By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he was greeted by cries of joy and praise – “ … they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel (Jn 12:13).’ ”
Palm Sunday, with its procession of faithful holding palms outside of the church and the reading of the Passion of Christ during Mass, kicks off a Holy Week that includes both a beginning and an end, but not in that order. Instead, it’s the end of one liturgical season and the beginning of another, according to Father Tom Ranzino, vicar general of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
“The best way to look at this is not so much how to get prepared for Holy Week but how
Way of the Cross a beginning to healing
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Where there is darkness, light shines; where there is despair, hope.
Bishop Michael G. Duca celebrated a special Way of the Cross for reparation for the sin of sexual abuse within the church April 5 at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, offering grace to survivors and asking the
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
A legislative session focused, primarily by law, on fiscal concerns will also have a bevy of other issues to consider, including significant pro-life legislation.
Perhaps the most high-profile bill is the “Love Life Amendment,” co-sponsored by Rep. Katrina Jackson and Sen. Beth Mizell, which would allow that nothing in the constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion. Additionally, the amendment would prohibit requiring funding for an abortion.
“The bill is an exciting step in the right direction,” said Danielle Van Haute, Respect
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
“Could you not stay awake one hour?”
As Lent quickly comes to a close, some may find themselves in the same perplexing situation as the disciples, when Jesus invites them to watch and pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane and admonishes them when he returns from prayer to find them asleep. People may find they have been on autopilot during Lent and are now receiving a startling “wake up” call, according to clergy of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
One of the reasons people may not
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Spend a few minutes with Kim Lopez and one is immediately struck by her love of the Catholic faith.
Artist Kim Lopez is shown holding a painting of the San Damiano cross that St. Francis was praying while receiving the stigmata. Lopez, a native of New Orleans and long-time resident of Baton Rouge, painted the cross for the John Paul II house at Christ
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
When needy children plunge their hands into the Easter grass of brightly colored baskets to retrieve their goodies, the St. Vincent de Paul Society volunteers who packed them with love and prayers say they hope their delight will lead them to discover the greater gift given to them by Jesus at his resurrection.
Abigail Alexander assembles Easter baskets at the Bon Carre Business Center in Baton Rouge.
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Spend a few minutes with Kim Lopez and one is immediately struck by her love of the Catholic faith.
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
“Could you not stay awake one hour?”
As Lent quickly comes to a close, some may find themselves in the same perplexing situation as the disciples, when Jesus invites them to watch and pray with him in the Garden
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
When Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he was greeted by cries of joy and praise – “ … they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the
(CNS) – To say that actress Ashley Bratcher is enthusiastic about her latest film project is an understatement.
“I think it’s going to change history,” she said of the real-life story upon which the film is based. “I really do. I think it’s just that impactful.”
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
A legislative session focused, primarily by law, on fiscal concerns will also have a bevy of other issues to consider, including significant pro-life legislation.
Perhaps the most high-profile bill is the “Love Life Amendment,” co-sponsored by Rep. Katrina Jackson
BREAKING GROUND
On Friday, March 29, students, alumni and friends gathered as Catholic High School in Baton Rouge broke ground for a new student center. The 32,000-square-foot
Deacon Al Levy and his wife, Dottie, cut palms from two palm trees from their well-manicured lawn of their Hammond home. Deacon Levy admitted that Dottie, who is legally blind, cares for
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Robbie Giroir, who was director of music and the organist at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge for more than 30
Bishop Michael G. Duca, right, and Chef John Folse serve up a Sicilian-style soup made by Folse during the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s “Count Your Blessings Supper” March 22 at the Our Lady of Mercy
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
When needy children plunge their hands into the Easter grass of brightly colored baskets to retrieve their goodies, the St. Vincent de
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
Tapping into the future of teaching means tapping into technology. The Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Baton Rouge is
Way of the Cross a beginning to healing
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Where there is darkness,
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
A $70,000 grant challenge issued by the widow of an active supporter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul should help accelerate the process of building a new chapel on the organization’s sprawling north Baton Rouge Campus, according to
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
An individual identified below served in the Diocese of Baton Rouge without any credible allegations having been made against them related to that service, but they have been publicly identified by other dioceses or institutes of consecrated life on reports
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Young men who might be interested in entering the seminary are invited to an upcoming vocations weekend retreat at St. Joseph Abbey in St. Benedict.
A Come and See weekend is scheduled at the abbey April 12-14 and is
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Today we may think we can’t enjoy an evening of hospitality with Jesus,
By Michael Hilborn
Special to The Catholic Commentator
The Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of Saint James, is a network of pilgrimages dating back to the beginning of
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
Lions and tigers and bears … in a hospital? Oh my!
Jennifer Shields, far left, education curator with the Baton Rouge
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
Armed with rosaries, women from the Monica’s Journey support group walked into the chapel at St. Joseph Church in Ponchatoula on the first Friday of Lent ready to
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
For 3 1/2 years, Norman Weiss would hear in his spirit, “Norm, the doors are open, come on
MAPP, LLC donated $200,000 to the Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital playhouses in the garden of the new freestanding hospital. “Our freestanding children’s hospital is built from the ground up with kids in mind,” said
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
Carol Forbes gave one final glance at her cafeteria staff at St. Aloysius School in Baton Rouge, bracing for what
Bishop Michael G. Duca tosses beads to the crowd of people attending the “Wearin’ of the Green” St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 16. Father Michael Moroney, pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs,
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
A donation from Cox Communications will allow members of the Hispanic community to develop their computer literacy skills and even learn
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
With a pep in their step and a wave of a white napkin, residents of Joseph Homes rose from their
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Getting up and leaving one’s comfort zone to follow Jesus is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges a
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Long before crossing the threshold of high school, or even taking his first steps into a
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Father Paul Yi has been appointed pastor at St. George Catholic Church in Baton Rouge effective July 1.
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Bishop Michael G. Duca is scheduled to pray the Way of the Cross on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Cathedral in reparation for the sin of sexual abuse within the church and for the graced healing
Padre Donnell Kirchner, CSSR
Paroquia de San Geraldo
La Iglesia Católica en el mundo entero, crece y se alimenta alrededor de la Eucaristía. La Eucaristía es el evento primordial y fundamental a través del cual se congregan las personas de más de 200 diferentes países
