• Letting the light shine on past sins will begin healing
    Letting the light shine on past sins will begin healing
    by Jonelle Foltz
    God is in control. I’ll never forget the gift I was given in Katrina. Our house near the University of New Orleans had been swamped, and three weeks later, I was dragging our piano to the curb by myself. I hadn’t grown muscles where there were none. It was just that the piano was in a million pieces, and each piece had the consistency of balsa wood. I had a flashback then to when I was a kid, spending 50 cents on a balsa wood airplane kit that produced a glider lasting for at least a day or two until my younger brother inadvertently stepped on it as it came in for a crash landing through a large rectangular space in the elevated living room wall down to the runway in the den. As I stood with one of my sisters after Katrina scraping a pile of memories to the curb, she was crying. I told her, “It’s going to be OK.” One of the unearned blessings of being raised Catholic – baptized when I had absolutely no choice in the matter – is an innate sense that no matter what happens, no matter what, everything is going to be OK because God is in control.
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  • Archdiocese to collect relief funds for Hurricane Michael
    Archdiocese to collect relief funds for Hurricane Michael
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Archbishop Gregory Aymond is collecting emergency relief funds for all those affected by Hurricane Michael. Financial gifts may be sent directly to the Archdiocese of New Orleans, 7887 Walmsley Ave., New Orleans, LA 70125.  These gifts will go directly to those most in need. Archbishop Aymond has asked for daily prayers for those who have died and those who have lost homes and property. He said: “May Our Lady of Prompt Succor continue to pray for us and all those in the Gulf Coast during this hurricane season.”
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  • Synod already leading to some changes
    Synod already leading to some changes
    by Jonelle Foltz
    VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Even on the ninth day of the 25-day-long Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment, two bishops said they already had ideas for things they would want to start in their ministries. Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles told reporters Oct. 12 that the presence and input of 34 young adults at the synod has convinced him of the importance of having regular structures for listening to young people and seeking their opinion. Auxiliary Bishop Everardus de Jong of Roermond, Netherlands, said he was so struck by the personal testimony of Safa al Abbia, a 26-year-old Chaldean Catholic dentist from Iraq, that he vowed to do more in his diocese to raise awareness of and help persecuted Christians. “Global solidarity is part of the faith,” he said. Both bishops also said the 30 or so women at the synod are being heard and offering important insights, but neither could address the question of why, when two religious brothers are voting members of the synod, no religious sisters are.
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  • Synod already leading to some changes
    Synod already leading to some changes
    by Jonelle Foltz
    VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Even on the ninth day of the 25-day-long Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment, two bishops said they already had ideas for things they would want to start in their ministries. Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles told reporters Oct. 12 that the presence and input of 34 young adults at the synod has convinced him of the importance of having regular structures for listening to young people and seeking their opinion. Auxiliary Bishop Everardus de Jong of Roermond, Netherlands, said he was so struck by the personal testimony of Safa al Abbia, a 26-year-old Chaldean Catholic dentist from Iraq, that he vowed to do more in his diocese to raise awareness of and help persecuted Christians. “Global solidarity is part of the faith,” he said. Both bishops also said the 30 or so women at the synod are being heard and offering important insights, but neither could address the question of why, when two religious brothers are voting members of the synod, no religious sisters are.
