An updated Adoration Schedule is in the vestibule. We have many open hours available for you to spend time alone with Jesus. Call the office to let us know what time you are choosing.
Welcome!
Thank you for visiting us at Saint Bernadette Church, which is a Roman Catholic parish located in Bayou Vista - between Patterson and Berwick, Louisiana,
in the Diocese of Lafayette . St. Bernadette Church continues the Sacramental Traditions of Jesus Christ as handed down by the Apostles, we strive to live lives of Communion and Participation as we seek to fulfill the mission bestowed upon us by Christ.
Our Pastor is Father Thainese Alphonse.
The Liturgy of the Word for The Second Sunday of Advent
In this week's Gospel Reading and next week's, our Advent preparation for Christmas invites us to consider John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus. In this week's Gospel, Matthew describes the work and preaching of John the Baptist. John the Baptist appears in the tradition of the great prophets of Israel, preaching repentance and reform to the people of Israel. In this reading, John directs a particularly pointed call to repentance to the Pharisees and Sadducees, parties within the Jewish community of the first century.
John marks the conversion of those who seek him out with a baptism of repentance. John's baptism can be understood as an anticipation of Christian baptism. In this passage, John himself alludes to the difference between his baptism and the one yet to come: "I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire".
In this reading, John makes very clear that his relationship to the Messiah yet to come (Jesus) is one of service and subservience: "the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals". In the context of Matthew's Gospel, today's passage is followed by Jesus' baptism by John, an event that is attested to in all four of the Gospels and appears to have been the start of Jesus' public ministry.
John's preaching of the coming of the Lord is a key theme of the Advent season. As John's message prepared the way for Jesus in the first century, we, too, are called to prepare ourselves for Jesus' coming. We respond to John's message by our repentance and reform of our lives. We are also called to be prophets of Christ, who announce by our lives, as John did, the coming of the Lord.
First Reading
Isaiah 11:1-10
A descendent of Jesse will usher in a time of peace.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17
The Messiah will bring justice and peace to the nations.
Second Reading
Romans 15:4-9
Both Jews and Gentiles glorify God for the salvation found in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist appears in Judea preaching a message of repentance.
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair
and had a leather belt around his waist.
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
'We have Abraham as our father.'
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Matthew 3:1-12
A WORD FROM THE PASTOR
One Heartfelt Invitation
A parishioner once noticed a young mother at the grocery store who always looked overwhelmed. One day she simply said, "If you ever need a place to breathe or pray, our church would love to have you. You can even sit with me."
The young mother's eyes filled with tears. "I've been wanting to come back to church for years," she said. "I just didn't know how to start." She came the next Sunday, joined a small group, had her child baptized, and became part of our parish family. All because of one heartfelt invitation.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist reminds us that evangelization is not only welcoming those who arrive-it is also going out to meet others with courage, compassion, and joy.
Most traditional parishes do something very well: what we might call sponge evangelism. A sponge is soft, welcoming, and absorbent, it gently receives whatever comes to it, just as we warmly receive those who walk through our doors. We gladly greet visitors with smiles, ushers help them find a place to sit, and parishioners make them feel at home. This hospitality is beautiful and essential.
But there is another form of evangelization gaining attention today: octopus evangelism. An octopus is a sea creature with eight flexible arms that reach out in many directions, and the image reminds us of evangelization that actively extends itself-inviting, seeking, and drawing others in. It seeks those who may not yet realize how deeply they need the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Many modern churches practice this well-especially mega-churches. Mega-churches are very large Christian congregations, usually drawing 2,000 or more people each week, often non-denominational, and known for Bible teaching, contemporary worship, and strong outreach. Their growth has little to do with buildings or technology and far more to do with one simple thing: members personally inviting others.
Nearly 80% of first-time visitors come because a friend or neighbor extended an invitation. The active verbs-inviting, reaching, gathering-make all the difference. A little-known fact: over 25% of mega-church members are former Catholics, many of whom were never personally invited into deeper parish life.
In today's Gospel, we meet John the Baptist practicing his own form of "octopus evangelization." He does not sit back passively. He reaches out boldly, touches hearts, calls people to repentance, and prepares them for Christ.
