Homily for the Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- just over one year ago. This week, the Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our eighty second podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Pastor's Corner - Father Lafleur Anniversary Mass

Pastor's Corner

On Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 6:30 p.m., we will celebrate the annual memorial Mass for Fr. Verbis Lafleur. The mass will be celebrated by Father Francis Lowe, a military chaplain currently stationed in Arkansas, whose father was a prisoner of war alongside Father Lafleur during World War II. As most of you know, there is a beautiful monument in the front of our Church to celebrate Father Lafleur’s memory. Fr. Lafleur is an example to all of us in giving over his life to God and his neighbor, namely his "neighbor" being fellow soldiers and prisoners of war during World War II. By all accounts, his life is something we should try to imitate because of his fearless willingness to serve God, neighbor and country. Fr. Lafleur's biography follows this Pastor's Corner. His call to priesthood was first received and nurtured here at St. Landry Church starting as an altar server. I hope we can all join together for this special celebration of his life, and to see the fruit of God's work in our parish. This year a book titled "But He Dies Not”, has been published. The authors, Pete and Suzanne Guerra, will be attending the mass and will be autographing copies of the book. The book chronicles Fr. Lafleur's life here at St. Landry Church, in our diocese, and then his distinguished military service. It is "required reading" for those who want to know about the history of St. Landry Church. For more information about Father Lafleur, please visit http://fatherlafleur.org/. There, you can learn about his life, download prayer cards, and even submit prayer requests.

Father James Brady

Fr. Verbis Lafleur's Biography

Fr. Lafleur was born on January 24, 1912 in Ville Platte, Louisiana. In 1926, his family moved to Opelousas, Louisiana. From early in his life, he felt a calling to the priesthood. Father Colliard, pastor of St. Landry Church at the time, arranged for young Verbis to enter St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary in St. Benedict, Louisiana in 1927. For 11 years, he prepared for the priesthood at St. Joseph’s Seminary and at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was ordained as a priest on April 2, 1938. Fr. LaFleur then celebrated his First Solemn Mass in St. Landry Catholic Church April 5, 1938.

Father Lafleur’s first assignment was St. Mary Magdalene in Abbeville, Louisiana. He joined the Army Air Corps in the summer of 1941, nearly one half year before the U. S. became involved in World War II. Father Lafleur was assigned to Albuquerque, New Mexico, until he was assigned at Clark Field in the Philippine Islands just a few weeks before it was attacked on December 8, 1941. For his bravery in action, he won the Distinguished Service Cross and was later awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. After that, he became a Prisoner of War for approximately two and one half years including stays at O’Donnell, Cabanatuan, Davao, and Lasang. On September 7, 1944, Father Lafleur gave his life while aboard a torpedoed “hell ship” carrying over 700 American Prisoners of War. By all accounts, Fr. Lafleur gave his life helping other prisoners off a prisoner ship the Japanese had not marked as "non-combatant”, while many of his fellow prisoners protested because they believed he should evacuate because his life and ministry was more important to the other prisoners who might survive.

In 1945, Father Lafleur's classmates and family members gathered in Ville Platte for a Memorial Service in his honor. The Knights of Columbus in 1946 held a parade in his honor from the Opelousas Court House to St. Landry Catholic Church. Notre Dame Seminary Alumni dedicated a bronze plaque in his memory on November 27, 1951. On May 21, 1989, he was honored at the dedication of the Chaplain Hill monument at Arlington National Cemetery. On December 7, 2005, a dedication of the Father Lafleur Shrine in St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana, was held. On September 7, 2007, the Father Lafleur Monument was dedicated at St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 29, 2010

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 22, 2010,
Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-2

Ancient wisdom insists that the more humble we are, the greater we are.

Psalm 68

"God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor."

Reading II Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a

Far from frightening, our encounter with God will be like a glorious holiday.

Gospel Luke 14:1, 7-14

Jesus presents his own version of table manners.

THEME:

Give as God gives- - in humility and love.

The living word manifests God’s presence and leads us to conversion of heart. As God’s word is proclaimed in this holy place, let us pray that our hearts will be turned toward greater compassion for the poor and needy in our community and beyond. Let us be attentive to sacred words that call us to Christian hospitality.

Questions of the week

Question for Children:

Jesus tells us that we should treat everyone as a guest.

Who do you tend to shun or not be nice to?

Question for Youth:

God asks us to do for others without hope of repayment.

This past week, what did you do for someone else for which you won’t be repaid?

Who are the people most in need of your generosity?

Question for Adults:

Who are the people living near you that you would find it most difficult to invite to a meal in your home or to invite to be a part of your life?

