The 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
WEATHER ALERT Tallulah is expecting a significant winter ice storm which will make road travel quite dangerous. Fr Ryan will offer the regular Saturday Mass at 5:30p, but all are encouraged to use prudence to decide on attending. Fr Ryan will offer (and livestream) the Sunday 9:30a Mass (assuming the Church has power and internet), but all who are formally parishioners at St Edward and who cannot safely come to Church are dispensed from their obligation to attend Sunday Mass unless the predicted storm and ice do not occur.
The Traditional Latin Mass will NOT be offered, nor will Sunday Morning Catechism.
Please pass this information along to those who don't receive the bulletin online or who may not be technologically inclined.
UPDATED FRI 09:30A
Sleet & icy rain is now predicted to begin on Saturday afternoon. All are encouraged to remain at home while ice is on the roadways.
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
When I was about 16, I didn’t give much thought to faith at all. I was invested in academics, in competitive debate, and in Boy Scouting. When Bishop Jacobs demanded that everyone to be Confirmed must attend retreats at Maryhill, I protested, but my mom was (rightly) of the understanding that parents have a moral obligation to see to the Baptism, Confirmation, and first Holy Communion of their kids. So, I went to the retreat and, eventually, I got confirmed.
The retreat was goofy. Basically, it was elementary school VBS for teens. But, there were some cute girls… The retreat was the same basic structure as ACTS. You go once, but you can come back as a team member if you want. (Did I mention the cute girls?) So I went back as a team member and the experience wasn’t so much religious as it was human. God used my natural affections to expose me to the gospel in very short increments.
Over the next three years, I continued my connection with these retreats, and my faith deepened to the degree that I started attending daily Mass. It was there that a little old lady came zooming up to me on her walker and asked if I had ever thought about being a priest. I politely dismissed her question as I had specific and detailed plans for my future. I was way ahead of the curve on computers and general nerd studies. I had early acceptance to LSU Scholars and I had enough AP credits to start applying to the college of Computer engineering.
But Grandma Liz - as the little lady liked to be called - kept approaching me after Mass and not so much asking as telling me to consider priesthood.
Later on, while I was at LSU, I was invited to attend a priesthood-discernment retreat in Lake Charles. I had continued doing some retreat ministry while I was at LSU, but that was coming to a close. The day this particular retreat started was also the day that my current boss at my student job offered me a WOW opportunity. Basically, I was going to be able to make a lot of money, skip the line on learning the next big thing - internet video conferencing - and probably be in a position to get a few patents with my name on them. Very WOW! I told him I’d need a few days - I needed consent from my LSU-SC academic advisor - and then, I’d be on my way to Money-ville! He gave me a pager and I headed to the retreat in Lake Charles.
I got to the retreat and it was not great. Especially with my future prospects so fresh in my mind. That first evening of the retreat, we had a holy hour with Eucharistic Adoration. So I was kneeling with my Bible and I was in two minds and two hearts. Should I consider going to seminary? That would mean passing on the job opportunity of a lifetime. The desire for priesthood was sort of there, but only in a broad, uninvestigated sense. Still, there was a persistent question in the back of my mind. As I glanced at the retreat pamphlet, it occurred to me that I should just flip open the Bible and if I flip to a passage about “Come, Follow me” (the title of the retreat) then that would be a good sign from God. And, it would be super unlikely… And, I’ll be honest, I kind of intended to cheat. I was planning to open to the beginning of the Old Testament where I didn’t expect to find “Come, follow me.” But, just as I was opening my Bible, a musician began to caterwaul “Balm in Gilead” - an awful song which I still despise today, 25 years later! When he finished his “singing,” I flipped open the bible - forgetting to cheat - and where did I land? Mark 2 - “And Jesus, Said, Come Follow me.”
I’m hard headed. I can be arrogant and dismissive. God had to call me, each step of the way, almost by trickery. Some of us are like that. Others are moved by living examples or by poetic speech or by intellect or by the way of practical explanation. God IS calling each of us, though... Calling us to holiness, to humility, to faithfulness, and to hope.
Many of us, He’s called to get married and have kids. Some of us, He’s called to bear a certain kind of cross or an ongoing trial or even sadness. Some of us, He’s called to be actively evangelical and to teach or to preach. Some of us ARE being called to be Nuns or Sisters or Monks or Brothers or Priests or Missionaries.
All of us, though, if we listen, can hear God calling us to live His Will in our lives.
Upcoming Events
- Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and Sunday from 9a until Mass
- Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall (with Coffee & Donuts) after the 9:00a Mass during the School Year unless otherwise indicated
- Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Wednesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
- Jan 31/Feb1 Blessing of Throats following each Mass
- Feb 2-13 Fr Ryan travelling
- Feb 8 NO LATIN MASS, 9:30a Mass as usual
- Feb 15 First Quarter Social - Mardi Gras theme for Potluck Brunch following Sunday Mass
For Your Information:
FORMED.ORG has weekly features at https://watch.formed.org/this-week-on-formed. Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at https://signup.formed.org
ROSARY GROUP meets on Monday at 5:30p for prayer and supper. Everyone is invited. Contact Louise Magoun (318-341-2403), coordinator for more information.