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  • Calendar - October 20, 2018
    Calendar - October 20, 2018
    by Jonelle Foltz
    ST. RITA, Knights of Columbus “Dine Out For The Needy” Oct. 22 and 25, the Happy Italian Pizzeria, 7105 Jefferson Hwy. (across from St. Rita Church) in Harahan. Dine in or take out. Menu, orders: 305-4666. ST. LUKE, 25th annual KC Charity Golf Tournament, Oct. 26, noon, Oak Harbor Golf Club, Slidell. $100 donation includes green fee, cart, food, drinks, contests, door prizes, diddy bags, Dri-Fit T-shirt. Four-man team scramble. Proceeds support St. Tammany Project Christmas and Children’s Wish Endowment. (985) 774-1735, saintlukeslidell.org/kcgolf. ST. DOMINIC, annual auction, Twilight Bonhomie,  “An Enchanted Evening,” Oct. 26, The Cannery, 3803 Toulouse St., New Orleans. Dinner, drinks, auction, tuition raffle. Patron party 6:30 p.m.; silent auction 7:30 p.m., live auction 10:15 p.m. Auction tickets, $100; patron party/auction tickets, $150, admit two. Cocktail attire. www.stdom.givesmart.com. ST. JOHN BOSCO, Women’s Society Day of Reflection, “The Rosary: A Powerful Weapon of Prayer,” Oct. 27, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Presenter: Jan Tate, Archdiocesan Spirituality Center. St. John Bosco Family Life Center Conference Room, 2114 Oakmere Drive, Harvey.
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  • De La Salle inducts five into Hall of Fame
    De La Salle inducts five into Hall of Fame
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Five of the school’s finest male and female athletes, who made their marks in the  record books, recently took their place in the De La Salle High School Sports Hall of Fame.  Raisha Bullock (2006) was a four-year basketball letter winner who earned All-State accolades as a junior. She was also the first female Cavalier to post a win in the state 100-meter dash (12.05). Nicole Hardesty (2005) was a two-year All-State swimmer and a 100-meter freestyle winner. John Morreale III (1988) was an infielder on the state baseball championship team as a senior. He also earned  three varsity basketball letters. Hosea Stevens (1986) still holds the school’s 800-meter run record of 1:56.03 and 400-meter  top mark of :50.2.  He also lettered in football. Don Williams (1992) earned three football letters and was co-captain of the 1991 team. He also won three basketball letters and two in track and field.
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  • Fifty years of ‘I do’ really began 25 years ago
    Fifty years of ‘I do’ really began 25 years ago
    by Jonelle Foltz
    In Vegas, the smart guys who keep the house comfortably in business would have taken these odds off the boards. Fifty years of marriage? For Judi and Mike Diedling? For a couple whose marriage had deteriorated so badly that both spouses felt as if they had been dropped on the tarmac in Siberia in flip-flops, T-shirts and shorts? But there they were in June 2017 – inside St. Philip Neri Church in Metairie along with more than 200 other couples – giving thanks for the miracle of a resurrection too sublime for words.
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  • Finding unity in marriage takes effort, commitment
    Finding unity in marriage takes effort, commitment
    by Jonelle Foltz
    As long as I have been doing counseling for individuals and couples, I find myself amazed every time the presenting issue is “We aren’t on the same page” or “We have communication problems.” I wonder why the couple finds itself in that situation. Did the couple really think marriage was a personal benefit without any cost? It is interesting to hear sometimes about the symbols an engaged couple requests for the wedding liturgy: the three candles, different colored sand, etc., all indicating they are becoming ONE.  The wedding ceremony even states: “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” The goal of unity has been stated and people appear to understand, yet, so often couples do not give it their best to achieve the goal. The bottom line for both individuals and couples is to review the purpose and call of marriage. Each person is challenged to deny self in favor of forming a strong marital unit. Can it be said there is some pain to be endured? Of course! No change or goal worth attaining is ever achieved without some pain or suffering. People endure diets and  exercise to lose weight; athletes endure pain and suffering to win a game or a championship.
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  • Once upon a time, people could have civil discourse
    Once upon a time, people could have civil discourse
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Each day my inbox is filled either with junk or with messages that need responses. Now that my university uses Outlook, the “clutter” feature attempts to sort out what is necessary. Often, the accuracy surprises me, but sometimes key e-mails or newsletters slip through and end up where they don’t belong. One such e-mail was my university’s weekly newsletter, which includes a “jolt” for the day, taken from Bustedhalo.  “This is important,” said Pope Francis, “to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is criss-crossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead toward God.”
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  • Deacon Arthur Kingsmill, 81
    Deacon Arthur Kingsmill, 81
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Deacon Arthur “Art” George Kingsmill died July 22, at age 81.  Deacon Kingsmill was ordained as a permanent deacon in 2001 and served at St. Francis Xavier Church in Metairie. He also was a member of several national and local charity organizations.
