Growing Up Gracefully in New Orleans! YOU ARE INVITED to join us for GROWING UP GRACEFULLY, A Mother/Daughter Program for Young Ladies in 8th-12th grade and their Mothers Tuesday, September 25, 2018 6:30pm to 8:30pm Lycee Francais School Cafeteria
(behind St. Francis of Assisi's Parish Center)
5951 Patton Street
New Orleans, LA 70115 Topics include: ▪Your period and your body: What's normal and what's not? When should you see a doctor? ▪The Birth Control Pill: Is it really the best option? ▪ Making good decisions regarding the gift of sexuality ▪Dating and healthy relationships: Living the virtue of chastity ▪The feminine genius: The great power and responsibility of being a woman ▪Anonymous Q&A session Presented By: Susan Caldwell
MD, CFCMC and Sarah Denny
MA, FCP Register Now Cost is $25.00 for Mother and One Daughter (non-refundable); please add $5 for each additional daughter attending.

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help from this icon pictured on the left) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. This picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son above has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! .......... Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Marys).......... First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world. Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation! Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes. As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever he tells You” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

On any given Sunday, 80% of the congregation at Mass has either been afflicted with, or affected by the disease of addiction. This disease is an equal opportunity illness, disregarding gender, occupation, age, race, nationality, or social status. It is conservatively estimated that each afflicted person will affect a minimum of four (4) other people. A notable characteristic of this disease is denial, based in shame and sustained by a “conspiracy of silence.” The first step in addressing the problem is to begin talking about it, thus reducing the shame and opening the door to treatment and recovery. It is commonly said that there are only three ways out of addiction: Treatment, Incarceration, or death! It is widely noted that if there is an addict or alcoholic in the family, the whole family needs to be treated because of the pain and suffering that it causes. But there is hope! St Joseph Church has begun the process of creating a parish SUBSTANCE ADDICTION MINISTRY (SAM) What is SAM? S.A.M. stands for Substance Addiction Ministry. SAM is a parish-based ministry that is designed to provide a safe, confidential place for people touched by addiction to share their personal experiences with others. SAM provides educational information about addiction through professionals in this field. If you have any questions, contact the office. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at St Joseph Church Office at 7pm.

The Series “Lord, Teach Me To Pray” (LTMTP) is a three-part prayer series, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and designed to help women and men learn how to pray. The three parts are taken in succession. Each part is a prerequisite for the next part. Part I, Praying Christian Virtues (12 weeks), introduces Ignatian prayer and spirituality in the way that St. Ignatius himself introduced people; i.e., by structuring their initial prayer experience around the Christian Virtues. Part 1 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and introduction to the methods of Ignatian prayer. Everyone will receive Scriptures on the virtues to use daily at home for 15 minutes of private prayer. Part 2, My 19th Annotation (30 weeks), consists of the entirety of the well-known “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius”. The title of this part of the series refers to the 19th note that St. Ignatius wrote in his notebook. In this note he wrote that a person taken up with “public affairs or suitable business” and unable to withdraw from the world for prayer may experience the prayer of the Spiritual Exercises in his daily life. Pt. 2 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and will receive material on the Spiritual Exercises and Scriptures to use for their private prayer of 30-45 minutes daily. Pt. 2 is 30 weeks which are divided into two 15 week semesters with a month break in the middle. Part 3 Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit (14 weeks), provides a general theological catechesis of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, followed by an introduction to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment. Pt. 3 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing, and will receive material on the Holy Spirit, St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment along with Scriptures for their private prayer of 1 hour. Ignatian Prayer has been in existence for almost 500 years, and it is said by some that the Spiritual Exercises were given to St. Ignatius by the Blessed Mother herself. As such, the Exercises have an integrity that has been safeguarded throughout the centuries by Jesuits and non-Jesuits alike. The Exercises have shaped the spirituality of countless children of God including numerous saints, drawing them into, and guiding them into, a very deep intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus (with the entire Triune God). The foundational material utilized in any Ignatian-based prayer series is the notebook of St. Ignatius himself which today we call the Spiritual Exercises. As such, St. Ignatius is, in reality, the primary writer of the heart of the “Lord Teach Me To Pray” series (Part II), even in cases where the material from the Exercises are presented through the explanations, interpretations or creative adaptations of spiritual writers who came after him. One could, however, imagine St. Ignatius asserting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through the holy vessel of the Blessed Mother, is indeed the true “author”. The facilitators of the series are not teachers or spiritual directors; rather, they themselves are “pray-ers” who, no matter how many times they facilitate the series, pray the assigned material throughout the week just as the other participants do. The facilitators are trained in the basic skills needed to simply “make easy” the entrance of each participant into this most beautiful way of prayer. The facilitators’ main responsibility is to allow for the space within the group that the Holy Spirit needs to direct each person’s journey. As the facilitators safeguard this space, the prayer itself opens the heart of each participant to a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who will, as the title of the series clearly suggests, lovingly and gently do the “teaching”. The Lord, Teach Me To Pray series was submitted to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Publishing Office for approval and to receive the copyright permissions needed to publish excerpts from the New American Bible (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The approval process included a complete review of the LTMTP text by the Subcommittee on the Catechism to assure its consistency with the Catechism. At the successful conclusion of that review, LTMTP was granted copyright permissions to publish excerpts from both publications.

Boundless Compassion (book by Joyce Rupp)- Broken, wounded, violent, damaged, divisive – these are some descriptions given to the current global situation. Our world desperately needs the noble, essential quality of compassion to be activated; the compassion that was the center of Jesus’ ministry and his mission for his disciples—and his call for us today. Join ASC Associate Director, Janet Trahan as together we nudge, encourage, and inspire one another to be a beloved, Christ like presence, living compassionately. Thursday, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 2018, 9:30-11:30am at the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center, 2501 Maine Ave. Metairie. Please purchase the book and read pgs. 1-40. Bring a journal. Cost $50 (Adjustments can be made.) Register on the web: https://asc.arch-no.org. email: archspirctr@arch-no.org or telephone (504) 861-3254.

