"Greetings! My name is Sterling Stafford, and I've loved worshipping with you at St. Joseph and St. Anthony. I'm spreading the word about the mission I'm joining August, called Christ in the City. (https://christinthecity.org/) I was drawn to serve with CIC because I love helping the people who go unseen in society. I'll be serving the poor and homeless in Denver, CO by meeting them on the streets with compassion, service, and care, just as Jesus did. I have to raise $10,000 to fund this amazing mission, and I'm looking for people who'd like to help me support the homeless. If you're interested in donating or simply learning why this mission is so good, please call or text me at 504-982-3339 or email slingshots123@gmail.com. You can also donate or learn more about me and my vision at my personal link, https://christinthecity.org/sterling/ . When I share conversations and meet with the homeless, who struggle daily to find hope and dignity in life, Jesus shows me His loving and generous heart for all people, especially the poor. I know the same will happen if you join. With God's Peace, Sterling Stafford

O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord! Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war, you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love. We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us, calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid. That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal help! Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer. Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war. Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation. Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world. Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness. Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons. Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love. Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity. Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world. O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts. May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside. Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus, seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty. Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties and hopes of the world. Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. Amen.

Franciscan at Home (FAH) is a new resource the Archdiosese is offering parishes and schools for FREE that provides a very accessible way for catechists/teachers and leaders to engage in catechist formation. For more information, including step-by-step instructions on how to set up and use this new resource, visit https://noladceff.org/fah. You don't even have to be a catechist to use this resource. You can use it to build up your knowledge of the Faith. It is FREE to all.

My Dear Parishioners, It gives me great joy to share with you that our parish has a subscription to FORMED, a premier online platform filled with over 4,000 Catholic studies, movies, audio dramas, talks, e-books, and even cartoons for our children. FORMED has content from over 60 apostolates, including Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press, and the Knights of Columbus, with material that is professionally produced, engaging, and solid in its catechism. Best of all, this material is FREE to you. Our parish will be using the material on FORMED to support our ministries and provide continuing education for staff members and parishioners, as well as outreach for our sick and homebound members. Much of FORMED’s content is available in both English and Spanish. You have easy access to all of the material on FORMED to support your own faith journey and that of your family members. Are you hesitant to return to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after a long absence? Watch Forgiven: The Transforming Power of Confession. Would you like to be more confident in answering your teenagers’ questions about the validity of the Gospels? Watch Lectio: The Case for Jesus. Do you search for a reliable source of Catholic teaching on current issues? Tune in each week to The Augustine Institute Show with Dr. Tim Gray. Have you despaired of finding good movies that your family can enjoy together on a Friday night? Start with Mother Teresa, the story of the selfless saint who brought hope and love to the poorest of the poor.  You can enjoy FORMED on your computer or on your television with an inexpensive Roku device or Apple TV. You can even listen on your phone as you commute to work or do chores.  My hope and prayer is that the content on FORMED will enrich, deepen, and inspire your faith. Please pray for our benefactors who have made a FORMED subscription a reality for our parish. Please pray for the people at the Augustine Institute who create this wonderful and much-needed Catholic content for our people. May the good Lord bless you and all of your loved ones! Rev. Fr. Gary Copping To gain access to all of FORMED’s content, follow these simple steps:  · Go to https://signup.formed.org/  · Enter our parish’s zip code · Enter your name and your email address That’s it! You’re in. Now you can get the free FORMED app for your phone by searching FORMED Catholic in your app store.

Deacon Oscar Dennis Alegria Sr. has been a resident on the Westbank for the past 50 plus years. He has been married to his dear lovely wife, Lilian M. Alegria, for the past 40 years. He is the father of three children: Oscar Jr., Johanna, and Lilianita, who have blessed him and his wife with seven grandchildren. At a young age, Deacon Oscar came from Honduras C.A. to the USA in 1967 and he has made his roots here in New Orleans to the present time. He attended middle school at Live Oaks Junior High, high school at Warren Easton, and, in his later years, Delgado Community College School of Nursing and graduated from Delta Community School of Business. Deacon Oscar is semi-retired and currently an employee at East Jefferson General Hospital. In the year 2000 and continuing until he entered the diaconate formation period, Oscar began serving in the Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal (HCCR) of New Orleans. Deacon Oscar was ordained with the class of 2018 as a Permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and served at Immaculate Conception in Marrero for three years, and recently given a new assignment to serve at both communities of St Joseph and St Anthony Churches. Deacon Oscar states, "I am thankful for the warm and affectionate welcoming Father Gary and the parishioners have given me. I am so very excited to start serving and ministering as a Permanent Deacon for both communities."

