Homily for the Twenty Sixth 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 --- over five years ago. This mass, The Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our three hundred and forty sixth podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father Raymond Nwabueze.

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

Bulletin for the Week of September 28, 2014 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend, we welcome the Reverend Raymond Nwabueze, OP, of the Dominican Province of Nigeria for our annual mission weekend. Our mission weekend is intended to remind us of how blessed we are in our society with material goods, and that as a Universal Church we are all connected with our brothers and sisters throughout the world and should generously share our resources with each other. Through our diocese, we are given an opportunity each year to financially support a mission located in another country, a community that through no fault of its own is located in an area that is not as blessed with the material well being and financial prosperity that we have been given.

One of the works of Fr. Nwabueze's order is the formation of priests.  It is interesting that in Nigeria vocations are generally plentiful (not only priestly vocations, but all religious vocations), but there are not enough resources to train them all.  Here in our country (as in most Western countries), it is the opposite:  we have the resources to train priests, but not enough candidates for the priesthood!  Our diocese, as well as the church in the United States, has benefited from the generosity of the Nigerian faithful as they have provided priestly vocations to our diocese.  In a very real way, your generosity this weekend helps to support vocations in our diocese.  

Fr. Nwabueze will be here this weekend and will preach at all the masses about the mission and works of the Dominican Fathers and Brothers of the Province of Nigeria, so I hope you are able to welcome him and also hear and respond generously to his message and request for help.  In this regard, the second offertory this weekend will be to support Fr. Raymond’s mission.

      God Bless

      Father James Brady

     

The bulletin for the week of September 28, 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.

Homily for the 25th 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 --- over five years ago. This mass, The Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our three hundred and forty fifth podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Father Jamse Brady.

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

Bulletin for the Week of September 21, 2014 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Enclosed in our bulletin this weekend is our annual financial report for last year and our budget for the upcoming year. I have worked with the Finance Council to provide you with an accurate understandable presentation of our church finances. As pastor, I am accountable to you for the proper use of the funds given in support of our church operations, and these reports are a way of keeping you adequately informed of the financial status of our church family. Many thanks to the Finance Council for its work and assistance in this endeavor! Overall, our financial status continues to be stable. Many thanks to you for your support, as it would not have been possible without you!

Initially, I would like to report that The Sanctuary Project has been a great success due to your generosity.  This weekend, we begin to acknowledge those who have donated to the campaign in an insert in this bulletin.  We will continue to make these acknowledgements until every donor is properly acknowledged.

I am also happy to announce that we have reached our goal for the campaign after only 3 months!!  How wonderful this is!  However, we should not stop here!  Monies donated in excess of the stated goals will be used for improved sound, lighting and pew repair, all of which is sorely needed.  My hope is that all of us will continue to pray for the success of the year long campaign, to donate to the campaign as we are able, and to invite friends of St. Landry to consider helping with the campaign.  Work will begin soon, with the bathroom work beginning this Fall and the sanctuary work after the first of the year.  Many thanks again for your generosity!

On our regular operating budget, one significant note is about the planned replacement of the underground pipes for our air conditioning system in the church, which was budgeted for last year. After obtaining plans and estimates, the bids received were more than triple what we expected, and thus not feasible.  In the meantime, the pipe leak finally caused a system shut down in January.  We were able to repair the leak, and thank God that there was only one leak in the system.  For now the system is stable and leak free, which gives us time to look for more affordable alternatives. Over the last four years, we have been able to save money for this project, so hopefully we will be able to find an alternative that will fit in our budget without incurring debt.

Our financial statement and budget reflects that we have and will continue to operate at or near the amount of our regular offertory and the offertory for repair and maintenance.  Our parish is now fully staffed and able to provide all the services a church community should.  As you may recall, during the Fall of last year, our offertory dropped significantly for a short time, and at Christmas we made known the shortfall.  Due to the generosity of many of you in "putting St. Landry on your Christmas list," the amount of the budget shortfall narrowed to a manageable level.  In an effort to keep you better informed of our financial status throughout the year, the Finance Council has decided that we should publish in the bulletin the amount of the average weekly offertory needed to meet our budget (which is $8,250), as well as the actual average year to date (which for the first 10 weeks of this year is $8,093.80).

For your information, a large portion of our savings has come from special donations we received over the last few years. These special gifts to the church are a way to express gratitude for the service of the church to us and our community and to perpetuate the mission of the Church. There are many ways one can provide a gift to the church in their estate planning, including wills, bequests, trusts, and life insurance policies, or the gift of stocks or a family home. If you are so moved, please remember a gift to the church in your estate planning or make a special donation to the church.  If you have any questions we can certainly help you with further information.

Thanks again for your generosity over the past year and your continued support!

      God Bless

      Father James Brady

     

The bulletin for the week of September 21, 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.

Homily for the Exaltation of the Cross

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 --- over five years ago. This mass, The Exaltation of the Cross, is our three hundred and forty fourth podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Deacon Sammy Diesi.