One hour prayer time for all the men of the parish to grow spiritually as a fraternity of men.

Parking available in lots for a charge.

Call to Prayer Novena Week 9 PRAY May a change in the U.S. Supreme Court move our nation closer to the day when every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life. Our Father..., Hail Mary..., Glory Be... FAST Offer a sacrifice for the intention. (Ideas for fasting.) LEARN The chief strategist for legalizing abortion lied about deaths from illegal abortion. Claims that thousands of women were dying from illegal abortions at the time of Roe were fabricated for political purposes. The late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a chief strategist for legalizing abortion, said he and his associates invented the "nice, round shocking figure" of "5,000 to 10,000 deaths a year" from illegal abortions: I confess that I knew the figures were totally false, and I suppose the others did too if they stopped to think of it. But in the "morality" of our revolution, it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics? Research confirms that the actual number of maternal deaths resulting from abortion in the 25 years prior to 1973 averaged 250 a year, with a high of 388 in 1948. In 1966, before the first state legalized abortion, 120 mothers died from abortion. While any death is a tragedy, by 1972, when abortion was still illegal in 80 percent of the country, the number dropped to 39 maternal deaths from abortion. Furthermore, a groundbreaking 2012 study of abortion in Chile published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal found that Chile's abortion prohibition in 1989 did not cause an increase in the maternal mortality rate (MMR). On the contrary, after abortion was prohibited, the MMR decreased by 69.2% in the following fourteen years.

2018 Gretna Heritage Festival Lineup Announced Gretna Heritage Festival Logo The lineup for this year’s Gretna Heritage Festival (Sept. 28, 29, & 30, 2018) has been announced. The talent includes: Foreigner Village People Montgomery Gentry Night Ranger Lee Ann Womack Gin Blossoms Color Me Badd Tone Loc Sister Sledge Michael Ray Plus many regional and local favorites! See the full lineup and get your tickets at gretnafest.com

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

Parking in lots available for a charge

Learn More About Divine Mercy and the Eucharist and How to Revitalize Your Family and Parish! Saturday, September 29, 2018 St. Benilde Catholic Church 1901 Division Street, Metairie, LA 70001 BEGINNING WITH 8:00AM MASS IN THE CHURCH/ REGISTRATION IN THE SCHOOL CAFETERIA CONFERENCE TALKS 9:00AM – 3:30PM IN THE SCHOOL CAFETERIA

Dr. Tom Neal, Spiritual Theology Professor at Notre Dame Seminary, and Dr. Susie Veters, Director of Stewardship and Parish Services of the Catholic Foundation, will be leading a workshop, Discover Your Gifts and Live Your Strengths, to address the topic of discernment of God’s unique call to each individual. Personal results of the online gift assessment tool, Clifton StrengthsFinder, will be explored during the workshop. The workshop will be offered twice: Saturday, September 29, 2018, 8:30am to 3:00 pm at Notre Dame Seminary, and Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8:30am to 3:00 pm at the Northshore Catholic Pastoral Center.

Yummy good! Cake sale. Cakes sold after Vigil mass on Saturday Sept 29 and after Sunday mass on Sunday Sept 30.

Parking for festival available in lots for a charge.

Cross stitch -- New Orleans Collage. $2 a chance -- 3 chances for $5. Drawing on Sunday Sept 30. Chances are sold after Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses at St Anthony Church

Gala tickets can be purchased for a $100 donation. Great opportunity to win $10,000.

Fr. Gary will have eight seminars in the Parish Office Conference Room (or suitable site) at 4:00 each date to learn about different aspects of our Catholic Faith. Dates are Monday Sep 10 On The Papacy Monday Sep 17 On The Bible Monday Sep 24 On The Real Presence Monday Oct 1 On The Sacrament of Confession Monday Oct 8 On Mary Monday Oct 22 On Purgatory If you have a Catechism of the Catholic Church book, please bring it. It can be pulled up on line also.

St. Francis of Assisi is hosting a Free Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss. The purpose of this group is to provide support, coping skills and fellowship to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The group will meet each Monday 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm for 7 weeks from October 1st - November 12th at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 631 State Street, New Orleans. For more information and to register, contact Melissa Stiebing at 504-565-7474.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help from this icon pictured on the left) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. This picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son above has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! .......... Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Marys).......... First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world. Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation! Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes. As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever he tells You” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

