News - July 2018 RSS Feed

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation from the College of Cardinals of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, and has ordered him to maintain “a life of prayer and penance” until a canonical trial examines accusations that he sexually abused minors. The announcement came first from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a few minutes later from the Vatican press office. Pope Francis has accepted the resignation from the College of Cardinals of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, and has ordered him to maintain "a life of prayer and penance" until a canonical trial examines accusations that he sexually abused minors. Archbishop McCarrick is pictured in a 2001 photo in Washington in Washington. (CNS photo/Brendan McDermid, Reuters) See MCCARRICK-RESIGN-CARDINAL July 28, 2018. The press office said July 28 that the previous evening Pope Francis had received Archbishop McCarrick’s letter of “resignation as a member of the College of Cardinals.”

By way of comparison to Dallas or Atlanta or Houston – where shopping malls with spray-foam façades, a Wendy’s drive-thru and a pair of golden arches qualify as historic architecture – Tricentennial New Orleans is old dirt. But compared to Eastern European countries such as Lithuania, where Christianity is measured in terms of many, many more centuries, New Orleans is a babe in arms.

How impressed were you with the National Diaconate Congress last week? It was amazing to see so many permanent deacons from across the United States – along with their wives and children – attending the conference. Deacon Ray Duplechain, who is the director of our Office of the Permanent Diaconate, did a wonderful job with other deacons in organizing this event, which had not been held in many years. There were a total of 1,300 permanent deacons who attended, and when you put that number together with their wives and children, the conference was attended by over 2,800 people. When Deacon Ray first began planning for the congress, the opening Mass was scheduled for St. Louis Cathedral because we weren’t expecting that many people to come. But as the numbers grew, we knew there was no way to fit nearly 3,000 people into the cathedral, so the all of the Masses were celebrated in a huge ballroom at the New Orleans Marriott. The deacons were all here to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the renewal of the permanent diaconate, and there was a great spirit during our five days together. I was also pleased there was a large contingent of deacons not only from the Archdiocese of New Orleans but also from the other dioceses in Louisiana. We had deacons from 18 foreign countries who attended.

¿Qué tan impresionado estuvo con el Congreso Nacional de Diaconado, la semana pasada? Fue asombroso ver a tantos diáconos permanentes de todos los Estados Unidos, junto con sus esposas e hijos, asistir a la conferencia. El Diácono Ray Duplechain, quien es el director de nuestra Oficina del Diaconado Permanente, hizo un trabajo maravilloso con otros diáconos en la organización de este evento, que no se había celebrado en muchos años. Hubo un total de 1.300 diáconos permanentes que asistieron, y cuando pusieron ese número junto con sus esposas e hijos, la conferencia contó con la asistencia de más de 2.800 personas.  Cuando el diacono Ray comenzó a planear el congreso, la Misa de apertura, estaba programada a darse en la Catedral de San Luis, porque no esperábamos que viniera mucha gente. Pero a medida que aumentaron los números, sabíamos que no había forma de acomodar a casi 3.000 personas en la Catedral, por lo que todas las Misas se celebraron en un enorme salón de baile, en el Marriott de Nueva Orleáns. Los diáconos estuvieron aquí para celebrar el 50 aniversario de la renovación del diaconado permanente, y hubo un gran espíritu durante los cinco días que pasamos juntos. También, me complació que hubiera un gran contingente de diáconos, no solo de la Arquidiócesis de Nueva Orleáns, sino también, de las otras diócesis de Luisiana. Tuvimos diáconos de 18 países extranjeros que asistieron.

Mensaje Catholic ministry for Spanish speakers will present its second annual, full day of worship, “Sábado de Milagros” (Saturday of Miracles), Aug. 18 at the Pontchartrain Center, 4545 Williams Blvd., Kenner. Approximately 3,000 people are expected. Father Pedro Nuñez will lead the full day from 8 a.m.-7 p.m., which will include 1½ hours of adoration with healing, praise and worship, confession and conferences. It will conclude with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and a time of healing and renewal of faith.

I would like to thank each of you for the support you have given to our Catholic school community. I would also like to thank you for being so welcoming in my first year as superintendent. I look forward to continuing our work together.  This first year had its fair share of challenges. We witnessed multiple, heart-wrenching storms impacting our neighbors to the east and west, devastating deaths in our community, the challenges that came with getting our pilot programs started, and the threatened loss of non-public school funding from the state. However, with great challenge comes great opportunity, and I am proud of the manner in which our Catholic school community responded. During the 2018 legislative session, we faced the possibility of losing all state funding for non-public schools. Given the complexities of the situation, I believe we fared as well as we could have hoped for. Required services sustained a cut of approximately 10 percent, but the school lunch program supplement was fully funded. In addition, the TOPS program was fully funded. While TOPS does not affect Catholic schools, it significantly impacts our high school graduates. Lastly, the Louisiana Scholarship Program was fully funded. 

Its gymnasium is small and antiquated, and there is no facility near campus to run or jump, but  that didn’t stop St. Katharine Drexel Prep from winning division championships in basketball and girls’ track and field during the 2017-18 school year. The school’s athletic department will receive the coveted Eddie Robinson Award at the All-State Sugar Bowl’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Aug. 4. Five years ago, the school, then known as Xavier Prep,was saved from extinction  by former students whose funding efforts reopened the school under its current  name.

This summer, six members of St. Paul’s School’s faculty attended the week-long Science and Religion Foundations Seminar at the University of Notre Dame. Religion department teachers Barrett Baumgartner, Roger Bacon and Robert Simpson, and science department teachers David Arbo, Marie Childs and Suzie Duplantier heard talks from theologians and scientists, including a doctor and professors in physics, astronomy and astrochemistry from Notre Dame, Harvard and other universities. They also had time to collaborate with teachers nationwide to expand the dialogue between the disciplines and dispel the notion that science and religion are in conflict. The faculty plans to incorporate their new knowledge into the curriculum. They also visited the Mary Grotto at night and attended Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Pope Francis asked people to generously serve those most in need and to never waste food. “Never throw away leftovers,” he said July 29 before reciting the Angelus prayer with people gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Leftovers should be eaten later or given to someone in need who will eat them, he said, advising people to talk to their relatives who lived through the aftermath of the Second World War and ask what they did with any uneaten food. The pope made his comments during his reflection on the day’s Gospel reading about the multiplication of the loaves. He praised how the young boy in the account came forward with the little he had –  five loaves and two fish. “Young people are like this, they are courageous. We have to help them continue” being brave, he said. The Gospel account, the pope said, shows how Jesus is aware of the people being hungry and how he gets his disciples involved to offer “his word, his consolation, his salvation and, in the end, his life.”

EVENTS MATER DOLOROSA CHURCH, has Stations of the Cross every Friday at 3 p.m. 1230 South Carrollton Ave., New Orleans. LOUIS ARMSTRONG “SATCHMO SUMMERFEST” JAZZ MASS, Aug. 5, 10 a.m., St. Augustine Church, 1210 Governor Nicholls St., featuring the Treme Brass Band and St. Augustine’s Soulful Voices Choir. Mass followed by a second-line parade to “Satchmo SummerFest” at the Old U.S. Mint on Esplanade Avenue at the river. The parish will have its annual red beans and rice luncheon in the  parish hall after Mass. Luncheon donation $5. Free parking in the churchyard. GOD'S SPECIAL CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, next Mass Aug. 5, 2 p.m., St. Francis Xavier, 444 Metairie Road. TRIDUUM, in honor of St. Philomena, is being held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Aug. 9-10, 6 p.m.; Aug. 11, 5:30 p.m. 1908 Short St., Kenner. 464-0361. ST. RITA’S MARY GROUP, with MIR, monthly Peace Mass, Aug. 9, 7:30 p.m. Celebrant: Father Marlon Mangubat, pastor of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Chalmette.   Confessions, 6:30 p.m.; patriotic rosary, 7 p.m. 7100 Jefferson Hwy., Harahan. 

On July 25, 1968 – in the midst of the “sexual revolution” which aggressively promoted premarital sex, pornography, homosexual activity and artificial contraception – Pope Paul VI with the courage of a prophet gave the Catholic Church and world an entirely different message. In his encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (“Of Human Life”), soon to be canonized Pope Paul VI prophetically predicted that contraception would “open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.” He also accurately predicted government coercion in pressuring the use of contraceptive methods.

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Fifty years ago, Josephite Father William Norvel thought it was time for black priests to come together. The year, 1968, was a tumultuous one in American history. The country was struggling to implement civil rights for blacks, protests of the Vietnam War became common and some were violent, and young people rejected the authority of their parents’ generation. The black priests wanted to support each other. They also wanted to discuss how to respond to the times and gain the church backing to better evangelize black communities. More importantly, they wanted to confront the racism they were experiencing within the church. The priests wanted to feel accepted for who they were: African-American clergy who could share a rich cultural heritage but were feeling suppressed by white-dominated church leadership. Father Norvel and dozens of black priests met in Detroit in April in the first meeting of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. The meeting came soon after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Questions abounded in the minds of the priests.

