Third Sunday of Easter
Thoughts from Fr. Ryan
Well, we have a bishop! I had my first personal contact with him today (Friday, the 24) and I was so very pleased with the experience. Bishop-elect Robert Marshall (whose proper title of address is simply "Bishop") is a very down to Earth man. He was born into a Catholic family. He went to Catholic school, served the altar, and lived the Faith in a very ordinary way. He became an attorney and practiced law near his home. He left his law practice for the priesthood at the age of 35 and was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Memphis in 2000. He served in several very small parishes on the northern edges of the state of Tennessee and was a well-liked pastor. He's ok in Spanish and so when the need arose, he was appointed to a larger parish with an Hispanic community. He's spent the last three years as the go-to man for fixing problems in the Diocese of Memphis. You may or may not know that Bp. Talley was taken from us because a former bishop of the Diocese of Memphis lost his gourd and started making some truly awful decisions... When that bishop was forced to resign by Pope Francis, it was then-Monsignor Marshall who stepped in and started the work of healing and restructuring. Since Bp. Talley's arrival in Memphis, he's relied heavily on Msgr. Marshall's skills and pastoral good sense. There's no doubt that Bp. Talley has given Bp-elect Marshall the skinny on our diocese.
Bp-elect Marshall is also close to Archbishop Greg Aymond of the Archdiocese of New Orleans who has served as our administrator these past thirteen months. Then-bishop Aymond was the rector of Notre Dame Seminary for all the years that Bp-elect Marshall studied there. He, too, will have given our new Bishop a good background and explanation of our circumstances - the good, the bad, and the in-between.
What does all this mean for us? Well, it means that in a few months, we have a bishop who has lots of the right kind of experience for our diocese. He's got years as a pastor of predominantly smaller parishes. He's got a head for administration. He's good with people. He's been successful with healing hurt parishes. He's got close connections to the two bishops who know us the best and he went to school with several of the priests of our diocese which means he'll be able to hit the ground running with some quality background and contextualized understanding of our diocese.
Perhaps the most important and the hardest part of being a good bishop - or a good pastor - is the balancing act between letting the Church in a given place grow and develop organically and imposing upon it my own ideas, plans, and innovations. It can't be one or the other. The Catholic Church isn't run by committee because the Catholic Faith is not just whatever we want it to be. There's a place for a community having its own local flavor and personality, but the Catholic Faith is the Catholic Faith and it's not whatever this or that community wants it to be. At the same time, the Catholic Faith is not a monolithic set of practices and beliefs which is meant to be imposed like a set of blueprints or a Soviet-era apartment building. The Church is the living, mystical Body of Christ and that body will look a little different in each place and in each time. Bishop-elect Marshall has some excellent information about what makes the Church in Central Louisiana special and unique. He'll gain first-hand knowledge soon enough. As our Bishop, it's the genuine will of the Holy Spirit that his own personality will shape ours as a Diocese. But he's very aware of the fine balance between shaping and forcing. The most exciting and consoling thing I took away from my conversation with him is that he's coming here to be a spiritual father and not a king. He is, interestingly, given the authority of a king in the diocese, but I believe he's going to walk this fine line with skill and humility and so I, for one, am very excited to welcome him to the Diocese as our new Bishop.
As of right now, we just don't have any way of knowing when he’ll be able to move from Memphis to Alexandria and we have no way to predict when his Mass of Consecration will take place. Even when it does, we don’t know what kinds of social distancing policies may be in place. The general rule is that he has three months from the announcement (which was April 21) to take charge. In these uncertain times, Pope Francis would almost certainly extend that period if Bishop-elect Marshall asked him to… As such, all we can do is pray for our new Bishop and look forward to his being among us in a more normal way as soon as possible!
Schedule
- Sunday April 26 (Good Shepherd Sunday)
- Monday April 27
- Tuesday April 28
- Wednesday April 29
- Thursday April 30
- Friday May 1
- Saturday May 2
- 9:15a Holy Mass (English, Ordinary Form)
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- Sunday May 3
- Monday May 4
- Tuesday May 5
- Wednesday May 6
- Thursday May 7
- Friday May 8
- Saturday May 9
- 9:15a Holy Mass (English, Ordinary Form)
Mass Intentions for the Coming Week
- Sat 9:15a In memory of In memory of Carroll Regan/family
- Sun 8:15a In memory of May DiTomasso
- Sun 9:15a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
- Mon 9:15a In memory of Beverly Lancaster(death)/family
- Tue 9:15a In memory of Jason Jumonville(birth)/family
- Wed 9:15a In memory of Rosa Gremshell
- Thu 9:15a In memory of Edwin Florence(death)/family
- Fri 9:15a In memory of Dale Magoun/Vedros
- Sat 9:15a In memory of Carroll Regan/family
- Sun 8:15a In memory of Gus Gremshell
- Sun 9:15a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased members of our Parish
ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intention of the protection of our world from COVID-19.
Our Return to the Lord
- Weekly Budget FY 2019-20 $ 2,111
- March Budget $10,555
- March Income $ 6,292
- March Expenses $ 7,774
- April Budget $ 8,444
- Collection Apr 18/19 $830
- April Income to Date $4,625
Stewardship The disciples on the road to Emmaeus walked and talked with Jesus all day long, but it was not until they offered Him hospitality and He blessed and broke the bread that they recognized Him. Simple acts of loving kindness still reveal the presence of God in our midst.
Let us Rejoice in the Lord!
Happy Birthday Norman Ernst II (April 27), Ginny Marsh (April 28)
In Our Daily Prayers…
Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; Archbishop Aymond, Bishop-elect Robert Marshall 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, Libby Bullard, Connie Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Mary Ernst, Margaret Gilfoil, Susan Gilfoil, C.W. and Alyce Keene, Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Sue & Mike Rome, Delia Trichell and Don Wood
Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Carol Dunning, Margaret Fortenberry of Tensas, Sharon Hansen of Gonzales, Consuelo Marsh of Lake Providence, Jean Cantrell, Marie Cedota
Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Georgie Gilfoil Breard, Hattie Brown (Lancaster), Jerry Bullard, Karen Cobb, Jami Cook (Wilks), Carol Dipert (Rome), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Meg Gaumnitz (Copes), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Bo Holloway, Terry Lynn Jones (Howington), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire (Gilfoil), Tobie McKowen (Wilks), Keith Melancon (Regan), Debbie Pettis (Rome), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Lee and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Linda Sanchez (Wilks), Beverly Sibile (Gilfoil), Theresa Thom (Rome), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Teresa Vidrine (Wilks), Todd Windham
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.