Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: September 02, 2018
Dear Parishioners and Friends,
The inaugural weekend of the Sixth Bishop of Baton Rouge, the Most Rev. Michael Duca, went exceedingly well here. We managed to finish our part of the decorating and setup by sundown on Thursday, so that personnel from the diocesan Office of Worship could take over early on Friday with their last minute organizing and layout. Before and during the installation itself we managed to keep things rolling smoothly, and cleanup was virtually all accomplished by nightfall on Friday. And then we managed a pretty nice “welcome Mass and reception” for Bishop Duca on Sunday!
Now let me be honest: by “we” I don’t mean me. No, it was the super staff of the Cathedral Parish: Lorie Weeks, Carla Kennedy, and Debbie Orsot, who went to immense lengths to see that everything went smoothly on our end. They put in hours of hard work. I appreciate them more and more each day, and I’m sure you do too. Great job ladies!
One special person I need to thank publicly is Wallace Collins, Sr. He’s an old friend and handyman who does a lot of work for us here at the Cathedral. He’s the one who devised a system to hang the diocesan banners from the rafters in the Cathedral! It was not an easy task, but they look stunning up there! We’ll certainly leave them up for a while, at least through the end of the month when we celebrate the Solemnity of the Dedication of the Cathedral on September 30.
I don’t have room this week for a long column, but please, on Monday, September 17, at 6 pm, come to our next Parish Pot Luck Supper! It will have a “Tailgate Party” theme, so come in your favorite LSU, Southern or Saints gear! We’ll supply the protein: you bring the kind of snacks, salads, sides and sweets that all fans love to eat and share!
Sincerely in Christ,
