News - January 2022 RSS Feed

Distinguished Catholic School Educator and Distinguished Catholic School Clergy. Pictured from left are School Superintendent Dr. Melanie Palmisano, Distinguished Catholic School Administrator Lisa Harvey (Catholic High in Baton Rouge principal), Distinguished Catholic School Clergy Father Randy Cuevas (St. Aloysius Church in Baton Rouge pastor), Distinguished Catholic School Educator Annette Nicosia (St. Alphonsus Ligouri school in Greenwell Springs teacher) and Bishop Michael G. Duca. For a complete wrap-up of Catholic Schools Week activities, please read the Feb. 11 edition of The Catholic Commentator. Photo by Richard Meek | The Catholic Commentator

Bishop Michael G. Duca announced the appointment of Father Jamin David as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Baton Rouge in a letter addressed to priests, deacons and the Catholic Life Center Community on Jan. 28.

The Diocese of Baton Rouge will host its annual Catholic Schools Week celebration January 30 to February 5, 2022.

ROME (CNA) - At the beginning of the Catholic Church’s day of prayer for peace in Ukraine, Pope Francis made an earnest appeal to those in power: “Please, no more war.” “I invite you to pray for peace in Ukraine and to do so often throughout this day,” the pope said at the end of his general audience Jan. 26. “Let us ask the Lord insistently that this land may see fraternity flourish and overcome wounds, fears, and divisions.”

Synod gatherings in the Diocese of Baton Rouge began Jan. 20 when more than 40 people braved frigid temperatures and the threat of icy weather to share ideas in the parish hall at St Margaret Queen of Scotland Church in Albany.

No one is an island; indeed, no one is ever really alone. If you are a person of faith or even just someone with a highly attuned intuitive sense, you will know that there is no such thing as a truly private act, for good or bad.

When St. John the Baptist was preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River, Jesus may well have been in the crowd that was listening to this intriguing, wild-looking man. 

Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, and the leaders of five Catholic medical or professional associations on Jan. 20 founded the Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance, meant to support the reception and provision of health care in accord with church teaching.

The Catholic Church’s Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children celebrated Jan. 22 was a fitting occasion for the Respect Life committee at St. Patrick Church in Baton Rouge to revive its Spiritual Adoption program.

Is baptism necessary for salvation?

Redemptorist St. Gerard School has a proud tradition of educational excellence, serving the north Baton Rouge area for more than five decades.

Babies make a deep imprint on the heart of their parents as they joyfully anticipate their birth. When a pregnancy loss occurs, the couple wades through grief and questions on how to move forward.

As winter winds stir the cold air, we embrace the embers of the word of God in our everyday lives for warmth and truth.

Bishop Michael G. Duca, left, assisted by Father Michael Moroney, pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in Greenwell Springs, blesses a relic of St. Alphonsus Liguori that was placed in the church’s altar on Jan. 12, 2020. St. Alphonsus Church has had a long history with the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, or Redemptorists, which St. Alphonsus founded. The relic was obtained with the assistance of Father Tat Hoang CSsR, pastor of St. Gerard Church in Baton Rouge. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

Vigil for Life touches young hearts

It seems like every day I remark about how I can’t wait until we get back to normal!  Yet, if I am honest, except for the first few months when we were locked down, life in the church has continued.

Hundreds of people from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama marched in downtown Baton Rouge on a sunny day with freezing temperatures in order to call for the end of abortion at Louisiana Life March South Jan. 22. The event, themed “Together for Life,” was sponsored by Louisiana Right to Life, the Knights of Columbus, the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops and other faith-based and community organizations. Prior to the March, people filled St. Joseph Cathedral for a Respect Life Mass, celebrated by Bishop Michael G. Duca, who participated in the march. Afterwards, Mass attendees joined others at the state capital and then marched to Galvez Plaza, where a program was held. Bishop Duca led the opening prayer for the program. Photos by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator