Prayers were said at Mass at St Joseph on May 4th for our David Crockett Steam Fire Co. No. 1, which is the oldest continuously active Volunteer Fire Department in the USA and proudly serves Gretna, and also for all members of the Fire Service. Thank you for your selfless commitment to our safety.

Sawyer James Rayes was baptized into the Paschal Mystery of Christ on Saturday May 1, 2021. Sawyer is a blessing to us at St Joseph; and to his parents, Steven and Rachael; along with his Godparents, Brad and Katie; as well as his entire family,especially his big brother.

Parishioner Josephine Reed received her First Holy Communion from her grandfather, Deacon Augustin, on Divine Mercy Sunday April 11 at the 11:30 am Mass. Congratulations to her on this momentous occasion.

The Easter Bunny showed up at the Shop The Huey Event Holy Saturday to promote the St Joseph Mother Church CookBook and greeted one of our very young parishioners. Even though there are no Rabbit Recipes in book, the Easter Bunny was quoted as saying, "The best way to stuff a bunny is by feeding him plenty of carrots".

Check out NOLA.COM for pics on our Palm Sunday Procession from the Jefferson Arch in front of Gretna City Hall to St Joseph Church & Shrine.

Congratulations to EM/Acolyte David Kalil for being accepted into the Archdiocese of New Orleans Diaconate Program (Deacon Formation). Pray for him during his studies seeking a closer relationship with God & the Catholic Church. Welcome Lector & EM Susan Kalil to the ministry. Susan & David were instrumental assisting both St Joseph & St Anthony develop the Isaiah 43 Program which has been idol during Covid. Susan went initially to training to assist Ms Diane Ribando with monthly communion for the St. Joseph Apartments homebound. After expressing to her our shortage of ministers she’s agreed to serve as both lector & EM at 7:30 Sun mass with only 2 current active lectors.

This year's Holy Family for our 2021 St Joseph's Altar was: Jesus (Mason Monterosso), Mary (Sophie Nolen), and Joseph (Alexander Alford).

Congratulations to Zachary Cook from St Anthony Church and Eli Cannon from St Joseph Church & Shrine for being selected to be our 2021 Altar Servers Of The Year. Thank you for your dedication during this year of the Covid Pandemic.

Congratulations to Alice and Eric Houin of St Joseph Church & Shrine and Iris & Lynn Coyne of St Anthony Church on being chosen as recipients of the Order of St Louis Medallion in recognition of their great dedication and years of service to the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Order of St Louis is one of the highest and most cherished honors bestowed by the local Church on a member of the laity. It was established more than 50 years ago to recognize individuals who have given unselfishly of their time and talent to the work of the Church for many years. The Medallion will be presented during a prayer service at St Catherine of Siena Church, 105 Bonnabel Blvd., Metairie, on Sunday March 21 at 2:30 pm.

The Jefferson Parish Meal Assistance Program has provided more than 25,000 meals since its launch and continues to accept new applications. Residents are encouraged to call the Jefferson Parish COVID-19 Meal Assistance Program hotline at 504-736-6162 or apply online at www.jeffparish.net. The well balanced meals are delivered to homes once a week frozen with instructions for heating. Meals range from pulled pork on a bun to baked chicken with a corn muffin and baked beans to chicken and sausage jambalaya with corn.

Lent begins Ash Wednesday is February 17, 2021. Please remember the importance of fasting and abstinence on this day and a strong spirit of prayer, fasting, and charity throughout Lent. The guidelines for Catholics on fasting and abstinence are as follows: Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59. Those who are bound to fast may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to each one’s needs, but eating solid foods between meals is not permitted. Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics 14 years or older on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and on all Fridays of Lent. The determination of certain days as obligatory days of penance should not be understood as limiting the occasions for Christian penance.

Congratulations and best wishes to Nicholas Comeaux and Bailee Carroll who are now one as Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Comeaux. They were married at St Joseph Church & Shrine Saturday February 13, 2021 at 6:30pm.

If you struggle with infertility you may feel like you’re on a lonely, desert pilgrimage. But you are not alone! During this season of Lent, the Springs in the Desert Team invites you to reflect with us on the Seven Last Words of Jesus during His pilgrimage of suffering. Beginning on Feb. 18, each Thursday evening during Lent we will meet virtually to pray, listen to a reflection on Jesus’ words, and build community through small group sharing. This FREE event is a chance to enter more deeply into the Lenten spirit while gathering in prayer with others on this same path. Free registration and more infor-mation at www.springsinthedesert.org.

Travis Guillot and Brooke Cavet -- Married January 30th 2021 At St Joseph. If you are thinking about getting married at St Joseph, please contact our Wedding Coordinator, Ms Debbie Swiler, in Parish Office and we will be happy to set everything up for your and your future spouse.

