Common Currents THE Serving the Roman Catholic Community Along the Amite River in Southern Livingston Parish CLUSTER SUPPORT STAFF Carmela Pulliam...Bulletin/Website Bill Abbott... Bookkeeping Laura Wutke... Secretary/Bookkeeping Patricia Little... Secretary Dana Vicknair / Duane Lee... Financial Overview Randy Millet... Maintenance Joe Ganaway... Maintenance Glynn Dupuy... Maintenance Lynda Dupuy.... Housekeeping Angela Cavalier....Church Custodian Jinx Berthelot... Religious Education Kimberly Bourgeois...Religious Education Dana Vicknair... Religious Education Adrienne Halphen... RCIA Coordinator Glen Forbes... SJ Music Coordinator Colby Chabaud... SS Music Coordinator Kade Guitreau... Music Ministry Selena Guitreau... Youth Ministry Office / Darci Delatte... Child Protection Denise Aydell / Patsy Brignac... SJ Sacristans Buck Fontenot / Mary Louise Leader... SS Sacristans April 22, 2018 Fourth Sunday of Easter stjosephststephen.weconnect.com ST. JOSEPH CHURCH 15710 LA Highway 16 French Settlement, LA 70733 2256983110 Fax: 2256981512 Email: stjosephfs@eatel.net ST. STEPHEN THE MARTYR CHURCH 22494 LA Highway 22 Maurepas, LA 70449 2256956310 Fax: 2256981512 Email: saintstephen@eatel.net MINISTERIAL TEAM Rev. Jason PalermoPastor Deacon James LittlePastoral Associate Deacon Leon MurphyPastoral Associate OFFICE HOURS MondayThursday8:00 a.m.3:00 p.m. Friday8:00 a.m.12 Noon MASS SCHEDULE Saturday4:00 p.m. (St. Stephen) Saturday5:30 p.m. (St. Joseph) Sunday... 9:00 a.m. (St. Joseph) Sunday10:45 a.m. (St. Stephen) Monday...8:00 a.m. (St. Stephen) Tuesday... 6:00 p.m. (St. Stephen) Wednesday... 8:00 a.m. (St. Joseph) Thursday7:00 a.m. (St. Joseph) First Friday8:00 a.m. (St. Joseph) First Saturday8:00 a.m. (location varies) Fourth Sunday, Charismatic Mass... 2:00 p.m. (St. Joseph) SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Saturday3:153:45 p.m. (St. Stephen) Sunday8:158:45 a.m. (St. Joseph) Tuesday... 5:305:50 p.m. (St. Stephen) Wednesday8:45 a.m. (St. Joseph) Other times are available by appointment. ADORATION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT Tuesday... 5:305:50p.m. (St. Stephen) Wednesday.6:00 a.m.7:00 p.m. (old St. Joseph Church) Please contact the St. Joseph Parish Office if you would like to commit to an hour of prayer on a weekly basis or if you would like to be called to substitute as needed. Sign up forms on the rack near the church entry. MISSION STATEMENT We exist to help individuals get to Heaven and be part of the Communion of Saints. Fed by the Word of God and the sacraments of the Church, we strive to battle mediocrity and seek holiness and spiritual discipline. Our challenge: to understand God s vocation for each of our lives, to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, to recognize that the spiritual life necessitates personal change, and to love and serve our God and neighbor.
