of the nature of the Christian … . If you say that a Christian cannot help others, you have insulted God and called him a liar. It is easier for the sun not to give warmth or shine than a Christian not to shed his light. It is easier for light to be darkness than for this to happen.”

The call is not to just evangelize, but to evangelize in the power of the Holy Spirit with new boldness in conjunction with his gifts. That is why the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost was essential to the fulfillment of the Father’s plan, namely, to send Jesus to redeem Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

us through his death and resurrection and to send the Holy Spirit to sanctify and empower us for the building up of the Body of Christ through the various gifts Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12.

In baptism and confirmation we have received the gifts of the Spirit for sanctification and for evangelization. These gifts must be enflamed once more so that the work of evangelization may be based on the work of the Spirit and not on our human gifts and abilities.

First of all, each of us needs either to come into that personal encounter with Jesus Christ which brings us under his Lordship, making him the center of our life or to deepen our relationship with him so as to better respond to his grace.

This is to lead us to the next step. Paul VI said very emphatically: The one who has been evangelized must in turn become an evangelist.

Paul VI later went on to state: “As a result of the frequent situations of de-Christianization in our day, (evangelization) also proves equally necessary for innumerable people who have been baptized but who live quite outside Christian life, for simple people who have a certain faith but an imperfect knowledge of the foundations of that faith, for intellectuals who feel the need to know Jesus Christ in a light different from the instruction they received as children, and for many others” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, n. 52).

So who needs to be evangelized today? n There are those who have been baptized and received the various sacraments but have never had a personal conversion to Jesus Christ. There

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February 2012

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LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Bishop Sam G. Jacobs says to be evangelizers it may mean that we receive some training on the process of evangelization and how to give our personal witness or testimony, short and sweet. Peter Herbeck, of Renewal Ministries in Ann Arbor, MI, speaks to participants at the School of Evangelization held at the Lumen Christi Retreat Center.

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is something missing at the core of their being. Jesus is not the Lord of their life. Though they may go to church somewhat regularly, they could be more influenced by the culture around them than by the teachings of the church. n There are those who are called the inactive Catholics. They come to church when convenient or on traditionally special moments, like Christmas, Easter, baptism, marriage and funerals. It is said that there are approximately 45 million active Catholics in the U.S. and another 17 million who are not practicing their faith on a regular basis. n The unchurched or unaffiliated with any religion are one of the fastest growing groups in our country today. One statistic says that the unchurched in the U.S. are nearly at 100 million n Our culture needs to be evangelized. It is sad to realize that our culture in the U.S. is no longer based on Judaic-Christian principles, upon which this country was founded. Instead, secularism, materialism, relativism and consumerism seek to undermine and determine our culture with some success. Even some of the latest government’s directions and enactments have invaded the religious tenets held for so long as part of our moral system as a nation. The media has promoted these ‘isms” with the determination to change the culture.

This is how Benedict XVI summed up this situation and challenge. “The crisis we are living through carries with it signs of the exclusion of God from people’s lives, a general indifference to the Christian faith, and even the intention of marginalizing it from public life” (2011).

What are we doing to evangelize the culture rather February 2012

‘The crisis we are living through carries with it signs of the exclusion of God from people’s lives, a general indifference to the Christian faith, and even the intention of marginalizing it from public life.’

Pope Benedict XVI 2011 than allowing the culture to evangelize us?

John Paul II gave us a direction and a starting point. “Proclaiming Christ means above all giving witness to him with one’s own life. It is the simplest form of preaching the Gospel and the most effective way available to you … . The world today has special need of believable witnesses” (1991).

Secondly, it means to recognize that it is

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

If not you, who? If not now, when? If not the truth of the Gospel, what? If not in the power of the Spirit, how? If not to your environment and local world, where?

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Pope John Paul II gave us a direction and a starting point.

“Proclaiming Christ means above all giving witness to him with one’s own life. It is the simplest form of preaching the Gospel and the most effective way available to you ... The world today has special need of believable witnesses” (1991). Sister Miriam Mire, C.S.J., visits Melissa Porche, a parishioner of St. Anthony Church parish in Bayou Black.

God’s plan for us to be evangelized and to evangelize others.

Thirdly, it calls for us to become prayer warriors, interceding for the grace to step out of our comfort zone and personally embrace the central mission of the church.

Fourthly, it may mean that we receive some training on the process of evangelization and how to give our personal witness or testimony, short and sweet.

Fifthly, we need to act and not just talk; we need to embrace our identity as a disciple of Jesus Christ and do the work of the Gospel.

Let me share a story from S.D. Gordon. He pictures Gabriel as asking Christ when he reached heaven after his resurrection what recognition the world had given to his divine suffering for its sake. Christ replies that only a few in Palestine knew of it. Gabriel feels that more ought to know—the whole world ought to know—and he asks, “What is your plan, Master, for telling them of it.” Jesus replies, “I have asked my disciples to make it the business of their lives to tell others, and those others to tell others, until the last person in the furthest circle has heard the story and has felt the power of it.”

“But suppose they do not tell others—what then?”

Gabriel asks.

Jesus answers quietly “Gabriel, I have not made any other plans. I am counting on them.”

What I believe God is looking for as we respond to the call for “new evangelization” is submission to his plan as evidenced in the Scriptures. We do not have to reinvent the wheel or develop a new process. We need Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

to be rooted in our relationship with God, to be formed in our faith, accept the empowerment of the Spirit already given to us, trust in God, be attuned to the lead of the Spirit with obedience, speak out fearlessly but faithfully the Word of God and our faith Tradition, share the Gospel message of salvation in simple terms, and exercise the appropriate gift of the Spirit as we are led to do.

Let me close with a quotation from the Letter of the Romans and some challenging questions. “‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ But how shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe unless they have heard of him? And how can they hear unless there is someone to share. And how can men share, unless they are sent” (Romans 10:13-15).

If not you, who? If not now, when? If not the truth of the Gospel, what? If not in the power of the Spirit, how? If not to your environment and local world, where?

“The Gospel is not something only to go to church to hear, but to go from the church to tell.”

February 2012

February 2012

21

Guest Columnist Tim Bogan

The New Evangelization

‘H

22

e will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).

These words of John the Baptist, in my opinion, are some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture.

As Catholics we have received the Holy Spirit at baptism, but what about the fire? What exactly did John the Baptist mean by the fire? We know from John 20:22 that when Jesus commissioned his disciples, to preach the Gospel, he breathed on them and they received the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

But, in the book of Acts before his Ascension he told his disciples to tarry in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He told them in Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses … .”

They all had the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but they had not yet received the power or the fire to evangelize. We notice that after the disciples received this power or fire that their lives drastically changed. They had the boldness of a lion! (Proverbs 28:1b NRSV).

St. Peter, whom just a few days prior was so scared of having been associated with Christ for fear of his life that he denied even knowing the Master, suddenly, after the fire of the Holy Spirit came upon him he stood up with such boldness, power, and convicting speech that the whole house of Israel trembled.

He began to tell the same men that he feared that they were the ones that condemned and killed Christ by crucifixion. Can you imagine telling men of their wrong doing, men that were so wicked that they

February 2012

had the Messiah condemned and crucified?

What happened to Peter? FIRE! This was the greatest act of evangelization in the whole entire Bible! Because of the power of the Spirit that was upon Peter, 3,000 men were saved that day. Scripture says the people were convicted in their hearts and they cried out, “What must we do to be saved?”

When you minister Christ unto others under the power or fire of the Holy Spirit, lives are changed.

The Holy Spirit is able to take your words and convince those that hear them that they need Christ.

It is virtually impossible to evangelize without the power of the Holy Spirit upon our lives.

We need that fire to be a witness of our Catholic faith! We need to fan the flame! As we go about our normal lives, just barely fulfilling our religious obligations, there are countless people all around us that are perishing. It is time to get excited about our Catholic faith. It is time to reach deeper into prayer, meditation on God’s Word, and be filled with the Holy Spirit to overflowing on a daily basis. We must develop a personal relationship with Jesus and this is only done by the Holy Spirit. How

can we go and proclaim Christ and not even “know” the one we are proclaiming? We must know him, because it is the reason we continue to exist in this world. Without knowing Christ we are lost. But, when the Holy Spirit comes in he reveals unto us Christ. Therefore, we are able to go out into the world and share Christ with others.

As director of the Office of the New Evangelization for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, it is my goal to bring the message of Christ to our local area. We will do this through evangelistic type outreaches by having a presence at many different outdoor festivals and public functions throughout the year. Also, the Office of the New Evangelization will be working with all the church parishes in the diocese to establish evangelistic teams that will go door to door. The diocese will hold a training course on March 10 and April 14 at the Pastoral Center on Hwy 311. This course will train and prepare each evangelist to go out and evangelize door to door. After each evangelist is trained, Bishop Sam G. Jacobs will have a special prayer service on Pentecost Sunday and will commission each person to be an evangelist for their local parish.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

iday.

February 2012 Calendar of Events

Health & Wellness

Tue-07 Diabetes & Stroke Screening 8 – 10:30 a.m. By appointment. Cost is $15.00. The screening includes checks for blood pressure, tests for cholesterol and glucose and provides counseling for those who test high. Registration is required.

Mon-13 Living With Arthritis (Joint Inflammation) 5:30 p.m. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis in older people. It progresses slowly and primarily affects the hands and large weight bearing joints of the body. Please join us to learn of other types of arthritis, the causes, symptoms and methods of treatment. Guest Speaker: TGMC Physical Therapist, Jennifer Rhodes. Registration is required.

Tue-21 Closed for Mardi Gras Tue-28 Staying Healthy with Chronic Kidney Disease 10:30 a.m. This is a class for people with chronic kidney disease to give them tangible information on how to protect and preserve their kidney function. In the class, we will discuss topics related to blood pressure, diabetes, symptoms associated with kidney failure and treatment. We will also answer any questions patients may have.

Women, Heart Disease and Stroke

Thursday, February 16, 5:30 p.m. Heart disease isn’t just a man’s disease. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases are devastating to women, too. In fact, coronary heart disease, which causes heart attack, is the single leading cause of death for American women. Many women believe that cancer is more of a threat, but they’re wrong. Nearly twice as many women in the United States die of heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases as from all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Guest Speaker is Dr. Jody Stagg, a Cardiologist with Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Houma and a physician on active staff at Terrebonne General Medical Center. Please join us to become more educated on the risk factors of heart disease and find out if you are at risk. There are methods to modify, treat or control most risk factors to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Registration is required.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Wednesday, February 29, 5:30 p.m. The most common symptom of PAD is a painful muscle cramping in the hips, thighs or calves when walking, climbing stairs or exercising. The pain of PAD usually goes away when you stop exercising, although this may take a few minutes. PAD is a life-threatening condition that can be managed or even reversed with proper care. Guest Speaker is Dr. Vinod Nair, a Cardiologist with Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Houma. Dr. Nair is also a physician on active staff at Terrebonne General Medical Center. Registration is required.

Women’s Health & Support Tue-28 La Leche League Support Group (Breastfeeding Support) 1:00 p.m. La Leche League International is recognized as the world’s foremost authority on breastfeeding. Nursing babies are welcome.

Support Groups Thur-02 Multiple Sclerosis Support Group 7 – 9 p.m. A group designed to provide information, resources, and teach coping skills relating to the symptoms of M.S. Wed-08 Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group 5:30 p.m. A group designed to provide education on community resources and offer support to caregivers. Facilitated by a TGMC Social Worker.

To register or learn more call the OutReach Center at 985-858-7020 or log on to www.tgmc.com Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

23

Heavenly Recipes

Heart Healthy Eggplant Parmesan Bayou Catholic Story and Photos

by Lawrence Chatagnier

24

Msgr. Frederic Brunet, pastor of St. Joseph Church parish in Chauvin, is being served eggplant parmesan from Jinhee Martin who cooks for the parish staff.

Jinhee Martin, a native of Korea, has been cooking at St. Joseph Church parish in Chauvin for the past 14 years. She enjoys cooking for Msgr. Frederic Brunet and the staff at St. Joseph.

“I love working at St. Joseph. I have an awesome boss; the staff is wonderful and we are like family here,” says Martin. One of the meals that she likes to prepare during Lent is eggplant parmesan. “I found this recipe in a heart healthy cookbook. The dish is low in fat and is delicious. I made the recipe my own by adding a few different ingredients which in my opinion made it come out better.”

Martin met her husband Tony while he was in the service stationed in Korea. She came to the United States with her husband in 1972. She says that she has learned to cook Cajun meals from her mother-inlaw. “I love to cook gumbo, especially one with chicken and sausage.” My mother-in-law once told me, “I taught you how to cook Cajun dishes, but yours come out better than mine.”

Although most of her cooking involves Cajun recipes she enjoys cooking Kim Chi which is popular in Korea.

It is a traditional fermented Korean dish made of vegetables with varied seasonings. There are hundreds of varieties with the main ingredient being cabbage, green onions or cucumber. It is the most popular side dish in Korea.

Martin says that people eat plenty fruit and vegetables in her native land. “When we had a meal with beef or pork in it we knew it was a special occasion.

It was usually reserved for holidays or birthdays.” A popular staple of Korean food is fish. “I can remember as a child and then later as a young girl it seemed that we ate a lot of fish. It is plentiful in Korea,” says the cook.

Martin works at St. Joseph four days a week, Tuesdays through Fridays. Msgr. Brunet and the staff February 2012

appreciate the work she does. “Jinhee is a very good cook. She has adapted many of her recipes to be more heart healthy which is an important part of staying healthy. She is a joy to have at the rectory. She is always cheerful and smiles all the time,” says the pastor.

