Experience Holy Week at St. Aloysius

Vol. 27 No. 5
March/ April 2012
Experience
Holy Week
at St. Aloysius
Pictured are, front row from left, Father Than Vu, Lori Mayeux, Roberto Champney, Chris Turner and Father Jamin David and,
back row, Deacon John Veron, Katherine Dunstan and Mark Ventress.
Rite of Reception celebrated
Five men and women were
welcomed into full communion
with the Catholic Church at the
4:30 p.m. vigil Mass, Feb. 5. The
rite is designed for adults who,
after hearing the mystery of
Christ proclaimed, consciously
and freely seek the living God
and enter the way of faith and
conversion as the Holy Spirit
opens their hearts.
Receiving the rite were Lori
Mayeux, Roberto Champney,
Chris Turner, Katherine Dunstan
and Mark Ventress
We pray that these men
and women, with God’s help,
continue to be strengthened
spiritually even after receiving
the sacraments for the first time.
Congratulations to all the participants; the community of St.
Aloysius welcomes you!
Are you interested in learning more about the Catholic
faith? Contact either Deacon
John or Father Jamin in the parish office to begin learning more
about our faith.
The Church’s annual festival
of Jesus’ Passion, Death and Resurrection is the most important
time on the Church calendar. The
Triduum, the three days from
Holy Thursday night through
Easter Sunday are the high point
of the entire Church year. At St.
Aloysius, these are the days for
our most moving and beautiful
rituals, the best music and the
finest decorations. If you are unable to be with us for some of the
Triduum liturgies, make an extra special effort to somehow set
these holy days aside with time
for personal and family prayer.
Here is a description of the Holy
Week Liturgies as they will be celebrated at St. Aloysius Church:
Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday (April 1)
we enter Holy Week, the time
when we remember Christ’s passage from death to life, with a
commemoration of the Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem.
Carrying palm branches and singing “hosannas” we acclaim Jesus
Schedule of Holy Week
events, Page 3
Christ as our King. Once everyone
has gathered inside the church,
the tone of the liturgy suddenly
changes as we remember that our
Lord suffered and died to save us.
The high point of the Palm Sunday liturgy is the proclamation of
the Passion of St. Mark. On Palm
Sunday we will celebrate our regular Sunday Mass schedule. At 9
a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses, the liturgy begins outside along the crepe
myrtle alley with the blessing of
palms and the procession.
Holy Thursday
Lent comes to an end at sundown on Holy Thursday (April 5).
That night we begin the threeday celebration that is the center and summit of our liturgical
year. Everything that takes place
from sundown on Holy Thursday
to sundown on Easter Sunday
is part of one great celebration
Continued on page 3
K.C. council
participates
in Life March
The Second Annual Louisiana Life March was held on Jan.
21, starting at the Old State Capitol and proceeding to the steps
of the State Capitol. Before the
March, local St. Aloysius Knights
of Columbus Council 3743 members and their families met at the
K.C. Hall for breakfast prepared
by Duke Laville and his team: Ory
Poret, Carroll Gibson, Mick TravaCouncil 3743 at the Louisiana Life March.
2025 Stuart Avenue
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Carroll Gibson, Ory Poret, Duke Laville, Jerry Richard and family and friends take part in the communion breakfast
preceding the Louisiana Life March
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Baton Rouge, LA
Permit #754
Continued on page 5
Inside Alive
Letter from the Pastor ................................... 2
LSU Lunch Bunch ........................................... 4
Youth Group activities . .................................. 6
Child Care Center news .................................. 7
Southdowns Parade ....................................... 8
Letter from the Pastor:
The primary
image of Lent is
the desert, the
place where Israel
wandered for 40
years and where
Jesus remained
for 40 days immediately after his Baptism, the
place into which God called the
Israelites so that God could speak
to them heart to heart and remind them that they were his
chosen ones, and the place into
which the Holy Spirit drove Jesus
immediately after his Baptism,
where he was affirmed that he
was God’s beloved. Time in the
desert is a time of grace, love, and
affirmation.
At the same time, there in
that arid, barren landscape, one
confronts the poverty and powerlessness of the human condition.
During my six-month stay in the
Middle East a number of years
ago, I learned to be careful with
water, especially when I visited
areas where modern conveniences were not as readily available.
I never knew when water would
be cut off and for how long. Imagine life with barely enough water to drink and cook, let alone
to shower and wash dishes and
laundry! Faced with that existential poverty of the human condition, there is always the temptation to want to take charge of our
destiny, exert control over our
own lives, and rely on our own resources, too impatient to trust in
God. Time in the desert is indeed
a time of ambivalence, as Pope
Benedict XVI points out.
