Parish Weekly Bulletin

St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church 6425 West Metairie Avenue Metairie, Louisiana 70003

BAPTISMS: Every 2nd Sunday before/during 11AM Mass & 3rd Sunday at 12:15PM. Pre-Registration for Baptism Seminars is now required by calling 733-8980. Archdiocesan Policy on Infant Baptism: www.arch-no.org/Human Resources/Policies/Policy on Infant Baptism OR may be found on the Parish website. F I R S T R E C O N C I L I A T I O N / C O M M U N I O N & CONFIRMATION: Must have 2 consecutive years of Catholic religious instruction prior to reception of these sacraments. Contact Parish Religious Education Coordinator for further information. WEDDINGS: Contact Parish priest at least 6 to 8 months prior to planned date of marriage. Celebrated Friday evenings; Saturday mornings, early afternoons or evenings. Church Fee: $300; Chapel Fee: $100. FUNERALS: You are encouraged to celebrate funerals in our Church or Chapel. Wakes & visitation also possible. CARE OF THE SICK: Communion brought to Homebound weekly by Extraordinary Ministers of Communion. Anointing of Sick available on individual basis by appointment. CARE OF THE NEEDY: See Social Apostolate Ministry. EXPOSITION OF BLESSED SACRAMENT: Sundays, 12:15-1:15PM

Call Parish Office for further information.

PARISH OFFICE Pastor...................Rev. Christian DeLerno,Jr. Parochial Vicar……….…..Rev. Vincent Phan In Residence..Rev. Bartholomew Chukwuma Deacons..........Henry Nuss & Chuck LeBlanc Parish Secretary.......................Barbara Croy Parish Bookkeeper………....Cathleen Guidry Phone (504) 733-0922 Fax (504) 733-0869 Parish Coordinator: Susie Sullivan.733-8980 Parish Rel. Ed. Coor.: Linda Earle..733-8980 Parish Website:

www.stmarymagdalenchurch.com Parish Email Address:

magdalen@smm.nocoxmail.com PARISH OFFICE HOURS Monday-Thursday..............9:00AM - 4:00PM After hours by appointment only WEEKDAY MASS SCHEDULE Mon.- Fri., 6:30 AM & 8:30AM; Sat., 8:00 AM CONFESSIONS Saturdays, 2:30-3:30 PM WEEKEND MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil Mass - 4:00 PM Sunday Masses - 8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 AM 6:00 PM

SCHOOL OFFICE Principal……..............Mrs. Valerie Rodriguez Religion Coordinator.Mrs. Melanie Gaumond Secretary........................Mrs. Dianne Hughes Office Phone..........................(504) 733-1433 Office Fax..............................(504) 736-0727 Cafeteria............................... (504) 733-6580 BEFORE/AFTER SCHOOL CARE Co-Directors...Caren Favaloro & Shari Mader Phone.....................................(504) 733-4768 *************************************************** In Church, be sure to visit: PRO-LIFE CORNER; ADULT PARISH LENDING LIBRARY; CHILDREN’S CORNER/LIBRARY/PRAYER CENTER ************************************************** SOCIAL APOSTOLATE MINISTRY Hours: Wednesdays, 5:30PM-6:30PM Facility Entrance on W. Metairie Ave. to right of church.........................................734-5833 GIFT SHOP & PRAYER GARDEN Hours: Tues. & Fri………....1:00PM-5:00PM Saturdays.................2:00PM-5:00PM Sundays.................8:30AM-12:15PM Phone:.............................................734-5833

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

DON’T BE ANXIOUS People have, it seems, a natural penchant for misplaced emphasis on unimportant things. They can easily get caught up with what they’re having for dinner or what they will wear. Often it is a tragedy that helps people to refocus on what is really important. What I shall wear is an irrelevant question when I am facing surgery or chemotherapy. What’s for dinner is immaterial to those living through grief or unemployment. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us not to worry. He doesn’t say, “Don’t eat. Don’t cook. Don’t buy clothes.” He says, “Don’t worry.” Jesus asks us not to relinquish our responsibilities but to let go of our anxiety. Anxiety betrays a lack of trust and Jesus reminds us that “Your heavenly Father knows” all that you need (Matthew 6:32). Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

February 26, 2017

St. Mary Magdalen Parish Mission Statement St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church is called to foster a welcoming community, to form disciples for Jesus Christ and to joyfully evangelize. Unifying Vision: Walking together with Christ, igniting the Spirit within, living God’s Call.

