School Community Celebrates Feast of Immaculate Conception

Altar servers join Fr. Don Saunders, S.J. (center left) and Fr. Nile Gross (center right), an alumnus from the Class of 1995, after a Mass celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs.
On Monday morning, Dec. 9, students, faculty, and staff gathered for Mass in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and honor Mary, our Blessed Mother.
Mass was celebrated by Fr. Nile Gross, an alumnus from the Class of 1995. Concelebrating were Frs. Raymond Fitzgerald, Don Saunders, Norman O’Neil, William Farge, and John Brown, all members of the Society of Jesus. Fr. Gross, who teaches at Notre Dame Seminary, is assigned to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
When the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) established a new high school in New Orleans in 1847, they placed it under the protection of our Blessed Mother. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates Mary’s conception, without sin, and is always on December 8. Since the date fell on a Sunday this year, the Mass for the Jesuit Community was pushed forward a day.
Galleries
Feast of Immaculate Conception Mass, Dec. 9, 2013
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Mrs. Kate Arthurs-Goldberg leads the choir in the Processional Hymn, "Immaculate Mary"
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Senior Jack Caliva reads from the third chapter of Genesis -- the story of Adam & Eve.
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Junior Garth Cook leads the Responsorial Psalm: "Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds."
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Senior Jimmy Mickler reads from the first chapter of Ephesians. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him..."
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Fr. Nile Gross '95 reads from the Gospel of Luke. "The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, 'Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
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Junior Dylan Knight offers the Prayers of the Faithful.
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Following altar servers Quinn Stiller and Clay LoCoco, seniors Glynn Hyer (left) and Daniel Abadie present the gifts.
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Jesuit priests consecrate the gifts.
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Mass ends as faculty and staff are asked to "Go in Peace."
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From left, altar servers Clay LoCoco, Patrick Steen, Patrick Fine, Thomas Nimmo, Joseph Stagni, and Quinn Stiller join Fr. Don Saunders, S.J. who serves as school chaplain, and Fr. Nile Gross.
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After Mass, students head back to class.