At the end of Israel’s wandering in the desert and before
its crossing of the Jordan River to
enter the Promised Land, Moses
reminded his people: “I have set
before you life and death, the
blessing and the curse. Choose
life, then, that you and your
descendants may live.” After
our Lenten journey through the
desert, we are invited to cross
over into the Promised Land, to
choose life over death and light
over darkness. After the period of
ambivalence comes the certainty
of faith; after aridity and barrenness, abundance and fecundity.
The entire drama of human
existence is played out in these
three days, focusing intensely
on what the Church calls the
paschal mystery of Jesus’ death
and resurrection. Did you realize
that this paschal mystery was
the only thing the earliest Christians knew? There were no New
Testament books as we know it,
no developed systematic theology, no liturgical books, no catechism, and definitely, thank God,
no canon law! Not much was
preached on Jesus’ miraculous
birth, his miracles, his teachings,
his healings, etc. Rather, the message of the earliest homilies was
simple and brief: “Jesus died for us
and was raised again.” This short
kerygma or proclamation was all
the earliest Christians had to sustain them, guide them, empower
them, and nourish them. And yet
look at the power of that simple
message to give life to hundreds
of millions throughout history.
Life, real human life, does
not exist in a vacuum. Rather, human life is lived out in this broken
world of suffering, heartaches,
sickness – overshadowed by the
cross. Yet only by willingly going
through this desert can we cross
over the Jordan to the Promised
Land and only by embracing the
cross can we come to the resurrection. Easter Sunday does not
make sense without Good Friday,
the resurrection of Jesus cannot
be understood apart from his
death on the cross.
This is the heart of the Good
News: Even from the barren rock
of the desert can spring forth the
stream of living water. If we are
but willing to embrace this paschal mystery of death and resurrection, of defeat and victory,
this weakness and power, we will
prevail, or rather God will prevail
in us.
No wonder I love this drama,
the drama of the paschal mystery
which sums up everything about
life and about the fact that love
always wins and God always has
the last laugh! Alleluia!
Fr. Than N. Vu
What is social justice? How can we work for it?
By Laura Poche
While
navigating
Baton Rouge traffic, I like
to occupy my time reading
bumper stickers on other
vehicles. For quite a while
now, I’ve prayerfully reflected on the sticker that reads:
“If you want peace, work for
justice.” I do want peace, but
what is social justice, and
how can I really work for it?
God desires us to be in
community not only with
Him but also with each other. He created man to be in
relationship. We can experience happiness on our own,
but the kind of happiness, or
beatitude, that God desires
for us comes through social
relationships. Often, we like
to find happiness on our
own, but that kind of hap-
Our call is to work for
social justice — living for
God by and through serving
our neighbor.
piness, I suggest, fades like
the feeling of being full after
eating Chinese food. You’ll
eventually need more. The
kind of happiness God desires is eternal and unending. The Beatitudes and the
Catholic Social Teachings
are God’s pathway to this
kind of peace and happiness.
They are a call to holiness. I
like to think that God gave
us the Beatitudes and the
Catholic Social Teachings
as tools to work for social
justice. These tools have a
social dimension and teach
us how we are to live for
God by and through serving
our neighbor. It is our social
responsibility as Catholic
Christians to ensure that
people and societies uphold
the dignity, nature and origin of every human person
— This is social justice.
I believe the way
that we work for social justice is by going outside of
ourselves in mind, body and
spirit to do what’s right and
to act fairly in our daily lives.
It’s not enough to hoard the
tools God has given us and
be satisfied with just taking care of ourselves. Our
call is to work for social justice — living for God by and
through serving our neighbor. Admittedly, working for
justice pushes many of us
outside of our comfort zones
and may be intimidating for
some. But I don’t think it’s
that complicated if we trust
in ourselves to act for what is
right and discourage things
we see going wrong. All of
us are necessarily capable of
working for social justice. As
Nike so eloquently brands:
Just do it! Young children
work for social justice by dis-
suading bullies on the playground and supporting and
comforting the bullied. Teenagers work for social justice
by not succumbing to peer
pressure and helping their
peers make better decisions
in a world of materialism
and mixed messages because
it is the right thing to do.
Mass Schedule
SATURDAY
8 a.m. Mass, Vigil 4:30 p.m.
SUNDAY
7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. & 5:30 p.m.
HOLY DAYS
Schedule will be announced
DAILY MASSES
Monday & Wednesday, 6 a.m.
