Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time | St. Edward Catholic Church, Tallulah

From The Font

*“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,

‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’

‘Here I am,’ I said; ‘send me!’”*

The idea of “being sent” is, in Catholicism nowadays, almost always associated with a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, but Vatican II was very specific in saying that every Christian has a particular, specific, and direct ‘call to holiness’ from God, Himself. We read last week that the Lord knit together each of us in our individual mother’s womb. Each of us is unique and especially created in the image and likeness of God. As such, each of us is called by God to some purpose and mission within the broader community of the Church. For many, that mission will be family life and the education of our children in the ways of Faith. For others, that call may be as a teacher, nurse, doctor, therapist, or other so-called helping profession in which we serve our fellow man in his or her journey toward Faith and, we hope, eternal life. For yet others, that call may lead to a religious vocation. For still others, the call may be more dramatic and may involve some work in the public eye like that of Mother Theresa or St. Thomas More.

Whatever our specific call from God may be and however long it takes us to get a sense of what it is, the attitude modeled by Isaiah is really the point of the passage. It’s a point I've stolen for one of the chief themes of my time here in Tallulah: “Lord, if YOU make clear what YOU want me to do, then I’ll muster the courage to do it!” Isaiah’s willingness to be sent is the attitude that all Christians are called to have.

We don’t volunteer for the work of the Lord because we believe we’re best qualified or most adept or have better ideas than others, we volunteer because God is God and if I’m willing to serve Him, He’ll bring more good from my willingness than I ever could from my talents… So many Catholics today hesitate to share faith, witness to others, or volunteer at Church because we’re afraid that we’re not the best suited for the task… But the Lord has never chosen the best suited - just look at the apostles… not the best and the brightest! The Lord doesn’t ever choose the qualified, He qualifies and uses the chosen. Crazy as it seems, in weakness, we are made strong.

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

Our Lady of Lourdes - whom we celebrate this Friday - is one of the best known devotions in the Catholic Church. The city of Lourdes is located along the border with Spain and is famous for its healing waters. The place is a bizarre mix of deep, real spiritual places and what can only be described as a kind of Las-Vegas-ization of the apparition of our Lady.

The walk from the hotels to the Basilica is all neon lights and discounts on candles in the shapes of body parts and the strangest kind of advertisements (“only Hindi-speaking shop in town”). It can be VERY off-putting.

At the same time, the Rosary said\sung by candle-light and the shocking number of sick people along-side people assisting the sick is moving. The grotto and, especially, the Church is Incarnational theology made tangible. The place is remarkable in so many ways.

Thankfully, the place looks to be getting back to normal thanks to the increasing sanity of the French. Sadly, the Italians have gone all-in on the cult of COVID and normal visits there look to be several years away.

Even more than the modern experience of Lourdes, though, the apparition is worth remembering and reconsidering often. Our Lady appeared at Lourdes in 1858. It was the third appearance of Our Lady in France in as many decades and these three marked the first major internationally-recognized mystical events since Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531…

At Rue du Bac, Catherine Labouré received the Miraculous Medal from Our Lady along with concerns and warnings about the coming years. At Mount Sous-Les Baisses (AKA La Salette), Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud found Mary weeping because of the disrespect shown to the Lord's Day and to the Lord's name. It was to them that the Secret of LaSalette was entrusted. Pope St. Pius IX eagerly requested the text of that secret. Finally, at Lourdes, Our Lady appeared to a girl named Bernadette Soubirous and declared herself the Immaculate Conception, which confirmed the Vatican dogmatic declaration only a few years earlier. As before, Our Lady expressed concern about the coming years and advised prayer and repentance. With the stage set by these big three French appearances, Our Lady finally appeared at Fatima in 1917 with the three secrets and the great miracle which took place on St. Edward the Confessor’s feast day (Oct 13).

The consequences of these mystical events were universally considered as portents for our age until the late 1960s when they fell out of fashion and were, to use a modern concept, “canceled” by progressive clergy.

We would do well to un-cancel our Lady’s messages and pay special attention to them. Our Lord sent Our Lady to us as a warning and as an aid for living as a Christian in these days. Only a great fool would set a novel ideology before a miraculous appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us!

Mass Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/P Gilfoil
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 9:00a In memory of Thomas Trichell/family
Wed 9:00a In memory of Deceased members of Regan, Adams, Weimer families/family
Thu 9:00a In memory of Gus Gremshell
Fri 5:30p In memory of Becky Lancaster/family
Sat 5:30p In memory of Pat Bullard/family
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of Cathy VanderVieren

Assistants at Holy Mass

Date	Servers	Lector(s)
2/5 5:30p	Non Scheduled	C VanderVieren
2/6 9:00a	Caroline, Cooper, Maura	C Guizerix
2/12 5:30p	None Scheduled	MA Gilfoil
2/13 9:00a	Henry & MaryKatherine	B Sullivan
2/19 5:30p	None Scheduled	L Bullard
2/20 9:00a	Chandler, Kathleen, Maura	Youth-Preston & Emersyn