PARISH WEEKLY BULLETIN

St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church Metairie, Louisiana February 26, 2017

Rev. Christian W. DeLerno, Jr. Vol. XXXVI, No.9 Rev. Vincent Phan

WEEKLY MASS INTENTIONS

Monday, February 27 6:30 AM Living Intention for J.A. 8:30 AM Michael Canizaro

Tuesday, February 27 6:30 AM Irene Bartholomew

Ash Wednesday, March 1 6:30 AM Gus Barbier 8:30 AM Fr. Michael Joseph Nguyen 7:00 PM Clare & George Cook, Sue Chandler

Thursday, March 2 6:30 AM Esther Barbier 8:30 AM Petey Lang

Friday, March 3 6:30 AM Barbier, Blancher & Newell Families 8:30 AM Georgianna Ely

Saturday, March 4 8:00 AM Mr/Mrs. W.D. LeDoux

Saturday, March 4 1st Sunday of Lent Vigil

4:00 PM Rosalie Couch, Bobb W. Hunley, Dee Broussard, Dean D’Arcangelo, Jerry Puyau, Aimee Marus, Walter Howat, Norma & Lance Hubble, Melanie Donnelly, John & Clare McDermott, Hazel & Harold Howat, Irma Claffey, Kevin Reynolds, Jack McEllen

Sunday, March 5 1st Sunday of Lent

8:00 AM Bertucci Family 9:30 AM SMM Parishioners 11:00 AM Dr. Gordon Landry, Harris Miller,

Madeleine Landry, Effie Sarti, Cindy Spence, St. Jude Society Prayer List, Caroline Maggio

6:00 PM Genevieve Ducote, Alice & Dewey Ponthier, Vernon Ducote, Hal Ducote

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 26, 2017 Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.— Isaiah 49:15

Jackie Markey, Teresa Lacour, Ryan Thiel, Gracelyn Chaplain, Dennis Coughlin, Jr., Kelly Fletcher Growl, Kenneth & Kevin Teen, Ben Todd, Joe Giarratano, Luca Scozzari, Evelyn Olwell, Brian Dufour, Mary Ann Meaux, Dilly Surratt, Yvonne Toups, Ryan Songy, Gayle Songy, Nathan Lopiccolo, Linda Nicholls, Sherry St. Pe, Ann Flick & Family, Rosemarie Entringer, Judge Thomas Wicker, Ivan Antunovic, Arianna Crawford, Claire Duplantier, Daphine Dufour, Gloria Robles, Melissa Glueck, Danny Adams, Allison Daigre, Olivia Sumrall, Michael Borne, Bob & Linda Veitinger, Elise Ramcourt, Jeanene Moran, Kelly Nagy, Cindy Hogman, Addison Couvillion, Jerry Fender, Linda Conran, Kayla Pelman, Nick Doize, Marcia Graff, David Robins, Ashley Clement, Wanda Adams, Jenny Mayeur, Judith Massa, Carol P. Ramos, Rosemary Pizza, Julianne Andressen, Lauretta Erwin, Ryan Olwell, Judy Copping, Mark Morice, Jessica LeBlanc, Viola Juneau, Betty Feltey, Barry Stephens, Lori Lambert, Kathryn Feltey, Frank Kent, Ray Groves, Michael Rodriguez, Kathleen E. Jones, Melanie Gaumond, Alice Rockvoan, Rose Marie Curran, Anthony James Lapinto, Louise DeLuca, Mark Lucich, Willie Arnouville, Chad Costes, Sherry Gaffney, Ray Talbot, Dean Babin, Janet Kaleher, Norvin Schexnaildre, Dianne Seman, Matthew DiBuono, Oliver Duplantier, David Williamson, Toni Landry, Musette Barrouquere, Daniel Hereford, David Williamson, Katherine Sclafani, Catherine Carlin, Edie Dorion, Carl Caffarel, Heidi Nuss, Luke Nuss, Donald Booth, Nicholas Galliano, Kristi LeBlanc, Tammy Graves Coen, Janice Childress, Nick Marzoni

PRAY FOR THE SICK OF OUR PARISH

Charles Staunton Ollie H. Duplantier, Jr.

BURIED IN CHRIST

CELEBRATING CATHOLIC FAMILIES Living the Word

8thSunday in Ordinary Time In this final week before Lent, celebrate Mardi Gras. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (March 1) Challenge everyone to “give” rather than “give up” this Lent. Giving and serving can create a new habit..

CHILDREN’S CORNER FEBRUARY: Month of Jesus loves me. Prayer Center Theme is: I can show Jesus how much I love Him by…. Put written intentions in prayer pig; they will be offered up at all Sunday Masses once a month.

