They went in expecting to find a quiet, dismal sort of place and instead discovered the polar opposite: a modern, vibrant and colorful campus ringing with the sounds of happy, busy students. Earlier this school year, sixth graders from St. Clement of Rome School in Metairie spent a morning of reading, recreation and art while paired with a buddy from St. Michael Special School – and were left nearly speechless in the process.

Anyone who assumes an older person’s giving days are over must not have met the energetic and selfless residents of Our Lady of Wisdom Healthcare Center. Community service, much of it performed humbly under the radar, is a daily happening at the Algiers facility.

Last summer, Juliet Carrigee put on her pink dress and set off for the opera. Nicknamed “Madame Butterfly” – for her love of Lepidoptera – Carrigee was bound for a theatrical production that could have been named in her honor: Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly.” “I still think about that night a lot; I hope they bring another opera that I can go to,” said Carrigee, 89, of the evening, spent with her son in luxurious box seats at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts.

Well, it’s that time of year again, the hectic time with all the hustle and bustle that comes with the Christmas season. We make lists, plan parties and make endless trips to shopping centers. We worry about whether we will find the perfect gift for that special person in our lives.

The thought of death and losing a loved one is scary when there is no faith in Jesus guiding people to an everlasting life, Pope Francis said. “If we live united with Jesus, are faithful to him, we will be able to face with hope and serenity even the coming of death,” he said during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 27.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) –When the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization met at the Vatican in October 2012, among the top items on the agenda was the threat of militant secularism in a post-Christian West.

So what exactly do we have here? In the eight months since Pope Francis walked through the draped door onto the papal balcony overlooking hundreds of thousands in St. Peter’s Square and then bowed silently – asking first for the blessing of the people before offering his own to them – we have been sizing up this unexpected gift of the Holy Spirit.

To the Clergy, Religious and Laity of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ: As we begin the Season of Advent, I ask God’s blessing that you may not only prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, but also become aware of the “Coming of the Lord” in your daily life.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) ­– In his first extensive piece of writing as pope, Pope Francis lays out a vision of the Catholic Church dedicated to evangelization in a positive key, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn.

People across the Archdiocese of New Orleans recite the Family Prayer together at Mass on Sundays in an effort to end violence in our community. Archbishop Aymond raises awareness of the many human lives lost to violence when he courageously speaks of the violence, murder and racism prevalent in our city.