Messages from the Pastor - Archive
April 4, 2010
My dear parishioners and friends,
If you’re fortunate enough to have the Postal Service deliver this Bulletin before the end of the Easter Triduum, I hope you’re planning to share our worship here at the Cathedral on these most sacred days of prayer. If Easter is already in the past, you already know it was a special time of grace. The events we celebrated are not just historical ones: they’re essential, personally relevant, ones. As children of God ourselves we inherit Christ’s salvation “only if we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Ro 8:17).
Thanks are in order to all of those whose ministries and service made our Lent and Holy Week such a source of blessing. Everyone notices the spoken Word, music, décor and hospitality in church, but I also want to remind everyone of the “behind the scenes” help that goes on. For example, an awful lot of paper is gathered, designed, printed, collated, and 3-hold-punched so that Jesus can rise from the dead properly! Also, many things are scrubbed, polished and arranged; everything (except the accidents!) is practiced. Say a quick prayer of appreciation, will you, for our wonderful, cooperative community of faith and all of its “worker bees”!
Spiritually, the Lord’s resurrection is such a big feast that it’s not over on April 4. The Easter Season continues for 50 days, during which the impact of Jesus’ new life is explored and celebrated. While those who joined our Church by baptism or formal Profession of Faith have special reason to celebrate, we all should embrace some of early Church’s excitement over the resurrection of the Lord.
One practical suggestion I have is for you to continue the increased prayer and charity of your Lent. The Cathedral’s been crowded during Lent, even on weekdays, for Mass, confessions and other devotions. More has been given to the Church and to the needy. While temporary fervor remains a good thing, each year the experience of Lent also awakens in many Catholics a better, more active ongoing practice of the Faith. Isn’t God asking you to be more involved in your religion? He is still there, the Lord of your life. (For that matter, the needs of the Church and the poor are still around, too!)
Now the Cathedral’s attention turns to other events. Our Parish’s annual Bishop’s Day celebration is coming up on Sunday, April 18. Response this year has been overwhelming: it looks like a record number of tickets will be sold, so don’t be late with your request. Even if you can’t come to the social and noontime luncheon that day, please do your best to come to the 10:00 am Mass that day. We will be honoring our pastor emeritus, Father Gerard Young, and four other people who have demonstrated exceptional devotion within our Cathedral community over the past two decades: Mr. Randy Arceneaux, Mr. Erick Swenson, Mr. Jay Thompson and Mrs. Penny Trepagnier. We’re so very proud of them all.
Other things coming up on the calendar include World Day of Prayer for Vocations on Sunday, April 25; First Holy Communion for our little ones on the next Sunday, May 2; a special organ concert the evening of Tuesday, May 4; and the deacon ordinations of two seminarians on Saturday, May 31, and of 13 married men on Saturday, June 11.
Finally, let me just express to you my own Eastertide thanks to you for the opportunity I’ve had to share our life of Faith together. As Lent reached its climax in our celebrations of Holy Week and the Triduum, I tried to spend the few spare minutes I had in thanksgiving for the opportunity to be your parish priest. As most of you know, most of my priesthood was spent more in administrative roles, so that my contact with parish life was often “weekends only” in lots of places, and not so very involved anywhere. I admit I enjoyed that work, and always will try to do my best at anything assigned to me by the bishop. But every diocesan priest in his heart is a parish priest (he’d better be!) and I just rejoice to have the opportunity to return to my first love: basic, simple, daily priestly service. And especially in this parish, now. While we’re one of the smallest parishes in the diocese, we’re definitely one of the best. You’ve enriched my prayer life, you’ve challenged my ministerial skills, you’ve provoked lots of thoughts in my aging brain, and through it all you’ve made the smile on my face even broader. You have made God’s blessings more real for me, and for that I’m tremendously appreciative.
Yours in the Risen Lord,
Father Paul
March 28, 2010
My dear parishioners and friends,
Holy Week is upon us! Although it’s a busy time for the Parish staff, musicians, and liturgical assistants – and even the pastor! – it’s also the best time. From the procession on Palm Sunday through to the last Easter hymn, the profound mysteries of our faith which we celebrate in Holy Week are so profound that they’re worth any inconvenience.
Of course, being the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Baton Rouge gives us a few special points of celebration. Throughout Holy Week we’re privileged to have Bishop Muench as presider at the principal liturgies. The Church’s mandate for everyone’s “full, conscious and active participation” at worship is best accomplished when shared by bishop, priest, deacon and laity (and among these last, consecrated religious women and men who have pride of place among them).
Incidentally, Bishop Muench again has chosen to use his Easter celebrations as one of the three occasions during the year when he may, on behalf of the Pope, administer a special pontifical blessing. This blessing carries with it a plenary indulgence for all who – having confessed their sins received Holy Communion, and fulfilled the various other prerequisites laid down by Church law – receive it, and a partial indulgence for everyone else. Such a blessing is truly a favor of God to us. It’s a powerful incentive to worship worthily and well.
Here on Wednesday morning of Holy Week the bishop and all of the priests of the diocese concelebrate the special Mass of Chrism. Two important things happen at this special Eucharist. The first is especially significant in this “Year for Priests”: all of our priests renew their solemn commitment to serve God and His holy Catholic Church. I’ve had many people say over the years that this is one of the most impressive moments they’ve ever witnessed at a Mass. The second thing is also important: the Blessing of the Holy Oils used throughout the year: the Oil of Catechumens which heals the unbaptized, the Oil of the Sick which strengthens the ill and aged, and the Oil of Chrism which anoints bishops, priests and confirmation candidates. All in all it’s a wonderful ceremony: if you can see your way clear to come and take part, it will be a real treat.
