Category Archives: Ascension

At the urging of Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa, the Department of Planning and Development has crafted a set of standards that will apply to all subdivision development and construction.

Ascension Parish has never before had our own set of specifications, said Matassa. This will standardize and plainly lay out the requirements for all to see and understand.

Matassa said that a team consisting of Planning personnel and the Parishs engineering review agent CSRS collaborated to write the standards. The team reviewed the standards in use in other parishes and state agencies and solicited input from developers and engineers, while also considering the Parishs needs and concerns.

The standards will provide comprehensive standards for drainage, roads, and utilities, as well as all other regulations as required by ordinance.

After a public hearing and debate, the subdivision standards were approved by the Planning Commission at their May meeting. It will be considered for adoption by the full Council at the June 1 meeting.

These standards will provide a comprehensive path forward for development in Ascension Parish, added Matassa.

Contributed Report

View post:

Ascension Parish set to adopt new subdivision standards - Weekly Citizen

Imagine what would have happened had Jesus not left Earth.

Christianity likely would not have spread, for it was the belief that Christ was no longer on Earth that decentralized Christianity, challenging it to adopt and adapt to other lands and languages.

May 25 is Ascension Day, a celebration of Jesus ascension into heaven after his death. Most people including many Christians are unaware of this holy day. But it helps explain the birth of the church, and the early church's missionary zeal and character.

Ascension Day offers an antidote to Christian exceptionalism.

The first disciples claimed that Jesus vanished after 40 days of meeting with them. This inaugurated the first missionary movement in history. Prior to the early Christians, no adherents had left their land and language to convince foreigners of the universality of their faith. Religion was an ethnic expression. Every city had their patron God. No one felt the need to take their god to other cities except for safe travels

This would have been the fate of Christianity, too, if not for Jesus ascension. Ascension took away the temptation of the first disciples to claim a central location and language. Lamin Sanneh, a professor of missions and world Christianity at Yale Divinity School, points out that Christianity adapted through multiple cultural and historical contexts because it was detached from a geographical center.

This rapid adaptation manifests in the Christian Scriptures. The Jewish Bible is mostly in Hebrew, the language of the Jewish patriarchs; the Quran was scripted in Arabic, Muhammeds mother tongue. But the Gospels were written in Koine, (simple) Greek, though Jesus taught in Aramaic.

The original Scripture of Christ is a translation. The essence of Christianity is to be in constant translation.

It is the nature of any organization to centralize. Often this is done through connecting a land and/or a language it to its founder the leader's birth and burial places often become holy grounds requiring pilgrimage. This is an ingenious form of message control.

The Jewish people made a treacherous journey three times a year and Muslims are called to make pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, Muhammed's birthplace and sites of ministry. Land and language are powerful cohesives for these religions.

But the strong affirmation of Christs absence kept the early church from centralizing around Jerusalem. Without the body of Jesus to create a memorial, no land or language could monopolize claim to sacredness. Ascension, in one sense, is an abdication of worldly authority. It is the empowerment of everyone, no matter their land and language.

Unfortunately, the church later fell into the orbit of other land-based religions and began to argue about the importance of succession, elevating the bishopric of Rome, and later launching the Crusades to "reclaim" the Holy Land. This historical shift only highlights the importance of the earliest claims of Jesus ascension exhibiting what happens when Ascension Day becomes just another holy day, and not a central tenet of the churchs story.

What followed was predictable. With the elevation of Rome, Christianity had land and a language that became more sacred than any other. Christians began to worship only in Latin any other version of Scripture other than the Vulgate became sacrilegious.

To avoid this instinct of exceptionalism, Christians should celebrate Ascension Day with the same energy and creativity as we celebrate Christmas and Easter. The church needs to declare that Christ is not here, because every culture is tempted to make themselves the presence of Christ on Earth.

The history of American Christianity is no exception in this itch for exceptionalism. Americas foreign policy has always been tinged with religious zeal because America sees itself as the city on a hill, with a Manifest Destiny to conquer and spread democracy as its divine prerogative.

I believe that American Christianity needs to drop the delusion that America is the city on the hill, and learn to listen to other nations Christians. When we begin to see the significance of every land and language, and understand that Christ is not here in America more than anywhere else, we are cured of exceptionalism.

The church can serve as a prophetic voice by celebrating Ascension Day a day that says there is no land or language that is exceptional.

Christ is not here. Christ is everywhere. In the Gospel of Matthew, Christ promises, Where two or more are gathered, I will be there. A Christ who is on Earth cannot make that promise. A Christ absent in Jerusalem can promise to be everywhere.

Original post:

On Ascension Day, an Antidote to American Christian Exceptionalism - Sojourners

A 20-year-old Prairieville man was unanimously convicted Thursday of armed robbery with a firearm in the 2013 drug-related shooting death of a man in his Baton Rouge apartment.

