FAQ's
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Directions to the church?
A. From I-10, take exit #21 (DeQuincy) onto Beglis Parkway, heading north. Go 0.7 miles, turn left at Walgreens onto Maplewood Drive which turns into Cypress Street. Go approx. 0.5 miles and church is on the left.
Q. How do I submit a prayer request?
A. Go to Misc tab on the website and click on "Submit a Prayer Request."
Q. How many church members does OLPS have?
A. There are 1,190 registered families - 2,973 individuals.
Q. How can I become Catholic?
A. Contact or visit the Religious Education Office, located 1029 at LaSalette Drive in Sulphur, for more information or click here to view their page. Office is open M-F from 9 AM - 2 PM.
Q. Why is the church named Our Lady of Prompt Succor?
A. Click here for the story.
Q. What is a Mass intention?
A. Offering Mass for a special intention is a long standing tradition in the Catholic Church. It is usually considered that special graces are obtained for whom the Mass is said. Masses are offered for many reasons- for the souls in Purgatory, in remembrance for someone who is deceased or in honor of a birthday. If you would like to have a Mass said for someone, go to the Parish Office. They will help you with the dates and times which are available. The stipend or offering given signifies the sacrificial nature of giving of something of yourself to associate more intimately with Christ who offers himself in the Eucharist. Each intention is $5. At the office, you will complete a form detailing who the Mass intentions are for (deceased or living), how many Masses and dates available. Only Sunday and Friday Masses can have multiple intentions. If you request a specific date, other than a Sunday or Friday, that already has a Mass intention scheduled, you will not be able to schedule one. After your intentions are scheduled, a copy of the form will be mailed to you and a card will be sent to the family of the intention, if requested. Click here for the Mass Intention Request Form.
Q. What does a Deacon do?Q. What do the different colors mean in a Catholic Church?
A. The purpose of a variety in the color of the sacred vestments is to give effective expression even outwardly to the specific character of the mysteries of faith being celebrated and to a sense of Christian life's passage through the course of the liturgical year. Click link for details.
As to the color of sacred vestments, the traditional usage is to be retained: namely,
a. White is used in the Offices and Masses during the Easter and Christmas seasons; also on celebrations of the Lord other than of his Passion, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Holy Angels, and of Saints who were not Martyrs; on the Solemnities of All Saints (1 November) and of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (24 June); and on the Feasts of Saint John the Evangelist (27 December), of the Chair of Saint Peter (22 February), and of the Conversion of Saint Paul (25 January).
b. Red is used on Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion and on Good Friday, on Pentecost Sunday, on celebrations of the Lord's Passion, on the feasts of the Apostles and Evangelists, and on celebrations of Martyr Saints.
c. Green is used in the Offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.
d. Violet or purple is used in Advent and of Lent. It may also be worn in Offices and Masses for the Dead (cf. below).
e. Besides violet, white or black vestments may be worn at funeral services and at other Offices and Masses for the Dead in the Dioceses of the United States of America.
f. Rose may be used, where it is the practice, on Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) and on Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent).
g. On more solemn days, sacred vestments may be used that are festive, that is, more precious, even if not of the color of the day.
h. Gold or silver colored vestments may be worn on more solemn occasions in the dioceses of the United States of America.
A. The deacon may preach, proclaim the Gospel, baptize solemnly, witness marriages, conduct funerals and preside at Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. He may also perform certain blessings and is an ordinary minister of the Eucharist. He may not celebrate Mass, hear confessions or administer the Sacrament of the Sick.
Deacons go through a formation period with one year of discernment and five years of studies. Becoming a deacon is one of the steps taken by those working to become a priest which is the same as the permanent deacon. Once a deacon's instruction and discernment is completed and are approved, they are ordained by the Bishop. They are then assigned to a parish, just like our priest, and work for the Diocese. Most deacons also have full-time jobs outside the parish since the deacon position is voluntary.Q. How do you pray the Rosary?
A. Click here for details.
Q. What is the world population of Catholics?
A. As of 2010, there are nearly 1.1 billion Catholics, up from an estimated 291 million in 1910. Catholics comprise 50% of all Christians worldwide and 16% of the world's population. --- Live Science 2/19/13
It is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22% of the population. With more than 68 million members, the United States has the fourth largest Catholic population in the world, after Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. There are 69.5 million registered Catholics in the US.
Q. How many Catholic seminaries in the USA?
A. According to the 2009 Official Catholic Directory there are 189 seminaries with 4,973 students in the United States. Louisiana's are listed below. Those in bold are currently in operation; all others have closed over the years.
- Assumption Seminary (New Orleans) - Archdiocesan seminary; operated from 1839 to 1867.
- Notre Dame Seminary (New Orleans) - Archdiocesan seminary; opened in 1923.
- St. Joseph Seminary College (St. Benedict) - Run by the Benedictine Monks; opened in 1891.
- St. Mary of Consolation Seminary (New Orleans) - Archdiocesan seminary; operated from 1870 to 1881.
Q. What is a pilgrimage?
A. Pilgrimages, journeys to sacred places for religious motives—are as old as civilization. Since the earliest times, such journeys have been made as acts of devotion, penance, thanksgiving or in search of blessings or miracles.
The Pilgrimage Destinations Guide lists a multitude of sacred destinations, both domestic and abroad and contains all the information that is essential for those considering a Catholic Pilgrimage. Pilgrimage Destinations Guide 2009-2010
Q. Where are the most popular pilgrimages in the USA?
A. Top six Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the US.
- National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, New York
- El Santuario de Chimayó, Chimayó, New Mexico, north of Santa Fe (settled in 1609). Chimayó is sometimes called the "Lourdes of America."
- Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Emmitsburg, Maryland
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Baltimore, Maryland
- National Shrine of St. John Neumann (in St. Peter the Apostle Church), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.
Q. How many priests are in America?
A. The Church has over 41,406 diocesan and religious-order priests in the United States; over 30,000 lay ministers (80% of them women), 17,000 men who are ordained as permanent deacons in the United States (a permanent deacon is a man, either married or single, who is ordained to the order of deacons, the first of three ranks in ordained ministry. They assist priests in administrative and pastoral roles), 63,032 sisters, 5,040 brothers, 16 US Cardinals, 424 active and retired US bishops in the United States, and 5,029 seminarians enrolled in the United States. Overall, it employs more than one million employees with an operating budget of nearly 100 billion dollars to run parishes, diocesan primary and secondary schools, nursing homes, retreat centers, diocesan hospitals, and other charitable institutions. 150,000 Catholic school teachers operate in the United States, teaching 2.7 million students.
In the world (2004-2005), the number of religious and diocesan priests passed from 405,891 to 406,411 (a growth of 0.13%).
The number of candidates to the priesthood, both diocesan and religious, also increased overall, passing from 113,044 in 2004 to 114,439 in 2005 (an increase of 1.23 percent). --- Catholics News Agency, dated 2/07