Category Archives: Ascension

Reading Time: 5 minutesWhy are you Jews gawking at the sky?

Well, because God told Abram, Look up at the night sky, for your descendants shall be as many as the stars of heaven. Abram believed the Lord and this was reckoned to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:4-6)

Moses also said, Look up to the heavens, and see the sun and moon and stars. Admire but do not worship them, for the Lord it was made these, and made you for his own people. (Deut 4:18-20)

David, too, looked to the heavens and saw the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn over Jerusalem. He did penance, so God would spare his people from their plague. (1Chr 21:16-17).

After the patriarchs it was the prophets turn to look to the heavens. They said, Listen, you that are deaf, and you that are blind,lookupand see! (Isa 42:18; Jer 3:2; Zech 5:5 etc.).

Well, because wise men looked up and saw a star rising in the East, and followed it to Bethlehem, to the Infant King of the Jews. And shepherds looked up to the heavens and saw the angel host also pointing that way. And apostles looked up and saw Jesus transfigured (Mt 2:1-12; 17:1-8; Mk 9:2-8; Lk 2:8-13; 9:28-36).

Jesus, too, looked up to heaven, and sighed a deep sigh of prayer, when He said to a deaf-mute, Ephphatha be opened and to a dead friend, Lazarus, come out! (Mk 7:34; Jn 11:38-44)

And, on the night before He died, Jesus took bread in His holy and venerable hands, and with eyes raised to heaven, to His almighty Father, giving Him thanks, He said the blessing, broke the Bread and gave it to His disciples (Roman Canon; Mt 14:19; 26:26; Mk 6:41; 14:22; Lk 9:16 22:19-20; 1Cor 11:23-25)

Which is why Christian priests to this day raise their eyes to heaven at the consecration.

And why the faithful, even great sport stars, often look upwards when they pray. Why are you men from Galilee standing there gawking at the sky? the angels asked (Acts 1:1-11) And still we stare.

Is it just nostalgia? In a sense, yes. St Thomas Aquinas teaches that the history of salvation is essentially one of Gods exitus and reditus, His comings and goings, especially the Son leaving heaven in Christ Jesus to dwell among men, before returning to the right hand of the Father. However sad it was for those left behind, the Ascension celebrates a homecoming for Jesus (Jn 16:5,10,17,28; 17:11,13; 20:17). As His mission began with kings and shepherds looking up to the skies, it comes now full circle with apostles-made-shepherds also gaping upwards. People gawking at the heavens bookend the Gospel.

Which is an interesting part of Jesus story. But why do we, too, feel nostalgia for heaven? Why do we talk of someone who has died returning to the Father or going home when theyve never been there before? Well, Aquinas explains, those goings and comings of the persons of God that theologians call processions and missions are also the principle of our creation and redemption, identity and mission, destiny and completion. If we are made from heaven, we are also made for heaven. Heaven is our homeland.

On great feasts like this one you might notice some tweaking of the First Eucharistic Prayer. You can expect today an inclusion like Celebrating that most sacred day on which your Only Begotten Son, having completed his mission on earth, returned to his throne of glory at your right hand. But no, the focus even here is on what it does for us: Celebrating the most sacred day, the prayer declares, on which your Only Begotten Son, our Lord, placed at the right hand of your glory our weak human nature, which he had united to himself.You see, God the Son didnt leave the heavenly realm, assuming the form of a servant, for some cosmic tourism. It was for our sake, so He could take us back with Him.

Thus in the Ascension window of our cathedral, as the disciples watch Jesus flying through the air, He is not looking towards the Father above but to us below, with love on His face and blessing in His hand. And in the little scene beneath that window we see the two angels encouraging the grieving disciples, Why are you guys gawking at the heavens? Jesus has ascended but He will return to take you with Him.

What to do in the meantime? Consumed by nostalgia, we could easily just keep staring toward heaven and give up on this earth. But had father Abraham done that, hed have had no descendants at all, let alone a whole night-skys worth of Jews and Christians. If teacher Moses had remained sky-gazing, wed all be mired in astrology and nature worship, as he warned. If King David had kept focused on heavenly visions, he might never have repented and saved his people from plague. If the magi and shepherds had kept looking upwards, they would never have seen the Christ child in the manger below. If the apostles had focused only on higher things, they would have neglected to bring the deaf-mute and dead Lazarus to Jesus. And if Jesus Himself cared only for the things above, He would never have condescended to leave us His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

When we look upwards in our prayers, it is with knees or feet firmly on the ground. And so in our Gospel today Jesus does not say All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Stay, therefore, and worship me as well He might. No, His great commission is All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them and teach them. Easter is no free pass, its a procession, mission, sending forth into all the world, so we might bring that world back home to heaven. And as you do so, Jesus says, know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time!

