The Epiphany of Our Lord

Jan 6

From The Font

“...Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.”

Astrology - the “science” of finding day-to-day meaning in the astronomical patterns seen in space seen from a certain place at a certain time - is largely nonsense. But the underlying idea that God (or “the gods”) are masters of the universe and that divine power extends into this world and beyond it… That idea is true and correct. What’s more, God (the True God) did build at least one astrological reality into the universe: the Star of Bethlehem.

The Bible tells us that the “star” (and its associated astronomical phenomena) were easy to see, but, apparently, difficult to understand. The Magi (who were Zoroastrian “scientists”) saw the coincidence of Jupiter, Virgo, Leo, Mercury, Venus and Mars with the sun and moon and determined that a great king (Jupiter) would be born (Virgo) under a sign of profound power (Leo) and that his kingdom would extend beyond his own land (Leo + Mercury, Venus, Mars) and that he would be born (Sun + Moon + coincidence) on

such and such a day in such and such a place.

The Bible also makes clear that the astrologers employed by Herod didn’t catch this rather obvious sign. So Herod gets the info and gives it to his employees who can’t be clear about the date of the king’s birth and so Herod kills all the male children he can born in the three year window that his sub-par astrologers give him.

It’s worth noting that the astronomy data from the Magi is recorded in scripture. Chapter 12 of the Book of Revelation speaks about a sign appearing in the Heaven and explains that the Woman (the constellation Virgo) has a crown of 12 stars (Leo’s 9 stars + Mercury, Venus, Mars) and that the Sun and Moon are at her head and feet.

While we don’t give credence to astrology as a way of predicting the future or discerning God’s will, we do believe that God is God over all of His creation - including the stars and the planets and everything else. Don’t waste your money or your time on astrology or horoscopes (or other occult nonsense), but know that God can use whatever means He wants to lead us to Himself!

Thoughts from Fr. Ryan

In the early Church, bishops were very, very local. A bishop would have had a Cathedral Church and maybe four or five rural churches to serve. And so, he was generally able to travel to the home of each Catholic family on a somewhat regular basis. Most bishops got into the habit of making their visits and blessing each home at the beginning of the year, around the time of Epiphany. As the Church grew in numbers, the bishop couldn’t do it himself. So bishops started sending priests out at this time of year to bless homes. As the Church continued to grow, even the priests couldn’t make it to everyone’s home near Epiphany and so two traditions arose. First, priests were instructed to bless water at Epiphany and to use that water to bless chalk. The faithful would then take that chalk to their homes and inscribe a blessing upon their doorposts. They were told to write the initials of the wise men (Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar) in the midst of the year. For example, for 2023:

MM + C + M + B + XXIII

This inscription is designed to remind everyone who passes through the door of the true meaning of Epiphany which begins by realizing that the Lord made Himself known to us in a specific space and time. Also, the letters serve as shorthand for the Latin phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat (“Lord, Bless this home”).

While many of us simply assume that we’re heading for heaven (a dangerous assumption), the truth is that God chose a specific people - the Jews. As such, only the Jews had any reason to believe that the resurrection of the dead would apply to them. When the Wise Men from the East recognized God’s design and they found the Christ child and were welcomed by Him… WOW! Symbolically, this is the sign in the scriptures that Jesus came not only to save the Jews (symbolized by the shepherds), but also to save gentiles (symbolized by the magi). It’s an incredibly important moment and so we, as the gentiles we are, mark our homes with the names of those gentiles who symbolize our admission into the promise of being chosen by God. Simply make the marking that you see here above the door (on the frame) with blessed Epiphany Chalk and add a prayer of your own choosing to thank God for His goodness to us.

I should add that this isn’t some kind of totem, taboo, magic or other wacky thing. This is kind of like making the sign of the cross with your house instead of your hand. It’s meant to convey a real blessing and then to remind us of God’s work in our lives. Beyond this blessing and marking, the chalk is not special and can’t be used to convey other blessings. You can’t, sadly, mark the cross on your misbehaving child or your broken TV...

I also encourage you to make sure everyone in your home understands the message of the chosenness of the Jews and the meaning of the gentile wise men so that when people ask what that writing is - we’re able to use it for a little evangelization.