Fridays in Lent at 2:30PM & 7:00 PM in Church

ASH WEDNESDAY Wednesday, March 1

Mass with Distribution of Ashes 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM and 7:00 PM

Prayer with Distribution of Ashes 12:15 PM

LENT—A TIME FOR RECONCILIATION Lent is, a time to concentrate on our faith in Jesus Christ, His life, sacrifice and relationship to us. It is also a consideration of our own lifestyles, which often blocks our vision of Christ, in our lives. Lent is a time of penance, change of habits, and atonement for our sins. It may also be a time to seek real growth through special prayer and particularly through works of charity. We are called, very clearly, to focus on RECONCILIATION. We are called to sacrifice our own self-will and stretch ourselves to forgiveness and peace with our own enemies... our own hurts. It requires great courage (self-sacrifice) to offer forgiveness and acceptance to those who have harmed us. It demands great open heartedness to accept forgiveness from those we ourselves have harmed. This work of forgiveness is only the first step - next comes true acceptance - finally comes peace and love. All of these words and the attitudes these words represent make up the sense of RECONCILIATION. In our contemporary church we suitably identify our Sacramental action of Confession as THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION. Participation in that sacrament during LENT is most suitable. The efforts of Reconciliation with our neighbors and our own selves may be the most appropriate efforts we could make this Lent. God's grace is especially available for this work during Lent.

TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION Lent, the Church’s annual pre‑baptismal retreat, prepares us to gather around the Easter font, renew our baptismal vows, and receive new life from the water as the elect are plunged into Christ’s death and resurrection. This core meaning is more or less available, depending on whether we journey with catechumens in the parish and on the vigor of our liturgical celebration of the Triduum. Some persist in seeing Lent as a lonely journey in the wilderness; yet this week we enter the Lenten fast in solidarity with one another. The smudged foreheads you will spy throughout Ash Wednesday on buses, street corners, and supermarket aisles remind you that you are hardly alone in your desire to enact a spring cleaning regime for your spiritual life. Long ago, this kind of repentance was available to Christians only once. Ashes and sackcloth were not raiment for a day, but permanent habits for public sinners. Fasting became a way of life, and if they sinned severely again, there was no hope of restored communion. Happily, this system did not endure. It produced reluctant Christians who even held back from baptism, like St. Augustine did, out of fear. Today we have recovered an ancient tradition that conversion and repentance are constant themes on life’s journey, and that Lent is an annual opportunity to revive our baptismal identity, both as individuals and communities. —Rev. James Field, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Prayer to Saint Michael, the Archangel St. Michael, Archangel defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host cast, by the power of God, into hell Satan and all evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

SMM SCHOOL & PARISH SCHOOL OF RELIGION PROGRAMS

February The students served their community by packing food for the Second Harvest Food Banks. May we be a light in darkness to our community in New Or-leans East during this Lenten season.

Envelopes (2/12) $ 6821.00 Loose Collection $ 1859.01 Total $ 8678.01 2nd Collection—Bldg & Maintenance $ 3352.00 ******************************************

LET’S PRAY FOR OUR SEMINARIANS In order to support vocations in our diocese, you are asked to add a special prayer for seminarians to your daily prayers. The best way to encourage and support our seminarians is to pray for them.

Prayer for Vocations Loving God, How awesome are your ways! Through your abundant love you bless us with gifts that can make our world holy and just. Dwell deep in our hearts that we may know how to share these gifts. Inspire many to respond generously to your call to service in the Church. May the fire of your love direct us on our journey that we may act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with you. We give you the praise and honor now and forever. Amen. ************************************************************ Readings for Sunday, March 5: First Reading — The man and the woman ate the fruit of the one tree that God had told them to avoid, and their shame overtook them (Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7). Psalm — Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned (Psalm 51). Second Reading — Death reigned from Adam to Moses, but now grace and life abound in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:12-19 [12, 17-19]). Gospel — Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit and there he fasted for forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:1-11). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

A PRAYER FOR EVERY FAMILY by St. John Paul II

God, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth de-scends, Father, who are Love and Life, ensure that every human family on earth shall become, through Your Son, Jesus Christ, "born of woman," and through the Holy Spirit, the source of divine charity, a true shrine of life and love for the generations which are always renewing them-selves. Ensure that Your grace shall guide the thoughts and the works of spouses toward the good of their families and of all families in the world. Ensure that the young gen-erations shall find firm support in the family for their hu-manity and their growth in truth and love. Ensure the love, reinforced by the grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony shall show itself to be stronger than any weakness and every crisis through which our families pass at times. Amen.

Prayer for our Men and Women in Military Service

O Prince of Peace, we humbly ask Your protection for all our men and women in military service. Give them unflinching courage to defend with honor, dignity and devotion the rights of all who are imperiled by injustice and evil. Guard our churches, our homes, our schools, our hospitals, our factories, our buildings and all those within from harm and peril. Protect our land and its peoples from enemies within and without. Grant an early peace with victory founded upon justice. Instill in the hearts and minds of men and women everywhere a firm purpose to live forever in peace and good will toward all. Amen.

