Thursday, June 11, 2009

Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory

At mass Sunday, we will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. The feast day has been moved to Sunday but today is the actual day of the feast which falls on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

The hymn Pange Lingua was written by St. Thomas Aquinas. It was originally written for Corpus Christi processions. We sing it also on Holy Thursday during a procession when the Blessed Sacrament is reserved for Good Friday.

Below is that hymn with a video. The lyrics don't begin until about 30 seconds into the video. Following that are the lyrics in the original Latin and in an English translation. The last two stanzas are commonly called Tantum Ergo and are sung during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.



Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
quem in mundi pretium
fructus ventris generosi
Rex effudit Gentium.

Nobis datus, nobis natus
ex intacta Virgine,
et in mundo conversatus,
sparso verbi semine,
sui moras incolatus
miro clausit ordine.

In supremae nocte coenae
recumbens cum fratribus
observata lege plene
cibis in legalibus,
cibum turbae duodenae
se dat suis manibus.

Verbum caro, panem verum
verbo carnem efficit:
fitque sanguis Christi merum,
et si sensus deficit,
ad firmandum cor sincerum
sola fides sufficit.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum
veneremur cernui:
et antiquum documentum
novo cedat ritui:
praestet fides supplementum
sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque
laus et jubilatio,
salus, honor, virtus quoque
sit et benedictio:
Procedenti ab utroque
compar sit laudatio.

Amen. Alleluja.



Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory,
of His flesh the mystery sing;
of the Blood, all price exceeding,
shed by our immortal King,
destined, for the world's redemption,
from a noble womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin
born for us on earth below,
He, as Man, with man conversing,
stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;
then He closed in solemn order
wondrously His life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,
seated with His chosen band,
He the Pascal victim eating,
first fulfills the Law's command;
then as Food to His Apostles
gives Himself with His own hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature
by His word to Flesh He turns;
wine into His Blood He changes;
what though sense no change discerns?
Only be the heart in earnest,
faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,
Lo! the sacred Host we hail;
Lo! o'er ancient forms departing,
newer rites of grace prevail;
faith for all defects supplying,
where the feeble senses fail.

To the everlasting Father,
and the Son who reigns on high,
with the Holy Ghost proceeding
forth from Each eternally,
be salvation, honor, blessing,
might and endless majesty.

Amen. Alleluia.

Bulletin for the Weekend of June 14, 2009 posted


The bulletin for the weekend of June 14, 2009 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The new calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our new calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our new 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.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus coming on June 19th


Friday, June 19th, is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The entire month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.

The photo above is a detail from art glass in St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas portraying the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) that helped to popularize this devotion. Click the photo to see it in more detail.

Today is the day we start the Novena to the Sacred Heart. This novena was a favorite of St. Padre Pio.

Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

  1. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request)

    Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.


  2. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of.......(here name your request)

    Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.


  3. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of.....(here name your request)

    Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.


  4. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

    Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

    -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The Feast of St. Landry - June 10


St. Landry’s feast day is today, June 10th. Who is St. Landry? St. Landry is a former Bishop of Paris, France, being consecrated Bishop of Paris in 650. On becoming Bishop of Paris, St. Landry saw the need of a proper institution for the care of the many sick poor of Paris. St. Landry built the first major hospital in Paris and dedicated it to St. Christopher. The hospital later changed its name to the Hotel-Dieu and is still open today. St. Landry is known for his generosity in times of famine and for his concern for the suffering poor. There are many stories that describe him selling off his possessions to help.

He is the patron of our church parish as well as our civil parish here in Opelousas, Louisiana. The Landry name is also a common surname for Cajun families in south Louisiana.

A Prayer:
Almighty God, you made St. Landry an outstanding exemplar of Divine love and faith that conquers the world and added him to the role of saintly pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may persevere in faith and love, and become shares with St. Landry in your glory. We ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The Most Holy Trinity


The photo above is a detail from The Crowning of Mary as Queen of Heaven, an art glass window in the northeast front of St. Landry Catholic Church. There, you can see Jesus, God the Father, and The Holy Spirit in the form of a dove between them at the crowning.

