Bulletin for the Week of May 19, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Sunday, we celebrate our re-scheduled parish picnic after the 10am Mass. The picnic had to be postponed last month due to inclement weather. Let’s hope the weather cooperates this time! The picnic is our parish community’s celebration of Easter. Being Pentecost as well, we hope that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we spread the Good News of Christ to all we come into contact. Please join us for the fun and fellowship!

Some good news for our brothers and sisters at St. Peter’s in Grand Prairie. Bishop Jarrell has appointed Fr. D. Blaine Clement as Pastor, effective July 1, 2013. With Fr. Clement becoming pastor of St. Peter’s, my role as administrator will end. We thank all the priests who helped at St. Peter’s over the course of the last year, including Fr. Jerry Mesley, Fr. Austin Leger, Fr. Conley Bertrand, Fr. Sonny Brown, Fr. Joshua Guillory, Fr. Kevin Bordelon, Fr. D. Blaine Clement, and especially Msgr. Melancon. Without these priests, the sacramental work would not have been possible. Thanks to you also for your patience, kindness and support over the last year.

We did not need to conduct our Parish Advisory Board elections lastweekend as there were not as many nominees as open positions. I am happy to announce that Mrs. Lori Briggs and Mr. Howard Fournier have accepted appointments to the board for a three year term. Thanks to both of them for their willingness to serve our parish community in this capacity.

A reminder that next weekend we will celebrate Msgr. Melancon’s 50th Anniversary of priestly ordination. The celebration will take place at the 10am Mass followed by a reception at the Opelousas Catholic cafeteria. All are invited, so please make plans to join us!

Finally, congratulations to the Opelousas Catholic Class of 2013! Our seniors graduate Friday night, May 17 and now embark on their journey into adult life. Please keep them in your prayers, especially for the intention that they bring the Light of Christ to the world in the lives that they lead.


           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 19, 2013 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.

Homilies for the Feast of the Ascension - May 12 2013

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 homilies 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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Feast of the Ascension, we have our two hundred sixty second and two hundred and sixty third!! podcasts posted. The homilies are given by Deacon Dwayne Joubert at 8AM and Deacon Sammy Diesi at 10AM.

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

Bulletin for the Week of May 12, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Happy Mother's Day!! Unfortunately, I will not be here today in person to wish you happy Mother's Day, as I will be handling the weekend schedule at St. Peter's in Grand Prairie.

Today, we celebrate motherhood, a most 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 first and foremost 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. Therefore, the standard for being a "good" mother is provided by God in the life of His Son and 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 a mother'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 through the intercession of our Blessed Mother, the Seat of Wisdom. 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!!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 12, 2013 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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Sixth Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred sixty first!! 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 5, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

My thanks to all of you who kept myself and our pilgrims to France in your prayers over the last two weeks. As we return to St. Landry, my hope is that we will bring with us a renewed spirit of devotion to our patron and to the heritage of our French spirituality, which is so richly illustrated in the depictions of French saints and devotions in the stained glass windows and statues in our church. My personal thanks to all those who helped defray the cost of my trip, especially the Doucet Family, who made a generous donation for it in memory of their beloved sister, Cecilia, who recently passed to the next life. Please keep Cecilia and the family in your prayers.

A busy Spring continues in the upcoming weeks here at St. Landry. Next weekend we will celebrate Mother's Day, a day we celebrate to express our appreciation of mothers and the important work that they do. Prior to Mother's Day, more than 40 mothers will participate in a women's retreat at Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House in Grand Coteau. Please keep these women in your prayers for a fruitful retreat and renewed spirit in their motherly vocation.

The following weekend, May 19, we have rescheduled our Easter Picnic. Please mark your calendars to join us after the 10am Mass on the parish grounds for food, fun and fraternity for all ages as our parish celebrates the gift of The Resurrection given to us during the Easter Season. Please also pray for good weather!

Finally, please also make plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monsignor Melancon's ordination to the priesthood on May 26 at the 10am Mass, followed by a reception at the Opelousas Catholic cafeteria. Both he and Monsignor Metrejean celebrate their 50th jubilee's this year, and we want to thank them for their service to the Church, especially their service to our Opelousas community. Msgr. Metrejean will have a celebratory Mass at Our Lady Queen of Angels on Friday, May 24 at 6pm followed by a reception in the parish hall. All are invited to participate in these celebrations. If you plan to attend Msgr. Metrejean's jubilee Mass and reception, please RSVP to Elaine Dartez at 942-5628 by May 15.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of May 05, 2013 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 Fifth 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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred sixtieth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Monsignor 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.

