By Kimberly Baker
Over the past several decades, contraception and abortion have had far-reaching effects in our culture, shaping attitudes on sexual behavior on a massive scale. Contrary to the promises of freedom, empowerment, or equality, contraception and abortion have led to a greater degradation of women, especially in their relationships with men.

By Mary McClusky
In their desire for a child, couples who struggle with infertility sometimes turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF). The rapidly growing industry that provides IVF offers fulfillment of a couple's dream of becoming parents. For some, the dream turns into a nightmare after multiple IVF attempts fail to produce a child.

By Debbie Shinskie, Guest Columnist

At the local abortion facility, an older man drives a car with four young women in the back into the patient parking lot. Those praying on the sidewalk are concerned, not only with the fact that they are entering an abortion facility, but also with the suspicious dynamics in this group. In a separate incident, across town at the Catholic pregnancy health care center, a woman breaks down and shares with the nurse that a man is selling her for sex and she might be pregnant.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans Respect Life Office's active engagement in a human trafficking awareness campaign helped those praying on the sidewalk and the pregnancy center staff to recognize the signs of human trafficking and make appropriate calls to report it. Through a collaborative effort with local service providers, the young woman at the health center was quickly relocated to a safe house for sex trafficking victims.

New Orleans is a known destination for human trafficking. The popular, tourist-driven economy and convenient location allow for a "market" for both buyers and sellers of these victims. Sadly, it's a microcosm of the trafficking going on across the country.

Statistics gathered from the Polaris Project's National Human Trafficking Hotline. . . reveal that most of the U.S. female human trafficking victims are sold for sex, often multiple times each day, up to seven days a week. According to current research. . . , female victims are very likely to conceive a child at some point, even if they regularly use birth control. Traffickers often force these women to then abort any child conceived. So, fighting the modern-day slavery of human trafficking is a deeply pro-life endeavor – for women and their unborn children, alike.

Dioceses around the country are developing various ways to respond to this urgent situation. The Archdiocese of New Orleans' local response is part of a comprehensive approach modeled on the U.S. bishops' Pastoral Plan for Pro-Life Activities, the Catholic blueprint for respect life activities at the national and local levels.

In addition to raising public awareness about sex trafficking, the multi-faceted approach includes a train-the-trainer element. Recent statistics indicate that 87% of trafficking survivors had contact with a healthcare provider during the time they were being trafficked, with 57% of these situations involving a women's clinic, urgent care facility, or some other type of neighborhood clinic. Catholic healthcare providers, those who pray and counsel outside abortion facilities, and others who might encounter trafficking victims are getting the training they need to recognize and assist victims.

Raising awareness about human trafficking helps us partner with care providers through our donations and services for victims and survivors. It also serves our advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels to affect changes legislatively.

Finally, the foundational work of prayer cannot be emphasized enough. This has grown into a whole new ministry, our Respect Life Prayer Team. Orchestrated by one of our Human Trafficking Committee members, the team leads a prayer effort involving hundreds around the archdiocese, including those who are retired, physically challenged, homebound, in assisted care residences, and others who cannot otherwise participate in this work.
The Church will keep fighting this evil hidden in plain sight. In addition to praying for the development of effective ministries for sex trafficking victims, check with your local diocese to see what resources are available for those most at risk.

Debbie Shinskie is Director of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Respect Life Office. . . . For more on the U.S. bishops' efforts and resources to combat human trafficking, visit www.usccb.org/stopslavery.
 

By Greg Schleppenbach
 
I was privileged to attend the 2016 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.  The keynote speaker was His Eminence Robert Cardinal Sarah who currently heads the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments.  The Cardinal's talk and life story can inspire all who work to spread the Gospel of Life.

By Kimberly Baker

There was once a four-year-old girl who had some delays with speech development. Her doctor and parents agreed that she should work with a speech-language pathologist to correct this difficulty.

By Deirdre A. McQuade

The number of abortions is declining almost everywhere in the United States. According to an Associated Press (AP) survey using the most recent figures available, the sheer number of surgical abortions nationwide dropped 12 percent since 2010. This trend, though much-discussed, is actually nothing new. Abortions have been declining for 25 years.

By Tom Grenchik

Following the story of last year’s tragic suicide of a young and terminally ill cancer patient, it seemed like all the media could talk about was the courage of controlling your death by taking your own life. Encouraging suicide did not stop with the media.  Many state legislatures began a mad scramble to legalize assisted suicide as quickly as possible.

LAKE CHARLES -- Deacon James Reynold (Ray) Granger, 83, a native of Lake Charles, La., passed away in the comfort of his home on Saturday, June 28, 2014, surrounded by family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be officiated by Fr. Timothy Goodly at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 5, at St. Henry Catholic Church.

By Bishop Glen John Provost

Beginning in the fall of 2013, I began visitation of three parishes selected over a six-month period ending with St. John Vianney Parish, Bell City, the weekend of January 25/26, 2014.   This was the fifth cycle of parish visitations for me since becoming Bishop of Lake Charles. 

LAKE CHARLES - The Diocese of Lake Charles Office of Communications has released a survey to help with future communication efforts.  The survey will help the Office  to determine how the public currently accesses information about the diocese.

LAKE CHARLES – The Rev. Msgr. Daniel Torres, diocesan Vicar General and pastor of St. Henry Catholic Church, commissioned this year’s Abrazando Cristo missionaries  on Sunday, June 22 - The Feast of Corpus Christi - during a liturgy at St. Henry Church.

By Erin Stoyell-Mulholland 

The Obama Administration has branded the HHS contraceptive mandate as a huge advancement for women’s equality. In a 2012 presidential debate, when President Obama was asked how he was going to promote women’s equality in the workplace, he responded by talking about the mandate and his efforts to ensure that all women have access to contraception.

BATON ROUGE – The 2013 Legislative Session came to a close early in June.   There were many pieces of legislation that concerned the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops during the session. Click on the link below for a PDF update of this most recently ended session.

LAKE CHARLES  -- Rickard Newman, who has toured the United States for the past two years as campaign manager for The Anonymous Us Project – the world’s first story-collective educating people on the harms of third party reproduction – has been named Director of Family Life and Pro-Life for the Diocese of Lake Charles.

LAKE CHARLES – Bishop Glen John Provost has called for the faithful of the Diocese of Lake Charles to join him on Friday, June 27, the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Prayers of Reparation for sins offending our Lord, especially in the Most Holy Eucharist.

By Tom Grenchik
 
How are you celebrating the Fourth of July?  The Bishops of the United States have called all the faithful to celebrate the Fortnight for Freedom from June 21 to July 4, 2014. This year’s theme, Freedom to Serve, will celebrate and focus on the freedom of both Catholic individuals and institutions to serve the poor and vulnerable in accord with the Church’s teaching.

The prayer intentions of Pope Francis and Bishop Glen John Provost for the month of June.

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In a statement, Bishop Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, said, "On Wednesday, June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court, for the first time in our nation’s history, handed down rulings that impact the definition of marriage.  As Christians we believe that everyone has inviolable dignity and is entitled to love and respect, and we are committed to protecting the basic human rights of all.  The ability for individual States to redefine marriage serves no one’s rights and further endangers the dignity of all men, women, and children.  The society risks doing grave harm to its spiritual well-being and the common good when it presumes to redefine what God has ordained.  Our present Holy Father, Pope Francis, as Archbishop of Buenos Aires and as recently as his meeting last Friday with the new Archbishop of Canterbury, has communicated the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching on the sanctity of marriage.  In 2010 commenting on the redefinition of marriage, he stated, 'At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts.'” 

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SULPHUR -- His Excellency, The Most Reverend Glen John Provost will celebrate a Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form in Latin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 29 - the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul - in Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church in Sulphur.

By Tom Grenchik

On the same day that we would observe as Father’s Day in the United States, our spiritual father, Pope Francis, celebrated a Sunday morning Mass for Evangelium Vitae Day, culminating a multi-day celebration of the Gospel of Life.

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By Mary McClusky   

Like many others, I have been looking forward to the Papal Mass in St. Peter’s Square as part of the Year of Faith’s “Celebration of Evangelium Vitae: Faithful to Life,” a two-day celebration of Blessed Pope John Paul II’s encyclical on the Gospel of Life. 

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By Mary McClusky   
Elder Bob Hall and the members of his Bronx Household of Faith may soon be out on the street. They are fighting a legal battle with the city of New York for their right to rent space and worship in public buildings that are available to everyone else. 

   BATON ROUGE – The Legislative Session came to a close on Monday, June 4.  There were many pieces of legislation that the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops weighed in on.  These ranged from Education Reform, Pro-Life issues, Social Justice Issues, as well as Louisiana's budget.

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By Deirdre A. McQuade

In "Our First, Most Cherished Liberty,” the bishops called for a “Fortnight for Freedom,” a 14-day period of prayer, penance, education and action in defense of religious freedom from June 21st through the Fourth of July.