As we reflect on his example, let us ask:
† Whom might I reach out to this week?
† Whom can I invite to encounter Jesus more deeply-whether at Mass, in prayer, or simply through my friendship?
May the Holy Spirit stretch our hearts and our hands so that we, too, may draw others toward the life-changing love of Christ.
In our Gospel Weeklies lessons throughout the year, our children will be meeting Jesus in the Sunday Gospel, the same Gospel that will be proclaimed during Mass the upcoming weekend. As your child's first, and most important catechist, its your role to help them develop a personal relationship with God by providing them with opportunities to learn about the teachings of the Church, the sacraments, and the lives of the saints. While we are extremely grateful that your children are usually present at class weekly, it is more important for them to be in Mass every weekend. Your family belongs to the Catholic community, but in order to feel this sense of belonging, your family MUST BE involved in the life of the Church. By taking an active role in the life of the Church, you can help your children see the relevance and importance of our Catholic faith in our lives.
This 2nd Sunday of Advent we are reminded of the message of John the Baptist, who proclaimed that "One mightier than I is coming after me." It is a time of preparation and anticipation as we await the coming of Jesus. Waiting can be challenging, especially when we are eagerly anticipating something exciting. But Advent teaches us the value of patience and the importance of preparing our hearts for the arrival of Christ.
This week, it will be easy to get caught up in the stress and busyness of the season, so consider taking a moment to pause and invite the spirit of Advent into your home. Gather your family together and have a heartfelt conversation about how your Advent journey has been so far. Share the highs and lows, the moments of joy and the challenges you've faced. Reflect on what you've done to prepare for the arrival of Jesus and discuss what you still hope to accomplish.
This simple act of reflection and connection will help you refocus on the true meaning of Advent and bring a sense of peace and serenity to your family.
Here are some ways your family can celebrate Advent:
FAMILY PRAYER NIGHT:
On each Sunday of Advent, set a time for family prayers and reflection on Jesus' messages.
SERVE THE POOR:
Recognizing Christ in the poor is one of the best ways that we can celebrate Jesus and prepare our hearts for him.
LIGHT AN ADVENT WREATH:
Each candle symbolizes one of the themes of the Advent season. Light one candle each week while focusing on that week's theme. Pray with your family to bring more hope, peace, joy and love into your hearts. You can also light a fifth candle on Christmas Day to represent the light Jesus brings into the world.
Classes throughout the year will be held on Wednesdays from 5:45pm - 7:00pm for ALL GRADE LEVELS (Kindergarten - 8th).
Our next Family Mass is December 14th
Hail, holy Queen enthroned above, oh Maria.
Hail, mother of mercy and of love, oh Maria.
Triumph all ye cherubim, Sing with us ye seraphim.
Heaven and earth resound the hymn.
Salve, Salve, Salve Regina.
The beautiful tradition of May Crowning reflects the beauty of the 5th Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary which it evokes. Honoring Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and Earth, honors her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ Who first crowned her as His Queen. Adorning Our Lady with a crown of flowers is a custom of great devotion to Our Holy Mother and recalls the beauty of her love for us during difficult times in the world.
Our Lady always guides as a loving Mother. Her Immaculate Heart and her maternal beauty will always triumph over the ugliness of sin and suffering.
As we crown the Blessed Virgin on Mother's Day, we ask that she intercede for us to her Son.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Holiness demands a constant effort, but it is possible for everyone because, rather than a human effort, it is first and foremost a gift of God, thrice holy. The Apostle John remarks: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. It is God, therefore, who loved us first and make us his adoptive sons in Jesus. Everything in our lives is a gift of his love: how can we be indifferent before such a great mystery? How can we not respond to the heavenly Father's love by living as grateful children? In Christ, he gave us the gift of his entire self and calls us to a personal and profound relationship with him. Consequently, the more we imitate Jesus and remain united to him the more we enter into the mystery of his divine holiness. We discover that he loves us infinitely, and this prompts us in turn to love our brethren. Loving always entails an act of self-denial, "losing ourselves," and it is precisely this that makes us happy….
