Fresh ministry ideas, fresh enthusiasm and even fresh paint are evident inside the iconic, white retreat house on Lake Pontchartrain, now called the Archdiocese of New Orleans Retreat House dedicated to Our Lady of the Cenacle.

One of Sean Payton’s best qualities as a head coach/talent evaluator is that he is not optimistically delusional. Unlike some previous Saints’ regimes that spent the offseason convincing themselves (and the owner) that they were better than they were, Payton understands where the Saints stand right now.

The once famous psychic Criswell made millions by doling out outlandish and unfounded predictions of what lay ahead in the future, none of which were true. I always believed that Criswell’s real claim to fame was his cameo appearance in the pseudo horror film, “Plan 9 From Outer Space,” credited by critics as the “worst movie ever made.” It is.

Baptism isn’t just some formal ritual, it profoundly changes people, giving them unwavering hope and the strength to forgive and love others, Pope Francis said. “With baptism, we are immersed in that inexhaustible source of life that is Jesus’ death, the greatest act of love in all of history,” he said during his first general audience of 2014.

Can you update us on the process for responding to the Vatican survey on pastoral care of the family? Did you get a good response from people in the archdiocese? I’m very grateful to the number of people who responded to the survey, which will be used to help the Vatican prepare for the synod on the family in October.

It was August 2012, and the heavens had opened at St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. As Regina and Kenny Heine of Metairie prepared to bury their infant daughter – Anne Grace Heine – they saw something that lightened the unimaginable gravity of the moment.

Segundo Domingo Tiempo Ordinario Enero 19, 2014 Jn. 1: 29-34 Todavía seguimos escuchando la voz de la Epifanía. Jesús es revelado al pueblo por medio de su padre en el bautismo. Ahora es señalado por  el Bautista.

Brother Martin students received food for thought about the value of life Jan. 10 when the Louisiana Right to Life Office brought ACCESS Pregnancy and Referral’s new mobile pregnancy unit to their campus.

EL BAUTISMO DEL SENOR Enero 12, 2014 Una liturgia celestial El bautismo de Cristo es una liturgia muy bella. Este sentido ha sido oscurecido por falsas ideas. Una  es argumentar que si Jesus no había cometido pecado, no necesitaba ser bautizado.

Ronald Rome is filling a growing need. As a licensed, retired pharmacist, he volunteers filling prescriptions at the recently opened St. Vincent de Paul satellite intake location on the northshore.

Covington-based restoration artist Gianna Salande, above, returned “Entombed Jesus,” a circa-1940s plaster statue of the expired Christ, to St. Alphonsus Church in New Orleans Jan. 4 after devoting nearly a year to its complete overhaul.

Seats remain on a bus trip to the 41st annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., coordinated by several parishes in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The trip is open to adults of all faiths. A bus will leave Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. from St. Angela Merici Parish in Metairie and return Jan. 24 at approximately 6 p.m.

Deadline: Submissions due Thursday (10 days before each issue) calendar@clarionherald.org (504) area code unless noted Jan. 11-18 PARISHES ST. PETER’S, eighth annual “Festival of Life”: Families celebrate God’s gift of life, Jan. 11, 5-9 p.m. with music by Boogie Falaya, dinner, dessert, door prizes, raffle, silent auction, games for children.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) –Welcoming in a new year, Pope Francis said it was time to stop provoking and ignoring violence, tragedy and conflict in the world, and begin building peace at home. “Justice and peace at home, among us – you begin at home and then you move on to all of humanity.

➤ Age: 21 ➤ Formation Year: Aspirant with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows ➤ Home parish: Immaculate Conception ➤ Elementary School: Holy Name of Jesus School ➤ High School: St. Mary’s Dominican High School ➤ College: University of Louisiana at Lafayette ➤ Confirmation saint: St. Agnes ➤ Why did you choose this saint?

My dad – and countless other parents – told me as I started driving: “It’s not yourself that you have to worry about on the road; it’s the other people.” Whenever I’m driving, I always remember those words.

Mount Carmel Sister Beth Fitzpatrick considers herself blessed. She said over her 30-plus years in religious life she’s grown to discover God’s gifts to her and what was necessary – to know God, to love God and to serve God.

For the second time in school history, the St. Augustine “Marching 100” participated in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1. The 150 band members made the 48-hour, 1,896-mile bus trip to Los Angeles and were hosted by St. Brigid Parish, where they attended Mass and gave a mini concert.

St. Mary’s Dominican students collected gifts for 300 people in 70 families through Catholic Charities’ Adopt-A-Family Program. Agencies receiving the gifts included Lafayette Academy, St. Rita Parish-Gert Town, United Churches of Algiers and the Baronne Street Housing Project.

Holy Cross School’s 114 seniors attended two recent retreats in December at the Solomon Episcopal Center. For some, it was one of the most eye-opening experiences one can have in a high school career.