Bulletin for the week of April 28, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

If all is going well on our pilgrimage to France by Sunday, we will have visited the village of Lourdes, home of St. Bernadette Soubirous, to whom our Blessed Mother appeared some 18 times in 1858. Both St. Bernadette and Our Blessed Mother are depicted in the large stained glass window in the south wing of the church. We will have also viewed her incorrupt body at Nevers. We then will have visited the village of Ars, where St. John Vianney ("The Cure of Ars") was pastor from 1818 to 1859. His incorrupt body is interred in the basilica there. The basilica, for the most part, was constructed under his pastorate in this tiny village. He is the patron saint of parish priests, and his statue is located in the south wing of the church. After Ars, we will have travelled to Paray le-Monial, where Jesus appeared to St. Magaret Mary Alocquet in 1675 and asked that First Fridays be devoted to His Sacred Heart. This apparition is depicted in the large stained glass window in the north wing of the church.

This week we will visit Chartres to tour one of the most beautiful and best preserved cathedrals in the world, built in 1195. We will then travel to Paris where we will visit sites that depict or were founded by our patron, St. Landry. Besides other secular places of interest, we hope to make a trip to Lisieux, home of St. Therese, who is depicted in a statue in the north wing of the church, as well as the Sacra Coeur (Sacred Heart) Basilica. Please be sure to keep our group in your prayers for a safe return home, and know that we are keeping you in our prayers as we visit these holy places. May these holy saints continue to inspire all of us to imitate Jesus in our daily lives!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 28, 2013 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 Fourth Sunday of Easter and Confirmation

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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Fourth Sunday of Easter and Confirmation, is our two hundred and fifty ninth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Monsignor Curtis Mallet.

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 April 21, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend, we will continue our Easter celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation when our Confirmation candidates are confirmed at the 5pm Mass today. Msgr. Curtis Mallet will be the celebrant at the Mass and will administer the sacrament. With grateful hearts we welcome him to our parish for this celebration.

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. 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.

Thanks for a job well done to Deacon Joubert, who led the formation program for our candidates, and to Mrs. Lois Joubert, who administratively coordinated the program. We also want to thank the class itself for their service project to the parish. They painted the retaining wall on the west side of the parking lot as well as the bottom of the church building. The project has made the decorum of our church building more consistent with the architecture and appointments of our grounds, and they did a very good job on the project! Many words of appreciation have come from our community for the job well done.

On another note, this week 37 pilgrims, including myself and many of our parishioners, will be leaving for France on a pilgrimage. We will be touring areas where many of the images in our church building originated, including the tomb of our patron, St. Landry, located in Paris. Know that you will be in my prayers, and please be sure to keep the pilgrims in yours!


           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 21, 2013 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 Third 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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Third Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred and fifty eighth! 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 April 14, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend we continue to celebrate the Easter season with our annual parish picnic. Last weekend we celebrated First Communion with our young children. Next weekend, we will celebrate Confirmation with our young adults at the 5pm Sunday Mass. My hope is that all of us will continue to celebrate and enjoy the Easter Season, as it continues until Pentecost Sunday. We seem to do well in recognizing and responding to the season of Lent and having a spirit of prayer, almsgiving and fasting during the 40 days. Now is the time (and for the next 50 days) to recognize and experience The Risen Christ with great joy because of His Resurrection and the promise of eternal life that it brings. We hope you are able to come and enjoy good food and good company this weekend, and please be sure to keep those who have received and will receive Easter Sacraments in your prayers.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 14, 2013 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 Second Sunday in 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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Second Sunday of Easter, is our two hundred and fifty seventh! 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 April 07, 2013 - and The Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday, marking the end of the Easter Octave. The Easter Octave is the eight day celebration of Easter from Easter Sunday until Divine Mercy Sunday. We continue the Easter season until Pentecost Sunday in May. Looking back over the last couple of months, we have so much to be thankful for as a church parish, especially to those who made our Lent and Easter so beautiful and spiritually meaningful. We are blessed to have Msgr. Melancon living in our parish. He took on extra duties during Lent here at St. Landry and at Opelousas Catholic, helping to lead both us and our children through Lent. We are also blessed with three deacons, Deacon Diesi, Deacon Joubert and Deacon Miller, who also did the same joyfully and without reservation. Our parish staff, both office and maintenance, also did an outstanding job in cheerfully handling the extra work that always come during this time of year. If you have the opportunity, please express your appreciation to them.