In truth, the blessed par excellence is only Jesus. He is, in fact, the true poor in spirit, the one afflicted, the meek one, the one hungering and thirsting for justice, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemaker. He is the one persecuted for the sake of justice.
The Beatitudes show us the spiritual features of Jesus and thus express his mystery, the mystery of his death and Resurrection, of his Passion and the joy of his Resurrection. This mystery, which is the mystery of true blessedness, invites us to follow Jesus and thus to walk toward it. To the extent that we accept his proposal and set out to follow him—each one in his own circumstances—we too can participate in his blessedness. With him, the impossible becomes possible and even a camel can pass through the eye of a needle; with his help, only with his help can we become perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.
One of the greatest graces for our parish is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel.
To quote Pope John Paul II; "We come here to meet the Heart of Jesus pierced for us, from which water and blood gush. It is the redeeming love, which is at the origin of salvation, of our salvation, which is at the origin of the Church. Now still today, the living Christ loves us and presents His Heart to us as the source of our redemption… We are called not only to meditate and contemplate on this mystery of Christ's love; we are called to take part in it. It is the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, the center of our Faith, the center of our worship of Christ's merciful love manifested in His Sacred Heart, a mystery which is adored here night and day. In the Eucharist – this is also the meaning of perpetual adoration – we enter the movement of love from which all interior progress and all apostolate efficacy springs."
Mother Teresa taught "When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now."
This examination of conscience is not intended merely as a checklist to be used prior to confession. The purpose of this examination is to help souls to know what actions or attitudes are sinful and the gravity of the particular sin. The hope is that this knowledge will serve to keep people from committing these sins.
* Three things are necessary for a sin to be mortal: 1. Serious matter (things listed on this sheet); 2. Knowledge or firm belief that the act is seriously wrong prior to committing the act; 3. Full consent to the will.
All three of these conditions must be present simultaneously for a sin to be mortal. This means that if you did not know the act was seriously wrong, then you are not guilty of having committed a mortal sin. If you did not will the act, e.g., if you were forced or if it was in a dream, you are not guilty of having committed a mortal sin.
All mortal sins committed since your last confession must be confessed by both type and number, i.e., the title of the sin and how many times it was done. If there is a mortal sin from the past that was forgotten and has not been confessed, it should be confessed at your next confession. It is not necessary to confess venial sins, but it is a good and pious practice.
There's an old saying that goes, "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic." Maybe you have been away from the Church for a little while or quite some time, but somehow you now feel a tug at your heart calling you back home to the Catholic Church. That's why we're here.
Whether or not you know you want to return to the Catholic Church, we're here to help you take that second look. That mysterious pull inside you, driving you to look into your faith once more, comes directly from God. Your Heavenly Father is yearning for a relationship with you again, in the Church founded by Jesus 2000 years ago. He's waiting for you with open arms. Please Read More...
The Mass Explained
When someone wants to show you their affection and friendship, they invite you to their home. There are two important things which occur next: conversation and a meal. In the celebration of the Mass, it is Jesus who invites us to participate in his friendship, during which we also encounter these two important moments: conversation, which is when Jesus speaks to us through his Word and we respond with our prayers; and a meal, when Jesus offers us the Eucharistic banquet giving us his Body and Blood.
Laws that permit or promote abortion, infanticide, human cloning, destructive embryo research or physician-assisted suicide ignore the sanctity of each human life and undermine the foundation of a just and healthy society. As citizens and people of faith, each of us should actively advance our convictions in the public square in every legitimate and ethical way. We should rededicate ourselves to upholding the sanctity of human life, and hold those elected to represent us to the same standard. Please Read More...
Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics
This voter's guide helps you cast your vote in an informed manner consistent with Catholic moral teaching.
This voter's guide identifies five issues involving "non-negotiable" moral values in current politics and helps you narrow down the list of acceptable candidates, whether they are running for national, state, or local offices. Please Read More...
Weekly Reflection
Repentance - the Foundation of Holiness "I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Matthew 3:11-12
This passage comes just before Jesus is baptized and begins His public ministry. John the Baptist had been ministering in the desert of Judea, preaching, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Many came to him to be baptized with a baptism of repentance. But when John saw many scribes and Pharisees coming to him, he said, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance." The passage above is John's warning to them-and to us-about what will happen if we fail to repent.
