Staff Members

Reverend Bryan Howard, Pastor

I was born on November 14, 1983, at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and raised in Metairie, where I attended St. Clement of Rome Church. It was at St. Clement that I first felt an attraction to the priesthood based on a love for the Holy Mass and a desire to teach people about God's love for us and how we can better love God in our lives. After I graduated from Grace King High School in 2003, I enter St. Joseph Seminary College (affectionately known as St. Ben's), which is located at St. Joseph Abbey in Covington. After graduating I attended Notre Dame Seminary on Carrollton Ave. My diaconate internship was at St. Ann Church and Shrine. I was ordained a priest on June 4, 2011. My first assignment was at Visitation of Our Lady Church in Marrero for 2 years. Then I went to Divine Mercy Church in Kenner for 3 years. Finally, I've had one year as Associate Pastor at St. Peter Church in Covington.

I greatly look forward to coming to Our Lady of Lourdes for my first assignment as pastor. I'm keeping all of you in my prayers and hope that you will pray for me as well, that we may all journey together in the Lord, grow in faith, hope, and love, and be more and more united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as one community in Christ.

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Reverend Charles Caluda, Retired

Here's a bit of my history - a St. Bernard bit. After some time in E. Plaquemines my family settled into Lourdes Parish in St. Bernard in 1946. After High School I spent six years at LSU, majoring in Music. The real big change came with my contact with the Newman Center, students and Fathers Tracey and Borders at LSU. Seven years in the Seminary was followed by Ordination, June 2,1962, and First Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, June 3, 1962. Fr. Schneider assisted and Fr. Roy gave the sermon, with a little joking about my singing. Assignments led me in different directions across the Archdiocese until I came to rest at St. Hubert Church as pastor, almost forty years. But I also had an assignment at St. Louise de Merillac in Arabi as pastor. When retirement time came I naturally planned to settle permanently in St. Bernard. Surprised? Then the Big Storm came bearing down on my house in Chalmette. But it took more than that! After a year I was back at Our Lady of Prompt Succor for three and a half years, then to my present home on Bayou Road. It begins to look like gravity! My memories are with the old church, which has seen its day. It's a pleasure to celebrate again at the new church for the folks at Our Lady of Lourdes, and other churches in the Deanery. SEE YOU AROUND!

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Craig Taffaro, Deacon

Craig P. Taffaro Jr. of Meraux has been married to his wife Debbie for 32 years. They have nine children – Meghan, Craig, Emma, Grace, Paolo, Mollie, Luca, Antonio and Rocco –  and three grandchildren. Craig attended Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, completed his undergraduate degree at University of Southwestern Louisiana and completed his graduate studies at the University of Southern Mississippi in counseling psychology. Craig was ordained as a deacon on June 23rd. 2018

“What has been most revealing to me in my formation is that God has not called me to be successful on my terms but to succeed in his terms,” Taffaro said.

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Georganna Alphonso, Parish Secretary

Terri Dunn, Parish Receptionist

Debbie Taffaro, Director of Religious Education