The Series “Lord, Teach Me To Pray” (LTMTP) is a three-part prayer series, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and designed to help women and men learn how to pray. The three parts are taken in succession. Each part is a prerequisite for the next part. Part I, Praying Christian Virtues (12 weeks), introduces Ignatian prayer and spirituality in the way that St. Ignatius himself introduced people; i.e., by structuring their initial prayer experience around the Christian Virtues. Part 1 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and introduction to the methods of Ignatian prayer. Everyone will receive Scriptures on the virtues to use daily at home for 15 minutes of private prayer. Part 2, My 19th Annotation (30 weeks), consists of the entirety of the well-known “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius”. The title of this part of the series refers to the 19th note that St. Ignatius wrote in his notebook. In this note he wrote that a person taken up with “public affairs or suitable business” and unable to withdraw from the world for prayer may experience the prayer of the Spiritual Exercises in his daily life. Pt. 2 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and will receive material on the Spiritual Exercises and Scriptures to use for their private prayer of 30-45 minutes daily. Pt. 2 is 30 weeks which are divided into two 15 week semesters with a month break in the middle. Part 3 Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit (14 weeks), provides a general theological catechesis of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, followed by an introduction to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment. Pt. 3 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing, and will receive material on the Holy Spirit, St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment along with Scriptures for their private prayer of 1 hour. Ignatian Prayer has been in existence for almost 500 years, and it is said by some that the Spiritual Exercises were given to St. Ignatius by the Blessed Mother herself. As such, the Exercises have an integrity that has been safeguarded throughout the centuries by Jesuits and non-Jesuits alike. The Exercises have shaped the spirituality of countless children of God including numerous saints, drawing them into, and guiding them into, a very deep intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus (with the entire Triune God). The foundational material utilized in any Ignatian-based prayer series is the notebook of St. Ignatius himself which today we call the Spiritual Exercises. As such, St. Ignatius is, in reality, the primary writer of the heart of the “Lord Teach Me To Pray” series (Part II), even in cases where the material from the Exercises are presented through the explanations, interpretations or creative adaptations of spiritual writers who came after him. One could, however, imagine St. Ignatius asserting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through the holy vessel of the Blessed Mother, is indeed the true “author”. The facilitators of the series are not teachers or spiritual directors; rather, they themselves are “pray-ers” who, no matter how many times they facilitate the series, pray the assigned material throughout the week just as the other participants do. The facilitators are trained in the basic skills needed to simply “make easy” the entrance of each participant into this most beautiful way of prayer. The facilitators’ main responsibility is to allow for the space within the group that the Holy Spirit needs to direct each person’s journey. As the facilitators safeguard this space, the prayer itself opens the heart of each participant to a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who will, as the title of the series clearly suggests, lovingly and gently do the “teaching”. The Lord, Teach Me To Pray series was submitted to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Publishing Office for approval and to receive the copyright permissions needed to publish excerpts from the New American Bible (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The approval process included a complete review of the LTMTP text by the Subcommittee on the Catechism to assure its consistency with the Catechism. At the successful conclusion of that review, LTMTP was granted copyright permissions to publish excerpts from both publications.

Theology of the Body for Teens Training will be held October 3, 4, 5, 2018. This 1.5 day (middle school) or 2.5 day (high school) training is perfect for parents, teachers, youth leaders, priests, deacons, and anyone who works with pre-teens and teens. Registration is now open at https://respectlife.archno.org/theology-of-the-body-for-teens-training.

Come join the St Vincent DePaul Society or come volunteer to help the poor in our parishes.

Boundless Compassion (book by Joyce Rupp)- Broken, wounded, violent, damaged, divisive – these are some descriptions given to the current global situation. Our world desperately needs the noble, essential quality of compassion to be activated; the compassion that was the center of Jesus’ ministry and his mission for his disciples—and his call for us today. Join ASC Associate Director, Janet Trahan as together we nudge, encourage, and inspire one another to be a beloved, Christ like presence, living compassionately. Thursday, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 2018, 9:30-11:30am at the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center, 2501 Maine Ave. Metairie. Please purchase the book and read pgs. 1-40. Bring a journal. Cost $50 (Adjustments can be made.) Register on the web: https://asc.arch-no.org. email: archspirctr@arch-no.org or telephone (504) 861-3254.

Cabrini High School will be having their Open House on Thursday Oct 4 from 4-7pm. RSVP at cabrinihigh.com -- Phone (504)483-8699

Come and bring your pets for our annual "Blessing of the Pets".

Retrouvaille is a program designed to provide help and support to married couples who are undergoing difficulties in their relationship. Sponsored by the Catholic Church, Retrouvaille is open to couples of all faiths. It has proven helpful to couples who are troubled and stressed, or if the relationship has grown cold and distant. The next Retrouvaille Weekend will be October 5-7, 2018, at the William J. Kelly Retreat Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. For additional information or to have information mailed to you contact the Office of Marriage and Family Life at 504-861-6243

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be held at St Anthony Church every 1st Friday after the 8:30 am morning mass.

Join us for a night of celebration – a celebration of joy, a celebration of hope, a celebration of LIFE. Because of YOU, over 2,050 babies and mothers have been saved from abortion through WNLC's ministry! Join us as we celebrate their lives as well as those who will continue to find hope and support through our ministry.Featuring cuisine from the following and more! Drago’s Desi Vega's 5 Happiness Mandina's Nothing Bundt Cakes Rock N Bowl Mr. Ed's Willie Mae's Scotch House Court of 2 Sisters Venezia’s Buttermilk Drop Bakery There's still time to become an Underwriter or Patron of the event! The deadline to be listed in the event program is September 22.

Retreat is free. A love offering will be taken up. Workbook $10. Preregistration is encouraged. Registration at opening on Friday is permitted. For more information call 504-913-4903 or 504-452-9748. Friday Oct 5 from 7-9pm. Oct 6 from 9am-8pm. Held in Carmel Hall at IJP.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

The 2018 Greater New Orleans Rosary Congress opens Saturday October 6 through Friday October 12, at Our Lady of Divine Providence Parish. There is plenty room for all to come and pray together. Masses, the Rosary and Chaplet of Mercy before the Eucharist are most needed now. Our Lady has told us that she has many graces to give that are not requested. Also Our Lady said, "Continue to pray the Rosary daily, to obtain peace in the world and the end of wars, because only Our Lady can help you" July 13, 1917.

Bring out your beloved pet(s) to be blessed in honor of St Francis, the patron saint of animals.

Life in the Spirit Seminar Saturday, October 6, 2018 10 am to 3 pm * Bring Bag Lunch Divine Mercy Community Center 4337 Sal Lentini, Kenner, LA Presented by the Holy Spirit Retreat Team Andi Oney, Denise Beyer, Janice Charbonnet and Kim Lukinovich! Register at CCRNO * 504-828-1368 * info@ccrno.org

Prayer Rally for Peace, Conversion, and Reparation --- Our Lady of Fatima gave the children a message on August 19, 1917. She said, "Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to Hell, because there is none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them!"

