Welcome to the St. Joan of Arc Parish Family!

Fr. David, our parish staff, and the entire St. Joan of Arc Parish community would like to welcome you to our parish family. Pope St. John Paul II once said that "the parish is not principally a structure, a territory, or a building, but rather, 'the family of God, a fellowship afire with a unifying spirit' and 'a familial and welcoming community'" (Christifideles Laici 26). It is our deepest hope that you will truly find a spiritual home with us. In order to make your presence official, we ask that you fill out a New Family Registration Form and place it in the Sunday collection basket, email it to [email protected], or bring it to the parish office at your convenience. Please come introduce yourself to us at your next visit so we can welcome you in person. For more information, please contact the parish office at (985) 652-9100.

How to be an Active Parishioner

Of course, we do not simply want you to be a parishioner in name only. We want you to be a truly integrated and contributing member of the parish community. As St. Peter, our first Pope, said, "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5). It is through the gifts that God has given to each of us that we build up the Kingdom of God on earth expressed locally in the parish. As with any community, there are certain expectations of its members. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that the members of the early Christian community "devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers" (Acts 2:42). In a similar way, modern-day members of a local parish community are expected to participate in the communal life of the parish.  We do this in three ways.

The first way you can help build up the St. Joan of Arc Parish community is through your prayers. Prayer is indispensable. This is done primarily by participating in the weekly Eucharist since the parish is first and foremost a Eucharistic community. It is the Eucharist as "the source and the summit of the Christian life" (Lumen Gentium 11) that binds us together as one Body of Christ, not only with one another but with the whole Church throughout the world and for all time. For this reason, we desire to see all of our parishioners each weekend to join us in the celebration of Mass. But we also ask you to keep the needs of our parish and our parishioners in your personal daily prayers.

The second way you can give back to our parish is by giving your time. We have a very vibrant and active community here at St. Joan of Arc with numerous opportunities to serve and participate in parish life. We ask you to prayerfully consider how God might be calling you to get more involved in our parish community by visiting the  Ministries section of our website.

Finally, you can contribute to the mission of St. Joan of Arc through your financial stewardship. St. Joan of Arc is a very generous community and we are thankful for the generosity of all our parishioners. Without their contributions, we could not fulfill the mission God has given us to serve the people of God in LaPlace. We ask you to prayerfully consider how much you may be able to contribute financially to our parish in order to ensure that this mission will continue for years to come.

How to be a Practicing Catholic

People often ask what it means to be a practicing Catholic. Through the years, the Church has formulated certain criteria that we can use to determine whether or not we are truly practicing our faith. Traditionally these are called the Precepts of the Church and they express "the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor" (CCC 2041). These minimum requirements are:

First Precept: "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation."

• You can find our Mass schedule here.  

Second Precept: "You shall confess your sins at least once a year."

• You can find our Reconciliation schedule here.

Third Precept: "You shall receive the Eucharist at least once during the Easter season."

• While all Catholics are required to receive the Eucharist once per year, Catholics are encouraged to receive communion as often as possible provided they are in a state of grace since the Eucharist is the source of our strength and nourishment in the Christian life. For more information about the proper reception of communion, check out the Church's Guidelines for the Reception of Communion. 
• If for some reason you are unable to receive communion, you can also be united to the Body of Christ by making an Act of Spiritual Communion.

Fourth Precept: "You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church."

• Catholics are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and to abstain from meat on all Fridays during the Lenten season as well as to perform some form of penance on all Fridays of the year. The law pertaining to fasting is binding on all between the age of 18 and 60 except for health reasons and abstinence from meat is required of all those above the age of 18. Even those who are not bound to observe the fasting and abstinence practices are still encouraged to do so insofar as they are able to. For more information on these requirements, check out the bishops' Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence.

Fifth Precept: "You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church" according to your abilities.

• You can contribute through the weekly Sunday collection or through Online Giving.

We welcome everyone to worship with us at St. Joan of Arc Church.