Dear Epiphany Parishioners,
In this season of giving, I wanted to take this occasion to thank all of you for your prayers and support of Epiphany of the Lord during these past long months as our community and the world underwent an unprecedented affliction that has affected all of us, whether in our circle of family and friends, in the way of our financial livelihood, or in the manner we are raising our children. Our reliance and trust on our Blessed Lord and Savior has taken on a new dimension in our heart and in our faith.
As we prepare to receive Christ Jesus in a new way this Christmas, please be assured that the Epiphany community will be at the heart of my prayers in the Lord. If you have not received the schedule of Christmas Masses, they are posted on our parish website. It is encouraging to witness the increased attendance at Mass, while still maintaining all of the safety guidelines we have been faithfully observing as we await the general availability of a COVID-19 vaccination in the coming months.
Your support during this pandemic has been tremendous! With the focus on safety, many of our ministries have been compelled to operate remotely, thus using technology to connect with the participants, which includes our Masses. The online giving and your contribution in the collection boxes and in the mail have supported our ministries and the parish. We could not have continued these ministries during the pandemic without you!
In this remaining time we have of Advent, we prayerfully encourage your contribution to our parish’s DSF goal; which so far, we have received $296,557 of our $398,000 goal. This impressive amount has been achieved in the midst of this pandemic year and with only 582 families in our parish. You can still contribute to DSF, which supports the many ministries that tend to the poor and less fortunate in our Archdiocese. Your DSF gift can be made by picking up a DSF envelope in the church or by giving online at this link to our parish website:
https://epiphanycatholic.org/dsf. The deadline for DSF giving happens to be our parish feast day, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, which falls on January 3, 2021 this year. Thank you for contributing to the Church's mission to the poor and the sometimes-forgotten people in need in the greater Houston area.
I would also like to acknowledge the generous payments some of you have already made to our parish capital campaign during the pandemic; which, as we previously mentioned, has been put on pause at this time and the redemption period not set to begin until the Spring of next year. We look forward to resuming our Celebrating Our Faith As Children of God capital campaign in conjunction with the Diocesan IGNITE campaign when the current health situation returns to a more significant sense of normalcy. The capital campaign will help our parish and our school continue to meet the needs as a Church to the community here in Katy.
Thank you for your end-of-the-year giving to the Catholic Church! The spirit of giving is alive in the parish named after Jesus' blessing on the occasion of the gifts of the Magi, the original Christmas gift-bearers. I look forward to celebrating the liturgies of the Christmas Octave with you and yours as we pray for God's blessing and peace to descend upon God's holy people here at Epiphany.
Devotedly yours in Christ,
Rev. Tom Lam
Pastor