An East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor had earlier in the day called Avery Gene Honea a member of a "posse" that orchestrated a "pretend drug deal" in hopes of robbing Jared Christopher Vincent, 22, of his marijuana and money on Dec. 11, 2013.

State District Judge Mike Erwin will sentence Honea on June 15. He faces a sentence of 15 to 99 years in prison.

Honea is one of six Ascension Parish men who were charged following Vincent's killing inside his Ridge Pecan Drive apartment just south of Burbank Drive between Bluebonnet Boulevard and Gardere Lane.

One of those men, Demarcus Daniel James, 23, of Prairieville, was convicted in December of second-degree murder and sentenced in February to life in prison. James, who was shot several times inside Vincent's apartment, was one of Vincent's customers, prosecutors said.

A 23-year-old Ascension Parish man was convicted Friday in the 2013 drug-related shooting de

Another Prairieville man, Aaron Hargrove, 21, pleaded guilty in November to armed robbery and attempted second-degree murder and was sentenced to 27 years behind bars. Vincent's roommate was shot during the incident but survived.

Prosecutor Dana Cummings argued Thursday in her closing argument at Honea's trial that James, Hargrove, Honea and two 21-year-old Gonzales men -- Ivan Wess Graham and Bryton James Montelaro -- did not intend for Vincent to die when they decided to go rob him of his marijuana and cash, but he died nonetheless.

One of six Ascension Parish men chargedin the 2013 drug-related killing of a man in Baton R

"This group had a very specific mission in mind," Cummings said, referring to the group as a "posse." "Everybody planned this together. Clearly, an armed robbery." Honea played an active role, she added.

Honea's attorney, Carson Marcantel, argued that if armed robbery was the motive, why did Vincent have $550 in his pocket, and why did police find roughly 700 grams of marijuana in the apartment and another $2,006 upstairs.

"Something happened. We're never going to know," he told the jury, suggesting that an argument may have broken out about money.

Jared Christopher Vincent was a marijuana dealer but he didn't deserve to be shot to death i

Graham, who is Honea's cousin, testified against James and Honea and pleaded guilty Thursday to an accessory charge in return for a five-year prison term. Montelaro pleaded guilty earlier this year to drug possession in exchange for a five-year sentence.

James went into Vincent's apartment alone, and Hargrove and Honea stood watch outside while Graham and Montelaro waited inside a truck, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office has said. After hearing gunshots ring out inside the apartment, Hargrove and Honea fired shots at Vincent's fleeing roommate, hitting him in the back, the Sheriff's Office said.

A sixth man, Patrick Anderson, 23, of Prairieville, pleaded guilty last month to an obstruction charge and will be sentenced next month.

Follow Joe Gyan Jr. on Twitter, @JoeGyanJr.

See the article here:

Jury convicts Ascension Parish man in fatal Baton Rouge armed robbery gone bad - The Advocate

GONZALES Prosecutors with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office will not pursue charges against a former Ascension Parish sheriff's deputy arrested over a domestic disturbance at his home in February, a spokeswoman for the office said Thursday.

Sheriff Jeff Wiley fired Deputy James Atkins II, 34, of Gonzales following an internal investigation and just hours before Gonzales Police arrested him on a simple battery count Feb. 14 over the incident six days earlier.

Gonzales Police arrested Atkins after arresting his former girlfriend, who had swung a dumbbell at his car at his home Feb. 8 and later fled. She was booked on counts of disturbing the peace and simple criminal damaged to property.

A judge agreed to recuse 23rd Judicial District Attorney Ricky Babin from Atkins' case March 8 and appointed the Attorney General's Office to handle it. But Assistant Attorney General Angad Ghai notified the court April 24 that his office declined to accept charges without offering any further explanation.

"Based on the facts presented to us in this case, our office found insufficient evidence to achieve a conviction," Ruth Wisher, spokeswoman for the Attorney General's Office, said in an email. "Should new credible information arise, we will proceed accordingly."

Dallon Bush, Atkins' attorney, said his client believes he was wrongfully accused, had been speaking with the Attorney General's Office about the case and is happy with prosecutors' conclusion not to proceed.

"We felt like it was the right, corrective action, given circumstances," Bush said.

Capricia Powe, 35, of Donaldsonville, who accused Atkins in the domestic incident, was arrested March 13 on allegations she violated a protective order that Atkins had placed against her one day after the incident, online jail records say. Ascension Parish Judge Marilyn Lambert put her in home incarceration March 29, two days after Powe's release from jail.

