Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

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 --- four years ago. This week, the Feast of the Holy Family, is our two hundred ninety eighth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Deacon Dwayne Joubert.

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

Bulletin for the week of December 29, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Last week at Christmas we thanked God for his Love for us by celebrating His Incarnation and sending His Son to live among us. By Jesus' life, death and resurrection He gained for us our eternal salvation. Hopefully, our focus last week was one of appreciation of God's Love, and that this Love for us will prompt us to return the favor by turning away from our sins, following His commands, entering into a prayerful relationship with Him, and turning our lives over to Him.

As we continue the Christmas Octave and Season, our focus shifts to the celebration of the Holy Family and Our Blessed Mother. Both the Holy Family and our Blessed Mother are gifts God has given to us as models for our families and of our individual discipleship. They provide examples to us as ways to grow closer to Him. In our Blessed Mother, we see God's gift of humanity to itself, that is, she and her cooperation with God's Grace is a gift to us because of her unique role as Mother of God. We also are called to be gifts to each other by being a light in the world bringing Jesus' peace to each other, just as she did.

In that regard, I want to thank all of you for being a light to me through your kindness over the past year, and especially during this Christmas Season. Your generosity in so many ways continues to be humbling and is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, there are too many of you to thank individually for all that you have given to me, both tangibly and spiritually, during this Christmas Season. Please accept this note of appreciation as my sincere gratitude for the gift you are to me. I am very blessed to be your pastor, and I thank God for allowing me to be so. Please continue to pray for me, and I will continue to pray for you. May you have a blessed 2014!

     Fr. James Brady

Special Thanks

     Special thanks to the American Bank and Trust Company for providing our parish calendars. They have been doing this for years!!

     Please remember to thank them whenever you can.

The bulletin for the week of December 29, 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.

Christmas in St. Landry Catholic Church

The staff and parishioners at St. Landry Catholic Church always do a beautiful job decorating during the Christmas season. Here are some photos of the inside of the church.

To see the full set, click here.

Homily for Christmas

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 --- four years ago. This week, Christmas, is our two hundred ninety 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.

Christmas Mass Times - 2013

Christmas Mass Times - 2013 - St. Landry Catholic Church

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013 - 4 PM 

Christmas Eve, December 24, 2013 - 6 PM 

Christmas Day, December 25, 2013 - 9 AM

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

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 --- four years ago. This week, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, is our two hundred ninety 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.

Bulletin for the Week of December 22, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This week, we begin to celebrate Christmas. Of course, we celebrate Christmas Day on Wednesday in a special way, it being the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

However, we continue to celebrate the Christmas Season until the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord on January 12, 2014. The secular world will be finished with Christmas by the day after and will begin to focus on the New Year.  We, on the other hand, will continue to celebrate the Mystery of the Incarnation for more than two weeks.  Our Blessed Mother reflected on the marvel of the Incarnation in her heart (Luke 2:19). So should we.

We will celebrate The Holy Family, Our Blessed Mother, The Epiphany and the Baptism of our Lord in the weeks following Christmas.  We are given these Holy Days to strengthen our faith in The Incarnation and ponder the gift of God's love in the human nature of His Son.

Enjoy reflecting on the gift God the Father has given us in His Son. Enjoy reflecting on the gift Jesus has given us in His Life, Death and Resurrection, the events that have led to our salvation. Enjoy reflecting on the gift of the Holy Spirit, who prompts and empowers us to live a life in imitation of Christ. Ponder the gift of eternal life (our one true Hope), given to us if we follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Let us, as a community, not follow the world in allowing Christmas to end after December 25, but rather keep the Christmas spirit in our hearts all year by continuing to celebrate and reflect on the great gift we have all received at Christmas: the gift of God Himself dwelling among us, leading to eternal life with Him.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

     Fr. James Brady

Special Thanks

     Special thanks to the American Bank and Trust Company for providing our parish calendars. They have been doing this for years!!

     Please remember to thank them whenever you can.

