Dear Parishioners, Last year, in 2023, Christmas Day was on a Monday, making the Fourth Week of Advent lasting only 24 hours, and this year, 2024, because it is a leap year, Christmas Day is on a Wednesday, cutting the Fourth Week of Advent down to 72 hours. That’s what happens when December 25 is at the beginning of the week, and we have no control over this as we all know. But what we do have control over is the liturgical season of Advent as a whole, whether it lasts only three weeks, instead of four, like in 2023, or whether Christmas falls on a Saturday, when we actually have four full weeks of Advent anticipation and preparation. And that is the key to our observing the preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent: we prepare and anticipate the glorious feasts to come and not “bypass” the season of Advent with full Christmas decorations in place on “Black Friday” or have Easter baskets and lilies as our decorations on Palm Sunday. Advent and Lent are part of our faith life as Catholics for a reason – to benefit us to grow spiritually by using these seasons to prepare through prayer and reflection on the feast that is coming and not “jumping the gun,” so to speak, and celebrating prematurely. It’s not easy to do this in our world where Christmas carols start on Thanksgiving afternoon, or possibly before, and the Easter Bunny comes out the day after Valentine’s Day. If we are to be authentic members of the Church, true disciples of Jesus, then we cannot be “pulled into the ways of the world” and/or “go with the flow,” because we will not experience the full impact of the great celebrations of our faith. Let’s not shorten this Advent of 2024 any more than we have to, and for that matter, not only for 2024 but for every Advent that we observe as God’s people.

Dear Parishioners, The Sunday before the First Sunday of Advent, the Solemnity of Christ the King, is also the last Sunday of the current liturgical year. This year, December 1st marks the First Sunday of Advent and the start of a new liturgical year, in this case, 2025, for us Catholics and other Christian denominations who observe the month-long season of Advent. This year we also start “our Catholic/Christian New Year” exactly one month before the secular celebration of “New Year’s.” That doesn’t mean we as Catholics should not celebrate on December 31 and January 1 with the rest of the world, but we should always keep in mind that new beginning that we can all embark upon when we light the first of the four candles of the Advent wreath. Yet, with Christ as our Light, we can also remember that each and every day can be a day for a new start, a new beginning – not only when Advent or Lent or Easter or Christmas begins – but any and every day is a good day for us to recommit ourselves and renew our Baptism and continue to be a faithful and faith-filled follower of Jesus. Jesus knows that faithfulness and discipleship are not always easy crosses to carry, but our willingness to carry them is what Jesus wants, and He will help us each step of the way at our invitation to Him. That’s where the faithfulness and the discipleship come in – our Blessed Mother, the Twelve Apostles, the many men and women who joined Jesus’ mission and traveled with Him in His three-year mission, and all the saints who followed them - they all committed themselves, each with his or her difficulties. But letting Jesus help us through those difficulties through our faithfulness and discipleship is the key to our growth in faith, hope, and love. Starting this December 1st, let’s make 2025 a truly good year for us, the Church.

Dear Parishioners, Since the Saturday vigil Mass at St. Peter’s now begins at 4 p.m., the time for confessions has changed as well, and this information is readily available on the front of our weekly church bulletin. Saturday Confession time now begins at 2 p.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. As the saying goes, “You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.” With that being said, starting Tuesday, December 3, I am adding another 90 minutes of confession time during the week, even though the time frame might not work for some but may for others. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the Sacrament of Confession will be available from 7:15 a.m. until 8 a.m. Although this is rather early, it may serve those who find Saturday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. inconvenient. Who knows – maybe this 45-minute period for confession/reconciliation twice a week may be well-received, and even if it isn’t, at least there are three hours total offered each week in church for confession. Also, please remember that confession is available at any other time by appointment – just contact me if that method for confession works better for you. In my last parish assignment as pastor of St. Gertrude’s in Des Allemands, my cell phone number was on the front of the bulletin, and so, even though it isn’t currently on the front of the St. Peter’s bulletin, I’ll give it to you now – (504) 442-9299. This can serve as the emergency/after hours phone number where I can be reached directly, primarily for emergency situations, and yet it can be used to make appointments with me for confession and other things since I make my appointments myself. Advent starts on December 1st this year – may we begin this new month and a new liturgical year with faith and hope for what the Lord Jesus will bring to us.

