March 6, 2016 - Fourth Sunday of Lent

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

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Saturday: 3:00 – 3:30 pm and Weekdays: 7:15 am

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

Fourth Sunday of Lent

March 6, 2016

MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK

Saturday, March 5--Vigil of the Fourth Sun-day of Lent 4:00 PM: Cecil & Eva Mae Hebert; Dr. & Mrs. Leonard Rolfes Sunday, March 6--Fourth Sunday of Lent 8:30 AM: Robert Chastant & Evelyn; Eddie Upton; Dr. Almore (Doc) Bordelon; Nick & Earl Chiasson; M/M Elliot Roy; Robert Cole; Joseph & Eldie Woods; Phil Simon; Bud & Euna Arceneaux 10:00 AM: Parishioners of St. Patrick’s Monday, March 7--Saints Perpetua & Felicity, Martyrs 7:30 AM: Dr. Bill Bernard; Rose Acaro; Beth & Charles Dupuy Tuesday, March 8--St. John of God, Religious 7:30 AM: Dr. Nicholas Olivier

Wednesday, March 9--St. Frances of Rome, Reli-gious 7:30 AM: Dr. Tommy Comeaux & Dorinne; Col. Clark Comeaux & Catherine (living); Col. Kimberly Fedele (living) Thursday, March 10--Lenten Weekday 7:30 AM: Lucille Latimer; Ewing Latimer, Sr.; Edith Latimer Friday, March 11--Lenten Weekday 7:30 AM: Dr. Charles Stewart Friday—7:00 a.m.

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.

— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Non-Liturgical Devotions Daily Rosary: Monday - Thursday 6:55 a.m. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena: Tuesday 7:15 a.m. Rosary for Priests: Wednesday 7:00 a.m. Chaplet of Divine Mercy: Thursday 7:15 a.m. Stations: Fridays During Lent 7:00 a.m. Shamrocks—Friday, March 11: Gloria Bou-dreaux, Stephanie Bacque; Josette Delahoussaye; Martha Thompson Works of Mercy Tune in to our Diocese's Sunday morning televi-sion program, Tell the People, (Sundays at 11 a.m. on KATC-TV3) to hear Fr. Keith's reflec-tions on the corporal works of mercy in the light of the Passion of Christ. The series continues through Easter Sunday.

Volunteers Needed Would you like to participate in the Washing of the Feet, Holy Thursday, March 24th, at 6 pm? Please call the office at 237-0988. Annual Celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday in Holy Jubilee Year of Mercy The Central Region of the Diocese of Lafayette will host a special celebration of “Divine Mercy Sunday” on Sunday, April 3, at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church. This event begins at 2:00 p.m. with Exposi-tion of the Blessed Sacrament, Divine Mercy Chaplet and Prayers, Sacrament of Reconciliation, and more, followed by Holy Mass at 3:00 p.m. Additional de-tails will be forthcoming – please save the date! For more information, please contact Mary Bergeron (654-8682; mbergeron@diolaf.org).

Fr. Keith! (March 5)

Lenten Daily Masses: Monday through Friday: 7:30 a.m. Way of the Cross: Fridays 7:00 a.m.

Central Region St. Anthony Church 615 Edison Street, Lafayette, presenters will be Rev. Hamp-ton Davis, Pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace – March 7; and Rev. Chester Arceneaux, Pastor of Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist – on March 7 & 8 at 7:00 p.m. The theme of the Mission is “Be Merciful Like Your Father is Merciful”. For more information, please call the Church Office (234-5855). St. Pius X Catholic Church 201 East Bayou Pkwy, Lafayette, “God’s Love, God’s Mer-cy, God’s Healing”, presented by John Pridmore, Lay Evan-gelist, on March 7, 8, 9 at 7:00 p.m. For more information, please call the Church Office 232-4756. Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church and Catholic Student Center 501 East St. Mary Boulevard, Lafayette, presented by Rev. Peter John Cameron, O.P., Editor of the Magnificat, on March 7-10 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. For more information please call the Church Office 232-8742. Central Region Opportunities for Confession Several priests will be present to hear Confessions: March 9: Sacred Heart of Jesus, Broussard, 6:00—8:00 pm March 10: St. Edmond, Lafayette, 6:00—8:00 pm March 16: St. Elizabeth Seton, Lafayette, 6:30—8:00 pm March 17: St. Bernard, Breaux Bridge, 6:00—700 pm, Mass at 5:30 pm) All are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconcilia-tion in preparation for Easter Sunday. Labyrinth Walk The St. Mary Altar Society at St. Mary Mother of the Church (419 Doucet Road, Lafayette) invites all to a “Labyrinth Walk” on Tuesday, March 8, from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in St. Mary Parish Hall. The day will begin with a presentation at 9:15 a.m. Walking the Labyrinth is a tool that helps us stop and reflect, offering a time of “letting go”, “letting in” and “letting out” and putting our lives in per-spective. This spiritual walk is a place for meditation, a time to think, and a place to pause and consider the Lord’s unconditional love for us. For more information, please contact JoAnn LeJune (981-3379). Next Sunday