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LAKE CHARLES – On what has become her annual trip to Southwest Louisiana to thank those who assist the Asociación Pan y Amor through a spring golf tournament and the Abrazando Cristo Mission Program, Charlotte Somarriba brought stories of advancement and success among the poor of Managua, Nicaragua.

By Deirdre A. McQuade

Dr. Jack Kevorkian died on June 3 at age 83 from kidney-related problems. May God have mercy on him.

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MARRIAGE: UNIQUE FOR A REASON

DVD Resource on Sexual Difference Set for Release
First of Five Videos in New Initiative
Effort Crucial to New Evangelization, says Archbishop Kurtz
 
WASHINGTON — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage has launched a new initiative for the protection of marriage, entitled Marriage: Unique for a Reason. The initiative is to help catechize and educate Catholics on the meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
           
The launch comes with the release of the first of five videos. The first video is called Made for Each Other and includes a Viewer’s Guide and Resource Booklet. It explores sexual difference and the complementarity between man and woman as husband and wife in marriage. Later videos will treat the good of children, the good of society and what constitutes discrimination, religious liberty, and issues particular to a Latino/a audience.
           
“The Committee’s efforts are grounded in the recognition that marriage, as the union of one man and one woman, is at the heart of a flourishing society and culture,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, chairman of the Committee. “The truth of marriage lies at the very core of a true concern for justice and the common good. Promoting marriage is crucial to the New Evangelization. These initial materials seek to provide a key starting point, a compass, for assisting Catholics and all people of good will in understanding why marriage is and can only be the union of one man and one woman.”
           
The DVD, guide, and booklet are intended for use by priests, deacons, catechists, teachers and other leaders. Potential uses include instruction for young adult groups, adult faith formation, and seminary and diaconate education. Materials are online at www.marriageuniqueforareason.org and are available for purchase through www.usccbpublishing.org.

By Susan E. Wills
The recent recommendation by a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel that the FDA approve the sale of Ella (ulipristal acetate) as an “emergency contraceptive” was practically a foregone conclusion.

In a recent letter to the Bishops of the United States, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, chairman of the Board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), spoke of his gratitude to them and the Catholic Church in America for the generosity shown to CRS and its work in assisting Haiti in the ongoing tragedy following last January’s devastating earthquake.
 
“I want to let you know how your support is being used and to respond to some concerns you may have heard about CRS’ operations in Haiti,” Archbishop Dolan said. “Having visited Haiti and often receiving frequent reports from our people on the scene, I can assure you that we can all be extremely proud of the work our agency is doing.”
  
In the months since the earthquake, CRS has accomplished a great deal. It has fed more than 880,000 people, while continuing to operate feeding programs that were in place before the earthquake that regularly benefited 10,000 vulnerable children through orphanages and child-care centers. School feeding programs are benefitting more than 24,000 students in over 100 schools.
 
At the St. Francis de Sales hospital that CRS helped to reopen and continues to support, surgeons brought in by CRS have performed more than 800 emergency surgeries and about 60,000 outpatient consultations. CRS has installed hundreds of latrines and hand-washing stations, drainage, potable water tanks, and inflatable water bladders in 10 sites in and around Port-au-Prince.
  
It has established child-friendly spaces for unaccompanied children in two of the largest and densely crowded camps, serving nearly 2,000 children, and provided more than 5,000 families with vouchers that allow them to choose the types of seeds and fertilizers they want – an approach that also benefits local seed supplies and stimulates local markets.
  
“These accomplishments would be remarkable under normal circumstances as part of an on-going program,” the Archbishop continued. “To me, the fact that they have been done under most difficult circumstances by staff, most of whom were directly hurt by the earthquake, is remarkable.”
  
Archbishop Dolan also spoke of the news accounts, many unfortunate and unfairly criticizing the most active aid agencies, including CRS, for not quickly spending the majority of the donations they have received for Haiti earthquake relief.
  
“We take scrupulous care that all donated funds are used in the most responsible and accountable way possible, both for immediate relief and long-term development,” he said. “We must always balance good stewardship with the desire to respond as quickly as possible.
  
“CRS responded with remarkable speed to the initial crisis,” he continued. “Since the emergency began in January, we have spent, distributed or made available over $19 million of supplies, personnel and assistance. But we are also carefully planning how it will use a significant portion of donated funds for long-term redevelopment. CRS has a five-year strategy that will involve comprehensive programs focusing on the areas of Port-au-Prince, the southern peninsula including the towns of Jacmel, Leogane, and the northern border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.”
  
All of this is being done with nearly all of the funding received from generous people across the United States.   
The Archbishop pointed out the longstanding CRS policy that, aside from a small percentage to cover administrative costs – only five percent per year – “all money collected for a specific emergency, such as the Haiti earthquake, must be used for that purpose.”
  
The Archbishop also made sure to note that an accounting of all donations received from the U.S. dioceses in support of the CRS relief and recover efforts to the Haiti earthquake would be shortly provided.
   
“This report will include both the Special Collection for Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts and all other support from individuals and organizations within your diocese,” Archbishop Dolan said.
  
He also offered the opportunity for any of his fellow bishops to visit the country to see for themselves the work that CRS has been doing.

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LAKE CHARLES – More than $41,000 was raised for the Abrazando Cristo Mission Program with its annual Big Cash Giveaway fundraiser which culminated last Sunday at St. Henry Catholic Church, according to Father Daniel Torres.
  
“We want to thank the 479 ticketholders for their generosity,” Father Torres said. “The mission to Nicaragua, which is set for July 3-11, will benefit greatly from the $41,400 in profit.”
  
The $5,000 first prize was won by David S., ticket 0265, while the $1,000 second prize went to Keith T., ticket  0392; and the $500 third prize was won by Carrol R., ticket 0109.

Father Torres also noted that the recent Johnnie Thibodeaux Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament raised $15,000 for the Abrazando Cristo program and the San Cristobal Boys Home in Managua, Nicaragua.
  
“May God bless you all for your financial and prayerful support for the mission,” Father Torres said.

CAMERON – The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, celebrated at special votive Mass to Avert Storms on the first day of the 2010 Hurricane Season, June 1, in Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church.
  
Father Richard Adiukwu, pastor of St. Eugene Catholic Church in Grand Chenier, and Father Rommel Tolentino, pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Hackberry concelebrated.
  
In the Bishop’s homily, he noted that the special Mass was celebrated “to invoke our Blessed Mother’s intercession under the title of “Our Lady Star of Sea,” that we might be spared stormy and destructive weather.”

He pointed out that the great spiritual writers of the Church remind that any time we approach God with a petition we must possess two qualities.
  
“The first quality is virtue of faith,” the Bishop said. “We must believe and believe firmly.”
  
He also noted, from Luke 17:6, that Christ spoke of this firm faith when He said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
  
The Bishop said the second quality we should have is the quality of humility.
  
"In living the virtue of humility, we are prepared to acknowledge the fact that we are not perfect and that we come in weakness to God with our intentions.”
 
Following the liturgy, at the end of which the Prayer for Safety During Hurricane Season (written by The Most Reverend Maurice Schexnayder, Bishop of Lafayette following Hurricane Audrey in 1957) was recited, Bishop Provost and the people processed to the Shrine of Our Lady Star of the Sea, for a blessing of the shrine and of the people.
  
More than 125 people attended the Mass.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: To read Bishop Provost’s complete homily go to live.lcdiocese.org/bishop-provost/homilies/584-votive-mass-to-avert-storms.html)
  

CAMERON – In the time since Hurricane Rita devastated the Cameron coast and other areas of Southwest Louisiana, many groups and individuals from around the country have made the journey here to provide aid and comfort to those in need and help them rebuild their lives and property. One such group from St. Michael Catholic Church in Sioux Falls, S.D., has returned year after year.
  
The week-long summer sojourn by the 40 youth and 15 adults this year was the fifth, according to Rhonda Kelsey, youth director for St. Michael Church. The group was in Cameron during the first week of Hurricane Season.
  
“This year’s trip combined youth from St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s,” Kelsey said. “Over the five years we have probably brought about 150 kids down here.”
 
Kelsey said she first became aware of the needs of the area after the storm through Catholic Charities.
  
“I read on Catholic Charities where Denise Donahoe had posted a need for religious education supplies because they had lost everything in the parishes affected by the storm,” Kelsey continued. “ After contacting her, because we wanted to help with that need, we decided that we didn’t want to just send money, although we did do that.”
  
She decided that the something they wanted to do would be a hands-on trip.
  
“That first year we came down and did Vacation Bible School at St. Mary of the Lake in Big Lake,” Kelsey said. “Then we had other people – adults - who wanted to come down to Cameron to see what they could do.
  
“We connected with Sandy Gay, the director of the diocesan office of Disaster Preparedness and Response and then with Julie Burleigh in Cameron Parish and have been working with her ever since,’ she continued.
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The young people and their adult guardians, who had spent a long day of helping out in lower Cameron Parish on June 1, were unexpected attendees at the Votive Mass to Avert Storms celebrated by Bishop Glen John Provost at Our Lady Star of the Sea.
  
