Parish Update – Friday, Jan. 22

Happy Friday, to you and yours! I pray that you all are well on this swampy January day. We’ve been experiencing some real “soup-y” weather this week, haven’t we? I can’t recall seeing the sun even for a few minutes the last several days. Maybe it’s better called “sort of” weather – it’s sort of raining, but sort of not. And it’s sort of not cold, but also sort of not warm. I for one hope we have experienced our annual four days of winter and that the warmth of the sunshine will soon shine upon us once again. 

With the weather not making up its mind, it reminds me that sometimes the best approach is the most direct approach. St. Mark, from whom we will hear on the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time this weekend, certainly believed in that philosophy. He doesn’t beat around the bush in Chapter 1 when he quotes Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Period.

What more is there to say than that? Anything else is just window dressing. Repent and believe in the gospel is the mandate of the Lord long ago and it still applies today. We’ll hear those words on Ash Wednesday in a few weeks when Lent begins but there is nothing stopping us from putting it into action today. Let’s take a cue from St. Mark and get to work on it sooner rather than later. Let’s be a light for others to brighten an otherwise dreary day.

Here’s a look at some news and notes around CtR this week:

• We invite you to please join us for Mass either in person or via our livestream on Sunday at 9 a.m. on both our Facebook and YouTube pages. You can find the link to the livestream at www.ctrcc.com/live-stream, and in addition, you’ll find there both a worship aid and a link to the Scripture readings to follow along with Mass. And you can make your weekly offertory contribution online at www.ctrcc.com/donate. Thanks to everyone for your continued support of the parish in these days. … If you’d like to join us in person for Mass, we welcome you on Saturday at 5 p.m., or Sunday at 7, 9, and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

Let me again remind you to be mindful of the spike of Covid cases we are experiencing in our city. We’ve received a number of reports this week of parishioners who have tested positive, from very young children to our seniors. Please be mindful if you have had extended exposure to those who are among them, or if you are experiencing symptoms, and if so, we ask you to stay home and join us via the livestream. For those who do join us, we of course ask you to please wear your mask, keep social distance, and sanitize/wash your hands. To quote Sgt. Esterhaus from “Hill Street Blues” (I used to love that show back in the ’80s), “Let’s be careful out there!”

• Today, January 22, is designated as a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children as we mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal throughout the U.S. Since that tragic decision, more than 60 million children’s lives have been lost to abortion, and many suffer that lost – often in silence. I ask you to take a few moments at some point during the day and say a prayer for those lives that have been lost, and also for a change of hearts that we may see a turn from disregard for human life and take up instead a greater respect for all of God’s children, especially those in the womb. … It’s also not too late to join in a national novena for “9 Day for Life” that began yesterday and continues until next Friday. There are resources for prayer in both English and Spanish at www.respectlife.org.

• Every year the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston provides an opportunity for adults who may have missed the Sacrament of Confirmation in their high school years to get caught up. We recently had seven parishioners from CtR confirmed by Cardinal DiNardo and we are preparing another group to receive the sacrament in the spring during the Easter season. … It’s not uncommon for a baptized Catholic to lack the Sacrament of Confirmation into adulthood – perhaps the family moved, or stopped attending church, or any number of reasons. But as Confirmation is the reception of the fullness of the Spirit of God, it’s an important moment in one’s spiritual journey, and I highly encourage anyone who is in need of receiving it to join us for a time of preparation so as to be ready to be confirmed in Easter. We’ll begin our formation sessions on February 7. Again, this is for adults aged 20 and up who have been baptized and received Holy Communion and who lack only Confirmation. For more information and to register, contact our Director of Adult Discipleship, Camilla MacKenzie in our parish office or visit www.ctrcc.com/confirmation. 

• Our Divorce and Separated Ministry is presenting a new healing program called, “Surviving Divorce: Hope and Healing for the Catholic Family.” It will be held virtually for 12 weeks beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The series aims to help participants work through the emotional upheaval of separation and divorce, find personal healing and hope, and discover a deeper understanding of God’s love. For more information and to register to participate, visit www.ctrcc.com/divorced-and-separated-ministry. … I’m grateful to Lynn Gondesen and the others on our D&S Ministry team. Over the years they have helped countless brothers and sisters in Christ through difficult times. If you or someone you know is going through such a time in their life, please help us spread the word about this new series. 

• If you read the bulletin this week you’ll see information about the three men from CtR who are to be ordained deacons next Saturday, Jan. 31. Unfortunately, that information is now out-of-date. We got word late yesterday that the ordination has been postponed due to one of the candidates (not one of our three) testing positive for the Coronavirus. … Cardinal DiNardo made the decision to postpone the ordination (actually two of them, one Friday and one Saturday) out of an abundance of caution because all 23 candidates were on retreat together last weekend. Even though they wore masks and were careful about sanitizing, the Cardinal doesn’t want to risk it, and though disappointed in the delay, the men certainly understand. We’re awaiting word on when the ordination might take place, and as soon as we know, we’ll pass along the information. In the meantime, please keep David Carrasco, Mike Jones, and Dan Ruvalcaba in your prayers. A patient heart the Lord will reward!

• Speaking of the bulletin, this Sunday will mark our final bulletin to be printed by Diocesan Publications. We’re grateful for the service they have given us the past several years, but beginning next week our bulletin will be printed by Liturgical Publications, Inc., or as it is more commonly called, LPi, a long-time company serving churches throughout the U.S. … You’ll see a new design for the bulletin next week, but all of the usual features you’ve come to expect will still be here along with many more in a cleaner and easier to read format. The bulletin will continue to grow in size when more of our ministries return to actively meeting again and serve as a place where you can find all the information about CtR.

One change that will impact a few of you is that those who have subscribed to have the bulletin delivered to them electronically (did you know you can request that?) will need to re-subscribe. There are two different providers of the election version and unfortunately they won’t let us transfer email addresses between the two services. So if you would like an electronic version delivered weekly to your email, visit www.ctrcc.com/bulletin and follow the link there. It’s quick and easy.

St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the great – if not greatest – theologians in the history of the Church, whose feast day is next Thursday, pray for us!
 
 Peace, Fr. Sean