A personal PA allows parishioners to use their own audio device to listen to priest/speaker/lector so that they may hear what is being said. The sound is broadcast on 72.9MHz which is a FM frequency (although not on the regular radio which is 87 to 109MHz). We have headphones at the entrances of the Church for general use along with wipes to sanitize units before and after use. Devices can also be purchased from William Sound retailers, online retailers, EBay, and the like. Some cheaper units are available for purchase from Parish Office. In general, the device allows the listener to control the volume and hear better what is being audibly conveyed. These devices are not necessarily for those whose hearing is impaired but also for those who want to hear more clearly and distinctly what is being said. The better the device and/or earphones; the better the sound quality. It is well worth the investment to get something that allows one to hear better. Our Church is like a cave with an echo. It is great for concerts and chorales but not so great for public addresses. Bad acoustics, area of seating, and other factors affect how we hear. This system will help us all out. These PA devices help eliminate a lot of the interference that comes from these negative factors. If interested in utilizing this system, speak to your Pastor, Fr. Gary.

St Joseph Church & Shrine is located in the heart of Old Towne Gretna, the municipal seat of Jefferson Parish Government. We are blessed to have a wonderful Police Department, Volunteer Fire Service, and Government here in Gretna. We honor our First Responders (Military, EMS, and Police) by our statue of St Michael the Archangel. Fr. Gary, upon being stationed here, saw a niche to honor our other First Responders in Government and the Fire Service by working on bringing in statues of St Thomas More and St Florian. St Thomas More was a judge, lawyer, and statesman. St Thomas More was Lord Chancellor, the second highest position in England from October 1529 to May 1532. He was a man loyal to his country and his Church. He refused, however, to recognize King Henry VIII's divorce from his wife, Catherine of Aragorn, to remarry his mistress, Anne Bolyn, and to recognize Henry VIII as supreme head over the church in England by taking the Oath of Supremacy. Not to take the Oath was seen as treason and Sir Thomas More's silence and conscientious objection to Henry VIII's remarriage and schism made him, in the eyes of the State, a traitor. He was sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Henry, though in an act of “mercy”, commuted More's sentence to mere decapitation. More climbed the scaffold to be beheaded and said, “I die his Majesty's good servant, but God's first.” St Thomas More was martyred on July 6, 1535. Sir Thomas More became St Thomas More on May 19, 1935 thus becoming the Patron Saint of lawyers, judges, and public servants. He is also the Patron Saint of adopted children and difficult marriages. We blessed our new statue before the 4:00 Vigil Mass on September 11, 2021, the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in honor of our First Responders, those who lost their lives and those that give their lives for us on a daily basis. St Thomas More reminds us of many things. We can conscientiously disagree with the way things are and still be good citizens. We can stand firm in our beliefs on the sanctity of marriage as God intended the Covenant to be honored. We should place our relationship with God as higher than our relationship to Government, especially when Government tries to contradict our core beliefs and inalienable human rights of life, liberty, and security of person. And we must follow our conscience (as long as it is a well informed conscience). All we have to do is to look at our world today and see how much it is in need of God's help and St Thomas More's intercession. All three branches of our Government could stand some reform. Hopefully, through our prayers to God and the intercession of St Thomas More, our Country, State, and local Governments can enact and uphold laws that are in accordance with God's Will and for the Common Good of all. The Archdiocese of New Orleans is honored to have the St. Thomas More Catholic Lawyers' Association, which is an organization of Catholic attorneys whose mission it is to promote the ideals of St. Thomas More and professionalism in the law. We now have our St Thomas More statue and Fr. Gary is working on getting St Joseph Church & Shrine a statue of St Florian so that we can also honor our Fire Service, especially the David Crockett Steam Fire Company No. 1, the oldest continuously active volunteer fire department in the USA. If you would like to donate for the St Florian Statue, please see Fr. Gary or contact the church office.