“I, every once in a while, look at the Cameron Pilot and I saw the bishop was going to do Mass,” Kelsey said. “I first thought that it was at the end of the day and our attire wouldn’t be Mass attire. Then my second thought was that it was a chance to receive the Eucharist and that overshadowed my first thoughts. We were humbled to be there and I think it was a very important thing for the kids to say that they had celebrated the Mass with the bishop of this diocese and prayed with the people of the diocese that the storms wouldn’t come and cause any more damage.”
  
Kelsey said they will continue to return and help “as long as they still have work and by the grace of God. Every year we have done something that I find really uplifting.
  
“Before we come down I show them a slide show from previous years, then after the first day, when we get back to where we are staying (this year at Saint Katharine Drexel Conference Center at Saint Charles Center), we show them the images again. It makes more sense to them then, after they’ve seen it themselves.
 
“One of the great images is Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Creole,” she continued. “We saw it as it was after the storm and then to see it as it is today, it is wonderful.”
 
Kelsey said she feels the stories the people tell the children about the storms help them and they go home with more of a sense of thankfulness and a realization that they are stronger than the thought.

LAKE CHARLES – The Second Annual Jazz Brunch to benefit Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana recently honored two veteran “servants” – Pearl Cole, director of Abraham’s Tent, and Sandy Gay, director of the diocesan Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response – who have aided those most in need in Southwest Louisiana for many years.
  
Ms. Cole, who has been director of the local feeding program for the past 21 years was named the 2010 Caritas Award recipient. She began her ministry at the program, which itself started as Interfaith Ministry to feed the hungry in Lake Charles, as a volunteer. The program began more than 25 years ago and fed about 100 people per day. Today, under Cole’s leadership over 250 individuals are fed each day of the week, based on only one thing – they want a meal.
  
She had seen the need to help from her home parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary when she saw people who came seeking to be fed and that was the impetus for her volunteering at the program.
  
Father Wayne LeBleu, Secretary for the Ministry of Pastoral Services, introduced Mrs. Cole and shared with the group his first encounters with her 15 years ago as he was serving his deacon internship. “She showed me the ropes and she showed me how not to be afraid to care for the needs of others,” Father LeBleu said. “She has said that she feels her greatest accomplishment is that she is ‘happy to be a servant’ and that she ‘knew years ago that this was a calling from God – to serve the needs of the poor.’”
  
In accepting the award, Mrs. Cole said, “I simply want to say thank you to all of you because you have made my job possible. I look around the room and see many donors who have helped keep Abraham’s Tent afloat. I can’t do my job without you. On behalf of Abraham’s Tent, the board of directors and all those that I serve, I say thank you.   

Mrs. Gay, who has held numerous positions in the Diocese of Lake Charles since its inception in 1980, was the 2010 recipient of the St. Peter Claver Award, which honors service to the least among us. Mrs. Gay will retire from her current position on June 30, though she will not be retiring from service to those who are in need.
  
For many years she was the Director of Religious Education for the Diocese, a position that encompassed many different roles including Youth Ministry, the Loyola Institute for Ministry, Holy Cross College, the Ulster Project, the Catholic Leadership Institute and many others. She has served on many boards and committees on both the local and state level,  including Calcasieu Long Term Recovery and the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops Life and Justice Committee.
  
“Her influence has been felt throughout the diocese for many years,” said Mrs. Trish Trejo, Director of Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana. “Every where I go when people find out I work for the Diocese of Lake Charles, they say ‘you know Sandy Gay’. It seems everyone knows Sandy.
  
“With Sandy, it’s people and the relationships between people that is most important,” Trejo continued. “She is naturally the mentor, naturally the intervener. She wants to get in there and find out what’s going on, pulling people together, teaching and trying to make relationships work.”
  
In her “State of Catholic Charities” presentation, Mrs. Trejo said, “We are here to help the people who have trouble helping themselves. That is what Catholic Charities is all about, we are providing help and creating hope for the people of Southwest Louisiana.
  
“There is a crisis that is here every day and it doesn’t come with hurricanes, oil spills or explosions. It comes very quietly and almost without notice, unless you are looking for it,” she continued. “That is the crisis of poverty and the people who are poor don’t always get our attention. Sometimes we have to try really hard to see who they are.”
  
In the first quarter of 2010, Catholic Charities helped 64 clients with almost $12,000 in utility bills, 37 clients with almost $11,000 in rent and mortgage bills and over 1,100 people with food. “We helped 14 clients with just over $1,400 in prescription medication assistance,” Trejo said. “As you can see the need is great.
  
“A wonderful thing this year thus far is that we are up in contributions from generous donors from where we expected to be,” she said. “We are only limited by time – how many people we can see in a given period of time.”
  
Some of the churches have been generous as well while the Emergency Food and Shelter program has provided a little over $40,000 to spend on utilities, rent and mortgage while the organization has access to a Community Block Grant from the City of Lake Charles to prevent homelessness.
  
Catholic Charities can also help provide funeral assistance, employment expenses and identification expense assistance, disaster preparedness and response and immigration services.

LAKE CHARLES - Forty-seven St. Louis Catholic High School sophomores have received the “Louisiana Student Achievement Award” from the Louisiana ACT Council for their performance on the PLAN (Pre-ACT) Assessment.
  
These students are on target to meet or exceed ACT’s College Readiness Benchmarks by graduation, which re empirically-based and identify the level of achievement necessary in English, mathematics, reading and science to have a successful college freshman experience.
 
Students receiving this recognition from the Louisiana ACT Council are:
  
Camille Baca, Juliann Baggett,  Sam Boyer, Samuel Chol, Christopher Darbonne, Amber Doiron, Chaz Oubre, Harrison Flynt, Kelli Fontenot, Matthew Fontenot, Martin France, Kelsey Gaspard, Andrew Gayle, Max Huber, Jacob Ryan Hughes, Haley Hutchins, Shaun Ieyoub, Matthew Jester, Victoria Knollmeyer, Jacob Kraft, Catherine Laborde, Blake Lamendola, Amy Lebleu, Sarah Lungaro , Logan Maes, Tanner Martin, London Maust, Anna McConnaughay, Katelyn McCoy,  Elizabeth Miller, Timothy Montet, Leonardo Nunez, David Odenheimer, Alex Owen, Nina Perzo, Adrianne Poe, Christopher Portie, Frederick Rau, Adelaide Saucier, Alden Schindler, Caroline Solari, Hunter Stidham, Lex Townsley, Joseph Vanchiere, Kailey Venable, Lakeyn Ward, and Rachel Wieschhaus.
   
“I am very proud of these students, teachers, and parents who contributed to what they have accomplished and will accomplish in the future.,” said Laura Smith, the ninth and tenth grade guidance counselor at St. Louis. “Their hard work is paying off and it is evident that these students are focused on pursuing academic success.  St. Louis Catholic High School is dedicated to academic excellence, so this achievement by these students is very pleasing to us”

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, D.D., Bishop of Lake Charles, has made the following appointments, effective July 1, 2010:

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By Mary E. McClusky        
Today we are rightly concerned about damage to women and children from environmental toxins, yet many ignore the health risks and consequences of flooding a woman’s body with hormones from the birth control pill or chemical abortions. 

LAKE CHARLES – Dates, beginning in September, have been set for the next series of teachings by Bishop Glen John Provost at the Men’s First Friday Prayer Breakfasts and the Women’s Luncheons. Neither breakfasts nor luncheons will be held during July and August.
  
Bishop Provost’s topic for the coming year will be “The Gospel of Saint John”. The Navarre Bible Commentary on the Gospel of Saint John, which is available at Crossroads Bookstore, will be helpful during the presentations.
  
The Men’s Prayer Breakfasts will be held on September 10, October 1, November 5, and December 10 for the remainder of 2010. In 2011, the Bishop’s teachings are set for January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1, and May 6. The breakfasts will be held in Ave Maria Hall of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception following the Bishop’s 6:30 a.m. celebration of Mass in the Cathedral. Men may register for the September breakfast by calling the Diocese of Lake Charles at 337-439-7400.
  
The Women’s Luncheons will be take place in the Lake Charles Civic Center beginning September 14. Remaining dates in 2010 are October 12, November 2, and December 7. Dates in 2011 are January 11, February 8, March 1, April 5, and May 3. There will be breakfasts or luncheons in June, July and August 2011.
  
Women wishing to attend the September luncheon should send a check in the amount of $10 to Ms. Esther Gallardo, 612 Alamo Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 and are asked to include a stamped self-addressed envelope.
 

LAKE CHARLES – The hard lessons learned following Hurricane Rita in 2005 helped the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Response better handle the aftermath of Gustav and Ike in 2008 as well as prepare for this 2010 hurricane season, which began last Tuesday.
  
Mrs. Sandy Gay, who has led the office since its establishment in the aftermath of Rita, heads the office, takes a very common sense approach to getting ready for hurricanes or disasters of any sort. “I think it is just responsible day-to-day living,” Gay said. “We all just need to look around us and take care of our business. Preparedness is not seasonal, you must be ready for a disaster at any time and there are many more than one kind of disaster that we might face.
  
