Brother Ron’s passion for drama

Special

Brother Ron Travers’ passion for drama and teaching go hand in hand

Brother Ron directs his 63rd play

Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Brother Ron Travers, S.C., who has been teaching at Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma for the past three years, has a passion for drama. He has a long history of directing school plays, 63 total throughout his career.

The Brother of the Sacred Heart, who teaches psychology, religion for seniors and dual enrollment college English for seniors, says he came to Houma because he was looking for a change. He spent the first half of his life, up until now, in California and the other half in New York and New Jersey.

The California native taught in his home state for 12 years before joining the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, which brought him to the east coast. He became a brother in 1984 and spent the next 22 years teaching in New York and New Jersey. Brother Ron says he thought about becoming a religious brother on and off since he was 12 years old. He attended college where he had Christian brothers as teachers and says they were fantastic and he wanted to be like them.

“I thought about it for a long time,” he says. “In those days you had to join by a certain age and I wasn’t getting any younger, so I finally applied. When I was accepted, I had to sell my house and pack up everything I owned. After that, I got in my car, drove across the country and never looked back.”

Brother Ron says he was a member of the choir from the fourth grade all the way through college, and was also involved with the drama club while he was in school. When he began teaching, he started helping the teacher who produced the school plays and he never stopped.

“I’ve always felt like theater is very much an extension of teaching. It should make you stop, look, and consider all the things that are going on in the world around you and make connections; and that’s what teaching is all about … making connections.”

Brother Ron’s latest play was one he directed at Vandebilt this past fall entitled All Kinds of People, which is a narrated musical revue developed especially for schools that addresses the dangers of prejudice, the importance of tolerance and the empowerment of self-esteem, through the lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II. He directed the play 20 years ago when he was teaching in New Jersey; it was very successful there and he says it was very well received here.

“The play is about looking at the various forms of prejudice, which is so timely today. The students here really liked the idea, even though it’s not your traditional type of play,” says Brother Ron. “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s plays are all about dealing with issues that are not usually dealt with on stage.”

There is value in young people participating in the performing arts on so many levels, says Brother Ron. “Theater exposes students to a world view; it helps them understand how to look at situations or circumstances from another point of view; it teaches them good communication skills that they can use throughout their lifetime; it enhances their speaking ability; gives them more confidence and enhances their creativity.”

Brother Ron says he has always looked at theater as a form of teaching.

“My whole idea with drama is that I want to teach and entertain when I put on a play. Theater should not just be entertainment; it’s meant to teach!! Theater has been a great experience for me all these years and that’s why I stay with it.” BC

Announcements

Informational Pastoral Notice

A canonical process, authorized by the Vatican and conducted in accordance with the requirements of the motu proprio of Pope St. John Paul II entitled Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela, has yielded a final determination that Father Stephen Lefort has been found guilty of disobedience and of improper behavior regarding questions asked to minors in confession resulting in his being perpetually forbidden ministry to minors and ministry in settings in which minors are or may be present, such as conventional parochial worship or school events or youth ministry services.

Because of the serious nature of his improper behavior and his continuing refusal even to meet with the bishop, Stephen Lefort will remain unassigned and will possess no faculties for ministry in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. This information is shared in accord with the demands of transparency, out of an abundance of caution, and in the interest of proper pastoral care. BC

Tom Costanza named executive director of LCCB

Costanza succeeds Rob Tasman who served for 12 years

Tom Costanza

The Catholic bishops of Louisiana have appointed Mr. Tom Costanza the new executive director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops (LCCB). Costanza succeeds Rob Tasman, who served for 12 years as executive director of the LCCB.

Costanza has served in church ministry since 1992 and most recently with the Office of Social Apostolate (1996-2002) and with Catholic Charities since 2002 as director of the Office of Justice and Peace. Most recently he served as a division director for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. He has earned advanced degrees in theology, social work and business administration. He was a seminarian for the Archdiocese of New Orleans for three and a half years.

The LCCB, which has as its foundation the teachings of the Catholic Church, serves to coordinate education of the people through joint pastoral statements; to promote collaboration in shared projects among Catholic dioceses and other institutions; and to communicate and interact with local, parish, state and federal bodies. For more information about the LCCB and its work, visit http://www.laccb.org/. BC

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Announcement

Amanda Garcia joins Catholic Charities Houma-Thibodaux

Amanda Garcia

Amanda Garcia has been named the new associate director of Volunteer Engagement and Disaster Management for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Dr. Nicole Bourgeois, LMFT, executive director, announced recently.

“Catholic Charities is happy to welcome Amanda to our ministry. Her energy and passion for the mission is contagious and will help us in our efforts to be our faith at work. We look forward to what she will bring to Catholic Charities,” says Dr. Bourgeois.

The Chauvin native graduated from South Terrebonne High School in Bourg. She studied music at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux and attended the University of Holy Cross in New Orleans where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in theology. Following college graduation, she served as a missionary with the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity serving in North Dakota for three years and in Belize, Central America for a year.

She began working for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in 2017 as administrative assistant for the Office of Family Ministries until that office was restructured. Garcia coordinated the diocesan March for Life program, which started off as a Respect Life event sponsored by the Office of

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Family Ministries. It was moved to the Office of Vocations for the 2019 pilgrimage and will now be a collaboration between Catholic Charities and the diocesan Office of Vocations. For the last three years, she served as administrative assistant for the Office of Vocations.

Garcia has been married to Julio Garcia for three years and they have two children, Marbella Guadalupe (Lupe’) and Rita Fatima. They are parishioners of St. Ann Church parish in Bourg.

Garcia’s responsibilities as associate director of Volunteer Engagement and Disaster Management will include engaging parishes and volunteers in Catholic Social Teaching and Catholic Charities activities, coordinating the Matthew 25 parish-based disaster preparedness ministry, and coordinating the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Catholic Relief Services campaigns.