If you are not a Knight of Columbus, or if you have let your membership wain, consider becoming a member On-line. All Catholic Gentlemen are invited to join the Knights of Columbus and all former Knights encouraged to re-join. Visit KofC.org/Join Enter promocode: MCGIVNEY2020 And you will receive free Online Membership for all of 2021! (Regular price is $30). Our local KofC Council is 1905 Archbishop Blenk Council located on Franklin Street. Meetings are first Wednesday of the Month. Dinner is usually provided. There is a separate auxiliary for the ladies. We also have a Family Night on third Friday of the Month. Please consider joining.

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers (Mt 23:8) Interpersonal relationships built on trust as the foundation of the holistic care of the sick This verse establishes a clear definition of the field of care. With this background, caring is not only a professional activity, something done out of a spirit of service, a duty; it becomes instead something natural, physiological, in helping the other, who is a brother. Furthermore, caring is not only physical, but also psychological and spiritual, because it is addressed to the entire personhood of the brother. The verse also includes a just reiteration of the quality among those who need care and those who provide it. Thus, caring becomes a witness of the brotherly relationships that should exist within the Church, in order to heal. In the field of health pastoral care, even where there is no expectation of bodily recovery, you may still work and hope for healing. This is because healing does not simply mean physical health, but also psychological reconciliation, faith, inner strength, courage and moral strength; that is, the ability not to drift even when the body is crumbling.

What is CBIB? CBIB, Compassionate Burials for Indigent Babies, is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2007 to ensure that unclaimed and aborted babies receive a proper burial. What is the mission of CBIB? 1. To hold dignified burials for abandoned or indigent babies 2. To bring comfort to their families 3. To raise awareness of the Safe Haven Law

Beginning on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, January 10, 2021, the local Catholic Church has entered into the Year of the Eucharist, a time of renewal, healing, and communion. This year is dedicated to helping all of us, clergy, religious, and laity, grow in our relationship with Christ. We begin this important year on this feast because baptism marks the beginning of our initiation into Jesus Christ, a lifelong journey toward union with Christ and one another.The Eucharist is communion with God. Christ nourishes us with his very Body and Blood so that we can be joined more closely to him and to all humanity. Throughout this year, we will join with Catholics around the world to call upon the prayers and patronage of St. Joseph to help us more fully understand the meaning of the parts of the Mass, the theology of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the obligation we have as Catholics to participate in Mass on Sunday. As the universal church observes a special Year of St. Joseph as proclaimed by the Holy Father, we in the Archdiocese of New Orleans call upon St. Joseph’s powerful intercession to bring us closer to Jesus in the Eucharist. A PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF ST. JOSEPH To you, O blessed Joseph, do we come in our afflictions, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the paternal love with which you embraced the Child Jesus, we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence;O our most mighty protector, be kind to us and from heaven assist us in our struggle with the power of darkness. As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of usby your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. Amen.

Our national and international news continues to be filled with reports surrounding the approval, availability, and arrival of COVID-19 vaccines. In many respects, this is indeed good news which brings with it a great sense of hope and optimism as the world continues to face a health crisis. With these recent and ongoing developments, the worthy question of the ethical nature of such vaccines along with whether or not it is morally permissible to receive them, has already been and continues to be raised. This is both a complex and highly delicate issue as it generally focuses on whether or not the vaccines were developed in such a manner that utilized cell lines from aborted babies. A thoughtful, detailed evaluation and analysis of this question has been completed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committees on Pro-Life and Doctrine stating that the two vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna only are found to be “morally justified.” Their extensive conclusion is offered below: “The world is currently facing a health crisis. The number of deaths from COVID-19 is now almost one and a half million worldwide. In the United States, the toll is approaching 300,000. Given the urgency of this crisis, the lack of available alternative vaccines, and the fact that the connection between an abortion that occurred decades ago and receiving a vaccine produced today is remote, inoculation with the new COVID-19 vaccines in these circumstances can be morally justified. For our part, we bishops and all Catholics and men and women of goodwill must continue to do what we can to ensure the development, production, and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine without any connection to abortion and to help change what has become the standard practice in much medical research, a practice in which certain morally compromised cell lines are routinely used as a matter of course, with no consideration of the moral question concerning the origins of those cell lines.” As individuals consider whether or not to receive these vaccines, we remind the faithful to exercise prudence while consulting with their personal health care professional. The full statement may be found on the USCCB’s website: https://www.usccb.org/moral-considerations-covid-vaccines

Please check out the article on Deacon Thomas posted on Gretnaglance.com