However, without the support of so many of you, the celebration of Lent and Easter would not have been as beautiful and meaningful as it was. It began with Ash Wednesday and our Altar Society appropriately decorating our church. Many worked long hours to provide our new statue covers for passiontide (both violet and red) and new appointments for Easter (white altar covers and a cover for the crucifix). The Altar Society worked throughout Lent and Easter to make our church look more beautiful for our spiritual benefit. A generous parishioner provided the "Little Black Books" which so many of us found spiritually fruitful in preparing for Easter, and our Parish Advisory Board sponsored a "soup and bread" dinner after Stations of the Cross on Fridays. Our choir and music ministers did an outstanding job during the seasons, but especially during passiontide and the Easter Triduum. Our sacristans, altar servers, readers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion served reverently and competently. Our blog was most informative about the meaning of the seasons and what was going on in our church parish. Some cut palms for Palm Sunday, while others cultivated our gardens around the church. Our suppliers ably and competently provided things we needed (obviously, we thank Jim Durio Florist for the beautiful flowers, but we also had a sound system problem and an air conditioner motor breakdown during Holy Week! These things were immediately repaired by Phil Borel and Wayne Bergeron, respectively, in time for the Easter Triduum). So many people helped in so many ways. We thank and appreciate all of you!

I also want to thank all of you who participated in our liturgies and activities during Lent and Easter. It is usual during Lent that attendance at daily Mass and Stations of the Cross increase, especially at the beginning of the season. After a few weeks, however, attendance usually shrinks a bit. This year, not only did attendance not shrink, but it generally increased over the season! Our confessional was busy, enough so that we many times had to hear confessions both before and after our daily Mass! These things indicate a healthy spiritual life within our parish and a living out of the Lent and Easter seasons within our hearts. It also encourages others by example and solidarity in our faith. This is most important to our community, and make for a most joyful Easter in the most important way, in our hearts and souls!

Thanks again to all! May God Bless you during the Easter Season, Alleluia, Alleluia!! God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of April 07, 2013 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.

Anniversary of First Mass in current building

Today is the 104th anniversary of the first mass at St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, Louisiana!

In 1900 a temporary church was completed. In 1902 the task of removing and clearing away the old church was started. In 1903 the foundation was formed with concrete and brick from the old church. On August 8, 1908 the cornerstone was laid. During the winter of 1908-1909 construction of the walls continued and was completed and occupied. On April 2, 1909, the first Friday of April and 104 years ago today, the first mass was said in the current St. Landry Catholic Church. The interior of the church was not completed. Father John Engberink was our pastor who built the church. Father Engberink is buried in the floor of the church near the sanctuary. Monsignor Albert Benedict Colliard followed Father Engberink as Pastor. Monsignor Colliard completed the interior. Monsignor Colliard is buried in St. Landry Cemetery near the cross. Monsignor Broussard was the pastor following Monsignor Colliard. Monsignor Broussard in 1963 had the interior of the church redecorated and air conditioned.

Photos from the Easter Vigil

Photos from the Easter Vigil are now up on Flickr.

Click here to see them.

Homily for 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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, Easter, is our two hundred and fifty sixth! 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.

Homily for Easter Vigil

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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Easter Vigil, is our two hundred and fifty fifth! 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.

Good Friday - Photographs

Here are some photos from the Good Friday Service at St. Landry Catholic Church.

Click here to see them on Flickr.

Homily for Good Friday

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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, Good Friday, is our two hundred and fifty 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.

Mass of the Lord's Supper - Photos

Photographs from the Mass of the Lord's Supper from St. Landry Catholic Church are now posted to our Flickr page.

Click here to see them.

