The Most Holy Trinity

May 29

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

We are inundated with useless noise… TicToc, cable news, podcasts, talk radio, digital billboards, and, especially, that annoying unskippable ad at the gas pump (that Tesla owners don’t have to deal with ;) - just saying…). All of that noise numbs us to any real information. The signal, as nerds say, gets lost in the noise.

There has never been a moment in human history where we have needed a way to sift the useful info from useless bits - to distinguish “fake news” and “disinformation” from what we need to know… To compound the problem, students are academically weaker than ever. Educators feel helpless. Even those of us who do read for pleasure (thank you for reading this!) are confronted with books, social posts, substacks, and links from friends that are a messy mix of AI, out of context “facts,” and dubious conclusions… Who do we believe?

The result of all this isn’t so much bad info as it is fatigue. It’s just SO MUCH EASIER to watch a vid of that cat Merv who does the Bagagwa shuffle…

In years past, priests would use this Sunday after Pentecost to give a bit of a theology lesson - a bit of something beyond Catholicism 101. But given the issues I just brought up, is that wise?. The intellectual deterioration in our culture from the time of my parents and grandparents (who valued my education and spent big on the Encyclopedia Britannica) through my own generation to Gens Z & A (whose education was stunted by Common Core and COVID) is horrifying. My generation certainly believed ourselves better and more sophisticated than the “old people” who raised us, but we could read cursive, knew who Julius Caesar was and understood that being an adult meant advancing beyond where we were at any given moment. There was a cultural conversation. There was a shared sense of religious and cultural vocabulary.

I don’t want to spit in the wind by writing about generational differences… But I want to point out that preachers, like teachers, have to address their instruction to the audience as they really are - and mine is diverse! The material that the sermon or lesson comes from doesn’t change with the audience, but the way in which it is taught does.

And so does it make sense to give a complex sermon on the essentials of the Most Holy Trinity?

One divine God
Two divine processions (of the Son and the Spirit)
Three indwelling but non-identical Persons
Four divine Relations (paternity, filiation, active spiration, passive spiration)
Five Notions (innascibility, paternity, filiation, spiration, procession)

Some of these words, of course, all -but-require an advanced degree in Catholic Theology (or Latin). Innascibility is “un-begotten-ness,” which I’m sure clarifies that idea nicely and completely. Still, these ideas matter.

I’m thankful for our Sunday Morning Catechism / Sunday School which gives me an excellent venue to explain these things in a way that is more accessible than “un-begotten-ness” - which is just a very, very precise way of saying that God the Father’s uncreated-ness is slightly distinguishable from God’s the Son’s uncreated-ness. And this very specific detail is unlikely to have any direct effect on whether or not any one individual in human history has gone to Heaven or not, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. All of this fundamental theology has a powerful impact as we base more and more of our belief and practice upon it. For example, Pentecostalism believes (wrongly) about this idea of the innascibility of Jesus which leads them to teach (again wrongly), that Jesus and the Father (and the Holy Spirit) are identical and hence the Holy Trinity is not God’s nature… (That’s a big whoopsie from what seems like an obscure - even irrelevant - starting point.)

But I say all of this to call to our attention just how important it is that we find a way to get some real and important info through the noise of the TicTocs and the cable news. While it may not seem all that essential to daily life, these theological ideas have profound effects and we ought to care about them and concern ourselves with them as much as we realistically can - especially in a world that doesn’t seem to be planning on quieting down any time soon.

Upcoming Events

Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass and Sunday from 9a until Mass
June 1 Pilgrimage to St Francis, Waterproof
June 7 Second Quarter Social - Potluck Brunch following 9:30a Mass

For Your Information:

PILGRIMAGE TO ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Waterproof, LA to Monday, June 1. Anyone interested in participating is invited to meet at the Church parking lot for 10a. We will carpool to reduce the number of vehicles. Fr. Taylor Reynolds will offer Mass at 11a, and, following Mass, the group will pray the Rosary. On the return to Tallulah, Dutch-treat lunch is planned in St Joseph.This is to honor the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis and is an official Jubilee Year devotion. Louise Magoun is serving as the coordinator and she can be contacted by text or phone at 318-341-2403.

SECOND QUARTER SOCIAL will be a potluck Brunch on next Sunday, June 7 following the 9:30 a.m. Mass. Everyone is invited to attend and celebrate the beginning of Summer. Get out your recipes and find something interesting to prepare and share!!! The Second Quarter (April, May, June) Social Committee is chaired by Cathy VanderVieren and includes Libby Bullard, Angel Farlow, Margaret and Pat Gilfoil, MaryAnne Gilfoil, Terry and Andy Hall, Isabell Hernandez, Cindy and Jamie Howington, Ann Keene, Alyce and C.W. Keene, Frances Kennedy, Elizabeth and Paul Naya, and Bobby Reynolds.

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.

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

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.

ATTENTION ST EDWARD YOUTH Mrs. Dana Hamilton has volunteered to organize several events, trips, and activities for teens from grades 6-12. She will be calling a meeting soon (probably on a Sunday). If you are interested in helping her or your children are interested in participating, please touch base with Dana or let Fr Ryan know. More info is forthcoming.

Mass Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of George and Margaret Magoun/family
Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
Sun 9:30a In memory of Jason Jumonville (anni of death)/family
Mon NO MASS
Tues 9:00a In memory of Carol Folk Hitte/P Lancaster
Wed 9:00a For a special intention of the Guizerix family
Thu 9:00a (Legacy Nursing Home) In memory of David Stamey/family
Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
Sat 5:30p In celebration of a special birthday/Magoun
Sun 8:00a (Traditional Latin Mass) PRO POPULO for the living & deceased members of our parish
Sun 9:30a In memory of Dan Fordice/Rome

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Margo Corulla

Assistants at Holy Mass

Date	Servers	Lector(s)	EMHC(s)
5/30 5:30p	-	P Wilks	N Ernst
5/31 9:30a	MaryKatherine, Maura, Elizabeth	K Collins	-
6/6 5:30p	-	A Dawson	A Keene
6/7 9:30a	Cooper & Courtland	D Ellerbee	-

Our Return to the Lord


Weekly Budget FY 2025-2026	$ 2,500
April Budget	$ 10,000
April Collections	$ 17,278
April Expenses	$ 14,838
May Budget	$ 12,500
May 24 Collection	$ 2,382
May to Date	$ 14,145

Stewardship The Gospel today is sometimes called “the Gospel in miniature” because it so concisely sums up the Gospel message. In even more condensed form, “God loved… God gave…” is the paradigm for stewardship – we give because we love.

Community Celebrations

Happy Birthday to Brian Harris (Jun 7)

Happy Anniversary to Betty and Kenny Smith (June 1)

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, Ann Claire Fordice and her children, 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), the Brad Bourgeois Family, Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Gayle Brown (Dukes and Oliver), Albert Christman, Jeannie & Donald Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), 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, Maggie Reynolds Guillory, Rita Hargrave, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Patricia Lively (Wilks), Charles Howington, Callie Halbach Hyams, Jimmy Hopson(Wilks), Will Irby (P Gilfoil), Diane Johnson, Andrew and Chelsea Keene-Lewis, Carla Leese (S Gilfoil), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Kiely McKellar (S Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Mike Morelli, Cole Norris, Randy Parker, 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

Fr. Ryan Humphries