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Second Victim Identified in Louisiana Murder of Priest

By John Lavenburg

PROSPECT HEIGHTS – Ruth Prats, a pastoral associate at St. Peter Church in Covington, La., has been identified as the second victim in a double homicide that has shaken the community, the local coroner’s office announced Thursday afternoon.

Father Otis Young, a retired priest of the parish, was identified as the other victim yesterday. The current pastor of St. Peter parish remembered them as two people who gave all of “themselves in service to the people of God.”

“Father Otis is a beloved pastor who served God and his people with a pastor’s heart until his death,” Father Daniel Brouillette said at a Thursday afternoon news conference. “Ruth, a dedicated and valued associate, dedicated her life to helping the people of St. Peter parish grew in their relationship with God.”

“So as we grieve for Father Otis and Ruth, and we pray for the repose of their souls, let us turn to our Lord Jesus for comfort,” he continued. “It is my prayer that their families and all of us may all know God’s love and hope and find peace during this time of mourning.”

Prats’ cause of death was blunt force trauma, classified as a homicide, the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office announced. Father Otis’ cause of death, announced yesterday by the coroner’s office, was blunt and sharp force trauma, also classified as a homicide.

Prats and Father Otis were reported missing on Nov. 27. The next morning, two burnt bodies were discovered behind a glass store in downtown Covington, about a half-mile from St. Peter Church. Those bodies are now confirmed to be Prats and Father Otis.

Antonio Donde Tyson, 49, remains in custody in connection with the murders. He was arrested earlier this week and charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of second degree kidnapping, two counts of obstruction of justice, one count of illegal possession of stolen things, and one count of resisting an officer by giving a false name.

Lieutenant Kevin Collins, who leads the Covington Police Department investigation unit, emphasized at Thursday’s news conference that additional charges for Tyson may be forthcoming, and that the investigation remains ongoing.

At this point certain details about how the crime unfolded are still being investigated, and certain details are being kept under wraps by the police department.

Collins declined to release any information the department has about a possible motive. He said they know where the bodies were burned, but declined to say where, and he couldn’t release any information about where Prats and Father Otis were killed, either. The lieutenant acknowledged, however, that the department has evidence in its possession that would help them determine how they were killed, but an estimated time of death remains unknown.

Collins said that he couldn’t comment on why the bodies were in the area where they were found, but added it doesn’t appear Tyson has any relation to the area.

There is also no evidence or proof that would suggest that Tyson has any association with St. Peter Church and the parish school, or that he knew Prats, or Father Otis, he said. Michael Ferrell, Covington Police Chief, said that the crime “appears random,” in response to a question about whether or not Prats and Father Otis were targeted.

Tyson was released from Rayburn Correctional Facility in Louisiana about three months ago after serving 30 years of a 40-year sentence for being convicted of forcible rape, armed robbery, and one count of burglary. Asked by a reporter if Tyson was on Covington Police Department’s radar as a recent parolee, Collins replied, “No.”

Later in the news conference, Father Daniel spoke specifically about Prats, highlighting her decades of service to the parish and community, who served multiple pastors and was “loved”.

“Because of her longevity at St. Peter, and her kind and loving heart, she was so well known and loved and sought after as someone to be associated with the parish and someone with our community,” Father Daniel said, adding that both Prats and Father Otis were “very much loved, and incredibly dedicated.”

“Lived for his people and suffered for his people and we love and thank them,” he said.

During the news conference local political leaders spoke about the tragedy, and what Prats and Father Otis meant to the Covington community. Covington Mayor Mark Johnson called them “two pillars of the community” who are “wonderful people.”

“We will mourn. We will grieve. We will overcome. Through our faith we will persevere,” he said.

Michael Cooper, St. Tammany Parish Government president and  a lifelong parishioner of St. Peter Catholic Church, said “this is a time for prayer in the community.”

“I ask our citizens to keep the families, to keep friends of Father Otis and St. Peter Church and the friends and family of Ms. Ruth Prats as well, as we endure the coming days, weeks, and months with this brutal tragedy that happened in our community.”

A funeral Mass will be celebrated for Father Otis on Monday, Dec. 5 at St. Peter Catohlic Church. Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans will be the celebrant. The date and time for Prats’ funeral is not yet finalized, Father Daniel said.

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 12/1/22

 

It’s a dinner date that’s getting a lot of attention.

President Biden and French President Macron will be breaking bread at the White House Thursday night for a lavish affair.

Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy Students Learn the Cost of a Bright Christmas

By Jessica Easthope

This story is about a 10-dollar bill and a paper trail that starts at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Academy and ends on Christmas morning, underneath a tree.

The bill was brought to school by six-year old Samuel Ortiz-Bran. It was his very own to spend.

“We’ll give them money and they can buy the toys because it makes the kid happy and they can have a good Christmas also,” said Samuel.

