December 3, 2023
First Sunday of Advent

Pastoral Letter: A Time of Renewed Faith

My dear People of God,

“I believe in one God.”   We profess this belief at every Mass and special occasion.   Do we ever pause to consider what those words mean?

This profession of faith in God, the Creator of all, begins the Nicene Creed, which was adopted by the First Council of Nicaea in 325.   It summarizes the essentials of what we, as Catholics and Christians, believe.  

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has obligated $1,608,031.43 as part of hurricane recovery efforts for the Society of the Roman Catholic Church (Diocese of Lake Charles).

By Pamela Seal 
Diocese of Lake Charles 

LAKE CHARLES — There is something special about Room 27 at St. Louis Catholic High School that sets it apart from other high schools in Southwest Louisiana — the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. 

LAKE CHARLES — Several clergy from the Diocese of Lake Charles were among those honored at the second annual Tolton Gala on Saturday, October 28, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. The special event was sponsored by the Tolton Ambassadors Louisiana and Tolton Associates.

By Pamela Seal 
Diocese of Lake Charles 

Leading up to the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years in July 2024, the Diocese of Lake Charles will kick off a local pilgrimage — The Diocesan Camino of St. Peter Claver — on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at the West Cal Events Center in Sulphur. 

LAKE CHARLES — The Reverend John A. Poerio, 90, a priest of the Diocese of Lake Charles, died Thursday, October 26, in Villa Maria Retirement Center. He had been a priest for 63 years.

Visitation will be Monday, Oct. 30, from 4 to 8 p.m. in Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church with a Scripture Service at  6 p.m. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 11 a.m. from Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church with The Most Reverend Glen John Provost, Bishop of Lake Charles, as the celebrant and homilist.