Congratulations to Ralph and Kathy Paige on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. They were married on August 28, 1971 at St Christopher Parish in San Jose, CA and they renewed their vows at St Anthony at the 5:00 pm Mass on August 28, 2021. Their daughter, Rebecca, and their grandchild, Madison, were in attendance to witness the blessed event.

Joe and JerryAnn Dellucky were married by Fr Poche on August 14th, 1961 at St Anthony Church. Twenty-five years later, Fr Poche renewed their vows. They participated in the Archdiocesan 50th Wedding Anniversary Prayer Service celebrated by Archbishop Aymond this year. And after the 11:30 am Mass on Sunday August 15th, 2021, Fr Gary gave them a special blessing on their Anniversary. Please join us in congratulating Joe and extending our best wishes to JerryAnn on the Wedding Anniversary.

Congratulations to Fr Rick on his Silver Anniversary of Priestly Ministry.

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Church teaching is that marriage and the Sacrament of Matrimony are between a man and a woman. According to reports, the pope’s comments in a brief passage in the documentary film, “Francesco,” are similar to the position the Holy Father took while archbishop of Buenos Aires and echo remarks he has made in several interviews during his pontificate. While always defining and defending marriage as between a man and a woman, the pope’s recognition of civil unions is his acknowledgement of the “civil rights” of those in same-sex civil unions as provided by governments.

Early voting is under way in Louisiana! Please vote yes on Amendment #1, the Love Life Amendment! There is a lot of misinformation being circulated about Amendment #1. I need your help to share the truth! Nearly all of misinformation comes from pro-abortion groups that would love nothing more than for state judges to force abortion-on-demand in Louisiana forever. Click on this article to see a 30-second video that tells about the Love Life Amendment.

We are raising the ribbon on our Restoration Banner! Thanks to Historic Tax Credits and James Rolf (Parishioer and Preservationist), we are close to meeting our goal. To learn more, click on this article to be redirected to Mary Helen William's blog on The Gretna Glance.

As Catholics in the United States, we will soon mark our annual observance of October as Respect Life Month. It is a time to focus on God’s precious gift of human life and our responsibility to care for, protect, and defend the lives of our brothers and si sters. This year’s theme, “Live the Gospel of Life,” was inspired by the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical The Gospel of Life. Pope John Paul’s masterfully articulated defense of the right to life for children in the ir mothers’ wombs, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and the marginalized is more relevant today than ever before. This past November, the U.S. bishops reaffirmed that “the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attac ks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.” While we noted not to “dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, pov erty, and the death penalty,” we renewed our commitment to protect the most fundamental of all human rights – the right to live. This past January, I shared with Pope Francis that the Bishops of the United States had been criticized by some for identi fying the protection of the unborn as a pre - eminent priority. The Holy Father expressed his support for our efforts observing that if we fail to protect life, no other rights matter. Pope Francis also said that abortion is not primarily a Catholic or eve n a religious issue, it is first and foremost a human rights issue. The Gospel of Life provides a blueprint for building a culture of life and civilization of love. The important work of transforming our culture begins by allowing the Gospel of Christ t o touch and transform our own hearts and the decisions we make. May we strive to imitate Christ and follow in his footsteps, caring for the most vulnerable among us. Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may Our Lord grant us the grace to live courageously and faithfully his Gospel of life.

