CHURCH TODAY Volume XLVIII, No. 10 www.diocesealex.org Serving the Diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana Since 1970 October 16, 2017 O N T H E Holy Family Sisters INSIDE celebrate 175 years! Office of Life and Justice Mass for ALL diocesan religious sisters to be held Oct. 22 opens Oct. 16 The new Office of Life and Justice opened its doors Oct. 16 at the St. Joseph Catholic Cen- ter in Alexandria. The new office is staffed entirely by volunteers. Find out more about this new re- source office on page 6. Mass of Thanksgiving to be celebrated Oct. 22 for diocesan religious sisters Almost 20 religious sisters live and work in the Diocese of Alexandria. You are invited to join Bishop David Talley on Sunday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral for a Mass of Thanksgiving in honor of the reli- gious women in our diocese. See page 7 for details. 29 teams compete in 22nd Bishop’s Golf Tournament Twenty-nine teams competed in the 22nd annual Bishop’s Golf Tournament Oct. 9 at Oakwing Golf Club. The annual event is the major fund-raiser of the year for seminarian education. Find out SISTERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY. Standing around the new tombstone more about the teams, the spon- at Greenwood Cemetery where nine of the Holy Family sisters are buried sors, and who won on pages 9-11. between 2005 and 2007 are (from left) Sister Alicia Costa (treasurer), Sister Sylvia Thibodeaux, Sister Elizabeth Ann Holmes, Sister Joan Flores, Sister Carmen Marie Bertrand, Sister Leona Bruner (vicar general), Sister Agnes Marie Sampia, Sister Lucia Carl, Sister Elma Olivera, and Sister Gloria Lewis. Not pictured is Sister Laura Mercier and Sister Ann Michelle Mercier. PAGE 2 CHURCH TODAY OCTOBER 16, 2017 Pope calls for prayers after ‘unspeakable terror’ in Las Vegas WASHINGTON (CNS) -- out in shock and horror to com- The nation has experienced “yet fort the victims of a mass shoot- another night filled with unspeak- ing in our country,” said Cardinal able terror,” and “we need to pray Blase J. Cupich of Chicago. and to take care of those who are “We reaffirm our commit- suffering,” said the president of ment to nonviolence and to ad- the U.S. Conference of Catholic dressing the causes of such Bishops in Washington. tragedies. At this time we come In Las Vegas, a gunman together in prayer and also in re- identified by law enforcement solve to change a culture that has officials as Stephen Craig Pad- allowed such events to become dock, 64, was perched in a room commonplace,” he said. “We on the 32nd floor of a hotel and must not become numb to these unleashed a shower of bullets late mass shootings or to the deadly Oct. 1 on an outdoor country mu- violence that occurs on our streets sic festival taking place below. month in and month out.” The crowd at the event numbered He called for better access to more than 22,000. mental health care and “stronger, He killed at least 59 people sensible gun control laws.” and wounded more than 500, “We pray that there comes a making it by all accounts “the day when the senseless violence deadliest mass shooting in mod- that has plagued the nation for so ern U.S. history,” said Cardinal long ends for good,” said Holy Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston- Cross Father John I. Jenkins, Houston, USCCB president.“My president of the University of heart and my prayers, and those VIGIL. People gather at a makeshift vigil on the Las Vegas Strip Oct. 2 following a mass shooting at an outdoor country Notre Dame. of my brother bishops and all the music festival late Oct. 1 A gunman perched in a room on the 32nd floor of a casino hotel unleashed a shower of bullets “Violence has once again members of the church, go out to on the festival below, killing at least 59 people and wounding another 527. (CNS photo/Chris Waittie, Reuters) horrified us as a nation and drawn the victims of this tragedy and to us together in sorrow. All of us the city of Las Vegas,” he said. -- people of faith as well as those “Our hearts go out to every- the police and emergency service tant. News reports also said law ments in Las Vegas, offering with no particular religious affili- one,” Bishop Joseph A. Pepe of personnel, and offers the promise enforcement believed the suspect prayers for the victims and prais- ation -- are stunned by the tragic, Las Vegas said in a statement. of his prayers for the injured and was a “lone wolf” in planning and ing first responders, volunteers senseless, and incomprehensible “We are praying for those who for all who have died, entrusting carrying out the attack. and bystanders for their efforts at loss of life in Las Vegas,” said have been injured, those who them to the merciful love of Al- In his statement, Cardinal the scene. Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. have lost their lives, for the medi- mighty God,” the cardinal said. DiNardo said: “At this time, we “Once again we must reach Gregory. cal personnel and first responders The barrage of shots came need to pray and to take care of who, with bravery and self-sacri- from a room on the 32nd floor of those who are suffering. In the fice, have helped so many. the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino end, the only response is to do “We are also very heartened complex on the Las Vegas Strip. good -- for no matter what the by the stories of all who helped Once police officers determined darkness, it will never overcome each other in this time of crisis. where the gunshots were coming the light. May the Lord of all gen- As the Gospel reminds us, we are from, they stormed the room to tleness surround all those who are called to be modern-day good Sa- find the suspect dead from a self- suffering from this evil, and for maritans,” he added. “We contin- inflicted gunshot wound, Clark those who have been killed we ue to pray for all in Las Vegas and County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo pray, eternal rest grant unto them, around the world whose lives are told reporters. O Lord, and let perpetual light shattered by the events of daily The suspect later identified as shine upon them.” violence.” Paddock was from Mesquite, Ne- Catholic bishops and other An early evening interfaith vada, about 80 miles northeast of Catholic leaders around the coun- prayer service was held at the Las Vegas, and was described in try issued statements expressing city’s Cathedral of the Guardian later reports as a retired accoun- sadness at the horrific develop- Angels and Bishop Pepe invited “our sisters and brothers around the world to join us in prayer for healing and for an end to vio- lence.” In a telegram to Bishop Pepe, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said Pope Fran- cis was “deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas” and “sends the assurance of his spiri- tual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy.” “He commends the efforts of OCTOBER 16, 2017 CHURCH TODAY PAGE 3 USCCB applauds the expansion of exemptions to contraceptive mandate for religious employers WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Senior Health and Human The Trump administration Oct. Services officials who spoke to 6 issued interim rules expanding reporters Oct. 5 on the HHS rule the exemption to the contracep- on the condition of anonym- tive mandate for religious em- ity said that the exemption to the ployers, such as the Little Sisters contraceptive mandate would ap- of the Poor, who object on moral ply to all the groups that had sued grounds to covering contracep- against it. Groups suing the man- tive and abortion-inducing drugs date all the way to the Supreme and devices in their employee Court include the Little Sisters Cardinal Burke health insurance. of the Poor, the Archdiocese of Leaders of the U.S. Confer- Washington, the Diocese of Pitts- ence of Catholic Bishops praised burgh, Eternal Word Television Pope names Cardinal the action as “a return to common Network and some Catholic and sense, long-standing federal prac- other Christian universities. Burke as judge on tice and peaceful coexistence be- In reaction immediately af- Vatican Supreme Court tween church and state.” ter the 150-page interim ruling The contraceptive mandate was issued, religious groups that CONTRACEPTIVE MANDATE. The Trump administration Oct. 6 issued in- was put in place by the Depart- had opposed the mandate were VATICAN CITY (CNS) terim rules expanding the exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious ment of Health & Human Servic- pleased with the administration’s -- Pope Francis has named U.S. employers, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, who object on moral grounds es under the Affordable Care Act. action. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke a to covering contraceptive and abortion-inducing drugs and devices in their em- While providing an exemp- Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo member of the Apostolic Signa- ployee health insurance. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn) tion for religious employers, the of Galveston-Houston, USCCB ture, the church’s supreme court, new rules maintain the existing president, and Archbishop Wil- which the cardinal headed as pre- federal contraceptive mandate for liam E. Lori of Baltimore, chair- fect from 2008 to 2014. most employers. were exempt from the mandate, dergone numerous legal challeng- man of the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Members of the Apostolic President Donald Trump but not religious employers.