A deputy for more than seven years, Atkins was shot in his hand Jan. 20, 2015, while in the line of duty, the first time a deputy had been shot in more than 40 years. He was trying to stop suspected shoplifters in Donaldsonville who, Ascension prosecutors say, were on the run from an attempted murder in Florida.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

See the article here:

Prosecutors won't pursue charges against fired Ascension deputy in domestic disturbance case - The Advocate

Concord Pastor

Ascension by Salvador Dali The perspective of Dali's Ascension never fails to draw me in! The earthy feet of the Risen Jesus ascending into heaven to reign for ever at the Father's right hand in the power of the Holy Spirit! In my part of the vineyard the Ascension is still celebrated on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter (this year on May 25). Much of the Catholic world, however, now celebrates this feast transferred to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In the US, the Ascension is celebrated on Thursday of the sixth week of Easter only in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha. In all other US dioceses, the celebration of the Feast of the Ascension is transferred to the following Sunday, May 28, 2017. Regardless of which day you celebrate the Ascension, the readings are the same and can be found, with brief commentary, here. If you're bringing children to Mass with you, hints for helping them prepare to hear the Word are here.

Tweet

Subscribe to A Concord Pastor Comments

Link:

Ascension Thursday - Wicked Local Fall River (blog)

Aleteia EN

Ascension Thursday: Lovemaking with the lights on Aleteia EN If Heaven and Earth are in constant flux, then the Ascension becomes less incomprehensible and so, too, the dogmas of the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception. In fact, they are even more fully understood in the light of yet another dimension of ...

Link:

Ascension Thursday: Lovemaking with the lights on - Aleteia EN

Ascension CEO: Public-private partnerships, tech are keys to better health care Austin Business Journal As the national debate over reworking the Affordable Care Act reaches a fever pitch, health care executives need to keep in mind how any changes impact the patients receiving care. That is the assessment of Anthony Tersigni, CEO of Ascension, the ...

Read this article:

Ascension CEO: Public-private partnerships, tech are keys to better health care - Austin Business Journal

Today is Ascension Day for Christians around the world. In Hancock, St. Thomas Episcopal Church will welcome a guest preacher to a 7:30 p.m. service in celebration of the day. The Rev. Elizabeth Sipos, new rector of St. Johns Episcopal Church in Kingsville, Md., will deliver the sermon. The service of Holy Communion will be presided over by the Rev. Allan Weatherholt, rector of St. Thomas, at Church and High streets.

Sipos recently moved to Maryland from Ontario, Canada. Clergy and members of St. Marks Episcopal Church, Lappans, and St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Clear Spring, have been invited to join in the celebration.

Ascension Day recalls the end of Christs appearances to his disciples after his resurrection, and his return to heaven. Tonights service will be preceded by a potluck supper at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited.

Friday is field day at Hancock Elementary School. Opening ceremonies will begin promptly at 8 a.m., and students in grades three through five will participate in activities from 8:35 to 10:45 a.m. Those in prekindergarten through grade two will hold their events from 11:25 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.

Parents are reminded that each child should bring a change of clothes, hats and sunglasses. Sunscreen should be applied to children before their arrival at school. In case of rain, the field day will be observed Tuesday, May 30, on the same schedule.

A cookout to benefit the mission team of Hancock United Methodist Church is Saturday in the vacant lot across from the C&O Bicycle Shop, 9 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Grilled chicken, hot dogs, burgers and fresh-cut fries will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for donations.

Summer Reading Club T-shirts go on sale Thursday, June 1, at the Hancock branch of Washington County Free Library, 220 Park Road, within Hancocks Widmeyer Park. The shirts are available in youth and adult sizes, and cost $6 each.

The age groups for the club are preschool through age 10; 11 to 17; and adults. Once registered, you can log your reading online and be entered in raffles for numerous prizes.

To obtain a shirt and sign up for the club, stop by the library or call 301-678-5300.

Registration is open for Adventures in Friendship, summer day camp jointly sponsored by the Interfaith Service Coalition and St. Thomas Episcopal Church. The camp, for Tri-State area youth ages 8 to 13, marks its 21st year this June. The camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, June 26, to Friday, June 30, in the parish hall of St. Thomas, at Church and High streets.

The camp features guests who make presentations on topics such as nutrition, cooking, health and substance-abuse prevention. Campers receive CPR and first-aid instruction, and field trips are taken. Breakfast and lunch are served daily.

Adventures can accommodate up to 40 young people. Thanks to funding from grants and donations, there is no charge for the camp. To register your child, call the ISC at 301-678-6605 or the church at 301-678-6569.

Registration remains open for vendors, crafters, businesses and community groups to be part of the Kick Off Summer Festival on Saturday, June 10. The festival, planned by Hancock in Motion, is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Widmeyer Park in Hancock.