The bulletin for the week of December 22, 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 Advent

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 --- four years ago. This week, the Third Sunday of Advent, is our two hundred ninety 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 December 15, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

As we near the end of the calendar year, there are a couple of things I would like to bring to your attention and ask for your help.

Initially, with the end of the calendar year we are also approaching the end of the first half of our fiscal year. In September we published a budget for expenses for the upcoming year along with anticipated revenue. We anticipated a 5% growth in our regular offertory for planning purposes, which was conservative in light of the previous three years. However, there has been roughly a 10% decline in our regular offertory, creating a 15% difference between what was an anticipated and actual offering. This is a significant difference which has impacted our ability to achieve the goals set forth at the beginning of the fiscal year. If you are able, please put St. Landry on your Christmas gift list this year, and consider an increase your regular offertory in the New Year. As was mentioned in the parish report in September, every offering is appreciated and needed, and please know that it is never insignificant! Our hope is to continue making progress in improving the beauty of our worship, to continue the maintenance and improvements of our beautiful buildings, and to provide better pastoral services to all in need, especially those who are most vulnerable. Know of my thanks in advance for your generous response!

Second, our Chancellor at Opelousas Catholic, Msgr. Keith DeRouen, has asked for additional input regarding the school by way of a follow up survey to the one taken at the beginning of the school year. Copies of the surveys are on the tables at the back of the church near the confessionals. These surveys are not only for parents of our children who attend Opelousas Catholic, but for all of our community who are interested, including alumni, grandparents and friends of the school who would like to comment. The surveys are self-explanatory and should be returned to our office by noon on December 31, 2013. Thanks in advance for your participation and input!

Please know of my continued prayers for all of us during this Advent Season to "prepare the way of the Lord" for His coming at Christmas.

     God Bless!

     Fr. James Brady

The Advent 2013 Penance Services

Zechariah in his prayer to God speaks of his son, John: “And you, child….will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…” (Luke 1:76-77)

Church: Our Lady Queen of Angels (Opelousas) Date: Dec. 16th (Monday) Time: 6:00pm City-Wide Penance Service

Church: Holy Ghost (Opelousas)  Date: Dec. 19th  (Thursday)  Time:  6:00pm

The Light is on for YOU

On Wednesday, December 18th—from 6:30-8:00pm, we will be offering confessions here at St. Landry, together with all the Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. This outreach is called “The Light is On For You,”  and is an effort on the part of our Diocese to highlight the importance of the Sacrament of Confession in the life of Catholics and to make it as easy as possible for every Catholic to come or to return to this great source of God’s mercy and healing love.  You are welcome to come here or to go to any other Catholic parish in the Diocese.  Please make plans to come yourself and please invite others to take advantage of this great opportunity to be reconciled and begin anew your journey in faith this Advent.

The bulletin for the week of December 15, 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 of Advent

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 --- four years ago. This week, the Second Sunday of Advent, is our two hundred ninety 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 December 8, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

As we move into the Second Week of Advent, the theme of the Gospel reading this week moves from being vigilant and alert for the coming of Christ to the theme of repentance. Our vigilance includes making sure that we are following Christ as He is, not how we want Him to be, and then practicing our Faith as Christ and His Church have taught us.  Our vigilance is directed to our preparation for our judgment, and our Hope of ultimate union with Him in Heaven at the end of our earthly life.

    This week, however, the movement of our heart should be one of repentance and seeking the forgiveness of our sins.  John the Baptist, Christ's forerunner, preached repentance for preparation of the coming of Christ. In that regard, we as Catholics are privileged to have the Sacrament of Confession (also referred to as the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Penance).  In the Sacrament of Confession not only are our sins forgiven, but also we are given the Grace to overcome our sins and thus be freed from them.

     During Advent, in preparation for receiving the Grace God wants to give us in Jesus' Incarnation at Christmas, Sacramental Confession is highly recommended. Of course, the opportunity for Sacramental Confession will be available in each of our four parishes in Opelousas at the regularly scheduled times.  Also, all parishes in the Diocese will have "the light on for you" from 6:30 until 8pm on Wednesday's during Advent.  Finally, there will be a special city wide Penance Service at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church on Monday, December 16, 2013 at 6pm. Besides the pastors of each of the parishes in Opelousas, there will also be other confessors available at the city wide service. The experience of God's Mercy in Sacramental Confession is something we should regularly desire and seek, especially during this season of Advent.

