WINTER 2015-2016, ISSUE 10 diocese of houma-thibodaux Office of Vocations to Priesthood & Religious Life A blessed Advent to you! I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very fruitful Advent season as we await the Christmas feast where we as a Church will celebrate once again the miracle of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. These times are exciting times for the Church. This week in conjunction with the Solemnity of the Im- maculate Conception, the Universal Church has begun the Jubilee Year of Mercy which will go until the Solemnity of Christ the King at the end of next year. Pope Francis in his promulgation of this year has called the Church to re- commit to its mission of being a Church of Mercy. Listen to his words about this year, “At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.” A t the heart of this Year of Mercy is a call for the Church to reaffirm our appreciation for the great gift of the Sacra- ment of Reconciliation. Unfortunately in many places in the world, Catholics have almost completely abandoned the sacrament altogether. Catholics must recognize that it is contradictory to say that one believes in Christ but is not open to the power of His mercy in their lives. To be open to Christ’s mercy means that we must humble our- selves and recognize our need for a savior. Christ is our savior, but he can only save us if we recognize our sin, repent of it, and receive the saving gift of His mercy. Every Catholic is invited to ask themselves: “How can I embrace mercy more in my life, and how do I encourage others to embrace mercy?” Priests must recommit themselves to making the sacrament more available to the people and receiving the sacrament often himself. Seminarians must prepare themselves well to one day be good physicians of mercy in the sacrament. Parents must recommit themselves to bringing their children to the sacrament. Teachers of the faith must catechize about the reality of sin and the hope of mercy in the sacrament. Every person is invited to do their part. For men whom God might be calling to a voca- tion to the priesthood, not only are you called to become more faithful to the sacrament yourself, but also invited to discern if God is giving you the fire of charity to be an instrument of His mercy one day as a priest. The more that the one discerning is impacted by mercy in his own life, the more he will desire to be a vessel of that mercy for oth- ers. The Church needs holy priests and holy confessors. If God is calling you to the priesthood and to the ministry of confessor, you will be able to share with those that you minister to how God has saved - and is saving - your life through the sacrament. D uring this Year of Mercy, the Church is encouraged to pray for our priests, our seminarians, and especially for the young men God is calling to be priests. As we are more awakened to our need for God and His mercy through the sacrament of reconciliation, we recognize our need for good, holy priests to come forth to give their lives to God and His Church! May we recommit ourselves to praying for vocations to the priesthood in this Year of Mercy!. -Fr. André Melancon, Director of Vocat Priesthood & the Year of Mercy A Letter from our Director
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WINTER 2015-2016, ISSUE 10
d i o c e s e o f h o u m a - t h i b o d a u x
Office of Vocationsto Priesthood & R el ig ious Li fe
A blessed Advent to you! I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very fruitful Advent season as we await the Christmas feast where we as a Church will celebrate once again the miracle of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. These times are exciting times for the Church. This week in conjunction with the Solemnity of the Im-maculate Conception, the Universal Church has begun the Jubilee Year of Mercy which will go until the Solemnity of Christ the King at the end of next year. Pope Francis in his promulgation of this year has called the Church to re-commit to its mission of being a Church of Mercy. Listen to his words about this year, “At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.”