“The lists of how to prepare are out there everywhere,” she continued. “You can look at the special insert in the American Press, go to the Red Cross, NOAA, FEMA and many others. We just have to look for the information.”
  
Following Hurricane Rita, for which no one was really prepared, according to Gay, the Diocese worked to institute policies for its parish leadership in addressing any emergency.
 
  “It is really why the office was established in the first place,” Gay said. “We want to continue our focus on helping people get ready and then helping people respond or rebuild or restart their lives following the passage of any disaster.
 
“After all, there is more than one kind of disaster,” she continued. “It is important for us to be attentive and be ready to provide whatever assistance we can to other people.”
 
Some of the websites that can be accessed that will also provide those interested in making further preparations for the potential storms ahead include - www.nhc.noaa.gov/; www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html; www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/; www.fema.gov/hazard/index.shtm; www.weather.gov/om/brochures/hurr.pdf; www.redcross.org/.   
Earlier this week, on the opening day of hurricane season, the Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, celebrated a Votive Mass to Avert Storms in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Cameron. This church parish was founded in 1958, a year following the deadly passage of Hurricane Audrey.
 
Following last Tuesday’s liturgy, Bishop Provost led a procession to the beautiful Shrine of Our Lady Star of the Sea located in front of the church. This current Shrine, dedicated to the Mother of God, Protectress from Storms, was built at the initiation of the late Bishop Maurice Schexnayder, Bishop of Lafayette. The seven-foot Carrara marble statue was commissioned by the Bishop during his time in Rome. The shrine was dedicated on Sept. 11, 1963.
  
Bishop Schexnayder also penned a memorable prayer “Prayer for Safety During Hurricane Season”, asking the Mother of God to protect her children from the harm caused by storms. This prayer continues to be used and Bishop Provost has asked that during hurricane season that everyone in the Diocese of Lake Charles pray for the Virgin Mother’s protection.
(Editor’s note: The prayer is reproduced elsewhere on this page and is available on the Internet at http://live.lcdiocese.org/images/stories/pdfs/hurricane_prayer2010.pdf
 
Bishop Provost has also asked that the priests of the Diocese include in their Prayers of Petition at Mass the following petition: “For all of us during this hurricane season, that we may be protected from all storms, loss of life and destructive weather, we pray to the Lord.”

...

Called 2B Catholic Family Music Festival
of Louisiana set for October 24 in Sulphur
SULPHUR – Called 2B Catholic Family Music Festival of Louisiana (formerly known as Proud2BCatholic.com Music Festival) will be held from 12:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24 on the Sulphur High School Freshman campus.
  
Doors will open at noon and Mass will be celebrated at 5:30 p.m. The event will close with Eucharistic Adoration beginning at 9 p.m. on the main stage.
   
“This all-day festival indoor event is more than a concert,” said Milissa Thibodeaux, director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Lake Charles, which sponsors the event. “It is a faith-filled event featuring Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, an opportunity for Confession, breakout sessions on key topics, and some of the best international recording artists, food concessions, Catholic product vendors and various organizations and ministries. It is an event for the entire family!”
  
A variety of Catholic-Christian music will be performed by Ceili Rain, ValLimar Jansen, Josh Blakesley, Cooper Ray, Greg Walton, Daniel diSilva, Nichole Ackoury Lanthier, Gabriel’s Cry and more, according to Ms. Thibodeaux
  
In addition to the main music stage there will also be the “Music and Ministry Stage” sponsored by St. Michael Music with breakout sessions on key topics.  Speakers will include Cooper Ray, Greg Walton, Daniel diSilva, Katie Prejean, Chip Gauthe, and Joshua Boutte.  Each breakout session will begin with a musical act featuring some of our local and regional musicians.
  
“We will also have a “Vocations.com Coffee House” for teens ages 16 and up, young adults and adults with scheduled talks, testimonies and more,” Thibodeaux said. “Those attending can take time out to pray in the Adoration Chapel featuring music by wonderful faith-filled musicians.  The chapel will be open from noon to 5:30 p.m.
 
“In addition to all of this, we will have a “Kids for Christ Play Area” featuring Party for the Pope, Arts and Crafts, Sand Art, music and dance,” Thibodeaux continued. “It is our prayer that the event brings over 2000 people from Louisiana and other Southern states to the new state-of-the-art facility in Sulphur, Louisiana.  Nearby hotels offer an affordable relief for those traveling, and the large parking lot at Sulphur High will allow free and convenient on-site parking.”
  
Tickets can be purchased at the Diocese of Lake Charles office located at 411 Iris Street, Crossroads Bookstore, and the Youth Office of the church parishes within the diocese.  Call Caroline Dupre at 337-439-7426, Ext. 301 to order tickets by telephone.
  
Lower rates apply for larger groups and diocesan youth groups are encouraged to order together, according to Thibodeaux. For more information about this event, please contact Thibodeaux by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

By Theresa Notare
At a family party one of my relatives, a wife and mother, made an outrageous statement.  She said there is “nothing wrong with Playboy magazine.”  She actually called it “innocent.” 

Did you miss last week's Glad Tidings program, the Sunday morning television ministry of the Diocese of Lake Charles aired from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on KPLC-TV. Or, was there something you saw or heard that you can't quite remember about the show.

A Quest for Pastoral Zeal

The fundamental reason for a special Year for Priests is " to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal," Pope Benedict XVI explained in a letter to the world's priests released on June 18, on the eve of the ceremony that inaugurated the worldwide observance. To read the letter go to  http://live.lcdiocese.org/news/322-popes-letter-to-priests-of-world.html.

The Holy Father opened the Year for Priests with a Vespers service on June 19, the feast of the Sacred Heart. That feast day, he pointed out at the beginning of his letter, has been traditionally dedicated to prayer for the spiritual welfare priests, and thus is an appropriate time to launch the year-long quest for spiritual revival. Moreover, the Pope reminds his readers, this year is the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests: another reason why this year's observance is timely.

Pope Benedict cited the words of the Curé of Ars as a simple summary of the central theme for the coming year: "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus." That theme is woven through the entirety of the Pontiff's letter. The Pope also returns again and again to the words of St. John Vianney and the witness he offered with his life, as an example to be emulated by all priests today.

As he writes about the needs of the universal priesthood, the Holy Father first acknowledges "all those priests who quietly present Christ's words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life." He expresses his admiration and gratitude for the priest who strive to fulfill their vocation, pausing to mention the pastor with whom he worked immediately after his own priestly ordination.

Next the Pontiff recalls "the countless situations of suffering endured by many priests"-- those who are neglected or misunderstood, those who cope with illness or other adversity, those who perform their ministry in adverse situations, and especially those who risk their lives for the good of the faith.

Against that background-- having paid tribute to the many priests who serve their calling admirably-- the Pope acknowledges that there are also priests who fall short, and some who bring disgrace upon the priestly ministry. In his letter the Holy Father does not explicitly refer to the scandals that have plagued the priesthood in recent years. Instead he contrasts the failings of some priests with the lofty calling of their ministry, and emphasizes that the remedy for failure is a better sense of the dignity of the priesthood. In a crucial passage the Pope writes:

    There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers. Then it is the world which finds grounds for scandal and rejection. What is most helpful to the Church in such cases is not only a frank and complete acknowledgement of the weaknesses of her ministers, but also a joyful and renewed realization of the greatness of God's gift, embodied in the splendid example of generous pastors, religious afire with love for God and for souls, and insightful, patient spiritual guides.

Spiritual renewal is bound to come, the Pope argues, if priests recognize the ineffable dignity of their calling. He quotes St. John Vianney: "O, how great is the priest! ... If he realized what he is, he would die."

Dwelling at some length on the reverence that the Curé of Ars had for the priesthood, and the awe that he felt at his own role in confecting the Eucharist, the Pope encourages all priests to mediate on their dignity and to appreciate their vocation. In particular he invites priests to center their lives on the Eucharist.

Returning again to the patron of parish priests, the Pope recalls the prayer that St. John Vianney said when he was assigned to his parish in Ars: "[Lord,] grant me the conversion of my parish; I am willing to suffer whatever you wish, for my entire life." This is the cry of a pastoral soul: the dedication and readiness to sacrifice for the people to whom he ministers.

To be an effective pastor means imitating Christ, the Pope continues. A priest must devote himself fully to his ministry: not as a career but as an offering of his entire self: "The first thing we need to learn is the complete identification of the man with his ministry."

One sign of the priest's dedication-- again a strength of the Curé of Ars-- is the wIllingness to spend hours in the confessional, and to encourage the faithful to make proper use of that sacrament, the Pope says: "Priests ought never to be resigned to empty confessionals or the apparent indifference of the faithful to this Sacrament," the Pontiff adds.

A priest also sets the example for spiritual devotion in his parish, the Pope continues in his letter. People are more often taught by personal witness than by words, and a priest who is himself prayerful will inspire lay people to imitate his devotion. Yet again St. John Vianney offers a model:

    By spending long hours in church before the tabernacle, he inspired the faithful to imitate him by coming to visit Jesus with the knowledge that their parish priest would be there, ready to listen and offer forgiveness.

