Dear Parishioners, I went to the window early this past Tuesday morning wondering what I was going to see when I opened the blinds, but the amount of snow amazed me, as did the steadiness of the snowfall throughout Tuesday. I write this article on Wednesday morning, January 22, knowing that Thursday the 23rd is also going to be a day to stay off the roads because of the refrozen melted snow of Wednesday night into Thursday morning. This winter storm event brings us many different thoughts and reactions. What comes to my mind is that God is in control of everything – at least for those who believe in God – and those who may profess that they don’t believe in God or that God is not in ultimate control of nature are still subject to things beyond their control. Since early Tuesday morning we have had to stop our regular routines as far as getting into our cars and going places and to being very aware of the danger of the icy roads. It’s very similar to us hunkering down for a threatening hurricane in the middle of summer and worrying about wind speeds and rising water. At this point we can thank God that we as a south Louisiana community have literally “weathered” this rare winter snowstorm with minimal problems, except for those with pipes that have burst, and we pray that they are quickly repaired. May this adjustment this past week bring us all a good sense of humility – that there are things that take place in our world and in our lives that we have no control over – and that our humility may help us to be stronger believers in God, better neighbors to our brothers and sisters, and better people in general. To be better people because of this past week is a very valuable by -product of the inconveniences we have endured.

Dear Parishioners, With all the activity in 2023 and in the first half of 2024 that I was involved in as pastor of St. Gertrude’s in Des Allemands and its merge with St. John the Baptist in Paradis, as well as in the second half of 2024 in becoming pastor of St. Peter’s and its joining with St. Hubert’s, I didn’t realize that 2025 would be a “Holy Year” - something that the Pope designates every 25 years. Since this is only the third Holy Year in my lifetime, this celebration is certainly not something we observe often. In the Holy Year of 1975, I was fourteen years old, and a “graduating 8th grader” at St. Peter School, and twenty-five years later, in the Holy Year of 2000, I celebrated 13 years of ordination to the priesthood. This 2025 Holy Year marks my 38th anniversary of ordination, and if the good Lord keeps me here until I’m 89, I’ll observe the Holy Year of 2050! The first Holy Year of Jubilee was declared by Pope Boniface VII in 1300, and every 25 years since, a Holy Year of Jubilee has been celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. So, for more information on the Holy Year of 2025 and all the events that are taking place throughout the United States, go to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website. There you will find all you need to know about what the Holy Year of Jubilee is all about. As we “ring in” 2025, let us never forget that every year, month, week, day, minute, and second are gifts from God, and therefore “holy” and that by our Baptism and membership in the Church, we are holy people as well. Being holy is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of – if we make a sincere and consistent effort to love God, to love our neighbor, and to keep the commandments as best we can, we are holy. It’s a title that Jesus wants to always give us as well as a title that we should strive for. To be holy doesn’t make us superhuman, weird, or unapproachable, it makes us more human, normal, and approachable as Jesus was when He came to earth to “pitch His tent among us” and join us in the human and earthly journey.

Dear Parishioners, As I mentioned in an earlier article, Advent of 2023 was exactly three weeks long, the shortest possible time for this liturgical season since Christmas Day was on a Monday. If 2024 was not a leap year, Christmas 2024 would be on a Tuesday, still shortening the Fourth Week of Advent significantly. Yet we will celebrate Christmas 2024 on Wednesday, December 25, and this same sequence of days and dates will repeat every six or seven years. Yet the season of Advent is more than just a four-week time on a physical calendar – it is a time that we are called to observe and not just “slough-off” or “brushoff” because “we have Christmas to prepare for!” I know well that physical preparation for Christmas is important for individuals, families, our church parish family, and friends, but a spiritual preparation and observance can’t be just thrown to the side, because, for us Catholics, doing that is totally “missing the point.” And what point is that? Well, for one, we can’t get sucked into the majority of the Christian world view that the celebration of Christmas is one or two days at the most. The liturgical Christmas season for the Catholic Church is sometimes half as long as Advent: from the evening of December 24 until well into January, ending on the evening of the Baptism of the Lord – after the Epiphany, traditionally the “Twelfth Day of Christmas.” So, if we literally “do the math,” we literally can and should celebrate Christmas for almost two full weeks after December 25. Don’t hold your breath and wait to see if the rest of the world does that, because they won’t. But did Jesus ever say for us to just “go with the flow?” No, I don’t think so, and our faithfulness to the observance of our Catholic traditions are certainly more important than being like the rest of the world.