PRAYER LIST FOR SERVICE MEN & WOMEN We pray for those in our parish who are fighting over-

seas for our country and against terrorism. SPC Donald Monteleone, Jr.,Air National Guard; Sgt. Brian Lane, Lt. Col. Jason E. Burkett, USMC; Mat-thew J. Scott, USN; Seth Restivo, Evan Lina; PFC Kenny Grunberg; Lt. Spencer Farmer, Army Rang-ers; PFC Matthew Ballard; Lt. Joseph Bush, US Army; GySgt Albert Latour Jr., USMC; Maj. Ignacio Assasf, USANG; Sgt. Matt Llewelan, USANG; SPC Derek Vial, US Army; MN3 Ethen Meyers, Michael J. Cristie, Sp. Serv., Brian Calvo, US Army; SPC Scott Hale, PFC Scott Hale, USMC

WEEKLY COLLECTION

Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday by all Catholics who are 18 years of age but not yet 59. Those who are bound to fast may take only one full meal. Two smaller meals are permitted if necessary to maintain strength according to each one’s needs, but eating solid food between

meals is not permitted. Abstinence from meat is to be ob-served by all Catholics 14 years or older on Ash Wednes-day and all Fridays of Lent. The determination of certain days as obligatory days of penance should not be under-stood as limiting the occasions for Christian penance. The spirit of the season of Lent should be maintained through-out the weeks of Lent. The obligation to observe peniten-tial days of the Church is serious. Failure to observe indi-vidual days of penance is not necessarily considered seri-ous. People should seek to do more rather than less, since fast and abstinence on the days prescribed should be considered a minimal response to the Lord’s call to penance and conversion of life. should be considered a minimal response to the Lord’s call to penance and con-version of life.

Monday, February 27—Lundi Gras Rectory & Parish Offices CLOSED NO Parish School of Religion Classes Tuesday, February 28—Mardi Gras Rectory & Parish Offices CLOSED Wednesday, March 1-Ash Wednesday Confessions in Church, 5:30-6:45 PM Social Services Building open from 5:30PM-6:30PM Thursday, March 2 FOCCUS Survey for Engaged Couples,Rm28 7:00 PM Friday, March 3 Daytime Way of the Cross in Church 2:30 PM Way of the Cross in Church 7:00 PM Saturday, March 4 Rosary after Mass in Chapel 8:30 AM Confessions in Church, 2:30-3:30 PM 2nd Collection - Building & Maintenance Fund Sunday, March 5 2nd Collection - Building & Maintenance Fund Family Mass 9:30 AM Adoration of Blessed Sacrament, 12:15-1:15 PM

THIS WEEK IN OUR PARISH

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION The Archdiocesan Golden Anniversary Celebration will take place on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 3:00 PM in St. Philip Neri Church, Metairie, for all cou-ples married 50 years this year. This ceremony will be a Prayer Service, not a Mass. Attendance of Mass for Sunday obligation must be met within one’s par-ish. To register call 733-8980 before March 1. SACRAMENT OF THE SICK

HOMEBOUND MINISTRY The Sacrament of the Sick is of-fered to any parishioner or those who live within our parish boundaries (before surgery, during an illness, in any kind of physical or emotional need, etc). Also, if a parishioner becomes homebound for any length of time (due to surgery, recovery from an accident, se-rious illness, hospice care, etc) you may request communion be brought to you by one of our Home-Bound Ministers. Please call the rectory office to re-quest either of these services.

SMM WEBSITE UPDATE The weekly bulletin, as well as parish events are also posted on the parish website. Go to: www.stmarymagdalenchurch.com

LENTEN MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN CHURCH

A variety of Lenten materials may be found at all church entrances. You are invited to take advantage of this special reading material to help make your Lenten experience more spiritually fulfilling.

SMM SCHOOL—COUGAR NEWS Please keep our 7th grade class in your prayers. They will be on their 7th grade trip to Washington, D.C. March 3rd-March 6th. Our 7th graders also find out their acceptance to high school this week.

ATTENTION ALL HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS AND PARENTS In order to be eligible to be confirmed in 2018, Candidates and Par-ents must attend a MAN-DATORY Meeting on Sun-day, MARCH 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM in Massett Hall. This meeting is ONLY open to interested, unconfirmed students who are presently in the 10th or 11th grades attending a Catholic High School or Catho-lic Parish High School of Religion Program for at least the last 2 years. Pre-registration is not required.

LENTEN CONFESSION SCHEDULE: ASH WEDNESDAY, 5:45-6:30 PM

Wednesdays, March 22, 29, April 5, from 5-6:30 PM

Saturday, April 8 from 2:00-3:30PM Wednesday, April 12 from 5-7 PM

NO Confessions on Good Friday or Holy Saturday