Again and again in his letter, Pope Benedict stresses the primary importance of spiritual renewal among priests: both as a remedy for scandal and as a route to pastoral success. He urges all priests to renew their dedication, revive their interior lives, and reinvigorate their zeal for souls. This is the purpose of the Year for Priests, the Pope repeats throughout his letter: to stimulate priestly piety and resist the gravitational pull of the routine.

Here too the Pope quotes the wisdom of St. John Vianney: "The great misfortune for us parish priests is that our souls grow tepid." The Year for Priests is intended as an antidote for that spiritual malaise.

...

Letter to Clergy for The Year for Priests
(Released June 18, 2009)
By Pope Benedict XVI

Dear Brother Priests,

On the forthcoming Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday 19 June 2009 - a day traditionally devoted to prayer for the sanctification of the clergy - I have decided to inaugurate a "Year for Priests" in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the "dies natalis" of John Mary Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests worldwide. This Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a more forceful and incisive witness to the Gospel in today's world, will conclude on the same Solemnity in 2010. "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus", the saintly Cure of Ars would often say. This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself. I think of all those priests who quietly present Christ's words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world, striving to be one with the Lord in their thoughts and their will, their sentiments and their style of life. How can I not pay tribute to their apostolic labours, their tireless and hidden service, their universal charity? And how can I not praise the courageous fidelity of so many priests who, even amid difficulties and incomprehension, remain faithful to their vocation as "friends of Christ", whom He has called by name, chosen and sent?

I still treasure the memory of the first parish priest at whose side I exercised my ministry as a young priest: he left me an example of unreserved devotion to his pastoral duties, even to meeting death in the act of bringing viaticum to a gravely ill person. I also recall the countless confreres whom I have met and continue to meet, not least in my pastoral visits to different countries: men generously dedicated to the daily exercise of their priestly ministry. Yet the expression of St. John Mary also makes us think of Christ's pierced Heart and the crown of thorns which surrounds it. I am also led to think, therefore, of the countless situations of suffering endured by many priests, either because they themselves share in the manifold human experience of pain or because they encounter misunderstanding from the very persons to whom they minister. How can we not also think of all those priests who are offended in their dignity, obstructed in their mission and persecuted, even at times to offering the supreme testimony of their own blood?

There are also, sad to say, situations which can never be sufficiently deplored where the Church herself suffers as a consequence of infidelity on the part of some of her ministers. Then it is the world which finds grounds for scandal and rejection. What is most helpful to the Church in such cases is not only a frank and complete acknowledgement of the weaknesses of her ministers, but also a joyful and renewed realisation of the greatness of God's gift, embodied in the splendid example of generous pastors, religious afire with love for God and for souls, and insightful, patient spiritual guides. Here the teaching and example of St. John Mary Vianney can serve as a significant point of reference for us all. The Cure of Ars was quite humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people: "A good shepherd, a pastor after God's heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish, and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy". He spoke of the priesthood as if incapable of fathoming the grandeur of the gift and task entrusted to a human creature: "O, how great is the priest! ... If he realised what he is, he would die. ... God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host". Explaining to his parishioners the importance of the Sacraments, he would say: "Without the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we would not have the Lord. Who put Him there in that tabernacle? The priest. Who welcomed your soul at the beginning of your life? The priest. Who feeds your soul and gives it strength for its journey? The priest. Who will prepare it to appear before God, bathing it one last time in the blood of Jesus Christ? The priest, always the priest. And if this soul should happen to die [as a result of sin], who will raise it up, who will restore its calm and peace? Again, the priest. ... After God, the priest is everything! ... Only in heaven will he fully realise what he is". These words, welling up from the priestly heart of the holy pastor, might sound excessive. Yet they reveal the high esteem in which he held the Sacrament of the Priesthood. He seemed overwhelmed by a boundless sense of responsibility: "Were we to fully realise what a priest is on earth, we would die: not of fright, but of love. ... Without the priest, the passion and death of our Lord would be of no avail. It is the priest who continues the work of redemption on earth. ... What use would be a house filled with gold, were there no one to open its door? The priest holds the key to the treasures of heaven: it is he who opens the door: he is the steward of the good Lord; the administrator of His goods. ... Leave a parish for twenty years without a priest, and they will end by worshipping the beasts there. ... The priest is not a priest for himself, he is a priest for you".

He arrived in Ars, a village of 230 souls, warned by his bishop beforehand that there he would find religious practice in a sorry state: "There is little love of God in that parish; you will be the one to put it there". As a result, he was deeply aware that he needed to go there to embody Christ's presence and to bear witness to His saving mercy: "[Lord,] grant me the conversion of my parish; I am willing to suffer whatever you wish, for my entire life!". With this prayer he entered upon his mission. The Cure devoted himself completely to his parish's conversion, setting before all else the Christian education of the people in his care. Dear brother priests, let us ask the Lord Jesus for the grace to learn for ourselves something of the pastoral plan of St. John Mary Vianney! The first thing we need to learn is the complete identification of the man with his ministry. In Jesus, person and mission tend to coincide: all Christ's saving activity was, and is, an expression of His "filial consciousness" which from all eternity stands before the Father in an attitude of loving submission to His will. In a humble yet genuine way, every priest must aim for a similar identification. Certainly this is not to forget that the efficacy of the ministry is independent of the holiness of the minister; but neither can we overlook the extraordinary fruitfulness of the encounter between the ministry's objective holiness and the subjective holiness of the minister. The Cure of Ars immediately set about this patient and humble task of harmonising his life as a minister with the holiness of the ministry he had received, by deciding to "live", physically, in his parish church: As his first biographer tells us: "Upon his arrival, he chose the church as his home. He entered the church before dawn and did not leave it until after the evening Angelus. There he was to be sought whenever needed".

The pious excess of his devout biographer should not blind us to the fact that the Cure also knew how to "live" actively within the entire territory of his parish: he regularly visited the sick and families, organised popular missions and patronal feasts, collected and managed funds for his charitable and missionary works, embellished and furnished his parish church, cared for the orphans and teachers of the "Providence" (an institute he founded); provided for the education of children; founded confraternities and enlisted lay persons to work at his side.

His example naturally leads me to point out that there are sectors of co- operation which need to be opened ever more fully to the lay faithful. Priests and laity together make up the one priestly people and in virtue of their ministry priests live in the midst of the lay faithful, "that they may lead everyone to the unity of charity, 'loving one another with mutual affection; and outdoing one another in sharing honour'". Here we ought to recall the Vatican Council II's hearty encouragement to priests "to be sincere in their appreciation and promotion of the dignity of the laity and of the special role they have to play in the Church's mission. ... They should be willing to listen to lay people, give brotherly consideration to their wishes, and acknowledge their experience and competence in the different fields of human activity. In this way they will be able together with them to discern the signs of the times".

St. John Mary Vianney taught his parishioners primarily by the witness of his life. It was from his example that they learned to pray, halting frequently before the tabernacle for a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. "One need not say much to pray well" - the Cure explained to them - "We know that Jesus is there in the tabernacle: let us open our hearts to Him, let us rejoice in His sacred presence. That is the best prayer". And he would urge them: "Come to communion, my brothers and sisters, come to Jesus. Come to live from Him in order to live with Him. ... "Of course you are not worthy of him, but you need him!". This way of educating the faithful to the Eucharistic presence and to communion proved most effective when they saw him celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Those present said that "it was not possible to find a finer example of worship. ... He gazed upon the Host with immense love". "All good works, taken together, do not equal the sacrifice of the Mass" - he would say - "since they are human works, while the Holy Mass is the work of God". He was convinced that the fervour of a priest's life depended entirely upon the Mass: "The reason why a priest is lax is that he does not pay attention to the Mass! My God, how we ought to pity a priest who celebrates as if he were engaged in something routine!". He was accustomed, when celebrating, also to offer his own life in sacrifice: "What a good thing it is for a priest each morning to offer himself to God in sacrifice!"

This deep personal identification with the Sacrifice of the Cross led him - by a sole inward movement - from the altar to the confessional. Priests ought never to be resigned to empty confessionals or the apparent indifference of the faithful to this Sacrament. In France, at the time of the Cure of Ars, confession was no more easy or frequent than in our own day, since the upheaval caused by the revolution had long inhibited the practice of religion. Yet he sought in every way, by his preaching and his powers of persuasion, to help his parishioners to rediscover the meaning and beauty of the Sacrament of Penance, presenting it as an inherent demand of the Eucharistic presence. He thus created a "virtuous" circle. By spending long hours in church before the tabernacle, he inspired the faithful to imitate him by coming to visit Jesus with the knowledge that their parish priest would be there, ready to listen and offer forgiveness. Later, the growing numbers of penitents from all over France would keep him in the confessional for up to sixteen hours a day. It was said that Ars had become "a great hospital of souls". His first biographer relates that "the grace he obtained [for the conversion of sinners] was so powerful that it would pursue them, not leaving them a moment of peace!". The saintly Cure reflected something of the same idea when he said: "It is not the sinner who returns to God to beg his forgiveness, but God Himself who runs after the sinner and makes him return to Him". "This good Saviour is so filled with love that He seeks us everywhere".