Eggplant Parmesan

3 medium eggplants 2 celery stalks, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced Parsley to taste 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated Shredded low fat mozzarella cheese & Provolone or pepper jack cheese 1 onion, chopped 3 shallots, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup white wine 1 lg. can spaghetti sauce Olive oil Sautee in olive oil: onion, bell pepper, celery, shallots and garlic. Add can of spaghetti sauce, white wine and parsley. Cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Add parmesan cheese to sauce at end of cooking time. Peel and slice eggplants into 1/4 inch slices. Brown eggplant on both sides in a skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray form layers: add small amount of sauce on the bottom, then layer eggplant, more sauce, mozzarella cheese, eggplant, more sauce, mozzarella cheese. Top with provolone or pepper jack cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

Serve with tossed salad and garlic bread or biscuits.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Contest

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Where am I?

This image of Christ in a stained glass window is located somewhere in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. Do you know where it can be found? If so you can win a gift certificate in the amount of $50 to redeem at God’s Precious Word and Gifts, God’s Promises Books and Gifts, or Galliano Religious Supply House. Send your guess entitled “Where Am I?” by email to: bayoucatholic@htdiocese. org, by fax to: (985) 850-3232, or to Bayou Catholic, P.O. Box 505, Schriever, LA 70395. Deadline to enter is Feb. 29. Winner will be announced in the April issue of Bayou Catholic. Diocesan employees of the Pastoral Center and its satellite offices are not eligible to participate.

Shop Early for the Best Selection of First Communion & Confirmation Gifts ROSARIES V BRACELETS V BIBLES V CARDS V CROSSES V PHOTO FRAMES V ALBUMS COMMUNION NECKTIES V PLAQUES V KEEPSAKE BOXES V GIRL & BOY RING SETS FIRST COMMUNION VEIL V PURSE SETS V ROSARY BOXES

God’s Promises Books & Gifts

Galliano Religious Supply House

God’s Precious Word & Gifts

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18210 West Main Suite 13 (985) 632-3040 Galliano

601 St. Mary Street

(Behind Target)

(985) 876-1283 Houma

(Next to Politz)

(985) 449-0618 Thibodaux

Donald & Tammy Plaisance, owners ~ Hours: Mon. - Sat. 9-6 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Serving the Diocese since 1991

February 2012

25

Our Churches

Cathedral

of St. Francis de Sales

By LOUIS G. AGUIRRE

Editor, Bayou Catholic

26

Mother church of Terrebonne Parish Bayou Catholic Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier February 2012

The Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, situated in the heart of Houma, is the Mother Church of Terrebonne Parish. Since its establishment back in 1847, St. Francis has served the spiritual and temporal needs of the community with great distinction.

“Our church was born out of the marshlands,” says the Very Rev. Vicente DeLa Cruz, J.V., rector of the Cathedral. “Visitors to Houma soon realize that the Cathedral is in the heart of Houma. It is a reminder that the Catholic Church has always been here. It is also a testament to the faith our Acadian ancestors who always placed the church at the center of their lives.”

Father DeLa Cruz says many worthy things have emanated from the Cathedral: The establishment of other Catholic churches and schools in Terrebonne Parish, Catholic Charities, Assisi Bridge House, St. Vincent de Paul Store, cemeteries, St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School and Vandebilt Catholic High School, among many others.

“Our church has been the source for assistance, but also guidance,” says the rector, adding: “We were the first to minister to our Native American and African American Catholics.”

Father DeLa Cruz says when he is alone inside the cathedral he finds it very “inspiring.” As a native of the Philippines, the rector is humbled: “As an immigrant, to be part of this rich history is amazing.”

“Father Vic,” as he is affectionately known, says St. Francis is “quite unique as a fully functioning parish with a school, cemetery, myriad programs and activities.” He emphasizes: “Many cathedrals around the world must rely on outside support to stay open.

We are proud to know that St. Francis is fully selfreliant.”

The present cathedral church, the third on its site, was built in 1936 at a cost of $137,000, its construction guided lovingly by then Pastor August W. Vandebilt.

Chief among diocesan celebrations have been the installation of Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux in 1977 (who is buried there), the ordination and installation of Bishop Michael Jarrell in 1993 and the installation of Bishop Sam G. Jacobs in 2003. It has also witnessed the ordinations of many priests and permanent and transitional deacons.

a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

27

The staff of the cathedral parish, school and cemetery are first row from left, Richard Webre Jr, Carol Bergeron, Leslie VanOsdale, Carolyn Ledet, Walter Walker Jr., second row from left, Robert Briggs Jr., Lydia Duet, Brenda Tanner, Donna Dinger, Victor Tan, Christopher Rodrigue, back row from left, Deacon Doug Authement, Father Andre’ Melancon, Very Rev. Vicente DeLa Cruz, J.V., and Deacon Joseph Weigand Jr.

Personnel includes: Bishop Jacobs, pastor; Father DeLa Cruz, rector; Father Andre’ Melancon, associate pastor; Father Joseph Tu Tran, in residence; Deacon Joseph Weigand Jr. and Deacon Douglas Authement; Jane Lirette, coordinator of religious education; Judy Levron, pastoral minister; Caroline Luke, confirmation program coordinator; Donna K. Dinger, bookkeeper; Lydia M. Duet, secretary; Richard Webre Jr., cemetery supervisor; and Robert Briggs Jr., Victor Tan and Christopher Rodrigue, cemetery personnel; Carol Bergeron, cook; Leslie VanOsdale, music director, Carolyn Ledet, housekeeper; Walter Walker Jr., church custodian; Brenda Tanner, principal of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School; Celeste Cancienne, assistant principal; Christy Pitre, administrative assistant; and Shanna Prestenbach, secretary.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

) ) The present cathedral

church, the third on its site, was built in 1936

at a cost of $137,000,

its construction guided lovingly by then Pastor August W. Vandebilt.

February 2012

Our Churches

28

The interior of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral with its gothic features seats 700 people. A statue of St. Francis de Sales is located above the entrance of the cathedral. Decorative arches frame the side altars of the cathedral. On one of the side altars sits a tabernacle which houses the Blessed Sacrament.

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School has a rich and long heritage which had its beginnings in 1870 with the arrival of the Marianite Sisters of the Holy Cross from New Orleans.

The church building and its surroundings were part of an extensive renovation in the year 2001. The stations of the cross were among items restored.

The late Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux is buried near the cornerstone of the church in a vault reserved for bishops.

29

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Special Events

Man of God Conference is March 2-3; theme: New Evangelization

30

The eighth annual Man of God Conference, sponsored by the diocesan Conference Office, will be held March 2-3 at the Pastoral Center conference hall in Schriever.

This spirit-filled weekend will feature praise and worship music by More Than Sunday, a local Christian music band led

by Lonnie Lapeyrouse. Dynamic speakers include Bishop Sam G. Jacobs, Deacon Alex Jones, retired evangelization coordinator for the Archdiocese of Detroit; Paul George, co-founder of ADORE Ministries and diocesan director of the Office of Young Adult Ministries; Jimmie Danos, diocesan director of the Office of Building and Construction and former diocesan director of New Evangelization; and Tim Bogan, diocesan director of New Evangelization. These men will journey with participants throughout the conference and help them to understand Pope John Paul II’s New Evangelization.

All men, ages 18 and over, are invited to attend. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the conference will begin at 7 p.m., Friday, March 2. Music, talks and workshops will continue through the day on Saturday, March 3. The conference will conclude with the celebration of Mass at 6:30 p.m. by Bishop Jacobs.

Pre-registration cost for the conference is $65 before March 1. Late registration is $80 and will be accepted at the door on Friday.

Registration includes Saturday meals, and refreshments throughout the weekend. For more information, visit www. htconferences.org, call (985) 8503171, or email conferenceinfo@ htdiocese.org.

February 2012

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

All men ages 18 and over are invited to attend the Man of God Conference.

Liturgical concert set April 27-28 “Sing a New Song!,” a liturgical concert and conference will be held Friday and Saturday, April 27-28 at Annunziata Church, 2011 Acadian Drive in Houma. The concert of liturgical music will take place Friday, April 27, from 7-9 p.m. A workshop for liturgical musicians, designed to offer a fresh understanding of their ministry in this time of liturgical renewal, will be Saturday, April 28, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The concert and conference will feature music by composer Dan Schutte, who has been composing music for worship for over 30 years, including extensive collaboration with the St. Louis Jesuits. His more recent pieces

exhibit an enduring ability to reach into people’s hearts and draw them into prayer. He is one of the best known, most prolific and influential composers of music for the liturgy today.

Cost for the conference (which includes the concert) is $35 per person. Cost for the concert only is $20 per person.

For more information, contact Father Glenn LeCompte, diocesan director of the Office of Worship and spiritual director of the Lumen Christi Retreat Center, at (985) 850-3157, by email at gdlecompte@gmail.com or www. ocp.org/events. To register, contact Maria Havis at (985) 850-3157 or by email at mhavis@htdiocese.org.

St. Ann, Bourg, mission Feb. 26-28

Rev. Mark Toups

A Lenten mission is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26 through Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m., each day at St. Ann Church parish in Bourg.

The mission with its theme “Who is Jesus?” will be presented by Father Mark Toups, who was ordained to the priesthood in 2001 for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

Father Toups is diocesan director of seminarians and is a faculty member and spiritual director for the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, NE. On Monday, Feb. 27, the sacrament of reconciliation will be available after the talk.

Everyone is invited to the Lenten mission.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Diocesan Calendar of Events February n Free Income Tax Preparation and E-filing every Tuesday and Saturday for people with income under $49,000, Saturday, Feb. 11 through Tuesday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Terrebonne Parish Main Library (2nd floor). Closed Mardi Gras Day, and Saturday, March 31. n Catholic schools in-house student registration, Feb. 1317. n aNew Experience, Feb.

15, 7-9 p.m., St. Genevieve Church, Thibodaux.

V Youth Rally early registration deadline, Feb. 17. n Adult faith formation: The Commandments 4-10, Feb. 23, 6:30 to 8:45 p.m., diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. Presenter will be Father Robert Rogers. Spirituality, Feb. 15, 29; 6:30-8:45 p.m., diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. Presenter will be

Vince Scozzari. n TEC 66, Feb. 24-26, 5 p.m., Lumen Christi Retreat Center, Souby Building. n Spanish Way of the Cross Fridays during Lent at St. Andrew, Amelia, 7 p.m.; Sacred Heart, Cut Off, 7 p.m.; Annunziata, Houma, 7 p.m.; 250 Cassidy Lane in Lockport, 6 p.m.; Christ the Redeemer, Sundays after Spanish Mass; Sacred Heart, Morgan City, 6:30 p.m.

n Rite of Election, Feb. 26, 3 p.m., St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, Thibodaux. n Catholic schools new student registration, Feb. 27— March 2. n Evening of Prayer and Song, “Experiencing Lent Effectively,” Feb. 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lumen Christi Retreat Center. Father Glen Lecompte will direct the evening.

n First Friday Day of Prayer, March 2, Lumen Christi Retreat Center, 9:30 a.m., morning prayer followed by a conference, rosary, reconciliation, Holy Hour, Mass and lunch. Father Glenn LeCompte will direct the day. n Food for the Journey, March 6, 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Quality Hotel, Houma.

Speaker will be Father Mike Bergeron. n Adult Faith Formation: Spirituality, March 7, 14, 6:308:45 p.m., diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. Speaker will be Vince Scozzari.

n Lent Retreat for diocesan coordinators of Hispanic Ministry from the dioceses of Louisiana, Lumen Christi Retreat Center, March 13-14, 11 a.m. n aNew Experience, March 14, 7 to 9 p.m., St. Bridget Church, Schriever. n ACRE testing in Catholic schools, March 19-22. n Woman of God Gathering, March 20, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall.

Meal served at 6 p.m.; events begin at 6:30 p.m. Free event, all women over 18 years of age are invited. n Hispanic Evangelization

Retreat, March 24-25, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. n Evening of Prayer and Song, “Responding to God’s Call,” March 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lumen Christi Retreat Center. Father Glenn LeCompte will direct the evening. n Student of the Year Breakfast, March 27, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Lumen Christi Retreat Center. n Youth Rally, March 31, Noon until 10 p.m., Nicholls State University in Thibodaux.

Center, 9:30 a.m., morning prayer followed by a conference, rosary, reconciliation, Holy Hour, Mass and lunch. Father Glenn LeCompte will direct the day. n Easter Vigil, April 7, 8 p.m., all church parishes in the diocese. n Man of God Gathering,

April 16, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall, meal served at 6 p.m.; events begin at 6:30 p.m. Free event, all men over 18 years of age invited. n aNew Experience, April 18, Sacred Heart Church, Cut Off. n Stanford testing in Catholic schools, April 23-27.

n Evening of Prayer and Song, “Announcing Good News to the Ends of the Earth, A Reflection on the Proclamation of God’s Word,” April 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Lumen Christi Retreat Center. Father Glenn Lecompte will direct the evening.

March n Adult Faith Formation: Catechist Certification ceremony, March 1, 6:30 p.m., diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. n Youth Rally, March 2, registration deadline. n Man of God Conference, March 2-3, diocesan Pastoral Center Conference Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. March 2, events begin at 7 p.m., Registration is $65 per person and includes meals. Online registration: www.htconferences.org or by phone (985) 850-3171.

Open to men over 18 years of age.

April n Chrism Mass, April 3, 7 p.m., Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales, Houma. n 2011 Hike for Christ, (bilingual: English and Spanish), April 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., begins at Christ the Redeemer, Thibodaux. n First Friday Day of Prayer, April 6, Lumen Christi Retreat Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

31

Special Events

Food for the Journey set March 6

Rev. Michael Bergeron

The diocesan Office of Religious Education sponsors a monthly lunchtime speaker series on the first Tuesday of each month at the Quality Hotel on Hollywood Road in Houma across from Vandebilt Catholic High School.

The speaker for March 6 is Father Michael Bergeron, pastor of Annunziata Church parish in Houma.

Father Bergeron, a native of Houma, was ordained to the priesthood June 8, 1996. He served as associate pastor at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux and St. Bernadette Church parish in Houma; and as pastor of St. Bridget Church parish in Schriever, St. Lawrence Church parish in Chacahoula, St. Anthony of Padua Church parish in Bayou Black, and

Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church parish in Golden Meadow. He also served as Dean of the Upper Lafourche Deanery and is currently the chaplain for the Marian Servants of the Word in Thibodaux.

