St Joseph Catholic Church

From September 30 , 2019 - October 28, 2019, we are collecting our Spiritual Bouquet for the November Rachel's Vineyard Retreat! Consider what prayer/offering you might add into your prayer life for our retreatants. Send your prayer(s) or offering(s) to the Respect Life Office (respectlife@arch-no.org) anytime BEFORE Monday October 28, 2019. I will create a Spiritual Bouquet booklet for those making the November 1, 2, 3 retreat. Let's cover those making the retreat in prayer!

Remember to check your smoke detectors!!

Dear Parishioners: Cross Catholic Outreach wishes to thank you for the welcome you extended to Fr. O'Malley on our recent visit to your parish. On behalf of the poorest of the poor, we thank you for having shared in their lives. May our Lord continue to bless all of you for your love and support. Yours In Christ, Jim Cavnar, President CCO.

Father Herb Bennerfield, Pastor of St Joseph Church in Patterson, will be leading a pilgrimage to the Oberammergau Passion Play from September 30 through October 10, 2020. Other highlights of the pilgrimage include visits to Fussen, Germany, home of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, Oktoberfest in Munich, Mass at Our Lady of Victory in Prague (home of the Infant Jesus of Prague), Our Lady of Czestochowa (the Black Madonna), Auschwitz (martyrdom site of Sts. Maximillian Kolbe and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), convent of St Faustina and shrine of Divine Mercy, and various sites associated with St. John Paul II during the 100th anniversary year of his birth. For further details please pick up a flyer in church or contact Fr. Herb Bennerfield at (985) 395-3616 for more details.

ATTENTION MEN OF ST JOSEPH, ST ANTHONY, & ALL THE CATHOLIC CHURCHES OF THE WESTBANK Are you looking to deepen your relationship with God? Be a better husband? Become a more loving father? Build friendships with other like-minded men? And seek to be the best man you can be? Then Come Join… That Man is You! FRIDAY Mornings Starting on September 6TH, 2019 6:20 to 7:30 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17 Session 1: The Issue is Leadership ● Story of Failed Leadership ● How Leadership Affects our Society ● A Focus on Leadership ● What is Authentic Leadership ● The Three Wisdoms ● Intellectual and Spiritual Formation ● Bringing Others Along This Journey Session 2: The Price of Failed Leadership ● Fidelity Statistics ● Consequences of Infidelity ● The Story of King David ● Family, Children and Church Affected by Infidelity ● The Media’s Role in Forming Society ● Shocking Media Statistics ● The Issue is Failed Male Leadership Session 3: The Four Leadership Roles of Men ● Origin and Hierarchy of the Four Leadership Roles ● Fruits of Fulfilled Leadership Roles ● Marriage is Good for Your Bottom Line ● Shaping the Foundation for the Future ● Joys and Blessings of Marriage ● Peace is in the Balance Session 4: The Five Traits of Authentic Leaders ● How to Fulfill Your Leadership Roles ● Five Traits of Authentic Leader ● Moral Leadership is Cornerstone ● What We Can Learn from Kind David ● The Responsibility of Adam ● Adam’s Failed Responsibility and the Consequences ● Taking Responsibility for Our Actions Session 5: Steadfast Leadership ● Clarity of Thought and Integrity of Action ● King Solomon’s Rise and Fall ● Remaining Steadfast in Thought and Action ● Mother Theresa as an Example ● Saints Have to Start Somewhere Session 6: Attaining Clarity of Thought ● Clarity of Thought for Mother Teresa ● God is Found in Communion ● Promise of Christ ● Jesus Christ is Present in the Spousal Union ● The Blessing of Fruitfulness ● God is Present in the Midst of Family Life Session 7: Developing Integrity of Action ● The Church Guides Us in the Finding of God in The Family ● Integrity of Action in the Home ● The Issue is Freedom ● The Enslavement of Sin ● Freedom in Christ ● The Challenge of the Christian Marriage Session 8: Laying a Foundation for the Future ● Selfishness Versus Selflessness ● Education and Family are Engines for Economic Expansion ● The Family and Human Capital ● Family Dinner is Essential ● Reality of Peer Pressure ● The Family Forms Children as Foundation for Future Session 9: The Willingness to Pay the Price ● Christ Perfectly Fulfilled Authentic Leadership ● Life and Death of Christ ● The Ultimate Teaching of Christ ● Failure in Eyes of the World ● Christ in the Four Leadership Roles ● Leaders Pay the Price and Christ Paid the Ultimate Price ● Only Authentic Leadership is Fruitful Session 10: Authentic Leadership in the Home ● Must Find and Adore God in the Home ● Holy Family as Our Example ● Saint Joseph, Patriarch of the Holy Family ● Joseph as Image of the Bridegroom and the Merciful Father ● Servant Leadership ● How the Domestic Church Changed Rome ● Authentic Leadership Can Transform the World Section 11: The Death of the West ● The Atheistic Western Model ● Culture Shaped by Education and Media ● Education and Media affect Marriage, Faith and Fertility ● Secularization of Europe as a Case Study ● When Men Are Given a Pass, Society Suffers ● JP II’s Warning to the West Section 12: The Cry of the Child ● POW Example of Facing the Brutal Truth ● How Men Have Succumbed to Temptation ● The Attack on Fatherhood is Real and Relentless ● A Father’s Legacy ● The Story of Eminem ● Failed Leadership Always Has a Personal Price Section 13: A New Day for Men ● Saint John Paul II Shows the Power of True Leadership ● JP II Sets Foundation for Family in the Third Millennium ● The Seven Last Words and JP II ● JP II Was Faithful Unto Death ● Fruit of JP II’s Leadership is the New Springtime ● Crossing the Threshold of Hope ● The Triumph of Mercy

