Crowned with a tiara and wearing a sash emblazoned with the words “100 & fabulous,” Sister Anna Schellhaas CSJ emerged with her fellow Sisters of St. Joseph after morning prayer. With her luminous trademark smile she greeted the many people gathered at the Hundred Oaks Center in Baton Rouge to celebrate her centennial birthday, which was Aug. 9.

Each day, the St. Vincent de Paul Society buzzes with activity. Staff and volunteers feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, make sure people don’t have to choose between eating and filling their life-saving prescriptions, and provide help for obtaining employment.

Sister Helen Prejean CSJ echoes St. Bonaventure’s words of wisdom by challenging others to, “Ask not for wisdom. Ask for the fire.” She advocates for the abolition of the death penalty and ministers to the “forgotten of society” in prisons.

Youth attending The Franciscan Experience (TFE) expressed that “everything” was the highlight of their week – including toiling in the graveyard, engaging in deep theological discussions, and hanging out at night.

Perhaps in its ideal form, innocence might be described as a human heart stripped of ego and lust, something akin to what James Joyce describes in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man when his hero, young Steven, sees a half-naked girl on a beach and instead of being moved by sexual desire is moved only by an overwhelming wonder and admiration.

School bells rang around the Diocese of Baton Rouge for the first day of school beginning on Aug. 7. At St. Francis Xavier School in Baton Rouge, Principal Dr. Christopher Rogers, Sr. greeted students as they arrived on campus. He is pictured with, from left, Leola, Christ'lon, and Leola's twin sibling, Loleia. The children also gathered for a morning assembly, which included prayer, the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, and motivational talks by Rogers and St. Francis Xavier Church Pastor, Father Ugochukwu Henry Ihuoma SSJ. Photos by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

At the dawning of this new school year, teachers are called to the missionary work of caring for their students through educating them and accompanying them during life issues.

The twenty-five schools of the Diocese of Baton Rouge have been accepted into Lumen Accreditation offered by The Catholic University of America (CUA).

Sister Kathleen Bahlinger CSJ and Sister Lory Schaff CSJ, both deceased, devoted 23 years of their lives ministering in the Eden Park community in Baton Rouge. They walked the streets and provided people with material assistance, an education, and hope.

July’s stories highlight leadership, compassion, and the call to serve. In this issue of The Collect, explore how Catholic leaders are shaping the future of faith and education, how families are growing stronger in their domestic church, and how our diocese reaches beyond borders to help those in need. These stories remind us that faith lived out in service becomes a witness to hope.

Brother Malcolm Melcher SC, a Brother of the Sacred Heart and a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana since 2010, passed into eternal life at Our Lady of Wisdom Community Healthcare Center in New Orleans, LA, on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

As children in need prepare to go back to school, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Baton Rouge is giving them a boost of courage and confidence through its Uniform for Kids Program. Instead of dealing with negative peer pressure for not wearing the proper attire, they can focus on succeeding in school and reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.

Brother Lazarus (Phillip) Gordy’s OSB lifelong quest to answer God’s calling for his life led him to the altar at St. Joseph Abbey Church near Covington. There he “died to self” and found a deep joy and freedom through his life as a benedictine Monk.

As director of adult formation and spiritual director at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church in St. Amant, Wendy Enloe ministers to many people who are struggling with the worries and concerns in their lives. People come to her who are dealing with terminal illness, death of a loved one, loss of a job, concerns about world events, etc.

Sunnie Johnson-Lain “fell in love from day one” with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) when she volunteered to answer phones for her parish conference in Dayton, Ohio.

Although Dr. David Bellar is a Northerner by birth, from a “very snowy area,” he has spent most of his career providing strong leadership in universities in the South. Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) will benefit from skills and vision for its future as he assumes the role of fifth president of the university.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge (CCDBR) is hosting a one-day donation drive on Thursday, July 17 in response to the flooding catastrophe in Texas. The drive will be held at the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge office at 1900 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 from 9:30 a.m.– 5:30 ​p.m.

As we celebrate, honor and pray for our new holy pontiff, Pope Leo XIV ­­– who has cool Louisiana familial connections and who is calling all if us to be a missionaries in our own states of life, I can't help but recall some Eucharistic missionary experiences I've had in the past.

Through her own personal experiences and conversations with other parents, Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman discovered that raising children involves combining daily activities and the big picture idea. As a theologian and a parent who is “also figuring it out,” she shares her wisdom through writing books and speaking about the “complex and beautiful vocation of raising children.”

Dr. Tina Holland has made split-second decisions to say ‘Yes,’ during her life that have provided positive, meaningful experiences which she utilizes to help others cultivate successful, faith-filled lives.