Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time | St. Edward Catholic Church, Tallulah

From The Font

“Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called...”

In real life, we rarely feel like the deck is stacked in our favor. When four or five things all go decidedly our way at once, we tend to be pleasantly surprised. Most of the time, we’re fortunate enough to live in a place where hard work and persistence pay off little by little.

But if we think about the way in which Jesus has offered Himself to us in the Church, we’ll be more than pleasantly surprised at how the deck is stacked in our favor. We’re not simply offered some hoops to jump through in exchange for heaven which will come when we die as predestinantionists believe. On the contrary, what the Lord offers us is immediate and powerful.

If any one of us - whatever his or her level of knowledge, personal devotion or piety - made a conscious decision to make a real habit of prayer, fasting and works of mercy for even a few weeks, that person would find sudden and immediate results. The results are so clearly seen and so universally experienced, that doctors and medical professionals have taken notice and now prescribe watered down versions of Christian prayer in the form of meditation and intermittent fasting as relatively successful treatments for everything from anxiety to stomach cancer. (Seriously, prolonged fasting is showing very promising results as a treatment protocol for cancer!)

I’m not just talking about going through the motions, though. If we decide to take the Lord’s direction on prayer seriously for even one month, we’ll see real improvements in our lives… That’s because the deck is stacked in our favor. The Lord is waiting for us to return to Him. He wants us to come near Him. He has created us for Himself and so everything in us is ultimately directed toward Him.

That’s what we mean when we say we’re called. Yes, there’s a component of instruction. Yes, there’s a component of command. But we aren’t oriented toward the Lord just in our intellect, we’re oriented toward the Lord in our human nature.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

A few months ago, Darryl Ellerbee, representing our Parish Finance Council, hosted a couple of town-hall-style meetings to provide information on the possible purchase of the large plot of land immediately across the street from the Church. The consensus of those meetings was very positive and so we moved forward with the relevant details and now, we’re ready to make the purchase.

We are purchasing two of the available lots (about two-thirds of the total property) for a cash payment of $37,500. Because of the nature of the purchase, the Diocese has approved a short-term donation plan where cash given to this purchase will be assessed (“taxed”) at a much lower rate than ordinary donations.

Cash gifts of less than $5,000 will be assessed at 3% and cash gifts over $5,000 will be free from assessment entirely. These gifts, just like regular donations or earmarked donations are entirely tax-deductible and will be included in the annual letter that we send out in January.

Anyone wishing to make a donation can send or deliver a check or cash to myself or the parish office. Simply indicate that the gift is for the land purchase and we’ll take care of the rest.

As you’re able, please plan to submit these gifts by October 1, 2019, when we’re hoping to finalize the sale.

I do want to be clear, our financial situation at St. Edward is actually pretty good right now. We’re financially stable and we have a comfortable store of cash in our operating and in our savings accounts. If we couldn’t afford to make this kind of expenditure without your help, we wouldn’t be making it at all. Still, your help is important. It’s a sign of life and sustainability in our parish. This purchase opens up possibilities for growth and new construction and signals that St. Edward is not on auto-pilot. I hope and pray that if you’re able, you’ll be generous with this investment. This land is a good thing for us, as Darryl explained.

Because we are waiting on a bishop, we cannot get approval to designate the land for any given purpose right now. We’ve discussed several possibilities of what we might do with the land, but all of those will need to wait until we have a bishop. For the time being, all we’re doing is purchasing the property. When the time comes to do something with the property, we’ll have another town-hall meeting to discuss possibilities and we’ll go from there. With the new Madison parish hospital and industrial investments being made in our community, the future of the Catholic Faith in Tallulah is brighter than it has been in many years. This small project and your response to it is an essential part of gauging for ourselves and for the Diocese the possibilities of the Catholic Faith in northeastern Louisiana.

My own work in Delhi and the possibility of new industrial investment in Lake Providence make this moment and this project something genuinely special and exciting.

Any questions at all many be addressed to Fr. Ryan or to Mr. Darryl Elerbee. Thanks in advance for your prayerful support and for any financial gift you’re able to make!

Calendar of Events

Confessions every Fri & Sat from 5p until Mass at 5:30p and on Sun from 9a until 9:30a Mass
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday after the 5:30p Mass
Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:30a Mass unless otherwise indicated

October 4 First Friday Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus - 5:30 p.m.
October 4 Feast of St Francis Blessing of Pets and Livestock
October 5 First Saturday Devotions to our Blessed Mother - Mass and Holy Hour - 8:30 a.m.
October 6 Sunday morning Catechism begins following 9 a.m. Mass (10 a.m.)
October 8 Altar Society Meeting – Parish Hall – following 5:30 p.m. Mass
Oct 12/13 Feast of St Edward the Confessor celebrated

For Your Information:

Beginning October 5\6, our schedule will be:

Sat. 5:30pm - Holy Mass
Sun. 9am - Holy Mass in Tallulah
Sun. 10am - Sunday Morning Catechism
Sun. 11:15am - Holy Mass in Delhi

FIRST FRIDAY…OCTOBER 4 ...Holy Hour and Mass....5:30 p.m. ...make a special devotion to the Sacred Heart and attend first Friday devotions for nine consecutive months.

FIRST SATURDAY …OCTOBER 5 … Mass and Holy Hour … 8:30 a.m. Our Lady of Fatima called for special devotions to be offered on the first Saturday of each month. Father Ryan will offer Mass on the first Saturday of each month in the Church. All are welcomed and encouraged to attend.

