The Orthodox bishop who is coordinating the upcoming pilgrimage to Jerusalem by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said he hopes the patriarch’s May 25 meeting with Pope Francis will give new impetus to efforts for Christian unity.

Barbara Songy held command of the cafeteria at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kenner for 50 years – from 1955-2005 – and on May 9, the parish honored her by renaming the cafeteria, the “Barbara W. Songy Memorial Cafeteria.” “It was a great loss when she passed away on Dec. 22, (2011),” said Dominican Sister Michaeline Green, pastoral assistant at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and event organizer who delivered a brief history of Songy’s life, including how she met her American husband, “Dutch,” in England while teaching ice skating and ended up in Kenner.

Nearly 1,000 years ago, there was a schism in the Church that created the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Today some say the two churches are closer than ever to reunification, and one of those people is local businessman John Georges, owner and publisher of The Advocate newspaper.

Four deacons will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans June 7 at 10 a.m. at St. Louis Cathedral. Archbishop Gregory Aymond will ordain, from left, Deacon Matthew Johnston, Deacon Timothy Hedrick, Deacon Charles Dussouy and Deacon Ian Bozant.

Walter and Meg Mattix, in blue, donated a nearly 500-year-old Bible to the Old Ursuline Convent Museum. Walter’s father, William, was a master cabinet maker and book-lover and acquired the Bible in the late 1950s.

God is always by our side, never giving us more than we can handle, Pope Francis said. The countless women and men who stand tall through enormous difficulties, pain and especially persecution, are armed with the divine gift of fortitude that gives them the strength and hope to go on, he said.

Chad Aubert is not one of those shout-it-from-the-rooftops kind of guys, although he would have pretty good reason in the last few weeks to do his best radio talk-show host impersonation. At 22, he graduated last week from Loyola University New Orleans with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, magna cum laude, with university honors.

Pope Francis will begin his historic meeting in Jerusalem with the head of the Orthodox Church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, on Sunday (May 25). You have a unique perspective on this because for six years, you were co-chair of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation.

On April 10, fifth graders from St. Charles Borromeo School in Destrehan went to the Junior Achievement Center on the New Orleans campus of Delgado Community College to take part in the culminating lesson of the JA’s “BizTown” program, which uses experiential learning to expose young people to the free enterprise system and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Harking back to a 3rd-Century practice in which monks kept track of their daily recitation of 150 psalms with loose pebbles, lower-school students at St. Pius X gathered in the prayer garden of their adoration chapel to pray a “Rock Rosary” with their parents.

At the end of computer class, when Dylahn Hall and his classmates are given a few spare minutes by their teacher to play games on their monitors, Dylahn spends the time Googling images of Jesus, Mary and the saints.

Tyrin Sykes now knows that some of his best ideas come to him when he’s hungry – like the time he was looking at a photo of alligators right before lunchtime. “I said to myself, ‘If I had two alligators, what would they be eating?’” said Tyrin of the inspiration behind his original play, “Let’s Get Some Popeyes.” The comedy, which follows the exploits of two alligators who leave the confines of their aquarium-home to experience everyday life – and ponder a return to their former home in the swamp – is one of four original plays written by St. Mary’s Academy fifth graders that will be performed by professional actors May 17 at Dillard University’s Cook Theatre.

“Tyranny” isn’t a word many youngsters can toss around, but fourth graders in the social studies classroom of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Westwego, teacher Jennifer Knecht, can define it, along with words such as “heritage,” “humanitarian” and “abolitionist.” These are just a few of the lessons in basic civics, history and citizenship the fourth graders were taught via “Liberty’s Legacy,” an enrichment curriculum that uses the Statue of Liberty as a springboard for a lively study of America’s contributions to the world.

On Holy Thursday, students at St. Rita, Harahan, were given a striking visual on the type of person Christ wants each of us to be: a humble and loving servant to others. In the middle of a prayer service marking Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist, 12 St. Rita sixth and seventh graders ascended the sanctuary steps to remove their shoes and socks and have their feet washed by their parochial vicar, Father Kyle Sanders.

“How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?” – Psalm 116:12 For most of us, thinking about estate planning is about as pleasant as a root canal. Facing our mortality is one of the hardest things we must do in life.

Assisted living has become increasingly popular in the senior long term care arena. So what should seniors and their families expect from Assisted Living? An assisted living facility is a living option for those seniors with minimal needs for assistance with daily living and care.

The idea grew out of a comment Daughter of Charity Sister Anthony Barczykowski received a few years after Hurricane Katrina from a resident at Annunciation Inn, a senior residence operated by Christopher Homes, the affordable housing arm of the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

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¿Ha recibido algún comentario del público después de haber abierto oficialmente el IX Sínodo General de la Arquidiócesis? Sí, he recibido. Quiero mencionar, en particular, una carta muy conmovedora que he recibido de una mujer, la Sra.

➤ Age: 31 ➤ Seminary year: Pre-Theology/ELP, Notre Dame Seminary ➤ Home Parish: Tiep Vo Church in Vietnam ➤ Elementary School: Nam Hong, Ha Tinh, Vietnam ➤ High School: Hong Linh, Ha Tinh, Vietnam ➤ College/University: Vinh University, Nghe An, Vietnam ➤ Confirmation saint: St. Joseph ➤ Why did you choose this saint?