Pange Lingua - Sing, my tongue

As a little treat from last night's Mass of the Lord's Supper ... recordings of the Pange Lingua from two different parts of the mass.

Pange Lingua Part 1 - St. Landry Catholic Church Choir 

Pange Lingua Part 2 - St. Landry Catholic Church Choir

Homily for Holy Thursday

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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Passion Sunday is our two hundred and fifty first! 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.

Decorating for election of Pope Francis

In celebrating the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Francis, members of the confirmation class helped put out pennants in papal yellow and white around the church building, Valentin Hall, and the church grounds. Deacon Dwayne Joubert called the group together once the white smoke came up over the Sistine Chapel. Yvonne Normand brought yellow and white bunting and decorated as well.

Click here to see the photos on Flickr ...

Bulletin for the Week of March 31, 2013, Flower Donation List, Schedule of Holy Week

The bulletin for the week of March 31, 2013 has been posted. Click here to see it.

This week, it includes the list of donations and intentions for Easter flowers as well as the Holy Week schedule.

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.

Holy Week Schedule

Holy Week Schedule
 

Monday of Holy Week, March 25, 2013 at 6-7pm
Opelousas Citywide Penance Service
Tuesday of Holy Week, March 26, 2013 at 7pm
Opelousas Catholic Passion Play
Holy Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 7pm
Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday, March 29, 2013
Stations of the Cross for Children @ 10:30am
Celebration of the Passion of the Lord @ 3pm
Holy Saturday, March 30, 2013 at 8pm
Easter Vigil
Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013
Easter Masses at 8am, 10am and 5pm
Click here to download a copy of the schedule

Homily for Passion Sunday - and our 250th podcast!!!!

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 --- nearly four years ago. This week, the Passion Sunday is our two hundred and fiftieth! 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.

Women's Silent Retreat

Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House is offering a silent retreat for the women of the Opelousas area on May 9-11. You will find time to relax, to reflect, and to pray. Please consider this retreat by calling Yvonne at 308-3474 or the retreat center at 662-5410. There is no fixed charge for the retreat. An anonymous donation is asked on the last day of the retreat. A $25 deposit is required at registration, which is part of your donation.

Our Lady of the Oaks is a Jesuit retreat house in Grand Coteau, built in 1938. It neighbors with St. Charles College, a Jesuit seminary and individual retreat center, St. Ignatius School, St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, and Sacred Heart Academy.

For a video about the retreat house, please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkIjc1QHfF0

And to visit there website, please click here: http://www.ourladyoftheoaks.com

Official Photograph of Pope Francis

The Vatican has released the official photograph of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

Message from Father Brady, Walking with Jesus, and the Bulletin for the Week of March 24, 2013

Message from Father Brady: 

This weekend, we celebrate Passion Sunday, or Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of our remembrance this coming week of the events that give rise to our salvation. There are several special liturgies and other events this week. Please take a look at the insert in last week’s bulletin for our Holy Week schedule of liturgies and events ... or download it separately here.

In the back of the church, we also have printed meditations for holy week entitled Walking with Jesus in Holy Week. Please download a copy here and meditate on these thoughts over the entire week starting on Palm Sunday.

A special effort should be made by each of us to attend the major liturgies of the Easter Triduum, that is Holy Thursday Mass celebrating the institution of the Eucharist, Good Friday Services commemorating our Lord’s Passion, and the Easter Vigil. We are blessed that we will have five parishioners being baptized, received into the Church, or Confirmed at the Easter Vigil. These Liturgies are moving and beautiful, and are a fitting way to celebrate these most important events.

Easter weekend often begins early in the secular world, with our children having off from school and many places of employment closing early for the holiday. This provides time for us to attend the Triduum Liturgies. A thought for reflection this week: If we can make time for other social events during the Easter Holiday, then should we not also be able to make time to attend the Easter Triduum Services? And if we cannot make the time, then do we need to examine our priorities?

This week we also celebrate on Tuesday, April 2, the 104th anniversary of the first Mass celebrated in our current church building. We should take time to give thanks to God for our beautiful church and for the people who in their gifts of time, talent and treasure left such a wonderful spiritual legacy from
which we benefit so greatly!
God Bless!

Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of March 24, 2013 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.