Those who plan to attend the March 6th event should RSVP with their name, phone number and church parish by Thursday, March 1. To RSVP, email FoodForTheJourney@htdiocese.org or call (985) 850-3178.

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 $13 and includes meal, drink and tip. Only cash or checks will be accepted.

All are invited to come “eat and be fed.”

Annual Youth Rally March 31 at NSU 32

The annual diocesan Youth Rally, sponsored by the Office of Youth Ministry, is scheduled for Saturday, March 31, from 1 to 10 p.m., on the Nicholls State University Campus in Thibodaux for youth in grades 8-12. A pre-rally concert will begin at 12:15 p.m. with music provided

by Abundant Praise.

Jackie Francois is this year’s keynote speaker.

A singer, songwriter, speaker and youth minister from Placentia, CA, Francois has led groups during retreats, youth conferences and World Youth Day 2000 in Rome.

Michael S. Haydel, M.D., FIPP Fellow of Interventional Pain Practice Board Board Certified CertifiedininAnesthesiology Interventional Pain Management and Anesthesiology

She recently spoke and was entertainment at Steubenville on the Bayou 2011. Francois is currently a host for spiritandsong. com’s webcast, “The Commons” and for spiritandsong.com’s Perfect Playlist Podcasts. Her debut album, Your Kingdom is Glorious was released through spiritandsong. com in 2008.

Mega workshop presenters for the day include Paul George and Ennie Hickman.

There will be a youth village which includes workshops, activities, booths, adoration, reconciliation,

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music and dinner.

Praise and worship is scheduled later during the event followed by celebration of the Liturgy with Bishop Sam G. Jacobs and priests of the diocese.

Cost to attend the youth rally is $40 per person until Feb. 17 which is the early registration deadline.

After Feb. 17, the cost is $50 through March 2. After March 2, all rally registration must take place at the door on the day of the event.

For more information or to register go to www.htdiocese.org/ ym.

Michael P. Charlet, M.D., FAAN Board Certified in Neurology Fellowship in Neuromuscular Diseases

985-223-3132

315 Liberty Street, Houma, LA 70360 AdId: D 304805311 February 2012 - 01 CustId: 9276309856 Dir/Iss: HUCLA Y1 02/2011 UDAC: TQH - PCW

YPH: 103939 Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA Physicians & Surgeons Doctors YPSH:

Scripture Readings Tuesday

Monday

6

7

and a listing of Feast days and Saints.

February 2012

Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 February 2 3

4

5

8

10

11

12

Memorial of St. Scholastica, virgin 1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19 Mark 7:31-37

Weekday 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34 Mark 8:1-10

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1 Mark 1:40-45

18

19

9

Saturday

Sunday

13

14

15

16

17

Weekday James 1:1-11 Mark 8:11-13

Memorial of Saint Cyril, monk, and Saint Methodius, bishop James 1:12-18 Mark 8:14-21

Weekday James 1:19-27 Mark 8:22-26

Weekday James 2:1-9 Mark 8:27-33

Weekday Weekday James 2:14-24, 26 James 3:1-10 Mark 8:34—9:1 Mark 9:2-13

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 Mark 2:1-12

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Weekday James 3:13-18 Mark 9:14-29

Weekday James 4:1-10 Mark 9:30-37

Ash Wednesday Joel 2:12-18 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr Deteuronomy 30:15-20 Luke 9:22-25

Weekday Isaiah 58:1-9a Matthew 9:14-15

Weekday Isaiah 58:9b-14 Luke 5:27-32

First Sunday of Lent Genesis 9:8-15 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15

27

28

29

1 March 2

3

4

Weekday Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 Matthew 25:31-46

Weekday Isaiah 55:10-11 Matthew 6:7-15

Weekday Jonah 3:1-10 Luke 11:29-32

Weekday Weekday Esther C:12, 14-16, Ezekiel 18:21-28 23-25 Matthew 5:20-26 Matthew 1:1

Weekday Deuteronomy 26:16-19 Matthew 5:43-48

Special Events

Lumen Christi Lenten retreat set The Lumen Christi Retreat Center in Schriever is sponsoring a Lenten retreat entitled “Dying and Rising with Christ through Mark’s Passion Narrative” directed by Father Glenn LeCompte, spiritual director. The retreat will begin Friday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude with Mass at 11 a.m.

Sunday, March 4.

Lent is a time to return to our experience of being born into eternal life through baptism, when

Rev. Glenn LeCompte

34

St. Lucy hosting revival Feb. 26-29

Rev. Paul C. Bergeron

February 2012

we first died with Christ and rose with him to new life. Engaging Mark’s moving narrative of Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection is a terrific way to reencounter the process of dying and rising with Christ.

This retreat is intended to help the retreatant become immersed in the story of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection according to Mark, to experience continuing conversion and prepare them to experience Mark’s Passion Narrative in this year’s Palm Sunday liturgy.

Conference titles include “Gethsemane: The Difficulty with Death”; “The Sanhedrin Trial and Peter’s Denial: Faith in Time of Crisis”; “The Roman Trial: The Challenge to Accept the Kingship of Jesus”; “Jesus’ Passion and Death and Our Suffering and Dying in a Life of Faith”; and “The Empty Tomb: What Do You Believe?”

All meals and linens are provided.

Suggested offering for the weekend is $130. For more information or to register, call (985) 868-1523.

St. Lucy Church parish in Houma will be hosting a revival, Sunday, Feb. 26, (beginning during the 8:15 a.m. Mass) and continuing Monday, Feb. 27 through Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. each day.

Father Paul C. Bergeron, a native of Houma and priest for the Diocese of Lafayette, will be the speaker for the Lenten revival with its theme “Revival: To be Revived, to be Brought Back to Life.”

For the past 30 years he has been known for his speaking ability both nationally and internationally. This past year Father Bergeron was one of the keynote speakers invited to Charlotte, NC, for its Rosary Congress which is held annually.

He has spoken in Caracas, Venezuela; Garabandal, Spain; and Seoul, South Korea. Among his many accomplishments, he is responsible for opening several perpetual adoration chapels in Louisiana.

The revival is open to the public regardless of religious denomination.

Interested in priesthood?

In 11th or 12th grades?

Join

IGNITE IGNITE is a ministry designed for high school men in 11th and 12th grade who are interested in learning more about the priesthood and would like help in discerning if this vocation is the vocation that God is inviting him into. IGNITE meets weekly throughout the fall and spring semesters. Retreats and days of reflection are offered throughout the year. A vocational resource library is available in the Vocations Office at the diocesan Pastoral Center on Hwy 311. For more information about this program and other events, contact the Vocations Office at (985) 850-3149, ignite@htdiocese. org, htvocations.com, facebook. com/htignite, or youtube.com/ htvocations.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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February 2012

Our Schools

Central

36

Catholic education began in Morgan City in 1893 when the Marianites of Holy Cross opened Sacred Heart Academy for grades one through 12. In 1964, the school was divided into separate elementary and high schools, and re-named Holy Cross Elementary and Central Catholic High School (CCHS).

Today, CCHS has an enrollment of 214 students in grades seven through 12 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

The school offers a triple track curriculum of honors, college preparatory and learning center programs and is the only school in the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux that has incorporated an eight period day using a modified block schedule which allows students to take the necessary core curriculum courses plus added electives. In the 2007-08 school year, a one-to-one laptop program was implemented providing students the opportunity to do all of their schoolwork using laptops, another first in the diocese. In addition to being used for note-taking, this revolutionary approach to education also allows students to access their textbooks online, use the Internet to do research, and complete assignments that can be sent directly to their teacher 24 hours a day.

Deacon Vic Bonnaffee III, principal since 2005, says CCHS has an atmosphere and environment that fosters its mission statement. “We believe every child here at the school is made in the image of God – which means they have a body and a soul; and we try to do everything we can to take care of mind and body, and also foster the spiritual formation process,” says Deacon Bonnaffee.

In addition to faith formation and academic excellence, students are also encouraged to participate in the wide variety of extracurricular and co-curricular activities offered at the school. According to Deacon Bonnaffee, approximately 90 percent of students are involved in some type of co-curricular or extracurricular activity, and 70 percent participate in athletics.

“I believe the culture of the tri-city area dictates student involvement in extracurricular activities.

Students join for social and cultural recognition and because they want to be with their friends and form relationships,” says the principal.

February 2012

Catholic High School

Nurturing each student’s mind, body and soul

Bayou Catholic Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier Caroline Byrne, 12th grade student, says “Central Catholic has taught me about standing up for what is right and overcoming adversity. Many people do not understand the adversity that comes with being academically sound and athletically strong in a small school. Through supportive teachers and challenging coaches, Central Catholic has taught me to believe in myself and never give up. That is why I love Central Catholic, because now I am ready for anything life throws at me.”

Anna Saleme, library media specialist and instructional technology coordinator, who has worked at Central Catholic since 2001, says she enjoys teaching at CCHS because of the small family atmosphere. “Every teacher knows each student by name and there is a sense of family and safety that pulses through the hallways each day. The administration and teachers take a special interest in each student at CCHS. I also love watching students grow into mature, Christian young adults as they progress from 7th grade through their senior year. A sense of fullness and pride always overtakes me on graduation day each May as

a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Kathy Sanders, math and religion teacher shown at left. Eriq Blanchard, tenth grade student (above). Anna Saleme, library media specialist at right.

Central Catholic principal Deacon Vic Bonnaffee III and receptionist Debbie Stanley.

I witness students graduate from CCHS and begin to enter a new phase of their life; hopefully I was able to make a difference in their lives,” she says.

Lindsee Case, 8th grade student, says, “I like CCHS because everyone is welcomed in, no matter who you are. We may be looked at as a very small school, but I see us as a very large family. We bond together and strive for and achieve academic excellence and success. We do this as we grow in our faith which makes CCHS just that much better.”

As a result of its required parent participation program, parent involvement with the school is very high. Parents are required to give 40 service hours a year to the school through different events and activities, with more than 25 percent going over the required hours.

Students also participate in a variety of service projects including coat drives, Thanksgiving baskets, St. Mary’s Outreach, Toys for Tots, Jeans for Covenant House, Claire House for abused and battered women in Patterson, and weekly collections for the Adopt a Family program, to name a few.

Steve Potter, who was baptized in the Catholic Church last year in a ceremony in front of the student body, has taught at CCHS for four years. He teaches Physical Science, Science 7 and 8, and IT Essentials.

“CCHS is a great place to teach because of its enhanced technology and one-to-one laptop program,” says Potter. “More importantly, Jesus Christ is our focus. We provide an environment for academics while fostering the ongoing formation of the whole

a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

37

Our Schools

Central Catholic

38

person—soul, mind and body. We are able to help students achieve their maximum potential as followers of Christ. Our school has a saying this year: J.O.Y. – Jesus first, Others second and Yourself third. If I can instill this simple saying into my students, then I have taken a big step in helping them live a happy life and be a follower of Christ. It brings me great joy to be a part of CCHS because I can be a follower of Christ and share that with my colleagues and students.”

Kathy Sanders, who teaches Advanced Math I and II, Integrated Math II and III, Pre-Calculus and Religion IV, has been teaching at CCHS for 17 years. “It is my belief,” says Sanders, “that Central Catholic High School is a special place to work, to learn and to grow.

For it is in the nurturing atmosphere of such a place that a student can develop and mature, and can grow not only in age, but in knowledge, wisdom and grace.

The faculty, staff and student body at Central Catholic High School are united by their overarching faith in God. It is our common goal to teach as Jesus taught.

While we teach varied subjects, all of us are teaching our students how to become men and women of faith.”

The school keeps in touch with its alumni via newsletters, reunions and other functions. Many graduates remain involved with the school through their financial support of the annual appeal; and as a testament to the excellent educational experience they received there are currently 11 graduates of CCHS who are faculty members.

Because of Holy Cross Church parish community’s successful Vision 2012 Campaign, construction began in fall 2011on a new gymnasium for CCHS, and a new library which will be shared with Holy Cross Elementary School. Deacon Bonnaffee says this project is laying the foundation for future generations to be able to maintain their Catholic identity, their Catholic education programs and their Catholic formation programs through the facilities that are being built.

Deacon Bonnaffee firmly believes that CCHS is the only Catholic school in the United States that has a benefactor base which supports and keeps the school operating and running year after year. He says the amount of money given to the school in the seven years since he became principal is unbelievable.

Operating a small high school is not without its challenges, says Deacon Bonnaffee. “The main challenges we face here have to do with finances – especially for the maintenance and upkeep of an outdated facility; and trying to make Catholics in the community understand the benefits of enrolling their children in a Catholic school as part of their formation process.

Many community members only look at the academic education as being important and not the spiritual formation of their children.”

Eriq Blanchard, 10th grade student, says that what he values most about the education he is receiving at CCHS is that he is able to learn a lot about his faith and understand it better. “The family atmosphere here teaches me good Christian family values and is helping me lay the foundation to be the man God February 2012

In photo above, Steve Potter, science teacher. Below, Aimee Arcemont, computer science teacher with eighth grader Lindsee Case. Senior Caroline Byrne in bottom photo.

wants me to be,” says Eriq.

Deacon Bonnaffee says he sees CCHS continuing to have a challenge of enrollment in the future, but still being able to offer excellent academic, extracurricular and co-curricular programs, as well as spiritual formation programs for the students that are enrolled.

With the creation of the Vision 2012 task force, he also sees the possibility of some very positive things that may cause people to take notice of what the school and the church parish has to offer the people of Morgan City and the surrounding areas.

