Saint Raymond Catholic Church and Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church came together after Hurricane Katrina damaged the St. Raymond structure. The combined church was founded on 12 July 2008.
The church has a very active choral music program. There is the Young Adult Choir, the Women’s Choir, the Men’s Choir and the Mixed Choir. The video features most of the Mixed Choir. You will see a photo of the Young Adult Choir in the video, and a very brief clip of the Men’s Choir as well. When the choirs sing together to praise the Lord, they are known as the, “Voices of Greatness.”
The pastor is Reverend Father Anthony M. Bozeman, SSJ (St. Joseph’s Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). He is assisted by Reverend Deacons R. Clifford Shelton and Troy A. Smith.
St. Raymond-St. Leo Catholic Church is located at 2916 Paris Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.
The song, “My Soul Has Been Anchored in the Lord,” was composed by Douglas Lee Miller in 1985, and released on the gospel album entitled, “Unspeakable Joy,” that same year. Mr. Miller is a graduate of The University of Akron. The lyrics as written are as follows:
Though the storms keep on raging in my life
And sometimes it's hard to tell the night from day
Still that hope that lies within is reassured
As I keep my eyes upon the distant shore
I know He'll lead me safely to
That blessed place He has prepared
But if the storms don't cease
And if the winds keep on blowing in my life
My soul has been anchored in the Lord
I realize that sometimes in this life
We're gonna be tossed by the waves
And the currents that seem so fierce
One thing I like
But in the word of God I've got an anchor, hallelujah
And it keeps me steadfast and unmovable
Despite the tide
But if, if the storms just don't cease
And just in case the wind keeps on blowing
Blowing in my life
My soul's been anchored in the Lord
Though the billiards may roll | The breakers may dash
But I shall not sway because | He hold me fast
So dark the day | Clouds in the sky
I know it's alright | Because Jesus is nigh
And my soul is anchored in the Lord
You crush me down but Jesus picks me up
He sticks right by me when the going gets tough
And my soul has been anchored in the Lord
I shall not sway 'cause he holds me | Through sickness and pain
Sunshine and the rain | My soul has been anchored in the Lord
“I Almost Let Go,” was composed by Kurt Carr in 2007 and published that same year. The lyrics are as follows:
I almost let go | I felt like I couldn't take life anymore
My problems had me bound | Depression weighed me down
But God held me close | So I wouldn't let go
God's mercy kept me | So I wouldn't let go
I almost gave up | I was right at the edge of a breakthrough
But I couldn't see it | The devil really had me
But Jesus came and grab me
And He held me close, so I wouldn't let go
God's mercy kept me so I wouldn't let go
So I'm here today because God kept me
I'm alive today only because of His grace | Oh, He kept me, God kept me