Dear Parishioners, Last Sunday morning we had to adjust our clocks and watches – our mobile phones thankfully adjusted automatically – because daylight saving time came to an end for 2024, and we had to “fall back.” This coming March we will have to adjust our clocks and watches again when we “spring forward.” This twice-a-year adjustment/change is one that we should be quite used to, especially us adults, since we would be quite “out-of-sync” with everyone around us on a local and national level if we ignored it. Some find this semiannual change bothersome, some do not. But it is CHANGE, and change is an undeniable part of our lives. This weekend of November 9 & 10, we have a change in the vigil Mass time at St. Peter’s – from 5 p.m. to 4 p.m. Even just an hour’s difference is going to affect people in different ways, and in positive and in negative ways as well. But does not Jesus consistently call us to change – and to change for the better? He certainly does! And who better to direct and instruct us in these changes that He calls us to? The One who made the ultimate “change” by obeying God His Father, taking on a human body exactly like ours, thus becoming like us “in all things but sins,” who knows both the ease and the difficulty of change in our lives by His own participation in adjustment, change, and adaptation, all out of love, for God our Father and for us. Are the changes we face in our lives equal to a scourging with whips, having a crown of thorns pushed down around our head, being nailed to a cross? Our crosses, trials, and changes may be quite heavy and hard to bear, but they can never compare to what Jesus has done for us. He once asked His Apostles Peter, James, and John to keep watch with Him for one hour, yet they stayed nearby but eventually fell asleep. Jesus has the understanding and the love for us to forgive our “falling asleep” sometimes in our faith life/journey, but certainly doesn’t want us to be in a perpetual state of slumber when it comes to living out our faith. That’s where “change” now and then helps us to be our best.

Dear Parishioners, On November 3, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Hubert – more formally, St. Hubert of Liege, with Liege being a city in Belgium. Hubert was born around the year 656 in Toulouse, France, and died on May 30, 727 near Liege where he was the bishop during his adult life. St. Hubert was widely venerated during the Middle Ages. Other forms of the name “Hubert” are Hugo and Hugh, and the name means “bright mind” in German. Hubert was the eldest son of a duke, and in 682 married Floribanne, the daughter of a Belgian count. Floribanne died while giving birth to their son Floribert, and heavy grief prompted Hubert to retreat from his political life and duties. He withdrew to the local forests and gave himself up entirely to hunting. On a Good Friday morning, while the faithful were in church, Hubert was hunting, having abandoned the practice of his Catholic faith. As he pursued a magnificent stag, the animal turned to Hubert, showing the crucifix seemingly floating between its great antlers. Hubert heard a voice that said: “Hubert, unless you turn to the Lord and lead a holy life, you shall quickly go down into Hell.” Hubert then asked, “Lord, what would You have me do? He was told, “Go and seek Lambert, and he will instruct you.” Lambert was the bishop of Maastricht, who received Hubert kindly and became his spiritual director. Hubert renounced his position and wealth and gave it to his younger brother, Odo, along with the care of his infant son, Floribert. Hubert then studied for the priesthood, was ordained, and then assisted Bishop Lambert in ministry in the Maastricht diocese. When Bishop Lambert died, Hubert was appointed the bishop of Maastricht, and then of the newly-formed diocese of nearby Liege. Hubert gained the trust of the people through the outdoorsman skills he acquitted in his brief hunting life before his conversion and was greatly loved. He died peacefully in Liege. Because of his hunting skills, St. Hubert is the patron saint of hunters, archers, trappers, dogs, forest workers, opticians, and mathematicians, as well of the city of Liege. He is honored by sportsmen as the originator of ethical hunting practices. St. Hubert, pray for us and protect all hunters.

Dear Parishioners, Once again, in the wee hours of the morning of Sunday, November 3rd , we will “fall back” and leave daylight saving time – a yearly change that we all must remember to do so that we’re not an hour early for Mass, work, or appointments if we have any of these on that Sunday morning. So this yearly “change” is one of a number of annual changes we are involved in. With this time change on November 3rd, here at St. Peter’s we will have another “time change,” starting on Saturday, November 9, with the Vigil Mass beginning at 4 pm rather than 5 pm. As your pastor, I feel that this Mass time change has more pros than cons. First, the earliest time that a vigil Mass can take place is 4 pm, and the vast majority of vigil Masses in our archdiocese and beyond begin at 4 pm. Secondly, those Mass-goers who do not like to or can’t drive after dark may now attend the vigil Mass at 4 pm and drive home before or at sunset – it is quite dark already at 6 pm during standard time. Thirdly, the 4 pm vigil Mass allows people, as well as the priests who officiate at these, to attend Catholic weddings that many times take place on Saturday evenings, in addition to other Saturday night events. Ultimately, making the vigil Mass more available to all parishioners who would like to attend is the important consideration here.

