The next opportunity for potential marriage preparation mentor couples to be trained in the In Home Marriage Preparation program written by Jan and Lloyd Tate will be Saturday, August 17, 2019, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Slidell from 8:30 AM- 5:00 PM. The training will be presented by the Tate's, and the cost is $125 per couple.

Since its inception in 2008, Auctions in August has raised $946,000 for hundreds of non-profits. Auctions in August is a silent auction Gulf Coast Bank hosts & facilitates beginning August 1st and ending August 30th. Items are available for bidding at each our 19 branches and online. The auction is open to everyone: bank employees, customers, and the general public. Please consider donating a gift certificate, unique gift, or priceless item that will attract bidders and help us raise funds for your favorite non-profit organization. Donors are able to choose which non-profit they would like 100% of the proceeds from the sale of their items to benefit. For more information, please feel free to contact auction@gulfbank.com with any questions.

JPSO is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2019 Citizen's Academy! It runs on Thursdays from 6-9 pm beginning on September 19. Come get a behind the scenes look at all divisions within JPSO that make us one of the best around! Spots always fill up quickly, so be sure to get your application in as soon as possible. You can find the application by clicking on this article.

Miss Creole Gumbo reigns as an ambassador for the Bridge City Gumbo Festival for one year. Being Miss Creole Gumbo is about community, involvement with other Fairs and Festivals, Friendships and allaround Fun. Promoting the Gumbo Festival is a chance of a lifetime. As Miss Creole Gumbo, you will get to experience Louisiana at its best and do fun things along the way like; pick strawberries in the fields, have orange eating contest in Plaquemines Parish, race down the levee in a cardboard box, shuck Oysters in Amite, race frogs in Rayne, light bonfires, and so much more. Most of this is on the weekends with a group of other festival queens you will soon call sisters. As Miss Creole Gumbo you will receive a trophy, two beautiful embroidered banners, signature personalized Gumbo crown (outgoing). She will receive a travel reimbursement up to $50 or each of the 12 mandatory events. Her chaperone will also receive the same travel reimbursement (see details in contract). An award of $1,000 on odd years, i.e. 2019, 2021, 2023, will be payable to the Queen upon fulfillment of signed contract. On even years, i.e. 2020, 2022, 2024 Miss Creole Gumbo will represent the Gumbo Festival at the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians Washington Mardi Gras Ball held in our Nation’s Capital, Washington D.C. Entry and accommodations will also be paid for her to represent the Gumbo Festival at the annual Louisiana Fairs and Festivals (LAFF) convention held in Baton Rouge. During this weekend, Miss Creole Gumbo will compete for the title of Queen of Queens. After almost a full year of traveling the state of Louisiana as an ambassador for the Gumbo Festival, she will reign over the Gumbo Festival enjoying a fun-filled weekend welcoming visitors from across the state. As she ends her reign Miss Creole Gumbo will host visiting queens from across the state, during the coronation ball weekend, in a weekend of fun activities including staying at the cabins at Bayou Segnette, a swamp tour and many other fun activities. This weekend will be the culmination of a year of travel and fun as Miss Creole Gumbo. However, although your reign will end you will always be a member of the past queens club with opportunities to stay involved in the strong tradition of the Gumbo Festival. If you are a Catholic young lady between the ages of 17-23 by January 2020, Natural born female and a citizen of the United States, single status, never having been married or cohabitated with anyone, no children and have never been pregnant, currently do not hold a binding title, have never been convicted of a crime, are of moral character, reside on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish (minimum 1 year), and/or the daughter / granddaughter of an active parishioner of Our Lady or Prompt Succor or Holy Guarding Angels (minimum 1 year). YOU could be the next Queen of the World Famous Bridge City Gumbo Festival. Please read full details by clicking on this article. The deadline is August 30, 2019.

This year marks two decades since GACC opened its doors at 519 Huey P Long Avenue. The Center's Museum interprets the unique German immigrant contribution to Louisiana's history through exhibits, lectures, and events. Free of charge, the museum is open from 10 am to 3 pm Wednesday through Saturday. In recognition of the center's 20 years, a special exhibit of photographs will debut on July 24 entitiled, "From Mechanickham to Gretna: German Families, Events and Landmarks."

Clarence Acosta died Friday June 28, 2019 on the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Clarence served faithfully at St Joseph Church & Shrine for many years as an Altar Server. His funeral will be on Wednesday July 3, 2019 at St Joseph Church & Shrine. Visitation is from 10 am to 11 am and Mass will begin at 11. Please come and pay your last respects and keep Clarence and his family in your prayers. Well done good and faithful servant. Come and receive the place prepared for you since the foundation of the world.