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday, 8 a.m.
Fridays during School Months, 8:45 a.m.
RECONCILIATION: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and by appointment
for private rite.
FUNERALS: Please contact the Parish Office prior to scheduling with the funeral home. If after hours, follow directions on
voicemail.
Editor-in-Chief Father Than Vu
Assistant Editor Laura Duhe
Mindy Piontek
Michael DiResto
Staff
Managing Editor
Ken Duhe
Copy Editor
Lisa Tramontana
Writers
Michael J. Acaldo
Cathy Dardenne
Photographers
Craig Gannuch
Wendy Stanford
Edward Dunigan
Diane O’Connor
Mag Wall
Cristyn Hodges
Cathy Dardenne
Armando Corripio
Carol Smith
Allison Bush
Published by St Aloysius Parish.
Postage paid
at Baton Rouge, LA.
Postmaster:
March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 2
Blythe Lamonica
Troy Robertson
Claire Grandy
Angela Falgoust
Send address changes to
Aloysius Alive,
2025 Stuart Avenue,
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
PARISH SCHOOL: For information, phone 383-3871, 8:30 a.m. 3:30 p.m.
NURSERY/CHILDCARE CENTER:
For information, phone 343-1338,
7:00 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
BAPTISM: Please contact the Parish Office during early months
of pregnancy. Baptismal preparation is required.
SPONSORS: Baptism & Confirmation sponsors must be confirmed practicing Catholics in good standing in the Catholic
Church, and if not St. Aloysius Parishioners, must provide a letter of good standing from the parish where they are registered.
MARRIAGE: Couples are asked to contact the priest at the
beginning of the period of engagement at least six months prior
to the projected date of the marriage.
CARE OF THE SICK: The Eucharist is brought to the sick
weekly and hospital visits made weekly. Families of the sick are
encouraged to notify the Parish Office.
HOLY WEEK, THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM & EASTER 2012 Palm Sunday, April 1 Regular Sunday Mass Schedule. Procession from the bell tower at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Masses. Holy Thursday: April 5 (There is only one Mass today.) 7 p.m. “The Mass of the Lord’s Supper” (After Mass, Adoration continues in the parish hall until midnight.) Good Friday: April 6 9 a.m. Morning Prayer (Parish Hall) Noon Solemn Stations of the Cross [Silent Prayer Observing the Three Hours] 3 p.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion Holy Saturday: April 7, 9 a.m. Morning Prayer (Parish Hall) The Solemn Vigil of Easter: April 7, 8 p.m. (No 4:30 Mass today) Easter Sunday: April 8 Masses at 7 a.m., 9 a.m., & 11 a.m. There will be no 5:30 Sunday Evening Mass today. Easter Week Monday, April 9, 6 a.m. Mass Tuesday, April 10, 8 a.m. Mass Wednesday, April 11, 6 a.m. Mass Thursday, April 12, 8 a.m. Mass Friday, April 13, 8 a.m. Mass Saturday, April 14, 8 a.m. Mass Triduum From Page 1
played out in three movements.
In this annual three-day festival,
we commemorate Christ’s passage from death to life. All the
baptized keep these three days is
a spirit of prayer and with fasting
as we remember our passage from
death to eternal life.
The Mass on Holy Thursday
evening begins with the ringing of
bells and the singing of the Gloria
– a sign that Lent has concluded
and the Triduum (the three-day
festival) has begun. After listening to the sacred scriptures, we
do something strange – we wash
feet. Jesus washed his disciples’
feet at the Last Supper. This night
we wash each others’ feet as a
sign of our willingness to serve our
neighbors with humility. The high
point of Thursday’s liturgy is the
celebration of the Eucharist. With
the breaking of unleavened bread
and the sharing of a common cup,
we remember the death of Lord
as he taught us. After Communion, the Body of Christ reserved
for services on Good Friday is carried from the church to a place of
reservation in the parish hall (the
original church building). Singing
an ancient Latin hymn, “Pange
Lingua Gloriosi,” you are invited
to follow the procession into the
parish hall. For three days, the
Blessed Sacrament is not present
in the main church, as a symbol of
Jesus’ three days in the tomb. The
liturgy of Holy Thursday has no
end. In the spirit of Gethsemane,
we continue to watch and pray in
silence. Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament continues in the parish hall, ending at midnight.
Good Friday
On Good Friday (April 6),
the People of God continue to keep
watch in prayer and fasting. We
fast and abstain from eating meat
today (if possible we continue the
fast throughout Holy Saturday)
in anticipation of the Eucharistic
feast that we will share on Easter.
