Cathedral of St. John Berchmans

NO, this is not a Church feast day…but you can still delight yourself and your family by having some fun!

Why is St. Blaise associated with throat blessings? Bishop Reed of the Archdiocese of Boston explains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVv8-qq3XdU

More than 500 years before Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, the prophet Ezekiel had seen the presence of God leave the Temple. The prophet Malachi later predicted that the Lord's presence would return…and that is what we celebrate today!

We never grow in faith alone, but always in communion with one another. May the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans be such a place of welcome, growth, and joy!

Voted #1 BEST 🏆 Private School & BEST 🏆 Principal - Cathedral of St. John Berchmans Catholic School - Shreveport 🎉
Now Enrolling! 👉 www.sjbcathedralschool.org

Congratulations from all of us at SB Magazine.

Today is the Memorial of St. John Bosco, a member of the Salesian order, who worked to better the lives of the poorest youth of Turin, Italy in the late nineteenth century. He believed that education was the key to breaking the bonds of poverty.
St. John Bosco, pray for us!

St. John Berchmans T-shirt Fundraiser

KTBS Kindness T-Shirt Interview from SJB!

Students at the Cathedral of St John Berchmans Catholic School started this Monday morning like they do every day: gathering for morning assembly. However, this Monday, the morning was a bit different. Today was the start of Catholic Schools Week, with many students wearing memorable t-shirts with the words " Kindness is Practiced Here."

The idea for making and selling the shirts came from an SJB student to help raise funds for another student's family who had lost their father earlier in the year.

All the proceeds from selling the shirts were given to Emily McMurray and her daughter.

https://www.ktbs.com/community/st-john-berchmans-t-shirt-fundraiser/article_058ed348-a0c5-11ed-9511-afa7ae087b5e.html

St. John Berchmans T-shirt Fundraiser SHREVEPORT, La. - Students at Saint John Berchman's Catholic School started off this Monday morning like they do every day: gathering for morning assembly.

In today's Gospel, Jesus ascends a mountain to deliver God's law. Sound familiar?

There's a clear parallel between the Sermon on the Mount and the 10 Commandments received by Moses in the Old Testament. But in the Beatitudes, Jesus goes further. He doesn't just give us commands and prohibitions. He tells us what blessedness looks like.

In other words, he shows us that the Christian life isn't primarily about avoiding bad stuff, but is instead about embracing new life in Jesus Christ.

Today, let's reflect on how we can not only avoid the bad but strive after blessedness.

St. Thomas Aquinas, whose feast we celebrate today, is perhaps the greatest theologian the Church has ever known. But above all else, he was a friend of God.

In addition to his theological works, he also composed poems and hymns of adoration, like Tantum Ergo, which the Church chants during Eucharistic Adoration.

Jesus Christ becomes present to us in the Eucharist, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. How has this encounter with Our Eucharistic Lord changed your life?

Your testimony could help someone else discover the importance of Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist.

Share it as part of the ongoing Eucharistic Revival by visiting the link. https://www.eucharisticrevival.org/testimonies

We can't live the Christian life alone. Sts. Timothy and Titus were friends and co-missionaries of St. Paul. We remember them today, one day after the Conversion of St. Paul.

Who are some of the friends who have helped you live your Christian life? Tell us below!

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), known simply as Caravaggio, is one of the greatest Catholic artists of all time.

He actually painted two works focused on the event we celebrate today: "The Conversion on the Way to Damascus" and "The Conversion of Saint Paul."

The Hubble and Webb telescopes have captured glorious images of the so-called "Pillars of Creation," a region of space filled with dust and gasses that are being formed into stars. God has lavished incredible beauty even on these deep regions of space.

Every kingdom needs a king. So who is the king of the kingdom of heaven?

None other than Jesus himself.

The kingdom is present because Jesus is present -- and he came to earth to extend each of us a personal invitation into his reign of love. All that's required of us is to turn away from our sin and self-centeredness and say "yes" to Jesus' invitation.

Today, let's say yes again.

This Roman martyr is often symbolized by a lamb, for two reasons. One, she meekly accepted her death as the cost of remaining faithful to her consecration to the Lord. And two, her name actually means "lamb."

DAY OF PRAYER & PENANCE

This year, the Day of Prayer & Penance is observed on Monday, January 23. Please join us for 11:00am Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with opportunities for Confession, followed by the 12:10pm Mass for Life and the 12:40pm Rosary for Life in the St. Michael the Archangel Chapel.

He may be the patron of athletes, but it turns out we don't know if Sebastian played any sports. He was, however, a member of the Roman imperial guard.

When it was discovered that he had become a Christian, he was shot with arrows and left for dead. But Sebastian survived, and after a holy woman helped to heal him, he reproached the emperor for his treatment of Christians, and was finally put to death.

St. Sebastian's endurance and physical strength explain his popularity among athletes to this day.

Our reason can take us only so far, and likewise our five senses. In the end, we must take flight on the wings of faith and abandon ourself to God in prayer.