MAUSOLEUM Construction will begin in Summer 2026. Our sales representative, Garth Daniels, can be reached at (318) 295-4409. If you have any questions or you know of anyone else interested in making a purchase, please encourage them to speak with Garth or to call the church office.
SUNDAY MASS INTENTIONS are now available for request. In the past, the Sunday Morning Mass was not available for personal or requested intentions as the Church requires that at least one Sunday Mass be offered for the entirety of the Parish. With the new Latin Mass, Fr Ryan is able to offer the other Sunday Mass for whatever intention you may wish to request.
SECOND COLLECTION THIS WEEKEND (January 25, 2026) for the Catholic missionaries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including the educational costs of seminarians and permanent deacons in Brazil and the funds to bring the sacraments to inmates in Ecuador’s most dangerous prisons.
BLESSING OF THROATS for the intercession of St Blaise will be offered after all Masses on the weekend of January 31/February 1. The Feast of St Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, occurs on Feb 3. St Blaise is the patron saint of all ailments of the throat and the blessing with candles is a tradition going back to the 3rd century.
FIRST QUARTER SOCIAL Potluck Brunch will be in the Church Hall on February 15 following the 9:30am Mass. Margo Corulla and Darryl & Abby Ellerbee will serve as co-chairs. Other committee members include Norman and Marie Ernst, Brian Johnson, Sidney and Mary Jane Johnson, Robbie and Tori Kivett, Brian and Brittany McFall, Ed Mills, Billy and Courtney Nadeau, Teddy and Alyssa Oliver, Mike and Sue Rome, Jason Trichell, Mary Trichell, Levi Washington. Mark your calendars and plan to join in the Mardi Gras celebration.
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard (birth anni)/family
- Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30a In memory of Margaret Magoun/family
- Mon NO MASS
- Tues 9:00a In memory of Becky Lancaster (anni of death)/family
- Wed 9:00a In memory of Bryan Stamey/family
- Thu 9:00a In memory of Racer Holstead (anni of birth)/family (Legacy Nursing Home)
- Fri 5:30p In celebration of Brian and Brittany McFall (wedding anni)
- Sat 5:30p In memory of Donald and Payton Trichell/family
- Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
- Sun 9:30a In memory of C L Keene and Inez and C B DeMoss/family
Altar Candles this week are burning in memory of Phillip and Nettie Scurria
Assistants at Holy Mass
| Date | Servers | Lector(s) | EMHC(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/24 5:30p | - | A Keene | N/A |
| 1/25 9:30a | Annie, Thomas Meyers, & Katelyn | D Hamilton | - |
| 1/31 5:30p | - | A Farlow | N/A |
| 2/1 9:30a | Michael, Finley, & Ashlyn | M Lancaster | - |
Our Return to the Lord
| Weekly Budget FY 2025-2026 | $ 2,500 |
| December Budget | $ 10,000 |
| December Collections | $ 26,843 |
| December Expenses | $ 10,227 |
| January Budget | $ 10,000 |
| January 18 Collection | $ 3,445 |
| Collections To Date | $ 10,100 |
Stewardship
Community Celebrations
Happy Birthday to Travis Hamilton (Jan 24), and Johnna Riddick (Jan 26), Courtland Jude Collins (Jan 29), Hazel Bedgood (Feb 2), and Evelyn Grace Kivett (Feb 2)
Happy Anniversary to Johnna and Stephen Riddick (Jan 24), Brittany and Brian McFall (Jan 30)
In Our Daily Prayers…
Please let us know of anyone who is ill or hospitalized and would like to receive a visit from Father. Also, help us keep our prayer list up to date by advising us of those who should be added or removed.
For our Pope, Leo XIV, our Bishop, Robert Marshall; and our Diocesan leaders, our President, Governor, Mayor and national, state and local elected representatives
Our parishioners who are sick, shut-in, under full-time care and for those who care for them, and for those otherwise in need of our prayers: MaryKathryn & Nap Book, Chris, Susan, and David Cagnolatti, Connie & Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Susan & Johnny Gilfoil, Margaret & Pat Gilfoil,Terry Farlow Hall, Sidney & Mary Jane Johnson, Frances & Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Susie Murphy, Bobby Reynolds, Phillip and Peggy Scurria, Mike & Sue Rome, Lori Sullivan
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Marie Farlow Bellard, Martha Book, Kay Boolos (S Gilfoil), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Gayle Brown (Dukes and Oliver), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Albert Christman, Jeannie & Donald Collins, Teresa Carney Condra, Jami Cook (Wilks), Craig Cox, Gene Cox, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Judy Fortenberry, Donna Fulton (Ellerbee), Fred and Cathy Fulton, Morgan, Alex, and Palmer Gilfoil, Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), LaVonne Givens, Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Patricia Lively (Wilks), Charles Howington, Callie Halbach Hyams, Jimmy Hopson(Wilks), Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Ruth McDonald (Copes), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Boyce Miller,Mike Morelli, Cole Norris, Randy Parker, Russell and Betty Petersen, David Peterson, Quintin Purvis, John Neill, Curt and Brianne Rome, Bailey, Scott, and Tiffney Rome, Debbie Kedrick Sims, LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Randy Watts, Jr.
Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Preston Collins, Henry Ellerbee, Lilly Falgout, Jag Gilfoil, Matilda Johnson, Caroline Marsh, EmmyLu Marsh, Charlize Richardson, Chandler Wood
