SAINT JAMES CHURCH 6613 Highway 18St. James, LA 70086225.265.4210 : phone225.265.4225 : faxOffice Hours: Mon, & Wed.7:30am - 2pmTue, Thur -8am - 3pmFri. - 8am -11am

OUR LADY OF PEACE CHURCH 13281 Hwy 644Vacherie, LA 70090225-265-3953:: phone 225-265-2507: fax Office Hours Mon-Fri - 8:00am - 4pm

SAINT PHILIP CHURCH 1175 Highway 18Vacherie, LA 70090225.265.9348 : phone225.265.9348 : fax.Office Hours: Mon-Fri - 9:00am - 12pm

CLERGYRev. Matthew McCaugheyPastorfrmatthewmcc@canecatholics.com

Rev. Brad DoyleParochial Vicarfrbrad@canecathlics.com

Deacon Ricky Oubre

STAFF: Mr.Stephen CastilleDirector of Administrationscastille@canecatholics.com

Ms. Stephenie AubertCoordinator of Religious Ed.saubert@canecatholics.com

Ms. Claire Amedee camedee@canecatholics.com

Ms. Julie Chiasson jchiasson@canecatholics.com

Mrs. Carol Ann Hymel chymel@canecatholics.com

Ms Jeanie Hymelstjameschurch @canecatholics.com

Mrs. Gretchen Ketchensstjameschurch @canecatholics.com

FOR EMERGENCIES CALL:225-267-7210

GOD'S WORD HAS BEEN FULFILLED In this joyous Christmas time, it is fitting that we turn our attention from all the angels and shepherds and kings to take a look at the more intimate picture of the Holy Family in their ordinary life. They come with Jesus to consecrate him to the Lord, as is written in the law, and they come upon Simeon and Anna, prophets of the Lord, who have amazing things to say about this child and Mary, his mother. One can wonder what Mary must have thought when Simeon told her that "you yourself a sword will pierce." We interpret that in hindsight she would suffer greatly at the crucifixion of her beloved son. But what must she have thought at the possible literal interpretation of this prophecy? And yet she was, as always, obedient to God and accepting of God's word for her.

The Joy of Receiving I had the chance to witness a joyful time in my nephew’s life: receiving his first bike. Normally, this kid is pretty shy and reserved. When he opened the door to the room where his new bike was waiting for him, he beamed a precious smile. You could tell that we were pretty excited for him to see the bike, too, from all the photographers in the room.

A child experiences joy on Christmas morning at the surprise of getting new gifts and toys. This is the joy of receiving. Parents experience joy on Christmas morning in the precious smiles of their children. This is the joy of giving. In the spiritual life, there is the joy of giving and receiving when we give and receive spiritual gifts with the Lord and our family of faith. Although we may find it more difficult to take joy in giving (e.g., giving of my time in prayer, giving of my voice by singing in church, offering up my sufferings, giving from my abundance to those in need), at times it’s more difficult to receive.

From my pastoral experience, I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t heard the phrase “God loves you.” For the vast majority, however, this remains at the level of an intellectual idea that is being increasingly ignored in this skeptical age. God’s love is meant to be than an idea. For those who have received this love, they know God’s love in their mind, heart and soul. They have experienced God’s love in the Sacraments, in the inspired Word of God, or in the witness of another Christian. God wants His love to be real in your life. The love of God was revealed in a little manger on Christmas morning in Jesus Christ. I pray that as a community, we may grow in giving but especially in receiving the love that God wants to be ours.