Spaces for vendors and crafters cost $25 each, and yard sale spaces cost $15 each. Already registered are Scentsy, Paparazzi, LuLaRoe, Mary Kay, Dot Dot Smile, LipSense, Perfectly Posh and Pink Zebra. Antietam Dairy will have an ice cream stand.

Email your news about the Hancock community to AnneWeath@aol.com or call 301-678-6888.

Read more from the original source:

Ascension Day at St. Thomas' - Herald-Mail Media

GONZALES One of three people accused in the 2015 shooting injury of an Ascension Parish sheriff's deputy has accepted a 15-year prison sentence and agreed to testify against her co-defendants, prosecutors said.

Sheriff's deputies have said Chadwik Schwender, 30, of Orlando, Florida, shot then-Deputy James Atkins in his hand Jan. 20, 2015, after he had pulled over a stolen car that Schwender was riding in.

Atkins had suspected Schwender and two others shoplifted bullets from the Walmart in Donaldsonville minutes earlier.

One of those people deputies say was in the car, Jennifer McGhee, 30, no address, pleaded guilty May 15 to one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, 23rd Judicial District prosecutors said Tuesday.

At the time of the shooting, McGhee and a third defendant, John McMullen, 37, no address, were on the run from an attempted murder in Florida in which they are accused of tying up and beating a motel proprietor and setting the motel on fire to hide the evidence, according to court papers.

The proprietor survived, Ascension prosecutors have said.

McMullen and McGhee picked up Schwender later on their way west to Louisiana in a car stolen from the motel, prosecutors in Ascension have said in court papers.

As part of a plea deal with Assistant District Attorney Joni Buquoi, McGhee agreed to a 15-year prison sentence, agreed to testify about what happened in Donaldsonville on Jan. 20, 2015, but does not have to testify about what happened in Florida three days earlier. Prosecutors also dropped other pending charges against her, including an attempted first-degree murder count.

The cases against Schwender and McMullen are pending.

Follow David J. Mitchell on Twitter, @NewsieDave.

Read the original here:

Figure in shooting of former Ascension deputy sentenced to 15 years under plea deal - The Advocate

As a baseball player at Central High, Kade Keowen followed the progress of other schools, including East Ascension.

Now Keowen, an assistant coach at LSU-Eunice the last four years, has been hired as the Spartans new coach.

When I was in school, East Ascension was one of the good programs, Keowen said. They won a state title when I was in school. Theres so much tradition there. Theres a sense of community. Alumni and the community are loyal and follow their school, which is so important. I can't wait to get started.

It is the second head coaching job on the high school level for Keowen, a former LSUE player who spent one season as the head coach at False River Academy and was an assistant coach at Denham Springs High for one season.

Keowen is one of two former local baseball standouts changing jobs.

Darren Clark, who led Scotlandville to a 21-13 record and a playoff victory this spring, is moving into administration at Scotlandville after spending six years as the schools baseball coach. He is a former Baker High and Southern University standout who was also director of baseball operations and hitting coach Alcorn State before coming to Scotlandville.

In other coaching news, former Nicholls State and Dunham/Chapel Trafton basketball coach J.P. Piper is the new boys basketball coach at Lutcher High.

Denton Mallas is the new head football coach at Louisiana School for the Deaf.

Clark said he's proud of what the baseball program accomplished on his watch.

The thing Im proudest of is changing the culture of baseball here, Clark said. We have guys who are dedicated to baseball and not just playing it until its time to start another sport. Its a big step for an urban baseball program and a journey I think will continue.

Im not totally closing the door on coaching, but Im dedicated to helping our principal, Tiffany Quiett, get every phase of this school to the highest level. I think I can learn a lot from her and this process.

The 31-year-old Keowen starred at Central from 2001-04 and spent two years at LSU before playing one season at LSUE. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and played in their minor-league season system through 2010.

PIPER TO LUTCHER: Piper was head coach at Dunham/Chapel Trafton from 1993-2002, a stint that included a Class 1A title and a 1A runner-up finish. He was the head coach at Nicholls from 2004-16 and was the Southland Conference Coach of the Year in 2008-09 and also had a win over LSU in 2010.

Piper spent last season as head coach at Morgan City High, leading the Tigers to the regional playoff round. He succeeds Chase Delrie, who resigned last month to become boys basketball coach at French Settlement.

MALLAS SUCCEEDS GREMILLION: Mallas is a former player at Wisconsin School for the Deaf and graduated from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. He was a volunteer coach at LSD in 2015 and became a full-time assistant last fall.

Mallas is LSDs first deaf head football coach since the late Glen Deville, who coached through 1992. He succeeds Susan Gremillion, who was 14-5 in two seasons and led the War Eagles to a deaf national championship last fall.

Follow Robin Fambrough on Twitter, @FambroughAdv

Go here to read the rest:

East Ascension hires Keowen, Scotlandville's Clark moves to administration - The Advocate