We priests should feel that the following words, which he put on the lips of Christ, are meant for each of us personally: "I will charge my ministers to proclaim to sinners that I am ever ready to welcome them, that my mercy is infinite". From St. John Mary Vianney we can learn to put our unfailing trust in the Sacrament of Penance, to set it once more at the centre of our pastoral concerns, and to take up the "dialogue of salvation" which it entails. The Cure of Ars dealt with different penitents in different ways. Those who came to his confessional drawn by a deep and humble longing for God's forgiveness found in him the encouragement to plunge into the "flood of divine mercy" which sweeps everything away by its vehemence. If someone was troubled by the thought of his own frailty and inconstancy, and fearful of sinning again, the Cure would unveil the mystery of God's love in these beautiful and touching words: "The good Lord knows everything. Even before you confess, He already knows that you will sin again, yet He still forgives you. How great is the love of our God: He even forces Himself to forget the future, so that He can grant us His forgiveness!". But to those who made a lukewarm and rather indifferent confession of sin, he clearly demonstrated by his own tears of pain how "abominable" this attitude was: "I weep because you don't weep", he would say. "If only the Lord were not so good! But He is so good! One would have to be a brute to treat so good a Father this way!". He awakened repentance in the hearts of the lukewarm by forcing them to see God's own pain at their sins reflected in the face of the priest who was their confessor. To those who, on the other hand, came to him already desirous of and suited to a deeper spiritual life, he flung open the abyss of God's love, explaining the untold beauty of living in union with Him and dwelling in His presence: "Everything in God's sight, everything with God, everything to please God. ... How beautiful it is!". And he taught them to pray: "My God, grant me the grace to love You as much as I possibly can".

In his time the Cure of Ars was able to transform the hearts and the lives of so many people because he enabled them to experience the Lord's merciful love. Our own time urgently needs a similar proclamation and witness to the truth of Love. Thanks to the Word and the Sacraments of Jesus, John Mary Vianney built up his flock, although he often trembled from a conviction of his personal inadequacy, and desired more than once to withdraw from the responsibilities of the parish ministry out of a sense of his unworthiness. Nonetheless, with exemplary obedience he never abandoned his post, consumed as he was by apostolic zeal for the salvation of souls. He sought to remain completely faithful to his own vocation and mission through the practice of an austere asceticism: "The great misfortune for us parish priests - he lamented - is that our souls grow tepid"; meaning by this that a pastor can grow dangerously inured to the state of sin or of indifference in which so many of his flock are living. He himself kept a tight rein on his body, with vigils and fasts, lest it rebel against his priestly soul. Nor did he avoid self- mortification for the good of the souls in his care and as a help to expiating the many sins he heard in confession. To a priestly confrere he explained: "I will tell you my recipe: I give sinners a small penance and the rest I do in their place". Aside from the actual penances which the Cure of Ars practised, the core of his teaching remains valid for each of us: souls have been won at the price of Jesus' own blood, and a priest cannot devote himself to their salvation if he refuses to share personally in the "precious cost" of redemption.

In today's world, as in the troubled times of the Cure of Ars, the lives and activity of priests need to be distinguished by a forceful witness to the Gospel. As Pope Paul VI rightly noted, "modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses". Lest we experience existential emptiness and the effectiveness of our ministry be compromised, we need to ask ourselves ever anew: "Are we truly pervaded by the Word of God? Is that Word truly the nourishment we live by, even more than bread and the things of this world? Do we really know that Word? Do we love it? Are we deeply engaged with this Word to the point that it really leaves a mark on our lives and shapes our thinking?". Just as Jesus called the Twelve to be with Him, and only later sent them forth to preach, so too in our days priests are called to assimilate that "new style of life" which was inaugurated by the Lord Jesus and taken up by the Apostles.

It was complete commitment to this "new style of life" which marked the priestly ministry of the Cure of Ars. Pope John XXIII, in his Encyclical Letter "Sacerdotii nostri primordia", published in 1959 on the first centenary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney, presented his asceticism with special reference to the "three evangelical counsels" which the Pope considered necessary also for priests: "even though priests are not bound to embrace these evangelical counsels by virtue of the clerical state, these counsels nonetheless offer them, as they do all the faithful, the surest road to the desired goal of Christian perfection". The Cure of Ars lived the "evangelical counsels" in a way suited to his priestly state. His poverty was not the poverty of a religious or a monk, but that proper to a priest: while managing much money (since well-to-do pilgrims naturally took an interest in his charitable works), he realised that everything had been donated to his church, his poor, his orphans, the girls of his "Providence", his families of modest means. Consequently, he "was rich in giving to others and very poor for himself". As he would explain: "My secret is simple: give everything away; hold nothing back". When he lacked money, he would say amiably to the poor who knocked at his door: "Today I'm poor just like you, I'm one of you". At the end of his life, he could say with absolute tranquillity: "I no longer have anything. The good Lord can call me whenever he wants!". His chastity, too, was that demanded of a priest for his ministry. It could be said that it was a chastity suited to one who must daily touch the Eucharist, who contemplates it blissfully and with that same bliss offers it to his flock. It was said of him that "he radiated chastity"; the faithful would see this when he turned and gazed at the tabernacle with loving eyes". Finally, Saint John Mary Vianney's obedience found full embodiment in his conscientious fidelity to the daily demands of his ministry. We know how he was tormented by the thought of his inadequacy for parish ministry and by a desire to flee "in order to bewail his poor life, in solitude". Only obedience and a thirst for souls convinced him to remain at his post. As he explained to himself and his flock: "There are no two good ways of serving God. There is only one: serve him as he desires to be served". He considered this the golden rule for a life of obedience: "Do only what can be offered to the good Lord".

In this context of a spirituality nourished by the practice of the evangelical counsels, I would like to invite all priests, during this Year dedicated to them, to welcome the new springtime which the Spirit is now bringing about in the Church, not least through the ecclesial movements and the new communities. "In his gifts the Spirit is multifaceted. ... He breathes where He wills. He does so unexpectedly, in unexpected places, and in ways previously unheard of, ... but he also shows us that He works with a view to the one body and in the unity of the one body". In this regard, the statement of the Decree "Presbyterorum Ordinis" continues to be timely: "While testing the spirits to discover if they be of God, priests must discover with faith, recognise with joy and foster diligently the many and varied charismatic gifts of the laity, whether these be of a humble or more exalted kind". These gifts, which awaken in many people the desire for a deeper spiritual life, can benefit not only the lay faithful but the clergy as well. The communion between ordained and charismatic ministries can provide "a helpful impulse to a renewed commitment by the Church in proclaiming and bearing witness to the Gospel of hope and charity in every corner of the world". I would also like to add, echoing the Apostolic Exhortation "Pastores Dabo Vobis" of Pope John Paul II, that the ordained ministry has a radical "communitarian form" and can be exercised only in the communion of priests with their bishop. This communion between priests and their bishop, grounded in the Sacrament of Holy Orders and made manifest in Eucharistic concelebration, needs to be translated into various concrete expressions of an effective and affective priestly fraternity. Only thus will priests be able to live fully the gift of celibacy and build thriving Christian communities in which the miracles which accompanied the first preaching of the Gospel can be repeated.

The Pauline Year now coming to its close invites us also to look to the Apostle of the Gentiles, who represents a splendid example of a priest entirely devoted to his ministry. "The love of Christ urges us on" - he wrote - "because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died". And he adds: "He died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for Him Who died and was raised for them". Could a finer programme be proposed to any priest resolved to advance along the path of Christian perfection?

Dear brother priests, the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the death of St. John Mary Vianney (1859) follows upon the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes (1858). In 1959 Blessed Pope John XXIII noted that "shortly before the Cure of Ars completed his long and admirable life, the Immaculate Virgin appeared in another part of France to an innocent and humble girl, and entrusted to her a message of prayer and penance which continues, even a century later, to yield immense spiritual fruits. The life of this holy priest whose centenary we are commemorating in a real way anticipated the great supernatural truths taught to the seer of Massabielle. He was greatly devoted to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin; in 1836 he had dedicated his parish church to Our Lady Conceived without Sin and he greeted the dogmatic definition of this truth in 1854 with deep faith and great joy". The Cure would always remind his faithful that "after giving us all he could, Jesus Christ wishes in addition to bequeath us His most precious possession, His Blessed Mother".

To the Most Holy Virgin I entrust this Year for Priests. I ask her to awaken in the heart of every priest a generous and renewed commitment to the ideal of complete self-oblation to Christ and the Church which inspired the thoughts and actions of the saintly Cure of Ars. It was his fervent prayer life and his impassioned love of Christ Crucified that enabled John Mary Vianney to grow daily in his total self-oblation to God and the Church. May his example lead all priests to offer that witness of unity with their bishop, with one another and with the lay faithful, which today, as ever, is so necessary. Despite all the evil present in our world, the words which Christ spoke to His Apostles in the Upper Room continue to inspire us: "In the world you have tribulation; but take courage, I have overcome the world". Our faith in the Divine Master gives us the strength to look to the future with confidence. Dear priests, Christ is counting on you. In the footsteps of the Cure of Ars, let yourselves be enthralled by Him. In this way you too will be, for the world in our time, heralds of hope, reconciliation and peace!