At the heart of this Year of Mercy is a call for the Church to reaffirm our appreciation for the great gift of the Sacra-ment of Reconciliation. Unfortunately in many places in the world, Catholics have almost completely abandoned the sacrament altogether. Catholics must recognize that it is contradictory to say that one believes in Christ but is not open to the power of His mercy in their lives. To be open to Christ’s mercy means that we must humble our-selves and recognize our need for a savior. Christ is our savior, but he can only save us if we recognize our sin, repent of it, and receive the saving gift of His mercy. Every Catholic is invited to ask themselves: “How can I embrace mercy more in my life, and how do I encourage others to embrace mercy?” Priests must recommit themselves to making the sacrament more available to the people and receiving the sacrament often himself. Seminarians must prepare themselves well to one day be good physicians of mercy in the sacrament. Parents must recommit themselves to bringing their children to the sacrament. Teachers of the faith must catechize about the reality of sin and the hope of mercy in the sacrament. Every person is invited to do their part. For men whom God might be calling to a voca-tion to the priesthood, not only are you called to become more faithful to the sacrament yourself, but also invited to discern if God is giving you the fire of charity to be an instrument of His mercy one day as a priest. The more that the one discerning is impacted by mercy in his own life, the more he will desire to be a vessel of that mercy for oth-ers. The Church needs holy priests and holy confessors. If God is calling you to the priesthood and to the ministry of confessor, you will be able to share with those that you minister to how God has saved - and is saving - your life through the sacrament.
During this Year of Mercy, the Church is encouraged to pray for our priests, our seminarians, and especially for the young men God is calling to be priests. As we are more awakened to our need for God and His mercy through the sacrament of reconciliation, we recognize our need for good, holy priests to come forth to give their lives to God and His Church! May we recommit ourselves to praying for vocations to the priesthood in this Year of Mercy!.
-Fr. André Melancon, Director of Vocat
Priesthood & the Year of Mercy A Letter from our Director
Come & See Retreats for Men & Women January 9-10, 2016 | Priesthood Come & See for Men | Houma, LACheck out the back page of the newsletter for more info.
March 18-20, 2016 | Priesthood Come & See for Men | Saint Benedict, LAJoin priests, seminarians, and other men discerning GOD’s desire for them in their life for a weekend of fraternity, prayer, and talks on priesthood, discernment, & seminarian life. This retreat takes place at St Joseph Seminary College on the Northshore in St Benedict, LA.
WHAT A weekend retreat for men wanting to know more about priesthood & seminarian life. WHO High School Guys (16yrs+) & Young Adult Men WHEN Friday, March 18, 4pm - Sunday, March 20, 1pm WHERE St Joseph Abbey & Seminary College | Saint Benedict, LA COST The event is free. For more info, email Roch Gernon, program manager, @ [email protected].
Summer 2016 | Come & See for Women | Houma, LAJoin Religious Sisters, Fr Andre Melancon, and our Vocations Office staff for 2 days of community, prayer, and talks about vocation, discernment, and religous life.
WHAT An informational 2-day retreat for women wanting to know more about religious life. WHO 10th-12th Grade High School Women & Young Adult Women (from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux) WHEN TBAWHERE Old Sacred Heart Convent @ the Cathedral of St Francis de Sales | Houma, LA COST The retreat is free. Contact Roch Gernon, Program Manager, to sign up. INFO For more info, call or email him @ (985) 850-3177 | [email protected]
---> for these retreats, visit facebook.com/htvocations or instagram@htvocations for more information.
July 9-10, 2016 | Priesthood Come & See for Men | Houma, LAThis retreat is the same retreat as the one described on the back page. We host this retreat 2x a year - one in the winter and one in the summer.
WHAT An informational 2-day retreat for men wanting to know more about priesthood & seminarian life. WHO 10th-12th Grade High School Men & Young Adult Men (from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux) WHEN Saturday, July 9, 800am - Sunday, July 10, 600pmWHERE Old Sacred Heart Convent @ the Cathedral of St Francis de Sales | Houma, LA COST The retreat is free. Contact Roch Gernon, Program Manager, to sign up. INFO For more info, call or email him @ (985) 850-3177 | [email protected]
ManNight Prayer & Fraternity for Young Adult Men
Join Fr Andre Melancon, other priests, our seminarians, and other young adult men for an evening of Mass, fraternity, barbeque, & a man movie.