Beginning with morning prayer,
and continuing through the hours
of the Lord’s Passion (noon to 3
p.m.), the church will remain open
for silent prayer. At noon we will
walk in the footsteps of Christ, as
we pray the Stations of the Cross.
At 3 p.m. we will gather quietly
to listen to the proclamation of
the Lord’s Passion as told to us
by John. After sharing the Word
of God, the community prays at
length for the needs of the world.
Triumphantly, the holy cross is
raised up for all to see. One by one
we come forward to touch, embrace or kiss the wood of the cross.
Holy Saturday
On Holy Saturday (April
7) the community continues to
quietly keep vigil in fasting and
prayer. God rested on the seventh
day at the end of creation. On
the seventh day, Christ rested
in the tomb. Today we also rest,
preparing for the evening celebration. On Holy Saturday, there will
not be a 4:30 p.m. Mass. Please
also note that the Vigil is held
at a later time, 8 p.m. This is in
keeping with the Church’s tradition of celebrating the Light Service of the Vigil in total darkness.
This is also the time for the Easter
Vigil mandated Bishop Muench
for the whole diocese.
Easter Vigil
The Solemn Easter Vigil begins with the lighting of the new
fire. We carry the paschal candle
into the darkened church and
proclaim once again that Christ is
the Light of the World. The Vigil
continues with the proclamation
of many of the most powerful
scriptures in the Bible. The Service of the Word concludes with
the singing of the Easter alleluias
and the proclamation of the Gospel account of Jesus’ resurrection.
After invoking the intercession of
the Saints, we process to the font
and bless water for the Baptism of
new members. After remembering
our own Baptism, the sacrament
of Confirmation will take place.
Then the whole assembly, united
in our common faith, will gather
around the altar to celebrate the
Easter Eucharist. In this Vigil we
remember Christ’s victory over
death. In a powerful way we also
celebrate our creation, our passage from slavery to freedom, as
well as, our victory over sin and
death.
Easter Sunday
On Easter Sunday (April 8) we
begin the Fifty Days of rejoicing
that lead to the Feast of Pentecost.
Flowers now fill the church; the
alleluia is once again sung. During
this time of the Church year we will
celebrate many important events
in the life of our community: the
baptism of infants, the first communion of our children, and the
marriage of several couples.
Dear friends in the Lord:
Why does God allow good
people to suffer? One need only flip
though the pages of The Advocate
or watch the evening edition of the
news to hear about terrorism. Just
when major violent events in the
world seem to be taking a backseat,
atrocities remind us that this reality has become yet another part of
our lives – a refrain in our minds,
an etching on our hearts. A sense
of anger often overwhelms us when
we remember the lives lost on Sept.
11, 2001, or when we scroll past the
names of our loved ones who still
are at war. We want the evil to be
punished, so we justify war and violence.
Our world is full of a not-soharmonious mix of paradoxes – the
militant religious, the impoverished
wealthy, an industrialized civilization that is technological but no
longer industrial. Polarity between
the world’s great faiths is at an alltime high – Christians, Jews and
Hindus all seem to abhor the Muslim faith. Dichotomies even exist
within individual religious groups,
characterizing people as rationalists
or fundamentalists. Our patience is
at a breaking point and we simply
can’t allow the bad stuff to fester
and choke out the good. Even our
leaders cry out for justice as they
clamour for the punishment of the
unjust. Providentially, though, our
celebration of Lent and the upcoming Easter seasons challenge us to
respond in wisdom to the events of
our age.
The author of the Book of Wisdom describes God as “sovereign in
strength, one who judges with mildness and governs with great forbearance, having the power to act
when he so chooses.” Admittedly,
such a highly advanced notion of
the Creator as a righteous being that
would not allow His creation to be
destroyed seems totally out of place
amid the slaying and massacres of
the Old Testament. St. Paul saw a
tension between our desire to obey
the law and to live according to
God’s grace. His theology is equally
as eloquent as that of Wisdom as he
notes that “creation itself will be set
free from its bondage to decay and
will obtain the freedom of the glory
of the children of God.” That seems
like an inflated promise! Why can’t
God in his omnipotence simply get
rid of the evil actions in the world?
Both passages point to an age-old
question: “Why does God allow good
people to suffer?”
Jesus’ answer comes in the
form of a story: the parable of the
darnel among the wheat. A group of
servants noticed that many weeds
suddenly popped up amid their
master’s bountiful harvest. Indeed
someone must have put them there!