     There are still a few of the Advent daily reflections left in the church for those who would like them.  The booklets were made possible by the generosity of one of our parishioners.  Please thank the benefactor for this generosity by offering a prayer for their benefit during this Advent Season!

     God Bless!

     Fr. James Brady

The Advent 2013 Penance Services

Zechariah in his prayer to God speaks of his son, John: “And you, child….will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins…” (Luke 1:76-77)

Church: St. Thomas More (Eunice) Date: Dec.9th (Monday) Time: 6:00pm Tri-Parish Penance Service.

Church: St. Charles Borromeo  (Grand Coteau) Date: Dec. 11th (Wednesday) Time: 7:00pm

Church: Immaculate Conception (Lebeau) Date: Dec. 13th (Friday) Time: 6:00pm

Church: Our Lady Queen of Angels (Opelousas) Date: Dec. 16th (Monday) Time: 6:00pm City-Wide Penance Service

Church: Holy Ghost (Opelousas)  Date: Dec. 19th  (Thursday)  Time:  6:00pm

The Light is on for YOU

On Wednesdays of Advent---December 11th, and 18th—from 6:30-8:00pm, we will be offering confessions here at St. Landry, together with all the Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. This outreach is called “The Light is On For You,”  and is an effort on the part of our Diocese to highlight the importance of the Sacrament of Confession in the life of Catholics and to make it as easy as possible for every Catholic to come or to return to this great source of God’s mercy and healing love.  You are welcome to come here or to go to any other Catholic parish in the Diocese.  Please make plans to come yourself and please invite others to take advantage of this great opportunity to be reconciled and begin anew your journey in faith this Advent.

The bulletin for the week of December 08, 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 First Sunday of Advent

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 --- four years ago. This week, the First Sunday of Advent, is our two hundred ninety 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.

Pope Francis new paper - The Joy of the Gospel

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! What a beautiful day!

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.pdf

The Pope’s new document is called “The Joy of the Gospel” or “Evangelii Gaudium”. The link above is the document in PDF form. That makes it easy to download to an iPad or iPhone or computer for smooth reading.

These papers (called an Apostolic Exhortation) are usually released as summaries of a synod …. a bishop’s council. They are sort of “everything and the kitchen sink” type of documents that touch on all the topics that each of the bishops brought up during the meeting. This one refers to the October 2012 synod that discussed the new evangelization.  But, unlike previous papers, the new Pope decided to use the topic as an opportunity to speak out more about his own vision for everyone to go out and evangelize.

Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 …. the first and last chapters … really allow Pope Francis to speak in his own, more folksy style. The middle chapters are where he touches on the bishops talking points. But he still gives them his own unique touch.

He talks a lot about Christian joy that we must have in evangelization. The quote that jumped out at me the most at first glance that really speaks to the Pope’s simple approach was “an evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral” Ha ha! I think everyone can relate to that image.

The paper will also be released in book form in just a few weeks.

Bulletin for the Week of December 01, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend, we continue our journey towards Christ with the beginning of our liturgical year. Today, the 1st Sunday of Advent, marks our liturgical “New Year,” which appropriately begins with our preparation for and anticipation of receiving the gift of Christ at Christmas. The Nativity of Our Lord marks the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life, the life of Our Savior that leads to the salvation of the world. The remembrance of these events is intended to help us all re-focus on Christ and His Church by entering more deeply into the Mystery of the Incarnation: God becoming Man. The first step in preparing to receive Christ fully was heralded by John the Baptist, Jesus forerunner, who preached repentance and forgiveness of our sins in order to "prepare the way of the Lord."

