By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
World Refugee Day in Baton Rouge is expanding as organizers attempt to include the community in appreciating the richness refugees bring to the city, said Jean Dresley, Director of Refugee Settlement for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
Rather than the traditional one-day event, as it has been for years, the annual celebration will kick off June 14 with the showing of the documentary “This is Home: A Refugee Story” at 6:30 p.m. at the theatre at the Bishop Robert E. Tracy Center.
Following the showing of the film a panel discussion will be held, and will include a refugee, a representative from CCDBR discussing resettlement and an attorney addressing legal implications of being a refugee.
Admission is $5 to view the documentary, which chronicles the lives of four Syrian families who resettled in
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Perched atop a meandering crescent of the Mississippi River sits St. Gabriel Church in St. Gabriel, the river is a welcome mat to one of the oldest and historic churches in the state.
The community was founded in 1768 and by 1771 the original church was completed, a structure still standing although the invading river has forced relocation of the building on several occasions.
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
From construction to customer service, employers in need of employees gathered recently at the Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge to discuss challenges and possibilities for formerly incarcerated men looking for jobs. The luncheon, sponsored by Joseph Homes of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, was the first step in opening the door for communicating needs on both sides of the table.
Joseph Homes provides housing for homeless ex-offenders. One of the requirements for residing in the temporary affordable housing is employment.
“It’s very difficult looking for a job
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
St. Vincent de Paul Society blessed the present and offered a view into the future during a duel
The Diocese of Baton Rouge issued a statement May 30 on the arrest of Father Desmond Ohankwere MSP, a former pastor at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Donaldsonville.
Father Ohankwere was pastor in the parish from October 2014, to July 31, 2018.
The diocese was
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
As Catholic school students throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge bask in the glow of summer, enjoying a break from schoolwork, teachers are heading back to class to learn more about the Catholic faith. Since 2011, the Catholic Schools Office
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
World Refugee Day in Baton Rouge is expanding as organizers attempt to include the community in appreciating the richness refugees bring to the city, said Jean Dresley, Director of Refugee Settlement for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
A series of bills approved in several states, especially in the South, have given momentum to the pro-life movement but have also escalated tensions, said Danielle Van Haute, pro-life director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.
Statewide,
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
From construction to customer service, employers in need of employees gathered recently at the Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge to discuss challenges and possibilities for formerly incarcerated men looking for jobs. The luncheon, sponsored by Joseph Homes of Catholic Charities
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
At the height of his wrestling match with God over whether to pursue a vocation to the priesthood, Father John
The gifts of the Holy Spirit
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Scriptures record a spectacular
I know you probably thought this day might never come when you first started, and now it is here. You are now to be ordained a priest.
You can rightly say
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Perched atop a meandering crescent of the Mississippi River sits St. Gabriel Church in St. Gabriel, the river is
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
The Catholic CommentatorJubilant sounds of “Laudate, Laudate Dominum” heralded Father John Minh Vu and Father Timothy Andrew Grimes’ approach to the altar at Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge where Bishop
Water from the Mississippi River topping its bank in the Morganza/Innis area were encroaching ever closer to Highway 1 on June 2, top left. The U.S. Army Corps
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Father Tim Grimes’ mission is clearly defined as he embarks on his priestly ministry.
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
As seniors from Catholic high schools throughout the Diocese of Baton Rouge clean out backpacks, donate used uniforms and hang up their caps and gowns from graduation, many can finally take the time to sit back and reflect on their
Volunteer creates beauty at St. Anthony
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
Jack Nelson, pictured left, principal at St. George School in Baton Rouge and winner of the 2019 National Catholic Educational Association’s Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award, joins Dr. Melanie Verges, superintendent for Catholic schools in the Diocese of Baton
Sister Benedicta Berger SCSC, age 97, of Merrill, Wisconsin, died March 31 at Bell Tower Residence Assisted Living and Ministry Hospice. Sister Benedicta (Harriet Louise) was born Dec. 24, 1921, to Frederick and Clara (Wolf)
Several seminarians from the Diocese of Baton Rouge celebrated their graduation from St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict on May 10. From left are Joseph Bresowar, James Vu, Jeremy Lopez, Albert Blount, Michael Graugnard and
Bishop Michael G. Duca announced the appointment of Father Brad Doyle as parochial vicar of St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Albany, and chaplain of St. Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional High School in Hammond.
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
What began as a quirky idea among two high school buddies reverberated from Baton Rouge to New Orleans to New York City.
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Digging into history is more than a favorite pastime for Father Frank Uter, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in
Sister Bertrand Lieux CSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph for 72 years, passed away at Mount St. Mary Convent in Wichita, Kansas, on Tuesday, April 9 at the age of 88. Sister Bertrand was born in
By Bonny Van
The Catholic Commentator
Volunteers were honored during the annual Mother Seton Award luncheon May 7, hosted by the Diocesan Home and School Association
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
In a society loaded with “options,” it may appear young Catholics are drifting from the faith looking for “something better.” But there’s hope that through
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Stuffed crabs were strategically placed, alongside boiled crawfish and snuggling up to boiled shrimp.
Deacon John Minh Vu celebrates graduation day, May 9, with his parents Kim and Cuony Mai Vu. Deacon Vu graduated cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree from Notre Dame Seminary Graduate School of Theology
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – “Everyday Heroes,” a Knights of Columbus documentary offering an unfiltered look at heroism in our day, begins a six-week run on ABC affiliates across the country, Sunday, May 19. Through short biographical vignettes supported by interviews and original footage shot in the United States, Canada and
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
Two seminarians are scheduled to be ordained priests to the Diocese of Baton Rouge on May 25, signaling what could be an uptick in the number of vocations.
For the next three years, two new priests are scheduled to
By Richard Meek
The Catholic Commentator
State lawmakers have granted early approval for a trio of pro-life bills that are now in varying stages of the legislative process.
Perhaps the bill with most impact, Rep. Katrina Jackson’s proposed “Love Life Amendment” that would mandate there
By Debbie Shelley
The Catholic Commentator
Isaac Jones and wife, Norma, displaced from New Orleans to Houston for a period following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, suffered numerous