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

Bulletin for the Week of September 14, 2014 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Jesus' words after the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, and after he had washed His disciples’ feet: [If] I washed your feet...then you must wash each other's feet....What I just did was to give you an example: as I have done, so must you do." Jn 13: 14-15. As Jesus teaches us, our worship of God in the Eucharistic celebration does not end after Mass, but rather is just beginning. We receive in the Eucharist the grace to live our Christian lives in serving God and each other. This service extends outside the walls of our church to our neighbors. We help others by serving in our church and helping those in need. Thus, our worship of God and our spiritual lives are incomplete without this service. Traditionally, we have categorized service in the gifts of "time, talent and treasure." This weekend, we will conduct our annual Ministry Fair, when we focus on "time and talent."  Next weekend, we will talk about "treasure" in the annual financial report.

     Our annual Ministry Fair is an opportunity to see the various ways we can serve here at St. Landry and to consider giving our time and talent for the church's ministry, whether the ministry is within the church building or out in the community. There are opportunities for service individually and in a group or social setting. There's something for everyone. Since service is the primary function of a deacon, Deacons Diesi and Joubert will preach the homily this weekend about the importance of service in our spiritual life.

     This year, we have an updated ministry booklet in the church for you to review for possible areas of service.  The booklet contains most of the ministries and activities that we have at St. Landry throughout the year.  One new activity is "That Man is You," a program designed to help men in their vocations, which will begin meeting on September 17.  Deacon Joubert is coordinating the program, which has been very popular and helpful to men across our diocese.  We hope our men, especially husbands and fathers, will take the time to check out the program.  The meetings are in the morning before work, beginning at 5:45am in the Valentin Hall dining area.  

     Please stop by the Ministry Fair after Mass and see the various ways you can serve God with your time and your talent!

      God Bless

      Father James Brady

Many Thanks for the Fr. LaFleur Memorial Mass

     We thank all of those who helped with the beautiful liturgy last weekend at the 10am Mass for the Fr. LaFleur Memorial Mass.  The Rev. Msgr. Jefferson DeBlanc gave a beautiful homily, and we thank him for his willingness to celebrate with us.  We give our heartfelt appreciation to Deacon Joubert, who coordinated the liturgy, as well as the ministers, young people, choir and various groups (Catholic Daughters, Knights of Columbus, and Military Honor Guard) who participated in the liturgy.  We especially thank the Friends of Fr. LaFleur, coordinated by Richard and Carrol LaFleur, for helping to cultivate devotion to Fr. LaFleur and promote his cause for sainthood, helping to make our St. Landry Church community richer in our history and more firm in our faith! 

     

The bulletin for the week of September 14, 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.

Homily for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Father Verbis Lafleur

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 --- over five years ago. This mass, Twenty Third Sunday In Ordinary Time, is our three hundred and forty third 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 homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of September 7, 2014

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend on Sunday, September 7, 2014 at the 10am Mass we will celebrate a Memorial Mass in memory of Lt. Fr. Joseph Verbis Lafleur. The Rev. Msgr. Jefferson DeBlanc, V.E., pastor of Our Lady of the the Sacred Heart Church in Church Point, and former pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church here in Opelousas, will be the main celebrant and homilist.  We celebrate a Memorial Mass each year for Fr. Lafleur on this date, which this year falls on a Sunday.  This provides a wonderful opportunity for our entire parish to learn about and celebrate the life of Fr. Lafleur, a man whom I believe is a Saint and who walked the very aisles of our church not that long ago.  Although the special Memorial Mass will be at the 10am Mass, the homilies at all masses this weekend will be about Fr. Lafleur and his extraordinary life.

Fr. Lafleur came from Ville Platte to Opelousas and St. Landry Church as a child and spent some of his formative years here.  Shortly after his arrival, Fr. Lafleur was sitting at our sacristy steps and met Msgr. Colliard, our pastor from 1919 to 1950. The rest is history!

After serving as an altar server here at St. Landry, he left for the seminary under the sponsorship of Fr. Colliard and St. Landry Church.  After being ordained a diocesan priest for the diocese of Lafayette, he served a short time in the Lafayette Diocese at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Abbeville (where he is still fondly remembered for his piety and work with the youth there).  He then began to serve as a chaplain in the United States Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.  Fr. Lafleur was captured by the Japanese and was imprisoned, where he ministered to his fellow prisoners.  The story of Fr. Lafleur's life is extraordinary, especially in his selflessness, kindness and bravery, all the while he himself was being treated cruelly.  In the end, he specifically gave his life on a sinking ship so that others could live.  His life story has been published in a book titled "But He Dies Not," which will be available for purchase from the Friends of Fr. Lafleur at the Memorial Mass.

Of course, there is great devotion to Fr. Lafleur in our parish, including the beautiful monument in the front of the church.  To this day, family members of Fr. Lafleur remain active members of our parish. Fr. Lafleur is certainly a significant figure in our church parish history and a part of our spiritual patronage that we should all cherish.  Let us enjoy the celebration of his life this weekend, become inspired by it, and try to imitate the Christ-like virtues he modeled for us.

      God Bless

      Father James Brady

     

The bulletin for the week of September 07, 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.