News - August 2018 RSS Feed

Back to school jitters. It’s not just the students who have them or the parents dropping their children off at school for the first time. It’s the teachers, too. In the past few weeks, I’ve loved watching my social media newsfeed burst with photos of back to school.

Tim Rebowe seems to have found the winning combination of athletes, bolstered by 23 who played high school football at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, to lead his Nicholls State football team to another productive season in the Southland Conference.

“Finally, the church is talking with us, not about us,” a young adult replied when asked about her faith and why she considers herself “Catholic-ish.”   She went on to be videotaped as part of the research study, “Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation of Young Catholics,” commissioned by St. Mary’s Press.

“River of Faith: 300 Years as a New Orleans Catholic Community” The question of the fleur de lys is a mix of fact and legend. The spelling in French is “lys” and not “lis,” which means that the question concerns an old symbol (lys) rather than a flower (lis). In French, there is no difference in the pronunciation of lis or lys; the difference is only in the spelling.

On the first day of classes for Archbishop Rummel’s eighth and ninth graders, Deacon Andrew Gutierrez, class of 2011, addressed the young Raiders about the Feast of the Assumption of Mary and why it was a holy day of obligation. Deacon Gutierrez explained all aspects of the Mass and answered questions.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A former apostolic nuncio to the United States accused church officials, including Pope Francis, of failing to act on accusations of abuse of conscience and power by now-Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick.

As someone who has worked for all of his adult life for more than four decades and seen the ministries of the church up close at two dioceses, this archdiocese, at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and two national organizations, I have found the priest sexual-abuse crisis shocking and inexplicable, and I have been troubled trying to understand how best as a Catholic to respond.

Benilde Hall, the 1960s-era, three-story building at St. Paul’s School that once housed a dorm, classrooms and a library, has been renovated. Since the spring, exterior bricks have been restored and the building’s facade has been changed to create a  more modern and appealing look. An elevator shaft and a second stairwell were added along with new bathrooms.

Uno de los temas presentados en las últimas historias de abuso sexual fue el de la formación sacerdotal en nuestros seminarios.

ST. JOSEPH CHURCH AND SHRINE, Women’s Club holds annual Italian cookie sale of almond, sesame seed and sweetbread anise cookies for $5 a dozen; and fig cookies for $10 a dozen. Order deadline: Sept. 4. 460-6959.

One of the issues brought forward in recent sex abuse stories was that of priestly formation in our seminaries. Throughout the years, I have been involved in seminary formation, and I consider it of utmost importance to ascertain that the formation is balanced and spiritually grounded and also prepares seminarians to be good shepherds, as we see modeled in the life of Christ.

Ursuline Academy celebrated the first day of school with students in first through 12th grades attending the Mass of the Assumption in National Shrine to Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the annual blessing of the school’s herb garden. During Mass, celebrated by Father Peter Finney, pastor of St. Rita Church, New Orleans, Ursuline commissioned its new extraordinary ministers: Madison Boten, Mykah Brown, Rachel Durand, Katie Elam, Zoe Elam, Marguerite Eppling, Marie Foret, Isabel Frey Ribeiro, Charlotte Kimble, Diana Ledet, Lauren Songy and Casey Talbot.

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM DUBLIN (CNS) – Pope Francis said Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano’s long document calling on him to resign is written in a way that people should be able to draw their own conclusions.

At precisely 2 p.m. on Aug. 24, dressed in a red vestment and red mitre, Bishop Michael G. Duca pounded on the door of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge with a rubber mallet, signaling his wish to “come in.” When the doors opened wide, the bishop walked into a packed house of more than 730 people, with a choir and congregation, accompanied by a pipe organ and brass quintet, singing “Lift High the Cross.”

St. Ann Home and School Association recently installed its executive board members. They are: Laura Demalas, secretary; Tammy Vaccaro, co-president; Courtney Fox, co-president; Shelly Nunes, parliamentarian; Kristen Nugent, treasurer.

On July 1, altar servers Mattaeus Dischner, Michael Monistere and Grant Restel were lauded for being altar servers from second grade through high school at St. Benilde Church in Metairie. Combined, they have served approximately 1,000 Masses.

The management of WLAE television last week announced that Part III of their award-winning documentary, “Glory Days: The Catholic League of New Orleans,” is in production with a target air date of December.

Capuchin Franciscan Father Teodoro Agudo will bid farewell to St. Theresa of Avila Parish after 49 years of ministry with a Mass of Thanksgiving Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. at the church, 1404 Erato St., New Orleans.

It seems a difficult task sometimes to write this column. As I read – with horror, shock and disgust – of the crimes committed by the priests in six dioceses in Pennsylvania and the possible culpability of the bishops, part of my shrinking stomach was due to the fact that I couldn’t simply let this moment go by without comment. 

Guy Lecompte and Nathaniel Jones have set goals on and off the football field for their athletes. Character building is the more important of the two.