Samuel’s first grade class is raising money for the Tablet’s Bright Christmas campaign. Last year he opened plenty of toys under his own tree, and his wish list is long again this year.

“A Mario cart, a real dog, a cat, five cats and a LOL set, that’s everything,” he said.

But he knows there are kids who have a lot less than he does, he want his bill to be spent buying toys for them.

“The children that don’t have toys, we’ll give them the money and they’ll buy the toys, they didn’t have toys and God didn’t have the chance to give them money and so we’ll give them money,” he said.

Samuel made sure his bill was tucked in tight among others like it and some change in the donation box on his teacher, Mrs. Ray’s desk.

“When I explained to them that there are some children who believe it or not wake up on Christmas with nothing they were shocked and they wanted to help,” Ray said.

The students wrote letters to the Tablet to make sure their money was spent exactly the way the want. It’s a hope that’s as real as Christmas magic, the kind the Tablet makes possible every year.

“It’s beyond something I can explain, to see them so excited,” Ray said. “What can I say? It’s a beautiful thing.”

Bishop Robert Brennan Marks First Year as Bishop of Brooklyn and Queens

Bishop of Brooklyn, Robert Brennan, celebrated Mass on Nov. 30 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, where one year ago, he was installed as the eighth Bishop of Brooklyn.

“Today marks a complete year of our time being together as the Church of Brooklyn here in Brooklyn and Queens. It was a year ago today the co-cathedral was filled with people from all over the diocese as we celebrated our unity in faith. Your beautiful welcome to me lifted me up,” preached Bishop Brennan.

“Having met so many of you through the course of this year, I am constantly inspired and lifted up. I thank you for helping me to know Jesus Christ better and to be more convinced of His love on fire and to share that with one another. I thank God for the gift of being here in Brooklyn and Queens and I thank God for the rich vibrant church he has brought together,” continued Bishop Brennan.

In the first year of his ministry, Bishop Brennan visited 127 parishes throughout Brooklyn and Queens, celebrated 25 Confirmations, and visited 25 schools.

In June, Bishop Brennan ordained three priests to serve in the Diocese of Brooklyn, and earlier this month, ordained six transitional deacons on the path to the priesthood; three for the Diocese of Brooklyn, two for the Archdiocese of New York, and one for the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Earlier this year, Bishop Brennan also launched a weekly podcast, “Big City Catholics,” to communicate with the faithful.

Big City Catholics is available on popular podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, or on the Diocese of Brooklyn website, podcast.dioceseofbrooklyn.org.

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday 11/30/22

 

Parishioners of St. Peter’s Church in Covington, Louisiana are shaken to the core and coming together to pray for their former pastor and an employee of the church whose lives were tragically cut short.

New Orleans Archbishop Prays For Murdered Priest, Missing Worker

By Rhina Guidos

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The head of the Archdiocese of New Orleans spoke of horror and pain in a Nov. 30 statement, following what police believe is the killing of a retired priest and possibly a church worker in the archdiocese.

“The horror of the events that have unfolded here in Covington is beyond shocking,” wrote Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond in the statement posted on the website of the archdiocese after local police confirmed that one of two burned bodies found Nov. 28 is that of retired priest Father Otis Young, of St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington, a suburb of New Orleans.

“Let us continue to pray for the repose of the soul of Fr. Otis and for Ruth Prats who remains missing, and for both their families and all who are suffering,” the archbishop wrote.

Authorities are working on identifying the second body, which many in the archdiocese believe could be Prats, who helped care for the priest.

Covington Police Department arrested and charged Antonio Donde Tyson Nov. 28 with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree kidnapping, among other charges, in the case.

The coroner said the bodies — discovered burned behind a building a day after the priest and Prats went missing Nov. 27 — had signs of blunt and sharp force trauma. The victims are being identified by DNA testing.

Hundreds showed up to Holy Hour Nov. 28 at the Covington parish after hearing news that two bodies were discovered, knowing that the priest and his helper were missing.

“Today as we await confirmation of the second victim, I offer my prayers for both victims of this heinous crime,” the archbishop said in his statement.

“In a particular way we prayerfully remember Fr. Otis, a beloved pastor who touched the lives of so many with his faith, warmth, and pastoral heart. This is a loss for our church and for the entire community.”

Archbishop Aymond also said that for all “who are hurting and asking how this could happen, may I humbly offer that we turn to our Lord Jesus in this time of mourning.”

Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy Sells Ornaments to Support Bright Christmas

By Jessica Easthope

The ornaments on Our Lady of the Snows’ Christmas tree are more than decoration, they represent the spirit of giving. Each one costs a dollar, it’s not a lot, but students give because they know what it’s like to receive.

“It’s pretty cool unwrapping that wrapping paper and seeing what toys I got and I want to be able to give that feeling to someone else because I want other people to be happy and not sad on Christmas Day,” said 7th grade student council member Dylan Thomas.