“I am very appreciative for everything that Bishop Sam G. Jacobs, Father Jay Baker, V.G., and all of the diocesan personnel have done to support CCHS over the years and help make it as successful as it has been,” adds Deacon Bonnaffee.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

39

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Superintendent of schools honored

by Femmes Natales in Thibodaux Marian Fertitta, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools (at center with plaque) received the Femmes Natales Citizenship Award recently. Femmes Natales recognizes those who perform outstanding work within the Thibodaux community annually. Femmes Natales, a French phrase meaning native women, is a women’s organization that began August 1980 to serve the community and support the heritage of the locale. The group, whose membership is always at 30, includes only women born in Thibodaux because of their genuine interest to preserve the city and serve its citizens. The club motto is service, heritage and social. Pictured with Fertitta are members of the Femmes Natales organization.

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February 2012

Church Life

Junior High

FAITH

40

Experience

Bayou Catholic Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Youth from across the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in grades 6-8 gathered on the campus of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux for the fourth annual Junior High Faith Experience, which was sponsored by the diocesan Office of Youth Ministry.

Jesse Manibusan was the keynote speaker for the day. The opening prayer followed the theme “Faith in Action.” Outside games and activities were held in the quad area of the campus.

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Is AMP for you?

AMP is a ministry designed for college-age young adult men who are interested in learning more about the priesthood and would like help in discerning if this vocation is the vocation that God is inviting him into. AMP meets weekly throughout the fall and spring semesters. Retreats and days of reflection are offered throughout the year. A vocational resource library is available to you in the Vocations Office at the diocesan Pastoral Center on Hwy 311. For more information about this program and other events, contact the Vocations Office at (985) 850-3149, amp@htdiocese. org, htvocations.com,| facebook. com/htamp, or youtube.com/ htvocations.

SINCE FAST

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41

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Did you know?

Father Andrew Souby is buried in the European designed baptistery at Sacred Heart Church in Morgan City, which was built during his pastorate in 1924. It is a rarity to have a baptistery built apart from a church and is one of only a few in the United States.

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Rev. Mr. Stuart King ordained transitional deacon

By JANET MARCEL Bayou Catholic

42

The Rev. Mr. Stuart King, associate director for Parish Social Ministry for Catholic Charities Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, was recently ordained as a transitional deacon by Bishop Sam G. Jacobs.

“Many of you have already met Stuart King, a former married Episcopalian priest, who decided to come into full communion with the Catholic Church over seven years ago and has been recently working with Catholic Charities in our diocese,” says Bishop Jacobs.

“He is married with two small children. Before coming to the diocese, he went through the required formation established by the Congregation of Doctrine and Faith and received final clearance by the same Congregation for ordination as a deacon and as a priest.”

Bishop Jacobs explains that celibacy is still the norm for priests in the Latin Rite Church. “However,” says Bishop Jacobs, “both Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have decreed that an exception will be made for those in the Anglican (Episcopal) communities, Lutherans and Methodists who are married priests or married ministers. They will be individually considered forLARGEST ordination toRV priesthood they LOUISIANA’S SALESifEVENT! desire. First they are to make a decision to enter into February 24-25-26 • Pontchartrain Center •Church, Kenner, LA full communion with the Roman Catholic independent of any future of ordination 21st AnnuAL newpossibility ORLeAnS SPRingto priesthood.”

“Once that step was made,” continues the bishop, “they could seek consideration for formation for priestly ordination. After a period of theological and pastoral formation the Congregation of the Doctrine and Faith would review their case and make a decision.”

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on Jan 1, 2012, for the U.S. and Canada. He explains that this will allow Anglican churches in these countries to join the Roman Catholic Church while retaining their Anglican tradition. A former Episcopal bishop, now ordained as a Roman Catholic priest is its ordinary (not a bishop). According to the dispensation, while priests may be married, bishops cannot.

Rev. Mr. King will continue to work at Catholic Charities until his ordination to priesthood with the diocese’s other three transitional deacons May 26, at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales in Houma. After priestly ordination, he has requested to return to serve as a military chaplain which he was doing prior to his coming into the Roman Catholic Church. He has seven years to complete his full military service and then will be eligible to receive the normal military pension. After this time, he will then return to the diocese for an assignment.

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Special

Celebration honors Dr. King An Interdenominational Prayer Service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was held recently at St. Luke Church parish in Thibodaux. Deacon Edward Gauthreaux of the Diocese of Baton Rouge was the speaker for the event. Leaders from various religious denominations of the area took part in the prayer service. The St. Luke Gospel Choir provided music.

Bayou Catholic Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

43

Entertainment

Seeing Clairely

We’re gonna miss Jim

Claire Joller

S

44

ay it ain’t so, Jim! This paraphrase of a child’s supposed comment to infamous baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson seems apt, if not grammatically appropriate, for the man who has helmed the WWL-TV sports desk for three decades.

It was the first thought that came to my mind when I heard Jim Henderson was planning to retire as sportscaster for the New Orleans station’s evening news.

And it remains my lament.

Thirty-four years ago, my husband and I were driving home from a visit to his St. Louis home town. We were between Raceland and Houma when we listened to the first-ever interview with the newly hired Henderson on WWL radio.

At the end of the interview, Emil turned to me and said, “This man knows what he’s talking about.” I said, “And he’s so articulate!” (which was in direct contrast to his predecessor, who was much beloved for his candor and enthusiasm, but not for his syntax). In the few minutes of that interview, we became Henderson’s fans before we had ever seen him.

He has done nothing in all that

time to sully our admiration for his work. It is easiest for me to recognize the gem we’ve had in this man when we watch other sports commentators, especially in groups.

Unlike their bombast in trying to outshout one another, he has always presented his news and commentaries with even, modulated tones that draw attention to what he says, not to himself. No exaggeration of accent.

Not a trace of affectation. No mugging for the camera, no one-upmanship, no acerbic remarks meant to demean.

This is not to say that Henderson has been milquetoast in his commentaries, or that he was always sweetness and light.

Three decades have spawned many teams’ and personalities’ missteps and marginal judgments. As part of his job, Henderson did not shy away on air from directly confronting incompetence. But he did so without histrionics or mean-spiritedness. His words had not a shotgun-blast approach, but instead the precision of well-aimed arrows. Even in these situations, his comments were critical of actions, not destructive of persons.

It is not difficult to pinpoint the reasons for viewers’ confidence in this man’s reports and opinions. His

information base and judgment has proved to be bedrock solid, not of the thin-ice variety. This reliability couldn’t help but inspire trust.

If anyone takes this to mean he lacks spontaneity or passion, we need only listen to his play-by-play of Saints’ games on WWL-TV radio.

Even when excitement gives vent to raised voice volume, it never seems to squelch the appropriateness of his passion-driven prose.

He has voiced our frustration during the lean years and trumpeted our exuberance during the years of victory.

It was a treat to listen to his television commentaries on Monday nights. Especially after a momentous Sunday game, his commentary was the must-see stamp of approval that gave us a comfortable sense of closure.

I’m not the most avid sports fan, but through the years I found myself saying over and over again, “I can’t wait to hear what Jim Henderson has to say about this.”

We’re gonna miss him.

(For comments or inquiries about this column, Claire Joller can be contacted by email at clairely1@comcast. net).

Did you know?

The Archives and Historical Research Center located at 205 Audubon Drive in Thibodaux was established in 1983 and houses the early sacramental records of baptisms, marriages and funerals for the churches in the diocese. The center is one of three in the United States where one can actually walkin and obtain their records the same day.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Sports

Overtime Ed Daniels

Don’t overreact W

hat’s the worst thing Saints head coach Sean Payton can do this offseason?

The worst would be overreacting to a 36-32 playoff loss at San Francisco.

Winning NFL playoff games is extremely difficult. Even for the greatest of organizations.

The San Francisco 49ers won five Super Bowls in a span from 1981 to 1994. But, in the midst of all that success, the 49er dynasty had its share of disappointments.

In 1984, the 49ers won 15 regular season games and the Super Bowl.

But, from 1985 through 1987, the 49ers were 0-3 in playoff games.

The New England Patriots are over the past decade, the NFL’s gold standard. But, since the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Giants in February of 2008, New England had not won a playoff game until January 2011.

In the 2008 season, quarterback Tom Brady was lost for the season in week one with a knee injury. The Patriots missed the playoffs.

In 2009, the Pats lost in the wildcard round to the Ravens. In 2010, the Patriots lost to the Jets in the divisional round.

Great organizations understand that you have to make critical evaluations after a stinging defeat, without overreacting.

Which is what the Saints must do right now.

Expect the Saints to be very active in free agency. And, remember the Saints do not currently have a first round pick because of the trade up to draft running back Mark Ingram.

The secondary needs more playmaking ability. In a 13 win regular Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

season, the Saints had only nine interceptions. Cornerback Patrick Robinson had four. Saints safeties had none.

The Saints also need to get better in the defensive front seven.

The Saints offense could use a No. 1 speedy wide receiver, but this would be a luxury for a team that set an NFL record for yards in a season, and points scored at home.

In 2008, the Saints missed the playoffs. Head coach Sean Payton made changes on defense, and made a renewed commitment to running the football. The changes resulted in a Super Bowl championship.

And, it can happen again.

Payton appreciates the history of the game. He understands that winning one Super Bowl is terrific, but a second Super Bowl win puts him and the organization in elite company.

Heading into the 2011 season, a dozen coaches had won multiple Super Bowl titles.

Sean Payton very much desires to be in that company. The 12 include Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Bill Walsh, Bill Belichick, and Payton’s mentor Bill Parcells.

And, in 2012 the Saints have some additional motivation. No Super Bowl champion has ever won the title in its home stadium. It will be a storyline that is talked about all offseason.

What a great story it would be.

Saints rally back from a bitter playoff defeat at San Francisco to hoist the Lombardi trophy at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Super Bowl XLVII will be played Feb. 3, 2013.

The Saints can get there, without wholesale changes this spring.

For great results advertise in the Bayou Catholic Magazine 45

Call us today!

985-850-3132 or email padams@ htdiocese.org Bayou

Catholic February 2012

Special

Guest Columnist Father Joshua Rodrigue

T

46

he New Year’s celebrations have come and gone and probably our New Year’s resolutions have done the same. But for Catholics, Lent gives us a second chance to be successful with our resolutions with perhaps some more prudent and less ambitious modifications. When all the fun of the carnival season comes to an end at midnight on Mardi Gras day, then it is time to get down to spiritual business with the beginning of Lent.

Lent, coming from the Old English lencten and meaning “lengthen,” refers to the lengthening of the daylight hours that occurs in the northern hemisphere as the earth transitions from late winter to early spring. The 40-day period of Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending with the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, is a time of self-reflection and assessment of a person’s spiritual life in preparation of the great and joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter. Like any celebration—a wedding, the birth of a child, graduation, etc.—there is a period of preparation in order to celebrate the event with greater joy. The same holds true for Christians and the Easter celebration.

On Easter, we celebrate Christ’s defeat of sin and death through his crucifixion, death and resurrection.

Subsequently, in the waters of baptism, we share in that new life and the command to follow him.

Why should I do something for Lent?

Unfortunately, we do not always follow Jesus Christ with our whole hearts and must allow the Lord to give a “state of the soul address” to each of us. In order to assist us, the church sets aside Lent to help us examine the times we have fallen short in loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul February 2012

and our neighbor as ourselves. We have the opportunity to see ourselves in the mirror of the Gospel— how we truly look before God. In prayer we delve into the darkness of our hearts with the light of the Holy Spirit so that we may desire to be rid of the impediments holding us back from giving ourselves to Jesus Christ. The Catholic liturgy and devotions during Lent emphasize the themes of repentance, conversion of heart, and living a moral life.

Many people have adopted various religious practices of giving up things or doing extra things in order to grow in greater spiritual awareness; however, our Lenten observances must have genuine personal meaning to avoid becoming merely a habit and routine.

Just because we have always done this or given up that for Lent does not bring about a spiritual renewal or conversion. We should have a specific spiritual focus for the Lenten season and allow our Lenten prayers, fasting, almsgiving and works of mercy to open us to receive a spiritual grace from the Lord. Perhaps it was to grow in charity or to become more selfless rather than selfish.

Imagine traveling down the same road only at night year after year and then suddenly driving the same road during the day time. The scenery is much different. Similarly, the beauty of the Lenten season is suddenly made visible to the soul when our observances are not something to do or not do just for the sake of Lent. The practices during the 40 days bring about a spiritual transformation that continues into the Easter season and beyond.

What should I do for Lent?

Perhaps another way to make Lent more meaningful is to look at what people give up and why.

In Lent, the reasons we tradition-

ally give up various things we do frequently and find pleasurable are (1) to identify with Christ’s sufferings, and remember what the true pleasures are for followers of Christ, (2) as a discipline for learning self-control, to free our minds from constantly seeking material things, and (3) as an act of sorrow for our sins. Unless we take time to pray and reflect on our lives, sometimes we fail to notice how certain things we do have gained power over us and dictate our actions.

Lent gives us the opportunity to detach ourselves from them and recognize that the less “stuff” that preoccupies our lives, the more room there is for God, as well as for other people.

The most common practices are fasting and abstinence during Lent. Fasting means eating only one full meal and two other meals together not equaling the one meal.

Abstinence is giving up meats on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays of Lent. Perhaps this is no real penance for anyone living in South Louisiana unless you hate seafood. I joke that perhaps a greater penance is for us in South Louisiana to have to eat meat during Lent. Many people also choose something else that would be an effort to give up. That may mean 40 days without watching television or listening to the radio, going to the casino, impulsive and catalog shopping, dancing, drinking soft drinks or alcohol, smoking or chewing tobacco, eating sweets, eating out at restaurants, or anything that most relates to a sin that is especially troublesome in our lives. For the technologically savvy teenagers or adults, they may forego surfing the internet, playing video games, going out to the movies, listening to music on an iPod, or using Facebook or other social communication sites.

a

A journey through Lent Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Lenten Sacrifice Abstinence No meat can be taken by those 14 and older on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays. fAsting A limit of one full meatless meal by those 18-59 on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. self-DeniAl Voluntary acts of selfdenial are recommended on weekdays during Lent.