Upcoming Events

Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass at 5:30p
Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:00a Mass unless otherwise indicated
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
Feb 5 & 6 Blessing of Throats for St Blaise feast day at all Masses
Feb 6 Confirmation Class - 5:30 p.m. - Church Hall
Feb 9 Wednesday Night Catechism - 6 p.m. Church Hall. Topic: The Glorious Mysteries
Feb 15 Pastoral Council Meeting – 6 p.m. - Church Hall
Feb 16 First Communion Class - 6 p.m. - Church Hall
Feb 18 Quarterly Healing Mass - 5:30 p.m. Church
Feb 27 First Quarter Social to celebrate Mardi Gras following Sunday Mass

For Your Information:

ROSARY GROUP… a group of parishioners is meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Everyone is invited to join the group. If you need additional information, please contact the Coordinator, Louise Magoun, at 318-341-2403.

FIRST QUARTER SOCIAL - MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION…Potluck Brunch on Sunday, February 27 following Mass. First Quarter (Jan, Feb, March) group is Margo Corulla and Darryl and Abby Ellerbee (co-chairs), Norman and Marie Ernst, Katherine Ernst Bedgood, Brian Johnson, Sidney and Mary Jane Johnson, Robbie and Tori Kivett, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Billy and Courtney Nadeau, Teddy and Alyssa Oliver, Mike and Sue Rome, Jason Trichell, Mary Trichell, Levi Washington.

ALTAR SOCIETY DUES PAYABLE FOR 2022…All ladies of the faith family of St. Edward are considered members of the Altar Society which is responsible for the needs of the altar such as candles, wine, hosts, altar cloths and linens and decorations. It is now time to pay your $10 dues for 2022 and there are envelopes at the entrance of the church for your convenience. You may return your envelope in the collection basket or to the church office.

ALTAR CANDLES… Anyone wishing to provide candles for the altar in honor of their loved one or in prayer for some intention may do so simply by asking. A small donation is recommended, but not required. A list of dates is in the sacristy and a date can be reserved up to one year in advance.

EMPOWERING GOD’S CHILDREN… parish volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and go online regularly at www.virtus.org for the latest training bulletins. Any questions or issues can be reported to the office. Printed resources are available on the table at the entrance to the Church.

“Protecting our Children, Understanding and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse” includes Resources and Contact Numbers for reporting abuse.
“Protecting God’s Children, Teaching Touching Safety Quick Reference Guide”

The Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Minors and The Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct for Priests, Deacons, Pastoral Ministers, Administrators, Staff, and Volunteers are available in the Safe Environment section of the diocesan website at DioceseAlex.org or a copy may be requested from the Safe Environment Office (318) 445-2401.

PLEDGE TO HEAL...If you or a family member has been abused or victimized by a representative of the Catholic church or a member of the clergy, please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing. Dr. Lee Kneipp, Clinical Psychologist, Victim Assistance Coordinator, Diocese of Alexandria encourages those persons to come forward and speak out. Dr. Kneipp is establishing support groups in the central Louisiana area for victims and family members. The focus of these groups is to further emotional and spiritual healing as an adjunct to therapy, in an atmosphere of others who understand the pain, betrayal, and fear associated with abuse. Dr. Kneipp can be reached at 318-542-9805. All calls are confidential.

Our Return to the Lord


Weekly Budget FY 2020-21	$ 2,111
December Budget	$ 8,444
December Income	$ 11,897
December Expenses	$ 9,174
January Budget	$ 10,555
January 29/30 collection	$ 1,957
January To Date	$ 13,353

Stewardship In today’s readings, both Issiah and Peter hear the call of God and feel themselves unworthy. But, reassured by the Lord, both answer and follow. Do I hear the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send?” Am I prepared to answer “Here I am. Send me!”

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday Blanche Wilks (Feb 5), Stephenie E. Marsh (Feb 6)

Happy Anniversary Susie and Terry Murphy (Feb 13)

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.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis and Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI; 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, or otherwise in need of our prayers: Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Mary Ernst, Monique Florence, Susan and Johnny 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

Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Jenna Faye Allen (Florence), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Judy and Danny Beard (Keene), Marie Farlow Bellard, Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Molly Corulla, Sara Cannon (Gilfoil), Truman and Diane Collins, Jami Cook (Wilks), Don Deweese, Carol Dipert (Rome), Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Tommy Dunning, Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, April Franklin (Wilks), Cogan Fulton (Ellerbee), Thom Gilfoil, Charlotte Green, Kathy Garley Hanlon (Gilfoil), Rita Hargrave, Lyn and Calvin Lisonbee (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), John Rogan, Bailey, Lee, and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Albert Thom (Rome), Meg Keene Thomas, Lucy Thomason (gr-dau of Bentley Curry)(Book), Elaine and James Trimble (Rome), Joe Yerger

Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Callie Ezell, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Emmy Lu Marsh, Maddie Oliver Bridges, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Brice Wood, Marsh Wood