In that regard, the Diocese of Lafayette is once again sponsoring “The Light is on for You” campaign. All church parishes within our diocese will have their “light on for you” on Wednesdays from 6:30 until 8pm for Confessions. Confession is a beautiful sacrament often under-utilized by Catholics. Confession gives us God's Mercy, which we have discussed over the last few months as not only granting us forgiveness of our sins, but also the Grace to overcome them and live a life fully in union with Christ.  As the words of absolution say, God grants us "pardon and peace."  Confession allows us to tangibly experience God’s mercy in the forgiveness of our sins, and His Grace gives us the strength to cast off the burden of sin to live in true freedom and know Him ever more deeply. Confession will prepare us to receive Jesus more fully at Christmas, so I hope we all take advantage of the Sacrament of Confession during the Advent Season.

Please know of my prayers that all of us are blessed with the greatest gift of all at the end of this Advent Season, the gift of a deeper relationship with Christ!

     God Bless!

     Fr. James Brady


The Light is on for YOU

On all Wednesdays of Advent---December 4th, 11th, and 18th—from 6:30-8:00pm, we will be offering confessions here at St. Landry, together with all the Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. This outreach is called “The Light is On For You,”  and is an effort on the part of our Diocese to highlight the importance of the Sacrament of Confession in the life of Catholics and to make it as easy as possible for every Catholic to come or to return to this great source of God’s mercy and healing love.  You are welcome to come here or to go to any other Catholic parish in the Diocese.  Please make plans to come yourself and please invite others to take advantage of this great opportunity to be reconciled and begin anew your journey in faith this Advent.


EVANGELIZATION

     St. Francis says that it is in giving that we receive and what better way to give than to give of our time and share in our Faith. This Saturday is Outreach Saturday and as always we invite all able bodied parishioners to join us this December 7th as we spread the Gospel of Hope to those in our community. Please consider in this time of giving, Christmas, to experience the gift of giving.
     We will follow the usual schedule.  If you are not familiar with the schedule, please call the office at 942-6552.

     God bless you,

     Deacon Sammy Diesi 

The bulletin for the week of December 01, 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 Solemnity of Christ the King

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 --- four years ago. This week, the Solemnity of Christ the King, is our two hundred ninety second!! 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 November 24, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, the end of the Church's liturgical year. This celebration is a reminder to us that Jesus can help us to overcome any problem we might have if we let Him reign in our lives. The primary goal of our life here on earth is to live with God in eternity in the next life, and as Christians this must be our first priority. We make this our first priority by following God's commands as He teaches us through His Church in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, and by cooperating with God's Grace by living a life of virtue and prayer in Faith, Hope and Charity. No matter what the circumstances in our lives here on earth, we always have the hope of eternal life in heaven, and nothing on earth has the power to take that away from us. Today we celebrate this gift God has given to us, and we renew our resolve to live a life on earth worthy of the eternal life God has promised.  Let us praise Christ our King!

Thursday of this week we celebrate Thanksgiving. Mass that day will be at 9am and I hope to see you there.  Although Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, it is certainly religious in its theme. This year, there is much for us to thank God as a church parish and community. The generosity of so many of our parishioners in volunteering their time, talent and treasure has been such a great blessing to me as your pastor, and I am grateful to God for the blessing that each of you are to me in my priestly life and in the furtherance of the mission of St. Landry Church. The growth of our knowledge and love of God the Father through the life of Jesus Christ, His Son, prompting us to serve all in charity by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are blessed with three devoted deacons and a hard working and dedicated staff who make all the good things happening here possible. Thanks to them and all of you. I am very blessed to be your pastor!

My hope is that during this time of the year all of us are able to look back and see the blessings that God has given us as a church community and individually during the year and to thank Him. Of course, some of us have suffered during the year, and many have said "good-bye for now" to loved ones who have passed into the next life. However, even if it has been a difficult year for you individually or as a family, we can still thank God for the hope of eternal life that He has given us, a hope that eases the pain of suffering and death in this world with the belief that we will all be joined together again, without pain or suffering, in God's Heavenly Kingdom. God Bless!

