St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church

10 Ways for Families to Observe Holy Week

Palm Sunday

1. Attend Palm Sunday Mass together and invite each member of the family to take a palm to place over the doors of their bedrooms as a reminder of Jesus' kingship.

Monday - Wednesday

2. Go as a family to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and celebrate your freedom from sin with a special family dinner.

Holy Thursday

3. Host an at-home foot washing ceremony. It is really powerful to wash someone else’s feet, and especially for children to wash their parents’ feet and each other’s. Use the account of the Lord’s supper in John 13:1-11.

4. Attend the Mass of the Lord's Supper at your parish where they re-enact the washing of the feet.

Good Friday

5. Participate as a family in the traditional Nine Church Walk and recite the Rosary and Stations of the Cross along the way.

6. With a group or family members, create “freeze-frame” Stations of the Cross. Form small groups and ask each to create a scene that illustrates a certain part of the Passion. Once groups are ready, have someone read the Passion narrative, allowing groups to do their freeze frame during the appropriate part of the story.

7. Host a movie night. Watch “The Passion of the Christ” starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. Keep in mind the age-appropriate nature of the movie.

Easter

8. Put religious items such as small books and gifts in the Easter basket, not just candy.

9. Read “The Legend of the Easter Egg” by Lori Walburg (Zondervan, 2011), which presents the egg as a symbol of new life and the resurrection.

10. Before your family Easter meal, go to celebrate at the Eucharistic Table of the Lord by attending Easter Mass and memorialize the celebration with a family photo.

The generosity of our SMM Faith Community is always humbling!

Thanks to that generosity the SMM Knights of Columbus Council was able to collect 2,212 pounds (yes, that is more than a ton!) of non-perishable foods items during Lent.

As always, we thank those who help us help others!

Dear St. Mary Magdalen family:
It is with great excitement that I announce that Ms. Theresa Hebert has accepted the role of Principal of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School for the 2019-2020 school year. Ms. Hebert will officially begin her new position on July 1 of this year.

Ms. Hebert is an experienced educator with many years in Catholic education. Most recently she has taught at St. Philip Neri Catholic School where she has been employed since 2012. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Holy Cross and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Louisiana State University. As a native of the area, she attended St. Ann School for grades preschool through 8^th and Archbishop Chapelle High School.

A message from Ms. Hebert:  “I am both honored and humbled to be chosen as the Principal of St. Mary Magdalen Catholic School.  As principal I am committed to the mission of the school and will work together with you to build upon the strong educational and faith foundation already present at St. Mary Magdalen.  I look forward to meeting each of you in the coming months, as I embark upon this new journey with anticipation and excitement.  God Bless.”

I look forward to welcoming Ms. Hebert to the St. Mary Magdalen School community. I will invoke a blessing upon her as principal on Wednesday May 1^st immediately following our May Crowning of Mary at 7pm in the church, with our Parent’s Club meeting and election to follow in the cafeteria.  She will be available for a meet and greet after the meeting.  Please join me in praying for her and her family as we prepare for this new chapter in Catholic education at St. Mary Magdalen.

Yours in Christ,
Fr. Chris DeLerno / St. Mary Magdalen School and Church

New and gently used children's books for students grades PK - 8 will be accepted at bins near church entrances and Massett Hall until April 30.  The books will be donated to FirstLine Charter Schools of New Orleans.  The collection is organized by SMM graduate and parishioner, Toby Fabregas, for his Eagle Scout project. Thank you for your support. 

On Saturday, April 13, 2019 at the New Orleans lakefront a team of 16 participants from St. Mary Magdalen School and parish participated in the Woman’s New Life Center Born to Run 5K and 1/2 mile Fun Run.  Complimentary food for participants and supporters was provided by the SMM Council of the Knights of Columbus, along with numerous other area Councils. All were energized for life in mind, body and spirit by a beautiful day, great music, food, fun and prayer.  The Women’s New Life Center is a life-affirming counseling and medical center that serves women facing unplanned pregnancies. 

KNIGHTS of COLUMBUS BABY SHOWER

On May 4/5 weekend the KCs will hold a Baby Shower to benefit ACCESS. Unwrapped gifts should be returned to church and deposited in marked boxes before Mass or to the rectory office by May 13.  Suggested items (for health reasons, only NEW items please): onesies, children’s clothing or disposable diapers up to size 3, wipes, baby bath towels & face cloths, receiving blankets/baby blankets, baby bottles, infant socks, pacifiers, baby wash, lotion & shampoo, Desitin ointment, etc
 

KNIGHTS of COLUMBUS BREAKFAST

On Sunday, May 5, all are invited to join the KCs for Breakfast in Massett Hall after the 8AM, 9:30AM & 11 AM Masses.
 