PrAyer AnD chArity Can include daily Mass, Scripture study, Stations of the Cross, almsgiving and showing mercy and kindness to others. ©2010 CNS

Sometimes well-intentioned penances (i.e., giving up smoking) cause one to go in the opposite direction spiritually, and the person then becomes an unexpected Lenten penance to others. If this occurs, then perhaps we must reconsider our Lenten practices. A fast from food or other things is a reflection of our fasting from sin. Jesus is not looking for self-torture or self-hatred. Rather, in Lent we put a stop to our fevered pursuit of pleasure in all things. Instead let us feast upon the spiritual pleasures as we recognize them as gifts from a lovBayou Catholic • Houma, LA

ing God. Lent is not all about giving things up but is also about adding good things to enhance our lives or the lives of others. We can consider performing the corporeal and spiritual works of mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the imprisoned, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, burying the dead, admonishing the sinner, instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, bearing wrongs patiently, forgiving all injuries, and praying for the

living and the dead. What a wonderful time of the year to grow as a family. Perhaps families will eat their meals together at the table instead of in front of the television and have meaningful conversations.

We can also study, meditate, and pray over Scripture each day or pray the Liturgy of the Hours (Scripture-based prayer and devotions for set times of the day) or perhaps reconcile ourselves with someone we do not like, or have offended, or have a hard time forgiving. In addition, we may also experience the sacrament of reconciliation. From the money saved from our fasting from things mentioned above, we may give to charitable causes. Doing acts of kindness for people expecting nothing in return gives both the giver and recipient little glimpses of God’s love.

We can attend special worship services. Perhaps it is a daily morning or evening Mass, eucharistic adoration, or the Stations of the Cross on Fridays. Or maybe it is time we started going to the Sunday Mass every Sunday. Even still, we focus so much on the 40 days of Lent that we can forget about the most important days between Lent and Easter Sunday, the Paschal Triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday. While those days commemorate the most important events for our salvation—the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ—they often go unnoticed.

Instead, they can become days of drinking and parties and big crawfish boils, getting the swimming pool ready for the summer, or going on vacation instead of reflecting on what Jesus did out of his great love for us. In other words, what is the point of running a marathon only to give up right before the finish line?

Whatever our Lenten observances may be, we must remain focused upon the purpose of the season.

And that purpose is to reflect upon the Paschal mystery. Jesus suffered and died so we could be reconciled with God and one another. He resurrected from the dead, and he taught us how to love and forgive.

May the Lenten season draw us to deeper repentance and conversion so that we may rejoice with greater joy in our redemption and salvation in Christ Jesus.

February 2012

47

HHS delays, but does not change rule on contraceptive coverage

By NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN Catholic News Service

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WASHINGTON (CNS) -Although Catholic leaders vowed to fight on, the Obama administration has turned down repeated requests from Catholic bishops, hospitals, schools and charitable organizations to revise its religious exemption to the requirement that all health plans cover contraceptives and sterilization free of charge.

Instead, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced Jan. 20 that nonprofit groups that do not provide contraceptive coverage because of their religious beliefs will get an additional year “to adapt to this new rule.”

“This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty,” Sebelius said. “I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services.”

But Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the Obama administration had “drawn an unprecedented line in the sand” with the decision.

“The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation,” he added. “We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision.”

Sebelius announced the mandate and a narrow religious exemption to it Aug. 1, 2011. Under the plan, after Aug. 1 of this year, new or significantly altered health plans will be required to provide all FDAapproved contraceptives, including some that can cause abortions, without co-pays or deductibles as part of preventive health care for women.

The only religious organizations exempt from the requirement

would be those meeting four specific criteria -- “(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization” under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code.

Those sections “refer to churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches, as well as to the exclusively religious activities of

‘

February 2012

This is a sad time in the history of our country. The right to religious freedom is being challenged by our own government. People’s consciences are not being honored and we are being forced to do some things contrary to our conscience and faith.

,

Bishop Sam G. Jacobs Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux any religious orders,” according to a footnote to the interim final rule.

Catholic groups, including the USCCB, the Catholic Health Association and Catholic Charities USA, called that exemption too narrow, saying it would require Catholic groups to stop all services to those who were not Catholic and would inappropriately involve the government in decisions about whether an organization is “religious enough” to be exempted.

Sebelius’ announcement brought an outcry from Catholic leaders

and a sigh of relief from groups such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, which had opposed any moves to weaken the contraceptive mandate or strengthen the religious exemption.

In a video posted on the USCCB website, Cardinal-designate Dolan said the decision put the Obama administration “on the wrong side of the Constitution” and should be rescinded.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” the cardinal-designate said in a separate statement. “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their health care is literally unconscionable. It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty.”

Franciscan Sister Jane Marie Klein, who chairs the board at Franciscan Alliance, a system of 13 Catholic hospitals, characterized the decision as “nothing else than a direct attack on religion and First Amendment rights.”

Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, said the announcement was a “missed opportunity to be clear on appropriate conscience protection.”

“The challenge that these regulations posed for many groups remains unresolved,” she added.

“This indicates the need for an effective national conversation on the appropriate conscience protections in our pluralistic country, which has always respected the role of religions.”

Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, said he was “extremely disappointed” that the administration chose to ignore calls from religious institutions to broaden the exemption.

“With the existing restrictive definition in this mandate, the ministry of Jesus Christ himself would not be considered a religious entity,” he said.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

G e v i G

y l s u enero

49

Black and Indian Mission Collection Since 1884, the Black and Indian Mission Collection hassupported evangelization in the African American and Native American Communities across the United States.

Please help our Bishops, Clergy, Religious and Lay Leadership by responding generously to these communities!

Please Give Generously The special collection will be taken at all Masses February 25 and 26, 2012 Visit us at www.blackandindianmission.org Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

‘Exuberant Jubilation’ Blessed Kateri to be canonized

By MARK PATTISON

Catholic News Service

50

WASHINGTON (CNS) -The announcement of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha’s impending canonization “is the news we’ve been waiting for shortly after her beatification,” said Sister Kateri Mitchell about her namesake.

The waiting, though, has taken a long time. Blessed Kateri was beatified in 1980.

Regarding her reaction to the news Dec. 19 from the Vatican that a second miracle attributed to Blessed Kateri has been recognized, “I guess the word is overwhelming and also just exuberant with jubilation,” said Sister Kateri, laughing.

A Sister of St. Ann, Sister Kateri said she was “blessed” with receiving the name Kateri when she entered religious life in 1959.

Sister Kateri has been executive director of the Tekakwitha Conference National Center in Great Falls, Mont., for the past 14 years and has been affiliated with the center since the 1970s.

At the center, joy was the reigning emotion as calls and emails came in.

“We’ve had a call from a bishop, who’s very excited, and an email from another bishop who’s very excited. Also some of our members received the news in email ... and they’re responding with such joy it’s unbelievable,” she told Catholic News Service in a telephone interview.

A member of the Mohawk Nation as was Blessed Kateri, Sister Kateri (pronounced CAT-tery) was raised on the St. Regis (Akwesasne) Mohawk International Reservation, which stretches from New York into Canada. She said her parents had a devotion to Kateri Tekakwitha and would frequently make what for them was a 200-mile trip to Blessed Kateri’s birthplace and the town where she was raised.

February 2012

Blessed Kateri was born in 1656 in a village on the Mohawk River called Ossernenon, now Auriesville, N.Y. A smallpox epidemic left her orphaned at age 4, and she was raised by her relatives. But after she was baptized at age 20, against the wishes of family members and many in her clan, Kateri fled to Canada, taking refuge at St. Francis Xavier Mission in the Mohawk Nation at Caughnawaga, not too far from Montreal.

The name Kateri is the Mohawk equivalent of Katherine, said Sister

Kateri. “Even as a little girl I was very familiar with her.”

“As Native American Catholics, I think this just brings such great joy and gratitude to our model” of faith, she added.

“The people that I’ve met from other cultures and countries would say, ‘You Native Americans or indigenous of America need a saint of your own.’ I’d say, ‘I totally agree with you, and please pray with us.’”

Sister Kateri said, “I consider it one of the greatest gifts anyone could receive for Christmas.”

“It’s certainly a wonderful day to get this message,” Msgr. Paul Lenz, U.S. vice postulator of Blessed Kateri’s cause, told CNS Dec. 19.

Msgr. Lenz has served as a vice postulator for the past five years, assisting a Jesuit priest, Father Tom Pare, for two years until Father Pare died. Msgr. Lenz had been executive director of the Black and Indian Mission Office in Washington for 32 years prior to his retirement from active ministry and coordinated all of the events surrounding Blessed Kateri’s beatification in 1980.

He said that he will coordinate the liturgies surrounding the impending canonization, while his successor at the Black and Indian Mission Office, Father Wayne Paysse, will be in charge of the pilgrimages to Rome for canonization ceremonies.

The mission office is an umbrella organization several entities including the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions.

Msgr. Lenz said the Vatican investigation into the nowauthenticated miracle was “a very, very effective tribunal.”

In Canada, the canonization of an aboriginal woman will be the answer to a prayer for all native peoples.

“There’s a natural sense of pride and joy,” among native people, said Bishop Gary Gordon of Whitehorse.

On hearing that Blessed Kateri will be canonized, perhaps as early as spring 2012, Bishop Gordon planned to phone his old friend Steve Point, the lieutenant governor of British Columbia.

Point is a former elected chief of the Skowkale First Nation.

“I’m gonna say to him, ‘Steve, we’ve got to go to Rome!’” the bishop told The Catholic Register in Toronto.

“Awesome!” was the word from Grace Esquega, director of the Kitchitwa Kateri, a church

a

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

“We were having a nine day novena when Father Roch told us the wonderful news about Kateri. When I heard about it I was shocked, surprised and happy. I expected that it would happen, but I didn’t think it would be this soon.

My wife Mary and I have been attending the Tekakwitha Conference since 1992 and this is the culmination of the dreams of many, including our own. We have been carrying the torch for a long time and now it is going to happen. It makes me feel proud.”

Pierre Solet Chairman of the Board Tekakwitha Conference Parishioner Holy Family, Grand Caillou

“I am delighted to hear of the upcoming canonization of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. Her life and, especially, her unswerving faith have served as models for all Christians. I am especially grateful that our Native Americans now have a saint of their own. Her elevation to sainthood will be a joyous occasion for all of us here in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.”

Bishop Sam G. Jacobs Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

for aboriginal Catholics in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Esquega repeated the word several times when Father Larry Croker called to give her the news.

“There have been prayer circles.

People have been in touch with the devotion for years. There will just be great joy over it, finally after all this time,” said Croker.

In northwestern Ontario, native rendezvous weekends and music ministries have been organized around devotion to Blessed Kateri since the 1970s.

At the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, where a couple of statues of Blessed Kateri are popular, manager John Zurakowski predicted the annual First Nations’ pilgrimage will attract new participants.

“The First Nations pilgrimage will grow because now it’s one of their own elevated to sainthood,” Zurakowski said.

On missions across Canada, the beatification will demonstrate that the Catholic Church is truly with the people, said Father Philip Kennedy, president of the organization Catholic Missions in Canada.

(Contributing to this story was Michael Swan in Toronto.)

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

51 “The canonization of Kateri has many faces.

First, it is a dream come true for the countless people who have been praying for this. But God has his purpose for the long wait and we all need to be most grateful in the spirit of Kateri. The canonization offers to all Native Americans a sign of hope and encouragement reaffirming our faith in God and his unconditional love for all people.”

Father Roch Naquin Retired Native American priest Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

“When I received the news in an e-mail from Father Wayne Paysse (National Director of The Black and Indian Mission Office) I was so full of joy … a joy that is indescribable. I thank God for answering our prayers. As Native Americans, we can be proud to finally have Kateri Tekakwitha become a saint in our lifetime.”

Theresa Dardar Parishioner St. Charles Borromeo, Pointe-aux-Chenes

February 2012

Special

Annual Bishop’s Appeal underway

By LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER Bayou Catholic

52

The 2012 Annual Bishop’s Appeal with its theme “Your Gift Strengthens,” is currently underway.

“When we talk about the goal for the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, it is usually for how much funds are raised. But the true goal of the appeal is for it to assist the many ministries of the diocese. By being able to fund the ministries, it makes for stronger church parishes, stronger communities and in total, a stronger diocese,” says Jeremy Becker, diocesan director of the Office of Stewardship and Development.

Bishop Sam G. Jacobs says that he is grateful for the appeal and all that it does for the diocese. “I feel that the Diocese of HoumaThibodaux is a strong and vibrant diocese and that is because of the people and the support that they give. When someone makes a financial commitment to the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, the gift strengthens their church by assisting with seminarian education, the gift strengthens their community by assisting with opportunities for youth ministry and their gift strengthens them by knowing that they have made a difference in the lives of many,” says the bishop.

More ministries will benefit from the Bishop’s Appeal this year.

“Just like we started last year, instead of focusing on a few ministries the appeal will partially fund and in some cases totally fund a broad range of ministries throughout the diocese,” says Becker.

To further illustrate how the theme of the Annual Bishop’s Appeal strengthens, one of the most important keys to having a strong church parish is the pastor, which is why the diocese invests a tremendous amount of time and funding in finding and training men for the priesthood. Currently, the diocese has 16 seminarians where on average it costs the diocese approximately $35,000 per year to educate a seminarian.

February 2012

In addition to seminary education, the appeal strengthens parishes by providing all parishes’ staff with training opportunities including areas of technical and spiritual support. Furthermore, appeal funding aids with areas like the Permanent Diaconate program and archiving all records for every parishioner including baptismal, confirmation and marriage records.

For a stronger community, funds from the Annual Bishop’s Appeal must be used outside of the church walls and supporting the diocesan Office of Youth Ministry is just one way. Funds provide the opportunity for our youth to enjoy the annual youth rally, which is conducted every year on the Saturday before Easter weekend.