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  • A weekly check-up with your spouse can revitalize marriage
    A weekly check-up with your spouse can revitalize marriage
    by Jonelle Foltz
    One of the many gifts of St. Ignatius of Loyola to our Church was the practice of the Daily Examen.  Throughout our busy days and weeks, the Lord is always trying to break in and communicate with us that he loves us and is here with us despite our distractions and challenges. St. Ignatius encouraged his followers to take some time at least once a day to review the day’s events and your interactions with others and in hindsight to reflect on God’s presence and 1.) give thanks to God or 2.) seek forgiveness when you didn’t respond in a loving way to others or to the promptings of God in your heart. We can seek the grace to respond more faithfully in the future and to be more attentive to God’s presence in the moment. The examen cultivates a sense of our awareness of God moving throughout our lives – we are never alone.
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  • We can set young hearts ablaze with appeal to beauty
    We can set young hearts ablaze with appeal to beauty
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Bishop Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles and founder of Word on Fire ministries, offered the following intervention at the Vatican during the 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment. For more synod content from Bishop Barron, visit WordFromRome.com, where you’ll find behind-the-scenes videos, interviews, commentaries, and more. Jesus’ encounter with two erstwhile disciples on the road to Emmaus provides a beautiful template for the Church’s work of accompaniment across the ages. The Lord walks with the couple, even as they move away from Jerusalem, which is to say, spiritually speaking, in the wrong direction. He does not commence with a word of judgment but rather with attention and quiet encouragement. Jesus continues to listen, even as they recount, accurately enough, all the data having to do with him. But then, knowing that they lack the interpretive pattern that will make sense of the data, he upbraids them (“Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”), and then he lays out the form (“beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures”).
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  • Father Cazayoux, former Jesuit teacher
    Father Cazayoux, former Jesuit teacher
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Jesuit Father Clair M. Cazayoux, a former high school teacher and chaplain, died Sept. 30 in Grand Coteau, Louisiana. He was 88 years old, a Jesuit for 69 years and a priest for 56 years. A scientist by training but a pastor by nature, Father Cazayoux was remembered at a Mass of Christian Burial Oct. 6 at St. Charles College Chapel in Grand Coteau. He was buried in the Jesuit Cemetery at St. Charles College.
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  • Pope asks bishops, young people to drop prejudices
    Pope asks bishops, young people to drop prejudices
    by Jonelle Foltz
    VATICAN CITY (CNS) –Pope Francis asked bishops to be bold, honest, open-minded, charitable and, especially, prayerful as they begin a three-week meeting on “young people, the faith and vocational discernment.” While many young people think no older person has anything useful to teach them for living today, the pope said, the age of the bishops, combined with clericalism, can lead “us to believe that we belong to a group that has all the answers and no longer needs to listen or learn anything.”
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  • Trip to the record book shows one-game leader
    Trip to the record book shows one-game leader
    by Jonelle Foltz
    First things first. Several local prep football enthusiasts have been asking me if the 345 yards De La Salle’s Montrell Johnson rushed for in his school’s 45-28 win over Riverside Academy two weeks ago was a single-game rushing record. It is a record for De La Salle, but not for the three-parish area. Nevertheless, it was a stellar performance for the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder to rewrite the school’s record book by erasing the 327 yards set by Therral Hatfield in 2001 against New Iberia. The city mark is a fairly recent 365 yards set in 2015 by Brother Martin’s Bruce Jordan-Swilling in a 68-21 Crusader victory over St. Stanislaus. In that game, Jordan-Swilling scored seven touchdowns.  But those seven TDs are not a local record, either. 
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  • Senior Kurucar wins service award at Archbishop Hannan High
    Senior Kurucar wins service award at Archbishop Hannan High
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Archbishop Hannan High senior Catherine Kurucar was awarded the bronze-level Presidential Volunteer Service Award. It’s an award bestowed by the President of the United States in recognition of outstanding volunteer contributions in her local community. She completed a total of 117 service hours and also received a certificate of recognition for completing the hours through the Hugh O’ Brian Youth Leadership service program (HOBY). Its  motto is empower, lead and excel.