This is the edited text of the homily by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP for the Mass of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Year A, livestreamed from St Marys Cathedral, Sydney, 24 May 2020.

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The Ascension: He has returned to heaven - and He is always with us - The Catholic Weekly

Jesus ascending to heaven by John Singleton Copley, 1775 (Public domain / Wikipedia)

Sunday, May 24, is the Ascension of the Lord (Boston; Hartford, Connecticut; New York; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia; and the state of Nebraskas dioceses celebrate Ascension Thursday three days earlier).Mass readings: Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47: 2-3, 6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20.

An old college friend recently asked me, in a semi-joking fashion, if I thought that the coronavirus pandemic was a sign of the end times. In the course of our conversation, he explained that there is quite an online community of Christian alarmists, according to whom the coronavirus qualifies as the first of four final plagues to be visited on the Earth. Later, as I reflected on this exchange, I thought of the unrest caused by the Mayan calendar several years ago, when some people predicted that the end of the world would coincide with its terminal date: Dec. 21, 2012. I also thought about the 1993 standoff in Waco, Texas, where a group of Branch Davidians, believing the apocalypse was immanent, clashed with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In short, it occurred to me that such prognostications about the end of the world are neither new nor rare.

Whatever else might be said of this impulse to predict the end of the world, it is certain that Our Lord has a ready response to it in todays first reading. When the disciples ask Jesus, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? he answers by saying that it is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established (Acts 1:6-7). It is reminiscent of that moment in the Gospel of Matthew when he admonishes his disciples to remain vigilant since they know neither the day nor the hour that the Lord will come (Matthew 25:13). Jesus emphasizes vigilance to his disciples to prepare them to embark on their mission in the world: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Rather than prognosticate about the time of the coming of the heavenly kingdom, they are to focus on their mission: to witness to Jesus Christ by preaching the word of truth and living it in their daily lives.

It is also clear from this exchange that the disciples are to focus on their mission specifically by awaiting the Holy Spirit. In fact, they can do nothing by their own power to complete their mission successfully; rather, they must rely on the power (dunamis) the Holy Spirit will give them. Further, the nature of this power will be immediately demonstrated in their works (Acts 2): They will be able to heal the sick, cast out demons, and speak the truth elegantly and forcefully to the nations in many tongues.

Although Christ promised his apostles that he would send them the Spirit, they still must have felt some uncertainty in the time between the Lords departure and their reception of the Holy Spirit, especially considering that they continued to be persecuted by the Jerusalem authorities. Yet, accompanying this uncertainty was an opportunity; in these uneasy days awaiting the Holy Spirit, they were able to contemplate all that had happened, thereby allowing the Resurrection appearances to sink in. The time of waiting in Jerusalem thus disposed the apostles to receive the Spirit with open minds and hearts.

In our liturgical celebration of these saving mysteries, we, like the apostles, observe the Easter season as a period of time that allows the significance of the resurrection of the Lord to sink in. Like the apostles, we are asked to open our minds and hearts to receive the Holy Spirit more deeply at Pentecost so that we can focus more intently on our mission of spreading the saving truth of the Gospel by our words and deeds. And if we focus on that with all our minds and hearts, neither the day nor the hour will matter.

Dominican Father Jordan Schmidtis an instructorin sacred

Scripture at the Pontifical Faculty of the

Immaculate Conception at theDominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.

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The Ascension and Awaiting the Advocate - National Catholic Register

Ascension "Sonia" Blawatsky, formerly of Havre, 92, passed away peacefully at the Livingston Hospital on May 12, 2020.

A funeral mass at St. Judes Catholic Church will be held at a later date.

Ascension Nieto-Hernandez was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1928 to Santiago Nieto and Ascension Hernandez, the oldest of four siblings.

After completing school, she worked in Madrid for the telephone company. Eventually, she met her future husband, Vladimir Blawatsky, who was a foreign exchange student in Spain. They both emigrated to Canada and were blessed with three children.

With an employment opportunity, Ascension and her family moved to Havre, Montana and had one more child. In Havre, Ascension worked for the former Sacred Heart Catholic Hospital and many years at the hot lunch program at St. Jude's school.