Father James Brady

The Light is on for YOU

On all Wednesdays of Advent---December 4th, 11th, and 18th—from 6:30-8:00pm, we will be offering confessions here at St. Landry, together with all the Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Lafayette. This outreach is called “The Light is On For You,”  and is an effort on the part of our Diocese to highlight the importance of the Sacrament of Confession in the life of Catholics and to make it as easy as possible for every Catholic to come or to return to this great source of God’s mercy and healing love.  You are welcome to come here or to go to any other Catholic parish in the Diocese.  Please make plans to come yourself and please invite others to take advantage of this great opportunity to be reconciled and begin anew your journey in faith this Advent.

The bulletin for the week of November 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.

Homily for the Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred ninety 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 November 17, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

I have received many comments on the homily last weekend on the Sacrament of Marriage. The comments received have been very helpful to me as your pastor, and they also show that there are many people in our community who indeed did have a misunderstanding of the Church's teaching on divorce, remarriage and being properly disposed to receive Holy Communion. Many thanks to those who took the time to provide input to me on the homily. If you want to share the homily with family or friends, please know that the homily is available on our website (as are all our homilies). In this Pastor's Corner, a follow up on a couple of things may be helpful.

As mentioned last weekend, a civil divorce, in and of itself, does not make one not properly disposed to receive Holy Communion nor does it change one's status within the Church in any way. We are always saddened by divorce in the sense that we always hope for healthy and happy marriages. However, there are times when divorce is necessary, especially for the protection of children or of the spouse from some type of abuse, or in the case of abandonment. However, the sacramental marriage remains valid regardless of any civil proceedings. A sacramental marriage can only be annulled in a church proceeding. It saddens me that some might think that the church is not there to help and support them through a very difficult time in their life, or that the Grace and strengthening power of the Eucharist is not available to them during a time when it may be most needed.

The annulment process is available to all to explore, and should be completed prior to any remarriage. Not all marriages can be annulled, as we know that once a sacramental marriage is properly done, it is indissoluble (that is, cannot be undone). Jesus' own words provide the basis for this teaching: "Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate" (Matthew 19:6). The problem of being properly disposed to receive Holy Communion may occur when one makes the decision to remarry while still married sacramentally, or when one contracts a civil marriage or a marriage in another church community. It is important that one meet with a priest prior to contracting any marriage.

As always, please know that my door is always open to answer any question you may have about marriage. Regardless of whether one is properly disposed to receive Holy Communion or not, all are members of our church community and are loved as Christ would love them. My desire as pastor is to assist anyone who needs information or help in this regard. Please remember to bring this message to your friends and family!
           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of November 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.

Homily for the Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Thirty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred ninetieth!! 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 November 10, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Tomorrow, Monday November 11, our country celebrates Veteran's Day, a day when we take time to give thanks to those who have served in our armed forces. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has requested that a second offertory be made every three years in support of the Archdiocese of Military Services. This year is the year we make the additional offering. Additional envelopes for the offertory are in the church near the doors and at the back tables for your use.

The Archdiocese of Military Services provides for the pastoral care of our troops and their families, including chaplain priests in active military zones and at our military bases. The Archdiocese does not have the regular support of a stable congregation of worshippers because our military personnel move often due to changing assignments. This is our way of supporting our troops with the pastoral care that they and their families need.

There will also be a Patriotic Rosary sponsored by the Catholic Daughters at 6pm Monday evening in the church. The rosary will be prayed for the intention of all those who serve in the U.S Military, elected officials, religious and for each State of our Union. In this way, we support our troops with prayer. All are invited to join us for this event!

We should all give thanks to God for the sacrifices our veterans have made for each and every one of us. 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 often necessary. 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. 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 are willing, if necessary, 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 our veterans and keep them in His care. May we always appreciate what they have done for us!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of November 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 SaintLandryCatholicChurch.

