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As we prepare to enter Holy Week, we prepare to enter the central liturgical experience of the Catholic faith, according to Father Tom Ranzino. Father Ranzino is the director of the office of worship of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

After many years of absence, St. Michael High School in Baton Rouge’s (SMHS) St. Joseph Altar resumed this year with strong support from students.

Church parishes in the Diocese of Baton Rouge celebrated the Feast Day of St. Joseph with St. Joseph Altars. A St. Joseph Altar is a Sicilian Catholic tradition of building a food altar, typically on March 19, as an act of thanksgiving for favors granted and to petition for special needs. The altar is a charitable display designed to feed the poor, honoring St. Joseph through meatless, symbolic, and religious-themed food. Surplus food is donated to local charities to help freed those in need. St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge Pastor, Father Cary Bani, blessed the Cathedral's St. Joseph Altar on March 19 after the noon Mass. Many Mass attendees stopped by the altar to take pictures and pray, and accepted the Cathedral's invitation to enjoy a meatless lunch. Photos by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

On March 7, more than 200 middle school students in grades 6-8 in the Diocese of Baton Rouge gathered for the second annual ARISE Middle School Rally. The event was held at St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in Greenwell Springs.

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus in the desert and facing our weaknesses and failures during Lent may tempt us to retreat to our comfort zone. Thoughts of "this is too hard," or "surely God didn't mean for me to go through this" may cause us to give up. Formation directors in the Diocese of Baton Rouge urge us to persevere if we want victory in our spiritual lives.

In a rare alignment of calendars, Lent and the Muslim holy penitential season Ramadan began on the same day and are coinciding this year. Vatican officials and clergy of the Diocese of Baton Rouge urge the faithful to use this opportunity to pray for world peace.

Many of youth of the Diocese of Baton Rouge who made the trek to Washington, D.C., experienced fun and made the lifelong memories that they expected. Beyond that, they expressed their surprise that their immersion in the Catholic faith and culture of life created "new beginnings" for them.

After clearing two big legal hurdles, Archbishop Fulton Sheen's beatification has been approved again by the Vatican.

Hundreds of people braved a cold morning despite ominous reports of an impending winter storm and affirmed their love for mothers and their unborn babies at Louisiana Life March South.

Sisters of St. Joseph Kathleen Babin, Anna Schellhaas, Evelyn Mee, and Dianne Fanguy have devoted a combined 295 years to serving the "dear neighbor" in the church.

St. Paul writes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news!” (Romans 10:13-15)

Owen Tabor, 15, was popular, never bullied, good looking, fun loving, athletic, and came from a stable home with a family rooted in faith that loved and supported him. He was a graduate of St. Jean Vianney School and was a good student at St. Michael High School. When he took his life on April 29, 2023, two weeks from his 16th birthday, his family and friends were filled with heartache.

Kate Stapleton stood with her feet in the waters of the Great Lakes and peered out into the horizon. She searched for answers on how to provide the best life possible for the baby she conceived in an unplanned pregnancy.

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.

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.

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.

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

Grappling against the challenges of serving the struggling Hispanic/immigrant community can bring pastoral leaders together in clarity of mission, hope, and joy. Julia Scarnato discovered during a national conference of Hispanic pastoral leaders that the Church’s mission embraces the shared faith, culture, and needs of Hispanic and immigrant communities worldwide. Scarnato is the director of the Hispanic Apostolate of the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

The Diocese of Baton Rouge has added a seventh portrait to its "wall of saints" featuring African American Catholics who are on the path to sainthood. The wall is located in the first-floor lobby of the chancery.