A Call to Battle: Catholic Men's Conference, presented by Men of Immaculata, is held annually in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the first Saturday of Lent. This nationally recognized conference draws over a thousand men from across the Gulf Coast to experience a day of prayer, worship, world-reknown Catholic speakers, and fellowship. The 2020 Call to Battle Conference, titled "What is Truth?" features key note speakers, Fr. Wade Menezes (Fathers of Mercy), from EWTN Television and Radio, Catholic Bible Scholar and Author, Jeff Cavins, and dynamic parish priest, Fr. Mark Beard, of the Diocese of Baton Rouge. In exploring the question, "What is Truth?" posed to Jesus by Pilate in the Gospel of John 18:38, this conference will expose the distorted view of relativism in the modern world and clearly reveal the Truth, Who is Jesus Christ. With keynote talks by our featured speakers, Mass with Bishop Michael Duca, lunch by chef John Folse, and 1200 men praying the Rosary, this is an event that will ignite the Holy Spirit within all in attendance. In addition, there will be time for fellowship with other Catholic men, to discover ministries and resources in the exhibit area and experience the Lord's mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconcilation offered throughout the day. Early discount ticket pricing of $50 for adults and $25 for students (ages 13-24) is available through December 29th, 2019. On December 30th, tickets price increase to $60/$30 while available. Demand for this annual conference is always high and with limited seating, this conference will sell out early. Don't wait to reserve your tickets, get yours today! Begin your Lent with over 1000 brothers in Christ! Join us in Baton Rouge, St. George Church on Saturday, February 29th,2020 for the 4th Annual Men of Immaculata: A Call to Battle Conference - "What is Truth?"

As a ministry of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Catholic Counseling Service provides ongoing support to our local community through affordable quality counseling with a unique perspective that upholds the richness of our Catholic faith. Understanding that each person has God-given dignity and inherent goodness, we accompany our clients on their journey towards healing and change. Making the decision to start counseling can be difficult. Let us accompany you on the journey by speaking confidentially with one of our intake coordinators. The intake coordinator will collect necessary information and match you with one of our counselors—who will contact you personally for an appointment. We provide services in three locations: Main Office:2814 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118 North Shore: 4465 Highway 190 East Service Rd, Covington, LA 70433 Laplace: 799 Fairway Dr., Laplace, LA 70068 To speak with someone or to make an appointment please call Catholic Counseling Service at (504) 861-6245 or email us at CCS@arch-no.org. Appointments are available day or evening, and all inquiries are completely confidential.

Join us on a 15-day Pilgrimage in the Footsteps of St. Paul through Turkey and Greece October 16 – October 30, 2019 In Turkey, we will visit the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse, Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus, and the House of Our Lady. In Greece, we will visit Philippi, Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Athens. Tour includes all air flights, daily Mass, all meals, first class hotels, guides, etc. Father Gary Copping from St. Joseph Church in Gretna will be our Spiritual Guide. For a detailed itinerary or more information, contact Carol Becnel, (504) 330-3415.

The International Day of the Unborn Child is celebrated on March 25, in conjunction with the Feast of the Annunciation. First officially celebrated in Argentina in 1999 under the Pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II, this day is a celebration of the value and dignity of every human person from the moment of conception, as well as a day of remembrance for those unborn children who have lost their lives to the violence of abortion. The Holy Father linked this day to the feast of the Annunciation to honor the day when God was conceived and became an unborn child in the womb of Our Blessed Mother. Though celebrated in conjunction with the feast of the Annunciation, the Day of the Unborn Child is not an exclusively Catholic or Christian event. Any pro-life group, whether affiliated with a faith or not, is welcome and encouraged to participate in local events or form their own events to celebrate human life. How is it celebrated worldwide? This feast has been celebrated in many different ways throughout the world by churches, pro-life groups, schools, etc. Many Churches pray the Rosary or offer a Mass or Holy Hour for the preborn. Some groups spiritually adopt unborn children and pray for them and their mothers. Rosary processions or prayerful marches to abortion clinics or government buildings are also good ways to celebrate this day. Some Churches hold fundraisers, such as a banquet or baby shower, in which proceeds go to support local pro-life groups or crisis pregnancy centers. HLI actively promotes this day worldwide by coordinating and sending representatives to events such as Masses and prayer vigils for life, educational seminars and conferences on life and the family, pro-life rallies and marches, etc. in many different countries throughout the world. To find out what kinds of Day of the Unborn Child events are in your area, check with your local pro-life groups, churches, or Knights of Columbus Councils to see if they have anything planned, or visit the Day of the Unborn Child website: http://dayoftheunbornchild.com/, and search for “Events.” Don’t miss this day to celebrate the gift of human life! How can I celebrate this day? +Spiritually adopt an unborn child and pray for him and his mother for nine months. +Organize local Marches for Life or Rosary processions to abortion clinics or government buildings. +Hold a fundraiser for pro-life groups or crisis pregnancy centers. Offer a Mass or a prayer vigil for life. +Organize a Life Chain in your town. +Pray outside an abortion clinic. +Host a pro-life movie night. +Pass out pro-life literature at your church. +Set up a “cemetery of the innocents” somewhere in your community to witness to all the lives lost because of abortion.