The Collect | December 2025
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January 8, 2026Dear Reader,As we journey through December, the Church invites us into a season of hope, reflection, and renewed commitment to Christ. In this edition of The Collect, we share stories that illuminate how faith is lived out across our diocese during Advent and beyond.
You’ll read about an Advent liturgy that highlights the Jubilee Year’s message of hope and how this sacred season calls us to be pilgrims who share the light of Christ with the world. We reflect on the strengthening of the domestic church through consecration to the Holy Family, and on the importance of remembering history with honesty and reverence through a conference focused on the stories of enslaved African Americans. This month also includes Bishop Duca’s pastoral guidance regarding the Mass obligation, and a joyful celebration of a Baton Rouge youth whose dedication and service were recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal.
Thank you for accompanying us during this holy season as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ and witness the Spirit at work in our diocesan family.
Peace in Christ,
The Communications Secretariat of the Diocese of Baton Rouge
Archive records contain a treasure trove of resources that provide depth and detail to the experiences of enslaved African Americans. It also sheds truth and light so sins and mistakes of the past can be corrected, and the descendants of the enslaved can heal and move forward with their lives.
Georgetown University Conference Focuses on Details, Stories of Enslaved African Americans
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In today's tumultuous world, many families seek to build a domestic church with a foundation built upon rock. Through a new consecration to the Holy Family, they have St. Joseph as their master builder, Mary as their nurturing presence, and Jesus as their pathway to a heavenly home.
Consecration to Holy Family Strengthens Foundation of "Domestic Church"
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Advent Liturgy Emphasizes Jubilee Year Message of Hope
St. Paul writes in Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for, and evidence of things not seen." During Advent in this Jubilee Year of Hope, the Church's liturgy and teachings move the faithful to wait with such confident hope for the first and second comings of Christ.
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Receiving messages of hope … planting seeds of hope. This evangelistic cycle during Advent helps "pilgrims of hope" shine the light of Christ in a darkened world as the Jubilee Year of Hope draws to a close.
Advent a Special Time for Pilgrims of Hope to Share the Light of Christ
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As Pope Leo XIV reminds us, “God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his Church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest” (Dilexi te, §16). Bishop Duca issues a statement regarding Mass obligations during this climate of fear and anxiety currently experienced by many in our faith communities.
Bishop Duca's Statement Regarding Mass Obligations
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Stephen Sclafani received the gold Congressional Award in a Washington, D.C. ceremony. The award the highest honor a youth civilian can achieve through the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
Baton Rouge Youth Receives Gold Congressional Medal
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