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  • Louisiana bishops support unanimous jury verdicts
    Louisiana bishops support unanimous jury verdicts
    by Jonelle Foltz
    The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops strongly affirms the Nov. 6 ballot initiative to return Louisiana to a state possessing unanimous juries, and therefore enabling its legal practices to become more truly reflective of justice. Louisiana must return to the wisdom of its origins within this matter and bring its practice in line with the 48 states that require unanimous jury verdicts for all felony convictions. During her founding in 1803, Louisiana required unanimous juries. However, unanimity was abandoned in 1880, and this abandonment was subsequently codified in 1898 by way of Article 116 of her Constitution. The opportunity and time are ripe for Louisiana to move beyond such abandonment and fully embrace the justice of unanimity. “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. … A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 7).
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  • When my son had a bad day, adoration provided a sense of calm
    When my son had a bad day, adoration provided a sense of calm
    by Jonelle Foltz
    One day, my son had a bad day at school. It was his first year at a new school since moving to New Orleans, and he had some struggles finding the right group of friends to hang out with. It took a lot of adjustment. We had good days and we had bad days, but this day was particularly rough for him. After picking him up from school, he got in the car and cried. I hugged him and told him it was OK. I was lost wondering how I could help my son feel better. I put my car in park and sat silently praying. I then received some inspiration from our Lord telling me to go visit him. I put my car in drive and parked at the church next to his school and walked him to the front doors of the adoration chapel.
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  • ‘Una cosa te falta: anda, vende lo que tienes, dale el dinero a los pobres … y luego sígueme’
    ‘Una cosa te falta: anda, vende lo que tienes, dale el dinero a los pobres … y luego sígueme’
    by Jonelle Foltz
    Escuchando el evangelio de este domingo, no puedo sino recordar mi experiencia vivida en medio de los pobres de América Latina.   Los pobres de aquellos pueblos y los pobres, en general, tienen algo que desconocemos en las grandes ciudades.  Tienen una visión distinta del mundo, de los otros y de Dios. Ellos son pobres de riqueza y bienes materiales, pero son más ricos que nosotros en humanidad. Así de claro. Saben compartir su vida de manera sencilla y espontanea porque, a diferencia de nosotros, conocen por experiencia el hambre y la necesidad. Saben dar con generosidad. Como no tienen mucho que dar, se dan ellos mismos. Son pobres de cosas materiales, pero ricos en humanidad. Es difícil saber de dónde sacan fuerzas para vivir en medio de tantas necesidades, y sobre todo la fe para confiar.  Ahora bien, no se trata de idealizar a los pobres.  También en ellos se da el mal y la iniquidad.  Pero, su manera de vivir nos hace pensar.  Nos creemos más progresistas, inteligentes y felices, pero probablemente somos más frágiles, débiles y desdichados que muchos de ellos. Hay algo que ellos tienen y nosotros hemos perdido. Se lo dijo Jesús al joven rico: “Una cosa te falta”. 
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  • An opportunity for mothers, daughters to be open
    An opportunity for mothers, daughters to be open
    by Christine L. Bordelon
    “The greatest gift you can give to this culture is to be the woman you are as God created you,” said Sarah Denny, campus minister at Christ the King Catholic Parish at LSU in Baton Rouge and a speaker Sept. 25 at the “Growing Up Gracefully” mother/daughter program at St. Francis of Assisi Uptown.  The power and responsibilities of being a woman, having healthy relationships and how a woman’s body works were addressed in a Catholic context with moms and their daughters in eighth through 12th grades. “I have to first know who I am before I know what I am called to do,” said Denny, who enjoys sharing her gift of the meaning of being a woman and sexual ethics as a speaker for the Woman’s New Life Center, event co-sponsors with Hope Woman’s Clinic.
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