Homily for Corpus Christi

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 seven years ago. This mass, Corpus Christi, is our four hundred forty sixth 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 May 29, 2016 and the Pastor's Corner

PASTOR’S CORNER:

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, commonly referred to as "Corpus Christi." In this solemnity, we celebrate the continuing gift God gives to us in the Eucharist, the gift of His very own Presence and Grace, the gift that feeds us and strengthens us to cooperate with His Grace to live a Christian life.

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.

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. It was a good habit to practice reverence in the church building as a reminder of the Eucharistic Presence, but it is a habit many have abandoned in recent years.  It was not long ago that leaving immediately after Communion was not proper, but rather taking some time to thank God after Communion was the norm, as was remaining after Mass in quiet prayer. Quiet reverence in the church building is also an act of good manners in that those praying would not be disturbed or distracted in their prayers. 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 in giving us the Eucharist. 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.

Memorial Day
This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day, a day when we take time to give thanks to those who have served in our armed forces and given their lives to ensure the freedom we enjoy in our country. A Patriotic Rosary sponsored by the Catholic Daughters of America will be prayed on Monday at 6pm in the church.  As we are reminded every time armed conflict occurs in our world, in order to protect individual and societal freedoms, including the freedom to practice our faith, an armed force is necessary to protect those freedoms. We are thankful for the brave men and women who have served or are currently serving in our armed forces, and we pray for them and their families. We remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life for us.  John's Gospel tells us: "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." We thank God for raising up these men and women who were and are willing to lay down their life so that others have the opportunity to live a life in freedom and full human dignity. We pray that God will continue to bless our country, and that He bless and keep in his care our veterans and active service members. May we always appreciate what they have done for us! 

Help Needed for New Life Center
This time of year can be difficult for some of our local charities as donations tend to be less during the months of summer as compared to other times of the year.  New Life Center, our local shelter for women and children, has asked for some help with toiletries as their inventory is running low.  Specifically, the toiletries that are needed are:

     Bath Soap
     Shampoo
     Diapers-sizes 4, 5, and 6
     Feminine Products

We were able to help this week as a church community to "bridge the gap" for the moment, but more items will be needed soon.  If you are able to help with these items, just pick them up on your next store visit and drop them by the center, or if it is more convenient, feel free to drop them by our office and we will make sure they are delivered.

Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 29, 2016 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 Most Holy Trinity

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 seven years ago. This mass, Most Holy Trinity, is our four hundred forty 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.

Bulletin for the Week of May 22, 2016 and the Pastor's Corner

PASTOR’S CORNER:

Last weekend, we celebrated Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is our celebration and remembrance of the coming of the Holy Spirit into the world to each of us, giving us the Grace to imitate Jesus in living our earthly lives. The Holy Spirit is also the heart of our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Jesus told the apostles that he would send His Spirit, Who would teach and remind them of all the things He taught. Therefore, The Holy Spirit teaches us all things and reminds us of what is good.  He prompts us to love God and each other as Jesus did, and gives us the Grace to act upon those promptings. Our devotion to living a life in Christ should be total, not partial. Of course, none of us has reached a point of complete imitation of Christ, so we continue to examine our lives and change, or convert, in accord with the prompting of the Holy Spirit. The first way of knowing we are living in accord with The Holy Spirit is that we do all things that Jesus commanded us, beginning with the commandments as taught by Jesus and His Church. In doing that, we can learn to love as Jesus loved.

This week, we returned to what is known as "Ordinary Time." The primary liturgical color returns to green and the paschal candle will be moved back to the baptistry to be used for baptisms and funerals. The term "ordinary" is not meant to diminish this time of year as if it is not important to our spiritual growth, but simply indicates that we are not in one of the special church seasons that has a particular emphasis on some aspect of the life of Christ, such as Advent and Christmas (The Incarnation), and Lent and Easter (The Paschal Mystery). Rather, we focus on learning about our faith and the things Jesus commanded us by learning what he taught in His public ministry and how He lived as an example to us. 

