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THE CONFESSORTHE CONFESSORTHE CONFESSOR A Publication of St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church
VOLUME 30, NUMBER 6 JUNE 2020 www.steddy.org
Founder’s Day—June 1st
This year on June 1, 2020, marks the 56th anniversary
of the founding of St. Edward the Confessor Parish
(Founder’s Day). While we have always celebrated this
occasion with a special Mass and the presentation of Eddy
Awards, this year must be delayed as our world struggles
to overcome the tragedy of Covid19.
On Monday, June 1, let us remember all those, living
and deceased, who worked to build this faith community
as well as those who continue to give and share. We pray
that God’s love for us and our love for Him may continue
to grow in our hearts and in the hearts of our neighbors,
children and grandchildren.
from Fr. Seiler, Fr. Kevin and Staff of
St. Edward
Dear Parishioners of St. Edward:
We have resumed our regular Mass schedule in church
(see page 4); however, we must adhere to strict mitigation
standards in preventing the spread of COVID-19. This
requires spacing of groups, limiting concentration of
people, strict use of PPE, and frequent sanitizing. The
number of people who can gather in the church is 25%
of the occupancy of the church. Therefore, no more
than 150 people may participate in any one celebration
of Mass. Ushers will serve as “crowd managers” at each
Mass. These restrictions may open further once the
governor moves the state into Phase II recovery.
Please remember that Archbishop Aymond has
dispensed the people of the Archdiocese from the
obligation to attend Sunday Mass. He has also directed
that if someone is vulnerable and not feeling well, they
should not participate in Mass with other people. Social
distancing must be observed at all times – 6 feet apart.
This includes the Communion line as well. All ministers
will observe proper hygiene of their hands. Because Mass
will be celebrated indoors and everyone will be sharing
the same air, participants MUST wear a mask. Communion on the tongue is not encouraged. The sign of
peace may be given by bowing to the other person.
Everyone should depart the premises as soon as Mass
ends and as people depart from Mass, social distancing
must be observed.
Each day a video of the daily Mass at St. Edward will
be posted on our website at www.steddy.org.
The church will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
daily for personal prayer visits. The Parish Center has
resumed regular business hours. The Adoration Chapel
will reopen on Monday, June 1st, with a limit of no
more than 8 people at any given time and everyone must
wear a mask. Our regular schedule for the Sacrament of
Reconciliation has also resumed (see page 4). Again,
please maintain appropriate “social distancing” while in
church and in the chapel.
Your generous contributions to support the mission and
ministries of St. Edward the Confessor Parish has always
been greatly appreciated. Your stewardship is an act of
thanksgiving for all that God has done for you and your
loved ones. You may send in your weekly donation
through the U.S. mail or put in the collection basket. No
gift is too small or insignificant. God bless you in
advance for your parish support.
Let us continue to pray for the Lord’s protection from
illness and for the full recovery of anyone experiencing
sickness at this time.
Antidote for Anxiety!
When the saint, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was asked,
“What will convert America and save the world?” She
answered, “My answer is prayer. What we need is for
every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament in holy hours of prayer.”
Covid 19 reminds us of our need for Him. We need
prayer to convert America and save the world. Only
prayer can bring us true peace. Our parish is looking
forward to reopening our chapel as soon as we have
adorers for all the hours. Most of our current adorers are
ready and eager to return. However, we have a few gaps.
Come bring your needs and those of your family and
find refreshment and peace! Make Adoration your priority
and place of refuge! Call Sheila Butler at 889-0334.
Hurricane Season Prayer
Our Father in Heaven, through the powerful intercession
of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us from all harm
during this hurricane season and protect us and our homes
from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor,
hasten to help us.
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Our fraternal year is winding down. It has been a
productive year of many men joining the ranks of the
Knights and plenty of community service.
Our Council, with the help of Councilman Deano
Bonano, held a non-perishable food drive at St Edward on
May 9. All food donations were delivered to residents of
Metairie Manor (eastbank) and Wynhoven Living Center
(westbank), along with cash donations of over $1,000 to
be used to purchase food items. Thank you for your
generosity.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS NEWS
PASS IT FORWARD
BECOME A CATECHIST!
Approximately 40 children in grades 1 through 11 will
sign up at St. Edward this fall to learn more about Jesus
and the Catholic Faith. Each class size usually ranges
anywhere between 4 and 13 students. Substitute teachers
and aides are needed to help our primary classroom
teachers. Substitute catechists and teacher aides help
young students learn and grow as they teach the Catholic
Faith. As you nurture the faith of our young, you will
learn and grow as well. All instructions and materials are
provided for you. As one long-time catechist put it, “I
learn so much from the children!”