WHAT An evening for young adult men seeking to enjoy fraternity with like-minded men. WHO Young Adult Men (graduated from high school to about 35yrs) WHEN Fridays TBA | follow us on facebook and instagram for future dates (begins with Mass at 600pm in the Old Convent Chapel)WHERE Old Sacred Heart Convent @ St Francis de Sales Cathedral | 501 Grinage Street, Houma, LA 70360 COST The event is free. For more info, email Roch Gernon, program manager, @ [email protected].
visit facebook.com/htvocations or instagram@htvocations for more information.
NightLight Monthly Evenings of Prayer & Fraternity for Young Adult Men & Women
Campus Ministry @ St Thomas Aquinas Weekly Formation & Mentoring For Students @ Nicholls State UniversityThe Office of Vocations is present every week at St Thomas Catholic Student Center on the Campus of Nicholls State University, home of the Colonel Catholics. Fr Andre Melancon, our Vocations Director, is pastor there. Convinced that good formation fosters good discernment, Roch Gernon, our program manager, is present at the center three days a week mentoring and faciliating classes on human and spiritual formation.
visit facebook.com/colonelcatholics, colonelcatholics.org, or email Roch Gernon for more information.
Join Fr Andre Melancon, other priests, our seminarians, and other young adult men and women for an evening of Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, fraternity, live music, and appetizers.
WHAT A Friday evening for young adult men and women seeking to enjoy prayer & fraternity with like-minded men and women. WHO Young Adult Men & Women 21yrs+ WHEN Fridays TBA | follow us on facebook and instagram for future datesWHERE Old Sacred Heart Convent @ St Francis de Sales Cathedral | 501 Grinage Street, Houma, LA 70360 COST $5 donation is suggested. For more info, email Roch Gernon, program manager @ [email protected].
visit facebook.com/htvocations or instagram@htvocations for more information.
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Priesthood Come & See Retreat for Men January 9-10, 2016 | Houma, LA
Considering Priesthood? We’re Here for YouHello men in discernment! It is a great blessing to write to you and let you know that I and countless other people in our diocese are praying for you! You are engaging in a process that every Catholic man is invited to engage in. To ask the Lord, “what do you want for my life?” is a good question for every Catholic man.
The Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux is here to walk with you in this process. I remember when I was in your shoes as a student trying to find out what the Lord wanted for me in my life. I felt that God was calling me to be a priest but I had no idea of how to go about discerning the call. The Vocations Office helped me to find the tools to discern well. Through my involvement in a men’s group hosted by the Vocations Office, I learned valuable insights such as: What does it mean to be a man of God? How does a priest find joy and fulfill-ment in his life? How do I know if God is calling me to be a priest? How do I pray and begin to know God’s call and His particular love for me?
The Vocations Office continues today to walk with guys in their journey of discernment. Through our formation programs, retreats, and one on one mentoring, you will hopefully know that you are not alone in the journey of striving to follow Christ. Men, cast your net into the deep! Be not afraid! To follow Christ is to gain everything!
-Fr. Andre Melancon, Director of Vocations
Office of Vocations to Priesthood & Religious Life Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux 2779 Hwy 311 PO Box 505 Schriever, LA 70395 Phone: (985) 850-3149 Fax: (985) 850-3249 [email protected]
htvocations.comfacebook.com/htvocations
twitter@htvocationsinstagram@htvocations
pinterest.com/htvocationsyoutube.com/htvocations
Join Fr Andre Melancon, other priests, our seminarians, and our Vocations Office staff for 2 days of fraternity, prayer, and talks on vocation, discernment, priesthood, and seminarian life.
WHAT An informational 2-day retreat for men wanting to know more about priesthood & seminarian life. WHO 10th-12th Grade High School Men & Young Adult Men (from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux) WHEN Saturday, January 9, 800am - Sunday, January 10, 600pmWHERE Old Sacred Heart Convent @ the Cathedral of St Francis de Sales | Houma, LA COST The retreat is free. Contact Roch Gernon, Program Manager, to sign up. INFO For more info, call or email him @ (985) 850-3177 | [email protected]
visit facebook.com/htvocations for this event.
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