News - January 2019 RSS Feed

Queridos hermanos: el evangelista Lucas nos presenta la continuación del pasaje del domingo pasado, en el cual Jesús presentaba su programa y dejaba como impronta su frase: “Hoy se cumple esta Escritura que acaban de escuchar”.  En un primer momento, todos parecen estar de acuerdo en eso de la liberación de los pobres, el Año de Gracia y el anuncio de la Buena Noticia, pero en seguida llegan los desacuerdos: “¿No es éste el hijo de José?”, el hijo del carpintero. “Y Jesús les dijo: Sin duda me recitarán aquel refrán: Médico cúrate a ti mismo: haz también aquí en tu tierra lo que hemos oído que has hecho en Cafarnaúm”. Sin duda ellos esperaban un Mesías todopoderoso y milagrero.

Sacred Heart Brother Martin Hernandez tried his best in 1969 to stop his fellow Brothers from naming their new high school on Elysian Fields Avenue after him, but they did it anyway because he was so beloved. On Jan. 22 in honor of the school’s 50th anniversary, a new bronze statue of Brother Martin, crafted by sculptor Kim Bernadas, was dedicated by the school and blessed by Father Kyle Dave, ’89.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Elementary School, which has provided a Catholic education to generations of Norco-area families for six decades, will close at the end of the 2018-19 school year, announced Dr. RaeNell Houston, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. “It is truly overwhelming to think about the extraordinary impact of the school’s ministry in Catholic education on the Norco community and beyond,” said Houston, who shared the sad news of the school’s forthcoming closure with faculty, staff and school families Jan. 22. Houston said that despite its strong legacy, student enrollment at Sacred Heart had dropped to a level where it was not sustainable. The school, offering grades pre-K2 through 7, has a current enrollment of 85 students. “I, along with the staff of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, are proud to have worked with strong school and parish leadership at Sacred Heart over the years,” Houston said, expressing gratitude to 60 years of pastors, principals, teachers, staff and school families. “The commitment to Catholic education and the Norco community is evident in everything that has been done at Sacred Heart. For this commitment, and for the families that have benefitted from Catholic education at Sacred Heart, we are truly grateful,” she said.

Charles Dudley Warner, a friend of Mark Twain, famously remarked in 1873: “Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” People often express similar feelings about the prison system. When crime and punishment are debated, usually there are competing interests at heart: justice and mercy, society’s security and personal rehabilitation. When 24th Judicial District Court Judge Scott Schlegel, a former Jefferson Parish prosecutor who had handled thousands of criminal cases, first heard about the “Re-Entry Court,” he was fascinated.

The image of Jesus’ Sacred Heart – which burns with the fire of God’s love even while wrapped in a crown of thorns – is a fitting symbol for what drives the educational mission of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, said Archbishop Gregory Aymond, delivering the homily at the Jan. 24 Mass celebrating two milestones: the 150th anniversary of the Sacred Heart Brothers’ arrival in New Orleans and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Brother Martin High School. “The image of the heart of Jesus summarizes the personal love that our God has for us, a love that we cannot fully grasp with our human condition,” said Archbishop Aymond, speaking also as a member of the 1967 graduating class of Cor Jesu, which consolidated with the Sacred Heart Brothers’ first New Orleans school – St. Aloysius – to form Brother Martin High School in 1969.

In the more than 30 annual Washington, D.C. Marches for Life I have participated in, I always think the current march is the largest ever. But since accurate figures are hard to come by, it usually comes down to taking a good guess. But a 60-second time-lapse video produced by Students for Life of America clearly reveals, regardless of the exact number, that this year’s March flowed on and on (check it out https://bit.ly/2Hu3sC2).

