February 5, 2023

Dear Parishioners,

The priests of the Baton Rouge Diocese have our annual Spring Formation Days this week of
February 6-10, so I will be away from the parish the whole week. We are meeting in Gulfport,
Mississippi, and our theme this year is focused on parish renewal. Our presenters are Mr.
Kurt Klement and Mr. Matt Regitz of Divine Renovation Ministry, a ministry created to help
parishes move from maintenance to mission.

Since the Study Days are mandatory for all priests, we will not be able to have daily Mass on
Tuesday Friday of this week. However, Deacon Michael will lead a Communion Service at
5:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Bishop Duca requests that any funerals be scheduled after the study
days are over if possible, or that Deacon Michael celebrate the funeral without a Mass.

Please pray for our 11th Graders who will be on their ConÞrmation Retreat this Friday and
Saturday here at our church and parish center. Deacon Michael will direct the retreat and I
will also be available in order to celebrate the sacraments and support them in their prepara-
tion. As you know, a retreat is a special time of communion with God and the deepening of
ones faith through the mediation of the retreat director and the positive example of ones
peers. Their ConÞrmation is scheduled for April 26, 2023.

In keeping with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the 31st World Day of the Sick, we will
offer the Anointing of the Sick next Saturday, February 11, immediately following the 4:00
p.m. Vigil Mass. Please encourage those who are struggling with health problems to attend
this Mass and Anointing of the Sick so that we can support them in prayer as they receive the
special grace of this sacrament. Father David Allen will assist with the anointing and so it
should not take very long.

Deacon Michael was invited to serve and preach the homily at St. James Church next Sun-
day in honor of Black History Month. So one of their deacons, Deacon Glenn Hymel, has vol-
unteered to take Deacon Michaels place at our 9:00 am Mass next week. Please welcome
Deacon Glenn when he visits our parish.

Next Sunday, February 12, is also Super Bowl Sunday. Super Bowl Sunday is one of many
Sundays when I am especially glad to be assigned to a parish that does not have a Sunday
evening Mass. Of course, I could always cancel that Mass on Super Bowl Sunday but I enjoy
relaxing with some of my priest friends on Sunday afternoons year-round.

Now that the football season has reached its Þnale, we can look forward to the start of college
baseball. The LSU baseball team is ranked No. 1 by most preseason polls and has its home
opener on February 17 against Western Michigan. The SEC schedule begins a month later
on March 17 against Texas A&M. Three members of the team are featured on the cover of
Baseball Americas College Preview issue: inÞelder Tommy White, pitcher Paul Skenes, and
outÞelder Dylan Crews.

In Christ,
Father Matt