But most importantly I want to invite you to share in the official prayer of the Church on its “high holy days,” the Sacred Triduum. Our services at 6:00 pm on Holy Thursday, 3:00 pm on Good Friday, and 8:00 pm on Holy Saturday not only recall the greatest events of our salvation. They also bring us into intimate spiritual contact with Jesus Christ, our Lord. We accompany Him, as it were, as He gives His All for us. We share His pain and His glorification. We don’t deserve what He did for us, of course, but when we nevertheless join together to remember and thank Him, in some small measure we assuage some of this guilt and responsibility.
Theologically the celebration of the Great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night is the most significant of the Triduum services. The Parish of a classmate of mine in Washington State has observed it over the whole night, extending and expanding its candlelight vigil of Scripture, music, prayer and waiting until a joyous, dawn of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Now don’t worry, we won’t do THAT! But I do admit that that’s a unique way to highlight the importance of the holy night. Our service here will try to do justice to the mystery without being more than a few hours long!
My personal “favorite” Triduum service is the Solemn Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. Here at the Cathedral we’re especially fortunate to have a relic of the True Cross on which Jesus died, and we use it on Good Friday: it’s embedded on the front of the rugged cypress cross which we bring forward for veneration. Like ashes on Ash Wednesday, the Veneration of the Holy Cross on Good Friday is available to everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, even those who for various reasons cannot receive Holy Communion worthily. Please make it a part of your devotion, especially since it may be the starting point for a more thorough reconciliation with God and His Church.
So, please join us here at the Cathedral in this Holy Week. Come pray with us!
In Christ,
Father Paul
March 14, 2010
My dear parishioners and friends,
This is my first opportunity to share with you in the Bulletin since my return from the Holy Land. Our group of 35 persons spent eight full days exploring the places where Jesus was foreshadowed, conceived, born, and ministered, and where He ultimately died and was raised in glory.
It was a great trip. I had been to the Holy Land before, but it was the first visit for everyone else. From what I saw, everyone was thrilled to be able to “walk in the footsteps of” the Lord and to pray at those very places made holy by His presence. You were in my prayers, and most especially in Bethlehem and Nazareth, where our patron St. Joseph had such an important part to play in our Savior’s life.
Two things stand out in my mind from the trip: one was our praying of the Stations of the Cross on the Lenten Friday of Feb. 26, along the actual “Via Dolorosa” in the famous “Old City” section of Jerusalem. What made it unusual was the weather: we prayed in a constant downpour of rain! It was one little way of suffering that even Jesus didn’t have to put up with 2,000 years ago! But it turned out to be special: whenever we pray the Way of the Cross from now on, I think all of us will always recall that special occasion when we walked together in Jerusalem identifying with Christ’s passion in such a unique way.
The other thing I’ll mention for now was the pleasant surprise that all of us realized simply by looking around us: the Holy Land is safe and quite accessible to visitors. Although the region has known much strife and bitterness, and has continuing political problems – and the news media profits greatly by playing this up – in reality Israel is not a dangerous place. It has signed peace treaties with Jordan and Egypt, and the security arrangement with the Palestinians has given them separate areas under their own political control. It’s not a perfect system – the Palestinians are separated by a barrier that seems to me to be overly fearsome, sort of a “Berlin Wall”! – but it has made the Holy Land a safe place to visit. If questions like this have kept you from considering a tour there, I’d encourage you to reconsider.
It appears that everything went smoothly here at the Cathedral in my absence. The Parish Office staff and our regular corps of volunteers (liturgical ministers, money counters, Bulletin helpers, Food Pantry and other social responsibility workers, KCs, Ladies of the Cathedral, etc.), of course, deserve gratitude not only from me but from us all, whether I’m here or not. So many things go on, and it all seems so effortless, but this is due to the dedication of so many.
I also want to express my special thanks to Fathers David Allen, John Carville, Chris Decker, Howard Hall, Matt Lorrain, Pat Mascarella and Jerry Young for supplying both sacramental services and smiles while I was away. You know, priests of the Diocese of Baton Rouge have always considered ministry in our area a “shared responsibility,” and that is never more evident than when we “cover” for each other during illnesses and absences. These are not just “other priests” as far as I’m concerned, but “brother priests.” I hope the mutual affection we have for each other shows in the way we cooperate to serve the Lord and you.
This weekend we’re celebrating another one of our special “Saturday @ 4” Masses: the Choir from St. Thomas More Parish in Baton Rouge will join us for the Vigil Mass and a reception afterwards. Their repertoire has been described as “classically choral,” including historic favorites as well as new compositions which show off their versatility. This weekend why not join us for the Vigil Mass, and share a bit of different music and song with us?
At week’s end, on Friday, March 19, we celebrate the annual patronal feast of our diocese and parish church: the Solemnity of St. Joseph. The noon Mass that day will include a special blessing of the traditional St. Joseph’s Altar prepared by the Ladies of the Cathedral. Also, a free, meatless meal is served in the Parish Hall from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm by them and the Knights of Columbus. St. Joseph gave tender, fatherly care to Jesus, and since he’s our patron I’m sure he offers the same fatherly spiritual care to us all. Please join us if you can!
In Christ,
Father Paul