Furthermore, the appeal assists with funding for other areas such as hospital chaplain, evangelization, Safe Environment, Adult Faith Formation, diocesan Archives, Hispanic Ministries, vocations and Continuing Education of the Clergy.

Choosing to support the Annual Bishop’s Appeal and knowing that funds from the appeal stay within the diocese to support the many different ministries gives a donor a feeling of strength that they are using God’s gifts wisely. It will also give the donor that peace of mind

knowing that their gift, and all gifts to the appeal, will have the potential to positively affect the lives of thousands of people where they work and live.

“We are grateful to those who have been so generous in the past.

It is our hope that you will continue to strengthen your church, your community and your diocese. If you supported us in the past, please support us again; and to the level of what you have done in the past.

If you are able to increase your donation we will be extremely grateful,” says Becker.

“May you be blessed abundantly for your generous response to this year’s Annual Bishop’s Appeal. As you remember all the blessings you receive in your life, celebrate those blessings and share them so that together we can celebrate our blessings with so many throughout our diocese. Be sure of my faithful prayers and deep appreciation as I remain faithfully yours in Christ,” says Bishop Jacobs.

Those who wish to contribute to the 2012 ABA can choose to make a one-time gift or use the pledge system in which they can make eight monthly contributions.

Donations can also be made on-line by visiting www.htstewardship.org.

A video which includes the bishop’s message and how the funds will be used is available to view on the website.

For more information about the Annual Bishop’s Appeal, call Jeremy Becker in the Office of Stewardship and Development at (985) 850-3155.

Visit the website www.htstewardship.org

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Cover Story

Guest Columnist Father Michael Bergeron

T

here is no celebration in the world which is as much misconstrued as Mardi Gras. Like all of our holidays (Christmas, Easter and Halloween), Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday rooted in ancient festivals. Mardi Gras most likely began with a 3,500-year-old Greek spring fertility celebration.

It got into pagan Roman hands, which was eventually transformed into a church celebration. In the past, there has been harsh criticism that the Catholic Church has sinister reasons for eclipsing and absorbing pagan festivals. But that criticism is unjustified. The church had a practical reason for this: to keep from being persecuted by the Romans when they practiced their religion and to also appeal to the pagans to convert to Christianity.

Regardless of its past, Mardi Gras is filled with wonderful symbolism and rich with religious parallels.

Although originally a Greek festival of atonement, in the second century the Romans began observing a fast of 40 days, which was preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.

The church leaders took the holiday, kept the original Greek motive of atonement and the Roman idea of an acceptable feasting before the Lenten season. The concept spread rapidly throughout Europe.

Christianized Roman and Greek leaders had medals struck and dispensed them along the roadside while masked revelers paraded and pelted one another with confetti and candy. By the time of the Middle Ages, Florence and Venice had parades with boats.

One thousand years after the papal change making it a Christian holiday, carnival arrived in New Orleans through the French. Pierre LeMoyne D’Iberville explored the Gulf Coast and remarked in his 1699 journal, “March 3rd Mardy Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Gras Day.” D’Iberville, who was exploring the mouth of the Mississippi River, proclaimed a bayou that he discovered on that day as “Point du Mardi Gras.” On that day, tradition dictates, the explorers opened a bottle of wine and toasted their king, King Louis XIV. By the late 1700s pre-Lenten masked balls and parties flourished in New Orleans and the first “parade” began in 1837.

The Catholic roots of Mardi Gras Most people believe that the celebration spreads over a few days before Ash Wednesday. In reality, carnival is similar to the Fasching of Germany which begins on the twelfth night (Epiphany) and continues until Shrove Tuesday (from “to shrive” or to hear confession and make absolution). According to a pre-1000 A.D. English Ecclesiastical Institutes: “In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by

his deeds what he is to do in the way of penance.” Shrove Tuesday became Mardi Gras – French for Fat Tuesday.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the word “Carnival,” is derived from the “taking away of flesh” (camera levare) which marked the beginning of Lent. In other words, the word came from the idea that meat would be taken away beginning on Ash Wednesday.

The season begins at Epiphany.

“Epiphany” comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means “showing forth” or “manifestation.”

The feast is about the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah and Savior of the world. In many Catholic countries, Epiphany is called “Little Christmas.” It is on that day children receive their presents and they do not come from Santa Claus, but from the Three Kings. It marks the day the Magi brought gifts to the Christ Child.

One of the most popular customs was to bake a special cake in honor of the three Kings – “a King Cake.” The cake contains a baby which represents the child Jesus.

Tradition evolved through time to obligate the person who receives the baby inside to continue the festivities by hosting another party. It is only a recent phenomenon that Catholics go to communion every Sunday. In the not too distant past, many people rarely went to communion. They did, however, perform their “Easter duties.” So, with the King Cake, week after week, they were nourished on the gift of the Divine Child by the person who found him in their cake.

The colors represent the gifts of the Magi: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh – Gold, Green and Purple – Power, Faith and Justice, respectively. The Magi represent us on our life journey. Balthasar carried the gift of gold. He was the young man at the bloom of his youth filled with enthusiasm for life. The second, Gaspar, the dark man, bears the gift of frankincense. It is us in mid-life who are led to deal with our “accommodated self” – the persona behind which our authentic self has been hiding. It is here we are called to integrate all aspects of ourselves and embrace the presence of God. Then there is Melchoir, the elderly man carrying myrrh,

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February 2012

53

Cover Story

The Catholic roots of Mardi Gras

54

the spice used in burial. He is pictured most closely to the child – often shown on all fours before the infant. He has doffed his crown, he has cast aside human pride and reputation and has become like a child. He has passed through midlife and integrated himself. He speaks wisdom.

There is a sort of “communion” in the King Cake which is filled with symbolism. There was also a practical aspect of Fat Tuesday.

Remember, there were not always refrigerators and freezers. Lent was coming and there was no way to store meat and butter for six weeks. And wasting it would be unthinkable. Rich foods such as eggs, meat, oils and butter were strictly prohibited during the 40 days of Lent. It thus became customary to eat all that remained of these foods in the house and enjoy one last feast on the day before the 40-day fast. Unlike contemporary interpretations, it was not an excuse for gluttony, it was an opportunity to be good stewards of God’s gifts by not wasting food.

In England, Mardi Gras is known as Pancake Day when people covered their pancakes with butter.

In Germany and France people ate doughnuts fried in deep fat. In Mardi Gras parades there are the gaily dressed butchers on a float with a huge ox. Tuesday became the day to use up all the fat (butter and meat) before the rigid abstinence of Ash Wednesday. Thus, Fat Tuesday.

Let’s face it, people love celebrations. Even Jesus loved a good meal with friends or the fun of a wedding. In ancient Israel, a wedding ceremony began when the bride and groom arrived, the doors were shut and the party lasted until the wine ran out. Jesus found himself at one in which the wine ran out early. So he changed water into wine – thus, extending the life of the party. Scripture encourages us to set aside special times for celebration, although not in the excess we sometimes find in Mardi Gras.

On Ash Wednesday morning, the debris of Mardi Gras in the streets February 2012

lie in sharp contrast to the people walking around with a smear of ashes on their foreheads. But Mardi Gras has provided a lesson to everyone. When you go to those parades and catch a trinket, you are delighted to have caught something. Then you want one of those longer necklaces or a pearl one.

Then you want the stuffed animal, the coconut or some other coveted item. And frantically, people scramble for the “treasures” flying from the float. They seem so important at the moment. And people walk away so satisfied. But the next morning, we look at that junk and realize it is just junk. It’s not important and we don’t even know what to do with it. We throw it in a closet and head to church for our ashes. The city seems so silent.

On our walk to church, if we are even slightly astute, we will realize that only two things in life are important. Those two things are our relationship with God and our relationship with each other. And

we realize that even though it was a great game of “let’s pretend” at the parades, all that stuff doesn’t matter. When we get to church, we are reminded that we are dust and unto dust we shall return. We realize that money, power, position, possessions all dim in comparison to our relationship with God and with other people.

We realize that LOVE is the only thing that matters. Love, God and people are the only things that are eternal. We forget the junk, and remember the fun we had with our loved ones – with families and friends. We forget the junk and concentrate on Lent and our relationship with God and his Son who loved us to his death. What a marvelous lesson Carnival and Mardi Gras teaches us. It teaches us what truly matters in life – God and other people. Everything else, including all the trinkets of life, are not important. There is a lot to be learned about faith and about life by looking at Mardi Gras.

Holding palms in this photo is Jackie Clement, long time parishioner of the cathedral parish of St. Francis de Sales in Houma and parade captain of the Krewe of Houmas. On the cover of Bayou Catholic, Clement illustrates the contrast between the celebration of Mardi Gras and the somberness of Ash Wednesday when people walk around with a smear of ashes on their foreheads.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Catholic

di G r a r a 2 01 2

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RENC E CHA TAGNI E

ss

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Bayou

The area’s most comprehensive carnival guide

R/BAYOU

CATHOLIC

Mardi Gras 2012

Parade Schedule n Adonis (Morgan City) .............................................. 65 n Ambrosia (Thibodaux) ............................................. 61 n Aphrodite (Houma) .................................................. 64 n Apollo (Lockport) ..................................................... 66 n Athena (Golden Meadow) ........................................ 63 n Aquarius (Houma) ................................................... 59 n Atlantis (Golden Meadow) ...................................... 66 n Bayou Petit Caillou (Chauvin) ............................... 60 n Bonne Terre (Montegut) .......................................... 82 n Choupic (Choupic/Chackbay) .................................. 80 n Chronos (Thibodaux) ............................................... 68 n Cleopatra (Houma) .................................................. 76 n Cleophas (Thibodaux) ............................................. 68 n Dionysus (Berwick) ................................................. 67 n Future Mardi Gras dates ........................................ 76 n Galatea (Morgan City) ............................................ 72 56

n Ghana (Thibodaux) ................................................. 78 n Gheens (Gheens) ..................................................... 82 n Grand Isle Independent Parade ............................. 67 n Hephaestus (Morgan City) ...................................... 80 n Hercules (Houma) ................................................... 58 n Houmas (Houma) .................................................... 83 n Hyancinthians (Houma) .......................................... 62 n Kajuns (Houma) ...................................................... 84 n Kiddies (Raceland) .................................................. 65 n Le Krewe des T-Cajuns (Larose) ............................. 60 n Le Krewe Du Bon Temps (Larose) .......................... 66 n Local Parade Calendar ............................................ 86 n Mardi Gras (Houma) ............................................... 66 n Montegut Children’s Parade (Montegut) ............... 70 n Neptune (Golden Meadow) ..................................... 78 n Nereids (Golden Meadow) ....................................... 72 n New Orleans Carnival parades .............................. 85 n Pandas (Houma) ...................................................... 64 n Shaka (Thibodaux) .................................................. 63 n Terreanians (Houma) .............................................. 70 n Titans (Houma) ........................................................ 62

GET CAUGHT UP IN THE

THROWS

HAPPINESS OF

OVER A DOZEN PARADES • SCORES OF MARCHING BANDS • TONS OF THROWS

2012 MARDI GRAS PARADE SCHEDULE

HERCULES: 2.10.12 TEE CAILLOU: 2.11.12 AQUARIUS: 2.11.12 HYACINTHIANS: 2.12.12 TITANS: 2.12.12 APHRODITE: 2.17.12 MARDI GRAS: 2.18.12 TERREANIANS: 2.19.12 MONTEGUT: 2.19.12 CLEOPATRA: 2.20.12 MARDI GRAS DAY: HOUMAS: 2.21.12 KAJUNS: 2.21.12 BONNE TERRE: 2.21.12

CELEBRATE MARDI GRAS IN HOUMA PARADE SCHEDULES & ROUTES VISIT:

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n Versailles (Larose) ................................................... 60 n Xanadu (Labadieville) ............................................. 74 February 2012

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Mardi Gras 2012

Hercules

Houma Friday, Feb. 10, 6:00 p.m.

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TOWN HALL

he Krewe of Hercules will parade through Houma, Friday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m.

Theme for 2012 is “Hercules Salutes World War II.” The krewe will parade 32 floats, all of which are double-decker floats. The krewe was formed in 1984 by parade captain S.P. LaRussa, and today is the largest men’s club in the tri-parish area with an excess of 675 members. King Hercules XXVIII is Rudy Martin. This year’s grand marshal is R.J. and Jay Paul from the TV show “The Swamp People.”

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Serving the Diocese since 1991

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Aquarius

Houma Saturday, Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m.

BAYOU GARDENS

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he Krewe of Aquarius will celebrate its 18th year anniversary, Saturday, Feb. 11, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in Houma. The Tri-Region Women’s Carnival Club, Inc. was formed by Tana Marcel and Nancy Carlos.

The krewe has 300 members. The theme for this year is “Parade of Nations.” The queen was chosen by “finding the gold crown in the king cake.” This year’s Queen XVIII is Denise Boudreaux. There will be 17 throwing floats, a queen’s float and a captain’s float.

The krewe will be throwing fiber optic beads, cups, Aquarius dolls, do-rags, doubloons and more.

HOLLYWOOD RD.

ST. LOUIS CANAL RD.

SOUTHLAND MALL

WEST PARK AVE.

EAST PARK AVE. BARROW ST.

START

BAYOU TERREBONNE

WEST MAIN AVE.

EAST MAIN AVE.

VERRET ST.

DISBAND

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447-3164

808 Bayou Lane

Thibodaux

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

876-1155

1321 Grand Caillou

Houma

223-4760

119 Bayou Gardens

Houma

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

T-Cajuns Bayou Petit Caillou Larose Saturday, Feb. 11, Noon

‘L

e Krewe des T-Cajuns” will parade for its 15th year, Saturday, Feb. 11, at Noon, in Larose. The children’s parade, with its theme “Sports,” will begin at the Larose Civic Center and head up Fifth Street, then cross the Larose pontoon bridge and head south on LA Hwy. 1, disbanding at the Rouse’s Shopping Center. The krewe has approximately 250 children that will ride 25 homemade floats.