Our Parish School of Religion classes are held once
per week (Mondays from 4:15 PM to 5:30 PM) and
begin on August 17. If you would like to explore the
possibility of becoming a substitute catechist or assistant,
please contact Trevor Huster, our Director of Religious
Education, at 888-0703 or [email protected].
ST. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR CHURCH
Your chimes ring out daily, St. Edward, so serene,
As a reminder of a holy place that can easily be seen.
What a happy time to be at Mass
with relatives and friends!
It’s a great experience in faith,
that each heart daily attends.
You’ve made it so available, the daily, sacred Mass,
With your portal, always open, we simply cannot pass.
God’s grace is at work as together we pray and sing.
We praise you Father, as melodious church bells ring.
St. Edward we love you, you’re a refuge from the storm.
As we begin each day with you, in evening or the morn.
We visit also in quiet time, as your vigil light ever burns.
It’s a sign of God’s presence to us,
with so many concerns.
St. Edward, you’ve inspired us all to live holier lives,
Whether we be in single state, or husbands and wives.
May God continue to use you, each and every day,
Knowing what He has wrought in Jesus Christ the Way.
Now we move on in our lives to spread the good news.
So much of which may have begun
in St. Edward’s pews.
St. Edward, we now extend our most heartfelt thanks.
As we reach out to others,
who may hopefully join our ranks.
Summer Cabbageball League
STEAM will host another fun-filled Summer
Cabbageball League for children entering
Pre-K4—8th grade. This is a great opportunity
for kids to have fun learning the game of
cabbageball while interacting with classmates. The cost is
$18 per child and the registration deadline is June 3.
To help offset the costs, we welcome corporate and
private sponsorships. Contact Keith Millet (504-473-
3781) for more details. Register and pay online at
SteamEvents.org. Games will be played on Mondays and
Thursdays and begin on Monday, June 15.
STEAM is also beginning the adult cabbageball league
starting on Sunday, June 7, at 6 p.m. in the parking lot.
Contact Daniel Haworth (504-701-3269) or visit
STEAMevents.org to join in the fun.
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SPIRITUAL ADOPTION
PROGRAM
Your spiritually adopted baby weighs over one
pound now. Her mother can feel her movement now.
Before she was too small for her to feel. Although she
swam with ease in her watery world, she needed to be big
and strong enough to kick hard against the outside wall
and dent it - - the inside wall of the uterus has no feeling.
We are mid-way through the pregnancy now. Your
prayers have helped your baby’s mother continue with her
pregnancy and to seek the help she needs.
Congratulations to these St. Edward Students:
Archbishop Chapelle High School
Academic Scholarship (valued at $1,000 per year)
awarded to:
Katie Scuderi
St. Mary’s Dominican High School
The Gauthier Endowed Scholarship for Academics
awarded to:
Kayleigh Jollands
Archbishop Rummel High School
Honors Scholarship
(valued at $4,200 per year) awarded to:
Brandt Frey
Archbishop Rummel High School
Scholarship for the Arts
(valued at $2,500 per year) awarded to:
Milos Valenta
Cabrini High School
Academic Scholarship
(valued at $1,000 per year) awarded to:
Alaina Coleman
Brother Martin High School
Academic Scholar Status
(valued at $2,865 per year) awarded to:
Brady Gueydan and Kyle Millet
Edna and Bert Donnes Memorial Award
Highest Academic Average Award:
Thomas Schmitt
STEAM Gus Pumilia Scholarships:
Kyle Millet and Katie Scuderi
Ladies Council Scholarships:
Kayleigh Jollands and Thomas Schmitt
Congratulations to the 2020 Graduating Class Of St. Edward School
Frances Bade
Nathan Braun
Anthony Catalanotto
Alaina Coleman
Timothy Delaune
Peyton Depolitte
Carlos Fernandez
Brandt Frey
Isabella Gibson
Connor Gourgues
Brady Gueydan
Laila Hoang
Kayleigh Jollands
Alyson Krajcer
Caleb LaFrance
Thinh Le
Lindsey LeJeune
Madeline Lesslie
Greyson Lusignan
Logan Marcel
Chase Mashburn
Jordan McCarty
Kyle Millet
Lucy Orlando
Rachelann Potter
Egan Prather
Carina Rodriguez
Emily Romano
Sophia Schielder
Thomas Schmitt
Cameron Scuderi
Katie Scuderi
John Segretto
Gunnar Smith
Peyton Spadoni
Olivia Srirerg
Kaitlyn Stremlau
Hailey Thibodeaux
Miloslav Valenta
Cecilia Vu
Emileigh Ward
Hayden West
Grace Williams
Sophia Wright
Sacred Heart Home Enthronement
Jesus promised that He would establish peace in
families and bless every home in which an image of His
Heart is exposed and honored. It requires no more
commitment than faithfulness to our Baptismal Promises,
but it deepens our relationship with Christ. If we sanctify
the family through the Sacred Heart, we will sanctify all
of society.
