The second collection for December 3-4 ​​​is dedicated for Repairs and Maintenance and for December 10-11, for the Retirement for Religious Appeal.  Please read this letter from Arichbishop Aymond regarding this important collection for our retired religious.  Thank you for your generosity!

December 8, 2022, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, is a holy day of obligation.  Vigil Mass will be on December 7 at 4:00 p.m..  Masses on December 8 will be at 6:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.

We are accepting nominations for the Parish Council now through December 9, 2022.  The Council directs the affairs of our parish and is comprised of all clergy and representatives from each ministry/organization of the parish.  The nomination form can be found here.  For more information, please contact Steve Berthelot at scmrectory@outlook.com.         

    Each month, the Knights of Columbus present this award to recognize a deserving family for their outstanding contributions to St. Christopher Parish and School. The Johnson Family has been selected as the November 2022 Family of the Month.
    Jason and Gina Johnson have been parishioners of St. Christopher Parish since 2008. They are married with two daughters, Molly and Macie, who attend St. Christopher School. Jason is the Site Manager at Triplex, Inc., and has been a member of the St. Christopher’s Men’s Club since 2013. He has served as the Secretary of the Men’s Club for the past 6 years. Gina is a Project Manager at Garrity + Accardo Architects. She has been the Troop Leader for both her daughters’ Girl Scout Troops for the past 4 years and was the liaison between the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. They are both members of the St. Christopher Home & School Club, where Gina serves on the Hospitality Committee.
    Molly, a sixth grader, is an honor roll student and a member of the Junior Beta Club, Student Council, Ambassadors, Choir, Classroom Helpers, and the Recycling Club. She plays on the volleyball team and received the MVP award for the St. Christopher Junior Basketball Team, Junior Flag Football Team, and Junior Indoor Ball Team last year.  Macie, a third grader, is an honor roll student, Girl Scout, and a member of the Junior Thoroughbred Cheerleaders. She looks forward to next school year when she can play sports at school and join clubs. Both girls enjoy playing sports at Cleary Playground.
    The entire Johnson Family has been generous with their time and talents and are the embodiment of Christian values. We are so grateful for the Johnsons’ tireless commitment to serving God within our parish and thank them for sharing their love and faith. May God richly bless them!

The Office of Marriage and Family Life is pleased to announce that the annual Silver Wedding Anniversary Celebration will be held on Sunday, March 26, 2023, at 3 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, New Orleans. This prayer service will honor couples who are celebrating or have recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. The celebration is open to couples married between 1993 through 1998. To register, please contact your parish office before Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Please note that this celebration is a prayer service, not a Mass, and will not fulfill the couple’s Sunday obligation. 

We heartily welcome Fr. Ephraim Sedem Pessey to our parish.  Fr. Ephraim is the new chaplain at East Jefferson Hospital, and Archbishop Gregory Aymond has graciously assigned him to reside in St. Christopher Parish and assist with sacramental ministry.  We are sincerely grateful to Archbishop Aymond and to Fr. Ephraim.  Fr. Ephraim was born February 8, 1990, and was ordained July 29, 2017, as a priest of Diocese of Ho, Ghana, West Africa.  His email address is epessey@archdiocese-no.org.

Many people within our parish are requesting assistance.  We welcome food donations, which may be placed in the foyer of the church before or after Mass or brought to the rectory between 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  We are in need of cereal, grits, oatmeal, cans of fruit, tuna fish, Nutella, beans, soup, tomato sauce, Chef Boyardee, granola bars, cereal bars, canned sausages, ramen noodles, rice, pasta mixes, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti and pasta.  Unfortunately, we do not have the capability to handle cold products. Please help us by checking expiration dates, as we are unable to distribute out-of-date foods.
If you are in need of assistance, please call the Outreach Help Line at 504-831-7692 and leave a message.  We will return your call as soon as possible. We will help as many as our food and finances will permit.  May God bless all of you and keep all of us healthy.

Basic workshops for new Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are being presented this fall by the Office of Worship.  Attendance at a workshop for EMHCs is required before a person can be delegated by the Archbishop to serve in this ministry.  Readers are strongly encouraged to attend the workshop for readers. The complete schedules and more informaon can be found on the Office of Worship website at https://nolacatholic.org/lay‐liturgical‐ministry‐formation.  Parcipants are to be preregistered by their parish before attending.   If you have any quesons, please contact the Office of Worship at 504‐861‐6300 or worship@arch‐no.org.