 MEN'S CLUB MEETING & CRAWFISH BOIL

The Men’s Club would like to invite all men to our monthly meeting on Monday, May 6th at 6:00pm.  This will be our annual Men's Club Crawfish Boil.  It will be $10 for all members in good standing who have paid their dues for the year, If you wish to join at this meeting prorated dues will be $15 + 10 for crawfish boil = $25.  This month City Council District 2 Candidate Michael O'Brien, will stop by to talk to everyone and answer any questions. This will be our last meeting before Summer, so we hope to see everyone there. The Men’s Club has many purposes.  We do little projects around the school.  We award scholarships for (2) 7^th graders each year. We donate money to some of the teachers’ events throughout the year as well as purchase items for the classrooms and school. Our Annual Events include: Annual Softball Tournament / King Cake Breakfast / Lenten Fish Frys  / Crawfish Boil / Turkey Fry / Seafood Festival / Crawfish Cook-off. Come out and join us – It will be fun!
President -  Art Florez (504) 450-7621; Vice President – Cary Delaune (504) 473-7731.
 

SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY BLESSING

SMM Parish will acknowledge and honor all of our mothers at all Masses May 11/12 with a special blessing.
 

PARISH MAY CROWNING

On Sunday, May 12 at the 9:30 AM Mass, the Blessed Mother will be crowned by a SMM Family.  Children who wish to bring flowers to the Blessed Mother are asked to join the Procession at the beginning of all Masses.
 
 

 WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be observed on Sunday, May 12, 2019, also known as "Good Shepherd Sunday".  The purpose of this day is to publically fulfill the Lord's instruction to "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest" (Mk 9:38; Lk 10:2).  Please pray that young men and women hear and respond to the Lord's call to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life.  There will be a Holy Hour for Vocations held on that day at 12:15 pm in the Chapel.  This will be a structured prayer service during the regular hour of adoration."

Saturday 2:30 - 3:30PM

Archdiocesan Guide to Going to Confession and Examination of Conscience (click) 

St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church is called to foster a welcoming community, to form disciples for Jesus Christ and to joyfully evangelize.

Unifying Vision: Walking together with Christ, igniting the Spirit within, living God’s Call.
 

This program is for Baptized, catechized Catholics who have received their 1st Communion, but were never confirmed. Classes will be held during the Easter Season with Adult Confirmation Mass at St. Louis Cathedral on Pentecost Sunday, JUNE 9. For more information or to register for classes, please call the Parish Religious Education Office at 733-8980.

ARMS WIDE OPEN 
Bereavement Ministry
SMM Parish is happy to announce the start of our Arms Wide Open (AWO) Bereavement Ministry.  This ministry of compassionate parishioners can help you and your family before, when, and after a loved one dies.  Services provided include: 1) advice and information about “end of life” issues; 2) help with planning the funeral liturgy; 3) keeping in touch and offering prayers and spiritual support during the year following the funeral; and 4) information about grief counseling and other resources offered by SMM,  neighboring parishes and the Archdiocese.  For more information about the AWO ministry, please call the parish office at 504-733-0922.


KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
Saving Lives through Ultrasound Machines-- The Knights of Columbus has donated over 1,000 ultrasound machines to 750+ pregnancy centers. As the Supreme Knight has said, “What greater legacy can a council leave, than to save the life of a child?” Help contribute to the single greatest humanitarian achievement of the Knights of Columbus as we strive to save millions of lives.  

 PARISH ADVOCATES for PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

SMM Parish Advocates for Persons with Disabilities are Shirley Bertucci and Cindy Graham.  In keeping with the mission of the Archdiocesan Commission, we at SMM want to ensure that individuals with disabilities and their families are full, active participants in all aspects of our church community. 
If you or a family member is a person with a disability and: 

• Would like to know about accessibility at SMM
• Have questions or concern about inclusion in our parish
• Have suggestions about how we can improve participation in the life of our parish as a person with a disability,

we want to hear from you. Please contact Shirley Bertucci shirlb2c@cox.net or Cindy Graham  grahamo@cox.net



APRIL, MAY, and JUNE ARE OPEN ENROLLMENT MONTHS ON THE CHURCH BULLETIN AD PAGE.
+ Establish positive community relations.
+ Get word out about the good work you do.
+ Memorialize a loved one.
+ Help parishes in our area.
+ Advertise your business in a cost-effective way.
Please call Vince Liberto at 504-250-9697 (libertov@jspaluch.com) and get your ad in today.