The 2012 Greater New Orleans Rosary Congress opened Oct. 6 in front of the motherhouse of the Sisters of Mount Carmel on Robert E. Lee Boulevard. Mount Carmel freshman Emilie Redmann, pictured right, was chosen to crown the statue of the Blessed Mother , which Deacon John Pippenger of St. Dominic Church blessed with holy water.

Tom Aicklen considers this holy ground, this pristine stretch of land that he loves along the banks of Bayou Lacombe. It was here that Father Adrien Rouquette ministered to the Choctaw people from 1859 until his death in 1887; it is here, on Oct. 20, where the parish that he founded – Sacred Heart Church – will honor Kateri Tekakwitha, who will become the first Native American saint when she is canonized on Oct. 21.

After just two months of operating the new St. Bernard Parish Hospital, the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System has notified hospital administrators it is pulling out as manager of the facility’s daily operations.

There are a number of events in Rome to mark the Year of Faith, which began Oct. 11 and will conclude on Nov. 24, 2013. Here’s a brief look at some of them: Oct. 11 ➤ 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council.

There are a number of events in Rome to mark the Year of Faith, which began Oct. 11 and will conclude on Nov. 24, 2013. Here’s a brief look at some of them: Oct. 11 ➤ 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council.

I was a seminarian studying in Rome for the Diocese of Baton Rouge when Bishop Robert Tracy arrived on Oct. 5, 1962, less than a week before the opening of the Second Vatican Council on Oct. 11. Bishop Tracy had only a short time to complete his immediate preparation for the council.

Photo by Giancarlo Giuliani | CATHOLIC PRESS PHOTO On Jan. 25, 1959, before a small group of cardinals gathered in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the newly elected Pope John XXIII announced his intention to call a council.

News flash: We are living at a time when erotic fiction is topping best-seller lists around the world. That’s right, folks: “50 Shades of Grey” has set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time, surpassing the popular “Harry Potter” series.

The Academy of Our Lady National Art Honor Society and Key Club collaborated on an art project called “One Million Bones,” designed to recognize the millions of victims and survivors who have been killed or displaced by ongoing genocides and humanitarian crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Burma (www.onemillionbones.org).

Photos | COURTESY ANGELLE ALBRIGHT Author Immaculée Ilibagiza receives a Xavier Prep license plate and 75th anniversary yearbook Oct. 1 from Cheryllyn Branche, school principal. At far right is senior Janessa Hunter.

➤ ACCESS Pregnancy and Referral Center, a ministry of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans and the only National Diaper Bank affiliate in the state of Louisiana, has distributed more than 3,000 diapers to families in need in the past two months.

Moments after the Saints’ 31-24 win over San Diego, a veteran Saints watcher said the following: “I think this club is at least 3-2 if Sean Payton is here.” I disagree. The Saints’ comeback win over the Chargers was vital heading into the bye week.

Ye Olde College Inn has opened its walls to 11 more inductees to the New Orleans High School Sports Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of honorees to 94. The restaurant, located at 3000 South Carrollton Ave. in New Orleans, is the home of this tribute to local high school sports legends.

St. Paul’s may be leading its district (6-5A), and St. Augustine may still be considered the team to beat in District 10-4A, but losses by both last weekend sent the two tumbling from Top 10 consideration in their respective classifications.

Photos by Paul Haring | CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE VATICAN CITY (CNS) – To evangelize means to help people understand that God himself has responded to their questions, and that his response – the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ – is available to them as well, Pope Benedict XVI said.

A liturgy is not Christian if Christ is not the center of the celebration, Pope Benedict XVI said. “The conviction must grow in us every day that the liturgy is not ‘our’ or ‘my’ doing, but is God’s acting in us and with us,” he said Oct. 3.

The doctors at Tulane Medical Center were stumped, and for good reason. Madison Tully, the adopted teenage daughter of Deacon Jeff Tully and his wife Roxanne, had been diagnosed just after birth with sickle cell anemia.

The Catholic Church marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council by Blessed Pope John XXIII on Oct. 11. The Council ran from 1962-65, producing 16 documents over the course of four sessions.

Saying St. Katharine Drexel would have been “smiling from ear to ear,” Archbishop Gregory Aymond blessed the stunning but simple chapel in her honor at Xavier University of Louisiana Oct. 6 and congratulated the university community for fulfilling the foundress’ dream of a sacred space on campus.

As an extension of what he has termed the “New Battle of New Orleans,” Archbishop Gregory Aymond commissioned the printing of a 4-by-17-foot banner with the words, “‘Thou shalt not kill’ – God.” The banner was hung Oct. 5 so that it could be visible to the thousands of daily commuters on I-10 who pass by the archdiocesan office building at 1000 Howard Ave. Another large banner will be hung near Notre Dame Seminary on South Carrollton Avenue.