September 7, 2014 - Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Baptisms

Parents are encouraged to call the Church during pregnancy to avoid de-

lays of the sacrament

406 East Pinhook Road Lafayette, LA 70501-8727

Phone: (337) 237-0988 Fax: (337) 233-8868 Rev. M. Keith LaBove, Pastor

Parish Website: www.stpat.org

Weddings

Arrangements must be made at least six months in advance to allow time

for preparation

Office Hours

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm; Friday 8:30 am – 12 noon

Celebration of the Eucharist

Saturday: 4:00 pm – Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 am Monday through Friday: 7:30 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday: 3:00 – 3:30 pm and Weekdays: 7:15 am

Welcome to St. Patrick Church

Twenty–Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 7, 2014

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, September 6--Vigil of the Twenty-

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

4:00 PM: Mike Guilbeau; Verna Romero;

Judith A. White & The Arceneaux Family;

Hebert & Benoit Families; Walter Comeaux, III

Sunday, September 7--Twenty-Third Sunday

in Ordinary Time 8:30 AM: Joseph & Eldie Woods;

Sidney & Elvina Bourdier Begnaud Family;

Cecile Pitre; Conversion of Sinners

10:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Patrick’s

Monday, September 8--The Nativity of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

7:30 AM: Bella Hernandez; Agnes Duple-

chain; Gussie Hernandez

Tuesday, September 9--St. Peter Claver, Priest

7:30 AM: Carmen Murillo, Christi Ana Al-

vergue; Adam Hernandez

Wednesday, September 10-- Weekday (Msgr. Charles

Mallet)

7:30 AM: Dr. Tommy Comeaux & Dorinne;

Col. Clark Comeaux & Catherine (living);

Col. Kimberly Fedele (living)

Thursday, September 11--Weekday

7:30 AM: Cecile Petre

Friday, September 12--The Most Holy Name of

Mary

7:30 AM: Dr. Charles Stewart

Altar Flowers

In Memory of:

Dr. Tommy Comeaux & Dorinne

Sidney & Elvina Bourdier Begnaud Family

Non-Liturgical Devotions

Daily Rosary: Monday - Friday 6:55 a.m.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena: Tuesday

7:15 a.m.

Rosary for Priests: Wednesday 7:00 a.m.

Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Thursday 7:15 a.m.

Pro-Life Rosary: 1st. Friday of the month 7 a.m.

Shamrocks—Friday, September 12: Gloria

Boudreaux; Maggie Sonnier; Stephanie Bacque;

Josette Delahoussaye; Charlotte Privat

“If two of you agree on earth

about anything for which they are to pray,

it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.”

— Matthew 18:19

Attention Young People

Pizza at St. Pat's will be having a Back to School

Bash this Sunday, September 7th, from 4 to 5:30

pm at the Parish Hall. Young people from 11 to 16

years of age are invited. Hear what the Lord has to

say about new beginnings and having a successful

school year. We will be giving out school supplies

and, of course, there will be pizza! Hope you will

join us. If you have questions, call the church office

at 237-0988. God bless!

Navigating the Spiritual Life by

Using the Means to Holiness

A Series of lectures designed to help Catholics grow in

their spiritual lives will be held on select Fridays at Our

Lady of Sorrows Retreat Center, 103 Railroad Avenue, St. Martinville. Topics and dates are as follows: Growing

in Holiness with the Eucharist (Sept. 5); Overcoming Sin

with Confession (Sept. 19); Living the Theological Virtues (Sept. 26); Practicing the Moral Virtues (Oct. 3); Growing

in Prayer (Oct. 10); Seeking Spiritual Direction (Oct. 24);

Spiritual Reading and Spiritual Grouping (Nov. 7); Living the Sacrament of the Moment and Cultivating a Desire for

God (Nov. 14); Examination of Conscience and Living by

a Holy Rule (Nov. 21). The Friday lectures are from 7:00

– 8:30 PM. There is no cost and no registration re-quired. For more information call Fr. Champagne, CJC at

(337) 394-6550.

St. Mary Church Bus Trip – Saturday, November 22

St. Mary Church, Lafayette, is offering a bus trip in No-

vember to see Christmas Lights and more in Natchitoches, LA. The group will depart on Saturday, November 22, at

7:30 a.m. and return on Sunday, November 23, at 4:00 p.m.

from Natchitoches. They will tour Immaculate Conception

Catholic Church (minor basilica) and St. Augustine Catho-lic Church (Sunday Mass), visit the Louisiana Sports Hall

of Fame and Louisiana History Museum, visit Melrose

Plantation, and be entertained by live music and fireworks and Christmas Lights on the River. Hampton Inn will be

their home for the night. Reservations need to be made

before September 22. For the cost and more information,

please contact JoAnn LeJune, St. Mary Church (981-3379) or Barbara Thibodeaux, Group Tour Director (235-3240).

Retreats at Jesuit Spirituality Center—Grand Coteau “Consider it Pure Joy: Persevering Through Life’s Tri-

als” A Day of Renewal for Women. Andrea “Andi”

Vidrine will conduct this Retreat on Saturday, September 27, 2014—9 am—4 pm (Lunch included). Fee $50.00. In

this day of reflection, those attending will look at the trials

of life in the context of our walk with Christ and explore

the contemplative prayer forms of lectio divina and art as prayer.

“An Introduction to the Directed Retreat” - Friday, Oc-

tober 10-Sunday, October 12. Mrs. Nelda Turner. Fees: $160.00 pre-registration and a non-refundable $70 registra-

tion fee are required. An Introduction to the Directed Re-

treat is designed for someone making a silent directed re-treat for the first time. Group; and individual sessions will

focus on how to pray, to journal, and to communicate pray-

er experiences with one’s director. This retreat will also

prepare participants for a longer 3, 5, 8 or 30 day retreat.