Naturally, eradication is primary
to anyone’s agenda; spare the good
wheat the poison of the darnel. Yet
the master cautions his servants,
“No! For in gathering the weeds you
would uproot the wheat along with
them. Let them both grow together
until the harvest!” Again, “Why does
God allow good people to suffer?”
Why can’t we just uproot the weeds?
The evidence before us is that
evil is extant. It lives among us like
weeds, stealing away all those good
nutrients to serve our benefit. Often,
the weeds seem to grow larger than
the wheat, threatening to exterminate it. Though our lives are filled
with evil at every corner, we must
take solace in promises of God as
St. Paul notes, “the Spirit comes to
the aid of our weakness. . . and intercedes for the holy ones according
to God’s will.” The weeds can only
safely be separated from the wheat
after the harvest, where they will be
“tied in a bundle for burning.” This
passage does drip of an eschatological reality: It does point to the end
of time. Getting rid of evil through
war and violence is not a solution,
since it simply destroys the good, all
in one fell sweep. It is not our job
to get rid of the evil, but it is the
responsibility of the Master.
This parable might seem a bit
archaic. Surely, the fear of planes
flown into buildings or trains
bombed off their tracks in suburbia
areas did not exist when Jesus lived.
It is amazing that through the history of time, so little has changed.
Christ’s parables spoke to a people
familiar with doubt, war, political
upheaval and persecution – a time
not unlike our own. They too should
offer us some wisdom and answer
our question, “Why do people suffer!”
C. S. Lewis once noted that “the
problem of pain” was a potent weapon against Christianity. Logically,
God has either to be characterized
as a lover indifferent to suffering or
as a powerless deity helpless to do
anything about it. This omnipotent
lover must be an anachronism! Yet
our answer lies at the foot of the
cross, where the only truly innocent
and righteous individual was nailed
to a tree. That’s what we celebrate
during Easter. Like Christ, the answer to our suffering is made manifest in the confines of our faith with
the certainty that pain and suffering
can be transformed into glory. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
notes, “Our experiences of evil and
suffering, injustice and death, seem
to contradict the Good News; they
can shake our faith and become a
temptation against it. It is then we
must turn to the witness of faith: to
Abraham, who ‘in hope – believed
against hope’” (164-5).
The key to the answer lies in
our charity. Be patient, my friends,
with all of the evil around you. Be
charitable toward those who hate
you and kind toward those who persecute you. The weeds will indeed
be separated from the wheat, but it
is not our place to do so. Such small
seeds, when sown, grow and yield
the largest trees that beckon the
birds to dwell in them!
Yours,
Fr. Jamin
March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 3
Training session energizes ‘sponsor’ couples
Father Rob Ruhnke, a Redemptorist priest from the Diocese of San Antonio and author
of “For Better & For Ever, A Resource for Couples Preparing for
Christian Marriage,” conducted
a daylong training workshop at
St. Aloysius for married couples
involved in Marriage Preparation Ministry on Jan. 21. Fifteen
couples from St. Aloysius and
neighboring parishes attended,
all eager to hear the latest insights from Father Rob, who has
ministered to married “sponsor”
couples for over 35 years.
The third edition of Father
Rob’s book is used here as a part
of the preparation of engaged
couples for the Sacrament of
Marriage. Each engaged couple
meets with and is “sponsored” or
“mentored” by a married couple
in the parish. Over the course of
five meetings, questions from the
workbook are used as a guide for
discussions on a wide variety
of topics that research suggests
will lay the foundation for the
life-long process of building an
ever-strengthening, Christ-centered marriage. In addition to
the workbook, Father Rob hosts
a website that is filled with resources for engaged and recently
married couples at www.marriagepreparation.com.
In his workshop, Father Rob
emphasized four main components of the program for the
sponsor couples:
1. Exploring the family of
origin as a way of understanding
ourselves and the expectations
we bring to marriage;
2. Understanding Christian marriage as a commitment
to constant personal change;
3. Developing
effective
skills for marital communication
and problem-solving;
4. And the importance of
establishing a personal relationship with the engaged couple
that extends to follow-up beyond
the wedding date in an effort to
build community and offer ongoing support to new families.
The role of the sponsor
couple is not to counsel, but to
encourage the engaged couple to
openly share thoughts and feelings with one another, and to
Lunch Bunch feeds 250 at LSU
The LSU Lunch Bunch
greeted about 250 hungry students at the Christ the King Student Center Jan. 26 with a warm
meal. The LSU students love a
break from fast food, a free lunch
and a good Bar-B-Q beef sandwich with king cake.