REQUIESCAT IN PACE
Father William Hogan, S.S.J., 88

   BALTIMORE, Md. -- Josephite priest, Father William Hogan, 88, died June 14 at Franklin Square Hospice while a resident of St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore, Maryland. St. Joseph Manor is the retirement and recuperation facility for St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart, the Josephite Fathers and Brothers, a Roman Catholic society of Catholic service for evangelization to African American communities throughout the United States.

   Father Hogan served as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Welsh from 1997-2004, when health issues forced his retirement from active ministry, moving to Baltimore. A memorial Mass will be celebrated by Rev. Celsius Offor at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at St. Joseph Parish in Welsh, with the Rev. Archimandrite Herbert J. May delivering the homily.

   He also served as a pastor or associate pastor at a churches in a number of cities in the South during his priesthood, including Houston, New Orleans, Donaldsonville, Tuskegee, Alabama, Natchez, Mississippi, and Jacksonville, Florida.

   Father Hogan was born May 4, 1921, in Jamaica Plains, Massachusetts, to Joseph Henry Hogan and Grace Sylvester Smith Hogan. The sixth of eight children, he is survived by a sister, Mrs. Mary Stanton and several nieces and nephews.

   Father Hogan was educated in Boston at Seaver Grammar and Parker Grammar schools, Boston English High School, Roslindale Evening Commercial School, and Westworth Institute.

   In 1945, he began his Josephite membership and his major seminary career at St. Joseph Seminary in Washington, D.C. Father Hogan’s permanent Josephite profession was June 2, 1950, and he was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 1951 at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

   He always had a garden, depending on soil, space and need, with both flowers for the church and altar, or vegetables for him and whomever else needed some.

   His tools were many and varied and he was expert with them all. From simple to sophisticated building and carpenter's tools, plumber’s equipment, table saws and hand tools. Other tools were smaller but more powerful and produced a wealth of good. These were his portable typewriter, an engaging approach to writing, and his camera.

   The typewriter was one of his most important tools. His very welcome contributions to the Josephite Harvest magazine over many years described the routines and detailed workings of many parish priests, himself included, in very friendly and amusing forms. He wrote of trips to rural parishioners, visits to their homes, his sick calls, the roads, the weather, the Pyx in which he carried the Blessed Sacrament to the homebound, and of so many of the normal, routine parts of daily priestly life. He was especially fond of remembering in these writings many of the deceased Josephites and their contributions with their interesting stories and accomplishments.

   Always a very prolific and chatty letter writer, he liked to tell the story of his communications with the Income Tax people. Having inadvertently forgotten the quarterly payment of taxes one year, he was sent the usual form letter with its standard indictments and references to fines, fees and penalties. At the time, his cupboard was bare and so he wrote back to the gentle lady whose name he found at the bottom of the letter. He sent a three-page story filled, chatty apology, described his shame at being negligent and promising swift and complete payment. In a short time, he received a response, which while not absolving him of debt, postponed judgment day until the next due date, where she was certain he would pay all. And he did. He thought she was very kind and considerate.

   His other letters were generally in the same character: chatty, warm, detailed and encouraging, finding life in the routine and mundane. Such did he share with Josephites, friends and family throughout the country. His other necessary tool was his camera. In these letters were usually photographs of those things he found interesting in his life, in his priesthood, in the parish and parish gatherings, the local environment, the flora, fauna, his dog and his Camaro. Whatever struck his fancy he liked to share with others. Even in retirement he enjoyed photographing his fellow retirees and their guests and sharing the prints with them.

By Richard M. Doerflinger

The senseless murder of Kansas abortion practitioner George Tiller, allegedly by a mentally ill man with ties to an extremist militia group, has sparked much commentary.

POPE NAMES BISHOP GREGORY AYMOND
AS ARCHBISHOP OF NEW ORLEANS

 

WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin, Texas, 59, as Archbishop of New Orleans. He succeeds Archbishop Alfred Hughes, who turned 75 in 2007. According to Canon Law, bishops submit their resignation to the pope when they turn 75.

           
The appointment was announced in Washington, June 12, by Msgr. Alexander Cifuentes Castaño, chargé d’affaires at the Vatican Nunciature.

           
Gregory Michael Aymond was born November 12, 1949, in New Orleans. He attended elementary and secondary schools in his home city and entered St. Joseph Minor Seminary in 1971. He earned a Master of Divinity degree at New Orleans’ Notre Dame Major Seminary in 1975, and was ordained a priest for the archdiocese on May 10, 1975.

           
Archbishop-designate Aymond served on the faculty of St. John Vianney Preparatory Seminary from 1973-1981, and was on the faculty of Notre Dame Seminary and Director of Pastoral Field Education there from 1981-1986, when he was named rector-president. He was also Archdiocesan Director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and of the Holy Childhood Association.

           
As a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Archbishop-designate Aymond chaired the Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, and served on the Committees on Catholic Education; Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations; Laity, Marriage Family Life and Youth; the Administrative Committee and the Task Force on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person.

          
Archbishop-designate Aymond was named Auxiliary Bishop of New Orleans in 1996, and Co-adjutor Bishop of Austin in June 1, 2000. He became Bishop of Austin January 2, 2001.

Archbishop Hughes was named Archbishop of New Orleans in 2002, after serving as Co-Adjutor Archbishop there since 2001. A Boston native, Archbishop Hughes studied at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, and the Gregorian University in Rome. He was rector at St. John’s when he was name an auxiliary bishop of Boston in 1981. In 1993, he was appointed bishop of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

At the USCCB, Archbishop Hughes has served on the Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis and chairman of the Subcommittee on the Catechism.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans has a population of 1,075, 283 people, with 387,101, or 36 per cent, of them Catholic.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, D.D., Bishop of Lake Charles, makes the following appointments:

St. Louis Catholic High School Senior Awards announced

LAKE CHARLES – A number of awards were made to members of the 2009 Senior Class of St. Louis Catholic High School at the recent Honors Day program.
  
The Principal’s Honor Awards and LA House of Representative Awards went to Valedictorian, Jacob France and Salutatorian, Kelsey Miller.
  
Honor Graduates included Megan Ange, Ryan Baca, Karlee Broussard, Karlotta Bushnell, William Christian, Jordan Churchman, Elizabeth Clausen, Jacob France, Jessica Fry, Bethany Hebert, Kristen Hinton, Sarah House, Natalie Ieyoub, Magdalena King, Madeline Landry, Christopher Lanier, Tiffany McGlathery, Andrew Meschwitz, Kelsey Miller, Ariel Odenheimer, Molly Odowd, Jessica Piatt, Sarah Tinsler, Brian Vaughan, and Ashley Wood.
  
Michael Bennett and Jacob France were named National Merit Commended students.

Named Regents Scholars were Megan Ange, Ryan Baca, Michael Bennett, Karlee Broussard, Kristen Broussard, Karlotta Bushnell, William Christian, Jordan Churchman, Elizabeth Clausen, Nicholas Duffel, Clarisse Duplechian, Jacob France, Emily Fruge, Jessica Fry, Douglas Greenman, and Bethany Hebert.
  
Also, Kristen Hinton, Sarah House, Natalie Ieyoub, Magdalena King, Kayla Klein, Kourtney Kober, Lindsay Kravchuk, Madeline Landry, Christopher Lanier, Nolan Maes, Alexis Malone, Tiffany Mcglathery, Monique McCain, Andrew Meschwitz, Kelsey Miller, Madison Monlezun, Ariel Odenheimer, Molly Odowd,Jessica Piatt, Kathryn Reynolds, Christine Rings, Andrea Robinson, Laura Schindler, Jazzmin Smith, Brandon Stevens, Sarah Tinsler, Brian Vaughan, Kelley Verrette, and Ashley Wood.
  
Magdalena King was honored as the Non-Public High Student of the Year for the Southwest Louisiana District.
  
Students who placed in various subjects at he District Literary Rally at McNeese were Elizabeth Clausen, 1st, English IV; Jacob France, 1st /overall, Physics (France is eligible for a scholarship to McNeese for his success at District Rally. He also placed 2nd at State Rally at LSU); Kelsey Miller, 4th, Calculus; Madison Monlezun, 2nd, Biology II, Ariel Odenheimer, 2nd, Food & Nutrition; Christine Rings, 2nd, Financial Mathematics, and Jessica Taylor, 1st, Environmental Science.
  
Earning certificates from the McNeese Play Rally, recognizing excellence in ensemble acting for their production of the 10-Minute High School Experience were Michael Bennett, Brian Vaughan, and Monique McCain. McCain also received a certificate for Excellence in Acting for her role as “Girl 1” in the production.
  
