As we approach the upcoming local, state, and national elections, I have received many emails, calls, and letters with questions from Catholics and other people of faith regarding how to vote. I would like to take this opportuni-ty to clarify some important points, particularly for Catholics. Let me start off by saying that no member of the Catholic bishops, priests, deacons, religious, or laity in church leadership may endorse or oppose any candidate for office. The US Catholic Bishops document “Forming Con-sciences for Faithful Citizenship” prohibits any endorsement of a candidate by church leadership but challenges Catholics to vote with a properly formed conscience. To quote the document, “Clergy and lay people have comple-mentary roles in public life. We bishops have the primary responsibility to hand on the Church's moral and social teaching. Together with priests and deacons, assisted by religious and lay leaders of the Church, we are to teach fundamental moral principles that help Catholics form their consciences correctly, to provide guidance on the moral dimensions of public decisions, and to encourage the faithful to carry out their responsibilities in political life. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Church's leaders avoid endorsing or opposing candidates.” It is in my role as bishop, charged with handing on the Church’s moral and social teaching that I write today. It is our right and responsibility to vote with a well-formed conscience. A well-formed conscience is formed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer, scripture, and reflecting and informing oneself about the moral teach-ings of the Catholic Church as guided by “Faithful Citizenship”. It is our responsibility as disciples of Jesus to look carefully at the platform of each candidate and compare these principles to the teaching of Christ and the Church. There are many moral and social issues we must be aware of to form our conscience and decide how to vote. The issues of public policy concern for Catholics are listed below. Abortion and euthanasia are identified in the bish-ops’ document as being preeminent issues because it is upon the protection and sanctity of human life within the family unit that all other life issues are built. This does not mean we can dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity or caring for the vulnerable among us, but we must stand firm on issues that directly attack life itself, the most fundamental good and the condition for all others. We must emphasize the need to respect all human life regardless of race, religion, cultural, or social differences. To once again quote from “Faithful Citizen-ship”, “The fact that much of our political rhetoric has become very negative and that political polarization seems to have grown should not dissuade us from the high calling to work for a world that allows everyone to thrive, a world in which all persons, all families, have what they need to fulfill their God-given destiny.” As Christians, we believe in the values handed on to us by Jesus and our tradition. I invite the faithful and all peo-ple of good will to study carefully the information from the bishops’ conference and, through prayer, make a re-sponsible decision based on a well-formed conscience in the upcoming election. Let us together pray for our country and for peace in our world. Issues of Public Policy Concern for Catholics: Address the preeminent requirement to protect human life Protect the fundamental understanding of marriage as a life-long commitment between a man and a woman Achieve comprehensive immigration reform Help families and children overcome poverty and ensure access to education Ensure full conscience protection and religious freedom Provide healthcare that respects human life and dignity Oppose unjust discrimination Establish and comply with moral limits on military force Pursue peace, protect human rights and religious liberty, and advance economic justice and care for creation. To find other helpful resources, visit https://nolacatholic.org/vote.

Congratulations to David and Susan Kalil of St Joseph Church & Shrine and Rory and Maureen Cadres of St Anthony Church on being chosen as recipients of the Order of St Louis Medallions in recognition of their great dedication and years of service to the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Order of St Louis is one of the highest and most cherished honors bestowed by the local Church on a member of the laity. It was established more than 50 years ago to recognize individuals who have given unselfishly of their time and talent to the work of the Church for many years. The Medallion will be presented in special ceremonies in the special prayer service at St Catherine of Siena Church, 105 Bonnabel Blvd., Metairie, on Sunday October 18 at 2:30 pm.

Congratulations to our two altar servers of the year: Carter Magness from St Anthony and Eli Cannon from St Joseph. We thank them for their dedicated service to the Church and we appreciate the time they give to assist the Priest and the Parish assisting at the Masses.

Come join Fr. Gary on Pilgramage June 3-12, 2022. Click this article for more information. Zoom Meeting with details is forthcoming. See Parish Events area on right hand side to view a webinar on the trip.