Archbishop Gregory Aymond traveled to Rome this week along with the bishops of five southern states for their required “ad limina” visit with Pope Francis, which occurs approximately every five years.

On the weekend of Dec. 7-8, our parishes will hold the Retirement Fund for Religious collection, an annual appeal that benefits some 30,000 senior sisters, brothers and religious order priests.

We are entering the season of Advent. Did you have any Advent traditions in your own family growing up? Yes, we always had an Advent wreath in our home. I would encourage families to consider incorporating the Advent wreath into a time of prayer before supper or before bed.

Please note these are my personal notes and not an official summary of the meeting of the United States Conference of Bishops (USCCB) recently held in Baltimore.

You had a chance last week to offer a prayer at the dedication of the new terminal of the Louis Armstrong International Airport. What were your initial impressions of the new airport?

Among the many ways in which Pope Francis has been truly prophetic in his teaching ministry has been his insistence from the beginning of his pontificate that the church should be of and for the poor.

Nov. 3-9 is National Vocations Awareness Week in the U.S. You’ve frequently reminded Catholics not only to pray for vocations but also to take a more active role by posing the question to someone whom they consider might have the qualities for a vocation to the priesthood, diaconate or religious life.

What are your thoughts about the tragic collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel that was under construction on Canal Street? The destruction itself is tragic, but the fact that it robbed the lives of three people and hurt so many other workers is the real tragedy. This is not a time for us as outside observers to assess what went wrong with the building.

Last week you held Board of Trustees meetings for St. Joseph Seminary College and Notre Dame Seminary. How did those meetings go?

Catholic tradition affirms that responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. The leaders of the Catholic Church have the right and duty to share the Catholic Church’s teachings and to educate Catholics on moral dimensions of public life, so they may form their consciences in light of their faith. Additional guidance is available in the USCCB publication Faithful Citizenship at www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship.

Our annual, three-day Priests’ Convocation last week was a wonderful opportunity for us as priests to pray together, build our bonds of fraternity and participate in continuing education and formation. The participation was great – 213 priests attended – and I have no doubt that we in the Archdiocese of New Orleans are truly blessed with an excellent spirit of fraternity.

Among the many documents of the Second Vatican Council, in particular the “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World,” the church encourages us to examine the “signs of the times” and interpret those signs in the light of the Gospel.

Last week you hosted a workshop for priests on the impact of pornography on our culture. Can you talk about why you addressed this topic with priests? This grows out of our plan in the archdiocese to address the widespread use of and addiction to pornography and how we can help heal individuals and families who are affected by this.

You’ve talked before about the power of harsh words to harm people. Why has this become such a problem in a world where social media communication is instantaneous and often unfiltered?

It is our archdiocesan tradition to offer the sacrament of reconciliation, better known as confession, on a weekday evening near the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. I am pleased to inform you that many people in the Archdiocese of New Orleans have taken advantage of this opportunity.

You were close to two women who died recently – former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and FOX 8 news anchor Nancy Parker. Can you talk about each woman?

You traveled several weeks ago on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. What was that experience like for you? It was both amazing and awe-inspiring. If anyone ever is able to find a way to visit the Holy Land, I believe it would be an experience that would enrich their faith and make the Gospels come alive. We walked the same roads that Jesus walked, and, in particular, the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, which is a narrow, uphill path that leads to Calvary...

While at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) meeting held in Baltimore earlier this month, Archbishop Aymond jotted down a few notes of matters discussed among the bishops.

It is the tradition of Archbishop Aymond to share reflections at this time of year regarding attire for Mass. This is an updated version of his reflections which have been shared in the past.

This is a time of year that is filled with joy. We have confirmations, graduations, award ceremonies and ordinations to the diaconate and to the priesthood – and the list goes on. All these celebrations give us the opportunity to lift people up and thank God for their dedication to living their faith.