This Easter Season, be encouraged. The Good Shepherd, who died for you in order to save you, is now risen and alive! He wants to shepherd you, love you and bless you. When we are baptized, we die with Christ, so one day we can rise with Him (Roman 6:4). Hold out to the end, and persevere. The Good Shepherd loves you so dearly, and wants you to live your life, fully alive and full of true love.

Prayer cards, a coloring book for children, a self-guided pilgrimage, catechetical presentations, articles in The Catholic Commentator, shows to be aired on Catholic Life Television and one-minute spots on Catholic Community Radio are some of what is planned as the Diocese of Baton Rouge celebrates its 60th anniversary simultaneously with the Year of St. Joseph, its patron saint. The theme of the year will be “60 Years in the Year of St Joseph,” Episcopal Vicar Father Jamin David said.

Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge suspended use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Tuesday, following the recommendation of the Centers of Disease Control and the Food and Drug Association. "Upon the CDC recommendations and in consultation with the Louisiana and Mississippi Departments of Health, we have immediately halted use of the J&J vaccine,” Dr. Stephen Gremillion, chief medical officer of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, said in a statement.

VATICAN CITY (CNA) -cCardinal Marc Ouellet announced Monday the Vatican will host a theological symposium on the priesthood that will touch on questions raised in recent synods, including priestly celibacy, dwindling vocations, and the role of women in the church. “Insight from Divine Revelation on the priesthood of Christ and the participation of the Church in this priesthood is a crucial question for our time,” Cardinal Ouellet said at a Vatican press conference on April 12.

The Lord is not phased by the doors to our heart, but he cannot force us to open them either. He chooses to veil himself so He can still remain with us until we ourselves acknowledge that He and He alone is our hearts deepest desire. All the while, He is ceaselessly writing us subtle love letters through all that surrounds us to show us that His love for us is always and limitless. From the gifts and workings of others, to the vast beauty of creation, in the love shown to us by those entrusted into our care, and last but not least the Eucharist, the source and summit; the Lord’s veiled activities are all beautiful ways in which He continuously passes through that door into our midst and whispers silently to us “Peace be with you.”

The Catholic bishops of Louisiana have appointed Tom Costanza executive director of the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops. Costanza succeeds Rob Tasman, who served in that position for 12 years. Costanza has served in church ministry since 1992 and most recently with the Office of Social Apostolate (1996-2002) and with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans since 2002 as director of the Office of Justice and Peace.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was once asked by a critic: “What are you trying to do? Why all this talk about atoms and molecules when you are speaking about Jesus Christ?”

You will read this column the week after Easter. We all will have gone through Holy Week, which began with Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday.

Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Baton Rouge first-grade students recently followed the outdoor Stations of the Cross in the St. Joseph Hall Courtyard. Photo by Wendy Milam | Sacred Heart of Jesus School

Fourteen young men from the Diocese of Baton Rouge and the Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama, recently gathered for a Come and See weekend at St. Joseph Seminary College in St. Benedict.

On March 24 students from Christ the King Church and Catholic Center at LSU provided Cristo Rey students with goodie bags filled with physical and motivational food for their journey as part of a Lent service project.

Deacon Hooper answers question about Marian devotion

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School works through concerns of Corporate Work Study Program

The celebration of the resurrection of our Lord continues as we journey into the Second Sunday of Easter: Sunday of Divine Mercy and the Third Sunday of Easter.

Celebrating the 50 days of Easter

Charles Barbre records video with daughter to spread rosary devotion

No longer will I avoid seeking God’s mercy for myself because I think it belongs to everyone else. His mercy is poured out over me. It will never be a chore for Him to give it to me as it is truly a joy for Him to invite me to partake in His mercy and receive His peace.