El gobernador de Nueva York, Andrew Cuomo, firmó una ley de aborto siniestra, la “Ley de Salud Reproductiva,” que en muchos casos, legaliza el aborto hasta el nacimiento. ¿Cómo le golpea esta noticia? Me golpea como horrorosa e impactante. Se llama “Ley de Salud Reproductiva.” No creo que podamos definirla algo como “salud” cuando permite quitarle la vida a un niño en el útero. Otra triste ironía es que, el Gobernador Cuomo, promulgó el proyecto de ley en el aniversario de Roe vs. Wade, que durante casi 50 años, ha legalizado la asesinato de vidas humanas por nacer, lo que provocó la muerte de al menos 60 millones de bebés desde 1973. Él incluso, dirigió la capitel en el One World Trade Center, y en varios otros edificios estatales que, se iluminarán de color rosa, para “celebrar este logro y, brillar una luz radiante hacia adelante, para que el resto de la nación lo siga.” El gobernador exigió que se aprobara la ley, antes de que estuviera de acuerdo  de aprobar el presupuesto estatal. Todos sabemos que hay, en general, una falta de respeto por la dignidad de la vida humana en nuestro país. Esta ley establece otro precedente escalofriante, que es muy aterrador. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre terminar la vida de un niño en el útero, o dejar que nazca el bebé y luego, quitarle la vida? Bajo la nueva ley, los no-médicos, ahora están autorizados a realizar abortos. El procedimiento podría realizarse hasta que la madre de a luz, si la salud de la mujer está en peligro, o si el feto no es viable. La ley anterior, permitía los abortos después de 24 semanas de embarazo, solo si la vida de una mujer, estaba en riesgo.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed an ominous abortion bill into law – the “Reproductive Health Act” – that in many cases legalizes abortion up until birth. How does this news hit you? It hits me as horrific and shocking. It’s called the “Reproductive Health Act.” I don’t think we can define something as “health” when it allows taking a child’s life in the womb. Another sad irony is that Gov. Cuomo signed the bill into law on the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, which for nearly 50 years has legalized the taking of unborn human life, resulting in the deaths of least 60 million babies since 1973. He even directed the spire on the One World Trade Center and several other state buildings to be lit pink to “celebrate this achievement and shine a bright light forward for the rest of the nation to follow.” The governor demanded that the law be passed before he would agree to approve the state budget. We all know there is, in general, a lack of respect for the dignity of human life in our country. This law sets up another chilling precedent, which is very scary. What’s the difference between ending a child’s life in the womb or letting the baby be born and then taking the child’s life? Under the new law, non-doctors are now allowed to conduct abortions. The procedure could be performed until the mother’s due date if the woman’s health is endangered or if the fetus is not viable. The previous law allowed abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy only if a woman’s life was at risk.

The loss of a stillborn baby several years ago has turned into a full-time Catholic ministry for families with a similar loss. It all began when Maria Payne, caretaker for Monday Night Disciple member Donald Sampey’s son, Alex Boudreaux, lost her grandchild and didn’t know what to do. Sampey said Joe Catalanotto, a fellow Monday Night Disciple, knew of a group that could help with the burial of the baby. Then Payne asked, “Mr. D (Donald), why don’t you build a casket for me?” 

The long-awaited new campus of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Elementary School in Kenner will open in August 2019. The top two photos show the covered play area. The third photo shows the two-story classroom (grades K-7) building on the left and the administration building and early childhood center on the right.

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Sometimes, I lament to my husband that I’m “such a Martha,” always keeping myself busy and letting little distractions get in the way of my ability to be in the present moment and hear God’s voice. This includes my parenting, where I’m often the “Martha” who shops for and labels all of the school supplies, plans out the “perfect” lessons, keeps the children on task, cleans and organizes the house and prepares the meals, chauffeurs the kids around to all the extra-curriculars, gives the baths, shops for birthdays and holidays, etc.  While keeping busy with the “urgent” stuff, I miss out on more meaningful things because of trying impress others with my Pinterest-worthy class Valentines, clean bathroom grout and meals cooked from scratch.

The Clarion Herald posed the following three questions to students attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans:  1. What teacher has had an impact on your life, and how did that happen?  2. What blessings have you received from your Catholic school education? Was there a challenging situation that your school (teachers or fellow students) helped you overcome?  3. How inspired have you been by the example of your parent(s) who have had to sacrifice in order to send you to Catholic school? The response was overwhelming. The Clarion Herald received about 150 submissions from across the archdiocese.  The next few pages speak of the beauty of Catholic education more simply and poignantly than just about anything else we could dream of. Thank you teachers, parents and students!

