Dear family,
Blessed Fulton J. Sheen! What a joy that we can now call him “Blessed”! It was a great blessing to be present at his beatification Mass in St. Louis on September 24th, and to concelebrate Mass with a thousand priests and almost a hundred bishops, with about 50,000 people in the congregation at The Dome at America’s Center. Somehow, by the grace of God, I ended up in the front row of priests during Mass, along with four other priests I knew from seminary (three from Louisiana), and with a rather famous Franciscan priest sitting right behind me. If you have a spare three and a half hours, you can watch the recording on EWTN’s YouTube channel. I actually want to do that myself soon, to see it from all the angles that I might have missed from my limited perspective on the floor of the Dome. By the way, The Dome was the home stadium for the Rams a decade ago. As we entered the Dome, if it hadn’t been such a sacred and solemn moment—the procession at the beginning of Mass—I absolutely would have followed my impulse to jump up and slap the door frame as we “took the field.” But with a thousand priests and almost a hundred bishops watching at my back, and maybe even a TV camera… can you imagine?I restrained myself, but the joy came out in a smile that made my face hurt after a while. It was also very moving to see Bl. Sheen’s relic carried in by the young man who had been brought back to life miraculously as a newborn in 2010, after having no heartbeat for over an hour, with no serious lasting effects on his health, by the power of God through the intercession of Bl. Fulton Sheen. I’m really looking forward to all the good spiritual fruit that will come from this event and from the powerful example and prayers of this new “Blessed” for our country and our Church, and to becoming a better priest by taking to heart his convicting words and trying to follow his challenging example. I hope that in the future some of us will be attending the beatification of Msgr. Eyraud or Fr. Seelos! Although, seeing how long it took for Fulton Sheen to be beatified, I know we will have to be patient.
In the meantime, we can celebrate another saint today, St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast is October 4 and whose 800th anniversary of his heavenly birthday is this weekend! (He died October 3, 1226.) Because of this significant anniversary, Pope Leo declared this year a special Jubilee Year of St. Francis. Bring your pets (appropriately leashed or contained) for a special St. Francis’ Day blessing in the St. Hubert Rosary Walk at 11:30 a.m. this Sunday, October 4, as we praise God who is glorious in His saints and who works miraculously through their prayers.
Dear family,
Wow! What a joy it was to see so many of our young people and so many of their parents at our first day of Religious Education (CCD)! While I still have to iron out a few wrinkles in my presentation skills (my internet died before I could show a final video as part of my talk to the adults), everybody else did their part wonderfully to make the opening day a success. I’m already looking forward to our next faith formation evening, October 4 (the feast of St. Francis of Assisi) being even more awesome, including a special guest musician at the 4 p.m. (see more)
Dear friends,
I am so excited to announce to you a few new things that we are starting here in St. Peter Parish! First of all, today is Welcome Home Sunday. If you’re coming to Catholic church for the first time, or if you’ve been a Catholic but you’re just coming back to church after being away for a while, welcome home!! God our Heavenly Father wants all His children to celebrate with Him and spend time with Him in His house on the Lord’s Day, just like a good human father and mother want their children in their home on Sunday, sharing a meal and sharing themselves, their attention, and their hearts. If you’re baptized, you aren’t just welcome here… you belong here! Today we all recommit ourselves to being physically present, in person, in church, every Sunday, to give thanks to God for all He has done to save us! (see more)
Dear family,
I’m so excited about the emphasis Archbishop Checchio has been putting on evangelization lately. Yes, you are qualified to spread the Gospel! As you will notice on the cover of the latest edition of the Clarion Herald, Archbishop Checchio has given us our mission for next Sunday, August 16, for this year’s Welcome Home Sunday. That mission is: Bring one person to Mass with you whom the Lord has placed on your heart, who you know has not been going to church recently. It doesn’t have to be a Catholic, because everyone’s home is in the Catholic Church (that’s why it’s called “catholic,” meaning universal or for everyone), but it might be easier on such short notice to think of someone who has already been Catholic but just hasn’t been going to church. I plan to have some refreshments in front of church next weekend for y’all and for any guests you brought with you, to help them feel welcomed back to church! (see more)
Eucharistic Adoration Today at St. Peter.
Join us for Eucharistic Adoration today at St. Peter Church from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Adoration will conclude with Benediction at 4:00 PM.
"Come and spend time with the Lord in prayer and quiet reflection."
