St. David Catholic Church

Very Rev. Oswald P. Pierre-Jules, Jr., S.S.J.
Pastor
Dean of St. Bernard Deanery

Sunday, September 20, 2020

My dear Beloved friends and families:

     Your Pastor is back safely, and I thank you all for your fervent prayers while I was away.  I have brought with me greetings from my family.  Now, I want to know how you and your families are doing.  How are you and how are you continuing to cope with those difficult and challenging times? I truly hope that you are well, and you continue to remain safe.  I kept you in my thoughts and prayers throughout my time away, and I have no doubt that I was in yours as well. Yes, I missed communicating with you during the two weeks I was away.  I am very glad to be back to my Church families and friends.

     We continue to believe that our faith in God‘s power continues to go through the test throughout both this terrible pandemic and this year’s hurricane season. Since God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, we do not need to tell Him how we feel and how anxious and confused we continue to be throughout this pandemic. At the same time, we must continue to remind ourselves that we have the responsibility to bring hope and comfort to those we encounter every day; those who are more anxious and confused than we are. Indeed, we know that our Christian life is a journey. Yes, we continue to live in challenging and troubling times filled with anxieties, confusion, despair, and uncertainties.  Indeed, God, our Father who is good at all times is also in charge, and in Him we continue to place our complete and unwavering trust.  As we continue to deal with and navigate those difficult times, we continue to ask Jesus to lead us along the way.  To those of you who are at home, I continue to let you know that until everyone of you is back, the family remains incomplete.  I also continue to urge you to be patient and to take your time.  Again, we continue to be patient as we continue to wait for you and yes when everyone is back, indeed, it will be a great and happy and joyful day.

     Whether at home or physically present, we gather again this weekend to celebrate the Eucharist on the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time., and we are delighted and joyful in being with you as a Church family.  In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a landowner who went out to hire laborers for his vineyard. “Why do you stand here idle all day, said the master?” They answered: “Because no one hired us”. “You go into the vineyard, said the master”. “Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage, and am I not free to do as I wish with my money? Take what is yours and go home”. Indeed, “the last will be first and the first will be last”. My friends, this weekend again, we come to worship God, our Father who is gracious, fair, compassionate, and loving toward all His children.  Yes, God is free to give His grace to whomever He pleases, and He has the power to do so without needing our help. Indeed, God loves all His children and we have no right whatsoever to dictate to Him what to do and how to do it.  “Am I not free to do what I please?”
 

      Beloved friends and families, let us continue to call upon Jesus, the teacher by excellence so that He might help us to understand how gracious God is toward all His children and how His grace is a gift to us but  it is not something that we earn. As we gather this weekend to celebrate, let us also continue to seek more knowledge and understand how blessed and fortunate we are to be working in God’s vineyard.  My friends, I humbly urge you to continue to be strong and to be confident that God will never abandon us and that His grace will remain in us and with us throughout those challenging times.

 
Wishing you all a very blessed, safe, and productive week, and with deep love and admiration, I remain yours truly,
 
Fr. Oswald Pierre Pierre-Jules, Jr., S.S.J.
Your Pastor and member of the St. David  family
 

 
 

2020 Parish Theme:

 St. David: Faith, Family & Fellowship

                   All are invited to attend Sunday Mass at  10:00 AM 
                   which live-streams on Facebook.  The link on
                   Facebook is:  St. David Catholic Church        

              Parishioners of St. David Parish are invited to join together
             to pray the Rosary on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m.  
             Telephone-Conference Call:  1-712-770-4721 - Code:  222140

            The Pastor's conference call with his parishioners:                         St. David: every Wednesday, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. 
Haitian Community:  every Thursday, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. 

       Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of Our Ladyof         Prompt Succor, spare us during this Hurricane season from           all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of                   nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We               ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.  

          My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed
          Sacrament.  I love You above all things and I desire to receive
          You into my soul.  Since I can not now receive You sacramen-
          tally, come at least spiritually into my heart.  I embrace You as
          if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You.
          Never permit me to be separated from You.  Amen          

                                                                                     St. Alphonsus Liguori

        From: Mary M. Aucoin
        Realtor New Orleans:  The Advocate

       I  suggested  all Catholics continue to make   their contributions           to the Church as they would have at Mass.  If you participated in          the envelope system, mail your check to your parish Church.  If            you usually put cash in the collection, consider writing a check            and sending it.  I would also like to suggest increasing your                    contribution.  After all, what do you have to  spending on?                        Restaurants, bars, movie theaters, etc. are closed.  Our parishes            still have to pay bills.