I will conclude with a faith fact. Did you know that the Christmas season begins on Christmas day and doesn’t conclude until after New Year’s Day? The official conclusion of the Christmas season this year is the Baptism of the Lord on January 8. Even though our shopping culture reserves “Merry Christmas!” for the days before, in the past, Christians shared Christmas cheer beginning on December 25. Because Christmas is too significant for just a one-day celebration, the cheer would be shared for days afterward. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a cultural reminder of the extended festivities of the Christmas season. I thoroughly enjoyed my first day of Christmas, and I am relaxing while I write this article on the second day of the Christmas. As you read this on the 6th and 7th days of Christmas, I hope you enjoy the rest of the Christmas season. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Peace,Fr. Matthew

THE HOLY MASS -WEEKDAYS MON 8am Our Lady Of PeaceTUE 8am St. Philip WED 8am Our Lady of Peace THU 8am Our Lady of Peace, 6pm St. Philip FRI 8am St. James

THE HOLY MASS -WEEKENDS SAT 4pm OLOP

6pm St. PhilipSUN 8am St. James 10am OLOPSACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION SUN 7:15-7:45am St. JamesSAT 3:00 – 3:45pm OLOPSAT 5:30 - 5:50pm St.PhilipIf you need to go to Confession outside one of these times, please call the office

Sacrament of Baptism - Call Office to schedule

Sacrament of Marriage - call the parish at least six months in advance before setting date or making preparations

Baptismal Seminar - 2nd Thursday of the month at St. Philip rectory immediately following Mass (6:30pm) Call the office to register at least one day prior to the class. Or you can register on the website - www.canecatholics.com

PRAYER LINE St. JamesEnola Matherne 225.265.3820Myrna Schexnayder 225.405.1590

St. PhilipCecile Hymel 225.265.7705

Our Lady of PeaceMarlene Webre 225-265-4528

Traveling Chalice - Jan. 7 - Alida Landry

Flowers and Sanctuary Candles Our Lady of Peace: Sanctuary Candle - In memory of Boyd & Matt Mahler

and Pierre Reulet by Lola Mahler & Family Adoration Chapel - In memory of Mable & Gillis Guillot

by Lona and Dean Becnel

St.PhilipSanctuary Candle - Tom Herrington & Mitch Kliebert by

Margaret HerringtonSt. Philip Candle - Ted Abadie,Sr. by Pam Abadie

St. James Sanctuary - In memory of John Tregre by familyYou can call the offices to schedule your Candle requests for 2018.

Jan. 1, 2018 New Year’s Day (Not a Holy Day) 8:00 a.m. OLOP Please note: The Mass on New Year’s Day is at 8:00am and not at 10:00am as noted on the OLOP Calendar.

January 1, the Feast of Mary the Holy Mother of God, is not a holy day of obligation this year.

FAITH FORMATION St. James

Sunday, Jan. 7, 21 & 28Grades 7-9 at 9:20am Tuesday, Jan. 9, 23, 30

Grades 1-6 at 5:00p.m.

St. Philip Monday, Jan. 8, 22 & 29Grades 1-6- 5:00 - 6:15

Grades 7-9- 6:30-8:00pm

Our Lady of PeaceMonday, Jan. 8, 22 & 29Grades K-4- 5:30-6:45 Grades 5-10 - 7-8:15pm

No classes on January 14, 15 or 16 in the cluster.

Confirmation Classes The next class for Confirmation and

10th grade students from St. James and St. Philip will be at St.James at 9:20am

on January 7.

Confirmation Session #6 for Our Lady of Peace students will be on January 27.

The next morning at St. Vincent de Paul for Confirmation students is

January 13. Please check your schedule to see when you signed up.

RCIAat Our Lady of Peace on

Sundays at 6:30pm

BAPTISMSBaptisms will be held at Our Lady of Peace on January 14th at 10am Mass.

Call the office to schedule.

At St James and St. Philip Baptisms will be held on an as need basis. Please call

the office to schedule.

♢ EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA!

Mass on January 1, 2018

What’s Coming Up January 2, 2018 - KPC @ St. Philip @ 5:00pmJanuary 7, 2018 - Knights of Columbus Meeting at OLOP Church Hall at

6:45pm

Prayer Groups/Bible StudyBible Study @ OLOP - 9am - January 8

Under the Mantle of Our Lady Women’s Prayer Group - 7:30am in Holy Cross Hall at OLOP

Men’s Prayer Group OLOP- 7:00am on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017Charismatic Prayer Meeting - Tuesdays at 7pm at OLOP

Choir PracticesSt. Philip Choir - 4:00 on Tuesdays

Spirit of Praise - OLOP - 6:00pm on TuesdaysGospel Choir - OLOP - 6:00pm - Thursdays

St. James - 6:30pm - Thursdays

Confirmation will be on February 7 at St. James Church for students from all three parishes.

