Deacon Mark Cloutier has experienced the adventures of traveling the world. He has seen notable sites of the Middle East and Europe, climbed the pyramids of Egypt, and looked upon the Nile River. Now he finds his biggest adventure in serving people as a deacon for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.   

Deacon Jeremy Doucet has been active in church ministries throughout his life, yet he always felt he was called to give more of himself. After three “knocks on the door” of his mind and soul over the years from two deacons and the Holy Spirit, he discovered that “more” meant to become a deacon for the Diocese of Baton Rouge. 

Cheers and applause erupted as the three newest deacons of the Diocese of Baton Rouge walked down the aisle of St. Joseph Cathedral after they were ordained by Bishop Michael G. Duca during a Mass on May 25

Having been surrounded by beauty and exploring nature as a French Boy Scout growing up in south France outside of Cannes, Daniel Rabourdin laments how children today are glued to their screens and not observant to God’s creation in nature.

On May 4 the community gathered with the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to celebrate the unveiling of its novitiate house on the serene grounds of the Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center in Baton Rouge.   

The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Baton Rouge celebrated a groundbreaking of the St. Louise de Marillac Chapel on May 8. The chapel, which is being built in the heart of the St. Vincent de Paul campus, will help those experiencing homelessness, hunger or poverty to be nourished spiritually in addition to the food, shelter and other resources they receive from SVDP. Pictured “turning the first sod” along with Bishop Michael G. Duca, center, and SVDP Executive Director Michael Acaldo, far left, are Deacon Eulis Simien, Robert Lunsford, architect, and representatives of the St. Louise de Marillac Chapel Committee, the SVDP Diocesan Council, the SVDP Special Works Board of Directors, and Deumite Construction.  

As the Church prepares to conclude the 2024 Easter Season at Pentecost, perhaps the people who are most caught up in the awe and wonder of Christ’s resurrection are the newly initiated Catholics, or neophytes, who were welcomed into the church at the Easter Vigil Mass. As they begin integrating into church parish life, they have the potential of re-energizing other Catholics.

On May 6 many neighbors and friends joined the Diocese of Baton Rouge in honoring the Blessed Mother at a May crowning held during a daily Mass celebrated at St. Joseph Chapel at the Catholic Life Center. Catholic Life Television broadcasted the event.

In a historic moment, the seven dioceses of the state of Louisiana hosted two Hispanic/Latino cultural ministries encounters in which they unveiled the new United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) National Pastoral Plan for the Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

 As a community of avid boaters, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in St. Amant partnered with St Joseph Church in French Settlement and St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Maurepaus to bring the Eucharist out into the community to meet people right where they are during Reverence on the River.

 Catholics were powerfully present at the Louisiana State Capitol in terms of numbers of attendees and their commitment in standing up for social justice issues during this year’s Faithful Citizenship Day, sponsored by the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops (LCCB), on April 17.  

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge and Vagabond Missions are expanding their ability to serve inner-city youth and the community through The Underground Hub, located near Sacred Heart. ​​​​​​​

For 12 years, Father Mark Beard shepherded St. Helena Church in Amite, a flock he grew to love.   

Catholic High School students learned about social justice issues through the eyes of formerly incarcerated people in the Baton Rouge area as they sat with them at tables and intently discussed issues, asked questions, and laughed at a Teach-In at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge. 

The Schaff family’s faith journey through suffering and loss came to an emotive point at Easter as a time of hope, new life, and new beginnings when Evie, the eldest daughter, received the sacrament of confirmation in place of her deceased mother, April, at the Easter Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge.

More than 1,000 people visited St. George Church in Baton Rouge on March 13 during an historic tour of a relic of St. Jude the Apostle in the United States.

One hundred and thirty years ago, the first seven leprosy patients transported by river barge from New Orleans arrived at Indian Camp Plantation in Carville, La. Outraged by an exposé article in the Times Picayune about local leprosy treatment houses, the people of New Orleans demanded that the “pest houses” be moved outside the city limits. In 1894 the state legislature enacted Act 85, which decreed that anyone with leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, should be quarantined to a certain location.  

Facing the storms that come with battling cancer is tough for any patient and their loved ones, and that is especially so when a child is stricken. As Sarah Johnson struggles with cancer, Mater Dolorosa School and Church in Independence and the surrounding community have rallied around her as she fights the disease with courage and hope. 

The Diocese of Baton Rouge honored seven religious men and women who have a combined total of 440 years of service to the church at a Jubilee and Consecrated Life Mass at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Baton Rouge on Feb. 15. 

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the stained glassed windows of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge on Sunday, Feb. 18, adding to the buoyant atmosphere as the unbaptized elect and baptized candidates and their sponsors, families, and friends gathered for the Rite of Election.