Holy Trinity Catholic Church

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION FOR ADULTS

Classes begin on Sunday, January 13^th, 2008 at 9:00am – 10:00am in the church office. Lynn Genuex will be teaching our classes for 7 weeks. Sacrament of Confirmation will be held at Holy Trinity on Saturday, March 1^st, 2008 at the 5:15pm mass. Those already registered will be receiving a letter in the mail soon about the class. If you are in need of this sacrament please call Msgr. Provenza @ (318) 221-5990.

A DAY OF PRAYER AND PENANCE FOR LIFE

January 22^nd, 2008 Taken from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website (www.usccb.org): In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22^nd (or January 23^rd, when January 22^nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass “For Peace and Justice” (no. 22 of the “Masses for Various Needs”) should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day. General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373

ASH WEDNESDAY MASS LIVE FROM THE VATICAN

Holy Mass with the blessing and imposition of the ashes is celebrated with Pope Benedict XVI live from St. Peter's Basilica marking the beginning of Lent. February 6^th, 2008. (2Hrs. - All times Eastern)

Ash Wednesday, in Western Christianity, the first day of the penitential season of Lent, so called from the ceremony of placing ashes on the forehead as a sign of penitence. On this day ashes are placed on the foreheads of the faithful to remind them of death, of the sorrow they should feel for their sins, and of the necessity of changing their lives. This custom, probably introduced by Pope Gregory I, has been universal since the Synod of Benevento (1091). In the Roman Catholic church, ashes obtained from burned palm branches of the previous Palm Sunday are blessed before mass on Ash Wednesday. The priest places the blessed ashes on the foreheads of the officiating priests, the clergy, and the congregation, while reciting over each one the following formula: “Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” – God, Genesis 3:19

Ash Wednesday occurs six-and-a-half weeks before Easter. Thus, its date varies each year according to the date of Easter. The earliest possible date of Ash Wednesday is February 4^th and the latest possible date is March 10^th.  Read More...

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the all-holy one, who gives us life and all things. As we go about our lives, the press of our duties and activities often leads us to forget your presence and your love. We fall into sin and fail to live out the responsibilities that you have entrusted to those who were baptized into your Son.

In this holy season, help us to turn our minds and hearts back to you. Lead us into sincere repentance and renew our lives with your grace. Help us to remember that we are sinners, but even more, help us to remember your loving mercy.

As we live through this Ash Wednesday, may the crosses of ashes that mark our foreheads be a reminder to us and to those we meet that we belong to your Son. May our worship and prayer and penitence this day be sustained throughout these 40 days of Lent. Bring us refreshed and renewed to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter.

We ask this through your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

DIOCESE OF SHREVEPORT
Young Adult Conference

Saturday, February 16^th, 2008 at 9:00am - 5:00pm located at 3500 Fairfield Ave in Shreveport, Louisiana. Matthew Kelly speaking at 1:00pm. Registration required at (318) 219-7271. Ages: 16 years and older and a registration fee of $15.00.

“Happiness is feeling at home with ourselves, with who we are, where we are, and what we are doing. I, suspect that if we can foster that feeling of being at home within ourselves, the rest is just details. Only then do we come to the stunning realization that: Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.”

Matthew Kelly is a New York Times bestselling author and is widely recongnized today as one of the best speakers in the world. With his keen sense of humor and heart-warming charm, Kelly has been effortlessly elevating and energizing audiences in more than 50 countries for the past decade.

During the talk, Becoming the-Best Version-of-Yourself, you have the opportunity to hear the message so many are searching for, “How do I become the-best-version-of-myself.” This is our essential purpose as human beings and it is in becoming our best selves that we find true and lasting happiness.

In his book, Perfectly Yourself: Nine Lessons for Enduing Happiness, Kelly discusses the challenges and opportunities we experince in our quest to become the-best-version-of-ourselves. The talk will deal with the themes from this book beginning with a disussion of how we know which parts of ourselves are really part of who we are and which parts should be challenged and changed.

This presentation is about moving beyond past conditioning and other peoples' expectations of who we are or who we should be to discover that we are PERFECTLY IMPERFECT.... and that's okay!

For more information about Matthew Kelly please visit www.matthewkelly.org or call (513) 221-7700.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!
DIOCESAN LITURGICALCATECHETICAL CONFERENCE

Saturday, February 23^rd, 2008 at The Catholic Center. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Nathan Mitchell who will speak on Real Presence: The Work of the Eucharist. All lay ministers and catechists are encouraged to attend. Watch the bulletin for registration details.