At that time, when wheat was harvested, it was left to dry. Then, a winnowing fan was used to blow the wheat and chaff into the air. The lighter chaff would blow away, while the grains of wheat would fall to the ground to be gathered, milled into flour, and used for baking. John uses this familiar image to depict what Jesus will do with the righteous and the wicked. The righteous are like the grains of wheat that will be gathered and brought to Heaven. The wicked are like the chaff that, once separated from the righteous, will burn in the unquenchable fire of hell.
Though it is comforting to speak of the glories of Heaven and to anticipate being brought there by our Lord, it is necessary to also consider the reality of the unquenchable fires of hell. Pondering the reality of those unquenchable fires is something we should not neglect.
In his spiritual classic, The Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola presents a format for a thirty-day directed silent retreat, considered by many to be the ideal retreat experience. During the first week of that retreat, the retreatant focuses primarily upon mortal sin and its consequences-the unquenchable fires of hell. Why would Saint Ignatius begin his retreat this way? Because he understood that the foundation of our growth in union with God is repentance, and repentance requires an honest and thorough examination of sin and its consequences.
Reflect today on the unquenchable fires of hell, and allow yourself to foster a burning desire to flee from every sin that leads to that end. As we enter the second week of the penitential season of Advent, ponder this warning from Saint John the Baptist. Hear him speak those words directly to you. We must fear sin and avoid it, as much as we want to avoid the unquenchable fires of hell. Start with this foundational truth, so that having fostered deep repentance, you are ready to turn your heart and mind toward the glorious promise of Heaven.
Jesus, our Just Judge, You hold the winnowing fan in Your sacred hand and separate the righteous from the sinner. Please grant me the grace to see my sin clearly, so that I may humbly acknowledge it and turn from it with all my might. May I build this foundation of repentance during Advent, so that Christmas becomes an even greater time of union with You. Jesus, I trust in You. Source: mycatholic.life
God of peace, instill in us Your peace that surpasses all understanding. As we prepare for His coming, make us instruments of Your peace and help us to find rest in the Prince of Peace, Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Come experience God's infinite mercy this Advent Season.
The light will be on for you the following evenings:
December 10th, & 17th from 6:30-7:30pm
If you have any questions regarding Religious Education, please call Becky at 395-2470.
Get Involved-
Catholics have a long history of action - feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, caring for the poor, praying for souls. Are you doing all you can to help? If not, find out if there is a parish ministry that could use your time, talent, or treasure. Catholics are meant to make a difference.
Lay people who place their time and talent as acolytes (altar servers), lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, cantors, choir members, instrumentalists, and ushers become more fully in union with Christ and with each other.
Our current ministers are ready to partner up with any and all who are willing to say yes. At one time, we were all nervous and feared stepping into the sanctuary of the church - some of us are still nervous today. You don't have to do it alone. We will support and guide you.
Bishop Services Appeal 2025 - Stepping Through the Holy Doors
Knights of Columbus Council 6211 is located in Bayou Vista, La. We are currently recruiting new members from the Parish.
Monthly Meetings for the Bayou Vista Knights Council are held on the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m.
Location for the meeting is at 113 Sunset Rd, Bayou Vista, LA 70380. KC Council 6211 Contact Info... Knights
of Columbus Info...
St. Bernadette Parsih Pastoral Council and Finance Committee
Holiness demands a constant effort, but it is possible for everyone because, rather than a human effort, it is first and foremost a gift of God, thrice holy. The Apostle John remarks: See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. It is God, therefore, who loved us first and make us his adoptive sons in Jesus. Everything in our lives is a gift of his love: how can we be indifferent before such a great mystery? How can we not respond to the heavenly Father's love by living as grateful children? In Christ, he gave us the gift of his entire self and calls us to a personal and profound relationship with him. Consequently, the more we imitate Jesus and remain united to him the more we enter into the mystery of his divine holiness. We discover that he loves us infinitely, and this prompts us in turn to love our brethren. Loving always entails an act of self-denial, "losing ourselves," and it is precisely this that makes us happy….
One of the greatest graces for our parish is Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in our chapel. 