SACRAMENTS Baptism policy brochures are located near the church main entry.* *Baptism & Confirmation sponsors must be CONFIRMED PRACTICING Catholics in good standing in the Catholic Church. Confirmation is celebrated with students in the 11th grade PSR program upon completion of sacramental preparation and to adults upon preparation.* Marriage: Couples are asked to contact the priest at least six months prior to the projected date of the marriage. FAITH FORMATION / SPIRITUAL GROWTH Parish School of Religion (PSR) provides religious education and sacramental preparation for students attending public or noncatholic private schools in grades 111 at either St. Joseph or St. Stephen. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) sessions are offered for adults, not yet baptized or previously baptized in another Christian faith, interested in the Catholic faith. RCIA meets at 6:30 PM on Mondays beginning in August and is open to all as continued spiritual growth. Children s Church provides for the sharing of God s Word for children from 3 years of age to grade 3 on the 3 rd Sunday of each month during the 9:00 AM Mass at St. Joseph. Study groups meet at 6:30 PM on Tuesdays at St. Stephen. FORMED is a parish subscription online platform, at Formed.org, the best Catholic content all in 1 place, 24/7 on computer, tablet, smartphone. WORSHIP Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is open in the old St. Joseph church on Wednesdays from 6:00 AM 7:00 PM. Adoration: Tuesday, 5:30pm followed by Benediction 5:50 PM, at St. Stephen before 6:00 PM Mass. St. Joseph Rosary Group leads the rosary before Masses at St. Joseph and at 9:00 AM on Wednesdays in St. Joseph chapel. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena is offered on Wednesdays along with 8:00 AM Mass in the St. Joseph chapel. Charismatic Praise & Worship: 6 PM, 2 nd Sunday; 1:30 PM, 4 th Sunday, SJ Charismatic Mass: 2:00 PM, 4th Sunday ALL at St. Joseph Music Ministry rehearses at St. Joseph on Wednesdays at 7:15 PM. COMMUNITY Parish Registration: A parish registration / census form must be completed for an individual or family to be considered a parishioner of St. Joseph or St. Stephen the Martyr Parish. Ministry to the Sick: Please contact the parish office regarding the ill, hospitalized, homebound, or in need of a visit, the Eucharist, or anointing. Christian Burial: Families should contact the parish office as soon as possible prior to making other funeral arrangements. Youth Ministry: St. Joseph / St. Stephen youth group, Teens for Christ, The Next Generation, is open to all students in the cluster, from any school, in grades 712. Contact Selena, 2256986503. Altar Society St. Joseph: 6 PM, 4 th Monday / month, Karen Berthelot, 2256983236. St. Stephen: 5:30 PM, 3 rd Sunday / month, Wendi Berthelot, 9855074600. Knights of Columbus, St. Eugene Council 6753 St. Joseph / St. Stephen K.C monthly meetings: 6:30 PM, 3 rd Tuesday in St. Joseph hall Grand Knight, Robert Clouatre, 2257157709 Pro Life: Call Leslie Verdin, 5048584782. "SINGLES4CHRIST" is a multiparish ministry for single persons and those who find themselves divorced or widowed. For information contact Janice Kosak at 5049057374 or janice.kosak@gmail.com. St. Vincent de Paul ministry assists those with emergency needs. Call 2257155488 and leave a message for a return call. Assistance is not handled out of the parish offices. Cluster St. Vincent de Paul conference meetings are held monthly on the 2 nd Tuesday at 5:15 PM at St. Joseph. Catholic Daughters of the Americas is an organization for women at least 18 years of age. The two Chapters meet monthly: St. Joseph Court: St. Catherine Laboure #2701, First Thursday St. Stephen Court: St. Louise de Marillac #2703, Third Wednesday Common Ministries WEEKLY READINGS Sunday, April 22 Acts 4:812 / 1 John 3:12 / John 10:1118 Peter says, there is no salvation through anyone else but Jesus. In the First Letter of John, we are called children of God. In the Gospel, Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd, and he will lay his life down for us, his sheep. Even though our world often tells us that we should be strong, secure and selfsufficient on our own, Jesus is our strength, our protection and our salvation. It is in and through Jesus alone that we can attain salvation. Monday, April 23 Acts 11:118 / John 10:110 Peter explains the baptism of the Gentiles to his followers. He tells of his visions and openness to the Holy Spirit in the house of those who have accepted the Word of God. In the Gospel, Jesus makes it clear that he is the gate to salvation, and through him we will have abundant life. The image of Jesus as the gate for the sheep gives us comfort and direction. We are promised that those who enter through him will be saved. It is a gift offered to all, given freely and with love. Tuesday, April 24 Acts 11:1926 / John 10:2230 Early missionaries of the Church disperse to preach the word. It is in Antioch that the disciples are first called Christians. The Gospel