This is also an ideal time to invite your pastor over to your home for a yearly house blessing… and maybe a piece of pie.

Mass Intentions for the Coming Week

Sat 5:30p In memory of deceased Regan, Adams, and Weimer family members/family
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish
Mon NO MASS
Tue 9:00a In memory of Louise Testa/Magoun
Wed 9:00a In memory of Anna May Farlow (birth) and Curt Farlow (death)/family
Thu 9:00a In memory of Gus Gremshell
Fri 5:30p in memory of Pat Bullard, Eva & R.L. Reynolds, and Patrick Thomas/family
Sat 5:30p In memory of Payton Trichell/family
Sun 9:00a Pro Populo for the Living & Deceased Members of our Parish

ALTAR CANDLES this week are burning for the special intentions of C.W. Keene

Assistants at Holy Mass

Date	Servers	Lector(s)
1/7 5:30p	None Scheduled	MK Book
1/8 9:00a	Kathleen and Evelyn	A Keene
1/14 5:30p	None Scheduled	A Keene
1/15 9:00a	Henry, MaryKatherine, Maura	Youth
1/21 5:30p	None Scheduled	MA Gilfoil
1/22 9:00a	Chandler and Annie	K Collins

Upcoming Events

Confessions every Friday & Saturday from 5p until Mass at 5:30p
Sunday Morning Catechism in the Hall after the 9:00a Mass unless otherwise indicated
Pastoral Council meeting monthly on the third Tuesday at 6p unless otherwise indicated
Jan 7 Burning of the Greens on Saturday following Mass. All are invited to come and enjoy Queen’s Soup and King Cake in the Church Hall
Jan 17 Pastoral Council Meeting – Parish Hall – 6 p.m.
Feb 19 Mark your calendar – Mardi Gras Potluck BRUNCH after the Sunday Mass

For Your Information:

ROSARY GROUP… a group of parishioners is meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. to pray the Rosary. Everyone is invited to join the group. If you need additional information, please contact the Coordinator, Louise Magoun, at 318-341-2403.

FORMED.ORG… Check out the Christmas Page! (https://watch.formed.org/advent-and-christmas) They’ve got a ton of great content for all ages! Remember to sign in using our parish’s zip code (71282) at http://signup.formed.org

PASTORAL COUNCIL... will hold its regular meeting on TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023 at 6:00 p.m in the Church Hall. Appointed members of the Council are: MaryKathryn Book, Kendra Collins, Norman Ernst, Louise Magoun, Jason Trichell and Blanche Wilks. Appointed as Trustees by the Bishop are Michel Lancaster and Cathy VanderVieren. Appointed by the pastor to serve as Finance Council Chair is Darryl Ellerbee. All members are requested to make a special effort to attend. Parishioners are encouraged to attend and contribute to the discussions.

FIRST SOCIAL COMMITTEE: Our First Quarter Social will celebrate Mardi Gras on Sunday, February 19, 2023 following Mass. Please mark your calendar and join in a Potluck BRUNCH. The First Quarter (Jan, Feb, March) Committee: Margo Corulla and Darryl and Abby Ellerbee (co-chairs), Norman and Marie Ernst, Katherine Ernst Bedgood, Brian Johnson, Sidney and Mary Jane Johnson, Robbie and Tori Kivett, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Billy and Courtney Nadeau, Teddy and Alyssa Oliver, Mike and Sue Rome, Jason Trichell, Mary Trichell, Levi Washington

EMPOWERING GOD’S CHILDREN… parish volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and go online regularly at www.virtus.org for the latest training bulletins. Any questions or issues can be reported to the office. Printed resources are available on the table at the entrance to the Church.

“Protecting our Children, Understanding and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse” includes Resources and Contact Numbers for reporting abuse.
“Protecting God’s Children, Teaching Touching Safety Quick Reference Guide”

The Diocesan Policy for the Protection of Minors and The Diocesan Code of Pastoral Conduct for Priests, Deacons, Pastoral Ministers, Administrators, Staff, and Volunteers are available in the Safe Environment section of the diocesan website at DioceseAlex.org or a copy may be requested from the Safe Environment Office (318) 445-2401.