Her husband, parents and siblings Santiago Nieto and Josephina Garcia-Nieto preceded her in death.

She is survived by her sister Isabel Nieto-Villa, children, Sonia, Nicholas, Elizabeth and John, grand-children and great grandchildren.

Our mother had a heart of gold and she loved her husband, children and grandchildren fiercely. She flourished surviving war, immigration, cultures and languages. Our mother loved life and was very social. She loved old movies, being with her friends, gardening, knitting, crocheting and loved a party. She was a great cook and wrote down recipes on any available piece of paper. She was brave and proud, fun and honest. She missed her Vladimiro till her last day. May the heavens burn a little brighter for their reunion.

To share remembrances, visit http://www.Franzen-Davis.com .

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Obituary - Ascension 'Sonia' Blawatsky - The Havre Daily News

Last updated on May 26th, 2020 at 02:58 pm

Ascension Columbia St. Marys Hospital Milwaukee this week opened its new 36,000-square-foot labor and delivery unit.

The $16 million expansion project included 12 labor and delivery rooms with hydrotherapy tubs, 10 antepartum rooms, two recovery suites with private bathrooms, four triage rooms and updated surgical suites for multiple births and C-sections.

The unit, located on the second floor of the hospitals Womens Medical Center, has additional space for patient and family support and clinical education.

Our goal for this project was to continue Ascension Columbia St. Marys strong legacy of excellence in womens services by enhancing our physical environment to meet the needs of mothers and their growing families, said Kelly Elkins, president of Ascension Columbia St. Marys Hospital. We believe that this new unit and our dedicated care teams will deliver on that commitment by providing compassionate, personalized care that begins with expectant mothers and the birth of their children and continues throughout lifes journey.

Support for the project came from Ascension Columbia St. Marys Foundation. Ascension Wisconsin providers were involved with designing the new unit to integrate the latest clinical practice guidelines, the health system said. Patient focus groups also helped inform the plans.

It is the second phase of a larger project to update the Womens Medical Center at 2323 N. Lake Dr. In 2016, the health system completed a renovation of the post-partum unit of the Womens Medical Center.

In the future, Ascension plans expand the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and postpartum services.

Get more news and insight in the April 27 issue of BizTimes Milwaukee. Subscribe to get updates in your inbox here.

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See photos of the new Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital labor and delivery unit - BizTimes - Milwaukee Business News

In Christian spirituality, the Resurrection of Jesus is often linked to our ability to die to our sins and rise with Jesus in a new life of virtue. The sacrament of baptism is the most obvious example of how this symbolism is lived out, as the individual is immersed in water, dying to their sins, then rises from the font with a clean soul.

However, there is one more step that occurs after our resurrection in the spiritual life. We then need to ascend with Jesus in our daily choices.

Fr. William Graham, in the Pulpit Commentary on Catholic Teaching, explains how Jesus ascension correlates to our spiritual life.

[Jesus] was lifted up in His ascension and our hearts follow and are drawn to Him in the throne He occupies, at the right hand of His Father, in the heaven. He opened for us, and wherein He is always living to make intercession for us.

As the fruits of our thoughts on the twin mystery of the Resurrection and the Ascension we may glean a twofold lesson suggested in the words of St. Paul: If ye be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above (Coll. iii, I). We, too, must rise from the dead and ascend, or perish.

Graham goes on to describe how after rising from our sinful way of life, we need to then seek the things that are above, imitating Jesus ascension.

Let us take a lesson from the Ascension, and ever seek the things that are above. Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth (Coll. iii, 2). Christ rising again from the dead dieth now no more; death shall have no more dominion over him (Rom. vi., 9). The Ascension, as I said, is the completion of the Resurrection, so, too, the soul that rises from sin, that emerges from the unregenerate natural state to the supernatural,ascends,risesto a new sphere, a new plane of being. It is more than a mere elevation of thought, or feeling, it is a passing from death to life, and abiding therein. Grace, the principle of this inner change of life, is the seed of glory. A soul in grace, is really a soul that has ascended with Christ; hence the word heavenly-minded, so aptly applied to souls thus risen, and ascended with Christ.

He adds one more note on how this can impact our daily life.

[W]hile we make the great doctrines of the Resurrection and Ascension a light to the mind, let us not fail also to make them a guide to the heart. Let moral death, i. e., sin, never have dominion over us, let us ever in the way of life be risen with Christ, and in the realms of thought, of conversation, and of conduct, seek the things that are above.

