Clergy Corner

October 1, 2023
Several years ago, Carrie Underwood sang, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”! A song about things being out of control and turning it all over to the capable one! That’s my theme song this week! With Melany, our beloved bookkeeper, being out with a broken shoulder; Ms. Nita, our Pastoral Administrator, limited with her hip injury; fighting with the insurance company, trying to get two projects off the ground (rehabbing the RE building in Clinton and the courtyard at the new adoration chapel); and just the normal day in and day out of the parish, it sure feels like things are spinning out of control! 

Yet, I know that our Lord, the capable one, is driving the bus, and all is well!

As we slide into October there is the hope of cooler temps and maybe some rain! There is also the hope that this Month of Mary, the month of the Rosary, will deepen our love and knowledge of the one who faithfully said yes to what God asked of her. My day in not complete, in fact it is empty, unless I take the time to sit back and pray the Rosary, meditating on the mysteries of the Capable One, then follow it up with the Rosary of Our Mother of Perpetual Help to cement in my mind that she, the Faithful One is with me and I am to call out to her for perpetual help in all things. I know she is with me by little miracles that manifest daily: the smell of flowers when none are present, someone out of the blue approaching me to say Yes to serve the Lord and relieving a burden from me, and her name just popping up in my head out of the blue reminding me all is well.

But also, in big ways! We have some prayerful people in the parish and this week alone two people have come up to me with what they have seen. One telling me that at Mass she looked up and saw the Red Chasuble I was wearing turn royal blue and another telling me that in her rosary the Blessed Mother told her to help finance the nun’s newer vehicle. Both comforting messages that give me the strength to move forward in confidence.

As a person grows stronger in their relationship with Mary and her son Jesus, the more prone they are to be a person who encourages others, serves others, and comforts others. May the fruits of the Rosary continue to manifest themselves in our parish churches, so that more people may see the Risen Christ, the Capable One, alive and manifesting His love in our little area of God’s Kingdom, our heaven on earth!       ~Father Lamar

September 24, 2023
Finally, some cool mornings to wake up to, perfect to sit outside with a cup coffee and do my morning prayer, just wish I could move the tabernacle out to the back porch!

Headway is being made on the Mold/Mildew in the Zachary church. Now the ball is in the hands of the insurance company, pray we resolve this issue soon!

The building saga in Clinton continues. After meeting with the diocese and following their directions, we have determined that it is worth fixing up the Religious Education building. I am just waiting to get one more quote for the HVAC system, then we will schedule the work. Hopefully in the next 3 weeks we can start the process.

At the last OLA building committee meeting we agreed that we need to complete a 5 – 10 year plan for the church. Other parishes in the diocese have completed such plans prior to building new structures to adequately plan appropriately. This will set us back on fund raising and starting a new building project, but I think it will give us a better idea of what we need so we can move forward.

I was able to clear another thing off the desk this week. As many of you know the sisters in Clinton are driving a rather old vehicle which has left them stranded. We had a parishioner who spearheaded raising funds and finding them a new vehicle. We were able to purchase a Chevy Trac this week. It’s a three-year-old vehicle, but only has 17,000 miles. Hopefully, it will serve them well as they drive the back roads of our parish.

The Eucharistic Revival has kicked off. Thanks to the families who have signed up for the Traveling Eucharistic Revival Chalice and are dedicating time to pray for our parish during this time of Grace.

~Father Lamar

September 17, 2023

The Eucharistic Revival Kick Off went well. A special thanks to the core group that has worked so hard in such a short time!

One of the main comments I have received is: “What is Benediction?”. Benediction is a prayer of blessings, like the priestly blessing found in the Book of Numbers, “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you And give you peace.”

In the Catholic Church, Benediction is a Ritual, a Rite, where the Blessed Sacrament is exposed in the monstrance on the Altar. The faithful then have a period of Silence, Prayer, Reading from Scripture, and Song after which the faithful are then blessed with the Blessed Sacrament and it is then returned to the Tabernacle, at which time the divine praises are recited. It is a beautiful Rite that focuses our attention on our Eucharistic Lord. I hope that the Eucharistic Adoration Parish Web page is helpful.

I am hoping that our A/C issues are resolved. The Gym, PAC, and Church units are holding up. The Parish Hall unit was replaced, and the new unit is working as it should. We have some A/C issues in the classrooms, but hopefully it will be only a minor adjustment.

Our new “crisis” is the mildew in the new Church! We have contacted the Insurance Company; they will be sending out engineers to assess the situation and recommend repairs. Thankfully with the help of the Finance Council, the Ministry Council and the Building committee up and running it makes decision making much easier. Please keep us in your prayers!

~Fr. Lamar


September 10, 2023

Flannery O’Connor, an American writer, once at a dinner party heard someone say that the Eucharist was a mere symbol, her reply was classic, ‘Well, if it’s a symbol, to hell with it.’ Oh, if we all had that faith and that courage. Unfortunately, not all do!

The shocking result of the PEW study on Catholic’s belief on the Eucharist left the leaders of the Church stunned, ONLY 30% OF CATHOLICS BELIEVE THAT THE EUCHARIST IS THE BODY, BLOOD, SOUL, AND DIVINITY OF THE RISEN CHRIST! A later study clarified this. For those who attend Mass on a regular basis 70% believe it is the Body and Blood of Christ, while only 30% believe it’s merely a symbol.