Readings for the Week Monday: Mary, the Holy Mother of God Nm 6:22-27; Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gal

4:4-7; Lk 2:16-21Tuesday: Ss. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen 1 Jn 2:22-28; Ps 98:1-4;

Jn 1:19-28Wednesday: Most Holy Name of Jesus 1 Jn 2:29 -- 3:6; Ps 98:1, 3cd-6; Jn

1:29-34Thursday: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton1 Jn 3:7-10; Ps 98:1, 7-9; Jn 1:35-42Friday: St. John Neumann1 Jn 3:11-21; Ps 100:1b-5; Jn 1:43-51Saturday: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Ps 147:12-15, 19-20;

Mk 1:7-11 or Lk 3:23-28 [23, 31-34, 36, 38]Sunday: St. André Bessette Is 60:1-6; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13;

Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

Offices will be closed on January 1, 2018. Offices will reopen on January 2.

Bulletin Memorials The bulletin memorials on the last page of the bulletin will now be available to parishioners from St. James and St.Philip. You can begin sending in your requests for inclusion in the January 7 bulletin. The procedure will be as follows: On a white envelope put your name, address and phone number, the name of the person to be remembered and your payment in the amount of $50.00. Make checks to your church and write “Bulletin Memorials” on the envelope. Put the envelope in the collection. Memorials can be a single name or for a family. If you have any questions, you can call Carol Ann at 225-265-4085 or 265-3953. If you already have a name on the list, you will be contacted when your account is due.

The Traveling Chalice Ministry of Prayer for Vocations The chalice is a symbol of priesthood. The Traveling Chalice is designed to bring about a family focus to vocation prayer. The members of the CDA # 2316 want to offer our priest our support and prayers. Each week a family or individual will accept the responsibility of praying for vocations. The chalice can be obtained in the foyer of the adoration chapel after 12 noon on a given Saturday and returned the following Sat. before noon. In order to receive the chalice for vocations one must call Helen Gravois 985-209-5137 to schedule a week ahead of time. Anyone is welcome to pray with the chalice for vocations. Our hope is that our prayers are answered and that more people will answer the call to the priesthood and religious life.

Treasures from Our Tradition There's no more unusual setting to celebrate today's Feast of the Holy Family than Barcelona, Spain and the towering unfinished sandcastle known officially as the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia. In 1882, the plan was hatched to build a vast place of worship in reparation for the revolutionary and liberal leanings of the city. The modern artist Antoni Gaudi dedicated his life to the project, living in the building, attending Mass daily, and giving up his personal wealth. When people pressed him to pick up the pace, he responded, "My client is not in a hurry." (Gaudi's cause for beatification is moving along, and he could be the first professional artist and architect to be beatified.) The Spanish Civil War, a disaster for the Catholic Church in which thousands of priests, brothers, and nuns were murdered, halted work in 1935. In the 1950s work began anew, speeded up by computers in the 1980s. Still, the final stage of construction is not due to end until 2026. If the original methods had stayed in place, it would take several hundred more years to complete the plan. So far there are eight towers, with four to go. The highest steeple is three feet shorter than the nearest hill, since the architect didn't want his work to surpass God's artistry. The three faces of the basilica each have three doors, with the faces named Passion, Nativity, and Grace. The interior is crammed with geometric figures that almost seem to spin, crazy-quilt windows, spiral staircases, and jumbles of statues and figures. Although inspired by ancient Gothic cathedrals, the style is called Expressionist, and very little is left unexpressed by the masonry. If you can't

afford a visit, Sagrada Familia maintains a web site, and virtual visits are free.--Rev. James Field, Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co.

The Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God Monday, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, our Lady's greatest title. This feast is the octave of Christmas. In the modern Roman Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, Monday is the Solemnity of Circumcision of Our Lord.

"Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. Mary is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom." — Catechism of the Catholic Church 721

A plenary indulgence may be gained by reciting or singing the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus on the first day of the year. This hymn is traditionally sung for beginnings of things, calling on the Holy Spirit before endeavoring something new.

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph December 31, 2017 My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples. --Luke 2:30-31

For more information on what is going on in the cluster, and to register for upcoming events such as Baptismal Seminar, Youth group functions, please go to our cluster website:

www.canecatholics.com

Donald Sr. & Genevieve Abadie Norman AllenBetty BecnelBluebeck, Irene & Jamin Becnel Bryon Becnel Christopher David Becnel Daniel BecnelDano & Diane R. BecnelJ. G. & Marietta Becnel Joseph Lloyd BecnelJoseph Marcel Becnel Maurice Sr. & Daisy K. Becnel Mr. & Mrs. Jules E. Becnel Olga Becnel Roland & Honorine Becnel Emilca & Hazel Bourgeois Gaspard & Ronnie Brazan Denis, Eve & Denis Jr. Chenier Frederic Clarke Edward, Anna & Eddie Clement Joseph “Lal” and Frances Constant Leslie CortezLester, Lois & Neil Cortez Terry & Bertha CortezDonald Delatte, Jr.Bernard, Esther & Karen Dumas Edwin Joseph DumasJanet Becnel FolseReid & Jeanne Folse

Chance & Doris FrazierDavid Mark Granier Andrew GravoisEdwin “Menew” Gravois Eloise B. Gravois Jessica Rodrigue Busscher Honora GravoisJoseph N. Gros, Jr.Joseph Sr. & Olympe Gros Raymond L Gros, Sr. George Grow, Jr.Gillis & Mabel GuillotKelsey HymelLynn & Gayle HymelJohn & Laura Isom Willie & Josephine IsomEva D. and Joseph I. James Warren A. JefferyByron J. & Morris Keller, Jr. Johnny J. & Jarran Keller Ora Lee L. KellerFrancile Baker LabatCecilia W. LoupPhilip & Inez MarseThomas & Thelma MarseTy Michael MartinezJoseph, Gladys & Ernest Narcisse Clamce & Alvin OubreEddie & Therese Oubre Fly. Eugenia Steib OubreFreddie P. Oubre, Sr. family

Hurby J. OubreJoseph Sr. & Hilda Oubre family Herman ReuletJoyce ReuletLloyd Reulet familyAlwin RodrigueAugust & Alice RodrigueChester & Joyce W. Rodrigue Manuel RodrigueTodd RodrigueElodie RomeMary D. RomeRoger & Eugene RomeV. J. RomeJerry RougeeLucien & Edna RougeeRaymond RougeeElmond J. Saul FamilyFernand & Lorne Schexnayder,Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Guy Schexnayder Sidney & Isabelle SimonAlvin Joseph “Specky" SteibAndre & Iona SteibBenoit & Alice Steib & Rashaud Charles SteibFlo, Regina, Mark, Donavon Steib Paul & Alice I. SteibRosemond & Vivian SteibBernice T. SteinLeonard J. SteinOscar Zeno, Sr. & Larry

Adorers Needed Adorers are needed for the Adoration Chapel. To fill one of these time slots or any other, call Rose Brazan, 504-621-4092. Sun.: 3-4 a.m., 12 noon-1 p.m.Mon.: 12 midnight-1 a.m., 3-4 p.m.Wed.: 1-2 a.m., 3-4 a.m.Thur.: 1-2 a.m.; 2-3 a.m Fri.: 1-2 a.m.; 4-5 a.m., 1-2 p.m., 7-8 p.m. 10-11 p.m., Sat.: 2-3 a.m., 3-4 a.m., 5-6 p.m.,10-11 pm

COLLECTION AMOUNT

Offertory $

ST. JAMES

COLLECTION AMOUNT

Offertory

ST. PHILIP

COLLECTION AMOUNT

Offertory

OUR LADY OF PEACE

Due to offices being closed, collection amounts were not available at press time.

In Loving Memory