January 22, 2017 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Rev. M. Keith LaBove, Pastor Parish Website: www.stpat.org

stpat.org@gmail.com

Office Hours

Monday – Thursday: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm; Friday 8:30 am – 12 noon Celebration of the Eucharist

Saturday: 4:00 pm – Sunday: 8:30 & 10:00 am Monday through Friday: 7:30 am

Holydays of Obligation: 7:30 am only Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday: 3:00 – 3:30 pm and Weekdays: 7:00-7:25 am (and by appointment)

Baptisms

Seminars are held every other month - register

by calling the office. At-tendance is suggested

during pregnancy.

Anointing of the Sick The Church recom-

mends this sacrament for those who are grave-

ly ill or in danger of death. Call the priest to

arrange a visit.

Weddings

Arrangements must be made at least six

months in advance to allow time for prepara-

tion and planning.

406 East Pinhook Road Lafayette, LA 70501-8727

Phone: (337) 237-0988

Welcome to St. Patrick Church

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time January 22, 2017

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, January 21--Vigil of The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 4:00 PM: Dr. & Mrs. Leonard Rolfes; Phil Simon; Bud & Euna Arceneaux; Mike Guilbeau Sunday, January 22--Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:30 AM: Special Intention S. J. 10:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Patrick’s Monday, January 23--Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children 7:30 AM: Richard, Ronnie, Kenneth & Larry Stutes Tuesday, January 24--St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church 7:30 AM: Paula Ellis + + + + + + + + + +

The Mass Book for 2017 is now open. Please come by the office if you would like to schedule masses in memory of a loved one.

Wednesday, January 25--The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle 7:30 AM: Dr. Tommy Comeaux & Dorinne; Col. Clark Comeaux & Catherine (living); Col. Kimberly Fedele (living) Thursday, January 26--Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops 7:30 AM: M/M Edras Himel Friday, January 27--St. Angela Merici, Virgin 7:30 AM: Dr. Charles Stewart Altar Flowers In Loving Memory of:

Phil Simon Bud & Euna Arceneaux

Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. — Psalm 27:14

Non-Liturgical Devotions Daily Rosary: Monday - Thursday 6:55 a.m. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena: Tues-day 7:15 a.m. Rosary for Priests: Wednesday 7:00 a.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Thursday 7:15 a.m. Pro-Life Rosary: 1st Friday of the month 7 a.m. Shamrocks—Friday, January 27: Donna Guilbeau; Andre Arceneaux; Martha Thomp-son; Daniel & Charlotte Privat. Mark Your Calendars Our Annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast will be held on Saturday, March 11, at the Petroleum Club, at 8 am.

Annual Diocesan Collections—2017

Church in Latin America January 14-15 Aid to Church in Eastern Europe & Africa & Feb. 18-19 (combined) Black & Indian Missions Catholic Relief Services March 18-19 Holy Land (Good Friday) April 14 Catholic Home Missions April 22-23 Trinity Dome Collection for the Basilica of the National Shrine May 20-21 of the Immaculate Conception Peter’s Pence (for the Holy Father) June 17-18 Catholic Communications July 16-17 Catholic University of America September 16-17 Bishop’s Services Appeal October 14–15 World Mission Sunday October 21–22 Cath. Campaign Human Dev. November 18-19 Retirement Fund for Religious December 16-17

Please note that the Building Fund Collection is al-ways picked up on the first Sunday of the month.

Christmas Project Heifer International We have received enough for 2 Gift Arks—$11,380.00. In fairness, we should probably point out that we did receive one very generous donation of $5,000.00, which greatly increased our overall total. We are truly grateful. All dona-tions were sent to benefit families around the world. “Thank you for Changing the World Two by Two”.

VITA—Volunteer Instructors Teaching Adults Tutor Training Workshop is scheduled for Thursday, Janu-ary 26 from 5—7:30 pm and Thursday, February 2, from 5-7:30 pm. Session 1 is prerequisite to Session 2. To register contact 337-234-4600 or email vitala@bellsouth.net. Come, Lord Jesus! We have an active group that meets on Tuesdays, at 6 pm, in the classroom directly behind the Church (across from the restrooms). Anyone interested who missed the previous meetings is welcome to attend, even if you are not sure about continuing. Resources for the program are available for purchase at the Come, Lord Jesus! office at 1804 West University Ave, Lafayette. Call: 337-233-6277 Companions Along the Journey Companions Along the Journey is a Bereavement Support Group for those 18 years and older who have suffered the loss of a loved one. The group meets the first Saturday of the month at St. Peter Roman Catholic Church in Carencro , from 9—11 am. Please contact Karol Meynard 337-261-5607 or 337-257-9467. Survivor of Suicide Support Group The death of a loved one is never easy and grief is experi-enced differently for everyone. The Jacob Crouch Suicide Prevention Services and the Office of Marriage and Family Life are forming a support group especially tailored for sur-vivors of suicide. This group will provide a safe place for those who have lost a loved one to suicide to share their struggles, experiences, and pain as they struggle to regain hope and strength. The group will be facilitated by a li-censed counselor and is open to all survivors of suicide over the age of 18. The group will meet on two evenings a month. Please call Kelly Chapman at 337-261-5653 for more information or to register. January 23rd “To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowl-edging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.” —Pope Saint John Paul II, Evangelium vitae, 101. © 1995 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. Www.goo.gl/jsTM18)

