News RSS Feed

"To fall in love with God is the greatest of romances, to seek him the greatest adventure, to find him the greatest human achievement." As we celebrate Priesthood Sunday on the last Sunday of September, these words of Saint Augustine resonate in my heart with deep emotion. God is defined in Sacred Scripture as love. "God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God and God lives in him" (1 John 16). The Catholic priesthood is the vehicle through which I have been able to experience and participate in the love of God. I am in love, and my fourteen years of priesthood have been an amazing adventure of love. My bride is the Church, the Bride of Christ. Most of the time my bride is beautiful to behold and wonderful to be with, but sometimes my bride can be like a nagging wife in curlers or worse yet, unfaithful and corrupt. Nevertheless, Jesus calls me each day to love this Bride with renewed love made in acts of service, patience, and forgiveness.

The Missionaries of St. Therese is celebrating its 75+ year anniversary this October with a special Mass to be celebrated by Archbishop Aymond on October 1st and a Rose Petal Luncheon Social also to be attended by Archbishop Aymond on October 13th. Click for details.

The Saints King Cake fundraiser originally scheduled for this weekend has been postponed- date TBD. Please pray for those affected by Hurricane Ida.

We will have our usual Mass schedule back starting this weekend (Sept 11th & 12th) as well as restart our Saturday 3pm Confessions. The Parish Office will be open beginning Monday, Sept 13th. Please know that you are in our prayers and that we are here for you as we begin the recovery efforts in our community. Click for details.

There is a fundamental spiritual component to our present COVID-19 crisis and the pending arrival of Hurricane Ida. While the landscape of our lives change, we must stand on some simple truths that we’ve repeated all our lives. We must now call upon these truths for strength, peace, and guidance in the midst of the storm.

At the recent meeting of the Catholic Bishops of the United States, there was an enthusiastic discussion about a movement of “Eucharistic Revival” for the Church in our nation. Many people are asking: what does “Eucharistic Revival” really mean? We might think about it in this way. Sometimes when we go through a time in our life when we have faced many challenges, when we have been “running as fast as we can” just to keep up, we find ourselves exhausted, simply burned-out. We may even just collapse. We get so tired that we can hardly move. Our eyes are only half-open as we sink into a sort of stupor. We cannot see what is right in front of us. We cannot recognize who can bring us back to life – who can revive us. [...]

Hotel Hope is currently looking for volunteers ages 21 yrs.+ to be present for various shifts as a concierge at the front desk of the shelter.  Click for details.

Click Here to listen to Fr. Robert Cooper as he speaks with Catholic Community Radio, discussing our upcoming Eucharistic Revival!

If Julia Child is not a saint, she is at least a “blessed” in my book. She changed how Americans understand meal sharing, and meal sharing is central to our lives as Catholics. What Julia Child (and the TV chefs she inspired) taught us, of course, was not cooking. What they taught us was the spirituality of dining. We can learn some important principles from these chefs about the importance of family dining and how dining teaches us about Eucharist.  Julia Child was famous for stressing the basics. The basics of the Eucharist include four actions: take, bless, break, and share. If the family meal is also centered on those basic actions, it will teach us about Eucharist. [...]

The Catholic Art Showcase is a gallery-style event co-sponsored by Notre Dame Seminary (NDS) and The St. Louis IX Art Society (SL9) in which the local South Louisiana community is invited to meet local Catholic artists and view and appreciate their faith-inspiring work. Click for details.

Racism is evil. The Church’s teaching is clear: “The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it: every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.” (CCC #1935) Throughout the centuries, Christians have always been at the forefront of the fight for civil rights. We are quite proud of this as Catholics. But we have always known that how we fight against racism and injustice matters. Choosing to espouse deeply problematic philosophical theories to address social problems, even with the best of intentions, will always make things worse. This is what I believe is happening with the development of Critical Race Theory. [...]

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” - Luke 12:49 Lord Teach Me To Pray invites you to attend a Weekend of Prayer, September 23-26, 2021

Almost every Catholic senior can recount stories of huddling with family members around the radio to listen to Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on NBC Radio’s “Catholic Hour.” Many others can recall his top-rated television program, “Life is Worth Living,” viewed by thirty million people each week of all faiths. Still today his voice resonates to Catholics, young and old, through the treasure of audio and video recordings. [...]

This World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly that we are celebrating this Sunday, July 25th, can help us to understand that all of us, young and old, grandparents and grandchildren, whether or not we belong to the same family, are “one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call.” This awareness comforts us and shapes us as a people as we gather around the altar on which the Lord multiplies the bread of life and the Word of our salvation. The elderly − like the young − are important. Without them the body of the Church lacks something. That is why it is necessary for them to have their rightful place within of our parish family. It is crucial that we share in the lives of older people in the same way that the Lord, in giving us His Body and Blood, has made us sharers in His own. [...]

On May 13, 1917, three children named Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta were grazing their family’s flock of sheep when the Virgin Mary appeared to them atop a small oak tree. She came to them with a message: their prayers and sacrifices could help stop World War I and rescue people who were suffering because of their own sins. What a beautiful and hopeful message! [...]

As we leave the month of June, the month of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we welcome this month of July which is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of the Lord, Jesus. This seventh month of the year invites us to spend some reflective time in thanking Jesus for the gift of the shedding and offering His blood for our salvation. [...]

On July 4, 1776, in the midst of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia courageously declared the thirteen colonies independent from Great Britain. Today, 245 years later, we celebrate this Declaration. With all our fellow Americans, we celebrate our freedom on Independence Day, the Fourth of July.  As Catholics, we especially pray for religious liberty as we conclude our observance of Religious Freedom Week 2021. [...]

The CCRNO Regional Conference begins TONIGHT at Divine Mercy Parish! The theme for this year’s conference is “Reboot, Refresh, and Renew!” As we prepare for this spirit-filled event, it begs the question: What is the Catholic Charismatic Renewal? [...]

This weekend we celebrate Father’s Day. A wonderful tradition that most families will celebrate with a family BBQ, a visit to the parents’ house, and gifts for dad. It is a day we use to say thank you to our fathers for all they do to support us in life. In the midst of growing confusion and chaos in the world, Catholic fathers can help their families, their parishes, and the world find greater peace in Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. [...]

Back when I was a child, mealtime had a special significance in my family. It was a time to gather around our table to share the news of our day — and some good food. Even when I grew older, gathering as a family around our dinner table to share a meal was not only tradition, but it was almost sacred. You wouldn’t dare take your plate to another room to watch TV because there would be serious consequences. Gathering at the dinner table was the focal point of our day — a very special place and occasion for familial communion and fellowship. [...]