Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: June 09, 2019
There are special celebrations here this weekend! Bishop Duca’s Ordination of seminarians Mathew Dunn and Danny Roussel as deacons on Saturday, and then his administering the Sacrament of Confirmation to over a hundred young people and adults from throughout the diocese the next day. And all of our Pentecost Masses Saturday and Sunday feature our beloved “flame of the Holy Spirit” burning brightly! You will certainly experience the vibrancy of the prayer of the Church here this weekend!
Note the commonality in the bishop’s two Masses: both the newly-ordained and the newly-confirmed are set apart for an important role within the Church. What is that role? Well, the word “deacon” comes from the Greek diakonia, usually translated as “service.” It means rendering to others the reality of Christian affection, especially in meeting their needs by charitable work. It’s no accident that a frequent symbol of this kind of service is the towel and bowl, calling to mind the Lord Jesus’ own humility, for He washed His disciples’ feet by becoming their servant.
This kind of help is not just a task for the ordained. All baptized and confirmed members of our Eucharistic community offer “humble help” in any way they can. We don’t ordain or confirm people as an honor: it’s a commissioning for work! And in a wonderful way, parishioners and friends of St. Joseph Cathedral Parish do a lot together to build up our little portion of the Kingdom of God here on Cathedral Square in Baton Rouge!
I’d like to ask for special help in two important ways.
One is a “hidden” ministry! We need more people on our “money counting” teams. For obvious reasons this is not a very public ministry; its work is diversified among a number of people so that proper financial controls and safeguards are maintained. It is also a confidential ministry because people rightly know that their church contributions are a private matter.
Could you help? You don’t have to be an accountant or work an adding-machine with one hand! You do have to be scrupulously honest and thorough in verifying contributions and preparing the bank deposit of cash and checks each week – always working with a team of other parishioners who always doublecheck each other’s work. If you think you can help in this way, please contact our Director of Administration, Ms. Lorie Weeks, at 225-387-5928 or office@cathedralbr.org
My other special appeal for help is for adults or young people – 5th grade and older – to serve Mass, especially at the 4 pm Saturday vigil Mass and the 8:30 am Sunday Mass. It’s not difficult to learn what to do, for at these Masses we don’t use incense or processional candles and do other ceremonial things which are more specialized. What we do need is dependable, attentive adults and young people (either male or female) who can help me out by holding books and “setting the table” and that kind of thing at Mass. Interested? Just give me a call or drop me an email at pastor@cathedralbr.org
The “roof replacement” project for the Parish Office and rectory buildings is close to starting: we’ve selected a roofer, but still need to get all of the paperwork done (diocesan permissions as well as signing the contract). Now is the time to start praying for good weather so that the old roofs can come off and the new ones go on soon!