Homily for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred eighty ninth!! 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 November 03, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This weekend, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints on Friday and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day) on Saturday.  These celebrations remind us of our connection with those who have gone before us and who now intercede for us while we continue our earthly journey.  These days remind us of Jesus' triumph over death in His Resurrection, and give us the basis of the Theological Virtue of Hope, that is, our desire to be in union with God and all the faithful departed at the end of our earthly life.  While we are indeed saddened by the pain of physical separation caused by earthly death, we remember that for Christians life is changed, not ended, and we are reborn into eternal life.

This year, we had a special Memorial Mass on All Souls Day for the intention of those of our community who entered eternal life over the past year.  Those remembered at the mass were members of our parish community at St. Landry, family members of our parishioners, and anyone for whom St. Landry provided a funeral mass or service.  The memorial mass was intended to include prayers for all our dearly departed, regardless of their faith tradition, denomination or church parish affiliation.  It also provided an opportunity for those who may not have been able to attend a funeral of a friend or loved one due to work or other circumstances.  We did our best to notify in writing all families of which we were aware who lost a loved one, and in the bulletin invited all to attend the Memorial Mass and to let us know of anyone who wished to be included.  It is my intention to make this Memorial Mass an annual event for our community.

Much work went into notifying as many as we could about the Memorial Mass as well as planning the liturgy.  Deacon Joubert headed up the project, and we thank him for his good work.  Our office staff, especially Priscilla Guidroz and Lois Joubert, worked to make sure notifications were sent out to families, and our choir eagerly volunteered to provide the beautiful music at the mass.  Ray Dupree and Lafond Ardoin Funeral Home provided assistance with obtaining the display of those specifically remembered.  We thank them and all those who volunteered as ministers for the mass!

Please know of my continued prayers for all our dearly departed and their families.  My hope is that this month of November may be a time of remembrance, consolation and prayer.  The display of those specifically remembered will remain in the church near the statue of our Blessed Mother, the Mother of Consolation, until the Solemnity of Christ the King, our celebration of Jesus' triumph over sin and death.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of November 03, 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 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred eighty 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 the Week of October 27, 2013 and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

This week we will celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2, respectively. This time of year we focus on those who have completed their earthly life and have gone before us from this life to the next. On All Saints Day, we thank God for all the saints who have gone before us and have left us models for living our Christian faith, whether they be canonized or not. They now live in the presence of God in eternal joy interceding for us, and are appropriately referred to as the Church Triumphant.

On All Souls Day, we remember those who have gone before us but have not yet reached full union with God in heaven, and we pray for them to enter the Gates of Heaven. They are in purgatory, and are referred to as the Church Suffering (not suffering in the sense of physical pain, but suffering because they lack the complete joy and peace that is given by God in heaven). These souls are also referred to as the Church Expectant, as one day they will know full union with God.

As always, it is touching to see so many of you cleaning and repairing the graves of your family members in the cemetery, remembering that those who went before us are not dead, but rather are still a living part of our Church, and the place that houses their earthly body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, should be cared for by us who remain. We will pray for them at a Memorial Mass on All Souls Day (Saturday, November 2) at a special 10am Mass. We thank Lafond Ardoin Funeral Home for their help in assisting us in coordinating this Mass, and I hope that you are able to join us then for remembrance and prayer. We will also have our annual blessing of the cemetery that same day after the 4pm Mass.

A reminder that All Saints Day is a Solemnity and a Holy Day of Obligation, so we are obliged to attend Mass that day just as if it was a Sunday. The schedule Masses are as follows:
              Thursday, October 31 - 5:30pm
              Friday, November 1 - 8:40am (Opelousas School Mass); 12:05pm and 5:30pm.

Because All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, if one misses Mass that day without good reason, it is considered, objectively, a serious matter and one should not receive Holy Communion without first making a Sacramental Confession. In addition, please note that our parish offices will be closed Friday in celebration of All Saints Day.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady


BLESSING OF GRAVES
October 26th, Saturday       5:30pm Myrtle Grove Cemetery
October 27th, Sunday         2:00pm Bellevue Memorial Cemetery
November 1st, Friday        12:15pm Garden of Memories & Serenity Memorial Garden
November 2nd, Saturday After 4:0 0pm Mass St. Landry Cemetery