takes place at the Temple in Jerusalem during the Feast of the Dedication. Jesus is asked if he is the Messiah, and he answers that the Father and he are one. As Christians, we accept Jesus as our Savior and express our willingness to follow him by the way we live our lives. At the core of our faith is the belief that Jesus and the Father are one. Wednesday, April 25 1 Peter 5:5b14 / Mark 16:1520 The early Church is called to cast their worries upon God, to resist the Devil and remain steadfast in faith. In the Gospel, Jesus commissions the 11 to preach and baptize. He promises to be with them along the way. As Jesus commands his disciples to go forth and proclaim the Gospelto evangelizewe, too, are instructed. Let us and believers before us, stand firm and remain faithful in preaching the Gospel, whatever comes our way. Thursday, April 26 Acts 13:1325 / John 13:1620 Paul relates a brief history of the Jews forty years in the desert, and then speaks of the preaching of John the Baptist, who proclaimed Jesus to be the one whose sandals he was unworthy to unfasten. In the Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples, whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Through God s grace and the call of our baptism, we, too, can joyfully answer our call to Jesus mission here on earth. By our words and actions, let us devote ourselves to serving Christ by serving others. Friday, April 27 Acts 13:2633 / John 14:16 Preaching in the temple in Antioch, Paul explains that the religious leaders failed to recognize Jesus as the promised Savior, and in doing so fulfilled the prophesies about him. In the Gospel Jesus asserts that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that only through him can anyone come to the Father. As he prepares our eternal home for us, let us prepare ourselves to join him. We do this by living as he taught us and loving one another. Saturday, April 28 Acts 13:4452 / John 14:714 Despite rejection and persecution, Paul and Barnabas persist in sharing the Good News with all who would listen. In the Gospel, Jesus explains that he did not perform miracles on his own, but by means of the Father working through him the same Father who would work through them. We too are called to share the Good News of God s love by what we say and do. We don t have to do this on our own. We can trust that God works in us and through us when we rely on him, surrendering to his plan for us.
CURRENT EVENTS Saturday, April 21 8:15am, Singles4Christ, Houma's House Tour, Lunch Sunday, April 22 9:30am1:30pm, SS Blood Drive 1:30pm, Praise & Worship, SJ 2pm, Charismatic Mass, SJ Monday, April 23 8am, Mass, SS Tuesday, April 24 5:30pm, Adoration, SS 5:50pm, Benediction, SS 6 pm, Mass, SS 6:30pm, Bible Study, SS Wednesday, April 256am7pm, Adoration, SJ 8am, Mass, Rosary, SJ Thursday, April 26 7am, Mass, SJ April 2829 Weekend Sp. Coll.: Catholic Home Missions CURRENT ANNOUNCEMENTS Liturgical Ministers Training Monday, April 30 @ St. Joseph Church 6pm, SS & SJ, Altar Servers 7pm, SS & SJ, Lectors & Eucharistic Ministers Next week, we will take up the Catholic Home Missions Appeal. Over 40% of dioceses in the United States are considered home mission territory because they are unable to fund essential pastoral work needed in their communities. Your support of this appeal helps ease the struggle of these dioceses. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this appeal. Visit www.usccb.org/homemissionsfor more information. Common Currents April 22, 2018 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Today the Church throughout the world prays for vocations. Will you make a special effort to ask the Lord for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life? Pray for the priests, both living and dead, who have ministered to you throughout your life. Keep our parish priests in your prayers during the week. Pray a rosary for more young men and women in our diocese to respond to God s call. Join an Invisible Monastery Pledge to pray for vocations at the international website, invisiblemonastery.com. It was inspired by a call from the Vatican urging Catholics to organize an invisible monastery in which many persons, day and night, are committed to continuous prayer for priestly vocations. May 4 Watch for STROKE SCAN details! St. Joseph Fr. Kinkead Hall Youth group cookbooks A Taste of Heaven Call the office, 2256983110, to order, and pick up cookbooks for $15 each. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10NIV May 11, 6:30pm Fr. Kinkead Hall, SJ Tickets: $100 each, includes Steak Dinner for 2 at the raffle & chances on raffle interval winners of $100. Tickets will be sold after Masses each week and may be purchased at SJ office. For information, call Robert Clouatre, 2257157708.
Walk with the Cross 2018 O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.
Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord O God, whose Only Begotten Son, by his life, Death, and Resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life...