Promises of Jesus for souls devoted to His Sacred
Heart:
Sixth Promise: Sinners shall find in My Heart the
source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
For more information on enthroning your home to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, contact Yvette Fouchi at 874-9225.
Congratulations to Amanda Darda,
Valedictorian at Chapelle High School
this year. Amanda attended St. Edward
School, was active in our CYO, and will
be attending UNO in the fall to study
Engineering. Congratulations Amanda!
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St. Edward the Confessor Church
4921 West Metairie Avenue
Metairie, LA 70001
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID METAIRIE, LA
PERMIT NO. 615
The 2021 Mass Intention Book will open next
month on Wednesday, July 1 at 9 a.m. Please
come to the Parish Center to choose the particular
dates you would like. Mass Offerings are $5 each.
The Parish Office is open Monday through Friday
from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Our congratulations to
Father Seiler
on the 30th anniversary of his
Priestly Ordination on June 2;
Father Kevin
on the 11th anniversary of his
Priestly Ordination on June 6;
and Deacon Tim
on the 2nd anniversary of his
Ordination to the Diaconate on
June 23.
GENERAL PARISH INFORMATION
PARISH STAFF
Pastor: Rev. Gerald L. Seiler, Jr.
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Kevin T. DeLerno
Deacons: Steven J. Koehler
Timothy G. Meaut
School Principal: Dr. Thomas E. Becker, Jr.
Director of Religious Ed.: Trevor D. Huster
ADDRESSES , TELEPHONES AND E-MAIL
Parish Office: 4921 West Metairie Ave.
Metairie, LA 70001-4466
(504) 888-0703; (504) 455-5443 FAX
E-mail: [email protected]
Parish Website: www.steddy.org
School: 4901 West Metairie Ave.
Metairie, LA 70001-4496
(504) 888-6353; (504) 456-0960 FAX
E-mail: [email protected]
School website: www.steddyschool.com
SUNDAY MASS SCHEDULE
Vigil (Saturdays) at 4 p.m.
Sundays at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 noon and 4:30 p.m.
WEEKDAY MASS SCHEDULE
Monday through Friday at 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturdays at 8:30 a.m.
Holy Days of Obligation follow special schedules. See weekly bulletin.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Saturdays at 2:30 p.m., Sundays at 4 p.m., Monday through Friday at
5 p.m., and by appointment.
THE CONFESSOR
The deadline is 9 a.m. on the first Monday of each month. Send
information to Joanna Whitcomb ([email protected]).
In Giving We Receive
In our early lives we are dependent upon our parents,
teachers, and others for our subsistence and overall
well-being. They are givers; we are receivers.
As we grow in stature, understanding and wisdom, we
should come to the realization that our lives consist of
both giving and receiving. The older we become the more
we should be aware that giving is a greater blessing than
receiving. In fact, Holy Scripture points out that “it is
more blessed to give than to receive.”
Selfishness and self-aggrandizement should give way to
a spirit of serving God and others, for greater fulfillment
in life. Unfortunately, too many of us do not discover this
great truth until too late in our lives.
Our society is consumer-oriented. It offers more and
more opportunities for us to gain material opulence. Too
often our goals coincide with this trend and we go
through life obtaining things through the services of
others. In effect, we use people and their services to
enrich ourselves with more and better homes, vehicles,
boats, clothing, etc.
Our society seems to measure success in terms of how
much wealth we have accumulated. Being wealthy, in and
of itself, is not sinful, especially if it enables us to provide
needed services to others. Unfortunately, too many think
of wealth as their major goal. Jesus gives us an example
of this as folly. He cites the farmer whose crop was so
large that he tore down his grain bin to build a larger one.
He would then sit back and enjoy life, but he did not have
the wisdom to realize that his life was not long for this
world.
The teaching of Jesus is that we possess things in order
to be of service to others, and by serving others, we serve
our Heavenly Father. When we reach out to help someone
in need, we feel good inside. It is the Christian Way. It is
also joyful, and the Holy Spirit is at work in us. We then
discover the wonderful truth that it is in giving that we
receive.