WRAP WEEKEND
This weekend the Catholic Daughters will be handing out white ribbons after all the Masses. The program is
called W.R.A.P. which stands for "White Ribbons Against Pornography." The color white is the symbol of
purity. With the advent of the internet age, large amounts of information has become readily available, both
good and bad. This includes pornography, which has permeated the internet since its beginning. Pornography
has many victims, from the participants to the viewers, and causes many problems for them on many different
emotional and psychological levels, and can especially affect children. W.R.A.P. is intended to raise  awareness of this danger; but awareness is just a first step. There must also be action, and for parents the key word for action is "vigilance," especially in protecting children. Let us pray for those who participate in pornography and for its end, but let us also make sure that we are vigilant in the protection of our children from its harmful effects by monitoring and policing what our children see and hear!

The bulletin for the week of October 27, 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 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred eighty 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.

St. Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours this weekend

Saint Landry Catholic Church Cemetery Tours this weekend - Saturday 6 Pm, 7 Pm, 8 Pm. And again on Sunday 2 Pm and 3 Pm. Photos from last weekend here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thecajun/sets/72157636621301526/

Bulletin for the Week of October 20, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Last weekend, we introduced the annual Bishop's Service Appeal (BSA), and a message from Bishop Jarrell was presented at all of our weekend Masses.  The Bishop's Service Appeal funds services and programs that we, as a parish, cannot afford to pay on our own.  By pooling the resources of all the individual church parishes in the diocese, services can be provided to the poor and vulnerable that would not be feasible for any individual church parish to provide.  In addition to aiding the poor and the vulnerable among us, the appeal supports other diocesan works, such as the education and support of our seminarians and the continued education of our priests.  St. Landry is blessed to have a seminarian studying for the priesthood, Ben Pitre (as always, please keep him in your prayers) who directly benefits from the donations made to the BSA.  St. Landry could not afford to pay for his education and training, but with funding from the BSA, his education and training is possible.

      The BSA pledge cards/envelopes will remain in the pews and at the doors of the church for your use.  Donations to the appeal can be made in the same manner as last year. First, for those who use offertory envelopes, you will receive special envelopes for the appeal in the mail with your regular envelopes, and the donations can be placed in the offertory at any Mass.  Second, for those who do not use envelopes for the regular offertory, the envelopes in the pews and at the church doors can be used and placed in any offertory at any Mass.  Third, for those who prefer to send the donation directly to the diocese, there are instructions on how to do so on the same envelopes located in the church.  When making a donation in this manner, please make sure that St. Landry is marked on the envelope so that we are able to track whether or not we have met our goal for the appeal.  Finally, donations can be made online at www.diolaf.org.

      Last year, we were a little short of our goal for the appeal. Of course, our hope is that our parish will reach the goal this year in support of the many good programs provided by the diocese to St. Landry and to the people of our diocese. Many thanks for your generosity!

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of October 20, 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 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Bishop's Services Appeal

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 --- four years ago. This week, the Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred eighty sixth!! podcast to be posted. The homily is given by Bishop Michael Jarrell.

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 October 13, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Beginning next week, we will place baskets at the church entrances to be used for non-perishable food collection for those in need. The baskets will remain in the church until after Thanksgiving. This collection of food items is intended to help ICONS, our local food pantry which is sponsored by an interfaith consortium, to provide for those in need during the upcoming holiday season. In addition we will also have an offertory at our Thanksgiving Day Mass to support ICONS' mission to provide food to those who are in need. Each week we will collect the food items donated and transport them to the ICONS facility located here in Opelousas for distribution.