This year’s king and queen are Brody Rios and Britteny Rodrigue.

The parade captain is Kaden Champagne; and the grand marshal is Zeth Adams.

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Chauvin Saturday, Feb. 11, Noon

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he Krewe of Bayou Petit Caillou will parade Saturday, Feb. 11, at Noon, from the Chauvin pool, north to St. Joseph Church and disband at Sarah Bridge. This non-profit organization was formed in 1985 for the purpose of offering entertainment on the bayou. An estimated 11 throwing floats, and the king and queen float will participate. The king and queen this year are Dakotah Springstead and Jenna LeCompte. The approximately 250 members make their own floats for the parade and “anything goes – truck, float or whatever.” This year the theme is “Krewe of Bayou Petit Caillou Goes to the Movies.” The parade captain is Alvin Luke; captain is Christian Leger; co-captain is Paige Lirette. Becky Foret is the Tableau captain.

Versailles Larose Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon

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he Krewe of Versailles will roll for its 38th year in Larose at Noon, Sunday, Feb. 12. The parade will begin at Hwy. 24 in Larose and end at the Cut Off Elementary School.

Krewe of Versailles was formed in 1974. The krewe consists of different riding clubs who own their floats. The theme this year will be “Versailles Journeys Back in Time.” The king and queen this year are Russell Paul Plaisance and Valerie Gisclair Shields. The parade will include 18 floats with the South Lafourche High School and Larose/Cut Off Middle School bands. The co-ed organization has 200 members. The parade captain is Matthew Adams.

The Wishing Well, Inc. 609 Legion Ave., Houma 851-1110 Monday - Friday 10:30 am - 5:00 pm Saturday 10:30 am - 3:00 pm

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Ambrosia

Thibodaux Saturday, Feb. 11, 5:30 p.m.

LA HWY. 1

ST. MARY HWY.

JACKSON ST.

MENARD ST.

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E. 7TH ST.

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START AND FINISH

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2ND ST.

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he Krewe of Ambrosia will parade for its 27th year Saturday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Theme for 2012 is “Ambrosia’s Night Parade Turns a Page in History.” This year’s parade will feature 30 doubledecker floats with five marching bands. It will be Thibodaux’s first night parade. The king and queen are Peter P. Verret III and Katherine C. Verret. The krewe consists of over 300 members.

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February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Hyacinthians BAYOU GARDENS

SOUTHLAND MALL

WEST PARK AVE.

HOLLYWOOD RD.

ST. LOUIS CANAL RD.

Houma Sunday, Feb. 12, Noon

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he Krewe of Hyacinthians will parade Sunday, Feb. 12, at Noon. The 365-member krewe will have 17 double-decker throwing floats, two maids’ floats and one queen float for 2012.

The Ladies’ Carnival Club, Inc. was organized in 1951, and the first parade was in 1952. Theme is “Storytime with the Krewe of Hyacinthians.” King Hyacinth LXI is Homer M. McGee Sr. and Queen Hyacinth LXI is Jenna P. Parra.

The captain of the parade is Julie Rhodes. Captain of the ball is Kelli Cazayoux.

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Titans

Houma Sunday, Feb. 12 follows Krewe of Hyacinthians

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he Houma Family Carnival Club Krewe of Titans will make its fourth appearance at a Mardi Gras parade Sunday, Feb. 12, following the Krewe of Hyacinthians on the west side route in Houma. The theme for this year is “Living the Sweet Life.” The krewe was formed to provide a family oriented group for men, women and children to participate. The 400-member krewe will have 24 floats this year.

Membership is open to anyone.

The grand marshal will be Chuck Weaver, president/CEO of South Louisiana Bank.

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Shaka

Thibodaux Sunday, Feb. 12, 1:30 p.m.

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he Krewe of Shaka will roll through the streets of Thibodaux for the 16th year with 18 floats and five marching bands, Sunday, Feb. 12, at 1:30 p.m. The theme of the parade is “Oriental.” The Krewe of Shaka was formed Jan. 18, 1995, and has 35 members. Membership is open. Krewe members must be 21 years and older. The krewe is all about togetherness and leadership for the community. The names of the king and queen are kept secret until the ball. Last year’s king and queen were Damon Smith and Gail Thomas. The captain is Denise Jones–Adams, first co-captain is Philip Joseph, second co-captain is Leroy Norma and third co-captain is Shantell Thompson.

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Athena Golden Meadow Friday, Feb. 17, 7:00 p.m.

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he Krewe of Athena will roll through Golden Meadow for its inaugural parade Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m. The parade, with its theme “That’s How We Roll,” will follow the traditional Golden Meadow parade route. Twelve illuminated floats and marching units will parade along Bayou Lafourche during the night parade. Queen Athena I for 2012 is Gloria Cheramie.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Aphrodite

Houma Friday, Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m.

HOLLYWOOD RD.

ST. LOUIS CANAL RD. BAYOU GARDENS

SOUTHLAND MALL

WEST PARK AVE.

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he Krewe of Aphrodite, now in its 29th year, will parade its 19 floats through the streets of Houma at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17. The krewe consists of approximately 450 women who are united in promoting civic and social activities during the Mardi Gras season. Theme for 2012 is “Aphrodite Salutes America.”

The club was founded in 1983.

Reigning as Queen Aphrodite XXIX is Karen Boudoin. Sharon Pontiff is the parade captain.

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Pandas Houma Friday, Feb. 17, 12:30 p.m.

T

he St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School Krewe of Pandas will parade Friday, Feb. 17, at 12:30 p.m. The Krewe of Pandas is put on by the kindergartners of St. Bernadette School.

The parade will begin on B Street next to the school, turn on Mire,

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go down E Street left onto Kenny Street and disband at the Herbert Hall parking lot. The krewe is in its 18th year.

The parade features kindergartners with motorized vehicles, local participants and several local school bands and mascots.

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February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Adonis

Morgan City Friday, Feb. 17, 7:00 p.m.

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he Krewe of Adonis will make its 37th presentation for 2012 Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m., in Morgan City. Theme for this year is “Adonis Undersea Adventures.” There will be 13 floats, eight bands, a walking club and the Shriners parading this year. Adonis is the only night time parade in St. Mary Parish. The krewe was formed in 1975. King and queen this year will be Reggy Torgrimson as Poseidon Ruler of the Seven Seas and Camille Izaguirre, Queen of Atlantis. Keith Leonard is the krewe captain.

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Kiddies

T

he Krewe of Kiddies from St. Mary’s Nativity School in Raceland will roll their 24 decorated wagon-floats through the school grounds on Friday, Feb. 17, at Noon. The theme of this year’s parade is “Once Upon a Time.” The tradition dates back to 1973 as an art project for the sixth grade students with the idea of further development of community among parents and parishioners.

This type of creativity allows the students to show their talents and express themselves without words. Selection of king and queen and their court is done at random with each grade being represented. Beads are collected from the student body a few weeks before the parade. Patients from

Raceland Friday, Feb. 17, Noon the area nursing home are invited as special guests and provide their own king and queen. The police department is on hand for safety, and a grand marshal, chosen from the community, leads the parade.

The floats are designed by fifth graders and are pulled by students from the sixth grade. The public is invited to attend this function along with the school bazaar which begins at 11 a.m. and concludes with the parade at Noon. The major characters represented are as follows: senior king and queen, grand marshal, junior king and queen, dukes and maids, priest, sister, police officer and firefighter.

This year the king and queen are kindergartners Paul Hingle IV and Harleigh Howell.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

HOWARD AVE.

JAMES RD.

PROSPECT RD.

BAYOU TERREBONNE

EAST MAIN ST.

Mardi Gras

Houma Saturday, Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m.

START

BINGO HALL

END

N. VAN AVE.

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GRAND CAILLOU RD.

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he Krewe of Mardi Gras, in its 18th year, will parade Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m., on the east side of Houma.

S.P. LaRussa and friends formed the East Houma Carnival Club, Inc. in November 1993. The theme of the 31-float parade is “Come to the Mardi Gras.” This year’s ride is in memory of Sam Stoufflet. It is the only parade on the east side of Houma. This year’s king is Shawn Shavor. Membership is open for the 650-member krewe; dues are $250, male or female. Contact S.P. LaRussa, parade captain, at 8720444.

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Apollo

Lockport Saturday, Feb. 18, Noon

T

he Krewe of Apollo will march along the streets of Lockport, Saturday, Feb. 18, at Noon. There will be 15 throwing floats plus a king’s float, a maid’s float and a krewe captain’s float.

The queen and king are Christina and Forrest Travirca IV. The krewe captain is Brian Hebert.

Each float has its own individual theme. A unique feature of the Lockport parade is people who call themselves “the Mardi Gras.”

These people dress in costumes and walk in the parade. They visit parade goers and throw beads along the way. Anyone can walk in the parade as a “Mardi Gras,” just as long as safety rules and regulations are followed.

February 2012

Du Bon Temps

Larose Saturday, Feb. 18, 6:30 p.m.

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ormed in 2005, Le Krewe Du Bon Temps will roll through Larose Saturday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m., with a total of 16 illuminated single, double and trideck floats. The krewe’s theme for 2012 is “Le Krewe Du Bon Temps Goes Cartoony,” (A tribute to Saturday morning cartoons). The krewe has over 275 members and is still accepting memberships.

The krewe is civic minded and strives to preserve the family and community values of the Mardi Gras spirit. The parade will begin on Hwy 24, connecting to Hwy. 1 near the Apple Inn, traveling Hwy. 1 to Jack’s Exxon in Cut Off connecting to the Cote Blanche Connection.

Atlantis

Golden Meadow Saturday, Feb. 18, Noon

T

he Krewe of Atlantis Carnival Club, celebrating its 29th anniversary, parades in Golden Meadow along LA Hwy. 1, Saturday, Feb. 18, at Noon. This year’s parade begins at the North Corp. limits of Golden Meadow and rolls South to the South Corp. limits as in the past years.

The theme for 2012 is “Movies.”

The parade will consist of 10 floats, area kings and queens, and various cars and trucks. This year’s king and queen are Jacob Verdin and Scarlette Guillot. The parade captain is Jason Bellanger.

The president is Kathy Collins.

Everyone is invited to the dance, which is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m., at the Cut Off Youth Center.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Dionysus

T

Berwick Saturday, Feb. 18, 2:00 p.m.

he Krewe of Dionysus will parade Saturday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m. in Berwick. The parade will start on Gilmore at the Old Spanish Trail, turn left on to John Street, right on Robichaux, right on Mount, left on Gilmore down Hwy. 182 to Tournament Boulevard, to Fairview to Patti Drive and disband at the schools. Last year’s king and queen were Bret Allain and Kim Hayes. The 100-member krewe will parade with approximately 30 units.

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Grand Isle

A

Grand Isle Sunday, Feb. 19, 1:00 p.m.

n independent parade will roll through Grand Isle, Sunday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. The parade will begin at Cisco’s Cantina and travel down Hwy. 1, where it will disband at the Baptist Church.

There will be floats and a number of trucks in the parade. Last year’s king and queen were Ray Arabie and Madeline Brewer. The krewe has no name and those who wish to participate make their own floats.

The U.S. Coast Guard, the fire department and police department participate in the parade.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Cleophas

Thibodaux Sunday, Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m.

LA HWY. 1

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JACKSON ST. CITY HALL

2ND ST.

RAILROAD TRACKS

CANAL BLVD.

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he Krewe of Cleophas will parade on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 12:30 p.m., in Thibodaux.

Theme for 2012 is “When We Were Young.” The names of the king and queen were revealed to the krewe Jan. 14, at their coronation.

They are Johnny Boudreaux and Trudy Folse. This is the krewe’s 56th year in existence and its 42nd consecutive parade. There will be 32 krewe floats and numerous outside floats participating. Krewe membership is at 454. In 1971 the present Krewe of Cleophas rolled its first parade with King Cleophas C.J. Hoffman Jr. and Queen Cleothilde Shirley Barrios, as its royalty. The krewe is proud of its “family oriented parade” in which many families ride the floats. Parade captain is Dennis “Cowboy” Rodrigue. The co-captain is David Gauthreaux.

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Chronos

Thibodaux Sunday, Feb. 19, 2:00 p.m.

LA HWY. 1

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JACKSON ST.

AUDUBON DR.

February 2012

MENARD ST.

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he Krewe of Chronos will celebrate its 58th anniversary parade in Thibodaux, Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m., after the Cleophas parade.

Theme of the parade this year is “I Write the Songs.” This year’s king and queen are Thomas J. Schwaner and Mary Catherine Shaver. There are 12 floats scheduled to roll this year for the 170-member krewe. Ryan Naquin is the parade captain.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Terreanians BAYOU GARDENS

SOUTHLAND MALL

WEST PARK AVE.

HOLLYWOOD RD.

ST. LOUIS CANAL RD.

Houma Sunday, Feb. 19, 12:30 p.m.

EAST PARK AVE. BARROW ST.

START

BAYOU TERREBONNE

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he Krewe of Terreanians will parade its 20 floats on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 12:30 p.m., in Houma. The theme for this year is “When I Grow Up.” It is the club’s 62nd anniversary.

King Terreanians LXII is Stephen Bonnecarrere and Queen Terreanians LXII is Francesca Louise Ledet. The parade captain is Paul Chauvin; and Donnie Braud is ball captain.

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Montegut Children’s Parade

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Montegut Sunday, Feb. 19, 2:00 p.m.

he Montegut Children’s Parade will roll on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m. The parade will begin on Dolphin Drive, to Hwy. 55, south to Cypress Street, left on French Street, left on Old Oak Drive to Hwy. 55, right on Hwy. 55 to Dolphin Drive, where it will disband at the intersection of Dolphin Drive and Cross Street.