Dear family,
Even though we no longer have a parish school here at St. Peter Parish, this community is still a place where young people can thrive and feel at home if you give them a chance! Did you attend the two community theater summer shows in our town, Shrek and Frozen? All I can say is, wow!!! The talent of these young people (and adults) blows me away! And all of it right here in Reserve, Louisiana, drawing also from our neighboring cities and towns. What other small city in the Gulf South has that much talent? Maybe some rich suburb somewhere in Florida, or Fairhope in Alabama or places like that. So our community is truly rich in talent! I am a musician myself. I play piano, dabble in guitar and organ and a few other instruments, and used to sing in the Notre Dame Seminary schola and choir, where I learned to sing pieces with 4 and even 8 or 10-part harmonies. (see more)
Dear friends in Christ,
One of the things I’m learning more and more about our parish is how many volunteers do little things around the parish to keep things beautiful and running smoothly, that nobody even realizes! Did you know, for example, that Ingrid waters the plants in St. Peter Church? Or that Ellis and Joan decorate the front doors of St. Peter Church and keep up the plants under the portico, adding a little beauty and festivity to that space as you make your way into church for Sunday Mass? (see more)
Welcome Fr. Sleeva Reddy Mekala, who will be preaching at all Masses to make a mission appeal for the support of Tribal Evangelization and Education in the Catholic Diocese of Warangal, India. We will take up a second collection for them. Please be generous by supporting the universal mission of the Church. Fr. Sleeva is currently working on loan for the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi. Tribal Evangelization aims to carry the Gospel message to tribal people who are deprived of the necessities of life. These tribal people have their own dialect for speaking but not writing. Priests, religious, and a team of lay leaders are actively involved first to learn the dialect of the tribes and then to catechize and promote education of children. Through your generosity and prayers, you all can be a part of this mission in India. Let's give Fr. Sleeva a warm welcome during his visit!
It has been wonderful meeting with so many of you in our parishioner gatherings, also known as “Dessert with Fr. David.” I am noticing that the larger the gathering, the less chance I have of remembering your name, which makes sense. But I’m trying my best! One of the things I have noticed on my own about our parish, from the first few days of being here, is that we have need of generous souls to volunteer for some of our crucial ministries here, especially ministries connected to the Mass and other liturgies, such as altar servers, sacristans, altar society members, lectors, choir members, ushers, and so forth. I think it has been a while since our parish has opened up its ministries to new faces, so it’s time (see more)
Dear St. Peter Parish family,
I continue to be overwhelmed by your warm welcome of me. I had the pleasure last week of attending the Knights of Columbus’ monthly meeting. The Knights do so much good throughout the world, and I’m excited to see all the ways they serve our parish as well (including the chicken dinner this Sunday). I am honored to be a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus, and I recommend it to any man who is looking for ways to serve his church, his community, and his God. Giving of ourselves in service of course brings joy to our souls, but even more so when we serve alongside a band of (mostly) honorable brothers. Nobody likes gutting houses after a hurricane or flood, for example, but when you have a small army working with you, a normally daunting task becomes achievable, putting hope where there were feelings of despair, and joy in work that might normally be unenjoyable. Many hands make light work, and joyful work at that!
Dear St. Peter Parish family,
By now, many of you have figured out that I must like desserts. In fact, it
runs in the Frank family, as all my relatives will tell you; and after I write
this, I’m going to try to bake my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe using
our gas oven. We’ll see how they turn out… So I’m looking forward to
gathering with you and your group of parishioner friends in your homes and
enjoying some conversation and dessert (I love homemade desserts most of
all)… or, if you aren’t into desserts, other kinds of foods or drinks are totally fine, if you feel like
mixing it up! Already quite a few of you have reached out to schedule your gatherings, so July will be
a fun month for me! (see more)
Dear St. Peter Parish family,
What a joy it was to meet so many of you this past weekend after Masses, on my first weekend as your pastor! I felt so welcomed by you all, and that means the world to me as I try to settle in and make Reserve and Garyville my new home. I was particularly excited to participate in the bake sale, both contributing and receiving baked goods, and I’m sure there will be many more to come. (I wasn’t too thrilled with how my cupcakes turned out using a gas oven, though. I’ll have to get used to it or use the ancient electric oven in the St. Hubert rectory.) (see more)
Dear St. Peter Parish family,
My name is Fr. David Frank, and I’m so excited to be your new pastor! First things first: people always ask whether I want to be called “Father David” or “Father Frank.” The answer is: I don’t mind which one you call me, but I always introduce myself as “Fr. David” (or “Fr. David Frank”) because there are several well-known priests in this archdiocese who are known as “Fr. Frank,” so if you talk about me as Fr. Frank, they might think of Msgr. Giroir or Fr. Candalisa, whereas if you talk about me as Fr. David, they won’t get confused as easily. But I’m fine with either.
All are invited to wish Fr. Ray a farewell. A brief reception will be held at eh KC Hall after the 4:00 pm Mass on Saturday June 13, 2026, from 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Easter Egg Hunt
We are currently accepting donations of individually wrapped Easter candy for our upcoming Easter Egg Hunt. Last year, we filled approximately 3,000 eggs, and we're hoping to do the same again this year! Candy donations can be dropped off at the St Peter Rectory office by March 27th. We are also in need of volunteers to help prepare for the event. Assistance is needed during the week leading up to the event for:
• Setting up tables
• Decorating
• Filling Easter baskets
• Wrapping prizes
• Organizing games and prizes
Volunteers are also needed on the day of the Egg Hunt to help with:
• Food • Games • Hiding eggs • General event support
Egg filling will take place on Monday, March 30th at 5:30 pm at St. Hubert Hall. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact Katrina Levron via text or phone at (985) 414-3278. Thank you for your support—we couldn't do this without you!
See Flyer for Event Registration!!
The next meeting will be held on February 4th at 5:30 pm in the St. Hubert Hall to discuss the 2026 St. Joseph Altar. All are invited to attend. Additional information will be published at a later date.