As New Orleans celebrates the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this past weekend, the city has enjoyed a renewal and rebuilding of many buildings, homes and lives. It is reported that 80% of the city's population has been replaced. With a city filled with such a dichotomy of beliefs, there is a strong Catholic presence but also a strong occult presence with voodoo shops and tarot cards lining Jackson Square directly across the street from St. Louis Cathedral. There is also a "Decadence" presence with the Southern Decadence Parade, informally known as "Gay Mardi Gras", which is about to take place traditionally the following week and continuing into Labor Day. This parade has gone on for fourteen years bringing in the gay and lesbian crowds which match or exceed Mardi Gras crowds. The city also had a visit from President Obama at Xavier University, a Catholic university on Sunday but Bishop Aymond of New Orleans did not attend as he was never consulted by the university about the presidential visit.
There still is a spirit of renewal and rebuilding for the city and the entire state of Louisiana after all the turmoil in the past several years with not only the recent hurricanes but with the oil spill in the gulf as well. Part of that renewal and rebuilding was done this Saturday, the 28th which made history, and that was the "Ethronement of a relic, image of Our Lady of Guadalupe!" It is an exact image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was touched to the true image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City in which there are only a couple dozen like it in the world. This image was brought in by a one of the largest and fastest growing Catholic Missions in the world, "For the Love of God World Wide." It began early Saturday morning at St. Louis Cathedral with a rosary procession that ended at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine where it was enthroned permanently by Rev. Anthony Rigoli, O.M.I., pastor of the shrine. Founder of "For the Love of God World Wide", John Rick Miller said that when John Paul II made his first, foreign trip as Pope to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1979 where the actual image resides he said, " A light will shine forth from "here", in "those times" meaning "these times" and it is through Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is the only "living image" of Our Lady handed down directly from heaven! Our Lady of Guadalupe was enthroned in a city where the hearts of so many good Catholics of not only the people of New Orleans but residents from the entire state of Louisiana were present at this historical "Enthronement!" These good Catholics are truly renewing and rebuilding their city and their state on the the solid rock of God and His Church with the help of their Heavenly Mother!
Enthronement Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, New Orleans, La 8/28/10
The enthronement began with a procession praying the Mission's Sorrowful Rosary thru the French Quarter (bottom left) beginning at St. Louis Cathedral (top left) ending at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine with enthronement of the relic, image!(bottom right)
Celebration ending in adoration to Jesus Our King!
John Paul II's Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of the true God and Mother of the Church!, who from this place reveal your clemency and your pity to all those who ask for your protection, hear the prayer that we address to you with filial trust, and present it to your Son Jesus, our sole Redeemer. Mother of Mercy, Teacher of hidden and silent sacrifice, to you, who come to meet us sinners, we dedicate on this day all our being and all our love. We also dedicate to you our life, our work, our joys, our infirmities and our sorrows. Grant peace, justice and prosperity to our peoples; for we entrust to your care all that we have and all that we are, our Lady and Mother. We wish to be entirely yours and to walk with you along the way of complete faithfulness to Jesus Christ in His Church; hold us always with your loving hand. Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas, we pray to you for all the Bishops, that they may lead the faithful along paths of intense Christian life, of love and humble service of God and souls. Contemplate this immense harvest, and intercede with the Lord that He may instill a hunger for holiness in the whole people of God, and grant abundant vocations of priests and religious, strong in the faith and zealous dispensers of God’s mysteries. Grant to our homes the grace of loving and respecting life in its beginnings, with the same love with which you conceived in your womb the life of the Son of God. Blessed Virgin Mary, protect our families, so that they may always be united, and bless the upbringing of our children. Our hope, look upon us with compassion, teach us to go continually to Jesus and, if we fall, help us to rise again, to return to Him, by means of the confession of our faults and sins in the Sacrament of Penance, which gives peace to the soul. We beg you to grant us a great love for all the holy Sacraments, which are, as it were, the signs that your Son left us on earth. Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
His Holiness John Paul II Mexico, January 1979. Visiting Her Basilica during his first foreign trip as Pope.
Department of Health and Hospitals late Friday afternoon, September 3, 2010 suspended license of local abortion clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana!
"The immediate suspension of the facility's license came under legislation signed this year by Gov. Bobby Jindal that gives the DHH the authority to immediately suspend an abortion facility's license in certain circumstances.
"When we see this level of egregious conduct at a facility, it is incumbent on us to take steps necessary to protect our residents," said DHH Interim Secretary Anthony Keck in the news release. "The Legislature gave us this authority because they recognized we must have the ability to stop unsafe practices that place these already vulnerable women in danger."
Blessed Mother's Teresa's Nobel Acceptance Peace Prize speech in 1979.