Bulletin Bites
"Invite the poor, the cripples, the lame, the blind, and the unwanted: blessed will you be because of their inability to repay you."

A parishioner noted to his pastor that Jesus dined with the rich and famous of his day. He asked, “Do you think Jesus would belong to an exclusive country club if he were here today?” The pastor answered, “I suspect he might, if he could afford it. But his guests would include people who could not afford it, people who need a bath and a new set of clothes, people who have not recently had a decent meal, people who are lame, who limp, or feel their way with a white cane.” The pastor then said to his parishioner, “You belong to a very exclusive country club. Have you ever brought such guests to your club?” The man said nothing. The pastor added, “When we leave Mass and go into God’s world, we are supposed to be Jesus present in the world. So, when you are at your exclusive country club Jesus IS a member. You might want to start reviewing your guest list.”

Bulletin for the week of August 29, 2010

The bulletin for the week of August 29, 2010 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page StLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- just over one year ago. This week, the Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our eighty first podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Pastor's Corner - Message from Father James Brady

There has been much going on the last week. Initially, the attendance at our Masses has grown, and we hope that continues. The Mass is the central and most important part of our spiritual life because in it we worship God in the way Jesus told us ("Do this in memory of Me"). The Eucharist is the source and summit of our life, not just here on earth, but for our life in eternity. In this worship, we should always respond to the gifts God has given us. Because of the growth in attendance at Mass, there will be a need for additional ministers at our Eucharistic Celebrations. Our St. Landry Church ministry call will be next month, and I hope that those of you who are called to serve at Mass, whether it be as a Minister of the Word, Minister of Music, Extraordinary Minister, Usher, Minister of the Eucharist for those unable to attend Mass, or Altar Server will be generous with your time and talent if you have that gift to give at the service of the Church.

We began some projects this week on the grounds of the Church. First, the roofing project for Valentin Hall, and the parking garage have begun, beginning with the garage this week. The Valentin Hall project will begin within the next month. Also, the gardens next to the rectory building were removed by the inmates at St. Landry Parish Correctional Center. The proximity of the gardens to the building caused a drainage and varmint problem for the building. We appreciate the help from the men who came to remove those gardens and those at the St. Landry Parish Sheriff's office who made it possible! The roofing repairs for the rectory and south sacristy of the Church will begin next month, and hopefully, with their completion, will resolve all problems with roof leaks in our buildings.

Many responded to the request for a monstrance for the Valentin Hall Chapel, and the response is greatly appreciated. We will have a new monstrance in the near future. As a final note, many thanks for your generosity in giving to the Church. As you know, there are ongoing renovations to the rectory in addition to the other projects mentioned above. We've been blessed over the last few weeks with generous donations of materials and funds (both from inside our Church parish and from outside donors) that have made these repairs and renovations possible.

Father James Brady

Now taking orders for the new Father Lafleur book!

The new book about Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur --- the life, faith, and sacrifice of a military chaplain --- is now available!

The book was written by Peter J. Guerra & Suzanne Dore' Guerra.

You can get to the order form here: http://fatherlafleur.org/html/order_form.html

The book was produced locally by Andrepont Printing ... you can support them by clicking here.

Download the flyer here: http://fatherlafleur.org/BookFlyerReduced.pdf

Readings and Themes for Week of August 22, 2010

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 22, 2010,
Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I Isaiah 66: 18-21

Outcasts will be gathered home by God as a precious offering in glory.

Psalm 117

"Go out to all the world and tell the Good News."

Reading II Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Discipline strengthens what is weak.

Gospel Luke 13:22-30

The doorway into the kingdom is narrow.

THEME:

Following Jesus calls us to risk and not always taking the easy road.

God’s sacred word shows us the way to eternal life. The entrance is narrow, yet we are strengthened each week as we gather in this holy place to be fed at the table of the word. May the proclamation of today’s scriptures keep our eyes focused on the Lord.

Questions of the week

Question for Children:

How do you show that you are a follower of Christ?

Question for Youth:

Jesus tells us that being His disciple will be very hard.

Of all the things that Jesus tells us about the way that we are to live our lives, what is the hardest thing for you to do? Why?

Question for Adults:

As you wrestle with today’s Gospel, what signs do you see in your
own life that you are “with God”?

Bulletin Bites
"I do not know where you are from"

What will we do if Jesus speaks those words to us when we finally meet him? Will our face go pale and our knees buckle? Will we be very frightened? Will we mumble, “I ate and drank in your company and you taught me”? What if Jesus asks us, “But what did you learn? Did you eat and drink in the company of the hungry, the homeless, the naked, the oppressed, and the diseased? Do they know where you are from? If people in need in our world know where we are from, Jesus will know where we are from. He will recognize us right away and he will be anxiously waiting for us to enter into his presence. Jesus is very clear”: “People will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at the table in the Kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Where do we want to be when we all take our places in God’s Kingdom?

