OLQAS holds patronal mass

In 1954, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to The Daily Missal, “this feast commemorates the Blessed Virgin Mary’s participation in the glorious and universal Kingdom of God through her special role in Christ’s Redemption.
Fifteen years later, a new church parish in Ville Platte was carved out of three existing parishes, but mostly from Sacred Heart of Ville Platte. The new parish, which was named Our Lady Queen of All Saints, took as its patronal feast The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 22.
At this year’s patronal mass on Wednesday, Pastor of OLQAS Fr. Mitch Guidry said, in his homily, that the parishioners have seen their share of the good, the bad, and the ugly over the 49 years of the parish. He also said that Mary is an example for how to live during those times.
“Mary lived in a very small town called Nazareth,” Fr. Guidry said. “She was found to be with child, and she was not married. Imagine the rumors that were swirling around. She was certainly persecuted as a result of them, but, despite that, she went to help her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist and who was advanced in years. Mary does not worry about the wagging of the tongues from the people; she simply does God’s will and does it with charity. She perseveres.”
He continued, “She had to see her own son suffer jeers of many evil, and, certainly as no mother would ever want to do, she saw her own son not only be rejected but hanging dead after being tortured right before her very eyes. She saw the good, she saw the bad, and she saw the ugly. But, she persevered through faith.”
According to Fr. Guidry in his homily, because of Mary’s perseverance resulted in many rejoices. “She saw her son risen from the dead, and she rejoiced,” he said. “She was filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and she rejoiced. She became mother of the apostles and mother of the early Christians and, thus, the mother of the Church, and she rejoiced.”
Fr. Guidry conlcuded, “We call her Queen of Heaven and of Earth because she was taken up from this world to be the first one to share in the promises given by Christ to all of us. As Mary is now, we too shall be. If we persevere, we shall also reign.”