Beginning in 1946, the mission entrusted to the Holy Name Society of the Archdiocese of New Orleans by Archbishop Joseph Rummel, ninth Archbishop of New Orleans, was the sponsorship of a daily broadcast of the Rosary Prayer to the people of the greater New Orleans area.  Archbishop Rummel took this action as a direct response to the Blessed Virgin’s Request at Fatima for the daily recitation of the Rosary, which Our Lady has continually requested in appearances she has made since that time, most notably in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hersogevina.  The Holy Name sponsorship of the daily broadcast of the Rosary has been endorsed by Archbishop Rummel’s successors, Cardinal Cody, Archbishops' Hannan, Schulte, Hughes, and Aymond.
The Rosary is recited daily at 6:00 p.m. on radio station WVOG (600) on the AM dial. The cost to continue the radio broadcasts is in excess of $6,000.00 annually.  The only source of income for expenses is the “RADIO ROSARY DRIVE” envelopes given out to each parish annually by the Holy Name Society members.  Anyone wishing to donate during the year can use the same envelopes and mail in with your parish’s name on it.  We thank you in advance for your generous contributions.  May God bless all of you.

In order to provide for the pastoral care of the people of God in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Archbishop Aymond has assigned Deacon Michael P. Cardella, Jr., to our Parish, effective June 25, 2022.  

Michael A. Cardella Jr. of Metairie and his wife Vanessa count many blessings from diaconate formation. During the five-year formation journey, their sons Augustine and Giovanni joined older siblings Rosemarie, Michael, and Vincent. Other gifts of grace abound, as Cardella serves as acolyte at the parish of his baptism, St. Christopher the Martyr in Metairie. The couple will celebrate 17 years of marriage on the date of ordination, June 25th. A graduate of Archbishop Rummel High School, Texas A& M University, and Ohio State University, Cardella currently works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Our Lord Jesus fed thousands with just five loaves and two fish,” Cardella said. “He takes our humble offerings and multiplies them beyond our understanding!”

We are grateful for Deacon Cardell's service and welcome him warmly!

The process of discernment for the next formation group to be considered for the ministry of deacon will begin soon. Interested men who exhibit the possible stirrings of a call to serve are to please contact Deacon Phil or Fr. Raymond for further information.

Due to technical difficulties, we have opened a new YouTube channel for broadcasting Mass and events at St. Christopher Church.  Please subscribe to it for ease of reference!

Interested in joining the Knights of Columbus?  We want to hear from you!!!  Become a Brother Knight today!  For more information, send an email to
st.christopherknightscolumbus@gmail.com.

Memorial bricks are a great way to honor a family member, a loved one,  group, etc.  For availably and pricing, please contact the rectory office, 504-837-8214 or  scmrectory@outlook.com.

If you would like to reserve a weekend for flowers or sanctuary lights, please contact the Rectory at 504-837-8214 or scmrectory@outlook.com.  It is a wonderful way to say “Congratulations,” “Happy Birthday,” “Happy Anniversary,” etc. 
The cost for flowers is $40, with checks made payable to “St. Christopher Altar Society.”  Dates are still available in 2022 and beginning to fill up in 2023.
The cost for the sanctuary light is $10, with checks made payable to “St.
Christopher Church.”

We are in need of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion and lectors.  Participating in the liturgy in these roles involves a sharing of your faith, as you become an instrument by which the sacred Body of Christ is offered and His Word is proclaimed.  Extraordinary ministers distribute Holy Communion at Mass and to the sick or homebound of our parish.  "The General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us that when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to His people, and Christ, present in His own word, proclaims the Gospel."  Please consider an opportunity to serve the Lord and pray for His guidance.  If you would like to learn more or feel called to serve in either of these capacities, please contact the Rectory (837-8214) or Millie Moore (885-3973,   eom@stchristopherano.com).

We are sincerely grateful to The Chad Barcia Athletic Awareness Foundation for donating an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to our church  in memory of Chad Barcia, who died in 2005 at the age of 17 while playing rugby for De La Salle High School.  May God bless the good work of the Foundation, and we continue to pray for the happy repose of Chad.

If you would like to volunteer to bring up the offertory at weekend Mass, please arrive at least 10 minutes before Mass begins and notify one of the Ushers.  It’s that simple!