15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Parishioners,

We come today to listen to God’s Word and celebrate the Eucharist. Gathered in this place, we look around and see our neighbors. Many of them are people much like us. The neighbor in today’s Gospel—the Good Samaritan—is not. Samaritans were seen as outcasts by the Jewish people who frequented the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. It was this foreigner, this outsider, this stranger, who is the true neighbor to the Jewish victim. As we hear Jesus tell us this parable, may it expand our understanding of “neighbor” as it moves our hearts to reach out to those not like us.

Next weekend, our parish and parishes throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans and diocese in the United States, will take up the 138th annual National Black and Indian Mission Collection. This collection helps build the Church in African American, Native American, and Alaska Native communities from coast to coast. The Archdiocese of New Orleans benefits from grants funded by the collection.

Each year, every parish in the United States participates in the Missionary Cooperative Plan. For the last two years there was no one speaking for a particular Mission because of the pandemic. This year we will have a representative for the Apostles of Jesus. He will speak at all the Masses the weekend of July 23rd and 24th. More information will be in next week’s bulletin.

Have a Blessed Week!