News - January 2021 RSS Feed

This week, Catholic dioceses throughout the United States celebrates Catholic Schools Week. The theme this year is “Catholic Schools: Faith, Excellence, Service.” For ninety (90) years St. Peter School has lived up to the theme of faith, excellence, service. St. Peter School has a specific purpose to form students to be good citizens of the world, to love God and neighbor, and enrich society with the leaven of the gospel by example of faith. The Catholic Schools Week logo emphasizes that the Catholic school, like the Catholic Church, is not a building or an institution, but it is the people. As the people of God, we work together to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth and raise up the next generations to do the same. The image of teachers and students forming the foundation of the school shows that they are active people of faith who serve others and God.

The Ladies Altar Society is still an important ministry of St. Peter Parish. Monies collected and members help to maintain the sanctuary and some other areas of the interior of the church. If you want to be a part of this ministry, dues of $10 can be put in the collection basket at Mass or brought to the rectory. This helps to provide income to continue to fund projects like purchasing flowers for special occasions, altar and cleaning supplies. Also, we are in need of some ‘younger’ members to add to some of our monthly cleaning teams (mostly to help with vacuuming the sanctuary). This commitment is just for one month a year. If you’d like to help, please call Peggy Bienvenu @ 504-487-8769

If last week’s Gospel story and this week’s Gospel sound familiar, it is because they are. Last week, we listened to the version from the Gospel of John (1:35- 42). Today we hear the version from the Gospel of Mark (1:14- 20). Simon and Andrew were followers of John the Baptist and were attracted to his message about the coming of the Messiah. It is John the Baptist who tells them to follow Jesus; and they did. Secondly, the fact that Jesus was named the Lamb of God by John is a significant passing on the torch to build the new kingdom. All that being said, it is still mystifying that the disciples simply walked away from their fishing business to follow Jesus.

Ordinary Time has begun. It will last until we begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, which is February 17th. Today’s Gospel features Jesus calling His first disciples. The invitation is welcoming and intriguing: “Come, and you will see.” How are we called by the Lord? The Lord has called us all here today on this Sunday in the middle of January and so we have come together to listen to God’s word and to receive our Lord in the Eucharist. How is the Lord speaking to us today?

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which concludes the Christmas season. The emphasis on Jesus’ baptism comes at the end of today’s Gospel reading with a voice from the heavens saying, “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The magi from the East relied on a single star as a sign that a king had been born. The heavens revealed to these learned foreigners that a matter of great import had occurred in Judea. Every Epiphany we hear the endless extent of God’s goodness. Isaiah joyfully foretells of the light that emerges from darkness at the coming of Christ. Saint Paul reminds his listeners that, whether Gentile or Jew, they are all a part of the one body of Christ—the Church. The magi from the East, in the Gospel, remind us that Christ, our Light, has come to dispel the darkness of sin and death and to remain with us forever