Bulletin for the Week of June 22, 2014 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Sunday after the 10am Mass we will have a special devotion to the Eucharist in celebration of this feast. Following Mass we will have a Eucharistic procession in the church and then silent Eucharistic adoration for the afternoon. Benediction and reposition will take place at 4pm. I hope everyone is able to spend some quiet time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament Sunday afternoon. The Eucharist is the "source and summit" of our sacramental faith, and our devotion to Jesus cannot be complete without devotion to His presence in the Blessed Sacrament. It is also significant to note that in years past behavior in our churches generally reflected the reverence we should have when in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. It seems we were more properly attired, were quiet, and were attentive to the fact that we were in the presence of God when entering a Catholic Church. This reverence was also an act of good manners in that those praying were not disturbed or distracted in their prayers by others. Reverent behavior is a reminder to us of the awe we should have in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and God's great love for us, His creatures, in calling each of us to live a life in Christ. This weekend, as we celebrate Corpus Christi, let us also reflect on our behavior in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament not only this weekend, but at all times we are in a church or chapel, and if we need, to adjust our behavior to properly honor and reverence the presence of God in the Eucharist.

In addition to the special celebration today, in Opelousas we have many opportunities for quiet reflection and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Besides the times when our church is open, Valentin Hall Chapel is open during business hours. We also have 24 hour adoration every First Friday beginning at 7am and continuing until the 8am Mass Saturday morning. Queen of Angels’ adoration chapel is open perpetually, so it is always available for quiet prayer. Our Lady of Mercy also has a visitation chapel (code is needed, just call their office) which is always available. We are blessed to have so many opportunities for quiet prayer with Our Lord. Families that pray together, especially those with children, experience a greater peace and unity that only God can give, especially when we remove the distractions of our daily lives for just a short period of time to focus on Him. Let us all make a renewed effort to increase our prayer, especially in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, so as to better serve God and our community!

     Fr. James Brady

PILGRIMAGE TO ROME - MARK THE DATES!

We have planned a pilgrimage to Rome and other parts of Italy in the Spring of 2015 from March 16th to 26th.  In 2013, we went to France and visited places of significance to our spiritual heritage here at St. Landry, including the tomb of St. Landry himself and the places where many of the saints depicted in our church lived and worked, like St. Bernadette, St. Margaret Mary Alocquet, St. John Vianney,  Therese of Lisieux and others.  This pilgrimage will focus more on the Universal Church, centered in Rome, the City of Seven Hills.  Besides the tour of Rome and the Vatican Museums and religious sites (including attendance at the weekly Papal Audience (dependent on Pope Francis' schedule)), it will include trips to the Abbey at Montecassino (founded by St. Benedict), Assisi (St. Francis and St. Claire), St. Padre Pio's Tomb, and Florence (optional, but highly recommended).  Brochures with more detailed information are located in the church for your review, and there will be an informational meeting on Wednesday, July 30 at 6pm in the Valentin Hall Dining Room.  Hope to see you there.
     

The bulletin for the week of June 22, 2014 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 SaintLandryCatholicChurch.