They are from all areas of
the U.S. and the world and won-
March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 4
derful to meet. Thank you to all
our LSU Lunch Bunch volunteers
who cook and/or serve our hungry youth.
model praying together. Father
Rob’s enthusiasm for this important ministry inspired and energized the couples in attendance.
He joyfully reminded us that
“Marriage IS a vocation!”
Married couples are
needed to sponsor engaged
couples. The only requirement
is a willingness to share openly.
Enrich your own marriage while
you help build God’s kingdom
in this family-friendly ministry.
Meet at your convenience, in
your own home. No need to get
a sitter! Simple training provided. For more information, contact: Dewey & Angela Angelloz
[email protected] 9265549 or Kerry & Erica Badeaux
[email protected] 907-3944
Additional resources: Sacred
Marriage by Gary Thomas and
www.gettingtheloveyouwant.
com
Chris Abadie donates blood so that others can live.
At right: Bishop
Robert Muench
takes part in St.
Aloysius Parish Confirmation. Above is
a list of the parish’s
2011 candidates for
Confirmation.
From left, Lee Miller, Sam Mistretta, Ross McCalip and John Thomas helping place
crosses at the Catholic Life Center
K.C. From Page 1
Gearing Up For Confirmation 2012
By Amy Tolivar
One night each year in early
November, 90-plus high school juniors openly receive the seal of the
Holy Spirit and become adults in
their Catholic faith community.
These Confirmation candidates
are currently high school sophomores with jam-packed schedules
and probably haven’t begun to
consider what might be on their
calendars in the fall. They still
have final exams, college visits
and summer vacation to think
about. No need to worry. The Confirmation planning team, led by
MacDougall Womack, is already
hard at work on the details for this
year’s Confirmation.
In April, potential candidates
and their parents will attend an
informational session. During this
session, they will learn about the
final preparation needed to receive
the Sacrament of Confirmation in
November. They also begin to consider whom they will ask to be
their Confirmation sponsor. This is
an exciting time because it marks
the beginning of when these students make the decision to take
ownership of their faith. Confirmation activities really get into full
swing at the end of August. The
candidates kick off their preparation with a Confirmation orientation session. They spend time getting to know the other members
of their small group, meeting their
small-group parent facilitators,
and conclude by attending Mass
with their Confirmation sponsors.
Candidates will spend the
next two months discerning their
Catholic faith during four home
sessions and a weekend retreat.
The home sessions, made up of
around seven candidates and two
parent facilitators, are by far the
favorite aspect of the preparation
process. These small groups quickly
become little “extended families.”
Past candidates have said, “We
had the best small group,” and
“We weren’t ready for it to be
over.” And, past parent facilitators
agree that leading a small group
of candidates through this process
was an “awesome experience.”
The weekend retreat provides the
candidates an extended block of
time to laugh, pray and discuss
multiple topics in an environment
that is free of distractions.
Even though deciding to be
confirmed is an individual and
personal decision, each candidate
needs the prayers and support of
their entire faith community. The
entire preparation process would
not be possible without wonderful volunteers – parents and nonparents – who give their time to
this ministry. If you are a parent of
a future Confirmation candidate,
consider being a parent facilitator.
It’s an excellent opportunity for
you to be involved in your son or
daughter’s Confirmation preparation. Please keep these young people in your prayers as they embark
on this important faith journey.
sos, Lee Miller, Jerry Richard
and Sam Mistretta. Participants
in the march were: Gary Meier,
Frank Endom, Brennan Kluka,
Jonathan Booth, Chris and Anya
Stogner, Duke, Laurie, and Louis
Laville, Ross and Carolyn McCalip, and Sam, Arline and Nicole
Mistretta. The crowd was estimated at 3,500 people.
The St. Aloysius group and
the council banner appeared on
the front page of the Jan. 25 edition of the Catholic Commentator.
Blood drive
On Jan. 22, the council
sponsored a blood drive in collaboration with Our Lady of the
Lake Hospital in the parish hall.
This year, participants also had
the opportunity to participate
in the bone marrow transplant
database. Blood drive Chairman
Andrew Pecquet would like to
thank all 41 donors who contributed at the blood drive, the most
successful held by the parish to
date and an indication of future
successes. Members of the parish
and local community need these
life-giving donations and the
selflessness of the donors will be
much appreciated by the many
recipients who will benefit. Con-
gratulations to parishioner Sybil
Bateman, the winner of the $50
gift certificate to Parrain’s Seafood restaurant.