Bulletin for the Week of August 22, 2010

The bulletin for the week of August 22, 2010 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page StLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- just over one year ago. This week, the Feast of the Assumption, is our eightieth podcast to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Father James Brady.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Feast of the Assumption homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Father Lafleur Memorial Mass

The Father Lafleur Memorial Mass

The Lieutenant Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur Memorial Mass will be at 6:30 PM, September 7, 2010 on the anniversary of Father Lafleur’s death at St. Landry Catholic Church, 1020 North Main Street, Opelousas, Louisiana.

The mass will be celebrated by Father Francis Lowe, a military chaplain currently stationed in Arkansas, whose father was a prisoner of war alongside Father Lafleur during World War II.

For the last several years, St. Landry Catholic Church has hosted this annual Mass in honor of one of its former altar boys; it was, in fact, through the help and guidance of the pastor, Father A. B. Colliard, that a young Lafleur was eventually able to enter the seminary. Today, some of Father Lafleur’s relatives in the Opelousas area are still parishioners of St. Landry Catholic Church. In 2007, a monument in honor of his memory was erected on the church grounds.

After being ordained to the priesthood in 1938, Father Lafleur went on to serve both his church and his country as a military chaplain during World War II. He and more than 600 other prisoners were killed when the Japanese ship transporting them was torpedoed. Although Father Lafleur’s body was never recovered, survivors later recalled that he was last seen trying to help others escape from the sinking vessel. In the years that followed, Father Lafleur’s family received letters from many others to whom he had ministered during the war, sharing their stories of how deeply the priest’s selfless actions touched and inspired them.

In October 2008, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Joseph Guerra assisted the Lafleur family in submitting a request to the U.S. Army, asking that Father Lafleur be considered for the Medal of Honor. While the family is still awaiting a decision on that matter, Lt. Col. Guerra has authored a book which chronicles Father Lafleur’s heroic endeavors as a military chaplain. The family is hopeful that the book, which is currently being printed by the local Andrepont Printing business, will be available in time for this year’s Memorial Mass.

Those who are interested in learning more about Father Lafleur are encouraged to visit http://www.fatherlafleur.org/ for further information.

Monstrance needed

The monstrance used for First Friday adoration and benediction in the Valentin Hall Chapel is broken and it is not feasible to repair it.

The monstrance is a sacred vessel used to display the consecrated host for adoration, benediction, or during processions. The word monstrance comes from the same root as our English word "demonstrate" - to show. The monstrance is many times designed to resemble the sun, symbolizing Christ as the Light of the World.

If anyone is interested in donating a monstrance for our church parish, please contact me at the church office (337) 942-6552 or email me by clicking this link on the church website. Your generous gift of a monstrance will provide a beautiful item that will be central to worship in our parish for this and future generations to come.

Father James Brady

Pastor's Corner - Welcome to Monsignor Louis Melancon

We welcome Monsignor Louis Melancon to our parish. Many of you already know him because of his good work at Opelousas Catholic School. He will reside, for the next few weeks, here at St. Landry Catholic Church. Due to the renovations in the rectory described in previous bulletins, he will reside in Washington throughout this school year. Beginning in the Fall of next year, he will reside here at St. Landry on a more permanent basis. Between now and then, we look forward to Monsignor's presence in our parish.

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 15, 2010

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 15, 2010,
The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading I Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab

A woman is clothed with the sun and crowned with stars.

Psalm 45

"The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold."

Reading II 1 Corinthians 15:20-27

Christ is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Gospel Luke 1:39-56

As David danced before the ark, so John leaps in his mother’s womb in the presence of the Lord in the womb of Mary.

THEME:

God’s power among us gives us strength.

Mary’s joyful song of praise, her Magnificat, resounds throughout this great festival in honor of her assumption into heaven. Let us be attentive, as was the Blessed Virgin Mary, to God’s word of comfort, peace, and challenge for all who long to see the face of God.

Questions of the week

Question for Children:

How does your relationship to the Blessed Virgin Mary help your faith?

Question for Youth:

Mary said YES to God, to cooperating with God’s plan for her life.

What do you think God wants for our life?

How well are you cooperating with God’s plan?

Question for Adults:

In your own words, how would you describe the role of Mary in the work of Christ?