Today, we celebrate God revealing Himself in the life and teachings of Jesus as The Most Holy Trinity. This revelation allows us to better understand God the Father in the life of His Son Jesus, as well as the gift of Grace to imitate Jesus' life by the power of the Holy Spirit. Next weekend we will conclude our special feasts by celebrating God being with us until the end of time in the Eucharist, which is known as Corpus Christi Sunday, or The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Please remember we will have a Eucharistic Procession in the church after the 10am Mass in celebration of this gift, with Eucharistic adoration continuing that day until 4pm, at which time there will be Benediction. Please make plans to spend an hour with Jesus on this very special day!!

After these celebrations, we will remain in Ordinary Time until the Church New Year, the 1st Sunday of Advent. As always, we should continue to learn about Jesus and our faith through Sacred Scripture and the sacramental liturgies, especially Mass and Confession. Our journey towards Christ should be constant and consistent, regardless of the time of year!

Congratulations to our High School Seniors! 
Congratulations to our high school Seniors! Opelousas Catholic held its graduation last Friday night here in the church with Bishop Deshotel presiding.  Our students attending other schools or who are home-schooled are graduating during this time of year as well. We congratulate them all and their families, and pray that they continue their life's journey utilizing the natural gifts that God has given to them, but most importantly, that they continue to grow in the supernatural gifts of faith, hope and charity in the lives that they lead. 

Valentin Hall Construction Update
The work on the windows in Valentin Hall is progressing nicely and is nearing completion.  Without a doubt, they look beautiful and really change the appearance of the building.  We thank Lenard Bertrand General Contractors and Richard Lafleur and Guaranty Glass for the wonderful work they have done on the building so far.

We are nearing the time to begin the interior renovation of Valentin Hall.  The contracts have been submitted to the diocese for review, and we expect approval shortly.  At that time, we will begin construction on the second floor of the building.  We will provide a more detailed explanation of the construction plans and financing once the contracts are approved.  Please continue to keep the success in the project in your prayers! 

Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 22, 2016 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 Pentecost Sunday

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, Pentecost, is our four hundred forty fourth 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 May 15, 2016 and the Pastor's Corner

PASTOR’S CORNER:

This weekend, we will conclude our Easter celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation when our Confirmation candidates are confirmed at the 5pm Mass today. Bishop Deshotel will be the celebrant at the Mass and will administer the sacrament. With grateful hearts we welcome him for the first time as our Bishop to our parish for this celebration. This is a special time not only for our candidates and their families, but for our entire parish.  

The Confirmation class has been preparing since January for the reception of the sacrament, and we celebrate with joy their new status as fully initiated Catholics (meaning Catholics who have been baptized, received First Communion and have been Confirmed). We pray that they will cooperate with the graces received in the sacrament and will live Christian lives in imitation of Jesus as taught by His Church. Please remember the candidates in your individual prayer. Many thanks to Deacon Joubert, who led the formation program for our candidates, Mrs. Nancy Briley who assisted the formation program, and to Mrs. Lois Joubert, who was the administrative coordinator of the program.  Above all though, congratulations to our newly Confirmed candidates (some 34 in all) and their parents and families.

Ordination Anniversaries
This time of year is also the "ordination season," when we ordain men to the priesthood and diaconate, and celebrate anniversarries of ordination. Monsignor Melancon was ordained on May 25, 1963 and I was ordained on July 8, 2006. At St. Landry, we are also blessed with three deacons who actively serve us: Deacon John Miller, Deacon Sammy Diesi, and Deacon Dwayne Joubert. They serve our community in various capacities, from our youth group to our elderly shut-ins. They are a great help to me personally and to our church community as a whole, and we thank them for responding "Yes" to God's call. Each of their anniversaries are celebrate this time of year, so we want to thank them for their service and remember them and their families in our prayers. Their ordination dates are as follows:

Deacon Miller: June 27, 1977
Deacon Diesi: September 9, 2006
Deacon Joubert: August 18, 2012

Please remember them especially in your prayers on their anniversary dates. We also want to remember the two deacons who have served here at St. Landry and have passed to the next life: Deacon Carlo Cannatella and Deacon Arthur B. Lognion. We pray for their eternal rest with Christ and the continued consolation of their families and friends. We also pray that God continue to bless St. Landry with such good deacons with a heart for service to our community. 