Blessed Seelos Healing Mass will be held at St. Mary's Assumption Church (corner of Josephine & Constance St.) on Sunday, October 7, 2018, at 1:00 PM. There will be one-on-one intercessory prayer in the shrine starting at 11:45 AM and confessions before Mass. Homilist and Celebrant will be Fr. Kevin Zubel, C.Ss.R. The gift shop will be opened before and after the Healing Mass.

Gala tickets can be purchased for a $100 donation. Great opportunity to win $10,000.

Fr. Gary will have eight seminars in the Parish Office Conference Room (or suitable site) at 4:00 each date to learn about different aspects of our Catholic Faith. Dates are Monday Sep 10 On The Papacy Monday Sep 17 On The Bible Monday Sep 24 On The Real Presence Monday Oct 1 On The Sacrament of Confession Monday Oct 8 On Mary Monday Oct 22 On Purgatory If you have a Catechism of the Catholic Church book, please bring it. It can be pulled up on line also.

St. Francis of Assisi is hosting a Free Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss. The purpose of this group is to provide support, coping skills and fellowship to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The group will meet each Monday 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm for 7 weeks from October 1st - November 12th at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 631 State Street, New Orleans. For more information and to register, contact Melissa Stiebing at 504-565-7474.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help from this icon pictured on the left) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. This picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son above has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! .......... Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Marys).......... First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world. Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation! Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes. As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever he tells You” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

On any given Sunday, 80% of the congregation at Mass has either been afflicted with, or affected by the disease of addiction. This disease is an equal opportunity illness, disregarding gender, occupation, age, race, nationality, or social status. It is conservatively estimated that each afflicted person will affect a minimum of four (4) other people. A notable characteristic of this disease is denial, based in shame and sustained by a “conspiracy of silence.” The first step in addressing the problem is to begin talking about it, thus reducing the shame and opening the door to treatment and recovery. It is commonly said that there are only three ways out of addiction: Treatment, Incarceration, or death! It is widely noted that if there is an addict or alcoholic in the family, the whole family needs to be treated because of the pain and suffering that it causes. But there is hope! St Joseph Church has begun the process of creating a parish SUBSTANCE ADDICTION MINISTRY (SAM) What is SAM? S.A.M. stands for Substance Addiction Ministry. SAM is a parish-based ministry that is designed to provide a safe, confidential place for people touched by addiction to share their personal experiences with others. SAM provides educational information about addiction through professionals in this field. If you have any questions, contact the office. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at St Joseph Church Office at 7pm.

The Series “Lord, Teach Me To Pray” (LTMTP) is a three-part prayer series, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and designed to help women and men learn how to pray. The three parts are taken in succession. Each part is a prerequisite for the next part. Part I, Praying Christian Virtues (12 weeks), introduces Ignatian prayer and spirituality in the way that St. Ignatius himself introduced people; i.e., by structuring their initial prayer experience around the Christian Virtues. Part 1 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and introduction to the methods of Ignatian prayer. Everyone will receive Scriptures on the virtues to use daily at home for 15 minutes of private prayer. Part 2, My 19th Annotation (30 weeks), consists of the entirety of the well-known “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius”. The title of this part of the series refers to the 19th note that St. Ignatius wrote in his notebook. In this note he wrote that a person taken up with “public affairs or suitable business” and unable to withdraw from the world for prayer may experience the prayer of the Spiritual Exercises in his daily life. Pt. 2 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and will receive material on the Spiritual Exercises and Scriptures to use for their private prayer of 30-45 minutes daily. Pt. 2 is 30 weeks which are divided into two 15 week semesters with a month break in the middle. Part 3 Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit (14 weeks), provides a general theological catechesis of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, followed by an introduction to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment. Pt. 3 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing, and will receive material on the Holy Spirit, St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment along with Scriptures for their private prayer of 1 hour. Ignatian Prayer has been in existence for almost 500 years, and it is said by some that the Spiritual Exercises were given to St. Ignatius by the Blessed Mother herself. As such, the Exercises have an integrity that has been safeguarded throughout the centuries by Jesuits and non-Jesuits alike. The Exercises have shaped the spirituality of countless children of God including numerous saints, drawing them into, and guiding them into, a very deep intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus (with the entire Triune God). The foundational material utilized in any Ignatian-based prayer series is the notebook of St. Ignatius himself which today we call the Spiritual Exercises. As such, St. Ignatius is, in reality, the primary writer of the heart of the “Lord Teach Me To Pray” series (Part II), even in cases where the material from the Exercises are presented through the explanations, interpretations or creative adaptations of spiritual writers who came after him. One could, however, imagine St. Ignatius asserting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through the holy vessel of the Blessed Mother, is indeed the true “author”. The facilitators of the series are not teachers or spiritual directors; rather, they themselves are “pray-ers” who, no matter how many times they facilitate the series, pray the assigned material throughout the week just as the other participants do. The facilitators are trained in the basic skills needed to simply “make easy” the entrance of each participant into this most beautiful way of prayer. The facilitators’ main responsibility is to allow for the space within the group that the Holy Spirit needs to direct each person’s journey. As the facilitators safeguard this space, the prayer itself opens the heart of each participant to a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who will, as the title of the series clearly suggests, lovingly and gently do the “teaching”. The Lord, Teach Me To Pray series was submitted to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Publishing Office for approval and to receive the copyright permissions needed to publish excerpts from the New American Bible (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The approval process included a complete review of the LTMTP text by the Subcommittee on the Catechism to assure its consistency with the Catechism. At the successful conclusion of that review, LTMTP was granted copyright permissions to publish excerpts from both publications.

