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 six years ago. This mass, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our four hundred fifth 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.

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 six years ago. This mass, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our four hundred fourth podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Deacon Dwayne Joubert.

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 20, 2015 - 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 worhsip 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."

Our annual Ministry Fair is an opportunity to learn 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. In supporting our church community, everyone who is able should have some service to our church in order to fully participate in our parish life.  For families, what a great way for parents to teach their children the importance of service in following Jesus.  In our parish, 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, Deacon Joubert will preach the homily this weekend about the importance of service in our spiritual life.

One special area of need for our parish this year is the preparation of the grounds for The Festival de la Grande Eglise as well as volunteers for the festival itself.  There is a special workday next Saturday to clean up the grounds, and I hope you can make the time to pitch in, as well as volunteer to work during the festival.  There are signup sheets in the back of the church with festival committee chairs to answer any questions you may have.  Please help...we need it!!

Many Thanks for the Fr. Lafleur Memorial Mass

We thank all of those who helped with the beautiful liturgy at the Fr. Lafleur Memorial Mass. Archbishop Timothy Broglio gave a beautiful homily, and we thank him for his willingness to celebrate the Mass with us.  We give our heartfelt thanks to all who participated in the liturgy:  Bishop Jarrell, the priests and deacons, as well as the lay ministers, young people, choir and various groups (Catholic Daughters,4th Degree Knights of Columbus, Knights of Peter Claver and Military Honor Guard). 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 more rich in our history and more firm in our faith!

            Father James Brady

FESTIVAL de la GRANDE EGLISE – SAT. 10/10!

The bulletin for the week of September 20, 2015 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 24th 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 six years ago. This mass, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our four hundred 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 13, 2015

The Pastor’s Corner 

In the bulletin this weekend is our annual financial report for fiscal year 2014-2015 (side by side with the budget published last year).  On the flip side of the page is our budget for the upcoming fiscal year.  I have worked with the Finance Council to provide you with an understandable presentation of our church finances.  As pastor, I am accountable to you for the proper use of the offerings given to support church ministry and operations, and the report is a way to keep you informed of the financial status of parish.  Overall, our financial status continues to be stable, and I thank you for your support over the last year.

  I would also like to report that The Sanctuary Project has been a great success and we are nearing the end of the work.  As soon as we are able, we will provide an accounting of the offerings given in the campaign and the cost of the work done.  Thanks again for your generosity and support.
The financial statement and budgets reflect that we have been 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.  In an effort to keep you informed of our financial status throughout the year, we will continue to publish in the bulletin the amount of the average weekly offertory needed to meet our budget (which is $8,650), as well as the actual average for the fiscal year to date.

  Over the next year, we plan to renovate Valentin Hall so that it can better serve the needs of our community. The Finance Council and Parish Advisory Board have agreed that this needs to be done.  Other than the new roof we put on it 5 years ago, no substantial work has been done to the building since it was constructed in 1952.  Some places in the building do not have adequate heating and cooling or adequate plumbing.  We also need to modify some parts of the building to re-purpose it for parish use as opposed to use as a convent.  More details about the renovation will be provided as the plan moves forward.

  The financing for the Valentin Hall renovation will not require another campaign.  We have been able to save some money over the last few years, and we will be able to pay for the renovations by use of the funds we already have on hand if we maintain the level of our regular offertory at the goal we have set.  We ask that you please consider increasing the amount of your offering so that we can reach our goal.  In determining the amount one should offer, the following criteria may be useful:

1. The offering should be thoughtful and made after prayerful consideration, as opposed to arbitrary.
2. The offering should be generous, as it is only giving back what has already been received.
3. The offering should be substantial (as opposed to a token), showing the value we place on our spiritual life.
4. The offering should be appreciative, giving thanks to God for the gifts He has given to us.
5. The offering should be regular and disciplined, habitually keeping in our mind God's gifts to us.
6. The offering should be sacrificial (it is good if we can point to something we gave up to make the offering).
7. The offering should be in joyful spirit, in other words, we are "glad to do it."
8. The offering should not prevent us from meeting our obligations or cause undue hardship.

Also please be reminded of the impact legacy gifts have on our community.  The work we are going to do on Valentin Hall would not have been possible without legacy gifts our church has received over the last few years.  These gifts are a way to express gratitude for the service the church has provided to us and our community, and they help to perpetuate the mission of the Church for future generations. 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 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 obtaining 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 13, 2015 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

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 six years ago. This mass, 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our four hundred second (402nd!!) 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 6, 2015

The Pastor’s Corner 

Our annual Memorial Mass for Fr. Lafleur will take place tomorrow, Monday, September 7, 2015 at 6:30pm.  We are especially excited that Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese of Military Services will be the main celebrant and homilist.  As was mentioned last week, Archbishop Broglio is the shepherd of all our military personnel worldwide and their families.  It is quite exciting that he is able to be with us tomorrow, and we certainly welcome him with heartfelt gratitude for his presence.
The fact that the Memorial Mass falls on Labor Day, a national holiday, gives us the opportunity as an entire community to learn about the extraordinary life of Fr. Lafleur. Below is an invitation to you to attend. Please make plans to attend this special moment in St. Landry's history memorializing the life of a man we believe is a saint and for whom St. Landry Church is "home."

LT. FATHER JOSEPH VERBIS LAFLEUR MEMORIAL MASS

“The ‘Friends of Lt. Fr. Lafleur’ request your presence to commemorate the 71st Anniversary of the death of Lt. Father Joseph Verbis Lafleur, Chaplain-United States Army Air Corps, on Monday, September 7, 2015 at 6:30pm at St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, LA. The Celebrant and Homilist will be Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of Military Services”.

Joseph Verbis Lafleur was born in Ville Platte on January 24, 1912. Later, he would move with his family to nearby Opelousas, where he faithfully served as an altar boy at St. Landry Church during his youth.  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 his ordination to the priesthood in 1938, he celebrated his first Solemn Mass of Thanksgiving here at St. Landry.  He then 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).  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.

For his service, Father Lafleur was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, and Bronze star for his valor. After being taken prisoner by the Japanese, by all accounts he served his brother prisoners with honor and distinction.  He had the opportunity to evacuate prior to the Japanese invasion of the Phillipines, but instead stayed in order to serve the men who were entrusted to his pastoral care.  On September 7, 1944, he and several hundred other prisoners were killed when the ship upon which they were being transported was torpedoed. Father Lafleur's body was never recovered, but memories of survivors report that he was last seen aiding others to escape the sinking ship. His memorial monument in front of St. Landry Church serves as our tangible remembrance of his life, as he indicated that if he died during his service to our country that he desired to be buried at St. Landry Church. He is also remembered in the chaplain's memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. The year 2015 marks the 71st anniversary of his death.

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.  All are invited and encouraged to attend the Memorial Mass tomorrow. You can also learn more about Father Lafleur by visiting http://www.fatherlafleur.org or by purchasing the book chronicling his life, "But He Dies Not,” which will be available after the Memorial Mass and is always available in our church office or at Catholic bookstores in Lafayette.

            Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of September 06, 2015 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.