WASHINGTON (CNS) – The two Supreme Court cases that legalized abortion virtually on demand in the United States were based on “deception,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas. “The late Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, lied about being gang-raped,” said Archbishop Naumann, new chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “After her pro-life conversion, Norma acknowledged that she was deceived by her attorneys about the reality of abortion. For the last 20 years of her life, Norma McCorvey labored tirelessly to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

When she came on board this past fall as the new coordinator of religious education (CRE) at St. Ann School in Metairie, Michelle Buisson Alley was asked by teachers if she could find a multi-media rosary guide that was “less scary” for children. The guides that were available tended to flash images of ominous-looking angels and Gothic-style stained-glass scenes. The recording on one rosary guide used the term “Holy Ghost” – rather than “Holy Spirit” – during the Sign of the Cross, causing students to raise their eyebrows.

How can you directly help make Catholic schools more affordable to a family that desires to provide that for their children? The Archdiocese of New Orleans will take up a special collection at all weekend Masses (Jan. 26-27) to provide tuition assistance to as many families as possible. Please be generous. Out of town this weekend and not at your parish church? Visit http://nolacatholic.org/donate to make a gift.

Queridos hermanos: en el Evangelio de este domingo el evangelista Lucas relata la escena donde Jesús pareciera estar presentando una especie de programa muy sencillo utilizando las palabras del profeta Isaías y que tiene sólo cinco puntos: “1-Me ha enviado para anunciar el Evangelio a los pobres, 2-para anunciar a los cautivos la libertad, 3-y a los ciegos, la vista, 4- para dar libertad a los oprimidos, 5-para anunciar el año de gracia del Señor”. Interesante si además tenemos en cuenta sus únicas palabras originales: “Hoy se cumple esta Escritura que acaban de escuchar”. Y se cumple en él, lo veremos a lo largo de sus años de predicación, con los leprosos, los enfermos, los ciegos, los marginados…, no sólo lo anuncia, sino que lo vive. Su vida será anunciar la Buena Noticia a los pobres. Si ser cristiano, como decía el catecismo: es ser discípulo de Cristo, debemos seguir su programa y saber bien en lo que tenemos que comprometernos, para que se vea en nosotros que somos testigos de Jesús.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Jan. 17, the eve of the March for Life, pilgrims from the Archdiocese of New Orleans began the day in praise to God in Mass at their hotel, and ended it in benediction at the 10th annual “Life is Very Good” evening of prayer and rally at EagleBank Arena at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. “Tonight was one of those times when you hear God,” seminarian Ajani Gibson told the pilgrims after having experienced the powerful and spirit-filled rally and then being quiet and still in benediction. “We find out how God speaks to us in those moments of silence.” Sponsored by the Diocese of Arlington, the evening featured speakers Chris Stefanick, ministry leader and performer Steve Angrisano and the Christian band “I Am They.” “Be open and allow God to come into our heart,” Angrisano told 8,000 young people from across the United States who came from as far away as North Dakota. He mentioned how the event has grown from its inception 10 years earlier with only 350 people.

I wonder if there was a party Friday in Baton Rouge at the LHSAA convention? After all, Friday marked the six-year anniversary of the vote to split the football playoffs into private and public championships. Was there a cake and candles? Party favors? Jocularity for all? Six years later, high school sports in Louisiana is broken, and one of the sports most injured by it is not football but basketball. That is why the ears of several private-school principals perked up when they read the proposals by Teurlings Catholic principal Mike Boyer to hold separate championships in the sports currently split. It makes sense – and cents.

St. Andrew the Apostle Elementary School in Algiers has been named a 2018-19 “Blue Ribbon School of Excellence” by the eponymous non-profit that heralds exemplary international role models of elementary and secondary education. St. Andrew the Apostle received Blue Ribbon Schools’ highest honor, becoming one of one of only 25 schools selected as “Lighthouse” places of learning. This latest accolade renews the Lighthouse status previously earned by the school in 2013. Father John Talamo Jr., St. Andrew’s pastor, said he believes every Catholic school would benefit from Blue Ribbon Schools’ rigorous accreditation process – which helps schools identify their weak spots as well as their strengths  – because superior and ever-improving schools would attract more families to Catholic education.