May 17, 2015 - Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

Baptisms

Seminars are held every other month - register by calling the office. Attend-ance is suggested during pregnancy.

406 East Pinhook Road Lafayette, LA 70501-8727

Phone: (337) 237-0988 Rev. M. Keith LaBove, Pastor

Parish Website: www.stpat.org — stpat.org@gmail.com

Weddings

Arrangements must be made at least six months in advance to allow time

for preparation

Office Hours

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm; Friday 8:30 am – 12 noon

Celebration of the Eucharist

Saturday: 4:00 pm – Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 am Monday through Friday: 7:30 am

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Welcome to St. Patrick Church

Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord

May 17, 2015

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, May 16--Vigil of the Solemnity of

the Ascension of the Lord

4:00 PM: Mike Guilbeau; Phil Simon;

Bud & Una Arceneaux; Bertha Bernard;

Mary Thibeaux; James J. Boudreaux (living);

Eva Mae Hebert (living)

Sunday, May 17--Solemnity of the Ascension

of the Lord

8:30 AM: Lorraine Day

10:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Patrick’s

Monday, May 18--St. John I, Pope and Martyr 7:30 AM: Joyce Weilbaecher; Lucy LeBlanc;

Brian Callier

Tuesday, May 19--Easter Weekday

7:30 AM: Bella Hernandez; Gussie Hernandez

Manilla Conques

Wednesday, May 20--St. Bernardine of Siena,

Priest

7:30 AM: Dr. Tommy Comeaux & Dorinne;

Col. Clark Comeaux & Catherine (living);

Col. Kimberly Fedele (living)

Thursday, May 21--St. Christopher Magallanes,

Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

7:30 AM: Joyce Hadley;

Margie Edwards (living); Rozellyn Romano (living)

Friday, May 22--St. Rita of Cascia, Religious

7:30 AM: Dr. Charles Stewart

Altar Plants In loving memory of:

Len & Yvonne Courcier

Non-Liturgical Devotions

Daily Rosary: Monday - Friday 6:55 a.m.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena: Tuesday

7:15 a.m.

Rosary for Priests: Wednesday 7:00 a.m.

Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Thursday 7:15 a.m.

Pro-Life Rosary: 1st. Friday of the month 7

a.m.

Shamrocks—Friday, May 22: No cleaning.

Catholic Home School Conference

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Lafayette Home-

school Conference will be held at the Cajundome

& Convention Center, 444 Cajundome Blvd., in

Lafayette, on Friday, June 12 (12:00 pm—6:00

pm). Confirmed speakers include Fr. Bryce Si-

bley, Dr. Ray Guarendi, and Mrs. Viriginia Seuf-

fert! Admission is free and pre-registration is not

required. Call 540-636-1946 for more info. Or

visit www.ihmconference.org

Day of Prayer and Fasting for Protection from

Hurricanes & Storms

The Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops has

designated Friday, June 5, 2015, as a Day of Prayer

and Fasting for Protection from Hurricanes &

Storms. In addition to this Day of Fasting and Pray-

er, the Diocese of Lafayette will offer four Prayer

Services/Mass throughout the Diocese, one in each

region. Complete details are available at

www.diolaf.org.

Congratulations

To all who attend St. Patrick and

are graduating this year!

Whoever believes and is baptized

will be saved.

— Mark 16:16

Prayer for the Persecuted, Join us on at St. Pius X, Monday, May 18th, 6-7 pm, to

pray for all of those in Syria and Iraq who have been merci-

lessly persecuted by ISIS. Millions of our brothers and sis-

ters have been forced to flee their homes and lives due to violence. Many end up in refugee camps, but even more

seek shelter in abandoned and dilapidated buildings. Chil-

dren are unable to go to school and families are often with-out basic living essentials. However, with God there is

hope. Let us lift those who are suffering in prayer, where

we know they will not be forgotten. We will also learn from the Southeastern director of Catholic Relief Services,

Cullen Larson, how our Church is changing lives in these

regions in our name, and the action we can take to ensure

that this work continues.

Parking update

You may have noticed changes in the vacant lot across the street from the Church. For years the property owner al-

lowed us to use that lot for overflow parking. Recently, the

property changed hands and is being used differently. How-ever the current owner has graciously consented to contin-

tue to allow parishioners of St. Patrick’s to park there for

our church services. For this we are grateful. And as al-

ways, when parking, be kind: Don’t block people in, pull all the way up to the end in the side parking lot, and don’t

park next to yellow curbs, or where it says “No Parking”.

(Yes, that includes you!)

Prayer Service at the Start of Hurricane Season

Central Region—A special “Prayer Service at the Start of

Hurricane Season” will be held on Tuesday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette. All

are invited to attend this evening of prayer sponsored by

the Cathedral and supported by the Central Region. Rev. Chester Arceneaux, Rector of the Cathedral, will lead the

Prayer Service and give the homily. He will be joined by

Very Rev. Thomas James, SVD, VE, Episcopal Vicar for the Central Region of the Diocese of Lafayette. SPECIAL

NOTE: This year marks the 10-year anniversary of Hurri-

cane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Please join us to pray for

continued safety and to thank God for His grace and pro-tection of our area. Our “Prayer Service at the Start of Hur-

ricane Season” is open to all, and along with services being

held in the West, North, and South Regions, provides an area-wide opportunity for prayer and awareness at the start

of Hurricane Season, which runs June 1–November 30,

2015. For more information, please call the Cathedral (232-1322) or contact Mary Bergeron (654-8682; Mberg-

eron@diolaf.org).