Bulletin Bites
"More blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII, in his Encyclical Letter Munificentissimus Deus, proclaimed, declared and defined to be divinely revealed dogma that "... the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." Some ask why, how, when, and where? Those are fair questions. The simple answer is "It’s a mystery!" But it is more important to ask, "Why not?" Why would Jesus not want to honor the young girl who accepted God’s call to be his mother [at great risk to her life], who carried him in her womb and gave birth to him in a cave, who watched him grow and was with him when he died on a cross and who rejoiced at his Resurrection by assuming her uncorrupted body to be with him in heaven for eternity? The world would be a much better place if we all honored our parents, family, friends, and strangers who often do so much for us that we do not appreciate. Once again, Jesus reveals to us that gratitude is the beginning of generosity.

Bulletin for the Week of August 15, 2010

The bulletin for the week of August 15, 2010 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page StLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Two for the price of one!

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- just over one year ago. This week, the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our seventy-ninth podcast to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Father James Brady speaking about Hands Together, missionaries to Haiti. Their website can be found at http://www.handstogether.org/ This is a second homily for this weekend - so you get two for the price of one!

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Anniversary - Laying of the Cornerstone for St. Landry Catholic Church

Today is the 102 year anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for the current building here at St. Landry Catholic Church. When standing outside of the church facing the front doors (to the east), the cornerstone is to your left. It was carved in 1907 and put into place on August 8, 1908. From my notes on the history of St. Landry Catholic Church ...

In 1900 a temporary church was completed. In 1902 the task of removing and clearing away the old church was started. In 1903 the foundation was formed with concrete and brick from the old church. On August 8, 1908 the cornerstone was laid. During the winter of 1908-1909 construction of the walls continued and was completed and occupied. On April 2, 1909, the first Friday of April, the first mass was said in the current St. Landry Church.  The interior of the church was not completed. Father John Engberink was our pastor who built the church. Father Engberink is buried in the floor of the church near the sanctuary.  Monsignor Albert Benedict Colliard followed Father Engberink as Pastor. Monsignor Colliard completed the interior. Monsignor Colliard is buried in St. Landry Cemetery near the cross.  Monsignor Broussard was the pastor following Monsignor Colliard. Monsignor Broussard in 1963 had the interior of the church redecorated and air conditioned.

As you can see from the photo at the top of this posting, the cornerstone is in Latin …

Ad

Laudem Dei Omnipotentis

Sub

Invocatione St. Landerici Epi – Et

Conf. Mense Januarii A.D. MCMVII

Primarius Novae Aedis Lapis

Collocatur Sedente S.S.D.N.

Pio Papa X

Reverendissime J.H. Blenk S.M. Arch

Rev. J. Engerbrink

Rectore Opelousas

Larry Jagneaux is a parishioner here that many of you know as a Eucharistic Minister at 10 AM Sunday mass.  Larry also teaches Latin 101 and Latin 102 at the Aquinas Institute and has published a textbook on Latin. He was gracious enough to translate the cornerstone as … (with a few additions to clear up the names and abbreviations)

To the praise of Almighty God, under the invocation of St. Landry, conferred in the month of January, 1907, the first stone of the new Church, set during the pontificate of Pope Pius X.  The most Reverend James Hubert Blenk, Society of Mary, being the Archbishop of New Orleans, and the Reverend John Engerbrink, Rector of Opelousas.

Homily for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- just over one year ago. This week, the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our seventy-eighth podcast to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Bill Darling who represents Hands Together, missionaries to Haiti. Their website can be found at http://www.handstogether.org/

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

51st Anniversary of Charlene Richard's death

Tonight, at 6 PM at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Richard Louisiana, Father Wayne Duet will celebrate mass on the 51st anniversary of the death of Charlene Richard.

Charlene died as a child at the age of 12 of leukemia. Thousands of people visit her gravesite each year as a testament to her faith while going through a difficult illness.

At 5 PM, a rosary will be prayed. Immediately afterwards, Deacon Reggie Bollich will make a presentation about the Charlene Richard Mission house located in Northern Thailand.

Father Joseph Brennan who wrote the book, "My Name is Charlene" will be present to sign copies of his book before mass. Barbara Gutierrez who wrote the book "Charlene" will be there as well.

Prayer cloths made by the St. Edward's Ladies Altar Society, prayer cards, and brochures from the Friends of Charlene will also be distributed free of charge.

A reception will follow the mass.

You can contact the Friends of Charlene at PO Box 91623, Lafayette, LA 70509.