Pope Francis' motto

The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio 

On the coat of arms of our new Holy Father, Pope Francis, there is a the Latin phrase "miserando atque elgigendo". This translates to "lowly yet chosen". It's a quote from a homily given by St. Bede the Venerable. It refers to Jesus calling the tax collector Matthew to join him as an apostle. In those days, tax collectors were thought of as greedy and sinful. His calling is an example of the mercy of Christ, calling a lowly sinner to evangelize and spread the word about Jesus.  Below is a portion of that homily taken from the Liturgy of the Hours ...

A Reading from A sermon by St Bede the Venerable

Jesus saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me. Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with his merciful understanding of men.

He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: Follow me. This following meant imitating the pattern of his life – not just walking after him. St. John tells us: Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

And he rose and followed him. There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him. Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift.

As he sat at table in the house, behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. This conversion of one tax collector gave many men, those from his own profession and other sinners, an example of repentance and pardon. Notice also the happy and true anticipation of his future status as apostle and teacher of the nations. No sooner was he converted than Matthew drew after him a whole crowd of sinners along the same road to salvation. He took up his appointed duties while still taking his first steps in the faith, and from that hour he fulfilled his obligation and thus grew in merit. To see a deeper understanding of the great celebration Matthew held at his house, we must realize that he not only gave a banquet for the Lord at his earthly residence, but far more pleasing was the banquet set in his own heart which he provided through faith and love. Our Savior attests to this: Behold I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive him, as it were, when we freely assent to his promptings and when we give ourselves over to doing what must be done. Christ, since he dwells in the hearts of his chosen ones through the grace of his love, enters so that he might eat with us and we with him. He ever refreshes us by the light of his presence insofar as we progress in our devotion to and longing for the things of heaven. He himself is delighted by such a pleasing banquet.

Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

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 three years ago. This week, the Fifth Sunday of Lent is our two hundred and forty ninth! 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.

Message from Father Brady - and a new style bulletin - for the Week of March 17, 2013 - includes HOLY WEEK schedule

Message from Father Brady: 

As I mentioned last week in my homily, we have begun using a new expanded format for our bulletin. We began the process last Fall and the work has now come to fruition. We had several goals in mind in upgrading our bulletin. First, we simply needed more room for news about our parish and diocesan events of interest. Also, we wanted to make the bulletin easier to read as it had become so crowded that we had to use smaller print to make everything fit, but the print had become so small it was hard to read. Third, we wanted to make the bulletin easier to publish, as it was difficult to edit the bulletin because of antiquated software, and this made working with the bulletin difficult for both our staff and the printer. Finally, we also wanted to more prominently display the beauty of our church building by enlarging the image of the church as beautifully depicted in the “Pen and Ink” done by J.A. Allen.

All of these goals have been met. We will continue to “tweak” the bulletin in the coming weeks and months, and our ability to do so has improved because of the changes. I want to thank all of those who have made this project a success, especially Kenneth Thibodeaux and the Knights of Columbus (who sponsor the bulletin and sell the advertising), Priscilla Guidroz and Dee Boudreaux (who worked on the transition and edited the new layout and design), and Andrew Guidroz (who coordinated the change in software) and Bodemuller’s Printing (coordinated the printing of the bulletin with the new software). I also want to thank our sponsors who advertise in the bulletin. Without you, the bulletin would not be possible, and I hope that all of us keep them in mind when purchasing goods and services. Congratulations on a job well done!

God Bless!

Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of March 17, 2013 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.

Three Popes? - Nope

Sorry about the incorrect info earlier ...

The man in the middle is Cardinal Luigi Dadaglio, not the current Pope.

 

Homily for Mass of Thanksgiving on Election of a new Pope

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 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 three years ago. This homily, Thanksgiving Mass for our New Pope is our two hundred and forty eighth! 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.

Pope Francis - Mass at 6 PM Tonight

Habemus Papam! We have a Pope.

Pope Francis ... Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a Jesuit of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Join us for Mass at 6 PM at St. Landry Catholic Church to celebrate!

Here's a short biography of our new Holy Father.

http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/papabile-day-men-who-could-be-pope-13

WHITE SMOKE - Habemus Papam - We have a Pope!

White Smoke! Habemus Papam! We have a Pope!

We'll soon know who he is ...

