ST. GENEVIEVE AT 50 MAHONY LEADS ANNIVERSARY MASS.Byline: Erik Nelson Staff Writer PANORAMA CITY - As parishioners packed St. Genevieve Church St. Genevieve Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans located along the northeastern edge of Lake Ponchartrain in Slidell, Louisiana, USA. St. Genevieve is one of eight parishes which belongs to Deanery XII - East St. on Sunday to celebrate the congregation's 50th anniversary, it was clear things had changed since the first Mass in the summer of 1950. Then, the parish looked much like the blue-collar Panorama City neighborhood it served: white working class, with many of its members employees of Lockheed and General Motors. On Sunday, at the 50th anniversary Mass of Thanksgiving Thanksgiving annual U.S. holiday celebrating harvest and yearly blessings; originated with Pilgrims (1621). [Am. Culture: EB, IX: 922] See : America Thanksgiving national holiday with luxurious dinner as chief ritual. [Am. Pop. , the choir choir [O.Fr.] 1 A group of singers; traditionally the chorus organized to sing in a church. Usually, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran choirs are composed of men and boys, but occasionally in these churches and customarily in other Protestant sang ``Lamb of God'' in Tagalog as the now largely Filipino congregation sang along. ``It's not an easy language, believe me,'' said Joanne Gallon gallon: see English units of measurement. of Arleta, a church member since 1976 and a choir member since 1990, when women were first allowed to join the choir. ``But we're almost Filipino now,'' said Maria Armstrong, 78, an Arleta resident and parish member since 1957. In his homily homily (hŏm`əlē), type of oral religious instruction delivered to a church congregation. In the patristic period through the Middle Ages the focus of the homily was on the explanation and application of texts read or sung during the at the Mass on Sunday, Cardinal Roger Mahony His Eminence Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as the fourth Archbishop of Los Angeles, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1991. recognized the changes that in recent years have led to a mostly Filipino parish, with members of European descent and Latinos numbering in the minority. ``A parish should be a dynamic, constantly transforming community,'' Mahony said. ``It's important to remain very open to the new moment, to the new groups that have come, and be welcoming to them.'' The church boasts a registered membership of more than 3,800 and welcomes about 8,000 worshippers each weekend, a size the Rev. Marcial Juan found somewhat intimidating in·tim·i·date tr.v. in·tim·i·dat·ed, in·tim·i·dat·ing, in·tim·i·dates 1. To make timid; fill with fear. 2. To coerce or inhibit by or as if by threats. when he arrived two months ago to work in the parish. ``My first impression was, this was a huge parish, but I felt at home right away, because everyone was so welcoming and perhaps because there were so many Filipinos,'' said Juan, who hails from the Philippine island of Luzon. ``It's been a great weekend with a lot of memories and a lot of story telling,'' the church's pastor, Monsignor Christian Van Liefde, said. ``But it's also very much a celebration of the people who are here now and our commitment to build on the foundation of faith and the foundation of service that others built here in the last 50 years.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Cardinal Roger Mahony celebrates the Mass marking the 50th anniversary of St. Genevieve Church in Panorama City. Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer |
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