Parish Picnic - Many Thanks!
Many thanks to those who helped at our parish picnic last week. Fun and fraternity was had by all, and it was a great way for us to celebrate Easter and spend time together as a parish family. Besides the many volunteers who made the picnic possible, especially the coordinators, Dirk and Dee Boudreaux, we would like to thank also the following groups and businesses for their support:
B&D Marble and Granite
Tony Chachere's
Knights of Columbus Council 1173
St. Landry Altar Society
The Catholic Daughters of America - St. Landry Court
Chief Donald Thompson

End of the School Year!!
The coming weeks will also mark the end of the school year for most of our students, and we wish them a safe and happy summer. Many of us will be taking vacations during this time. A reminder that our worship of God is not suspended when we are on vacation. We all make vacation plans for travel, food, housing, etc. We should include making plans for Sunday Mass (this especially teaches our children the importance of our faith and practicing it at all times). We never take vacation from God. If your vacation plans make it impossible to attend Sunday Mass, it would be good to either reconsider the plans to make attendance at Mass possible, or if you are unable, then you should consult your pastor prior to your departure regarding the availability of a dispensation.

Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 15, 2016 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 Seventh Sunday of Easter

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, Seventh Sunday of Easter, is our four hundred 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 May 08, 2016 and the Pastor's Corner

PASTOR’S CORNER:

Happy Mother's Day!! Today, we celebrate Motherhood, a most noble and wonderful vocation dedicated to the nurturing and Christian formation of children (regardless of the age of the children!). The good of children is entrusted to mothers and fathers by God. The vocation of motherhood is first and foremost taught by the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and is best exemplified incarnately by Our Blessed Mother, Her being a model of Christian discipleship.

Motherhood is a blessing and gift from God. As in all things, God teaches us how to properly respond to the gifts He gives. In other words, what is truly "good" is taught to us by God. Our Savior commanded us to love each other as He loved us.  Therefore, the standard for being a "good" mother or father is provided by God in the life of His Son and as taught by His Church, as well as the good example of saintly mothers, especially our Blessed Mother.

In every generation there is "conventional wisdom" of what being a "good mother" means. Indeed, the specific circumstances of an individual’s life does impact what it takes to be a good mother. However, the core of a mother's mission remains constant in every generation and never changes: Nurturing by word and deed the seeds of salvation God has planted in their children so that their children can one day live in the Communion of Saints in heaven. Any conventional wisdom that is inconsistent with this core mission does not teach "good" motherhood.

Today, we thank all our mothers who have given to each of us true goodness in the lives that they lead. We pray for all mothers who struggle in their vocation.  We pray also, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Consolation, for mothers whose children have passed from this life into the next. Finally, we thank God for the blessing of children and motherhood in His plan of salvation!!

Schedule Notes
Due to the inclement weather last weekend, our parish picnic was postponed until this weekend, which was the alternate date chosen when planning the picnic.  Let's pray the weather will be more cooperative!  We realize that some of you may have had Mother's Day plans and will be unable to make it.  Certainly, we wish you a happy Mother's Day.  For those of you who can make it (and hopefully it will give Mom a break from cooking!), the picnic will begin after the 10am Mass in the yard between the rectory and Valentin Hall.  I look forward to our community celebration of Easter.  Alleluia, Alleluia!!

Also, next weekend is Pentecost Sunday, when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to us to lead and guide us to eternal life.  Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit will teach us everything and remind us of all Jesus taught.  It is a most fitting day to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation, which we will do at the 5pm Mass.  Bishop Deshotel will be the celebrant, and it will be the first time he visits us as our bishop.  It is certainly an exciting time and a time of joy for us in welcoming our new bishop and celebrating with our young people in their reception of the sacrament.  Please keep our candidates, some 34, in your prayers this week as they anticipate the reception of the sacrament.

Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 08, 2016 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 Sixth Sunday of Easter

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, Sixth Sunday of Easter, is our four hundred forty second podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Melancon Louis Melancon.

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