Learning differences in children, when addressed early, can make the difference in a child’s future educational success.  Holy Rosary School Uptown, a school designed to address the needs of students with learning difficulties, is opening its doors to even younger students this year with a new Montessori-based Early Childhood Education program for potty-trained pre-kindergarten students ages 3 to 5. Two experienced early childhood education teachers – Cindi Johnson, who has been at Holy Rosary since 2009, and Lindy Denham who has more than 20 years and is certified in Montessori teaching – lead the Montessori team. They are assisted by Colleen Judge, a former Holy Rosary student. Principal Cheryl Orillion said parents of preschool children who have had an applied behavior analysis (ABA) have sought her help in finding a school since she has been principal the past two years.

Over three weeks in June, rising St. Charles Catholic senior Alyssa Portillo got her interest in law piqued by attending the 2018 Louisiana State Bar Association’s “Suit Up for the Future” summer program for rising 11th and 12th graders. Her session’s focus was “Strengthening Diversity in the Legal Profession.”  During the legal institute, operated from the Louisiana Bar Center in New Orleans in cooperation with Just the Beginning and the Louisiana Bar Foundation, Portillo was exposed to the legal system from all angles.

The 55th annual Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration, sponsored by the Office of Marriage and Family Life of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, was held June 10 at St. Philip Neri Church in Metairie. All couples married during 1968 were invited to attend, and 194 couples accepted the invitation, with clergy, relatives and friends of the jubilarians in attendance. Archbishop Gregory Aymond presided at the prayer service. During the prayer service, each couple was presented with a scroll signed by the archbishop. A special papal blessing also was delivered for the occasion. A photo of each couple with the archbishop was taken and will be mailed to the jubilarians.

The 18,000 permanent deacons in the United States exercise a ministry of presence, bringing the healing and hope-filled message of Jesus Christ to people they encounter daily in their parishes, other ministries and workplaces. This week in New Orleans, that diaconal ministry of presence will be front and center. About 2,800 people – including 1,300 permanent deacons, along with their wives and children – will attend the 2018 National Diaconate Congress July 22-26, an event so big it will require three Canal Street hotels and 5,000 room nights to accommodate the attendees.

We live in a world of self-help manuals. The genre itself used to leave behind a bad taste – almost like a social stigma. No longer. Millennials have revamped and updated the genre, buying into a movement that focuses on living your best self. The genre now markets itself as self-improvement or personal development. A rebrand has occurred. Increasingly, I’ve noticed a shift in my students – they’re more conscious and focused on their own personal sense of well-being. Self-care – whether through exercise, volunteering, retreats, habit-building,  etc. – has become a trending concept. It’s no longer frowned upon to admit to staying in, lounging and binge-watching Netflix rather than going out – because you’re participating in “self-care.”

Over the past two years, the Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) Executive Speaker Series has featured a variety of business men and women who could shed light on faith in the workplace for members. On June 10, Colin Hulin, chief information officer at Peoples Health in Metairie, demonstrated to attendees that with his Catholic faith and family, he has conquered life’s struggles – including a heart attack at 43 – and landed in good place.

Recent developments in our immigration policy have highlighted the dubious justice of our immigration laws. As the debate has raged (unfortunately) on how best to manage immigration, many have called for strict enforcement “of the laws already on the books.” Over the past two months, we’ve seen what that looks like. I believe that most Americans did not like what they saw. We saw images of children crying in the face of armed border patrol officers and heard the sounds of incarcerated 6-year-olds screaming and weeping after their forcible separation from their parents. Compounding the horror, we learned that our government had no plan for the reunification of children with their parents, and that some parents were deported while their kids remain in the U.S. under the care of the state.

Until a month ago, a child in foster care within the state’s Department of Children and Family Services system could no longer receive government benefits once he or she reached age 18. Because they had “aged out,” many young adults were left without necessary resources to survive; some didn’t even have a high school diploma. Senate Bill 129 – passed during the 2018 legislative session and signed June 1 by Gov. John Bel Edwards – now extends to youth and their foster parents all government benefits available to foster care recipients until he or she obtains a high school diploma or equivalent (General Education Development/GED) or turns 21, whichever comes first.