PLEDGE TO HEAL... If you or a family member has been abused or victimized by a representative of the Catholic church or a member of the clergy, please believe in the possibility for hope and help and healing. Dr. Lee Kneipp, Clinical Psychologist, Victim Assistance Coordinator, Diocese of Alexandria encourages those persons to come forward and speak out. Dr. Kneipp is establishing support groups in the central Louisiana area for victims and family members. The focus of these groups is to further emotional and spiritual healing as an adjunct to therapy, in an atmosphere of others who understand the pain, betrayal, and fear associated with abuse. Dr. Kneipp can be reached at 318-542-9805. All calls are confidential.

FUNDRAISING WITH GROCERY TICKETS... If you shop at Doug’s and do not already do so, you may want to save your grocery tickets and place them in the bag on the table at the entrance to church. The church will be given 1% of the total of combined purchases (excluding milk, cigarettes, and alcohol). Our thanks to the ANGEL who collects the tickets and prepares them to submit to Doug’s

Stewardship Today, we remember the three wise men from the East who came to pay homage to the infant Jesus, bringing him rich gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gifts we bring–our time and service and some share of what we warn for the work we do–are equally precious in His sight.

Our Return to the Lord


Weekly Budget FY 2022-23	$ 2,111
Decemer Budget	$ 8,444
December Income	$ 23,452
December Expenses	$ 9,083
January Budget	$ 10,555
January 1, Collection	$ 1,766
January Income To Date	$ 1,766

Let us Rejoice in the Lord!

Happy Birthday C. W. Keene (Jan 9), Matilda Johnson (Jan 10, 2005), Pat Gilfoil (Jan 15)

Happy Anniversary Alyssa and Teddy Oliver (Jan 10)

In Our Daily Prayers…

Please let us know of anyone who is ill or hospitalized and would like to receive a visit from Father. Also, help us keep our prayer list up to date by advising us of those who should be added or removed.

Our Holy Father Pope Francis; Bishop Robert Marshall, and our Diocesan leaders, our President, Governor, Mayor and national, state and local elected representatives

Our parishioners who are sick, shut-in, or otherwise in need of our prayers: Connie and Dan Copes, Elizabeth Crothers, Leslye Ellerbee, Susan and Johnny Gilfoil, Bill Kennedy, Ed Mills, Kathleen Mills, Terry and Susie Murphy, Sue & Mike Rome, Delia Trichell, and Don Wood

Those under full-time care: Frances Kennedy, Carol Dunning

Our friends and relatives who need our prayers: Lee Adams (Smith), Ashley Alexander (Regan), Graham Allen (S Gilfoil), Kathryn Wood Allsopp (D Wood), Pam Amacker (Gilfoil), James Arceneaux (Book), Marie Farlow Bellard, Tommy Bickham (C Copes), Chris Breard (Gilfoil), Sarah Cannon (Gilfoil), Ruthie Coenen (Wilks), Jami Cook (Wilks), Susan Ward Daigle (Gilfoil & Keene), Don Deweese, Mac Donaldson (Ellerbee), Joe Farlow, Mike Farlow, Patty Farlow, Monique Florence, Judy Fortenberry, April Franklin (Wilks), Thom Gilfoil, Wyly Gilfoil (Gilfoil), Charlotte Green, Rita Hargrave, Arlice Evans Headley, Evie Hilburn (Lancaster), Melissa Jennings (Gilfoil & Keene), Dee Jones (Keene), LaLa Lopez (Hernandez), Caroline Marcello (Watts), Michelle McGuire(Gilfoil), Mona Martin (MA Gilfoil), Boyce Miller, Caryn Oliver, Sue Perrilloux (D Wood), Wayne Pitre (Gilfoil), Frances Robinson (Wilks), Bailey, Scott and Tiffney Rome, Dianne W. Roper (Murphy), Albert Thom (Rome), LeeAnn Rome Tranchina (Rome), Joe Yerger

Our collegiates: Aidan Collins, Callie Ezell, Lilly Falgout, Chris Hall (USMC), Nick Hall, Bruen Johnson, Caroline Marsh, Emmy Lu Marsh, Blake Sullivan, Carter Sullivan, Walker Sullivan, Marsh Wood

Fr. Ryan Humphries