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The Pastor’s Corner
This weekend, we continue our journey towards Christ with the beginning of our liturgical year. Today, the 1st Sunday of Advent, marks our liturgical “New Year,” which appropriately begins with our preparation for and anticipation of receiving the gift of Christ at Christmas. The Nativity of Our Lord marks the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life, the life of Our Savior that leads to the salvation of the world. The remembrance of these events is intended to help us all re-focus on Christ and His Church by entering more deeply into the mystery of the Incarnation, that is, the mystery of God becoming Man. The first step in preparing to receive Christ fully was heralded by John the Baptist, Jesus' forerunner, who preached repentance and forgiveness of our sins in order to "prepare the way of the Lord."
In that regard, the Diocese of Lafayette is once again sponsoring “The Light is on for You” campaign. During Advent, all church parishes within our diocese will have their “light on for you” on Wednesdays from 6:30 until 8pm for Confessions. Confession is a beautiful sacrament often under-utilized by Catholics. Confession gives us an earthly and tangible experience of God's Mercy, which is not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also the Grace to overcome them and live a life fully in union with Christ. As the words of absolution say, God grants us "pardon and peace." Confession allows us to tangibly experience God’s mercy in the forgiveness of our sins, and His Grace gives us the strength to cast off the burden of sin to live in true freedom and know Him ever more deeply. Confession will prepare us to receive Jesus more fully at Christmas, so I hope we all take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession during the Advent Season. Please know of my prayers that all of us are blessed with the greatest gift of all at the end of this Advent Season, the gift of a deeper relationship with Christ!
With the beginning of the New Year, I want to thank all those who have helped at the church this year by volunteering to serve our community. Last weekend we had our annual appreciation dinner for our volunteers and ministers, which went very well. I want to especially thank Deacon Joubert and Yvonne Normand for coordinating the event, and all those who participated by bringing food for the dinner. Without the generosity of time that our volunteers give, from the beginning of the week early on Monday morning to the closing of the church building after the 5pm Mass Sunday evening, our volunteers do so many things that help our church community. The variety of gifts and talents that have been given to our parishioners and then used to support our community is so important for a community to thrive and live life in Christ. Please know of my appreciation for your dedication and generosity, and my hope that all of us will continue to be generous with the time, talent and treasure that God has given to us.
.Speaking of giving thanks, as many of you know, I was in Baton Rouge last weekend to celebrate with my parents and family Mom and Dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary. It was a beautiful event and Mom and Dad very much enjoyed the afternoon. They wanted me to thank you for them, and I want to thank you for myself, for your prayers and support while they were in the hospital and after, while they were in recovery. Your prayers were answered in the affirmative! Mom and Dad are back home and their health continues to improve. I can't tell you how much I appreciate how often you all have asked about their well being and let me know you were praying for them. It has meant a lot to me and to them. Thanks again!
Finally, as you may have noticed, our statue of St. Jude was missing the last few weeks, but is now back in the church repaired and freshly painted. Someone from our community, who would like to remain anonymous, volunteered to do the work, and I think it turned out beautifully. Please keep the volunteer in your prayers and be sure to take a look at the beautiful work on the statue.
In that regard, the Diocese of Lafayette is once again sponsoring “The Light is on for You” campaign. During Advent, all church parishes within our diocese will have their “light on for you” on Wednesdays from 6:30 until 8pm for Confessions. Confession is a beautiful sacrament often under-utilized by Catholics. Confession gives us an earthly and tangible experience of God's Mercy, which is not only the forgiveness of our sins, but also the Grace to overcome them and live a life fully in union with Christ. As the words of absolution say, God grants us "pardon and peace." Confession allows us to tangibly experience God’s mercy in the forgiveness of our sins, and His Grace gives us the strength to cast off the burden of sin to live in true freedom and know Him ever more deeply. Confession will prepare us to receive Jesus more fully at Christmas, so I hope we all take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession during the Advent Season. Please know of my prayers that all of us are blessed with the greatest gift of all at the end of this Advent Season, the gift of a deeper relationship with Christ!
With the beginning of the New Year, I want to thank all those who have helped at the church this year by volunteering to serve our community. Last weekend we had our annual appreciation dinner for our volunteers and ministers, which went very well. I want to especially thank Deacon Joubert and Yvonne Normand for coordinating the event, and all those who participated by bringing food for the dinner. Without the generosity of time that our volunteers give, from the beginning of the week early on Monday morning to the closing of the church building after the 5pm Mass Sunday evening, our volunteers do so many things that help our church community. The variety of gifts and talents that have been given to our parishioners and then used to support our community is so important for a community to thrive and live life in Christ. Please know of my appreciation for your dedication and generosity, and my hope that all of us will continue to be generous with the time, talent and treasure that God has given to us.
.Speaking of giving thanks, as many of you know, I was in Baton Rouge last weekend to celebrate with my parents and family Mom and Dad's 60th Wedding Anniversary. It was a beautiful event and Mom and Dad very much enjoyed the afternoon. They wanted me to thank you for them, and I want to thank you for myself, for your prayers and support while they were in the hospital and after, while they were in recovery. Your prayers were answered in the affirmative! Mom and Dad are back home and their health continues to improve. I can't tell you how much I appreciate how often you all have asked about their well being and let me know you were praying for them. It has meant a lot to me and to them. Thanks again!
Finally, as you may have noticed, our statue of St. Jude was missing the last few weeks, but is now back in the church repaired and freshly painted. Someone from our community, who would like to remain anonymous, volunteered to do the work, and I think it turned out beautifully. Please keep the volunteer in your prayers and be sure to take a look at the beautiful work on the statue.
God Bless
Father James Brady
The bulletin for the week of November 30, 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.
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