Boundless Compassion (book by Joyce Rupp)- Broken, wounded, violent, damaged, divisive – these are some descriptions given to the current global situation. Our world desperately needs the noble, essential quality of compassion to be activated; the compassion that was the center of Jesus’ ministry and his mission for his disciples—and his call for us today. Join ASC Associate Director, Janet Trahan as together we nudge, encourage, and inspire one another to be a beloved, Christ like presence, living compassionately. Thursday, Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct. 4, 11, 2018, 9:30-11:30am at the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center, 2501 Maine Ave. Metairie. Please purchase the book and read pgs. 1-40. Bring a journal. Cost $50 (Adjustments can be made.) Register on the web: https://asc.arch-no.org. email: archspirctr@arch-no.org or telephone (504) 861-3254.

Come Join Us For an 11:30 Rosary and 12:10 Mass in honor of the Silver Rose-- A Higher Purpose...... Share the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe and promote respect for life by participating in this meaningful pilgrimage. The Silver Rose program demonstrates the unity between Knights of Columbus in Canada, the United States and Mexico, through a series of prayer services promoting the dignity of all human life and honoring Our Lady. Overview Each year, from early March through mid-December, Silver Roses are stewarded by Knights of Columbus councils along routes from Canada to Mexico. Every stop the Silver Rose makes throughout the pilgrimage is a rosary-centered occasion for Knights, parishioners and community members to pray for respect for life, for the spiritual renewal of each nation, and for the advancement of the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Monthly Meeting

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

St Joseph will be holding a garage sale in her parking lot. Proceeds to benefit the St Joseph Church Restoration Project.

Dr. Tom Neal, Spiritual Theology Professor at Notre Dame Seminary, and Dr. Susie Veters, Director of Stewardship and Parish Services of the Catholic Foundation, will be leading a workshop, Discover Your Gifts and Live Your Strengths, to address the topic of discernment of God’s unique call to each individual. Personal results of the online gift assessment tool, Clifton StrengthsFinder, will be explored during the workshop. The workshop will be offered twice: Saturday, September 29, 2018, 8:30am to 3:00 pm at Notre Dame Seminary, and Saturday, October 13, 2018, 8:30am to 3:00 pm at the Northshore Catholic Pastoral Center. Please advertise this offering to your parishioners or constituents

Celebrate Oktoberfest in German Style. Live Music, Brats, Sauerkraut, Pretzels, German Desserts, Singing, Dancing, Wine & Lots Of Beer. Held in conjunction with Gretna Citywide Yard Sale Event, Gretna Farmer's Market, & Gretna Art Walk.

Gala tickets can be purchased for a $100 donation. Great opportunity to win $10,000.

St. Francis of Assisi is hosting a Free Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss. The purpose of this group is to provide support, coping skills and fellowship to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The group will meet each Monday 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm for 7 weeks from October 1st - November 12th at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 631 State Street, New Orleans. For more information and to register, contact Melissa Stiebing at 504-565-7474.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help from this icon pictured on the left) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. This picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son above has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! .......... Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Marys).......... First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world. Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation! Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes. As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever he tells You” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

The Series “Lord, Teach Me To Pray” (LTMTP) is a three-part prayer series, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and designed to help women and men learn how to pray. The three parts are taken in succession. Each part is a prerequisite for the next part. Part I, Praying Christian Virtues (12 weeks), introduces Ignatian prayer and spirituality in the way that St. Ignatius himself introduced people; i.e., by structuring their initial prayer experience around the Christian Virtues. Part 1 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and introduction to the methods of Ignatian prayer. Everyone will receive Scriptures on the virtues to use daily at home for 15 minutes of private prayer. Part 2, My 19th Annotation (30 weeks), consists of the entirety of the well-known “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius”. The title of this part of the series refers to the 19th note that St. Ignatius wrote in his notebook. In this note he wrote that a person taken up with “public affairs or suitable business” and unable to withdraw from the world for prayer may experience the prayer of the Spiritual Exercises in his daily life. Pt. 2 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and will receive material on the Spiritual Exercises and Scriptures to use for their private prayer of 30-45 minutes daily. Pt. 2 is 30 weeks which are divided into two 15 week semesters with a month break in the middle. Part 3 Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit (14 weeks), provides a general theological catechesis of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, followed by an introduction to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment. Pt. 3 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing, and will receive material on the Holy Spirit, St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment along with Scriptures for their private prayer of 1 hour. Ignatian Prayer has been in existence for almost 500 years, and it is said by some that the Spiritual Exercises were given to St. Ignatius by the Blessed Mother herself. As such, the Exercises have an integrity that has been safeguarded throughout the centuries by Jesuits and non-Jesuits alike. The Exercises have shaped the spirituality of countless children of God including numerous saints, drawing them into, and guiding them into, a very deep intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus (with the entire Triune God). The foundational material utilized in any Ignatian-based prayer series is the notebook of St. Ignatius himself which today we call the Spiritual Exercises. As such, St. Ignatius is, in reality, the primary writer of the heart of the “Lord Teach Me To Pray” series (Part II), even in cases where the material from the Exercises are presented through the explanations, interpretations or creative adaptations of spiritual writers who came after him. One could, however, imagine St. Ignatius asserting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through the holy vessel of the Blessed Mother, is indeed the true “author”. The facilitators of the series are not teachers or spiritual directors; rather, they themselves are “pray-ers” who, no matter how many times they facilitate the series, pray the assigned material throughout the week just as the other participants do. The facilitators are trained in the basic skills needed to simply “make easy” the entrance of each participant into this most beautiful way of prayer. The facilitators’ main responsibility is to allow for the space within the group that the Holy Spirit needs to direct each person’s journey. As the facilitators safeguard this space, the prayer itself opens the heart of each participant to a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who will, as the title of the series clearly suggests, lovingly and gently do the “teaching”. The Lord, Teach Me To Pray series was submitted to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Publishing Office for approval and to receive the copyright permissions needed to publish excerpts from the New American Bible (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The approval process included a complete review of the LTMTP text by the Subcommittee on the Catechism to assure its consistency with the Catechism. At the successful conclusion of that review, LTMTP was granted copyright permissions to publish excerpts from both publications.