St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast Our Annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast will be cele-brated next Saturday, March 12th., at the Petroleum Club, 111 Heymann Blvd., at 8:00 a.m. Once again the cooks, artisans, craftsmen, seamstress, gardeners, etc., who wish to provide a door prize are encouraged to begin their project. Gift certificates from store own-ers are also accepted. Please NOTE: it is not necessary to provide a door prize. Rather this is a way to share one’s gifts and talents with the members of our church community. Please sign the tablet at the back of the church if you are planning to attend as we need to know how many to prepare for. Holy Hour for Vocations Please join us for our monthly “Holy Hour for Voca-tions and for the Spiritual Renewal of All Priests” on Monday, March 7, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 406 E. Pinhook Road. Recitation of the Rosary begins at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to join in these prayers for vocations and perseverance of vo-cations to the priesthood and religious life, sponsored by the Serra Club of Lafayette. St. Joseph Altar at St. Pius X St. Pius X Catholic Church on East Bayou Parkway, Lafayette, will host a St. Joseph Altar on March 19, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We invite all of you to visit the Altar and share fellowship with us. If you are interested in participating in the set up or have any questions, please call the St. Pius X Parish Office (233-4656). CRS Rice Bowl Information Hongkham Phengsaphone is a woman living in Laos, in Southeast Asia, and is sending her three sons to ele-mentary school in the province. Laos is one of the more undeveloped countries in the region, with low literacy rates, and high dropout rates, as they struggle to offer a quality education. Catholic Relief Services is the first program to work with 317 schools in the area to provide a school lunch. Food brought from the Unit-ed States is prepared each day by parent volunteers like Hongkham. That school lunch, made possible by dona-tions to Catholic Relief Services, is an incentive to send children to school -- they go to school so that they have a meal at noon. Rice Bowl containers are availa-ble under the stairwell near the main entrance. STEWARDSHIP OF THE PAST WEEK Our Response to God’s Generosity to Us Offertory………………………$ 4,988.32 Thank You! The second collection this weekend is for our Building Fund.

Date

Saturday, March 12 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 13 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, March 13 10:00 a.m.

Lectors Marguerite Montagnet Larry Lewis Michael Doumit

Eucharistic Ministers

Kathy Kalweit Merrick Stelly Peggy Spruill

Geneva Phillips Ted Hampton Kay Hampton

Debra Carroll Monica Mullins Jean Arceneaux

Altar Servers Oren Spruill Glenn LaGrange Andre Arceneaux

Ushers Kevin & Daylan Phillips Rachelle Trahan Keith Toups

Jenny Feehan Lionel Jeanmard

Liturgical Roles for February

Readings for the Week

Monday Is 65:17-21; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-13b; Jn 4:43-54

Tuesday Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Jn 5:1-16

Wednesday Is 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9, 13cd-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30

Thursday Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106:19-23; Jn 5:31-47

Friday Wis 2:1a, 12-22; Ps 34:17-21, 23; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Saturday Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-12; Jn 7:40-53

Sunday Is 43:16-21; Ps 126:1-6; Phil 3:8-14; Jn 8:1-11

From the Pastor’s Desk

Last Sunday, we heard the story of the barren fig tree—the landowner, frustrated at finding no figs for three years running, decides to cut it down. The gardener pleads for another year, another opportunity to bear fruit, and the owner agrees to another chance. It might remind us of the bargaining between God and Abraham in Genesis 18, before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah — the human being intervening, and pleading with God not to unleash his wrath. “Suppose there were fifty righteous people in the city?”

But what if in this story, we human beings are the landowner. The fig tree might be our neighbor, our rel-ative, our friend, or our enemy, with whom we have simply become fed up. Or the fig tree might be our own selves, as we struggle with sin and disappointment in our own lives. As with the fig tree, we feel that we’ve given enough chances. It is simply time to cut one’s losses and cut it down. We’re giving up, and we’re walking away, either from the other person, or from our own hopes for conversion and salvation.

Now suppose Jesus is the gardener. He is the one who is intervening. He knows well that the fig tree has not fulfilled expectations, and is continuing to exhaust the soil, with nothing to show for it. The gardener too has come out, year after year, looking for fruit, and finding nothing.

Listen to Jesus saying, “Leave it for another year”. Leave it, and let me tend to it. Let me provide water and nourishment, even though you might think I am wasting my time. Even though the world thinks that this one is beyond hope, and beyond help, without worth or value, a burden not to be borne, let’s give it another chance.

If Jesus is the gardener, then I suspect that he will return the following year, hoping that this time the tree will be filled with luscious, ripe figs. And if Jesus finds once more only a barren, fruitless tree, he will probably say again, “Leave it for another year”. Perhaps the day for cutting down will come, but not this day.

I know, that makes no sense. Certainly that spot in the garden could be put to much better use. Certainly that fig tree has been given enough chances. And it is precisely when we recognize and admit how little sense the gardener (Jesus?) is making, it is then that we have begun to understand the true nature of mercy.

Mercy. It’s kind of like that younger son who abandons family, squanders his inheritance, and then comes back, hoping to be accepted in some way. Mercy is when that son finds a forgiving father watching, waiting, and finally welcoming and forgiving. Mercy is giving that one more chance — seven times? Seventy-seven times?

Mercy is about getting more chances than we could ever hope to deserve!