OLDP updates

      Our New Year’s Mass Schedule for Mary, Mother of God is as follows:
Tuesday, December 31^st
   9:00 a.m. – Daily Mass in Church
   5:00 p.m. – Vigil Mass for  Mary, Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation), in Church
   Wednesday, January 1^st
   9:00 a.m. – Mass for  Mary, Mother of God (Holy Day of Obligation), in Church
   Reminder: Starting January 5, 2020, Sunday Masses will be as follows: 9:00 a.m. Mass, 11:00 a.m. Mass, and 6:00 p.m. Mass.
   Saturday Masses do not change. They remain – 4:00 p.m. Vigil and 6:00 p.m. Spanish Vigil.
   Did you notice, in the Clarion Herald recently, the story about St. Benilde raising around $78,000 on “I-Give Catholic” Giving Tuesday? While $78,000 is pretty impressive for one day’s giving it probably means that every family in that Parish had to give about $100 each and others a little more.
   That’s exactly what we are trying to do with our “Fill the Fence for the Fest” Campaign only we will have until March to try and do what St. Benilde did in one day, which seems a little more reasonable for us to do.
   I would love to see our fence covered with signs for our 2020 Spring Fest. Signs can be in memory of a loved one, to sponsor a business, to acknowledge the Blessed Mother, to root for the Saints or LSU or Tulane, for answered Prayer, to wish someone a Happy Birthday or Anniversary, to promote your ministry or organization or school, etc. Each sign will cost $100, the same as our booth sponsor signs and will be the same size as the Booth Sponsor signs. Please fill out one of the forms on the back tables of the Church and send your sign design info to the church with your $100 check made out to Our Lady of Divine Providence. There is no limit to how many signs you can have on the Fence. The only limit is when the fence is full.
   We have about the same number of families as St. Benilde and I have no doubt that we are just as generous in our giving or even more so. And our Fence sponsorship campaign gives everyone something visible for their money (unlike Giving Tuesday). And it won’t just be a 1-day thing (like Giving Tuesday). We will have the signs on our fence: 2 weeks before the Spring Fest, the week of the Fest, and 2 weeks after the Spring Fest with your personal message. We always have to worry about bad weather during the Fest which affects how well the Fest does. If we could fill the fence, with sponsorship signs, the income we would generate would take the pressure off and keep our parish finances stable, since we rely heavily on the Fest in our budget, plus it would make it a little easier to do some of the things we often need to do without having to add another 2 ^nd collection.
 
God bless you,
Fr. Mike