Essentially what Graham is arguing is that Jesus ascension should point our entire being towards Heaven, and guide our every thought and deed. We should have Heaven as our goal and seek it, using whatever means is most fruitful.

Above all, it is a shift in mindset, no longer focusing on our own selfish desires, but looking towards Heaven and conducting ourselves as citizens of that blessed place. Once we do that, we will experience a profound change in our lives that will effect everything we say or do.

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How the Ascension of Jesus can inform our daily life - Aleteia IT

By Fr. Mike ParaniukSt. Mary Catholic ChurchHillsboro

Note: The following is based on Matthew 28:16-20.

On New Years Day during the Tournament of Roses Parade, people were in awe of a beautiful float filled with all types of bright colored tropical flowers. As the float lumbered down the street, the engine suddenly sputtered and quit. The whole parade was held up while mechanics rushed into assess the problem.

Finally, one of them yelled out to the sponsor of the float, We need a can of gas. And who was the sponsor of this float? The Standard Oil & Gas Company! This float, representing one of the biggest gasoline producers in the world, was out of gas.

Sometimes thats what happens to followers of Jesus. All Gods power is available to you, but you doubt. Your faith becomes weak. It sputters and quits like an engine with no gas.

What are the symptoms of a weak faith? You doubt Gods goodness. You question Gods forgiveness. Youre afraid or worried. Youre disappointed and hurt. You dont feel His presence.

This pandemic is a real test of our faith. So how do you strengthen your faith in Jesus?

You must take your doubts to Jesus in prayer. Remember the story of the father agonizing over his possessed son. The evil spirit would convulse him, throw him into fire and water to kill him.

The father begged Jesus to help his son. Jesus told the father, Everything is possible for one who believes. (Mark 9:23) Immediately the boys father exclaimed, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! (Mark 9:24) Jesus later explained to the disciples why they could not drive out this spirit. Jesus replied, This kind can come out only by prayer. (Mark 9:29). Ask Jesus daily to send down the Holy Spirit upon you with the power of faith. Keep on asking. Matthew 7:7 says, Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for..

The last words of Jesus before he ascended to Heaven was a command Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations. I have found the best way to bring someone to believe in Jesus is by the witness of your own faith. The witness of faith is more contagious than any virus. You dont have to do anything extraordinary. Faithfully following Jesus in ordinary daily living is all you need. I offer a witness of how faith can spread.

For 27 years, I walked the halls of Cincinnati Childrens Hospital. I prayed daily over sick children. Every day saw me visiting 60 to 80 children in their rooms, asking Jesus to heal them. I was especially moved when I prayed over babies in their medical incubators. I felt their guardian angels watching over them.

I befriended many nurses. One day, a nurse asked me, Father Mike, how can you keep faith in a good God when you see such suffering.

I replied, By the grace of God I keep believing.

She didnt belong to any religious community. She admitted her relationship with Jesus was something she didnt think about. Yet, she liked to see my faith in action when I prayed over her babies.

She remarked to me one day, You really believe in what youre praying for.

I replied, Yes I do. I believe in a good God who looks upon these babies with love.

One day that nurse said to me, I have a surprise for you. Cant tell you yet but youll find out.

I asked her for months, What is it?

She would keep saying, Youll find out.

The day of discovery finally arrived. I was celebrating Mass at the hospital chapel. My nurse friend sat in the back pew. She never attended my service before. I was pleasantly surprised yet puzzled to see her there. I gave out Holy Communion. The last person in line stepped forward. I saw before me my nurse friend with hands outstretched to receive the Communion.

She whispered to me, Surprise. I joined the Catholic Church over Easter.

How elated I was when I congratulated her after Mass.

I asked, What moved you to join the church?

She replied, Just watching you live your faith every day. Your faith brought hope to the suffering. I wanted what you have.

The ordinary daily witness of your faith is the most powerful way to make disciples for Jesus. I always end Mass with the command, The Mass is ended. Go in Peace. Announce the Gospel by your life.

(After her conversion to Jesus, the nurse fell in love and got married. She asked me to bless her womb with children. She conceived quickly and gave birth to twins. She told me, Your blessing worked, but be sure to tone it down a bit.)

When God blesses you, you know you're blessed!

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Sermon for the ascension of Jesus - The Highland County Press

The Ascension weekend has been extremely calm on the Belgian Coast despite the relaxation of stay-at-home rules.

