Messages from the Pastor - Archive

May 24, 2009

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

A happy and blessed Mother’s Day to all our mothers—you are great girls of our parish and beyond! I’d like to honor you with our prayers and remembrances at mass this weekend and especially commend our ill and deceased mothers to our healing and welcoming God.

My own mother is always in my thoughts and daily prayers along with remembrance to God for my grandmother and godmother. All those women in my life were of great influence, even when they took a switch to my legs when I was up to devilment as usual! I am sincerely grateful for the marks of discipline, love, and care they placed in my soul and body!

Last Sunday I headed out to New Orleans at 7:30 a.m.with the assurance that Fr. Hill, Bishop Muench, and Msgr. Lefebvre would take care of all of you while Sr. Fides, Sr. Carla, Vic and Joy Weston, and I took the converts we had at Easter to 10 a.m. mass at St. Patrick’s Church in New Orleans and to visit the old German baroque church of St. Mary’s in the Irish Channel. St. Patrick’s has a beautiful high mass and usually good music. The mass was the Trinitarian Latin Liturgy that I had not worshiped at for years and years, and being present made me realize the elements and style of that mass though very reverent and splendidly celebrated by priests and servers would be difficult for me today. So much of the rubrics have been forgotten, and having my back to the people would be difficult since I have now enjoyed having eye contact with the community. It certainly brought back memories, and I compliment the parish on celebrating these sacred rites with such care and devotion. It was a beautiful experience that all our team enjoyed, as did the converts. Many had never experienced this before. I was disappointed with the music. Though they had good singers, Fr. Klores is installing a new pipe organ in the magnificent old case that contained the old organ. The director promises to send me the date of the organ’s consecration and first concert. It tells me that St. Patrick’s is flourishing, and the church was packed. As a teenager, my uncle was then pastor of St. Patrick’s, and he had a fine organist and regular singer and choir from the New Orleans Association. Christmas and Easter were “knock-out† masses, and, as a youngster, performed music I had never heard before. As you see, I had a good childhood. May I thank Fr. Klores for his hospitality to our Cathedral RCIA converts, staff, and priest. We were recognized at mass and welcomed for goodies on the patio. Afterwards, we ate—of course—and then to St. Mary’s where we visited the Shrine of the beatified Francis Xavier Seelos. Brother Clement Furno, a Redemptorist religious, gave us a great tour and talk on the history of the church and Fr. Seelos. These old, relatively undisturbed churches of the 19th century have features, architecture, and objects that elicit questions and awe! We saw where Fr. Seelos was buried, his first coffin, and many artifacts. Years ago, I was privileged to return the rosary of Fr. Seelos to the Redemptorists and their museum.. My great uncle, Fr. Herny Schutten, was a Redemptorist and was given Fr. Seelos’ rosary to use. He gave it to my uncle, Carl Schutten, who ultimately gave it to me. It belonged back home in St. Mary’s where Henry was a priest, and I was proud to see it displayed very handsomely in the museum. It was a great day, and our converts were open to all this beauty and history.

By the way, when in New Orleans, I continue to notice the scars of Katrina on the landscape and people. Last week I was invited to the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast by a good friend and enjoyed an excellent speaker, but what I commend to you is prayers as we once again draw near to our annual hurricane season. Governor Jindal proclaimed June 1 a day of prayer for all interfaith organizations—Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and others—to observe June 1 as the “starting date† of hurricane season as a day of prayer for protection from these terrible storms that have visited us with such intensity and devastation. Let us begin our prayers now to seek a decrease in Atlantic storm activity and for protection. Beginning this week, we will include a petition in our weekend Prayers of the Faithful, and I encourage you to remember this daily in your personal prayers.

Fr. Jerry Young

May 10, 2009

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

As outgoing Pastor of St. Joseph, I am very aware that this Cathedral is an ideal site for music of inspiration and Christian spirituality. First, as a place of holiness, good music is as one of the saints said, “He who sings (to God) prays twice over!† I’m sure after the splendid concert of sacred organ music our Concert Committee brought us the evening of June 9, all will agree that it was one of those zenith evenings of sacred organ music! Normally, organ concerts do not bring in many patrons, but this concert of Mr. Peter Latona was an exception and beautifully attended. He is very gifted! Much credit goes to the fact that our committee, under the leadership of Mrs. Lynn Lastrapes, had been working for months getting the word out and dealing with details, but the fact that Peter is Music Minister and Organist of our acclaimed National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, certainly “perked† the interest and attracted many. We were also excited to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the Installation of our 50-Rank Reuter Pipe Organ, which the “inspired† Fr. Frank Uter, in great wisdom and hard work, promoted, along with many others, and raised the large amount of money required to install.

This fine and powerful instrument sang out with full voices at the hands and feet of our gifted organist, Robbie Giroir and our Cathedral Choir for my “Farewell Mass† last Sunday at 5 p.m. Nowhere else in our Diocese could such fine music to our Lord be attempted, and it was truly spectacular. The joy of music, twelve years as pastor, and this joyous special celebration, lead and compel me to express my sheer elation at the evening mass and reception everyone of you gave me as I turned in my keys to St. Joseph and a new pastor. When I turned around after entering the sanctuary on that Sunday evening of June 14, I was astounded at the sight before me - a Cathedral packed with well-wishers!! It was one of those supreme moments that God allows us to have, and in that second, I could only say, “Merry Christmas!† To all my readers, it was a gift of a lifetime. If one dares to say that mass could be fun, I really felt elated and so very, very blessed by God and overjoyed in your happy faces! I had fifteen of my brother priests present, and for them to come on a Sunday evening after their own masses was an honor. All my family were present, and at the offertory, my nieces brought up the gifts, and I whispered to them, “Do you remember 46 years ago in St. Agnes Church when you did this for my first solemn mass?† The Bishop was also present on Sunday, and some of the people told me, “We love it when you and the Bishop go at it in the sanctuary!† I agree, it’s great to have a Bishop with a good sense of humor!

I hope all enjoyed Margo Bouanchaud’s great food at the reception, Lance Hayes’ beautiful job with the flowers, perhaps wandering in the museum, and socializing with each other while your pastor missed all the food and drinks because he was “soaking up† and “eating up† all the great friends, parishioners, and wonderful people that attended.

I want all to know that never has there been a more perfect evening for me, and I love the beautiful new white SUV you gave me. I was ever so pleased and sanctified with everyone’s love and best wishes. To my staff and all who were responsible for this commencement, I could not be more grateful! At the end of this summer, I will take a couple of semesters in Education at Loyola. I can only say thank you, bless you, and may God shine His light of Grace in your life as you have done for me!

Fr. Jerry Young!