Mass for Elderly A “Mass for Elderly” will be held on Sunday, May 31,

at 2:00 p.m. at Immaculata Chapel, 1408 Carmel Drive,

Lafayette. This is a time to honor all Senior Citizens

with Bishop Jarrell celebrating Mass. We are encour-aging families to bring their elderly loved ones. A re-

ception will be held immediately following in Marian

Hall, provided by Ladies of Grace of the Knights of Peter Claver. Sponsored by the Diocesan Commission

for the Pastoral Care of Elderly”. For more infor-

mation, please call Stephanie Bernard, Program Coor-dinator (261-5545).

Lives Matter

June is designated as Abortion and All Acts of Vio-lence Awareness Month in the African American Com-

munity. In an effort to inform and educate individuals

on these acts which are destroying the sacredness of

human life the Office of Justice & Peace and Black Catholic Ministries have partnered with Louisiana

Black Advocates for Life – Right to Life Program, Our

Lady Queen of Peace and the Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver to provide a Day of Reflection . This will

be a day filled with speakers, reflections, prayer and a

call to action and is scheduled for Saturday, June 13,

2015 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Lafayette. The day will start at 9:30 and end at 3 p.m.

Flyers are available on the back table.

Hurricane Prayer Services

South, North, West Regions-All are welcome to at-

tend any of the following events: South Region: “Ecumenical Prayer Service at the Start of Hurricane

Season” on Tuesday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Peter

the Apostle Church, Four Corners; please contact Dea-

con Jerry Bourg for more information (578-2423; Gbourg@diolaf.org). North Region: “Ecumenical Pray-

er Service at the Start of Hurricane Season” on

Wednesday, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Ann Church, Mamou; please contact Nikki Sonnier for more infor-

mation (322-8738; Nsonnier@diolaf.org). West Re-

gion: “Mass offered at the Star t of Hur r icane Sea-son” on Thursday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of

Perpetual Help Church, Leroy; please contact Janeth

Harrington for more information (258-0073; Jharring-

ton@diolaf.org).

STEWARDSHIP OF THE PAST WEEK

Our Response to God’s Generosity to Us Offertory……………………..$ 4,647.20 Thank You!

Today’s second collection is a special collection for the

work of Catholic Relief Services in Nepal.

Date

Saturday, May 23

4:00 p.m.

Sunday, May 24

8:30 a.m.

Sunday, May 24

10:00 a.m.

Lectors

Kathy Kalweit Larry Lewis Michael Doumit

Eucharistic

Ministers

Merrick Stelly

Harold Guilbeau

Peggy Spruill

Sarah Hamsher

Suzanne Lavergne

Maggie Sonnier

Phyllis Roy

Brenda DeMette

Janeth Harrington

Altar Servers George Eaton Melinda Voorhies Debra Carroll

Ushers

Oren Spruill

Joyce Stelly

Donald Vallot

Fred Vallot

Lionel Jeanmard

Joyce Stelly

Liturgical Roles for May

Readings for the Week

Monday Acts 19:1-8; Ps 68:2-3ab, 4-5acd, 6-7ab; Jn 16:29-33

Tuesday Acts 20:17-27; Ps 68:10-11, 20-21; Jn 17:1-11a

Wednesday Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30, 33-36ab; Jn 17:11b-19

Thursday Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; Ps 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11; Jn 17:20-26

Friday Acts 25:13b-21; Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab; Jn 21:15-19

Saturday Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; Ps 11:4, 5, 7; Jn 21:20-25

Sunday Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15

From the Pastor’s Desk

As you know, I sometimes share with you texts from our Holy Father. I’d like to do that today, but on this Feast of the Ascension, I want to go back a few years, to a commentary by Pope Leo the Great, who served the Church from 440-461, and who celebrated the same feast as we celebrate today:

“And so while at Easter it was the Lord’s resurrection which was the cause of our joy, our present rejoicing is on account of his ascension into heaven. With all due solemnity we are commemorating that day on which our poor hu-man nature was carried up in Christ above all the hosts of heaven, above all the ranks of angels, beyond the highest heavenly powers to the very throne of God the Father.

“It is upon this ordered structure of divine acts that we have been firmly established, so that the grace of God may show itself still more marvelous when, in spite of the withdrawal from our sight of everything that is rightly felt to command our reverence, faith does not fail, hope is not shaken, charity does not grow cold. For such is the power of great minds, such is the light of truly believing souls, that they put unhesitating faith in what is not seen with the bodi-ly eye; they fix their desires on what is beyond sight.

“Such fidelity could never be born in our hearts, not could anyone be justified by faith, if our salvation lay only in what was visible. This is why Christ said to the man who seemed doubtful about his resurrection unless he could see and touch the marks of his passion in his very flesh: “You believe because you see me; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

“It was in order that we might be capable of such blessedness that on the fortieth day after his resurrection, af-ter he had made careful provision for everything concerning the preaching of the gospel and the mysteries of the new covenant, our Lord Jesus Christ was taken up to heaven before the eyes of his disciples, and so his bodily presence among them came to an end. From that time onward he was to remain at the Father’s right hand until the comple-tion of the period ordained by God for the Church’s children to increase and multiply, after which, in the same body with which he ascended, he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

“And so our Redeemer’s visible presence has passed into the sacraments. Our faith is nobler and stronger be-cause sight has been replaced by a doctrine whose authority is accepted by believing hearts, enlightened from on high. “

We are those “who have not seen and yet believe”, whose nature was “carried up in Christ”.