Open House on October 18, 2018 and February 7, 2019. Go to school website for tour.

Domincan High Schoo Open House October 18 from 3:30 to 6:30 pm.

Jack Jezreel, a passionate and nationally recognized speaker and founder of JustFaith Ministries, speaks on "Discipleship and Public Life: Realizing Pope Francis's Vision" Schulte Auditorium, Notre Dame Seminary 2901 S. Carrollton Ave. New Orleans Friday October 19: 6:30 Refreshments, 7:00-8:30PM Workshop Saturday October 20: 8:30 AM Refreshments, 9:00 AM-Noon Workshop Free and open to the public. Free parking available. Bring your friends or a group from your church. Sponsored by the Roppolo Memorial Endowment. To register, please go to https://goo.gl/forms/V58cQDOqYgJcmbPC2. For more information, call (504) 861-6281 or email mauraodonovan74@gmail.com. This event is supported by the Ignatius Roppolo Memorial Endowment which was established by Msgr. Douglas Doussan, Matthew Rousso and Father Douglas Brougher to honor Msgr. Roppolo who served the sick and the poor and exercised collaborative leadership.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

A Monthly Rosary For Peace for law enforcement, emergency personnel, firefighters, military, and peace in the world will be held at St Joseph Church. Everyone is invited to attend. For more information call Mary Grace at 504-367-7515.

The Gretna Historical Society Presents for the Sixth Time, a unique tour of the Hook & Ladder Cemetery. Come see a LIVE performance depicting Ancestors from BEYOND THE GRAVE! Walk into the past and carry with you memories into the future. Sponsored by The Gretna Historical Society. Saturday Oct 20 5pm-8:15pm "Refreshments by THE RED MAPLE. $20 admission. For information 504-362-3854

Gala tickets can be purchased for a $100 donation. Great opportunity to win $10,000.

Fr. Gary will have eight seminars in the Parish Office Conference Room (or suitable site) at 4:00 each date to learn about different aspects of our Catholic Faith. Dates are Monday Sep 10 On The Papacy Monday Sep 17 On The Bible Monday Sep 24 On The Real Presence Monday Oct 1 On The Sacrament of Confession Monday Oct 8 On Mary Monday Oct 22 On Purgatory If you have a Catechism of the Catholic Church book, please bring it. It can be pulled up on line also.

St. Francis of Assisi is hosting a Free Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss. The purpose of this group is to provide support, coping skills and fellowship to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The group will meet each Monday 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm for 7 weeks from October 1st - November 12th at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 631 State Street, New Orleans. For more information and to register, contact Melissa Stiebing at 504-565-7474.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help from this icon pictured on the left) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. This picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son above has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! .......... Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Marys).......... First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world. Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation! Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes. As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever he tells You” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

On any given Sunday, 80% of the congregation at Mass has either been afflicted with, or affected by the disease of addiction. This disease is an equal opportunity illness, disregarding gender, occupation, age, race, nationality, or social status. It is conservatively estimated that each afflicted person will affect a minimum of four (4) other people. A notable characteristic of this disease is denial, based in shame and sustained by a “conspiracy of silence.” The first step in addressing the problem is to begin talking about it, thus reducing the shame and opening the door to treatment and recovery. It is commonly said that there are only three ways out of addiction: Treatment, Incarceration, or death! It is widely noted that if there is an addict or alcoholic in the family, the whole family needs to be treated because of the pain and suffering that it causes. But there is hope! St Joseph Church has begun the process of creating a parish SUBSTANCE ADDICTION MINISTRY (SAM) What is SAM? S.A.M. stands for Substance Addiction Ministry. SAM is a parish-based ministry that is designed to provide a safe, confidential place for people touched by addiction to share their personal experiences with others. SAM provides educational information about addiction through professionals in this field. If you have any questions, contact the office. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at St Joseph Church Office at 7pm.

The Series “Lord, Teach Me To Pray” (LTMTP) is a three-part prayer series, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and designed to help women and men learn how to pray. The three parts are taken in succession. Each part is a prerequisite for the next part. Part I, Praying Christian Virtues (12 weeks), introduces Ignatian prayer and spirituality in the way that St. Ignatius himself introduced people; i.e., by structuring their initial prayer experience around the Christian Virtues. Part 1 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and introduction to the methods of Ignatian prayer. Everyone will receive Scriptures on the virtues to use daily at home for 15 minutes of private prayer. Part 2, My 19th Annotation (30 weeks), consists of the entirety of the well-known “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius”. The title of this part of the series refers to the 19th note that St. Ignatius wrote in his notebook. In this note he wrote that a person taken up with “public affairs or suitable business” and unable to withdraw from the world for prayer may experience the prayer of the Spiritual Exercises in his daily life. Pt. 2 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and will receive material on the Spiritual Exercises and Scriptures to use for their private prayer of 30-45 minutes daily. Pt. 2 is 30 weeks which are divided into two 15 week semesters with a month break in the middle. Part 3 Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit (14 weeks), provides a general theological catechesis of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, followed by an introduction to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment. Pt. 3 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing, and will receive material on the Holy Spirit, St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment along with Scriptures for their private prayer of 1 hour. Ignatian Prayer has been in existence for almost 500 years, and it is said by some that the Spiritual Exercises were given to St. Ignatius by the Blessed Mother herself. As such, the Exercises have an integrity that has been safeguarded throughout the centuries by Jesuits and non-Jesuits alike. The Exercises have shaped the spirituality of countless children of God including numerous saints, drawing them into, and guiding them into, a very deep intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus (with the entire Triune God). The foundational material utilized in any Ignatian-based prayer series is the notebook of St. Ignatius himself which today we call the Spiritual Exercises. As such, St. Ignatius is, in reality, the primary writer of the heart of the “Lord Teach Me To Pray” series (Part II), even in cases where the material from the Exercises are presented through the explanations, interpretations or creative adaptations of spiritual writers who came after him. One could, however, imagine St. Ignatius asserting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through the holy vessel of the Blessed Mother, is indeed the true “author”. The facilitators of the series are not teachers or spiritual directors; rather, they themselves are “pray-ers” who, no matter how many times they facilitate the series, pray the assigned material throughout the week just as the other participants do. The facilitators are trained in the basic skills needed to simply “make easy” the entrance of each participant into this most beautiful way of prayer. The facilitators’ main responsibility is to allow for the space within the group that the Holy Spirit needs to direct each person’s journey. As the facilitators safeguard this space, the prayer itself opens the heart of each participant to a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who will, as the title of the series clearly suggests, lovingly and gently do the “teaching”. The Lord, Teach Me To Pray series was submitted to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Publishing Office for approval and to receive the copyright permissions needed to publish excerpts from the New American Bible (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The approval process included a complete review of the LTMTP text by the Subcommittee on the Catechism to assure its consistency with the Catechism. At the successful conclusion of that review, LTMTP was granted copyright permissions to publish excerpts from both publications.

