Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: May 28, 2017
In last week’s issue of The Carpenter I made special effort to point out the Ordination on Saturday morning, May 27, here in the Cathedral of Fathers Pat Broussard and Ryan Hallford, and our own parishioner Deacon Tim Grimes. If you’re reading this “early,” there’s still time for you to attend the Ordination Mass and reception following; if not, well, you can and should still pray for the newly-ordained and the success of their ministries in the days and years ahead.
But there will be another Ordination ceremony here: on Saturday, June 10, also at 10 am. On this occasion Bishop Muench has chosen to ordain seven married men of our diocese to be deacons. They are Stephen G. Brunet and Kirk W. Duplantis of Immaculate Conception Parish in Denham Springs; William L. “Byrd” Corbett and Timothy T. Messenger, Sr., of St. Joseph Parish in Ponchatoula; George J. Hooper of St. Thomas More Parish in Baton Rouge; Minos J. Ponville, Jr., of St. Jude the Apostle Parish in Baton Rouge; and Gary C. Mooney of St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish in St. Gabriel.
All of these men are to be congratulated for their successful completion of a five-year program of formation, and their wives are certainly to be thanked for being willing now to “share” their husbands with the Church! In a special way here in St. Joseph Parish we’re thankful for Gary Mooney and his wife Sue: Gary’s been assigned to our Parish as Deacon Assistant effective July 1! We’ll be introducing him more formally over the next month, and after July 1 you’ll be seeing him at liturgy and in ministry, but already lift him up to the Lord in your prayers, please!
Another special focus for our prayers every year around here runs from June to November, and is done with a wary eye on the Gulf of Mexico. The bishops of the State have designated this Friday, June 2, as the annual “Day of Fasting and Prayer for Hurricane Protection,” and Bishop Muench will celebrate the special annual “Mass for Hurricane Protection” at 12 noon here. Please come and add your prayers on this occasion if you possibly can!
Lastly, say a prayer in thanksgiving for a dearly-departed parishioner of the Cathedral, Miss Sybil Frances Boizelle. She died suddenly in August 2014 and her smile and active ministries are still sorely missed around here. But this past week we received word that her succession has at long last been finalized, and it included a very generous legacy to St. Joseph Cathedral Parish. In fact, she established a dedicated fund with the Baton Rouge Area Foundation so that her bequest will continue to benefit our community in perpetuity. Her forethought and planning sets an example for the rest of us, in fact: good Stewardship of the resources God has blessed us with means we don’t only give in this life, we provide for an ongoing gift beyond it, if at all possible! So give some thought to this for yourself and your family too.
Sincerely in the Risen Lord,
Fr. Paul