Our Lady of the Snows has been participating in the Tablet’s Bright Christmas campaign, helping every kid get a toy, for 15 years. This year, starting on Giving Tuesday members of the student council went from class to class collecting money and giving out ornaments to decorate and put on the school’s Christmas tree.

Student council moderator, Liz Flynn says the kids take the lead on the money and the message.

“We want everyone to feel the love of Jesus at Christmas time, when we do for others, we do for Jesus, we are a witness for Jesus by helping those in need,” she said.

The school raises around $1,000 for Bright Christmas each year, but last year they got something in return.

Principal Joseph Venticinque says the $5,000 they received from Bright Christmas was put to good use.

“It wasn’t money that we had allocated throughout the year so it was a gift we were able to pass back to the people and families who lost their jobs during the pandemic or that were unable to afford tuition for all that they give to us and our community,” he said.

And the kids raise money with the same excitement they have on Christmas morning. They even made a Bright Christmas commercial to encourage their classmates to give. Some students say they don’t take the holiday for granted – and want to make others feel just as blessed.

“It’s important because some kids don’t have enough money and their parents can;t afford certain things they want,” said 5th grader Madison Brooks. “Us, we can get whatever we want if we just ask and have good grades this way people can get what they would like and everything they need for Christmas.”

The students will bring their ornaments home right before Christmas break to put on their own trees to remind them while they’re opening their gifts they helped another kid do the same.

Pope Francis Describes Not Ordaining Women Priests as ”A Theological Problem”

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a wide-ranging interview with top staff of America magazine, Pope Francis decried increased polarization within the Catholic Church, affirmed the need to involve more women in church administration but ruled out women priests and emphasized the importance of the ministry of individual bishops over the role of a bishops’ conference.

“The more polarization there is, the more one loses the Catholic spirit and falls into a sectarian spirit,” the pope told staff from the Jesuit weekly. “What is Catholic is not either-or, but is both-and, combining differences.”

Jesuit Fathers Matt Malone and Sam Sawyer, respectively the outgoing and incoming editors of America, executive editor Kerry Weber, Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and podcast host Gloria Purvis interviewed Pope Francis Nov. 22. The interview was released Nov. 28.

Asked about abortion and the way the emphasis on church teaching against abortion seemed to be politicizing and polarizing Catholics in the United States, Pope Francis insisted the fetus is a human being and repeated his view that abortion is killing a human being to resolve a problem.

But, he said, the problem for the church “arises when this reality of killing a human being is transformed into a political question, or when a pastor of the church uses political categories.”

“When I see a problem like this one, which is a crime, become strongly, intensely political, there is a failure of pastoral care in approaching this problem,” the pope said. “We cannot deal with (abortion) as if it is only a civil matter.”

Pope Francis did not explain how he thought a bishop or priest could explain church teaching in a way that was pastoral but not political and he declined to give an opinion on whether the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops should present the fight against abortion as its preeminent concern.

“This is a problem the bishops’ conference has to resolve within itself. What interests me is the relationship of the bishop with the people, which is sacramental,” he said. “The sacramental part of the pastoral ministry is in the relationship between the pastor and the people of God, between the bishop and his people. And this cannot be delegated to the bishops’ conference.”

“Jesus did not create bishops’ conferences,” the pope said. “Jesus created bishops, and each bishop is pastor of his people.”

On the question of women in the church, Pope Francis insisted that ordained ministry is open only to men but that the church has a feminine, Marian dimension that is even more important. But, he said, administrative roles do not belong to either theological category, and the church should appoint more women to those offices.

“That the woman does not enter into the ministerial life is not a deprivation. No,” the pope said. The place of women, as a “mirror” of the church as mother and spouse, “is much more important,” although he admitted the Catholic Church has not done a very good job developing that aspect of theology and explaining it.

On the question of Russia’s war on Ukraine and on the Vatican’s relationship with China, Pope Francis insisted that openness to dialogue is the best way forward.

While many Ukrainians and others would like the pope to condemn Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin by name, the pope said he did not think it was necessary. “If you have a martyred people, you have someone who martyrs them.”

“Why do I not name Putin? Because it is not necessary; it is already known,” he said, adding that “the position of the Holy See is to seek peace and to seek an understanding. The diplomacy of the Holy See is moving in this direction and, of course, is always willing to mediate.”

As for China, the interview was conducted two days before a bishop was installed as “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi,” a diocese the Vatican does not recognize and an appointment the Vatican said it did not agree to, in violation of its controversial accord with China on the appointment of bishops.

Asked about criticism that the Vatican has been silent on China’s human rights violations in exchange for having input on the appointment of bishops, the pope said: “It is not a matter of speaking or silence. That is not the reality. The reality is to dialogue or not to dialogue. And one dialogues up to the point that is possible.”

“With China I have opted for the way of dialogue. It is slow, it has its failures, it has its successes, but I cannot find another way,” Pope Francis said. “There are Christians there. They have to be cared for, so that they may be good Chinese and good Christians.”