Fall 2018 Women, WINE and Wisdom Event Join the Louisiana women of WINE, Kathleen Beckman and Lorraine Hess, presenting the nature of prayer exemplified in the Blessed Mother. Kathleen discusses the lives of women saints, Church teach-ings, and her journey from sitting wounded and numb before the Eucharist to being set aflame with Divine Love. Lunch/Dinner includes a meal with dessert and free wine tasting. Space is limited! Choose from FOUR Different Event Offerings: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24 1. LUNCH: 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM, Andrea's Restaurant - 3100 19th St., Metairie, LA 70002 $35 per person, Register: wine-event-wednesday-lunch-october-2018.eventbrite.com 2. DINNER: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM, Fleur De Lis Center -1645 N. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville, LA 70471 $45 per person, Register: wine-event-wednesday-dinner-october-2018.eventbrite.com THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 3. LUNCH: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM Fleur De Lis Center -1645 N. Causeway Blvd. Mandeville, LA 70471 $35 per person, Register: wine-event-thursday-lunch-october-2018.eventbrite.com 4.DINNER: 6:00 PM -9:00 PM, Andrea's Restaurant - 3100 19th St., Metairie, LA 70002 $45 per person, Register: wine-event-thursday-dinner-october-2018.eventbrite.com

Open House October 24 Tours at 4,5,6pm.

Isaiah 43 is a parenting and mentoring program that provides services to families, church parishes, and communities that strengthen their capacities for peacebuilding. Created in partnership with the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Isaiah 43 is rooted in Judeo-Christian values and teachings. Youth and families are empowered to be peacemakers, to be active in promoting peace in their neighborhoods, and to live by the values of love, peace, and forgiveness. The program engages youth and parents to encourage peaceful conflict resolution, skillful communication, constructive discipline, forgiveness, and leadership development. Isaiah 43 was developed to help youth, families, and parishes strengthen skills for peacebuilding through mentoring activities, parenting fellowships, family support, ministry development, and community collaboration. Isaiah 43 partners with parishes interested in supporting families with these services.

Register for Open House and Spend a Days at uanola.org ---- Open House Oct 25 from 4pm to 6pm

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

The Chili Cookoff on the River will be held at the Amphitheatre on the river batture (near old Gretna Ferry Landing) on Saturday, Oct 27, with the Aaron Foret Banding entertaining. Pre-event tickets available for $15 each after all weekend masses at the St Joseph Gift Shop and the Parish Office during regular business hours. Tickets are $20 day of event. Those interested in serving on the committee, being a sponsor or having a cooking team, call 504-458-6562. All proceeds will benefit the St Joseph Restoration Fund.

“Chili Cookoff On the River” Schedule All events located at or near the Gretna Amphitheatre on the River Batture, 1st Street & Huey P. Long Avenue 5:30 a.m. Parking lot open on river batture left of Gretna Ferry House for those cooking team members with parking pass. 6:00 a.m. Cooking Teams will begin meat weigh-in at weight station in front of the Gretna Ferry House. After weigh-in, chili cooking begins. 9:30 a.m. Chili sample cups collection begins. 9:45 a.m. Judging begins. 10:00 a.m. Chili Poker Run motorcycles arrive. 10:30 a.m. Chili Cookoff on the River opens to the public. 11:00 a.m. Chili served to guests. 12:00 p.m. Kid's Korner Opens 1:00 p.m. Aaron Foret Band plays. The river batture rocks! 2:30 p.m. Chili Cookoff Winners announced. 4:00 p.m. Band stops, the inaugural Chili Cookoff On the River is over! 5:30 p.m. Booths must be empty & river batture clear

On Sunday October 28 Archbishop Aymond will celebrate the annual liturgy for the Victims and Survivors of Violence at 11am mass at St Louis Cathedral. If you know of any victim or survivor of violence, please submit their name to the parish office so that the Archbishop can send them an invitation to this special mass. Families that have lost loved ones are encouraged to bring a photo of their loved one to carry during the procession. All are invited to attend.

Gala tickets can be purchased for a $100 donation. Great opportunity to win $10,000.

St. Francis of Assisi is hosting a Free Support Group for Survivors of Suicide Loss. The purpose of this group is to provide support, coping skills and fellowship to those who have lost a loved one to suicide. The group will meet each Monday 5:00 pm- 6:15 pm for 7 weeks from October 1st - November 12th at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 631 State Street, New Orleans. For more information and to register, contact Melissa Stiebing at 504-565-7474.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a way of Christian initiation that develops a pastoral work of evangelization for adults. A post baptismal catechumenate. This evangelization is bringing to a living faith many of our brothers and sisters who today live a Christianity of habit, and is giving to many people submerged in a secularized world the possibility of meeting Our Lord Jesus Christ through Christian communities which live their faith at an adult level. The Neocatechumenal Way is a group of people who wish to rediscover and to live Christian life to the full; to live the essential consequences of their Baptism, by means of a Neocatechumenate divided into different stages, like that of the early Church, but adapted to their condition as baptized persons.

