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Ashley Boyd and Libby Hotard are part of a close-knit group of women from the cluster churches of East St. James Parish. For them, one spiritually eye-opening moments of their lives was attending the tenth National Eucharistic Congress in 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

BATON ROUGE, La. — St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge will open its emergency Cooling Centers this weekend to provide a safe place for neighbors to escape dangerous summer heat.

Sisters Olivia Maire Gethsemane HMSS and Filia Patris HMSS feel God's guiding hand in their vocational call to becoming Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Through mutual gazes of love with the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and the accompaniment of others, they laid down their lives at the altar as brides of Christ.

Students in the Diocese of Baton Rouge are making their way back to their school campuses for the first day of the 2026-2027 school year. At Holy Family School in Port Allen, the children enjoyed playing, greeting old friends and making new friends, and beginning their lessons with their new teachers. Photos by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Baton Rouge bustled with activity as Catholic educators excitedly greeted each other before the new year begins. They talked about their plans, dreams, and opportunities for the new academic year.

Participants in the Franciscan Experience (TFE) reported that they spent a week that was unlike any summer camps they had ever attended. They learned deep theological lessons, wiped the sweat from their brows while cleaning a local cemetery, looked into the eyes of the poor they served, and bonded through fun activities.

The schools of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, admit students of any race, of color, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at its schools. They do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.

In a Mass described by attendees as "beautiful" and "memorable," Sisters Olivia Marie Gethsemane, HMSS and Elizabeth Filia Patris, HMSS laid down their lives as brides of Christ.

St. Ignatius of Loyola offers help when we are "soaring through the highs" and "sinking through the lows" of life so we can utilize them for spiritual growth.

As part of a series of renovations of its thrift stores, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Baton Rouge (SVdP) celebrated the re-opening of its Starring Lane thrift store.

July is known as the "month of married saints" because the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of several saints couples during that month. Their lives inspire and guide couples today who strive to build their own "domestic church."

Shopping for new school uniforms and shoes, getting haircuts, and getting back on a schedule signals a new school year is about to begin. Moving forward with a positive rhythm, rather than a strict minute-by-minute countdown can help children succeed in school, say Catholic school administrators in the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

The Baton Rouge St. Vincent de Paul Society (SVdP) is helping students of financially stressed families to positively begin the 2026-2027 school year.

The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University (FranU) Student Government Association has established a fund for a new student life center at the university. The SGA committed $25,000 to support the Portiuncula during a signing ceremony on June 25.

Women in the Diocese of Baton Rouge converged at St. George Church in Baton Rouge to fulfill their guiding mission that "no shepherd is left behind" at a Seven Sisters Apostolate Mass.

Aeli Poydras and Jeremy Chiasson went forth from St. Joseph Cathedral as "servants of all" when Bishop Michael G. Duca ordained them as transitional deacons on June 20.

Before a jubilant gathering of family and friends at St. Joseph Cathedral Deacons Aeli Poydras and Jeremy Chiasson took their final major step toward priesthood. They were ordained transitional deacons for the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

In 2008 when Hurricane Gustav struck Baton Rouge and plunged the city into darkness, Immaculate Conception Church in Baton Rouge was literally powerless to help its neighbors. With the installation of solar panels on ICC's parish activity center, when storms hit ICC will serve as a community lighthouse to meet peoples’ needs.

To commemorate Flag Day on June 14, Boy Scout Troop 1993 planted flags on the graves of 30 deceased soldiers in St. Joseph Cemetery. The wars that the veterans served in include the Civil War, the Mexican-American War, WWI and WWII, and Vietnam War. The St. Joseph Cemetery Board facilitated the event. Photos by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator

Shirley Johnson was one of the neighbors of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge who received an outpouring of love from the church. Youth from Sacred Heart's Mid-City Mission painted her house and worked in her yard and conveyed that she is not forgotten.