The Plauche’ DAR Special Award went to Jordan Churchman and the Celebrate Team award to Katie Reynolds.

In the category of Senior Student Council Awards, Monique McCain won the Peter Calderara Memorial Trophy.
  
St. Louis Student Council Awards went to Jonathan Bradberry, Curry Burton, Billy Christian, Jordan Churchman, Clarisse Duplechian, Emily Fruge, Jessica Fry, Allison George, Gustavo Gutierrez, Bethany Hebert, Kristen Hinton, Monique McCain, Tiffany McGlathery, Andrew Meschwitz, Jessica Piatt, Laura Schindler, Sarah Tinsler, Kelley Verrette, and Ashley Wood.
  
The Monsignor Irving A. DeBlanc Service Award went to Ariel Odenheimer.
  
National and Community Awards and their recipients were American Legion Awards: Andrea Robinson and Douglas Greenman; Scottish Rite Patriotism: Megan Ange and Andrew Meschwitz; Knights of Columbus Patriotism Award: Jacob France; Service Above Self Award: Ann Tinsler; Catholic Youth Leadership Awards: St. Margaret Parish Award: Katie Reynolds; Our Lady Queen of Heaven: Kelsey Miller; Mayor’s Community Commitment Award: Jordan Churchman and Elizabeth Clausen; and the Children’s Miracle Network Awards: Ashley Woods.
  
Also, Army Scholar/Athlete Awards: Nicholas Duffel and Jazzmin Smith; Marine Corps Awards: Scholastic Excellence Award: Jacob France
Distinguished Athlete Award: Natalie Ieyoub and Ryan Baca; Wendy’s High School Heisman Awards: Jazzmin Smith and Gustavo Gutierrez; AmeriCorps: Adrienne Granger and Falon Lemelle; PPG National Merit Scholarship: Jacob France; Louisiana Bankers Scholarship: Kelley Verrette; Delta Sigma Theta Scholarship; Karlotta Bushnell - Delta Scholarship; Jonathan Cox - Self Help Award; Adrienne Granger - Delta Gems Scholarship; Jord’n Lewis - Self Help Award; Brandon Stevens - Self Help Award. Zeta Phi Beta Scholarship: Margan Carrier, Brandon Fontenot, and Andrea Robinson.
  
Also, Lela Scholarship: Ariel Odenheimer; Health Systems 2000: Karlotta Bushnell; John J. Johnson Scholarship: Karlotta Bushnell; Jerry Crews Music Scholarship: Curry Burton; USBC Scholarship: Bradley Laningham and Joseph Craig Comeaux; Catholic Daughters Scholarship: Kelsey Miller; Alpha Kappa Alpha Scholarship: Angelica Landry- Self-Help Scholarship; Karlotta Bushnell-Self-Help Scholarship; Elizabeth Clausen- Book Stipend.
  
Among the group of seniors awarded college scholarships were:
  
University of Louisiana-Lafayette: William Christian, Distinguished Freshman Scholarship; Kathryn Reynolds, Distinguished Freshman Housing Scholarship and Sarah Tinsler, Academic Excellence Scholarship. Louisiana Tech University: Gustavo Gutierrez, Freshman Enrichment Program Scholarship and Louisiana Tech’s Counselor’s Choice Scholarship.
  
Southeastern Louisiana University: Michelle Joubert, Southeastern Honor Scholarship; Texas A&M: Andrew Meschwitz, Corps of Cadets Scholarship;
Prairie View A&M (Texas): Karlotta Bushnell, Prairie View A&M University Presidential Scholarship; Tulane: Darrell Guidry-Tulane Legislative Scholarship; Loyola University: Michael Bennett, Academic Award and College of Music Scholarship; University of New Orleans: Christine Rings, Chancellor’s Scholarship
 
McNeese State University: Megan Ange, H. C. Drew Scholarship; Chelsea Breaux, McNeese Foundation Freshman Award, Distinguished Achievement in Art Award; Karlee Broussard, Distinguished Achievement Award, Residence Hall Scholarship; Curry Burton, Choral Scholarship; Clarisse Duplechian, H.C. Drew Scholarship; Jacob France, Honors College Scholarship, Com-Stem Scholarship; Jessica Fry, Board of Supervisors Scholarship, Residence Hall Scholarship; Taylor Griffen, Distinguished Achievement Award in Art; Sarah House, Distinguished Achievement Award; Kayla Klein, H. C. Drew Scholarship; Kourtney Kober, Distinguished Achievement Award; Madeline Landry, Distinguished Achievement Award; Christina Matz, McNeese Foundation Freshman Award; Kelsey Miller, Board of Supervisors Scholarship; Ariel Odenheimer, H.C. Drew Scholarship; Jessica Taylor, Choral Scholarship; Brian Vaughan, Board of Supervisors Scholarship; and Anne Veillon, Choral Scholarship.
  
Louisiana State University: Ryan Baca, Louisiana Freshman Merit Award; China Barrett, Louisiana Freshman Merit Award; George Bonvillain, Jr., LSU National Scholars’ Award; Jordan Churchman, LSU Centennial Award; Elizabeth Clausen, LSU Centennial Award; Bethany Hebert- Louisiana Freshman Merit Award; Natalie Ieyoub, Louisiana Freshman Merit Award;     Madison Monlezun, Louisiana Freshman Merit Award; Laura Schindler, Louisiana Freshman Merit Award; and Amanda Willis, Louisiana Freshman Merit Award.
  
Seniors who were signed to athletic scholarships were Jazzmin Smith, Women’s Basketball, Dillard University; Billy Christian, Men’s Track, and Alexis Malone, Women’s Track, University of Louisiana-Lafayette; Alexis Hutto, Women’s Softball, Louisiana State University-Eunice; Kourtney Kober, Women’s Softball, McNeese State University; and Natalie Ieyoub, Women’s Soccer, Louisiana State University.

...

The Feast of St. Barnabas

My dear People of God,

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has named this the Year of St. Paul, to begin on the evening of Saturday, June 28, 2008 and to end on the Solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, June 29, 2009. His Holiness wishes us to focus our attention on the life and writings of this great "Apostle to the Gentiles." In so doing we can learn a great deal about Christ, His Church, and the mission to spread the Gospel, commonly called evangelization. To assist us all in this Pauline Year, I am announcing for the Diocese of Lake Charles a number of observances.

First, I have requested that all parishes offer to their parishioners Bible Classes in Advent and Lent during the Year of St. Paul. The topic of these Bible Classes will be the teaching of St. Paul as found particularly in his letters and the Acts of the Apostles. I will also teach the same in my monthly Bible Classes. We anticipate that this will open up for us as Catholics a new appreciation for reading the Sacred Scripture in context. As Pope Benedict XVI so eloquently describes it in his book Jesus of Nazareth, "The People of God—the Church—is the living subject of Scripture; it is in the Church that the words of the Bible are always in the present."

Second, in keeping with the spiritual treasures entrusted to the Church by Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, Pope Benedict XVI is granting a Plenary Indulgence to those who participate in this Year of St. Paul. A Plenary Indulgence is a celebration of the abundant Grace of Jesus Christ in His Church. In the words of the official decree from Rome, an indulgence renews and reinforces the "intentions of supernatural salvation" in the "faithful for their sanctification." The Plenary Indulgence is first granted to those who make pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome. It is also extended to the local Church.

In the Diocese of Lake Charles, I have designated the Church of St. Paul in Elton as our pilgrimage site. Founded in 1913, this Church is the only parish in our diocese named for the great apostle. The Plenary Indulgence from temporal punishment due to sin is granted to all who visit there and who are truly repentant and have received absolution in the Sacrament of Penance and participated in Holy Communion, as well as have offered prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father. The days of pilgrimage to the Church of St. Paul in Elton are the following: June 29 of both 2008 and 2009; the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul, November 18, 2008; the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, January 25, 2009; the feast day of St. Timothy and St. Titus, January 26, 2009; the anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Lake Charles, April 25, 2009; the feast day of St. Barnabas, June 11, 2009. This same indulgence is extended to our sick and homebound or those who for some important reason cannot make pilgrimage and have fulfilled the same conditions of sacramental absolution, Eucharistic participation, and prayers for the Holy Father.

Third, I also encourage on these days parish pilgrimages, days of recollection, and Eucharistic devotion in our own parishes. In this way, may the honor we give St. Paul assist us in the spiritual life and encourage us to greater charity and good works.

I pray that this Year of St. Paul bears much fruit. Three important subjects come to mind: Sacred Scripture, the Church, and the Eucharist. May it help increase our knowledge and love of the Sacred Scripture. May we come to love more deeply the Body of Christ to which we belong, that St. Paul taught was the Church (Ephesians 1:15-23, Colossians 1:18, Romans 12:4-8) and that we celebrate in the Eucharist (I Corinthians 11:23-29). May true blessings flow from our prayer, reflection and charitable works.

With every best wish and beseeching the intercession of St. Paul, I remain

Devotedly yours in our Lord,

+Glen John Provost
Bishop of Lake Charles