As we approach the upcoming local, state, and national elections, I have received many emails, calls, and letters with questions from Catholics and other people of faith regarding how to vote. I would like to take this opportuni-ty to clarify some important points, particularly for Catholics. Let me start off by saying that no member of the Catholic bishops, priests, deacons, religious, or laity in church leadership may endorse or oppose any candidate for office. The US Catholic Bishops document “Forming Con-sciences for Faithful Citizenship” prohibits any endorsement of a candidate by church leadership but challenges Catholics to vote with a properly formed conscience. To quote the document, “Clergy and lay people have comple-mentary roles in public life. We bishops have the primary responsibility to hand on the Church's moral and social teaching. Together with priests and deacons, assisted by religious and lay leaders of the Church, we are to teach fundamental moral principles that help Catholics form their consciences correctly, to provide guidance on the moral dimensions of public decisions, and to encourage the faithful to carry out their responsibilities in political life. In fulfilling these responsibilities, the Church's leaders avoid endorsing or opposing candidates.” It is in my role as bishop, charged with handing on the Church’s moral and social teaching that I write today. It is our right and responsibility to vote with a well-formed conscience. A well-formed conscience is formed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit through prayer, scripture, and reflecting and informing oneself about the moral teach-ings of the Catholic Church as guided by “Faithful Citizenship”. It is our responsibility as disciples of Jesus to look carefully at the platform of each candidate and compare these principles to the teaching of Christ and the Church. There are many moral and social issues we must be aware of to form our conscience and decide how to vote. The issues of public policy concern for Catholics are listed below. Abortion and euthanasia are identified in the bish-ops’ document as being preeminent issues because it is upon the protection and sanctity of human life within the family unit that all other life issues are built. This does not mean we can dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity or caring for the vulnerable among us, but we must stand firm on issues that directly attack life itself, the most fundamental good and the condition for all others. We must emphasize the need to respect all human life regardless of race, religion, cultural, or social differences. To once again quote from “Faithful Citizen-ship”, “The fact that much of our political rhetoric has become very negative and that political polarization seems to have grown should not dissuade us from the high calling to work for a world that allows everyone to thrive, a world in which all persons, all families, have what they need to fulfill their God-given destiny.” As Christians, we believe in the values handed on to us by Jesus and our tradition. I invite the faithful and all peo-ple of good will to study carefully the information from the bishops’ conference and, through prayer, make a re-sponsible decision based on a well-formed conscience in the upcoming election. Let us together pray for our country and for peace in our world. Issues of Public Policy Concern for Catholics: Address the preeminent requirement to protect human life Protect the fundamental understanding of marriage as a life-long commitment between a man and a woman Achieve comprehensive immigration reform Help families and children overcome poverty and ensure access to education Ensure full conscience protection and religious freedom Provide healthcare that respects human life and dignity Oppose unjust discrimination Establish and comply with moral limits on military force Pursue peace, protect human rights and religious liberty, and advance economic justice and care for creation. To find other helpful resources, visit https://nolacatholic.org/vote.

Congratulations to David and Susan Kalil of St Joseph Church & Shrine and Rory and Maureen Cadres of St Anthony Church on being chosen as recipients of the Order of St Louis Medallions in recognition of their great dedication and years of service to the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The Order of St Louis is one of the highest and most cherished honors bestowed by the local Church on a member of the laity. It was established more than 50 years ago to recognize individuals who have given unselfishly of their time and talent to the work of the Church for many years. The Medallion will be presented in special ceremonies in the special prayer service at St Catherine of Siena Church, 105 Bonnabel Blvd., Metairie, on Sunday October 18 at 2:30 pm.

Congratulations to our two altar servers of the year: Carter Magness from St Anthony and Eli Cannon from St Joseph. We thank them for their dedicated service to the Church and we appreciate the time they give to assist the Priest and the Parish assisting at the Masses.

Come join Fr. Gary on Pilgramage June 3-12, 2022. Click this article for more information. Zoom Meeting with details is forthcoming. See Parish Events area on right hand side to view a webinar on the trip.

Help fight crime in our community. Text anonymous tips to Gretna Police Department to fight crime and help keep our community safe! Fighting crime is a partnership. In Gretna, the public is the greatest crime fighting resource. With tip411, you can share anonymous information about crime, drugs, domestic violence, bullying, suspicious activity and other crimes via text message or the free smartphone app. It is 100% anonymous. The tip411 system removes all your identifying information so officers receive no identifying information about you -- not your name, not your phone number, not your address. Nothing! How do I use it? 1. Send anonymous text tips -- send a text message to 847411, then type the keyword GPDTIPS, add a space, type your tip info, and hit send. 2. Submit anonymous tips using FREE smartphone app. Download free Gretna PD app for iPhone and Android to submit anonymous tips from a smartphone. 3. Use anonymous web tip form on your computer. Visit the Gretna PD website at www.gretnapolice.com