OLDP Update
 
Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord Jesus and tomorrow begins the first week of Ordinary Time in our Church’s Liturgical Cycle.
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), The Holy Family, and The Epiphany of the Lord, which we celebrated the past 2 weeks, were events from Jesus’ childhood. However, with the Baptism of the Lord we jump ahead to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry as an adult. Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, not because Jesus needed a Baptism to remove Original Sin, as we do, but so that Jesus could show us the worth of such an action and make it the Sacrament that it is. Jesus had no Original Sin since his Father was God and since his mother Mary’s Immaculate Conception resulted in Mary being born without Original Sin, as well.
We, on the other hand, do carry the stain of the Original Sin of our ancestors (who we call Adam and Eve) passed down to us in our human nature. All the more reason for us to take advantage of the Sacrament of Baptism and why we baptize infants.
On Sunday, January 16^th at the 11:00 a.m. Mass we will be acknowledging all couples that are celebrating Wedding Anniversaries (25^th, 50^th, 55^th, 60^th and above). This includes couples who did not get to celebrate in 2019, 2020, and 2021. We have been announcing this for several weeks but if you, somehow, missed the announcements and are a couple that is celebrating one of these milestone anniversaries, please call the Church Office (504) 466-4511 [As Soon As Possible] to be included in the celebration.
Next weekend our 2^nd collection is our Tuition Assistance Collection. Since we don’t have our own School, anymore, we are required to assist some of our parishioners, in need, who are attending Catholic Schools elsewhere. The Archdiocese gives them the financial assistance, by paying the school, then the Archdiocese bills us. 
Last year we got very little in this 2^nd collection and so we were unable to help when approached by a family, from OLDP, with a child attending St. Therese Academy, since the funds were already used to pay part of the bill from the Archdiocese.
The Tuition Assistance money is used to help only OLDP Parishioners in need.
Thank you for your continued generosity and help with this important 2^nd Collection.

God bless you,
Fr. Mike