My brother-in-law, Lawrence Richard, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday morning, June 3, at his home. The visitation and the Rosary were at Walters Funeral Home on Thursday, June 8, and the Funeral Mass was at St Genevieve Church on Friday, June 9, at 2PM. Burial was at Calvary Cemetery on the Breaux Bridge Highway. In my name, in my sister’s name, Gloria S. Richard, and in the name of our family, I want to thank all of you who were so kind to be at the visitation, at the Rosary and at the Funeral Mass. The large number of you who came touched our hearts and your prayers, your presence and your friendship were so comforting to every one in the family, especially to Gloria, to the daughters, Rachelle and Rhonda, and the five grandchildren. We are also very grateful to those who brought food to the visitation, those who gave flowers, plants, cards and memorials. May the Lord bless all of you with his grace, mercy and goodness for your thoughtfulness. Please keep the family in your prayers in the days to come. May Lawrence Richard rest in the peace of the heavenly Father as we remember and honor his life, and cherish his memory

We honor our Mothers on the second Sunday of May each year. This Sunday, the third of the month of June, we honor our Fathers. In my name as Pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Church, I extend Happy Father’s Day wishes to all the fathers of our parish and of our families. Fathers, may you have a happy, a peaceful and a joyful day with your children and families. May all Fathers feel the affection, the appreciation and the gratitude of their children on this special day of the year. May each one of us do our best to reach out to our Fathers with a visit, a call, a card, a gift, a text or some sign of appreciation for all he has done for us. The two most primary relationships we enjoy are with our Mother and with our Father. Those relationships are beautiful and meaningful, at times delicate and complicated, and always formative to us as we grow and mature. Through the wisdom and the grace of the Lord, may each one of us have a kind, peaceful, honest, affectionate, caring and an understanding relationship with our human father.

Fathers, we thank you for your commitment and your devotion to your family, to your wives and mothers of your children, and to your children. We are grateful for your generosity of yourself, for your example and your presence to your children and family. As important as the material and financial support of your family are, your emotional and your spiritual support are even more important to the health and well being of your children and your family. We are indeed thankful for how you care for your family, how you are present with and to the members of the family, your wives and your children, how you are the true leader of the family as a man of faith, of kindness, of mercy and of example. Fathers, as your care for your family and as you father your children, let God the heavenly Father gently father you and guide you in your duties and in your responsibilities as a father. Fathers, your children are really God’s children given to you and to your wives for you to care for, to nurture, to educate and to guide to maturity. Call on the Lord to help you, to bless you, to provide for you and to strengthen you as a Father. Bring your children to the Lord in prayer daily and often if not daily pray with your children and your family, especially when you worship God on the Lord’s Day as a family. It is well known that the religious example and spiritual guidance of the Father are profoundly formative in the attitude and in the way children grow as adults.

This Sunday is the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi Sunday). The Mass, the Lord’s Supper, is at the very heart of our worship of God as we gather on the Lord’s Day. As much as we strive to give God the praise, the honor and the glory that he deserves, we receive so much more than we are ever able to give. When we come on the Lord’s Day, we are nurtured with the very presence of the Savior. We are filled with grace, mercy and peace. We receive the Body and Blood of the Lord. We are given the Bread of Life and enjoy communion with Christ and with one another at the altar of the Lord. May our hearts be grateful, our souls be open, our minds docile and our consciences sincere and contrite as we approach the altar of the Lord on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. My best wishes, love, prayers and gratitude to you and to your loved ones, for who you are, for all you do for the Lord and for the good of St. Elizabeth Seton Church Parish. Jesus is the living bread come down from heaven.

SHALOM!
Fr. Gary

Homework for the week of June 18 – June 24
Matthew 11: 28-30