With the mixed weather and strong wind, holidaymakers have not flocked to the beaches or shopping streets of seaside resorts, and social-distancing enforcers have had little work. We are satisfied, was the word from many police zones.

The Coast has thus not seen any major influx even though stores have been able to reopen, owners of secondary homes were authorised to return, and police were no longer really tracking non-essential travel.

Its always a bit busier on a long weekend, but we are satisfied, said Ine Deburchgraeve of the Westkust police zone. There have been a few incidents at most. We also noticed that a few people crossed the border to buy tobacco products although they know its prohibited.

A small group of young people from Mons also came to the Coast to have fries and take a walk. Our officers were also insulted by two youths at a tram stop because they felt they didnt have to wear masks in the tram.

The situation was also calm in Blankenberge, where a few Walloon day tourists were, however, sent back after coming off the train on Thursday. The strong wind there did not encourage walks on the seawall or in the shopping streets.

There were identical reports from the police in Ostend and Damme/Knokke-Heist: very calm, few people and only a few tickets issued.

The Brussels Times

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Calm Ascension weekend on the Belgian Coast - The Brussels Times

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (PRESS RELEASE) - Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart has discontinued testing for the coronavirus in Panama City due to low demand for its drive-thru testing service.

Ascension Medical Group began to offer COVID-19 swab testing on April 21 at Tommy Oliver Stadium to supplement other testing efforts in the community. In four weeks, the AMG team tested 234 people. Only two people tested positive for the virus.

"The turnout was fairly low and now there are several other organizations providing the testing," said Justin Labrato, chief operating officer of Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart. "The good news is that our testing suggests the prevalence of COVID-19 in Bay County appears to be very low. Just 1% of those we tested were found to have the virus whereas statewide in Florida, about 7% of people tested to date were confirmed to have COVID-19."

If there is a spike in cases in Bay County or other areas of Northwest Florida, Ascension Sacred Heart can quickly ramp up its mobile unit to provide testing where it's needed most.

According to the latest report from the Florida Department of Health, there have been 86 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Bay County residents, and 13 people had to be admitted to a hospital.

There are four other sites performing nasal swabs in Bay County, including two that require no out-of-pocket costs. Patients with symptoms may call the Department of Health in Bay County at (850) 872-4455. Also, PanCare is providing testing to persons with or without symptoms. PanCare can be contacted at (850) 215-4181.

"We urge county residents to continue to take measures to stay safe and prevent the virus from spreading," Labrato said. "That means washing hands frequently, and if you are around other people, wear a mask and avoid hugs, handshakes, large gatherings and close quarters."

Even though area hospitals are caring for patients with COVID-19, physicians and hospital leaders want to reassure the public that individuals who need emergency care should not delay treatment. Ascension Sacred Heart hospitals and emergency rooms are well prepared to safely care for people with symptoms of heart attack, stroke, and other serious conditions.

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Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart pauses drive-thru testing in Panama City because of low demand - WJHG-TV

Editor's note:NCR is sharing with our readers a nine-day Novena for Pentecost resource created by board member and composer Dan Schutte. Schutte writes, "if there's ever a moment when we all could use the light and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, it's now. While we wait till we can be together again for Sunday worship, this is a way we can join our hearts in prayer." The entire Novena for Pentecost can be found here.

Feast of the Ascension

As the Risen Christ prepared to leave his work in the hands of his followers, he instructed them to gather in the upper room and devote themselves to prayer as they awaited his sending of the Holy Spirit. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost is often considered to be the first novena.

Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church, the day when that first community of believers was baptized with the Holy Spirit and sent out to tell the world about the Risen Christ. The storm of the present pandemic is inviting all of us, whether we like it or not, to rethink how we live in this world. It's also beckoning us to reimagine ourselves as church, as that community of baptized believers who are sent to recreate the world.

And so, let us join those first disciples in these nine days of prayer, a way for us to be together even while we are separated by space, to ask God to make us ready to receive the Spirit and follow unafraid where that Holy Breath of God might take us.

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Novena for Pentecost: Feast of the Ascension - National Catholic Reporter

GONZALES Two principals behind Bernhard Capital Partners' plans to build a regional sewer system in Ascension Parish say they're going forward with or without parish government.

But, they sure would like the parish to come along with them in the Ascension Sewer LLC consortium, now or in the future.

"We're gonna build a system. Ascension Sewer," Jeff Baudier, managing director of Bernhard Capital, told the Parish Council utilities panel recently. "We've got, you know, 17,000 customers and growing. We plan on building the premier environmental water company in the state of Louisiana and beyond and we're gonna start in Ascension Parish."