ALTAR SOCIETY… will meet on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, after 5:30 p.m. Mass in the Church Center. All the ladies of the church are asked to make special effort to attend this meeting as a support to the spiritual life of our church as well as support to the physical needs in the Sanctuary of the church! Please be in prayer for the success of this group as there are many spiritual needs for which this group can lend support.

NEW ALTAR SERVER TRAINING… those children who have made their First Communion and are interested in becoming altar servers will have the opportunity to have training this Fall. Parents should contact Father Ryan for arranging a schedule that is mutually convenient.

PRAYER FOR HURRICANE SEASON… Our Father in heaven, through the powerful intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us from all harm during this hurricane season, and protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to our help. Amen

PRAYER FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW BISHOP...Praise to you, Lord our God, our eternal shepherd and guide. In your faithfulness, grant to the Diocese of Alexandria a new bishop whose watchful care will serve to continue the good work of his predecessors. In your Love, give us a shepherd who will lead us in being Christ’s heart of mercy, voice of hope,and hands of justice. Help him to fill our minds and hearts with the truth of the Gospel, the power of the sacraments, and the desire to build up your holy Church. We ask this through Jesus Christ,your Son our Lord, in the unity of the HolySpirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

Our Return to the Lord

Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $2,111
August Budget $8,444
August Income $8,516
August Expenses $7,836
September Budget $8,444
Collection Sept 21/22 $1,307
September Income to Date $6,999

Stewardship The sin of the rich man in today’s parable was not that he was rich, but that he failed to share his wealth with the beggar at his gate. He knew Lazarus, perhaps walked by him every time he came in or out, but did nothing to relieve his suffering. Is there a Lazarus in my life? What am I doing to help?

THANK YOU for your generosity to the Retired Priests’ Fund in the amount of $2,387 last weekend!

Mass Schedule & Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 6:00p For a Special Intention of the Magoun Family (St Raphael)
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 5:30p In memory of SeSe Holstead/family
Wed 5:30p In memory of Jackson Jumonville/family
Thu 9:00a In memory of Rosa Gremshell Legacy
Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/Bullard
Sat 5:30p In memory of Carroll Regan/family
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Dead members of our Parish Family

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Sug Regan

Assistants at Holy Mass

9/28 6:00p
- Lector: C VanderVieren
- EMHCs: A Farlow & M Rome
9/29 9:00a
- Servers: P Collins & M Wood
- Lector: A Keene
- EMHCs: N & M Ernst
10/5 5:30p
- Lector: L Bullard
- EMHCs: MA Gilfoil & A Keene
10/6 9:00a
- Servers: TBA
- Lector: B Sullivan
- EMHCs: B Smith & K Collins
10/12 5:30p
- Lector: A Farlow
- EMHCs: P & M Gilfoil
10/13 9:00a
- Servers: TBA
- Lector: A Oliver
- EMHCs: N & M Ernst

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Susie Murphy (Oct 1), Margaret Yerger (Oct 5)

Happy Anniversary Sharyn and William Marsh (Oct 5)

In Our Daily Prayers…

Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; Archbishop Aymond and our Diocesan leaders, our President, Governor, Mayor and national, state and local elected representatives

Our parishioners who are sick, shut-in, or otherwise in need of our prayers: Terri Brown, Pat Bullard, Connie Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Susan Gilfoil, Josephine Hodge, Bill Kennedy, Dale & Louise Magoun, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Sue & Mike Rome, Delia Trichell and Don Wood

Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Sue Scurria (Texas), Jim Farrell of Vicksburg, Margaret Fortenberry of Tensas, Sharon Hansen of Gonzales, Consuelo Marsh of Lake Providence, Jean Cantrell, Marie Cedotal

Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Weimer Alexander (Regan), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Margaret Baker (Magoun), Marie Farlow Bellard, Hattie Brown (Lancaster), Jerry Bullard, Colton Bullock (Farlow), Richard Chappuis (Johnson), Karen Cobb, Jami Cook (Wilks), Jackie Daniels (Lancaster), Carol Dipert (Rome), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Melinda and son, Will, Fewell (Farlow), David Fortenberry, Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Cooper Harris (R Wood), Bo Holloway, Diane Johnson (Johnson), Terry Lynn Jones (Howington), Ben Lenhart (G Marsh), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire (Gilfoil), Tobie McKowen (Wilks), Keith Melancon (Regan), Tucker Melancon (Johnson), Lindsay Mills, Thomas Joseph O’Dowd (Army Ranger/Italy/M Scurria O’Dowd), Ted Osborne, Debbie Pettis (Rome), Sam and Betty Phillips (Hodge), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Debbie Prine (Wilks), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks), Walter Scott, Andy Sevier, Spencer and Mary Sevier, Beverly Sibile (Gilfoil), Theresa Thom (Rome), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Adam Triplett (Reynolds), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Conner and Hudson Wood (nephews of Bart), Max Yerger

Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Norman Ernst, Anna Ginn, Josh Hall, Chris Hall (USMC), Matt Hall (USArmy), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver, Bailey Rome, Blake Sullivan, Brice Wood

Those Catholics residing at Christian Acres, Louisiana Transitional Center for Women, and our local Detention Centers and for their families and loved ones.

PLEASE LET US KNOW OF ANYONE WHO IS ILL OR HOSPITALIZED OR WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A VISIT.

PLEASE HELP US TO UP-DATE OUR PRAYER LIST BY ADVISING US OF ANYONE WHO SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE PRAYER LIST.