Let the Little Ones Come

St. Gianna: Powerful Intercessor!

Here is a repost of a saint near and dear to my heart.  Grace chose her as her special patron when she was confirmed a few years ago as well.  Saint Gianna, pray for us!

 

The Epiphany of Our Lord--Joyous Feast!

"It might happen at certain moments of our interior life -- and we are nearly
always to blame -- that the star disappears, just as it did to the wise kings on
their journey.... What should we do if this happens?

Follow the example of those wise men and ask. Herod used knowledge to act
unjustly. The Magi used it to do good. But we Christians have no need to go to
Herod nor to the wise men of this world. Christ has given His Church sureness
of doctrine and a flow of grace in the Sacraments. He has arranged things so
that there will always be people to guide and lead us, to remind us constantly
of our way" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 34).

Merry Christmas!

Mass Times for Churches in or near the French Quarter

Download Mass in NO

Click on the link above to download the sheet with churches and Mass times (seen below). Good luck and prayers for a great Oireactas for all dancers!

Catholic Churches in the French Quarter near Marriott New Orleans

St. Louis Cathedral

stlouiscathedral.org/504-525-9585

615 Pere Antoine Alley

New Orleans, LA 70116

Mass Times: Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm

Sunday: 9:00 am, 11:00 am

Walking Distance from Marriot New Orleans: 0.5 miles/10 minutes

 

St. Patrick's Church

oldstpatricks.org/504-525-4413

724 Camp St.

New Orleans, LA 70130

Mass Times: Saturday Vigil: 4:00 pm, 5:30 pm

Sunday: 8:00 am, Latin Mass 9:30am, 11:00 am, 5:30 pm

Walking Distance from Marriott New Orleans: 0.5 miles/10 minutes

 

Immaculate Conception

jesuitchurch.net/504-529-1477

130 Baronne St.
New Orleans, LA 70112

Mass Times: Saturday Vigil: 4:00 pm

Sunday: 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am, 7:30 am

Walking Distance from Marriott New Orleans: 0.3 miles/6 minutes

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church

judeshrine.com/504-525-1551

411 N. Rampart St.

New Orleans, LA 70112

Mass Times: Saturday Vigil: 4:00 pm

Sunday: 7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:30 am, 6:00 pm

Walking Distance from Marriott New Orleans: 0.6 miles/12 minutes

 

St. Joseph Church

stjosephchurch-no.org/504-522-3186

1802 Tulane Ave.

New Orleans, LA 70112

Mass Times: Sunday: 10:00 am, 8:30 pm

Driving Distance from Marriott New Orleans: 1.6 miles/7 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Duty of the Moment

The Polish Madonna

"The duty of the moment is what you should be doing at any given time, in whatever place God has put you. You may not have Christ in a homeless person at your door, but you may have a little child. If you have a child, your duty of the moment may be to change a dirty diaper. So you do it. But you don't just change that diaper, you change it to the best of your ability, with great love for both God and that child.... There are all kinds of good Catholic things you can do, but whatever they are, you have to realize that there is always the duty of the moment to be done. And it must be done, because the duty of the moment is the duty of God."

--Catherine Doherty

 

The Our Father--the Perfect Prayer

I have spoken before about my subscription to the daily readings of the Church with the commentaries from the Navarre Bible here.  Today, I received the gospel reading which is the reading from St. Luke where Jesus teaches us how to pray by reciting an abbreviated form of the Our Father.  Blessed John Paul II's words of wisdom are below.  My latest prayer aspiration has been "Thy Will Be Done."  May we all continue to pray the Our Father with sincerity and trust in God's mercy!

 

"When the disciples asked the Lord Jesus, 'Teach us to pray', He replied by saying the words of the 'Our Father', thereby giving a concrete model which is also a universal model.  In fact, everything that can and must be said to the Father is contained in those seven requests which we all know by heart.  There is such simplicity in them that even a child can learn them, but at the same time such depth that a whole life can be spent meditating upon their meaning.  Isn't that so?  Does not each of those petitions deal with something essential to our life, directing it totally towards God the Father?  Doesn't this prayer speak to us about 'our daily bread,' 'forgiveness of our sins, since we forgive others' and about protecting us from 'temptation' and 'delivering us from evil'? 

--Blessed John Paul II, "General Audience", 14 March 1979

 

Marie turns 8!

My baby girl is eight!  Ack, how did this happen?  How did she go from this....

(Marie and Rose cuddling and loving on each other when they were toddler and preschooler)...

to this...

... beautiful young lady with her feather boa.  :)  For her birthday cake, she asked for my chocolate sheet cake (it's the Pioneer Woman's recipe...yummo!)...I only put nuts on one half of the cake to please everyone!  :)  

Happy Birthday sweet girl.  We love you so!

 

 

Happy Birthday Grace!

Grace turns 15...an impromptu ice-skating outing at the Galleria to celebrate with one of her oldest friends (they knew each other in the before they were born!).  :)

Birthday dinner at the Cheesecake Factory al fresco (it was only 90something outside!).  I love these girls--sisters and friends!  :)

 

The Present Moment

Conduct yourself well 'now,' without looking back on 'yesterday' which is really gone, and without worrying about 'tomorrow,' which for you may never come.

--St. Josemaria Escriva

He Leadeth Me

Fr. Walter Ciszek circa 1969 (6 years after his return from Russia).

I have a love for Russian/Eastern Catholicism...have for some time.  In my search for good books to read that uplift my soul and strengthen my faith, I met Fr. Walter Ciszek.  He was a Jesuit priest trained at the Russicum in Rome and sent to Poland in the late 1930's to serve the Polish people.  He was a bi-ritual priest, trained in both the Latin and Eastern Rite.  His love for Holy Mother Church was strong and powerful!

In 1939, he was in Poland when Hitler and his Nazi army invaded.  It had always been Fr. Ciszek's dream to serve the Catholic faithful in Russia and the invasion allowed that to happen.  Unfortunately (or as Fr. Ciszek would tell you), as part of God's will and providence, he ended up serving the people of that country as both a priest and a prisoner of war in his beloved Russia for 23 years.

He has written two books about his experience, With God in Russia and He Leadeth Me.  He says With God in Russia was the book his Jesuit superiors begged him to write.  It is more narrative and autobiographical in nature.  I have read it and it is a moving and profoundly inspirational book with much wisdom and encouragement.  It would be an excellent book on the study of the effect of WWII and Communism on the Soviet Union. 

But, Fr. Ciszek says that "...to be perfectly honest, that [With God in Russia] was not the book I wanted to write.  I felt that I had learned much during those years of hardship and suffering that could be of help to others in their lives..."

The book that Fr. Ciszek felt called to write is He Leadeth Me.  It is a life-changing book.  It's goal is spiritual in nature as it seeks to convert us to always and everywhere embrace the will of God in our daily lives.  And Fr. Ciszek has learned much from his imprisonment that he can share with us.  He has a gift for sharing profound spiritual truths in simple prose.  And he is excellent at giving practical advice on how to achieve those spiritual goals! I highly recommend this special book to anyone who wants to learn how to joyfully live a life fully devoted to the Will of God. 

I hope that Fr. Ciszek's book will continue to remain close to my heart and that I can anchor his holy thoughts and words in my mind.  I know if I can do this, it will allow me to strive each and every day to seek the kingdom of God in my daily works and trials.  This book has had such a profound effect on me that I feel strongly the need to share my love of it with others.  I think it will be a book I gift other dear friends with as well.