As a parish we need to continually renew our vision of who we are and what our purpose is. For that reason, we have scheduled a parish mission for the period of March 24-28, 2019. These days of renewal entitled SIMPLY LIVE! will be led by Fr. George Knab, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate from Belleville, Illinois, the site of the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows. The main service will be in the evening but there will be also a talk after the daily 12:10pm mass.

Monday March 18 there will be a Rosary and Evening Prayer in honor of the Solemnity of St Joseph. After the prayer service, there will be a viewing of the Altar.

Regnum Christi Legionaries of Christ *** Men's Evening Of Reflection +++ Come join us for a Men's Evening Of Reflection @ Christian Brothers School, City Park Campus 8 Friederichs Ave NOLA 70124 === Mass begins at 6:30 pm. Dinner, Reflection, and small group discussions will follow. Ends at 8:30 pm. Confessions will be available. Upcoming dates: 2/11, 3/18, 4/15, and 5/6. Contact: Paul Rucker 504-914-1379 Paul.rucker@stone-insurance.com

Archbishop Aymond will celebrate the 10:00 am mass in honor of St Joseph. After Mass, there will be the Tupa Tupa, the feeding of the Holy Family, and then all may eat the traditional St Joseph Meal and view the Altar.

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.

Author Andrea Provenza Madden has written a book explaining the history and meaning of the St. Joseph Altar. St. Joseph Church & Shrine of Gretna was one of the sixty Altars chosen to be displayed in my book- titled- “Glorifying the Lord through the traditions of the St. Joseph Altar”. This 8 x 10, 194 colored page hard-bounds book shows pictures from the 1900s to current time , from Northwest La. and South La. If interested in the purchase of this book contact :318-455-1845 or aprovenzabakery@gmail.com.

ATTENTION ALL YOUTH AND THOSE WHO STILL FEEL LIKE A KID @@@@@@@ Sign up for Abbey Youth Fest &&&& Event is Saturday March 23, 2019 From 9am to 9pm ^^^^^^MISSION STATEMENT +++++ The Abbey Youth Festival is an apostolic service of Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College. It is designed to provide young people with an opportunity to experience a day of prayer and faith formation with an exposure to the Benedictine tradition. Its focus is evangelization and vocational discernment by means of Liturgy, prayer, worship, music and education appropriate for Catholic young people.****** HISTORY%%%%%% Abbey Youth Fest began in 2001 under the leadership of Dr. Chris Baglow and a dedicated seminarian task force. The seminarians of Saint Joseph Seminary College continue to play a vital part in the production of AYF in conjunction with the seminary staff. It has, in 12 short years, turned into the largest event in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, drawing nearly 250 different groups from all across the south and surpassing 4500 participants per year for the last few years. AYF is an event you don't want to miss!

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.

++ "The Spirit of Truth: Signs, Wonders, and Miracles" is the theme for the annual Catholic Charismatic Conference March 29-31, 2019, at the Copeland Tower Suites and Conference Center, Metairie, LA. Well-known speakers and authors include: Dr. Mary Healy, Fr. Mathias Thelen, and Barbara Heil. Also featured will be Fr. Deogratias Ekisa, Deacon Larry Oney and Andi Oney, and Casey Sprehe. The program will include a greeting by Archbishop Aymond, dynamic preaching, prayer for healing, Eucharistic celebrations, Late Night Worship, adoration, inspiring music, charismatic ministry and prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis has called upon the Charismatic Renewal to "share the grace of the Baptism in the Spirit with the whole Church." That is the aim of this conference. Pre- register at https://ccrno.org/2018/12/10/2019-southern-regional-conference-registration/ Single sessions register at door. For more information on schedule and hotel: visit www.ccrno.org or call CCRNO at 504-828-1368.

Lent is a time of Prayer, Fasting, And Almsgiving. Please practice these three pillars and know that your life will be changed for the better. Keep these pillars and become a saint.

ATTENTION ALL YOUTH AND THOSE WHO STILL FEEL LIKE A KID @@@@@@@ Sign up for Abbey Youth Fest &&&& Event is Saturday March 23, 2019 From 9am to 9pm ^^^^^^MISSION STATEMENT +++++ The Abbey Youth Festival is an apostolic service of Saint Joseph Abbey and Seminary College. It is designed to provide young people with an opportunity to experience a day of prayer and faith formation with an exposure to the Benedictine tradition. Its focus is evangelization and vocational discernment by means of Liturgy, prayer, worship, music and education appropriate for Catholic young people.****** HISTORY%%%%%% Abbey Youth Fest began in 2001 under the leadership of Dr. Chris Baglow and a dedicated seminarian task force. The seminarians of Saint Joseph Seminary College continue to play a vital part in the production of AYF in conjunction with the seminary staff. It has, in 12 short years, turned into the largest event in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, drawing nearly 250 different groups from all across the south and surpassing 4500 participants per year for the last few years. AYF is an event you don't want to miss!