In this novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Mother of Perpetual Help from this icon pictured on the left) we pay tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary in asking for her assistance. This picture of the Blessed Mother with her Divine Son above has helped her provide strength, comfort and even miracles to the faithful for centuries! .......... Oh Mother of Perpetual Help, grant that I may ever invoke your powerful name, the protection of the living and the salvation of the dying. Purest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, Blessed Lady, to rescue me whenever I call on you. In my temptations, in my needs, I will never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary. What a consolation, what sweetness, what confidence fills my soul when I utter your sacred name or even only think of you! I thank the Lord for having given you so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name. Let my love for you prompt me ever to hail you Mother of Perpetual Help. Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for me and grant me the favor I confidently ask of you. (Then say three Hail Marys).......... First placed in the Church of San Matteo in Rome in 1499, the picture was thought to be lost at one point after Napoleon’s armies sacked that church in 1798. Fortunately, however, it was in the care of the Augustinian fathers until Pope Pius IX ordered that the icon be given to the Redemptorist order at the Church of St. Alphonsus in Rome in 1866 for public viewing once again. Since then it has been copied and venerated in churches and homes all over the world. Note in this picture how Jesus, while safely cradled in his mother’s arms, looks anxiously at St. Gabriel the Archangel, who holds the cross and nails for His Crucifixion. (St. Michael the Archangel, at left, holds the lance, spear, and the vessel of vinegar and gall for our Lord's Passion as well.) The Blessed Mother looks at us solemnly, perhaps as if in contemplation of her beloved Son’s future Passion and death for our salvation! Remember that when we pray this novena to our Lady of Perpetual Help, that we are not choosing to worship her over her Divine Son. She is "our Mother on the order of grace,” according to a Vatican II document, and all the graces Mary gives us come directly from our Lord. She is always ready to intercede with Him on our behalf, but never for anything contrary to His wishes. As long as we approach her as we do Him, with sincerely humble and contrite hearts, we can count on her aid and guidance. Mary’s last spoken words in the Gospels concerned her Son when she said at the wedding feast at Cana “Do whatever he tells You” (John 2:5). If we persevere in our intentions to do Christ’s will for us, we are doing hers as well.

The Series “Lord, Teach Me To Pray” (LTMTP) is a three-part prayer series, rooted in Ignatian spirituality and designed to help women and men learn how to pray. The three parts are taken in succession. Each part is a prerequisite for the next part. Part I, Praying Christian Virtues (12 weeks), introduces Ignatian prayer and spirituality in the way that St. Ignatius himself introduced people; i.e., by structuring their initial prayer experience around the Christian Virtues. Part 1 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and introduction to the methods of Ignatian prayer. Everyone will receive Scriptures on the virtues to use daily at home for 15 minutes of private prayer. Part 2, My 19th Annotation (30 weeks), consists of the entirety of the well-known “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius”. The title of this part of the series refers to the 19th note that St. Ignatius wrote in his notebook. In this note he wrote that a person taken up with “public affairs or suitable business” and unable to withdraw from the world for prayer may experience the prayer of the Spiritual Exercises in his daily life. Pt. 2 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing and will receive material on the Spiritual Exercises and Scriptures to use for their private prayer of 30-45 minutes daily. Pt. 2 is 30 weeks which are divided into two 15 week semesters with a month break in the middle. Part 3 Discernment and Gifts of the Spirit (14 weeks), provides a general theological catechesis of the Holy Spirit with emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, followed by an introduction to St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment. Pt. 3 is conducted in a small group experience with two trained facilitators. Each group will meet for two hours once a week for prayer, faith sharing, and will receive material on the Holy Spirit, St. Ignatius’ Rules for Discernment along with Scriptures for their private prayer of 1 hour. Ignatian Prayer has been in existence for almost 500 years, and it is said by some that the Spiritual Exercises were given to St. Ignatius by the Blessed Mother herself. As such, the Exercises have an integrity that has been safeguarded throughout the centuries by Jesuits and non-Jesuits alike. The Exercises have shaped the spirituality of countless children of God including numerous saints, drawing them into, and guiding them into, a very deep intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus (with the entire Triune God). The foundational material utilized in any Ignatian-based prayer series is the notebook of St. Ignatius himself which today we call the Spiritual Exercises. As such, St. Ignatius is, in reality, the primary writer of the heart of the “Lord Teach Me To Pray” series (Part II), even in cases where the material from the Exercises are presented through the explanations, interpretations or creative adaptations of spiritual writers who came after him. One could, however, imagine St. Ignatius asserting that the Holy Spirit, speaking through the holy vessel of the Blessed Mother, is indeed the true “author”. The facilitators of the series are not teachers or spiritual directors; rather, they themselves are “pray-ers” who, no matter how many times they facilitate the series, pray the assigned material throughout the week just as the other participants do. The facilitators are trained in the basic skills needed to simply “make easy” the entrance of each participant into this most beautiful way of prayer. The facilitators’ main responsibility is to allow for the space within the group that the Holy Spirit needs to direct each person’s journey. As the facilitators safeguard this space, the prayer itself opens the heart of each participant to a deep and intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who will, as the title of the series clearly suggests, lovingly and gently do the “teaching”. The Lord, Teach Me To Pray series was submitted to the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) Publishing Office for approval and to receive the copyright permissions needed to publish excerpts from the New American Bible (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The approval process included a complete review of the LTMTP text by the Subcommittee on the Catechism to assure its consistency with the Catechism. At the successful conclusion of that review, LTMTP was granted copyright permissions to publish excerpts from both publications.