Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: August 26, 2018
Only five times before in our diocesan history has the local Church installed a Bishop of Baton Rouge, but this week it’s happened again. The Most Rev. Michael Duca, who for the past ten years has been Bishop of Shreveport, takes over as the Sixth Bishop of Baton Rouge! He also will celebrate the 10:30 am Sunday Mass here at the Cathedral this weekend (August 26), so you may wish to make a special effort to join in the worship with us! But both at Mass and in your other personal prayer times, make sure you remember to keep him in your prayers!
Many have asked what Bishop Duca’s “agenda” will be moving forward. He’ll have to offer his own answers, of course! He’s already said that since he’s new to south-central Louisiana, he wants to “meet everyone,” both in the Parishes of the diocese and at the Catholic Life Center. We are both his flock and his co-workers, so it makes sense for him to spend some time in getting to know us and the circumstances of our lived faith. If he acts like most bishops, he’ll take the better part of the next year in consultation with others before making many new appointments and taking new initiatives.
One thing that I am confident he holds as a priority is the safety and well-being of young people. His many years of experience as a university chaplain, vocations director and rector of a college seminary have certainly honed his sensitivity to the idealism and yet also the vulnerability of the young. So I look for him swiftly to renew our diocese’s commitment to our policies ensuring a safe environment for children, adolescents and vulnerable adults.
In the issue of The Carpenter dated August 5, I began to offer some reflections on recent events highlighting the ongoing problem of sexual abuse of minors by clergy within the Catholic Church and the newly-revealed problem of complicity and coverup of this on the part of some bishops. This was addressed at all of our Masses last weekend too. In deference to the beginning of Bishop Duca’s service as our new shepherd, I won’t deal with this more here and now – it just seems polite, at least, to leave most commenting on this for now to others around the country and the world. Pope Francis weighed in this past Monday, emphasizing that there will be “zero tolerance” for such misconduct, and recommending we start with prayer and fasting as means to seek guidance from God and offer reparation for the Church’s sins.
I’ll close with two “food-related” items. One is spiritual food: the series of Gospel readings taken from John 6 – the famous Bread of Life discourse – ends this weekend. In the midst of all of the other hustle and bustle of ordinary life, each of us has the opportunity to share regularly in something extraordinary: the Most Holy Eucharist, which nourishes us unto life eternal. Don’t stop receiving Holy Communion, or appreciating it more and more each day!
And put down Monday, September 17, at 6 pm for our next Parish Pot Luck Supper! Our Development Committee seems to favor a “Tailgate Party” theme, so come in your favorite LSU, Southern or Saints gear! We’ll supply the meat: you bring the kind of snacks, salads, sides and sweets that you love to eat and share!
Sincerely in our Eucharistic Lord,
Fr. Paul D. Counce