The six days of creation are matched with six geological ages to harmonize Scripture and science int he truth that God is the beginning and end of nature. Made in the image of God, human beings are co-creators according to the pattern revealed in Jesus Christ. In ritual, we use water to commemorate our birth and rebirth in Christ.

Luncheon Mission Talk on The Greatest Commandment

Under a sinful philosophy that de-mystifies nature to make it useful for a market economy, humanity as turned the earth from a wondrous wilderness into a warehouse of consumer goods with little concern for long term consequences. Distress is heard in the cries of the poor. We grieve over our sins and plead for divine mercy. The Service leads into the Sacrament of Penance. Confessions are also heard the next day each hour on the hour.

12:10 Mass followed by a talk on the Second Greatest Commandment. Please come.

Mass and Novena pulled up to 6pm so to make time for Mission.

Thanks to the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ we can reverse--and/or adapt to--the damage we have caused. We hope for a sustainable environment that contributes to the health of humanity from age to age into the world without end. After a prayer for the healing of body, soul, and spirit for ourselves and our loved ones, each person receives a small folder of suggestions for healing the earth & uplifting the poor in Christ's name.

Mass and Talk on Good Grief

Diocesan-wide reconciliation service. Come to your parish and confess your sins and fulfill your Lenten observance.

Matt Fraud presents: Parenting in the Internet Generation Wednesday, March 27, 2019, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Location: CYO/Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office, 2241 Mendez St, New Orleans, LA 70122 All are welcome to come learn more about working against the epidemic of pornography in today's society with Matt Fraud. Matt is one of the leading speakers in the world on the issue of pornography and is the author of the Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography.

By doing what Jesus asks us to do in memory of him, we draw refreshment from the stream of life-giving waters as we face the challenge of spreading the joy of the gospel in a world of confusion and conflict. MASS is celebrated at the climax of the mission. At Communion the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for an optional holy hour.

Matt Fraud presents: Parenting in the Internet Generation Thursday, March 28, 2019, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Location: Our Lady Of The Lake Chotin Center; 312 Lafitte St, Mandeville, LA. All are welcome to come learn more about working against the epidemic of pornography in today's society with Matt Fraud. Matt is one of the leading speakers in the world on the issue of pornography and is the author of the Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy of Pornography.

Question and Answer Session for the Mission.

The day of the first creation is passing into the day of the new creation. We ponder the wonder of it all as we experience the hope and feel the energy to be good stewards of the earth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The service is preceded by an optional holy hour and is conducted in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Benediction and the announcement of the plenary indulgence conclude the mission.

2019 Catholic Charismatic Healing Conference ++ "The Spirit of Truth: Signs, Wonders, and Miracles" is the theme for the annual Catholic Charismatic Conference March 29-31, 2019, at the Copeland Tower Suites and Conference Center, Metairie, LA. Well-known speakers and authors include: Dr. Mary Healy, Fr. Mathias Thelen, and Barbara Heil. Also featured will be Fr. Deogratias Ekisa, Deacon Larry Oney and Andi Oney, and Casey Sprehe. The program will include a greeting by Archbishop Aymond, dynamic preaching, prayer for healing, Eucharistic celebrations, Late Night Worship, adoration, inspiring music, charismatic ministry and prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis has called upon the Charismatic Renewal to "share the grace of the Baptism in the Spirit with the whole Church." That is the aim of this conference. Pre- register at https://ccrno.org/2018/12/10/2019-southern-regional-conference-registration/ Single sessions register at door. For more information on schedule and hotel: visit www.ccrno.org or call CCRNO at 504-828-1368.

The second collection on March 30-31, 2019, benefits Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and the U.S. bishops’ international outreach service. CRS works to sustain development for people in underdeveloped countries to help them become self-sustaining. CRS also responds to disasters such as the recent one in the Philippines and Indonesia. Your assistance with this collection will go to help “Jesus in disguise.”

The Jefferson Chorale with special guests The Benjamin Franklin High School Choirs presents "Pastorale" directed by Dr. Louise LaBruyere on March 31 at 3:00 pm at St Joseph Church -- Gretna. Free & Open to the public. Donations are accepted.