Thanksgiving Appreciations by Monsignor J. Robert Romero

As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, I offer some reasons for thanks and appreciation this year:

I am thankful for the Parish Mission we had on March 23-24-25, 2009. It was conducted by Father Mark Thibodeaux, S.J. The Theme of the Mission was ‘Cloister’ (one’s intimate relationship with God), ‘Community’ (one’s relationship with loved ones), and ‘Hospitality’ (one’s relationship with the stranger). It was a powerful experience.

I am grateful for the updated church website at http://www.stlandrycatholicchurch.org Mr. Andrew Guidroz II is our web Coordinator for this site. He puts a lot of time to maintain the site. It is a good church presence on the internet. We have a website that has a blog, Twitter, Facebook, video, weekly bulletin, weekly homily and more.

I am also appreciative of the update at Opelousas Catholic School’s physical plant. This work is the result of 5 years of planning. We were able to update the classrooms during the summer so that with school beginning in August 2009 all classrooms were not only habitable but also functional. This update is not 100% improvement, but 1,000% improvement. We are still working on the rest of the project and should be completed soon. I cannot thank the public enough for your gracious support of this project.

This year’s Ministry Fair has given us more parishioners involved in our church ministries. It is a great testament to our parishioners’ love of God and Church. We even were able to grow our ministries, as a group of parishioners is forming a Church Parish Outreach/Parish Visitors Committee. I appreciate our maturity in church involvement.

The Cemetery Tours this year was an excellent way to remember those in our city who did community service. We as a community should appreciate these wonderful people. They are Mr. J. B. Sandoz, Sr. Mary Bernadette Beyer, Mrs. Cornelius Segar, Judge Arthur Simon, Mr. Charles Thibodeaux, Father Hyland, Miss Jannis Marie Ballard, Monsignor A. B. Colliard, and Father Verbis Lafleur. I thank all who made the Cemetery Tours such a success.

On the last day of October, St. Landry Court of the Catholic Daughters of America celebrated their 100th Anniversary. I enjoyed hearing their history. They were first named the Daughters of Isabella. They do great work. I thank God they are in our midst.

In April of 1912, the Daughters of Isabella gave St. Landry Church our Church Bell. The bell was not working as some electric parts were struck by lighting. By the grace of God, we were able to do repairs so that the bell could ring on the 100th Anniversary of the St. Landry Court. [Currently the bell is working, but we hope to get more use from it in the near future. Right now, we are testing the parts to make sure it will work without any problems. In a few weeks, we hope to have it ring on the hour beginning at 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.]. It is good to have a working church bell. It makes church feel more like church.

The visit of the Relic of St. Mary Magdalene was a surprise. WOW! What an impact St. Mary Magdalene made on us. The spiritual attachment we all have to her and her attachment to us is comforting. Let us appreciate a deeper love and discipleship of Jesus in us. The many people who came to St. Landry Church to visit the relic were terrific. It is good to see so many people growing in a deeper relationship to Christ by way of the Communion of Saints. I am most grateful to have witnessed this and give thanks to God.

The Church International Dinner on November 8 was both enjoyable and restful. It was good to be with parishioners and enjoy a good meal. We had around 35 participants. The variety of food and the abundance of food made it look like a food fest. It is a good way to bring us together as parishioners who attend different masses. This helps us know one another. The whole experience was gratifying.

Lastly, [on a personal note] I am grateful for the canonization of St. Damien the Leper on October 11, 2009. St. Damien is buried in the National Shrine of St. Joseph, Louvain, Belgium. He is buried in the crypt of the church. It was in this church I was ordained a deacon on May 1, 1974, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. I was a student at the American College in Louvain. I would at times stop by to visit Fr. Damien’s tomb. As he served in Hawaii, our 50th state, he is not only a Belgian Saint but also an American Saint. In this Year of Priests, may all priests and future priests appreciate the gift of their priesthood and be as effective in their ministry as Fr. Damien.