By Beth Donze Setting a familiar church tune to new lyrics is the challenge of a unique contest being mounted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in anticipation of the city’s 300th birthday. The Tricentennial of New Orleans Hymn Competition invites sacred music lovers to compose original lyrics for use as an entrance or recessional hymn.

As a child, Dominic “Mixie” Arcuri of LaPlace was nicknamed for an uncle who loved movie star Tom Mix, the cowboy who always wore a white, 10-gallon hat as he effortlessly vanquished stone-hearted desperadoes.

St. Scholastics Academy student ministers gathered for a recent retreat at St. Stanislaus in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The girls were accompanied by faculty members  Colin MacIver, Marli Freas, Toni Pattavino and Eileen Depreo.

Academy of Our Lady’s Eucharistic minister induction ceremony was held Aug. 15, during the first Mass of the school year on the feast of the Assumption. Inductees included: seniors Lauren Michel, Lindsey Weaver, Alexandria Raney, Karli Williams, Hailee Richard, Caroline DiPascal, Taylor Bravender and Emily Berthelot.

Deadline: Submissions due Thursday (10 days before each issue) calendar@clarionherald.org (504) area code unless noted Aug. 27-Sept. 22 SCHOOLS HOLY NAME OF JESUS SCHOOL , annual alumni Mass and celebration, Aug. 27.

By Ed Daniels, Sports When it comes to talking down his team – and talking up the opposition – Frank Monica has few equals. Here are some of my favorites: “They are so fast, even their cheerleaders run 4.4.” Or, when he discusses one of the opposition’s best players: “We did such a poor job of blocking him, he didn’t even have to take a post-game shower.” Or, my favorite, which causes me to laugh every time I hear it every summer: (Reporter) “Coach, how good are you guys going to be?” (Coach) “We are so bad, we can’t even break the huddle.” And, then this little nugget: “I am not sure we can make a first down.” If you go to his school’s quarterback club meeting on a Tuesday night, you can hear from the coach himself about how talented his opponent is.

God did not choose perfect people to form his church, but rather sinners who have experienced his love and forgiveness, Pope Francis said. The Gospel of Luke’s account of Jesus forgiving the sinful woman shows how his actions went against the general mentality of his time, a way of thinking that saw a “clear separation” between the pure and impure, the pope said Aug. 9 during his weekly general audience.

At right, Linsey Rose, visiting from Chicago, takes in the eclipse from Washington Artillery Park near St. Louis Cathedral. Wearing protective goggles, Brother Martin High School students on their free period, along with teacher Drew Haro, left, view the 75 percent solar eclipse on Aug. 21.

¿Cu ánto le impactó y le entristeció, los sucesos violentos en Charlottesville, a principios de este mes? ¿Cómo se enteró? La primera vez que oí hablar fue, cuando recibí un informe de alerta en mi teléfono celular, y lo he estado siguiendo desde entonces.

Ho w much did the violence on display in Charlottesville earlier this month shock and sadden you? How did you find out about it? The first I heard about it was when I got a bulletin alert on my cell phone, and I’ve been following it ever since.

Have you heard this? If you haven’t, you will, with the Saints opener in three weeks at Minnesota. That is, the Saints on a Monday night in Minnesota is a must win. Especially with New England, Carolina and Miami to follow.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater when Kenneth Branagh looked out on a sea of pleasure craft heading toward the beaches of Dunkirk and, with tears in eyes, said, “It’s home.” Dunkirk tells the story of the 1940 evacuation of the British army from the French coast – an evacuation completed by private British boats requisitioned by the Royal Navy.

Deadline: Submissions due Thursday (10 days before each issue) calendar@clarionherald.org (504) area code unless noted Aug. 20-Sept. 15 PARISHES ST. GENEVIEVE , ministry fair, Aug. 20, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., in the parish hall, 58203 Hwy.

By Peter Finney Jr. Dominican Father David Caron, director of evangelization for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, realizes the word “evangelization” – which in its Greek roots means to spread the good news – might be, well, Greek to most Catholics.

By Ron Brocato The countdown has begun for the start of the 2017 high school football season. And the volleyball campaign is also about to begin. The story lines are the same each year. Every coach thinks his team should be picked to finish last in its respective district.

Most people don’t realize how many unborn babies are aborted each year in the United States. To illustrate the approximately 1.3 million abortions annually, St. Ann director of religious education and youth ministry David Wilson and CYO members began a campaign to collect one million pencils.

Father John Catoir, Spirituality for Today Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: “Most of us reflect our surroundings. However, men (and women) with quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened; they carry on in times of fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.” I love that quote, but I must admit, I do not always have a “quiet mind”; what’s more, I have never aspired to operate like a clock.

The ancient practice of orienting church buildings East to West – with the entrance facing West and the altar toward the East – was symbolic of the connection that exists between light and hope, Pope Francis said.

Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans will have five minutes of community prayer against violence Aug. 22 from 12:30-12:35 p.m. Forty-five Catholic churches will ring bells, 14 Catholic schools will pray and a prayer service (from St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, 1313 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans) will be live on Crimestoppers’ Facebook page at 12:30 p.m. It’s part of Crimestoppers’ new Good Samaritan Project “to pray together to bring peace to our streets,” said Crimestoppers’ director Darlene Cusanza.

Recent 2017 high school graduates, Madison Vise from Ursuline Academy and Vincenzo Signorelli from Holy Cross High School, received appointments to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.