From the time of the breaking of the bread at Emmaus the Apostles believed what Jesus said and commanded them to do regarding the Breaking of the Bread – that it is his body, that it is his blood and he commanded us to do “this” in memory of him. Every Church founded by an Apostle has this central belief, only churches founded later have deviated from this belief.

In June of 2022 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops rolled out the Eucharistic Revival. The first year challenged the church leaders to grow in their relationship with the Eucharistic Lord, and now this year all the people of God are being challenged to grow in their relationship with the Eucharistic Lord.

We here at SJB-OLA will be rolling out a program to call our attention to our Lord’s Eucharistic presence. We will offer mornings of reflection, scripture study, encourage Adoration, displaying different Eucharistic Miracles in the church, together praying after Communion a prayer to remind us of what we have received and lastly reinstate a long-standing tradition in the Church – Benediction after the close of Mass one weekend a month.

September 3, 2023
C.S. Lewis wrote, “Christ wants a child's heart, but a grown-up's head." He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first-class fighting trim.” For us to achieve such a noble idea, we must constantly Spiritually Workout!

This past weekend the Diocese of Baton Rouge’s Religious Education Convocation featured Dr. Brant Pitre, a Louisiana native and professor of Sacred Scripture. He gave an insightful talk on “Jesus, the Model of Prayer”. He highlighted the importance of Meditation on Scripture, the Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Jesus, Contemplative Prayer, Eucharistic Adoration and keeping Christ as our Model in living our lives. Now that we have a New Adoration Chapel, I hope and pray that each of us will find the time to use this space to grow in these areas more! It’s time to spiritually workout!

Next month the parish will kick off our Eucharistic Revival, to join with parishes throughout the U.S in strengthening our belief in the Lord’s true presence in the Eucharist. Please pray for the Parish Eucharistic Revival’s steering committee as they plan a fruitful year!

I was very happy to see all the students back at Religious Education this past weekend. Katie, Melissa, Heidi and Wanda have once again done wonders in organizing the new school year here at St John’s and Our Lady! Please pray for our students that their minds and hearts may be open to instruction and grow in their relationship with God!

Just as the recent rains have brought us much relief and watered our thirsty land, may God’s grace do the same for our thirsty souls!

Fr. Lamar


August 6, 2023
Greetings SJB-OLA
It is said that the Lord will not give you more than you can handle.  All I got to say is enough already!  It seems like the landslide is gaining momentum! I know why SJB & OLA has Temporary Classroom Buildings for CCD, I just don’t know why after 40 years these temporary buildings are still in use; they were supposed to be TEMPORARY!
Over the last 5 years the Temp buildings have had damage to them by falling trees and limbs during storms. The roof damage in Zachary was repaired, but in Clinton the roof damage was not; now both buildings have Mold which will have to be remediated before they can be used again. The T-Building in Zachary is in bad need of leveling; the rear door (an Emergency Exit) will not open at all, the main entrance opens with difficulty; and one of the four HVAC units is completely down. We are currently reaching out for bids to see if it is feasible to make the necessary repairs. The T-Building in Clinton, though older, is in great structural shape, we are currently entertaining bids from two contractors to make the necessary repairs.
The decay of the earthly things are a given, yet even in the midst of decay the spiritual well-being of the parish is phenomenal! I am constantly awed by the number of people attending Mass, even daily Masses, I am constantly awed by the number of people who stay to pray the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help on Thursdays and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on Fridays. Because of your witness, we already have people calling to enquire about entering the Church! I find the Faith strong in Clinton and Zachary! Because of your faith, your prayers and support, I know I will be able to handle what the Lord places on me! Keep up the good work, good and faithful servants of the Lord!     ~Father Lamar
 

July 2, 2023

Greetings SJB and OLA! It is wonderful to be here with you! 

I have always enjoyed visiting over the last 11 years when Fr Jeff was called away, so I know I will enjoy being able to stay with you now.

As many of you know I was raised in Baton Rouge, then my family moved to Walker, so I am familiar with South Louisiana and all the beauty it holds, mainly the beauty of its people; which I have come to appreciate more deeply after being away since I joined the Redemptorist.  I have been a Redemptorist for going on 27 years; 15 years as a Redemptorist Brother and 12 years as a Redemptorist Priest.

Throughout those years I have been assigned to Crowley, LA; Baton Rouge, LA; Grand Rapids, MI; Liguori, MO; San Antonio, TX and Tucson, AZ. Many years ministering as a Jr High Religion Teacher, Psych Nurse, Associate Pastor, Vocation Director and lastly a Pastor.

I came home to Louisiana a year ago to be with my family when my father was placed on Hospice. We lost him in February so at that time I decided to stay in this area to stay close to my family. So I come with some experience, but there is always more and more to learn and I am looking forward to learning along with you. 

The parish has grown and its faith has only deepened over the years. One of the defining virtues of SJB-OLA is the love that is evident and the hospitality that overflows; it’s a sign that the Spirit of the Living God is alive in this place. I am blessed to experience both and I am looking forward to experiencing more, and sharing the power of the Holy Spirit with you.

May our faith be as hot as a Louisiana Summer and powerful as Hurricane! Together let us build God’s Kingdom here and now!

Fr Lamar