Theme for 2012 is “Comic Book Heroes.” The krewe, which is in its 66th year, was established in 1946

by the communities of Montegut and Pointe-aux-Chenes to parade the children. Various organizations of the area, such as the Lionesses, the Lions, the American Legion, the fire department, the PTA and Gly-Tech Services, sponsor the floats. The club provides the throws. King and queen this year are Brad Raynaud and Paige Billiot. There will be 10 floats in the children’s parade and three local bands. Approximately 150 families participate in the krewe.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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Mardi Gras 2012

Galatea

Morgan City Sunday, Feb. 19, 2:00 p.m.

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he Krewe of Galatea will parade in Morgan City on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 2 p.m.

The krewe was formed in 1969 to provide a ladies’ krewe in Morgan City. The parade consists of approximately 16 floats, which are decorated by the krewe each year, as well as bands. This will be its 43rd parade. The first captain was Adrienne Engel who formed the krewe. First queen was Mrs. Lloyd J. Guillory and king was Julian Fernandez. They ruled in 1970. Last year’s king and queen were Steve Domangue and Mrs. Keith Langley. Michelle Picou is the parade lieutenant. Galatea is a mystic krewe.

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Nereids

Golden Meadow Sunday, Feb. 19, 6:00 p.m.

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he Krewe of Nereids, in its 28th year, will parade in Golden Meadow on Sunday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. The parade, with 200 plus members and the only all female krewe, was the first night parade in Lafourche parish. It will feature 15 single and double decker illuminated floats, and will begin at the north end of Golden Meadow and parade along LA Hwy. 1 to the south end of town. The theme this year is “Nereids Magical Nights.” The krewe was formed in 1984 and had its first parade in 1985. Jennifer Cheramie was the first queen.

This year’s Queen XXVIII is Carol C. Robichaux.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Wishing you and your family a safe

&

happy carnival season!

C O M M U N I C AT I O N S Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

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Mardi Gras 2012

Xanadu

Labadieville Monday, Feb. 20, 6:00 p.m.

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he Krewe of Xanadu will host its 24th annual carnival parade Monday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. in Labadieville. This year’s theme is “Mardi Gras Xanadu Style,” and there will be 12 floats. The krewe was formed in 1989 by Rita Falgoust, Rick LaGrange, Lloyd Bourgeois and Bonnie Gravois. This year the membership stands at approximately 90. The identity of the king and queen is secret.

Charlene Landry is the parade captain.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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Quality Family Programming for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

~ Channel 10* on Comcast of Houma and CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS of Terrebonne Parish. ~ Channel 10* on CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS in Thibodaux. ~ Channel 10* on VISION COMMUNICATIONS of South and Central Lafourche *Channel 10 is provided by and in cooperation with HTV of Houma. ~ Channel 71, ALLEN’S TV CABLE of Morgan City

SUNDAY

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

Proclaim the Good News/The Rosary Closer Walk Spotlight/Revival

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

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

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Cleopatra

Houma Monday, Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m.

BAYOU GARDENS

SOUTHLAND MALL

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he Krewe of Cleopatra of Houma (ladies’ parade) will march in Houma on Monday, Feb. 20, at 6:30 p.m. Theme for this year is “Festival Explosion.”

The group was formed in July of 1987. This is the club’s 25th anniversary; and it is the only parade in Houma the day before Mardi Gras. Krewe membership is over 600. Stacey Thibodeaux will reign as Cleopatra XXV. Parade captain is Karla Yelverton.

There will be a queen’s float and 23 double-decker throwing floats.

Throws will include doubloons, theme cups, royalty cups, light-up throws, stuffed animals, theme beads and more.

HOLLYWOOD RD.

ST. LOUIS CANAL RD.

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START

BAYOU TERREBONNE

WEST MAIN AVE.

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BOND ST.

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Mardi Gras 2012 - 2021 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

February 21 February 12 March 4 February 17 February 9 February 28 February 13 March 5 February 25 February 16

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

t Terrebonne General Medical Center (TGMC), we know that Mardi Gras is a part of the unique culture of our area. It’s a wonderful time for fun and families.

Here are a few tips to make your Mardi Gras a safe and happy celebration.

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Remember to wear sunscreen, even on days that seem overcast.

Watch out for broken glass. Fingers can get cut while reaching for throws on the ground.

ALWAYS choose a designated driver BEFORE the celebration starts.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Ghana

Thibodaux Tuesday, Feb. 21, 11:00 a.m.

JACKSON ST.

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he Krewe of Ghana will parade in Thibodaux, at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, Mardi Gras Day. The Krewe of Ghana is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Last year’s king and queen were Milton “Cat” Bartholomew and Gay Brown.

The parade will have 17 floats and 40 units. The theme for this year is “Moment in Time.” Milton Bartholomew is the president; Debra Winston is the vicepresident; Gail Bartholomew is the captain; co-captain is Lloyd Boyd and co-captain No. 2 is Gay Brown.

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Neptune

Golden Meadow Tuesday, Feb. 21, Noon

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he Krewe of Neptune will parade in Golden Meadow, Mardi Gras Day, Feb. 21, at Noon. The 12-float parade with three marching bands will begin at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Galliano and head south through the town of Golden Meadow until the south city limits where it will disband. The krewe is in its 46th year. The krewe was formed by F. “Toot” Theriot, Bobby Orgeron, Leonard Miller Jr. and Nacis Theriot. The first king and queen were Mr. and Mrs. Abdon Callais.

The identity of the king remains secret until parade day. Last year’s king was Damien St. Pierre.

February 2012

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Hephaetus Morgan City Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2:00 p.m.

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he Krewe of Hephaestus (God of Fire) celebrates its 52nd anniversary this year.

It will parade in Morgan City on Feb. 21, Mardi Gras Day at 2 p.m. The parade will begin on the corner of Sixth and Fig Street and turn onto Marguerite, then to Ninth Street onto Clothilde.

It will then turn onto Victor II Boulevard and disband at the Municipal Auditorium. The 200-member krewe, which is a krewe for couples, was formed by the Morgan City Ladies’ Fire Department Auxiliary. After many years of no parades in Morgan City, the krewe was organized and paraded for the first time in 1969.

In 1970 the krewe became a dues paying organization. The krewe is the oldest in the Morgan City area. Last year’s king and queen were Gary Duhon and Miss Alaina Adams, daughter of Al and Shelly Adams. Parade Captain is Valerie LeBlanc. There will be 14 floats as well as marching bands and other marching units. Hephaestus is a mystic krewe.

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Choupic

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he Krewe of Choupic will parade at 1 p.m., Feb. 21, Mardi Gras Day. The 150-member krewe is celebrating its 29th anniversary in 2012.

The route will commence on the northern end of Hwy. 304 and disband at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Chackbay. The

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theme this year is “Anything Goes.” Last year the king and queen were Lane Oncale and Jill Matherne. Celeste Naquin was the grand marshal. Mona Andras is president. The names of the king and queen are kept secret until the ball. The krewe will parade 10 floats, plus trucks.

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“REVIVAL” with Bishop Sam G. Jacobs Wednesday 8:30 p.m.

Friday 9:30 a.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m.

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012

Gheens

Gheens Tuesday, Feb. 21, 11:00 a.m.

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he Krewe of Gheens will parade on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 11 a.m.

This year the parade will begin three miles down Hwy. 654. The parade will continue down Hwy. 654, to Pecan Street, then up Oak Street and back on Hwy. 654. It will continue on Hwy. 654 and disband at Company Canal. The Krewe of Gheens was formed in 1972 as a community project.

There will be approximately 14 floats this year, which are all made by participants. This year’s king is Butch Dufrene. Anyone wishing to participate may do so by making his own float. This year the krewe, which has approximately 100 members, is more organized and those wishing to participate are required to attend krewe meetings. All floats must be in the lineup on Farm to Market Road between 8:30 and 10 a.m., the day of the parade. Traffic on Hwy. 654 will be stopped at 10:50 a.m., in order for the parade to roll.

Bonne Terre

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

Montegut Tuesday, Feb. 21, 4:00 p.m.

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he 11-float Krewe de Bonne Terre, with a marching band, DJs and dancing groups will parade in Montegut, at 4 p.m., Mardi Gras Day, Feb. 21. The 100-member krewe is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2012. The parade will begin on Dolphin Drive, to Hwy. 55, south to Cypress Street, left on French Street, left on Old Oak Drive to

Hwy. 55. It will then turn right on Hwy. 55 to Dolphin Drive, where it will disband at the intersection of Dolphin Drive and Cross Street.

Theme for 2012 is “Comic Book Heroes.” King and queen this year are Chris Chaisson and Jessica Levron. This year’s grand marshal is Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet. The parade captain is Dennis Ledet.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

Houmas

Houma Tuesday, Feb. 21, 11:00 a.m.

BAYOU GARDENS

SOUTHLAND MALL

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HOLLYWOOD RD.

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EAST PARK AVE. BARROW ST.

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he Krewe of Houmas will parade on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 11 a.m. The krewe will parade 16 floats for 2012. The parade theme is “It’s Carnival Time.” The krewe was formed in 1947 and is the oldest Mardi Gras krewe in Terrebonne Parish. In 1948 the Houma Carnival Club was formed as a membership organization.

Parade captain for 2012 is Jackie Clement. King Houmas LXVI is Robert John Hamilton and Queen Houmas LXVI is Miss Noelle’ Paige Dove.

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Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

February 2012

Mardi Gras 2012 Houma Tuesday, Feb. 21 follows Krewe of Houmas

Kajuns BAYOU GARDENS

SOUTHLAND MALL

WEST PARK AVE.

HOLLYWOOD RD.

ST. LOUIS CANAL RD.

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EAST PARK AVE. BARROW ST.

START

BAYOU TERREBONNE

WEST MAIN AVE.

EAST MAIN AVE.

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MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM

BOND ST.

he Krewe of Kajuns, sponsored by the HoumaTerrebonne Jaycees, follows the Krewe of Houmas parade on Mardi Gras Day, Feb. 21. It is currently in its 46th year. The krewe was formed in 1967 to get people involved in Mardi Gras and in the community. It was organized as a truck parade and is now a float parade. Theme for 2012 is “World War II – Kajun Style.” The krewe had as its first king Bert Jones. The krewe will have Aubrie Guidry as its queen this year. Dustin Parkhill is the parade captain. Approximately 400 members will ride in the 14 float parade. Those who are interested in riding in the parade can send an email to kreweofkajuns@yahoo. com.

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February 2012

Bayou Catholic • Houma, LA

2012 February

5

Sunday

6

New Orleans Parade Calendar

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Monday

Tuesday

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9

Wedneday

Thursday

Metairie Little Rascals Noon Perseus

10 Oshun

Slidell 1:00 p.m.

Friday Uptown 6:00 p.m.

West Bank Cleopatra 6:30 p.m.

Eve

Mandeville 7:00 p.m.

Metairie Excalibur 7:00 p.m.

Atlas 7:30 p.m.

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Saturday

West Bank Choctaw 11:00 a.m.

Adonis 11:45 a.m.

St. Bernard Nemesis 1:00 p.m.

Uptown Pontchartrain 2:00 p.m.

Sparta 6:00 p.m.

Pygmalion 6:45 p.m.

Caesar

Metairie 6:00 p.m.

Covington Olympia 6:00 p.m.

Titans

12 Alla

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West Bank

Noon

Druids Nyx

Uptown Carrolton Noon King Arthur 1:15 p.m.

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15 Uptown 6:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

Uptown Babylon 5:45 p.m.

Chaos 6:30 p.m.

Muses 6:30 p.m.

Uptown Okeanos 11:00 a.m.

Mid-City 11:45 a.m.

Thoth Noon Bacchus 5:15 p.m.

Metairie Napoleon 5:30 p.m.

Slidell 6:30 p.m.

Mandeville Orpheus 7:00 p.m.

Lyra 7:00 p.m.

Metairie 2:00 p.m.

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Uptown Hermes 6:00 p.m.

D’Etat 6:30 p.m.

Morpheus 7:00 p.m.

Selene

Slidell Dionysus 1:00 p.m.

Thor

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Metairie Centurions 7:00 p.m.

West Bank NOMTOC 10:45 a.m.

Iris Tucks

Uptown 11:00 a.m.

Noon

Mid-City Endymion 4:15 p.m.

Isis

Metairie 6:00 p.m.

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20 Uptown Proteus 5:15 p.m.

Orpheus 6:00 p.m.

Zeus

Slidell 6:30 p.m.

Metairie 6:30 p.m.

Uptown Zulu 8:00 a.m.

Rex 10:00 a.m.

Elks Orleans follows Crescent City follows

Metairie Argus 10:00 a.m.

Elks Jeffersonians follows Krewe of Jefferson follows

Fat Tuesday

Bayou

Catholic

Mardi Gras Guide

2012 February

5

Sunday

6

Monday

Local Parade Calendar

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Tuesday

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Wedneday

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Thursday

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Friday

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Houma Hercules

Saturday Houma Aquarius

Chauvin Bayou Petit Caillou Larose Le Krewe des T-Cajuns Thibodaux Ambrosia

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Larose Versailles

Raceland Kiddies

Houma Mardi Gras

Thibodaux Shaka

Houma Pandas Aphrodite

Morgan City Dionysus

Houma Hyacinthians Titans

Morgan City Adonis

Golden Meadow Atlantis Lockport Apollo Larose Le Krewe Du Bon Temps

19 Thibodaux Cleophas Chronos Grand Isle Grand Isle Houma Terreanians

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Fat Tuesday

Labadieville Xanadu

Montegut Bonne Terre

Houma Cleopatra

Golden Meadow Neptune Gheens Gheens

Montegut Montegut

Houma Houmas Kajuns

Morgan City Galatea

Morgan City Hephaestus

Golden Meadow Nereids

Choupic Choupic Thibodaux Ghana

Bayou

Catholic

Mardi Gras Guide

y p p

Ha

Ben Ledet

Boot Caldarera

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Ronnie Lirette

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Tony Bergeron

Kenny “Q” Frederick

Vu Vuong

Mark Verret

CERTIFIED SALES AND SERVICE DEPARTMENTS

February 2012