Dear Parishioners, Testing and experimentation give us valuable information with which to make future plans and decisions. Such was the case this past Monday when we gathered in the “north arm”, the daily Mass chapel of St. Peter Church. I wanted to see if this space would provide enough seating for the noon and the 6 p.m. Masses for the holyday of obligation. I’d like to first say “thank you” to you Massgoers who readily moved to the chapel after your arrival, and to all who attended Mass here at St. Peter’s on this transferred feast of the Immaculate Conception. My test/experiment results tell me that, for future holydays of obligation, we will use the entire church rather than just the north chapel. Even though there actually was space for all attendees to sit down, and people were really not packed like sardines in the pews, the space was quite full, but I needed to see and know this before making the decision for future holyday Masses. Hopefully, our numbers for all our Masses here might increase. May I mention at this time that our 6:30 a.m. weekday Masses always have room in the chapel for anyone who would like to start their day and join us for Mass – there is ample room for more, and we still won’t be packed like sardines. So don’t let the fact that we were quite full in the chapel this past Monday deter you from coming to St. Peter’s for Mass on any day or at any time. I was conducting a test, an experiment, and I needed to actually have the attendees there in the chapel to see if it was feasible and practical to have holydays Masses there. I conducted the test, got the result, and made my decision: Masses on holydays will continue to be held using our entire church, our full worship space.

Dear Parishioners, We can never be too well-informed about important things, especially in our spiritual lives as members of the worldwide Catholic Church. And there is a saying that goes “everything old is new again,” indicating that practices and ways of doing things go out of use and come back into use. Such is the case with the celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception this year. For quite a while now, the bishops of the United States, the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops – the USCCB – have lifted the obligation for Catholics to attend Mass if the holyday falls on a Saturday or a Monday; however, since the Immaculate Conception has been transferred this year from Sunday 12/8 to Monday 12/9, and Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the Patroness of the United States, Rome has instructed the bishops to uphold the obligation for Catholics to attend Mass on December 9 this year because of the importance of this dogma of our faith. In addition, since 12/8 – always the Immaculate Conception – falls on a Sunday this year, the Second Sunday of Advent takes precedence as a Sunday over Immaculate Conception, which has been transferred to Monday 12/9 this year. Therefore, from our “headquarters” in Rome, to fulfill our Sunday obligation and our Immaculate Conception obligation, we need to attend Mass twice between 4 p.m. Saturday 12/7 and by midnight Monday 12/9. There will be no vigil Masses for the Immaculate Conception on Sunday evening 12/8, but a Sunday evening Mass on 12/8 will fulfill the obligation for the Immaculate Conception even though the Mass readings and prayers will be for the Second Sunday of Advent. This obligation does not apply to Catholics who are unable to attend Mass due to old age, illness, mobility issues or work obligations. Even only 25 to 30 years ago, we may have had to go to Mass two days in a row for a Sunday and a holyday of obligation, but that certainly didn’t “kill us.” Rome is just giving us a little nudge to remind us that we can never “do too much for God,” yet it is for our own spiritual benefit and growth that sometimes we are called to “go the extra mile” in our faith journey. Our Mother Mary will help us.

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.

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.

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.

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, traditionally called Corpus Christi. In the most recent revision of our liturgical rites, the name for this day is expanded to be a more complete reflection of our Eucharistic theology. We are a Eucharistic people, receiving sustenance from the Body and Blood of our Lord in the Eucharist so that we may be sent out as disciples, manifesting the Real Presence of Jesus in our lives as we build up the Body of Christ—the Church.

This week we return to the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. However, this Sunday and next Sunday are designated as solemnities—special days that call our attention to the central mysteries of our Faith. Today, on the first Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This feast invites us to consider what we believe about God, who has revealed Himself to us in the Trinity—one God in three Persons.

The season of Easter concludes today with the Solemnity of Pentecost. On Pentecost, we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. The descent of the Holy Spirit marks the beginning of the Church. As a community of faith, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to “go out into the world to proclaim the Gospel message.”

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of our Moms. May your special day be filled with God’s blessings as we, your children, honor you on this your special day. Of course, we should always pay respect, love, and honor to our mothers, not only on Mother’s Day, but every day. I will remember all mothers, living and deceased, at every Mass this weekend. There will be a special blessing for all mothers on this day as well.

As we enter the Fifth Week of Easter, the Gospels will be taken from the 15th, 16th, and 17th chapters of St. John’s Gospel. We will hear sections from these three chapters until the Solemnity of Pentecost. Today’s passage recalls the wisdom Jesus shared during the Last Supper. The Son of God uses images from creation to break open His hopes for how the disciples are to be in relationship with one another and with God. Today, He tells us, “I am the vine, and my Father is the vine grower.” Their followers, then, and now, are the branches.