Day of Prayer On Monday, January 23rd, we will mark the "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children" at our 7:30 morning Mass. This day of prayer is held annually in connection with the January 22nd anniver-sary of Roe v. Wade, which declared unborn children to be non-persons. This willingness to allow over 56 million legal abortions since 1973 is one more sign of the "throwaway culture" of which Pope Francis speaks. In this case we are throwing away human be-ings. Join us in prayer. Icon Workshop/Retreat The Diocese of Lafayette Office of Worship is spon-soring a week-long residential icon painting workshop at the Jesuit Spirituality Center in Grand Coteau, LA., from January 30—February 5, 2017. Instructor is Dmitri Andreyev of the Prosopon School of Iconology. Participants will leave with a completed icon of St. Michael the Archangel, Leader of the Heavenly Hosts. Cost is $1,230.00 and includes room and board for the week, 36 hours of painting instruction, and all art sup-plies. For more information, please contact Faye Drob-nic at fdrobnic@diolaf.org or call 337-261-5554 or 337-344-7031. Volunteers Needed Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center is look-ing for volunteers wishing to help as: Greeters, Courte-sy Shuttle Drivers, Cancer Center. Please contact volunteer@lourdesrmc.com; or 337-470-2081. Healing Hearts “Healing Hearts” is a Support Group for women whose relationships have been affected by pornography or sexual addiction of a loved one. Meetings are held in the evening during the week for 1 hour and 30 minutes, in Lafayette. This is a highly confidential group. Con-fidentiality statement must be signed by all members before the place and time of meeting will be disclosed. Please call 337-404-6113 Voicemail and the group facilitator will return your call as soon as possible. Anniversary Pilgrimage Fr. Michael Russo, pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Church will dead a pilgrimage to he Shrine of Fatima and other sites to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions, June 21—June 29, 2017. Brochures available. Call the Parish Office at 337-232-8945. STEWARDSHIP OF THE PAST WEEK Our Response to God’s Generosity to Us Offertory………………………... $ 4,574.40 Church in Latin America………...$ 748.00 Heifer International………………$11,380.00 Thank You!

Date

Saturday, January 28 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, January 29 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, January 29 10:00 a.m.

Lectors Marguerite Montagnet Linda Garber Michael Doumit

Eucharistic Ministers

Candis Thompson Merrick Stelly Peggy Spruill

Ted Hampton Kay Hampton Maggie Sonnier

Kenneth Broussard Madeline Simon Janeth Harrington

Altar Servers Oren Spruill Mary Kramer Phyllis Roy

Ushers Kevin & Daylan Phillips Donald & Scottie Vallot Jenny Feehan Lionel Jeanmard

Liturgical Roles for January

Readings for the Week

Monday Heb 9:15, 24-28; Ps 98:1-6; Mk 3:22-30

Tuesday Heb 10:1-10; Ps 40:2, 4ab, 7-8a, 10, 11; Mk 3:31-35

Wednesday Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22; Ps 117:1bc, 2; Mk 16:15-18

Thursday 2 Tm 1:1-8 or Ti 1:1-5; Ps 96:1-3, 7-8a, 10; Mk 4:21-35

Friday Heb 10:32-39; Ps 37:3-6, 23-24, 39-40; Mk 4:26-34

Saturday Heb 11:1-2, 8-19; Lk 1:69-75; Mk 4:35-41

Sunday Zep 2:3; 3:12-13; Ps 146:6-10; 1 Cor 1:26-31; Mt 5:1-12a

From the Pastor’s Desk

Have you ever heard of “selective reduction”? It is a practice usually associated with in-vitro fertilization, and is one of the reasons the Church condemns the use of these procedures to bring a child into the world in the face of fertility problems. When performing in-vitro fertilization (IVF), multiple eggs are fertilized, resulting in 2, 3, or more embryos. Usually multiple embryos are implanted in the womb, to increase the chances of a pregnan-cy. (Most IVF attempts fail to achieve pregnancy, and each attempt costs thousands of dollars.) And sometimes multiple embryos do implant, resulting in the woman being pregnant with twins, or even triplets or quads.

Being pregnant with multiples increases the risks, both to mother and the children. It is therefore not uncommon in these cases to turn to “selective reduction”. Tests are done to try and determine which of the fetus-es are healthiest. At that point, usually in the early weeks of pregnancy (11-13 weeks), one or more of the chil-dren are aborted. They will try to eliminate the least healthy of the fetuses — if all seem healthy, the choice might come down to whether a boy or girl is preferable. And all this is being done by people who want to have a child — just not too many.

This is of course perfectly legal, since we have abortion on demand in our country, since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973. And I’m sure those who choose “selective reduction” anguish over the decision. But I doubt that once they’re older, the children who do survive are told that they had a brother or sister who was killed in the womb.

I realize this discussion may seem rather gruesome, but it simply describes the situation of a society where some human beings are classed as being simply disposable. No one can deny that the embryo is a human being. Science is science, facts are facts, and from conception forward, there is a separate human being develop-ing within the womb. This human being is within the mother’s body, attached to and dependent upon the moth-er’s body, but is not part of her body as if he/she were an arm or a leg. (Check the DNA — it’s different.)

By denying the status of personhood under the law to these human beings, Roe v. Wade created a class of human beings who can simply be treated as property, instead of being accorded the dignity that is proper to all human beings created in the image and likeness of God.

Many in our society would say that only the woman’s voice matters, and it is her choice. But who speaks up for the unborn child, who as yet has no voice?