For an application form to register, visit jesuitspirituali-

tycenter.org or call 337-662-5251

Holy Hour for Vocations Please join us for our monthly “Holy Hour for Voca-

tions and for the Spiritual Renewal of All Priests” on

Monday, September 8 (due to Labor Day Holiday),

from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 406 E. Pinhook Road. Recitation of the Rosary begins at

5:30 p.m. All are welcome to join in these prayers for

vocations and perseverance of vocations to the priest-hood and religious life, sponsored by the Serra Club of

Lafayette.

Reminder—Baby Items

Next weekend is time to bring baby items to be given

away to those mothers who choose life for their babies.

Immediate need: diapers for infants and sizes 3, 4 & 5; wipes; body wash; baby lotion, diaper bags (these

items are always needed. Other items: Clothing—

Infant, Toddler; Kids sizes 4-20; Diaper Bags. The kindness of your donations help this ministry. Thanks

to all who contribute!

St. Genevieve’s 2nd Annual Blue Mass - Thursday,

September 11, 6:00 pm

All parishioners and friends of St. Genevieve Catholic

Church are cordially invited to join our first responders from around Acadiana at St. Genevieve’s 2nd Annual

Blue Mass on Thursday, September 11, at 6:00 p.m. at

St. Genevieve Catholic Church, 417 East Simcoe Street, Lafayette. We pray for those in law enforce-

ment, fire safety and emergency medical personnel and

all first responders, we remember those who have fall-

en and support those who serve. For more information, please call 234-5147.

“Gently Worn” School Uniforms Needed “School Uniform Outreach” will continue to collect

and process used uniforms. Various agencies will dis-

tribute the uniforms to the needy children in the Lafa-yette Parish Schools. Please bring your children’s out-

grown uniforms to church as soon as possible. Uni-

forms are being processed for the 2014-15 school year.

The need is great! Sizes 4-20 and all adult sizes are

needed. Shirts: red, white and navy blue, black and

green. Pants/Shorts: navy blue, black and khaki-

traditional style.

STEWARDSHIP OF THE PAST WEEK

Our Response to God’s Generosity to Us Offertory……………………..$ 3,983.66 Thank You!

Neighborly Love

We can never love our neighbor too much. —St. Francis de Sales

Date

Saturday, September 13

4:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 14

8:30 a.m.

Sunday, September 14

10:00 a.m.

Lectors

Dana Guidry Linda Garber Michael Doumit

Eucharistic

Ministers

George Eaton

Peggy Spruill

Candis Thompson

Susan Cain

Ted Hampton

Kay Hampton

Leroy Abshire

Barbara Abshire

Tami Petre

Altar Servers Merrick Stelly Melinda Voorhies Andre Arceneaux

Ushers Oren Spruill

Joyce Stelly

Rachelle Trahan

Keith Toups

Robin Roy

Lionel Jeanmard

Liturgical Roles for September

Readings for the Week

Monday Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6; Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 [18-23]

Tuesday 1 Cor 6:1-11; Ps 149:1b-6a, 9b; Lk 6:12-19

Wednesday 1 Cor 7:25-31; Ps 45:11-12, 14-17; Lk 6:20-26

Thursday 1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13; Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 23-24; Lk 6:27-38

Friday 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22b-27; Ps 84:3-6, 12; Lk 6:39-42

Saturday 1 Cor 10:14-22; Ps 116:12-13, 17-18; Lk 6:43-49

Sunday Nm 21:4b-9; Ps 78:1-2, 34-38; Phil 2:6-11; Jn 3:13-17

From the Pastor’s Desk

Earlier this week, I ran across a brief article that quoted the Late Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Martini, former archbishop of Milan, describing grace as knowing that “you have been loved for a very long time”. Yet how elu-sive that knowledge seems to be.

Countless believers, some of them quite learned, have tried to describe grace over the centuries. The clas-sical tradition even specified types of grace: actual grace, sanctifying grace, etc. And some, like the description quoted above, say much about the experience of grace. Yet grace always remains a mystery, because it is a word that points to the very heart of our relationship with God.

Last month, we celebrated the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she who was described by an angel as being ‘full of grace’. In a sense, her Assumption into the joys of heaven at the end of her life was the fulfillment of what the angel proclaimed at the Annunciation, when she who had found favor with God was invited to be-come the mother of the Savior of the world. Though dependent upon the graciousness of God, her experience as one who was ‘full of grace’ was made possible by her complete and total “Yes” to becoming the Madonna.

The same grace that was offered to Mary is offered to us. That may seem striking, but if grace is ‘being loved by God’, then we know that God loves all his children equally. While the call to service and discipleship is different for each person, and while Mary’s mission in the world was unique and salvific, God’s offer of grace does not discriminate (as we tend to do).

Our difficulty is that there seem to be many things that block us from completely receiving this momen-tous gift of God we call grace. Any list I would make would probably start with fear. For so many of us, fear is an evil, corroding thread, running through our lives. It sometimes paralyzes us, preventing us for doing what know is right and good. Other times, it drives us in directions and into actions that harm others, and harm us, making us less than we might otherwise be. We could also list pride, or ignorance, or greed/envy, and many other things. The point is that spiritual growth offers requires that we first be willing to identify those defects of character, and ask God to remove them. That is never easy.

Another Jesuit, Fr. Piet Fransen, S.J. used to define grace as “the living and loving presence of God in us, in the Church, and in the world.” Everyone and everything is beloved of God, created by him and worthy of him. When we get ‘un-blocked’, we experience being loved today, tomorrow, and for a long, long time.