Beginning the weekend of November 2nd/3rd, all children in attendance at all Masses, will be invited up to the Altar to place their monetary offering in a special box especially made for their contributions.

Dear Parishioners, In a less than two weeks we will celebrate All Saints’ Day, and for those who have family, friends, and loved ones buried in our venerable cemetery, we might visit the tombs, brings flowers, and hopefully have good and happy memories of those who have been called back to God before us. For some, the pain of loss will still be fresh, for others, the years may have healed us somewhat; however, when our loved ones died, we had to change, adapt, and modify our lives to different extents and in different ways. Those key words – change, adapt, & modify – are not only applicable when we experience a death of someone but are words that we shouldn’t always be afraid of, especially when what we are changing and adapting to, is going on all around us and is not so unique to “just us.” The merge of St. Peter and St. Hubert parishes was announced one year ago, in early November 2023 and is still a relatively new development in our lives as residents of Reserve, Garyville, and Mount Airy. Just as some people ask God “why” when someone dies, it is natural for some to ask God “why” regarding our parish merge, yet God’s Will brought about this, so we should believe, as believers in God, and it is no different with our parish merge. Can we think that Archbishop Aymond, or Archbishop Hughes before him right after Hurricane Katrina, really wanted to make decisions regarding closures and mergers of parishes, resulting in change, adaptation, and modification that were not welcome and wanted? The answer is no, yet they just didn’t make these decisions without the input of informed others, hard data and facts that are real, despite all the commentary by many that the hard data and facts are erroneous and maybe “made up.” None of us would want the job of a bishop because being responsible for the spiritual well-being of people is not easy at all: being a Catholic is subjective – something that can be argued and debated, and we don’t face possible imprisonment by God or the Catholic Church, while being a taxpayer, for example, is objective – we can’t argue or debate paying what we owe in federal and state taxes because of the legal consequences we would face. So the decisions of the bishops and priests of the Church are always subject to scrutiny when people are called to change, adapt, and modify. Let us ask our favorite saints in Heaven, as well as the saints right here in our cemetery, for their intercession in the change, adaptation, and modification we are called to do as members of the Body of Christ. Jesus had to change, adapt, and modify in His life on Earth as our Redeemer and Brother. May we strive to do the same.

Dear Parishioners, For those parishioners who don’t usually enter St. Peter Church by way of the front entrance, you may not have seen the recent improvements that have been done by some parishioners who have been quite generous with their time, talent, and treasure. The concrete benches have been pressure-washed, painted, and sealed, and the large concrete planters have been painted as well – a beautiful terra cotta color – so that they stand out, showing the new plants that they contain. Other potted plants and greenery have been added, as well as seasonal wreaths on the front doors. On behalf of the entire parish family, I want to heartily thank this couple who came to me, asked if they could undertake this project, and for following through with some beautiful results. Speaking of the front entrance and particularly the front doors of the church, in the process of painting and planting, the front doors were cleaned, with all the residue of the “scotch” tape removed as best as it could be. The front doors look great now! Therefore, I’m firmly requesting, effective immediately, that any flyer, announcement, or reminder that is posted on the church doors of St. Peter or St. Hubert, NOT be attached with “scotch” tape, and that if this type of tape is used, when the posted item is removed, any remnants of the tape be removed as well. I ask this because we have to remember something very important: our church, our worship space, is a sacred space – inside and outside. All this tape remnants and residue might seem like a trivial and insignificant thing to some, but just look at the church doors at the north, east, and west entrances, and you’ll see years of what’s left after constant postings on the church doors. Compare them to the south doors, the “front” doors of the church, now that they’ve been cleaned, and I hope you’ll see what I mean.