I was surprised in the West to see so many young boys and girls given into drugs, and I tried to find out why - why is it like that, and the answer was: Because there is no one in the family to receive them. Father and mother are so busy they have no time. Young parents are in some institution and the child takes back to the street and gets involved in something. We are talking of peace. These are things that break peace, but I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing - direct murder by the mother herself. And we read in the Scripture, for God says very clearly: Even if a mother could forget her child - I will not forget you - I have carved you in the palm of my hand. We are carved in the palm of His hand, so close to Him that unborn child has been carved in the hand of God. And that is what strikes me most, the beginning of that sentence, that even if a mother could forget something impossible - but even if she could forget - I will not forget you. And today the greatest means - the greatest destroyer of peace is abortion. And we who are standing here - our parents wanted us. We would not be here if our parents would do that to us. Our children, we want them, we love them, but what of the millions....Get the rest of the speecj from CatholicEducation.org
The Missionaries of
Charity in 2006 Eucharistic Procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi in
New Orleans, LA in front of St. Louis Cathedral. The first eucharistic procession lead by Archbishop Hughes after Hurricane Katrina which had not been done since Archbishop Rummel more than 40 years ago.(top left) Eucharistic procession on Feast of Corpus Christi, St. Agnes Catholic Church, Baton Rouge, La 2009. (top right and bottom)
In September 2010, Don Bosco's relics will arrive in the United States of America from Mexico. The pilgrimage through the USA will begin on September 11, in California, where Don Bosco's sons began their work in the United States. After several stops in California, the relic will travel to the West Bank of New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 19, 2010. From there, it will go to St. Petersburg, Belle Glade, and Miami, Florida. From Florida, the relic will travel to Washington, DC, where it will be visible at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The relic will then visit New York for several days, including a stop at the Salesians' Marian Shrine for a large Youth Rally and another at St. Patrick's Cathedral. From NY, the relic will travel to Chicago, from where it will prepare to cross yet another international border into Canada! The Relic will visit Toronto, Montreal, and Surrey, before it departs for the Far East on October 10, 2010....Go here to get the entire article from donboscoamongus.org
Monday, September 20, 2010 St. Rosalie Church 608 First Ave. Harvey, Louisiana Veneration of the Relic 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010 St. John Bosco Church 2114 Oakmere Dr. Harvey, Louisiana Veneration of the Relic 5:00 – 10:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 21, 2010 Alario Center 2000 Segnette Blvd. Westwego, Louisiana Public viewing 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Veneration of the Relic and Youth Rally Mass with Archbishop Gregory Aymond 10:00 a.m.
Morning of Prayer and Reflection"Growing in Grace with Mary at Our Side" Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 8AM to Noon
St. Francis Xavier Church 444 Metairie Rd., Metairie, LA 70005 Guest Speakers: Johnnette Benkovic, Fr. Mark Beard, Marilyn Quirk - Music by Jamie Diliberto.
Morning begins with SFX regular morning Mass, with guest speakers to follow, music & rosary & Chaplet of Divine Mercy and closes with Benediction.
also
Thursday, September 30, 2010, 7:00 PM
West St. Tammany Magnificat & St. Peter Catholic Church, Covington, LA
"It’s serious, entertaining and understandable to the average Catholic, an alternative to the other stuff on the airwaves,” said the Rev. M. Jeffery Bayhi, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Zachary and Our Lady of the Assumption in Clinton. Bayhi, who has experience in television ministry, is an adviser to the station, Norwood said. Get the rest of the article from 2theadvocate.com
Deacon
Michael T. Chiappetta is Director of Marriage & Family Life for
the Diocese of Baton Rouge, La, Benjamin Clapper is the Executive
Director of the Louisiana Right to Life and Bobby Schindler, Director of
Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation far right.
Bobby's
life took a dramatic and unexpected turn in February of 1990 when
Terri, suddenly collapsed and was left with a profound brain injury.
During the time when Terri's estranged husband sought court permission
to starve and dehydrate her to death, Bobby was suddenly propelled into a
life he'd never imagined. He spoke in defense of his sister's life on
numerous national television and radio programs including Hannity &
Colmes, Larry King Live, the Oprah Winfrey Show, The Glenn Beck Show,
Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, Dateline NBC, the
700 Club, EWTN and many others.
"My sister was the first court ordered case, ordering someone to die this way!"' Terri Schindler Schiavo died from dehydration under the order of Circuit Court Judge, George W. Greer. This
could happen to anyone! It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a
Republican. Feeding tubes are now being recognized now as extraordinary
care! Through all this experience some positive things did happened
and one being that Terri helped bring me back to Christ!
Bobby is now working full time with the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation.
The foundation is dedicated to helping persons with disabilities, and
the incapacitated who are in or potentially facing life-threatening
situation. Please help support this important prolife foundation
here... Terrisfight.org
Life of Archbishop Philip Hannan The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots From Combat to Camelot to Katrina -Memoir of an Extraordinary Life Whether
parachuting behind enemy lines, jumping into a Secret Service car for
an impromptu White House meeting with JFK, or navigating the swirling
flood waters of a hurricane, Archbishop Phillip Hannan only knows one
way to do things - with total commitment and at full speed ahead! Grab
a front row seat on Archbishop Hannan's incredibly humble, Forrest
Gump-like journey, which connects him with critically important people,
places and events spanning the 20th century...
General Intentions:The Word of God as Sign of Social Development
That in less developed parts of the world the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work actively toward authentic social progress.
Missionary Intentions: The End of War
That by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our world.