News - February 2012 RSS Feed

You recently talked to a large group of young adults at Theology on Tap. What was the theme of your remarks? The group wanted me to talk about being a producer in a consumer society. Young adults are so used to being consumers.

Like so many locals, Gabrielle Champagne lost all her cookbooks – and the even more valuable notes scribbled in the margins – to the muck and waters of Hurricane Katrina. A post-storm determination to regain what was lost, coupled with the need to come up with a creative school fund-raiser, led Champagne and her fellow  St. Pius X Mothers’ Club members to publish 2007’s “Family Favorites,” a collection of 181 recipes from the parish and school family.

As a youngster at St. Charles Borromeo School, Jason Brauninger took part in a special day in which students could attend classes in the career garb of their choice. Brauninger dressed up as a priest, donning a black shirt and clerical collar lent to him by his parochial vicar, Father Paul Hart.

Louisiana High School soccer championships and New Orleans Catholic schools are synonymous with each other. Jesuit, the top seed in Division I, gained a thrilling, come-from-behind 3-2 victory over No.

As NFL free agency approaches, it is time for a walk down black-and-gold memory lane. Who are the five best and worst Saints’ free agent signings? The top five start with perhaps the greatest free agent signing in NFL history.

What is the presentation of the gifts? The presentation of the gifts marks the beginning of the second major part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This preparation also has been traditionally called the offertory, since the priest prepares the gifts to be offered.

In the early 1940s, when Betty (Billiot) Matherne was 8 and living in Lafitte, she hadn’t yet been to school because her feet and her hands always seemed to be on fire. Her parents had tried everything they could to cure the chronic skin condition that seemed to ignite like clockwork every other month.

Where does the Catholic tradition of Lent come from? It’s rooted in the Old Testament tradition of repentance, fasting and prayer. The custom of wearing sackcloth and ashes was meant to show our realization that we need to have a change of heart in order to draw closer to God and to be more loving to others.

U.S. Catholic bishops will use every legal means necessary – including putting political pressure on Congress and pursuing legal action in the federal courts – to eliminate the government mandate that Catholic entities be forced to provide health insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, contraception and surgical sterilization, the general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) told Catholic journalists on a nationwide conference call Feb. 16.

Click here for photos of the fire at Resurrection of Our Lord School and the school’s recovery plans. A pre-dawn fire that extensively damaged Resurrection of Our Lord School in New Orleans on Feb. 14 was the work of arsonists, but principal Dr. Si Nguyen said his students and faculty have been buoyed by the support they have received from the archdiocesan Office of Catholic Schools and other schools.

Después de mucha búsqueda a la controversia, el Presidente Obama dijo el 10 de febrero, que él estaba ordenando al departamento de salud y servicios humanos, modificar los reglamentos sanitarios, por lo que si una entidad religiosa tiene objeciones morales en proporcionar seguros de medicamentos para inducir el aborto, anticoncepción y la esterilización, no serían directamente pagados por esos servicios, pero esos servicios serían pagados por la misma compañía de seguros.

Deadline: Submissions due Thursday (10 days before each issue) calendar@clarionherald.org (504) area code unless noted Feb. 25-March 3 EVENTS TRISH FOTI GENCO, release of her sixth solo project “Loved.” Concerts scheduled Feb. 26, 5 p.m., featuring Robin Holtz Williams (piano), Karen Ray (cello), Vance Woolf (trumpet), Trinity Episcopal Church, 1329 Jackson Ave., New Orleans, ; March 4, 7:30 p.m., Myra Rogers Chapel, Tulane University, featuring Robin Holtz Williams, John Rankin (guitar) and Karen Ray; March 11, 6:30 p.m., St. Anselm Catholic Church, 306 St. Mary’s St., Madisonville, featuring Holtz Williams and Ray.

Why do we have general intercessions each week? What is their purpose? Prayer can have one of four focuses: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving or supplication. Prayers of adoration focus on praising, venerating, worshipping or expressing our love for God.

As we discuss the future of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, it is vital that every voice be heard. That is why we offered a survey of Catholic schools that was completed at the end of January, inviting all to offer input into our strategic plan.

Pope Benedict XVI called on governments and communities to help large families, saying children represent hope and the well-being of every nation. “There is no future without children,” he said at the end of his general audience Feb. 15 in a greeting to members of an Italian association of large families.

Sister Marie Celine of Our Lady, Handmaid of the Lord, took another major step in religious life recently with the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at Mother Angelica’s Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Ala.

St. Francis Xavier School in Metairie celebrated its 85th anniversary with a Mass of thanksgiving and jubilee Feb. 10 celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond. The past contributions of all who were associated with the school since 1926, from teachers and principals including the Sisters of Mercy – several of whom were present at the Mass (right) – and former pastors, were recognized.

Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond will celebrate a Mass March 4 at 3 p.m. at St. Rita Church, New Orleans, for 93 priests, deacons, sisters and brothers celebrating anniversaries of their ordination or religious profession.

Based on head-to-head competition by local Catholic school basketball teams. Boys (Minimum four games) 1. St. Augustine, 6-0 2. Jesuit, 5-3 3. Archbishop Shaw, 4-2 4. Brother Martin, 4-3 5. Holy Cross, 3-5 6.

Archbishop Rummel’s Cyril Grayson, Xavier Prep’s Kayla Quincy and Lionel Ellison of Archbishop Shaw were individual winners at last week’s LHSAA Indoor Track and Field championships, held at LSU. Grayson, the 2011 Class 5A 800-meter run champion, won the same event in 1:55.33.