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"We would like the parish's 2,000 customers," he added later, "to be a part of it."

Baudier and Tom Pertuit, another partner in the Ascension Sewer LLC consortium, delivered their two-sided message earlier this week, making for an interesting roundin an ongoing game of poker over the future of municipal sewer service in the parish.

A little more than a week earlier, Parish President Clint Cointment had laid out his own 10-year, $100 million plan to build a regional system without Bernard Capital or the consortium's involvement, saying it was the private sewer group's turn to propose something better.

Cointment's proposal came as a separate parish committee of council and administration officials some of whom sit on the Utilities Committee have been meeting in secret to negotiate with Bernhard and Ascension Sewer. They want a public-private partnership to build the same type of regional system that Cointment has proposed doing solely through the parish.

Last year, Bernhard proposed a $215 million plan to bring together its 17,000 customers and parish government's 2,000 customers. The 30-year deal would cost ratepayers $57.90 per month to start but locks in escalation of rates for the first 10 years, ending at more than $82.41 per month.

Cointment's plan, a high-level proposal that lacks some of the deeper engineering and financial data built into the Bernhard plan,proposes monthly fees of $45 to $55 per month over the 10-year period and banks on significant grant funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

His plan would also start an inspection program at $11 per month for individual home treatment systems.

Both plans aim for regional plants that discharge into the Mississippi River and so remove wastewater from local waterways. State and federal regulators have tightened water quality rules in those local rivers and bayous due to the ecological damage that years of poor treatment have created.

At the end of last year, the former administration and council came close to approving a deal with Bernhard until Cointment and some newly elected council members asked for the vote to be handed off to the new parish leaders taking office in January amid objections over aspects of that plan.

The parish negotiating panel met over Zoom on April 30, and parish and Bernhard officials said the consortium was asked to deliver an update of its plan for the parish and estimates of what it would cost the parish to operate sewer on its own.

In a public meeting on Tuesday, Baudier told the council Utilities Committee that consortium officials were preparing to make those submissions when officials learned about Cointment's plan in the media and felt they needed more engineering and financial data related to his plan.

"To be honest, we can't respond to that presentation. It's not an analysis. It's not a plan. It's a summary with some conclusory statements about a plan," he said.

But Cointment said that his administration would not provide that information to Bernhard while the parish was negotiating privately with the consortium.

To do so would require parish staff to generate the information being sought, Cointment added, because it doesn't exist yet.

"If we're gonna negotiate and continue to do negotiations in executive session, what's public and what's not? And that's a good question to ask as we continue these negotiations. Should we be doing these negotiations out in public or should we be doing them in executive session," he asked. "And do we have to do extra work so they can provide a proposal, at taxpayer expense?"

Some council members asked whether a public records request could be filed for the information, which would require a parish response within 72 hours. Under the law, however, that response can be only that the government doesn't have the records requested or that the parish is for some reason legally barred from providing them.

Council Chair Teri Casso questioned if the parish was obligated to provide the information under an agreement the council signed last year to exclusively negotiate with the consortium.

David Fleshman, one of the attorneys representing the parish in the deal, told her that the agreement does obligate the parish to exchange information with the consortium and the parish has done that.

"I don't think it extends to anything they request, whether it's related or not," Fleshman said.

Some council members have said they want to be able to compare Ascension Sewer's and Cointment's plans. Councilman Aaron Lawler argued that at some point the administration should have what Bernhard wants if the administration does go forward with its plan.

"The other part of this, to me, is I think we get the best deal if there's competition," he said.

Under prior administrations, the parish's lack of customers has been seen as a major stumbling block to financing an entirely parish-owned system due to the upfront cash for a new regional plant and related land and piping. A tax revenue subsidy, higher user fees or both were seen as likely necessities without outside capital.

The parish already subsidizes its current customers, who pay $42.50 per month, with local tax revenue.

Baudier told the council that if the subsidy for the parish's current capital costs and operational expenses since 2014 had been paid strictly through user fees, parish ratepayers would have paid $158 per month. That works out to about $2.8 million in annual subsidy.

He said Ascension Sewer had factored in those costs but he can't tell, based on what the parish has publicized, if the administration has done the same.

The Utilities Committee directed the administration to turn over what information it had. The negotiating panel is expected to meet again soon in closed session to hear from the consortium.

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Ascension Sewer to parish council: We want to include you in sewer plan, but will go without you - The Advocate