“Catholic Charities is the faithful’s opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters. I am hoping to bring a helping hand to those wanting to volunteer, and to coordinate the organization efforts for relief services. I am excited for this opportunity and look forward to serving with the people of Houma-Thibodaux,” says Garcia. BC

Nation

Report: Church membership among Catholics declined nearly 20 percent since 2000

Washington, D.C. (CNA) The percentage of Catholics who say they are a “member” of a church has dropped by nearly 20 points since the year 2000, according to a new report by Gallup released recently.

Among respondents who said they were Catholic, only 58 percent actually said they were a member of a church. This figure is down 18 points from the 76 percent of Catholics who said they were a member of the church, in a previous Gallup survey from 1998-2000.

In the past decade, Catholics saw a twice-as-steep decline in members than did Protestants, which saw a nine percent decline in professed members of churches from 73 percent to 64 percent.

The report, based off a Gallup poll of more than 6,100 U.S. adults from 2018-2020, was published recently. Gallup says it asks Americans about their “religious attitudes and practices” twice per year.

In canon law, a baptized Catholic’s membership at a parish is conferred by territorial residence and not strictly by registration.

According to the report, overall membership in houses of worship has continued its pre-existing decline in the U.S., reaching a record-low point of 47 percent in the survey conducted from 2018-2020. The figure is the lowest since Gallup began its survey in 1937, when 73 percent of Americans identified with a church or house of worship.

“The U.S. remains a religious nation, with more than seven in 10 affiliating with some type of organized religion,” Gallup stated. “However, far fewer, now less than half, have a formal membership with a specific house of worship.” While this could be due in part to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the report said, “continued decline in future decades seems inevitable.”

The report follows pre-existing trends of a rise in the “nones,” – Americans who do not identify with any religion in particular, as well as decades-long declines in weekly church attendance.

Membership has declined with each successive generation. While 66 percent of “traditionalists” born before 1946 and 58 percent of baby boomers say they are members of a church, only 36 percent of millennials say they are a member of a church. Nearly one-third (31 percent) of millennials say they do not belong to any religion in particular.

This decline in membership was even more pronounced among Hispanic Americans, among whom only 37 percent say they are a member of a church.

Church membership also declined more steeply among Democrats and residents of the Eastern U.S. than among political Republicans and Independents, and residents of other U.S. regions. BC

LAWRENCE CHATAGNIER/BAYOU CATHOLIC

International

Three relics of Christ’s Passion housed in Spain

By CNA STAFF

While the Shroud of Turin – believed to be the burial cloth that wrapped the body of Jesus after his death – may be the most recognizable relic association with Jesus’ Passion, several others exist.

Three of these relics are located in Spain, where they have been studied by scientists and venerated by pilgrims for many years.

Lignum Crucis: A Relic of the True Cross

For more than 1,200 years, the Franciscan monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana in Cantabria houses a relic believed to be a large part of the Cross of Christ.

This relic is known by its Latin name “Lignum Crucis” which means “Wood of the Cross,” and is believed to be the left horizontal arm of the Cross.

Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, went on a mission to Jerusalem, around 324 A.D., to preserve the relics of the Lord’s Passion. One of them was the True Cross, which made its way in Spain in the 16th century.

In 1958, some tests were carried out to verify the relic’s authenticity.

“They confirmed that the wood is from a tree that exists in the Holy Land and is older than 2,000 years,” Father Juan Manuel Núñez, superior of the convent of Santo Toribio de Liébana told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish language news partner.

In addition, the DNA of the relic matches that of other smaller pieces of the cross that are preserved in different parts of the world.

The Holy Shroud of Oviedo

According to tradition, the shroud that covered the face of Jesus is kept in the Cathedral of Oviedo and is exposed to the public only three times a year: On Good Friday; on Sept. 14, the Feast of the Holy Cross; and on Sept. 21, the feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle, patron of the Spanish city.

Tradition holds that the Apostles venerated the relics of the Passion in Jerusalem, including this shroud, during the early years of Christianity. It was saved from the invading Persians in the seventh century and brought to Spain.

Jorge Manuel Rodríguez Almenar, president of the Spanish Center for Sindonology (the study of the shroud), has explained on numerous occasions that studies confirm that all the elements of the face of the Shroud of Oviedo fit those of the Shroud of Turin.

The last of these studies was carried out by the Catholic University of Murcia in Spain, which concluded that both fabrics enveloped the same person. The examination also indicated that the man of the Shroud of Turin and the man of the Shroud of Oviedo suffered the same wound to the side.

This detail agrees with John’s Gospel which records, “When they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.”

The Holy Chalice of the Last Supper

According to tradition, the chalice that Jesus used during the Last Supper is preserved in the Valencia cathedral.

According to Father Jaime Sancho, custodian of the Holy Chalice, the most complete study of this object was made in 1960 and the evidence suggested a very high degree of confidence in the relic’s authenticity.

The cup dates back to the time of Jesus and is made of a type of agate stone that was only found in the Holy Land.

“No subsequent archaeological study has disproved this research. It is the only chalice that has stood up under criticism and historical research,” said Sancho in a July 2016 interview with ACI Prensa.

“When one looks at this relic, one discovers the love of God in the Eucharist and that is what converts people,” the priest said.

St. John Paul II venerated the chalice in the Valencia cathedral and used it for the consecration during his visit to Spain in 1982.

Pope Benedict XVI used the chalice during the Mass for the Fifth World Meeting of Families held in Valencia in 2006.

The Chapel of the Holy Chalice can be visited virtually at https://www. visitvalencia.com/en/santogrial. BC