Obviously, as Christians we are called to love and provide for our brothers and sisters who are in need, and the most basic need is that of food. In each act of charity we do, we learn to see the Face of Jesus in everyone we meet, knowing that what we do for each other, we do for Him. Conversely, what we do not do for our brothers and sisters, we did not do for Jesus Himself! Let us always pray for an end to hunger and poverty in our community, our country and in the world. But let us also make sure we do what we can to help end hunger, beginning here in our own community.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of October 13, 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 Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homily is available on a link on the front page of the website next to the link for the current week's bulletin. On the page with the prior bulletins, the corresponding homily will be sitting side by side with its bulletin. We started on the anniversary of the start of the Catholic Church, Pentecost Sunday --- four years ago. This week, the Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred eighty 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 October 6, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

As we enter the month of October, we begin a month devoted to our appreciation of those who have gone before us to the next life. The Cemetery Tours will begin next weekend and will continue the following weekend. Many of you will be cleaning up tombs and we will be sprucing up our cemetery. Our celebration will culminate with our celebration of All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd. Besides our usual blessing of the cemetery on November 2nd after the 4pm Mass, we have added a special Mass that morning which we hope will become an annual celebration.

The Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, November 2nd at 10am. It will be a Memorial Mass where we will pray for all our faithful departed, but the specific Mass intention will be for those who passed away this past year. We have had approximately 65 of our fellow brothers and sisters who have gone to the next life, and we want to remember them, their families, and their friends in prayer. We thank God for the gift of their life, and we pray for the repose of their souls and the consolation of family and friends.

Next weekend, we will publish a list of those who will be remembered at the Mass. This list will contain those for whom we've had funerals here at St. Landry and those whose death we were informed of through our ministry to the bereaved. We are happy to add any other people who passed away last year. If there is someone you would like to have added, please call the office to let us know. We will include all who died through September 30th of this year. Those who pass away this month will be included in next year's Mass. We will publish a final list in the bulletin for the weekend of November 2nd and 3rd.

We are taught in the Bible that praying for the dead is a righteous act (2 Maccabees 12: 43-46). Let us pray together for those who have gone before us, and for each other's consolation for the physical separation we have now until we all meet in God's Kingdom. I hope all are able to make it on November 2nd for the Memorial Mass.

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of October 06, 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 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homilies are now available to download and listen to!

As part of our answering the challenge of the Holy Father to go out and evangelize utilizing new technologies, we're now offering the homily each week for download. Clicking the link to the homily should download it and automatically start it playing in whatever music player your computer is set up with.

On the technical side, the file sizes are about 5 megs which means it may a minute or two to download on slower Internet connections. It is also an MP3 formatted file which means that these are essentially podcasts. Don't worry if all the technical words don't mean much to you. It means we're using the latest in technology in order to make sure our church parish can reach the most people.

The current week's homilies are 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 --- four years ago. This week, the Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, is our two hundred eighty third and two hundred and eighty fourth!! podcasts to be posted. The homily at 8AM is given by Deacon Dwayne Joubert and the 10AM is given by Deacon Sammy Diesi.

So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Click here to download the 8AM homily and click here to download the 10AM homily from St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, Louisiana.

Bulletin for the Week of September 29, 2013 - and the Pastor's Corner

The Pastor’s Corner 

Jesus' words after the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, and after he had washed His disciples’ feet:  [If] I washed your feet...then you must wash each other's feet....What I just did was to give you an example:  as I have done, so must you do."  Jn 13: 14-15.  As Jesus teaches us, our worship of God in the Eucharistic celebration does not end after Mass, but rather is just beginning.  We receive in the Eucharist the grace to live our Christian lives in serving God and each other.  This service extends outside the walls of our church to our neighbors.  We help others by serving in our church and helping those in need.  Thus, our worship of God and our spiritual lives are incomplete without this service.  Traditionally, we have categorized service in the gifts of "time, talent and treasure."  Last week, we spoke of "treasure," that is, monetary gifts to our church and to other charities.  This week, with our Ministry Fair, we focus on "time and talent."

Our annual Ministry Fair is an opportunity for us to see the various ways we can serve here at St. Landry and to consider giving our time and talent for the church's ministry.  There are opportunities for service individually and in a group or social setting.  There's something for everyone.  Since service is the primary function of a deacon, Deacons Diesi and Joubert will preach the homily this weekend about the importance of service in our spiritual life.  Please stop by the Ministry Fair after Mass!    

           God Bless!

           Father James Brady

The bulletin for the week of September 29, 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.