Respect Life
The St. Aloysius Knights of
Columbus Council placed small
white crosses at the Catholic Life
Center for the Respect Life Rally
on Jan. 7. Those from our council
putting up and later removing
the crosses were: Lee Miller, Jimmy Roberts, Ross McCalip, John
Thomas, Chris Stogner and Sam
and Matthew Mistretta.
Bishop’s Rally
The Bishop’s Rally was held
on Jan. 8 at the Catholic Life Center. The event included a Living
Rosary for Life with a Knights of
Columbus Honor Guard, informational displays by several Catholic organizations, and a number
of pro-life talks, including a great
talk by keynote speaker Father
Shenan Boquet, president of Human Life International. Gary and
Rosemary Meier, Sam Mistretta,
and Ross and Carolyn McCalip
from our council attended the
rally. Ory Poret, also from our
council, was part of the 4th Degree Honor Guard that led the
Living Rosary.
March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 5
Disney trip combines
fun, devotional time
By Joanne Tribou
Youth Group helps strengthen faith
By Lauren Crawford
My first involvement with
the St. Aloysius High School
Youth Group was when I began
attending weekly Wednesday
morning Mass last year. The
group that went called themselves “The Breakfast Club.” I
soon became a frequent Breakfast Club attendee. Being the
little “wide-eyed” freshman
I was, I loved having the opportunity to be surrounded by
high-schoolers and adults with
such rich spiritual lives. When
Life Nights (on Sunday nights)
started up again in the fall,
they also became part of my
weekly routine. While meeting new people, making new
friends and learning more
about Catholicism, I found my
own faith life growing stronger.
One of the greatest things
about our Youth Group is that
whenever it’s time to have fun,
we go all out. And whenever
it’s time to get serious, we get
down to business. For example,
one minute we’ll be playing
an intense game of “Amazon
Woman,” the next, everyone in
the room will be down on their
knees engaged in a life-changing (dramatic, I know, but true)
adoration.
Because I go to a public high school (Baton Rouge
Magnet High School), Youth
Group is one of the only outlets I have for discussing and
exploring my faith. Spending
the past two years as a member has given me the chance to
develop a truly meaningful and
stronger relationship with God.
Many times while participating
in Youth Group events, I have
found myself letting go of all
the distractions my chaotic life
provides and getting a chance
to ask God for guidance, thank
Him for a particularly awesome
day, or even just have a muchneeded chat with Him. Youth
Group really has opened this
whole new part of the Catholic
faith for me that goes beyond
what any religion class has
ever taught me.
Since I had never been to
Disney World before, I was ecstatic to hear that the youth
group would be taking a trip to
that very place. My parents were
more than happy to send me,
since they never got around to
taking me. Before I knew it, the
trip had arrived and we were
on our way. We took a long bus
ride, complete with showings of
Disney movies. We rode through
the night having to sleep on the
bus, which was not a very fun
experience.
Finally, bright and early in
the morning, after 16 years of
waiting, I had arrived at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. My whole
life had been leading up to this
point. Although I was slightly
sleep-deprived, I trudged on
through the day. I remember
first catching glimpse of the
castle. I had always seen it in
pictures, but it was even better
in person. The long fun-filled
day at Magic Kingdom consisted of rides on Space Mountain,
Splash Mountain, the legendary
teacups and many more.
The next day we went to
Mass at Mary, Queen of the
Universe Catholic Shrine and
Basilica. This massive church is
very beautiful. After Mass, we
went to Animal Kingdom. This
park was so different, but still so
much fun. We saw an amazing
Lion King show (Lion King is
my favorite Disney movie), went
on a safari and rode many rides,
including Dinosaur and Expedition Everest, which was my favorite ride of the whole trip.
We spent our last day in
Hollywood Studios. This is the
home of the famous Tower of
Terror, which I rode twice in
a row, and the Rockin’ Roller
Coaster, which really is rockin’. We also rode the relatively
new Toy Story Mania, which
I assumed was the most popular ride in the park due to the
three-hour wait to ride it. We
saw many shows, including two
awesome stunt shows and Fantasmic, which was magical.
Each night on the trip, we
attended evening devotionals,
which were centered on methods of prayer. One key point of
these talks was how we receive
God’s grace through prayer.
Members of the adult core team
gave wonderful talks on how
they pray. Some of these ways
included praying to the saints,
praying through the deceased,
praying through music and
more.
Although this trip was exhausting, I really had a wonderful time in the most magical
place on earth!
Junior High Youth Group’s
Lock-In a Smashing Success
By Alex DiLeo
Cotton candy, inflatables and a dance party... What’s not to love about this year’s Junior
High Youth Group lock-in?
