THE CONFESSOR A Publication of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1 www.steddy.org JANUARY 2018 Open House at St. Edward the Confessor School will be held for parents of prospective new students on Thursday, January 25, at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Parents should come to the cafeteria to begin the tour. Please help spread the word about our excellent academic program as well as our newest addition, Pre-K1 and Pre-K2. Christmas Gratitude Re-registration for students currently enrolled in On behalf of Fr. Kevin and the entire parish staff, I St. Edward School will be from January 22-25. Packets would like to express my sincere gratitude to all will be sent home through school and should be returned parishioners for your generosity, kindness and prayers no later than Thursday, January 25. during this holy Christmas season. Your spiritual and material gifts were most appreciated. I also extend a New Student Registration: In accordance with Office special note of appreciation to all who assisted in of Catholic School guidelines, St. Edward School is decorating the church and those who donated funds in adapting a new early acceptance policy for prospective memory of loved ones for the flowers and decorations. I new students who wish to register for the 2018-2019 also thank all those who served the Christmas Masses and school year. You will be allowed to apply for admission offered their talents and gifts of ministry: Sister Julia, now, and will receive an acceptance decision after Deacon Steve Koehler, Acolyte Tim Meaut, Dr. Thomas February 1, 2018. If you are interested in applying, please Becker, the Altar Servers, Greeters, CYO members, the pick up a flyer on the table in back of church outlining the Parish Staff, Paul Boquet, Lauren Adams, our Parish new procedure. Choir, Altar Society, Liturgy Committee, Lectors, Sibling Registration: Prospective new students who Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ushers, already have a brother or sister attending St. Edward must and all other volunteers of various ministries. register by Monday, January 22, 2018. We are indeed blessed as a parish faith community. May you and your families have a faith-filled and grace- filled New Year in 2018. The Epiphany of the Lord Sunday, January 7 How mysterious are these Magi, who suddenly appear from the East to worship the Christ child and then as suddenly disappear! The title “Magi from the East” indicates that they were members of a priestly caste from Persia (now Iran), scholars interested in astronomy—not just astrology in the later sense. The star that appeared to them, they were convinced, was a curiosity alone that prompted them to undertake their long journey. As Christ sent angels to summon the shepherds, he also sent the star to invite these worthy savants to pay Him a visit. It must have taken them weeks to prepare for the trip, and many more to reach the Holy Land—a trek of 1,000 to 1,500 miles today. Scriptures tell us all we really know about their arrival, their search, their discovery and worship of Jesus, and their departure by another route, as advised in a dream, in Parishioners gathered to bid farewell to Deacon Uriel at a order to escape bloody-handed Herod. reception in his honor on November 19. See Epiphany page 2 1 Commitment to Life Program Welcoming Catholics Back to Church Over 56 million abortions have been performed since the 1973 decision of Roe v. Wade. This reflects with Do you know someone who has left the heartbreaking magnitude what Pope Francis means by a Church? We don’t have to look very far to find non- “throw-away culture.” But we have great trust in God’s practicing Catholics in our own circle of friends or providence. We are reminded time and again in Scripture family. How can we help them find their way home? to seek the Lord’s help, and as people of faith, we believe Our faith is a precious gift of love from our Lord, and it that our prayers are heard. needs to be shared with our non-practicing brothers and The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) sisters; pray for them but also extend the invitation to no. 373, designates January 22 as a particular day of them to come home to the Catholic Church. Many are prayer and penance: “In all the Dioceses of the United waiting for such an invitation. You can make a States of America, January 22 shall be observed as a tremendous difference in someone’s life by reaching out particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal to them and telling them that they are missed and that guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations their Catholic family wants to welcome them back. to the dignity of the human person committed through To help accommodate that journey home, our acts of abortion.” Evangelization Committee will again offer the Catholics We are all called to observe this day through the Returning Home program, beginning on Thursday, penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms. January 4 in the Parish Center from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The Another way to take part is through participating in six-week program is designed to answer questions about special events to show your support for life. the faith and address concerns in a friendly, St. Edward will offer Precious Feet lapel non-threatening setting. pins to those interested after all Masses on There are no obligations attached and one is not January 20-21. These feet are the exact size required to attend every session. Please help spread the and shape of unborn babies’ feet at 10 weeks word to anyone interested in finding their way back home after conception and have been an to the warm embrace of the Church. For more international symbol of the Pro-Life movement for at information, please call the Parish Center at 888-0703. least 36 years. Please take one and wear it. If someone asks you about it, your response may change their attitude about abortion and the sanctity of human life. Epiphany (from page 1) The annual Louisiana Life March South will be held in Baton Rouge from But who were they, and what became of them? 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, We call them the Wise Men or the Kings, and the January 20. For additional information, number three has become traditional, though not visit www.LALifeMarch.com. mentioned in the Bible. Were they indeed kings? Only in Chartered Bus from St. Edward to the eighth century were they definitely referred to as such. Baton Rouge: We have chartered a bus scheduled to What were their names? Various names were assigned to leave St. Edward on the morning of January 20 at 7:45 them from the seventh century on, but eventually the a.m. The price is $15 per seat (includes bus driver tip and three that stuck were Gaspar (in English, Jasper), 2 bottles of water). The deadline to reserve a seat is Melchior and Bathazar. Since the fifteenth century, it has Friday, January 12. Please bring your own lunch and been customary for artists to represent one of the three as beverages. T-shirts will be sold for $10 each. Reserve a Black. your bus seat after Mass during the weekend of January And what happened to them when they arrived back 6-7 or complete and return a flyer found on the tables in home? Legend says that they were baptized—decades the back of church. later of course—by St. Thomas the Apostle; and that they We are also seeking donations so we can invite and pay worked diligently to spread faith in Christ. What were for priests, deacons or seminarians to accompany us on claimed to be the relics of these saintly men were brought the trip. to Constantinople in the fourth century by the Empress St. Helena. Later, they were transferred to Milan, and in 1174, to Cologne, Germany. They are still enshrined in Prayer & Presence Ministry the great Cologne cathedral. Everyone is invited to join our Prayer & Presence Despite the haziness of their biographies, one thing is Ministry on their monthly visit with the residents at sure: the Magi were the first gentiles to honor the St. Anthony Nursing Home. To join them, please meet in Messiah. In doing so, they set for us later gentile front of church following the 8:30 a.m. Mass on the Christians an example of unselfish and wholehearted second Saturday of each month. devotion to the Infant Savior. ©Copyright 1993 Fr. Robert F. McNamara 2 SCHOOL NEWS Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reveals many remarkable gifts that we, as Christians, are given in the Church. This letter tells us about the nature of the Church – as a body, as a household, as a mystery, as a communion, as a bride, and as an army. It shows us the great inheritance that awaits us as sons and daughters, adopted fully into the family of God. It reveals how God’s great love for us can transform our daily lives if we allow it. Ephesians: Discover Your Inheritance is an 8-part Bible study, presented by Jeff Cavins on DVD that will enrich your faith and show you The movie Sister Act was released 25 years ago and soon after the how to live it out. In this study, you will: faculty at St.