Clicking on the photo will show even more detail.

Remember that the beauty found within our church is more than cosmetic. Each of the beautiful works of art there portrays the truths of our faith.

Opelousas Catholic News


OC CORNER
Congratulations to these senior athletes; Hilary Tuttle, Female Scholar Athlete; Meghan Curley, Female Scholar Athlete and Lady Viking of the Year; and Aaron Fontenot, Male Scholar Athlete and Viking of the Year.

OC announces that a Barnes & Noble Book Fair supporting Opelousas Catholic will be held on June 13-14 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at their location on Johnston St. in Lafayette. A percentage of sales at this time will be donated to the school.

The Year of St. Paul - The Action of the Spirit


The Action of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit gives understanding. Overcoming the “breach” begun in Babel — the confusion of hearts, putting us one against the other — the Spirit opens borders.

The People of God who found its first configuration on Mt. Sinai, now becomes enlarged to the point of recognizing no limitations. St. Paul explains and underlines this when he says: “It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body. All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13).

Pope Benedict XVI’s Homily for the Mass of Ordination on 15 May 2005

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Homily now available for The Most Holy Trinity 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 4.5 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. This week, The Most Holy Trinity, is our second homily to be posted.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download The Most Holy Trinity Sunday homily.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Ordinations to the Priesthood in the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana

Bishop Jarrell will ordain three men to the Catholic Priesthood today Saturday, June 6, 2009. They are: Father Brad David Guillory, a Ville Platte native, appointed Associate Pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Abbeville. Father Clinton Sensat, from Scott, is appointed Associate Pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Ville Platte and of St. Joseph Parish in Ville Platte. Father Jude Willery Thierry, from Lawtell, is appointed Associate Pastor of St. Ann in Mamou. These appointments are effective June 24, 2009. May God bless the ministries of these newly ordained and bless the ministries of all priests. Please keep these newly ordained in your prayers as well as all priests and deacons.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Eucharistic Adoration in Valentin Chapel


24 hours of Eucharistic Adoration for the First Friday of the month is happening now in Valentin Chapel until mass at 8 AM Saturday morning. Please take the time to spend a holy hour there.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

In remembrance of Archbishop Harry Flynn


The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota is honoring our former bishop, Harry Flynn, for his outstanding service as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis and as Chair of its Board of Trustees. Consistent with its tradition of naming a university building after an Archbishop Emeritus, St. Thomas will be naming one of its residence halls, Archbishop Harry Flynn Hall.

If you would like to participate in this well-deserved recognition of our former bishop, you may make contributions to: University of St. Thomas, 1000 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403, attention of Dean Thomas Mengler. All benefactors from the Lafayette Diocese will be recognized on a plaque to be placed in Flynn Hall. Your contributions will support the establishment of the Archbishop Harry Flynn Law Scholarship Endowment. This scholarship endowment will support a worthy law student who contributes to the faith mission of Saint Thomas’ new Catholic law school.

Readings and Themes for the Weekend of June 07, 2009

Readings for Faith Sharing
Week of June 07, 2009, The Most Holy Trinity Sunday

Reading I Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40
The Lord is God and there is no other.

Psalm 33
“Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his
own.”

Reading II Romans 8:14-17
The Spirit bears witness that we are children of God.

Gospel Matthew 28:16-20
Jesus gives the eleven the command to go and make disciples of all the nations.

THEME:
The Trinity

Listen carefully to the words of Moses in today’s first reading. Moses reminds the people of all that God had done for them, for the Israelites had fallen into patterns of forgetfulness. On this Trinity Sunday, perhaps we need this kind of reminder as well. Just as the Israelites worshiped false gods, we, too, can fall into this same trap. Today’s feast stands as a reminder to us that there is one God who is Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Spirit. As we listen to the words of Moses, Saint Paul, and Saint Matthew, let us call to mind the action of God in our own lives and give praise and honor to the One who made us, redeemed us and remains with us always.

Question for Children:
Why do you think Catholics make “The Sign of the Cross” when we pray?

Question for Youth:
How often do you think about God as Trinity? How do you relate to each member of the Trinity?

Question for Adults:
As each of us is called and sent by Christ, how have you incorporated this into your own life, whether married, single, in religious life or ordained?

Bulletin for the weekend of June 7, 2009 now posted


The bulletin for the weekend of June 07, 2009 has been posted. Click here to see it.

The new calendar on the website has been updated with all events for the coming week along with prayer intention information for all of the masses. Take some time to look at our new calendar here.

Updates are also being made to our new 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.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Opelousas Catholic School - Awards


OC CORNER
Honor graduates leading their class of 2009 include covaledictorians Meghan Curley and Hilary Tuttle; salutatorian Victoria Lamonte; and historian Jade Latiolais.

Catholic Youth Leadership Awards presented by our local Knights of Columbus Councils were awarded to Victoria Lamonte, Wesley Guidroz, Meghan Curley and David Guidry. Aaron Fontenot received the Jeanmard Fourth Degree K. C. medallion.

Tonight, Ecumenical Prayer Service for Hurricane Season

Tonight is the Ecumenical Prayer Service for Hurricane Season at Hope Presbyterian Church.

NORTH REGION: Ecumenical Prayer Service
Hope Presbyterian Church
434 S. Main St. • Opelousas, La.
Wednesday, 3 June @ 6:30 pm

Find Bishop Schexnayder's Hurricane Prayer by clicking here.

Father Gary Schexnayder's 40th anniversary


On Sunday, June 7, 2009, Fr. Gary Schexnayder will be a Priest forty years. He was ordained on June 7, 1969 in Arnaudville at his home parish, St. Francis Regis Church and served as Pastor at St. Landry from 1979 – 1989.

Fr. Gary will observe the 40th Anniversary of his Ordination as a Catholic Priest on Sunday, June 7, at 1:00 pm in St. Michael the Archangel Church in Crowley, with the celebration of the Eucharist on the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity.

Following the Mass, there will be a reception. You are gladly invited to the Mass and Reception. If you are unable to attend, your prayers and remembrances will be greatly appreciated.

Jesus Christ is the great High Priest; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrew 13:8)

Year of St. Paul - The Indwelling of the Spirit


Humble Ministers

In Paul’s reflection on the Spirit, he not only explained his influence on the actions of Christians, but also on their being. Indeed, it is he who said that the Spirit of God dwells in us (cf. Rom 8:9, 1 Cor 3:16) and that “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts” (Gal 4:6).


Pope Benedict XVI’s General Audience Message on 15 November 2006

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Altar Server News


First things first: we need help.

Our altar servers are doing a wonderful job but they are stretched thin. We need more servers.

If you are a boy or girl who has completed the 4th grade or are older, OUR PARISH NEEDS YOU! Contact Dwayne Joubert about joining at 337-594-8408.

There will be a workshop to help new altar servers learn all about the mass and just what the responsibilities are for being a server.

Parents and grandparents, please encourage your children and grandchildren in this very important calling.

And for existing servers, a special treat ...

On Saturday, June 13th from 8:30 am – 2:00 pm, the Diocese of Lafayette is hosting an outing for all Altar Servers at Teurlings Catholic School in Lafayette.

Any Servers interested in attending, call Dwayne Joubert at 337-594-8408.

This should be LOADS of FUN!

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for June, 2009


Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for June is: "That international attention towards the poorer countries may give rise to more concrete help, in particular to relieve them of the crushing burden of foreign debt"

His mission intention is: "That the particular Churches operating in regions marked by violence may be sustained by the love and concrete closeness of all the Catholics in the world".

Monday, June 1, 2009

Homilies - now available to download and listen to

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 4.5 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're starting on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download our first one.