Seventh- and Eighth-grade members of the
youth group joined each other at the celebration
of the Eucharist at 4:30 to begin an eventful evening. After Mass, we enjoyed a dinner of tacos
together.
Following dinner, the youth groupers divided into groups and split between the cafeteria and
the “old” gym. There, each team played a series of
team-building games. Some memorable moments
were untangling a human knot and conducting a
relay race in which only one teammate’s feet can
touch the ground at a time. These games led into
a group discussion on teamwork and what the
participants learned about it through the games.
The groups then rotated between two stations: dodge ball and inflatables. Those who
March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 6
wished to could play bingo for prizes or receive
cotton candy during rotation time. I personally
enjoyed the inflatables most. Among the attractions were a giant slide, a bungee race and an
obstacle course.
It was quite a thrill to bound down the slide
time after time among many other fun-loving
children. We all got to “just be kids” for a little
while. That is a rare thing in both the lives of high
schoolers and middle schoolers.
The pure fun continued at the next event: a
loud and bouncing dance. It was great to dance
my heart out and just be silly with my new
friends. Other notable events at that time were an
upbeat jump-rope line and an extremely competitive game circle. By the end of the night, all were
exhausted and had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I know I did. I was thrilled to be a part of a
night full of such good fun and fellowship.
Krewe of Tots lets
the good times roll!
The St. Aloysius Child Care
Center (SACC) Krewe of Tots
parade rolled on the Thursday
before Mardi Gras. As parents
unveiled a creative fleet of floats,
the SACC staff prayed for good
weather. The weather held and
floats of all shapes, sizes and
colors appeared outside of the
SACC. From princess floats to
Mardi Gras and LSU-themed
rides, they were all a sight to see.
As hundreds of students
from the “big school” lined the
sidewalks, the SACC lions were
geared up with beads and candy
to accompany them in their fancy wagons and strollers. Some
toddlers were not so sure about
the idea of being in the spotlight,
but as fever-pitched screams of
“throw me something mister”
rang out, those SACC lions were
well on their way to “letting the
good times roll.” When the beads
and candy got scarce, many lions just waved like visiting celebrities in the parade.
Once all the dust settled and the SACC lions headed
back to their classrooms, there
was a massive outbreak of tears
as parents returned to work. The
caring SACC staff came to the
rescue and minimized the stressful departure. SACC staff poured
out love and attention to the
children and the tears quickly
disappeared.
The widespread feeling
for Krewe of Tots first- timers
was “Wow! This is a much bigger
deal than I imagined. It’s time to
start planning for next year.” So,
let the countdown begin until
the Krewe of Tots rolls again!
St. Aloysius Child Care Center 18th Annual Fish Fry & Silent Auction Friday, March 23 5 p.m to 8 p.m. Drive-­‐thru 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Mimosa St.) $8 per plate Fried fish, French fries, coleslaw and roll Silent Auction 3 p.m. -­‐ 7:30 p.m. (Final Bids) Highest bids announced at 8 p.m. March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 7
Saints Alive Krewe rolls for its 10th year
On Feb. 17, St. Aloysius’ own
Saints Alive Krewe celebrated
its tenth annual appearance in
the Krewe of Southdowns Parade. The theme of the parade
was Silver Jubilee, in honor of
the Krewe of Southdowns’ 25th
annual parade. Consistent with
that theme, the Saints Alive
Krewe placed two floats in the
parade that paid tribute to a
former Baton Rouge landmark
that fed thousands of hungry college students – The Silver Moon
Café. Both floats were styled after floats seen in traditional New
Orleans parades.
The first float, depicting the
outside of the restaurant, featured a large silver moon and
stars, a night sky and a shack
that mimicked the restaurant itself. The second float, depicting
the inside of the restaurant, featured a large menu listing some
of the Silver Moon Café’s regular
dishes, paintings of the meals
listed on the menu, and oversized silver knives and forks. The
2012 Saints Alive Krewe’s 80-plus
participants, who represented 27
families in the parish, threw an
assortment of traditional Mardi
Gras throws, including 8,000 St.
Aloysius Mardi Gras cups.
The Krewe of Southdowns
rolls annually through its namesake neighborhood on the Friday
night before Fat Tuesday. The
Saints Alive Krewe is looking for
new participants and an energetic chairmen for the 2013 parade,
which is set for Feb. 8, 2013. If
you love Mardi Gras, this ministry could be right for you. Contact the church office for more
details.
March/April 2012, ALOYSIUS ALIVE, page 8