Xavier Prep, led by a veteran lineup of Alana Lawrence, Ashunti Allen, Cha’von Foxhall, Kia Jackson and 6-3 center Kailyn Williams, moved up two spots in the weekly Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s girls’ Class 3A basketball Top 10 poll this week.

By now the twice-warmed-over proposal to allow schools to compete in a higher classification may have or have not been approved. Principals were scheduled to vote on Jesuit principal Michael Giambelluca’s third attempt to allow this to happen on the morning of Jan. 27.

If we have learned anything in recent history, it is that elections have consequences. Politicians will say anything to anyone at any time according to a precise electoral calculus: Will what I say – even more than what I do – get me re-elected?

Monday, Jan. 23, was the first official day for your ad limina visit to Rome along with 21 other bishops from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. You were the principal celebrant of the opening Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rising dramatically above its grove of live oaks, the newly rebuilt St. Genevieve Church opened its doors to the joy of nearly 1,000 faithful Jan. 15, marking an official end to its time as a casualty of Hurricane Katrina for Catholics living in Slidell’s rural Bayou Liberty community.

The New Orleans Saints issued the following news release on Thursday, Jan. 19: New Orleans Saints Owner Tom Benson and his wife, Gayle Benson have received from Pope Benedict XVI the highest papal award granted to a layperson.

It’s been nearly two months since the new translation of the Mass has gone into effect and it seems that, for the most part, people in my parish are getting the hang of the changes. Certainly there are some instances of stammering and recitation of the older translation, but for the most part, parishioners are catching on.

Would you ever think to use rap music in a Catholic youth meeting? Neither did more than a dozen people attending a workshop Jan. 12 – preceding the Hofinger Conference in the Archdiocese of New Orleans – until youth ministry trainer Anna Scally showed them how effective it could be.

His journey as a Catholic has taken many twists and turns. But, today at 53, Frank LaRosa is nestled in the faith of his youth. As he searched for answers in his own life, he found wisdom in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible.

Su “ad limina“ viaje a Roma para reunirse con el Papa Benedicto XVI y varias congregaciones del Vaticano tendrá lugar del 23-31 de enero. Puede detallar algunos de los más destacados? Estare saliendo el 20 de enero, y el  arzobispo Hughes y el arzobispo Fabre se unirán a mí.

Since it was established in 2006, Most Holy Trinity Parish in Covington has operated under the guiding principle of stewardship – developing a spirituality among parishioners that their financial offerings are based not on “giving to a need” but on a “need to give.” Father Rodney Bourg, the Most Holy Trinity pastor, said his parish’s stewardship practice is comprehensive and includes the parish’s finances.

David Scotton was a junior at Jesuit High School last February when he gave a riveting speech at the New Orleans Regional Pro-Life Oratory contest. His talk was about two Indiana teenagers – Melissa and Brian – who were seniors in high school and then discovered they were pregnant.

Deadline: Submissions due Thursday (10 days before each issue) calendar@clarionherald.org (504) area code unless noted Jan. 21-28 SCHOOLS ST. RITA, Harahan, Home and School general meeting, Jan. 25, 7 p.m., gym, 7100 Jefferson Hwy., Harahan.

One of the frequently overlooked dimensions of the Mass – perhaps because some Mass-goers high-tail it to the parking lot immediately after receiving Communion – is the concluding rite, which is filled with graced opportunities to share and celebrate Christ, Kathy Hendricks, a consultant for William H. Sadlier, told the Johannes Hofinger Conference Jan. 14.

Why do we sit for the readings? After the Introductory Rites, the community of believers sits for the readings. While some non-Catholics often describe Mass as Catholic calisthenics, the physical postures that we use during the liturgy are not arbitrarily picked.

Immigration, both legal and illegal, has become a hot-button topic in contemporary politics and common social discourse. As certain factions blame immigrants for a litany of woes, others argue that scapegoating immigrants is offensive and unwarranted.

The Eucharist sustains those who are tired, worn out or lost in the world and transforms human sin and weakness into new life, Pope Benedict XVI said. Speaking at his weekly general audience Jan. 11, the pope focused on Jesus and the Last Supper, where he instituted the Eucharist, “the sacrament of his body and blood.” “Jesus’ gift of himself anticipates his sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection,” the pope said.

Former Fair Grounds owner Louie Roussel III and his wife Sally defrayed the $62,000 cost to retrieve an ornate, 19th-century monstrance from Sotheby’s in New York before it hit the auction block in November.

Former Tulane coach Vince Gibson was a good football coach. He was a far better man. Here’s all you need to know about Vince. In 1982, after a 4-7 season, Tulane fired Vince Gibson. Yet, there were few bigger Tulane fans than Gibson.

Just three points separate Class 4A St. Augustine’s basketball team from No. 2 Peabody in the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s first 2012 Top 10 polls. St. Augustine (23-2), the reigning Class 5A champion which dropped in class, received seven of 11 first-place votes and a total of 128 points from writers.