From Our Administrator

August is Mother Mary’s month, during which we celebrate the feast of her assumption, body and soul, into heaven. For our diocesan family, however, and our friends, we have the added joy of celebrating (on that day, Aug. 15) our Cajun heritage, in particular Mary’s protection and guidance of our people since arriving here after an enforced journey of faith, from France (for a majority of our ancestors), through Acadiana in Canada, through the upper eastern U.S., to this blessed land, flowing, not with milk and honey, but fish and fowl, and oil and gas aplenty!

The visible witness to that faith is the line of churches dotting the bayous and our towns and cities. I invite you to join us at St. Hilary of Poitiers Church in Mathews, on Mary’s feast, at 6 p.m., for our annual Mass for People of French Heritage, celebrated in French, and to renew our devotion to Mary and her son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have the fullness of life!

We never needed Mary more than the present moment in our nation, when such division is evident in the debate over the value of life itself, and the esteem due to every created soul, made in the image and likeness of God, destined for eternity with him, and Mother Mary, after completing the unique life journey mapped out by God himself, before time even began! No one, no matter the circumstances, has the right to second guess the creator as to whose life is to be lived or not!

During the Mass of the Assumption we recall, in the Gospel of Luke, how Mary, a model for every anxious, worried or fearful parent to be, sought out her older cousin, Elizabeth, to ensure she was in good health to deliver her unexpected pregnancy to fulfillment. This, despite her own fear at being pregnant outside marriage, knowing her community might ostracize her. But listen to her prayer when they met at Elizabeth’s front door. Though nervous, confused, even fearful, Mary prayed: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices (note that verb) in God my savior because he has regarded the humility of his handmaid and behold, from henceforth, all generations will call me blessed.” For He, who is mighty, has done great things for me, and holy is His name.”

Mary put her trust in God’s divine providence and gave birth to a son, Jesus Christ, who would change human history! All this because Mary, accepting her pregnancy, placed more value on the life she was carrying than on her own life. I offer Mary as a model of faith and hope to anyone who has ever experienced an abortion, or who feels so desperate that there is no other way out of a present pregnancy. I also appeal for all of us to reverence the dignity of every person and not to engage in destructive commentary of name calling as the debate continues. Instead, I invite you to ask all who engage you to pray a decade of the rosary asking Mary to make us a caring, compassionate, non-judgmental community, where no one will feel rejected but where we offer support and services for any new child born in need.

If you, dear reader, know of anyone who has had, or helped someone to secure an abortion, encourage them to contact a priest, come celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, and receive the grace which removes any guilt or shame in the memory, and allows Mary to embrace them again, as full members of her son, Christ’s body, the church! There are also agencies in our community which deserve our support, morally and financially, who provide excellent supportive advice, service and resources for anyone with an unintended pregnancy. Men are as welcome there as women. One such agency is Crossroads Pregnancy Resource Center in Thibodaux.

Now to return to last month’s message. May I remind you we are celebrating a period of eucharistic revival, and I again invite you to find time to visit Jesus in the church, especially to celebrate his eucharistic love at holy Mass, as often as possible, to encourage family members to come at least once a week; to worship and receive the graces we all need in these troubled times, and to stay close to Jesus, who yearns for our loving response to his unconditional love for us! I offer the prayer which closed my message last month for your usage: “Lord Jesus, present to us in the Eucharist, we place our trust in you; make us signs of your presence.”

A very blessed and Happy Assumption Day to you all. God bless!