Our diocese celebrated its annual Chrism Mass and Renewal of Ordination Vows, Monday of Holy Week, hosted by Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans.

The sacred oils were blessed and are used in the church's sacraments and rites.

If you want to watch the service, please click the link below!

https://www.youtube.com/live/x4800_1mctU?feature=shared

Bishop Duckworth's Sermon

Photo Credits: G. Andrew Boyd

Louisiana Deacons Leading “Sacagawea Meetings” across Diocese

Using the theme of this year’s clergy conference, Louisiana’s deacons have begun helping churches to explore the role of outreach ministries in church planning and growth. “Our goal for the year is to meet with all of our clergy--priests and deacons together-- and with as many lay leaders as possible,” says Archdeacon Charles deGravelles, “to explore what churches are doing to serve the wider community and how those service opportunities can unlock the dynamic energy of the Holy Spirit within each parish.”

“At our January conference, The Rev. Dr. Tod Bolsinger compared today’s flagging church to the Lewis and Clark expedition,” deGravelles says, “at the moment they realized there was no water route to cross the Rocky Mountains, and they began to rely on the help of an Indian woman named Sacagawea to rethink their strategies in finding another way to the Pacific Ocean. Bolsinger suggests the church might find our own ‘Sacagawea’ among the marginalized whom Christ has called us to serve.”

“There was a time when outreach was incidental or even accidental in many Episcopal churches,” deGravelles says, “but this is changing.” DeGravelles and other deacons have already had productive meetings with the Jefferson Parish Deanery and the combined New Orleans deaneries. “It’s exciting to learn of the many programs and projects being done and the potential for growth.” Meetings with other deaneries are being scheduled.

“Our goal is to turn a spotlight on the untapped potential of outreach,” deGravelles says. “As I visit with clergy around the diocese, I’m discovering there’s a lot of great outreach work being done, and in some cases, different churches are even collaborating together on projects for greater coverage and efficiency. But to integrate that outreach into strategies for growth is the next step.”

DeGravelles points to some key questions that can help with that next step:

·      What long-term relationships, if any, have come out of this service?

·      What have you learned and/or are you learning from the people you serve?

·      How are you involving those who are being served in doing the work itself?

·      How are those you serve helping to inform your goals and strategies for growing the church in the future?”

DeGravelles illustrates as an example the work currently being done in the diocese to reach out to Spanish-speakers. “In the diocesan work led by Karla duPlantier, and in parishes as different as the Cathedral, St. Margaret’s Baton Rouge, and St. Timothy’s LaPlace, we can begin to see the potential for wide-reaching effects. What I’m seeing is something like cross-pollination, an exchange of life experiences and cultures in the crucible of Christ’s love between those who are serving and those who are being served. It’s a powerful process that is mutually beneficial and enriches the church as a whole.”

Another example deGravelles mentions is the diocesan prison ministry. “What began at Angola prison in the early 1990s with a handful of volunteers from across the diocese became a Mission Station, The Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration, a dynamic ministry that has involved dozens, perhaps hundreds, of inmates and volunteers for over thirty years, some who’ve gone on to become ordained or lay leaders. Today we are even seeing formerly incarcerated people who were engaged with the Episcopal church as prison residents, being released and becoming members and even leaders in our free-world congregations. This is truly Christ at work.”

DeGravelles invites churches, outreach committees, church groups and anyone interested in learning more to get in touch with him to schedule a time to meet. “It’s wonderful to see a renewed interest in deacons, the diaconate, and service in general. I hope one day we can see at least one deacon in every church, but there are many experienced deacons now in our diocese who can provide parishes with good guidance in this vital area.” DeGravelles may be contacted at Charlie.degravelles@gmail.com.

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The Ven. Charles deGravelles serves as Archdeacon on the Bishop’s staff, co-teaches a Service Learning and Community Impact course at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, and serves as deacon at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Rosedale.

YogaMass Leader Training

Dates:

Thursday, June 6, 9am-5pm

Friday, June 7, 9am-5pm

Saturday, June 8, 9am-2pm

Location:

Trinity Episcopal Church

1329 Jackson Ave

New Orleans, LA 70130

Cost:

$550 (Early-bird registration through April 15: $500)

Upon registration, an invoice will be emailed to you. Payment in full is due no later than June 1, 2024.

Lunch is included in your registration.

YogaMass® Leader Training is a 3-day training workshop designed to equip you to offer YogaMass® in your faith community. You will gain language to bridge yoga and Christianity and learn how to organize and deliver YogaMass®. With your certification, you will also be connected to the wider YogaMass® community for ongoing support and access to advanced training. Training is led by The Reverend Gena Davis, Founder of YogaMass®. For more information visit YogaMass.com.

Register here or contact Ashley Bond at abond@trinitynola.com for information.

Camp Hardtner

For 75 years the Camp Hardtner Summer Camping Program has created an atmosphere of love and acceptance for more than 500 young people each summer as they experience a tradition unlike any other. We are not a camp built around paintball, water-skiing, or horseback riding. We are a Christian community that comes together for one week every year to play, laugh, cry, sing, and worship in the eyes of God.



Camp Hardtner is a church camp, which means we don’t just talk about God, we actually interact with God. We see God in the Kisatchie National Forest in which we play. We see God in our neighbors to whom we love and we share that same love of God with everyone we meet. Everything we do it is as one body and one family, and over the last 75 years we’ve learned that this style of program helps the campers from viewing each other as “us” vs. “them”. Instead our campers see everybody as a possible friend, which not only makes for a great summer, but is a lesson that sticks with them for a lifetime.

Please consider Camp Hardtner as a place for your children to spend one week this summer, and it just might be the best week of their lives. https://camphardtner.org

Solomon Episcopal Conference Center Sunday 2024

Your support is the backbone of our mission, enabling us to offer a sanctuary for spiritual renewal and connection.

In past years, an individual Sunday was designated as “SECC Sunday”. This year, we have multiple ways to support SECC throughout the month of May. Your support can be made through your congregation, on May 7th through Give NOLA Day www.givenola.org, via our website www.SeccLa.org/donate, or mailed to 54296 Hwy 445, Loranger, LA 70446. 

Your generosity ensures that our gates remain open for all who seek a haven of peace and fellowship.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Together, we can create a legacy of faith, hope, and love that will resonate for generations to come!

Solomon Episcopal Conference Center

A place to rest your mind and revive your soul Located on 207 rolling acres of piney woods just north of Robert, Louisiana, Solomon Episcopal Conference Center (SECC) is a peaceful retreat into nature for businesses, churches, families, individuals and groups of all sizes and denominations. Owned and operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, SECC welcomes guests year-round to enjoy a warm and inviting atmosphere throughout our indoor and outdoor meeting spaces; sports and recreation facilities; overnight, hotel-style lodging accommodations; and complete onsite dining services.

Our beautiful, thriving grounds and facilities host conferences, retreats and gatherings of all kinds, including corporate meetings, spiritual retreats, professional seminars and workshops, conventions, sports clinics, youth and leadership camps, and company and family picnics. Special social events like family reunions, and private parties are available on a case by case basis. Whether our guests come to work, play, relax, or a combination of each, they will be treated to the renewing energy of nature and peaceful wilderness that surround our conference center in southeast Louisiana. https://seccla.org/

It is truly a cause for celebration for St. Francis, Denham Springs to witness the completion of paying off the church mortgage. Congratulations on this momentous occasion! May this milestone be a testament to the unwavering spirit and hard work that has made this day possible.