The Pastor's Corner - A Message from our Pastor, Father James Brady

Things continue to go well in the transition of pastors in our parish. Each week I get to know more people and am learning more about our parish. It's been a great month and I appreciate everything each of you have done to welcome me and make my transition comfortable. As several of you have suggested, one liturgical adjustment that could be made is to schedule more Eucharistic Ministers for each Mass. As the new school year approaches, Mass attendance tends to increase as families return home from vacation, and this has occurred over the last few weeks. It is expected that Mass attendance will continue to increase for the next few weeks as more families return home and we settle into our "school year" rhythm. We are in the process of scheduling additional Eucharistic Ministers, but this may take a few weeks, so I ask for your patience in the interim.

This Sunday, August 8th, is the 102nd anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone in our current church. This is a good time to reflect on the beauty of our Church and to thank those who came before us for the great gift they left us. Our worship of God is most important, and our ancestors and predecessors definitely left us a most fitting place to do so. On a trivia note, the rector/pastor at the time of construction of the Church, according to the cornerstone, was "Rev. J. Engerbrink.” In Valentin Hall, there is a portrait of a priest named "Fr. John Engberink" who was the "Dutchman" responsible for building the current Church and was the pastor here from 1895 to 1918. His tomb in the Church has the same spelling. In the rectory, there is a mini-portrait of "Fr. John Embrank”, who looks exactly like the man in the portrait in Valentin Hall. We know all three are the same man, but his name is spelled differently in each place, and two of the three items (the cornerstone and the mini-portrait, which have the most diverse spellings) appear to have been done within a close period of time. Does anyone know the correct spelling?

Father James Brady

Readings and Themes for the Week of August 08, 2010

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of August 08, 2010,
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading I Wisdom 18: 6-9

On the long-awaited Passover night, God’s children offered the paschal sacrifice.

Psalm 33

"Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own."

Reading II Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

By faith, we join our ancestors in faith, as together in hope we journey toward our homeland.

Gospel Luke 12: 32-48

The Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour.

THEME:

Do not live in fear. Live, and be ready!

Let us now be attentive to the word of God, which reminds us to nurture our faith constantly, our vision focused on the coming of the Lord. We await our inheritance of the heavenly kingdom promised to those who put their faith in the Lord Jesus.

Questions of the week

Question for Children:

Jesus tells us to always be ready to hear him.

What are some ways he speaks to us?

Question for Youth:

If Jesus were to knock on your door today and give you a report card on your life as his disciple, what grade would you get?

Where would be your areas for improvement?

Question for Adults:

On a daily basis, what are some ways to keep yourself ready for God to act?

How do you pay attention to God’s often-less-than-obvious actions?

Bulletin Bites
"For where your treasure is, there also will be your heart."

The trash we put on the curb to be discarded reveals much about who we are and what we do in life. It contains the packaging of the products that we treasure. It reveals where our heart is. What is in our trash? Is it packaging from the latest electronic games, the best type of athletic equipment, the current fashion in clothes [no matter how revealing], the appliances with the most features, containers that held gourmet foods, too many liquor bottles and beer cans, and the shredded documents of the fortune we are trying to amass? There are some people whose hearts are not revealed by their trash. They have no trash. Sadly, they have nothing to throw away. They do not have sufficient food and they have very little clothing. We would do well to remember the words of Jesus, “Much will be required of the person who has much, and still more of the person entrusted with more”. When we bring our trash to the curb we should ask, “How much treasure have I been entrusted with and what does this trash reveal about my heart?”

Bulletin for the Week of August 8, 2010

The bulletin for the week of August 08, 2010 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information and information on the second collection for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our St. Landry Catholic Church blog. You can get to the blog from the church home page under the Bulletins and News section or you can just click here to go to it.

Don't forget, we're also sending out live updates via Twitter. Our Twitter name is StLandryCath. You can see updates by clicking here.

And we're also on Facebook --- friend us! You can see our updates on our page StLandryCatholicChurch.

St. John Bosco comes to Louisiana

The relics of St. John Bosco -- "Don Bosco" -- are being brought to a few churches in New Orleans later this month.

 

Last year was the 150th anniversary of his founding of the Salesians ... the Society of St. Francis de Sales ... and the relics are touring the world as part of the celebration.

 

The Salesians are best known for providing education for the poor throughout the world. In Haiti, they take in young boys who have been abandoned by their families due to poverty, educate them in a trade, and then attempt to have them reunited with their families as not only a family member but a provider.

 

On the itinerary:

• New Orleans: September 19-20 veneration at St. Rosalie Parish in Harvey, La.
• September 21, Youth Rally at Alario Center in Westwego, La.
• September 21-22 veneration at St. John Bosco Parish in Harvey, La.

More details at the website, Don Bosco Among Us.

Homily for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- just over one year ago. This week, the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our seventy-seventh podcast to be posted. This week, the homily is given by Father James Brady, our new pastor.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.