Black Smoke again - No Pope - March 13, 2013 Morning

Two votes already today ... black smoke.

No consensus as to who the new Pope will be. We've completed 3 rounds of balloting.

Two votes this afternoon. And we'll probably next see smoke at 1 P.M. today.

First vote - May 12, 2013 - Black smoke - no Pope

One vote today ... black smoke.

No consensus as to who the new Pope will be.

The next vote will be tomorrow. And we'll probably next see smoke at 6 A.M. tomorrow.

The Conclave begins - March 12 2013

Locked in the Sistine Chapel

"EXTRA OMNES!!!" "Everybody out!!!"

And with that announcement from the Papal Master of Ceremonies, the cardinals have been locked within the Sistine Chapel in conclave. The word "conclave" means "with key".

On voting ...

There are two votes in the morning session. Two in the afternoon session. The burning of ballots happens twice a day ... once at the end of each session.

If no "winner arises" … smoke will emerge from the chimney at the end of the morning session - about 12 p.m. Rome time (6 a.m. CST) - and again at the end of the afternoon session - about 7 p.m. Rome time (1 p.m. CST). They’ll burn two sets of ballots each time.

But if the earlier vote in a session -- morning 10:30 a.m. Rome time (4:30 a.m. CST) or evening 5:30 p.m. Rome time (11:30 a.m. CST) --- yields a pope, white smoke would emerge at that time, ending the conclave.

So … the latest we will see smoke is 1 p.m. CST. The earliest could be 4:30 a.m. CST.

Should cardinals decide to begin with votes today, we would see smoke around 1 p.m. CST. It is assumed that no one will have enough votes to be elected pontiff in the first vote so we should see black smoke then.

The Conclave - and what we're doing before and after the election

Conclave of cardinals in the Sistine Chapel

On Tuesday afternoon, March 12, 2013, the cardinals will begin their deliberations in the conclave. Each day, the cardinals will vote twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon until they've selected a new Holy Father for our Church.

One of the most important things that we can do is to pray for our cardinals and for our Church. The cardinals will pray the following Mass Prayer tomorrow morning. It is a beautiful prayer that we can all pray.

O God, eternal shepherd,

who govern your flock with unfailing care,

grant in your boundless fatherly love

a Pastor and Successor to Peter for your Church

who will please you by his holiness

and to us show watchful care.

Through Christ our Lord.

Once a successor has been chosen ... the famous white smoke ..., Deacon Dwayne Joubert will be mobilizing our parish youth group. They'll be decorating the church grounds with hundreds of papal colored white and yellow flag pennants. Yellow and white bunting will also decorate all of the doors of the church.

Also, on the day that our new Pope is elected, we will celebrate with a Mass of Thanksgiving at 6 PM at St. Landry Catholic Church. We'll send a blog posting out and update the website when that happens. 

Stoves used to burn ballots and generate white or black smoke.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Lent

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 three years ago. This week, the Fourth Sunday of Lent is our two hundred and forty seventh! 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.

Pastor's Corner - Week of March 10, 2013

This weekend, we celebrate Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent. It marks “half time” in our Yearly Lenten journey. Laetare means to rejoice, and this Sunday is a time when we in the middle of our Lenten journey joyfully anticipate the Easter mystery celebrated in the liturgies of the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter). The priests and deacons wear rose colored vestments this weekend, “lightening up” the Lenten violet.

Now is an appropriate time to look ahead to the Easter Season. There will be much going on after Easter in our parish, so please mark your calendars and, if possible, attend the following celebrations.

Sunday, April 7	1st Communion
	(10:00am Mass)
Sunday, April 14	Annual Parish Easter Picnic
	(following the 10:00am Mass)
Sunday, April 21	Confirmations
	(5:00pm Mass)

These parish celebrations of the sacraments and our parish picnic highlight the joy of the Easter Season in our parish community. As we continue to make our Lenten journey, let us renew our efforts in the discipline of prayer, almsgiving and fasting so we can more deeply appreciate and celebrate the gift of Easter.

     God Bless!

     Father James Brady

Bulletin for the Week of March 10, 2013

The bulletin for the week of March 10, 2013 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 StLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the Third Sunday of Lent

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 three years ago. This week, the Third Sunday of Lent is our two hundred and forty sixth! 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.