A proposal from the New Orleans and Gulf Coast Railway Company would expand train tracks by creating another spur in the city of Gretna in order to transport Canadian crude oil. This would be dangerous to our city. Smaller trains have already derailed in Gretna from NOGC Railway Company. Send a letter to your Senators and Representative to stop this atrocity. Tell them to go a different route and to respect our city, our community, and our citizens. Click on this article to get to the pdf's to print and send to Senators Kennedy and Cassidy, as well as Representative Richmond.

Come, Lord Jesus! is a Bible Study and So Much More! *** It's a program that was developed in the Diocese of Lafayette in the late sixties and early seventies by Father Conley Bertrand, a parish priest. Graced with a love for prayer and Scripture and an ardent zeal, he sought to communicate these qualities to his parishioners. Come, Lord Jesus! is the fruit of many years of prayer, reflection on Sacred Scripture, and experimentation. This inspiring program is a complete study of the Sunday Readings, including Gospels (Be My Witness), Epistles(Love One Another) and the Old Testament(Give Glory to God) in three separate volumes. Following the Liturgical Calendar and utilizing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, members grow in sanctification through prayer, Scripture, Eucharist, and Christian community. This Catholic faith formation program creates an atmosphere of prayer and helps to develop an awareness of the Divine Presence as well as nurtures an ardent desire for God. --- Divinely inspired and uniquely designed, Come, Lord Jesus! is based on Acts 2:42 which states, "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles, and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers." This format offers a powerful and effective method of bringing active Bible study into the life of every Catholic as it links the truth of Scripture with Sacred Tradition. +++ Come, Lord Jesus! is a program spread by personal witness. +++ It began as one group and continues to grow. Currently, there are thousands of members who meet weekly for an unparalleled style of Bible study. Come, Lord Jesus! has extended through dioceses of Louisiana and in many other states. It has also reached territories beyond the USA; all by a method of evangelization encouraged by Father Conley Bertrand. This program is so powerful that several groups which started in the early seventies are still meeting weekly! Mission Statement +++++ The Mission of Come, Lord Jesus! is the transformation of each member into the very image and likeness of Jesus by a process of formation that includes prayer, Scripture, Eucharist, and Christian community. The program assists its members in developing their full potential as human beings and as children of God, as well as developing a more personal relationship with Jesus. It requires a commitment to meet weekly in small Catholic faith communities where its members are formed into ardent apostolic witnesses and zealous parish ministers. ++++ Membership ++++ Members come into the program by way of personal invitation or through one of our many Outreach Campaigns in Church Parishes across the country. All members who are meeting in a Come, Lord Jesus! group are to be registered with the central office and are expected to follow the prescriptions and guidelines for conducting Come, Lord Jesus! meetings as outlined in the Come, Lord Jesus! office manuals. There is no registration fee to join; however, weekly "Gift Bags" are passed around the group to support the administration of the central office. The cost of materials equates to around $7.00 per year.

Want to have more meaning in your life? Do you want to do something that is satisfying and of great service to your community? Then come volunteer for Hospice Specialists of Louisiana! Volunteers are needed on the North Shore, South Shore, Baton Rouge, Laplace, and Gretna. Being a hospice volunteer is like helping out a friend or neighbor in their time of need. No special skills are needed. Working around schedules is not a problem. Volunteering helps boost your resume and you also get to meet new and interesting people from all walks of life. Give volunteering a try and call Tawnya Sisco at 985-710-6008 or email at tsisco@ashla.healthcar

Congratulations to Deacon Peyton Joseph Plessala and Deacon Connor Robert Plessala. They were ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in the Archdiocese of Mobile (AL) by Archbishop Thomas Rodi (a New Orleans native) at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, AL on June 1, 2019. Both were baptized at St Anthony Church in Gretna by Fr. Poche. These two men will be ordained next year to the presbyterate to serve as priests in the Archdiocese of Mobile

Congratulations to our St Joseph and St Anthony Parishes honorees who are celebrating 50+ years of Sacramental Marriage. From St Anthony, our couples are: Mr and Mrs Ronald Bordelon, Mr and Mrs Lionel Kass, Mr and Mrs Steve Murphy, and Mr and Mrs Jay Paul Roussel. From St Joseph, our couples are: Mr and Mrs Richard Majeste and Mr and Mrs Frank Maness. We wish you many more years of marital bliss.

We would like to extend our best wishes to Ms. Jo Anna Russo, Principal of St. Anthony School, and Mrs. Mary Lou “Cookie” Alexander, School Secretary, on their upcoming retirements at the end of June. Ms. Russo has been principal of St. Anthony School for the last ten years. She has been a dedicated and passionate leader, as well as well an advocate for all children during her many years as an educator. Ms. Russo is thoroughly loved by all whose lives she touched and will be sincerely missed by students, parents, and staff. Ms. Cookie, as she is affectionately known by all, has been the school secretary for the last eight years. Her smiling face and willingness to help will be missed by all. Patti Waddell, Assistant Principal, will replace Ms. Russo and Ms. Simone Scanio will replace Ms. Cookie as secretary.