The Sound of the Bells of St. Peter Church Will Soon Return Several months ago, the electronic/digital bell system stopped working for unknown reasons. This precision instrument reproduces the sound of actual bells, and truly inspires us as it strikes the hours, the Angelus, and plays Easter hymns and Christmas carols as those seasons dictate. The positive side of this electronic/digital bell and carillon system is that it doesn’t require the maintenance of real tolling bells which we at St. Peter’s do have in our imposing and beautiful bell tower; however, after almost 60 years now, these bells, completely exposed to the elements and the weather, are in need of attention in order to be functional again. These three bells would only strike the hour, ring the Angelus, peal joyously together for weddings and other festive occasions, and toll for funerals, and are not capable of playing hymns and carols because there are only three bells and thus, only three notes, and hymns and carols are composed of many more than just three notes. In the future; however, I would like to explore what it would take to bring our three real bells to be functional and safe to be rung again. For many years now, churches all over the world have used and are still using electronic bell systems as their only bell/ carillon system or as a supplement to real bells. Such is the case with the Catholic churches of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Stella Roman Foundation was established well over 60 years ago to provide churches with these electronic bell systems as gifts of the estate of Stella Roman. She set aside in her will that a certain sum of money was to be invested and used to fund the purchase of these bell systems for the churches of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Dioceses of Baton Rouge and Houma-Thibodaux. In addition to gifting these systems to churches, the foundation also replaces them when they break, malfunction, or just stop working, as it seems the fate of our bell system here at St. Peter’s. I am happy to announce that a new digital bell/carillon system will soon replace our old system that “just stopped working.” Fr. John Marse wrote the foundation trustees this past June, and at their meeting in August, the foundation members approved a replacement. In my own experience as a priest for the past 37 years, these bell systems get better, smaller in size yet more precise and accurate, each year. The system that we will soon receive is valued at $10,000 retail – certainly a wonderful gift to St. Peter Church parish as we approach the 60th anniversary in 2027 of the completion and dedication of our present church building. I will keep you updated on the installation of the equipment and will let you know when the bells will begin ringing again along the River Road and beyond in Reserve.

If you are, or have, a student in grades 9 - 11 seeking to be Confirmed, please fill out the brief form linked to the QR code below for preregistration by August 1. Students are reminded that if they attend a Catholic school, they will still have to register for Confirmation in their home parish. Official registration will be mailed out August 5 to students who pre-registered. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Kay Vicknair at vicknairmarykay@gmail.com.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone for your prayers, well wishes, and gifts as we begin retirement. It was very special for us to celebrate with all of you -- our parish family, and our friends and family. Your generosity and kindness are greatly appreciated. May God bless you all with joy and peace in your lives.

Dear Fr. John, St. Peter Parish Staff would like to thank you for your dedication to St. Peter, It has truly been a pleasure working for you. We wish you well and hope you get some well deserved rest and relaxation. We are so blessed that you will still be in the area. So, see you later!

Summertime has arrived and with it, the ever-present chance of summer storms. High winds, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and flash floods, make these storms frightening and dangerous. As I write this, my last column, all eyes are on the Gulf of Mexico as the first tropical system may be developing off the Texas coast. How ironic that the Scripture readings today, especially the Gospel, speak to us about violent storms; and how the disciples were fearing for their lives. Not to fear, but Jesus calmed the storm. In our life, when we experience “storms of life,” we can’t handle it on our own—but we can turn to the Lord who will be with us during the storms of life.

THANK YOU! Words can not express how I felt at my Retirement Mass and Celebration afterwards. Many people commented that they could feel the love the parishioners have for me and the love that I have for you. It was truly a GREAT celebration! There were many people and organizations that were part of the planning process, I thank you for a wonderful celebration. To all the singers, Ms. Mimi Blank, the organist, Judge Sterling Snowdy, the director, I THANK YOU for helping us lift our voices to the Lord in prayerful song. I will not say “goodbye” because I am not leaving Reserve. I am sure I will run into you either at the post office or the store. I will also occasionally celebrate Mass here too. Once again, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for allowing me to serve as Pastor of St. Peter Parish for the past eleven years.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, we gather today as a family—a parish family as well as children of God—to celebrate the Eucharist. It is appropriate to think of our family of faith, for in today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus tell the crowds that whoever does the will of God is part of His family. It has been a privilege for me to be a part of the St. Peter Parish Family, especially for the past eleven and a half years to serve as pastor. On July 1st St. Peter Parish Family will once again be shepherded by a native son—Fr. Ray Hymel. I truly see the hand of God as well as the guidance of Msgr. Eyraud in the appointments of two native sons to return home and serve our parish family of St. Peter as pastor.