Parish Update – Friday, May 28

Happy rainy Friday, everyone! Seems like I’ve been saying that a lot recently. Here’s hoping it dries out soon as we head into Memorial Day and the final weekend of May, a month dedicated to Our Lady. As the calendar falls this year, the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary falls on Monday, May 31, which, of course, is a day of remembrance for all who have sacrificed their life in service to our country. Perhaps we could pray the Rosary that day as we hold them in our hearts.

In addition to Memorial Day weekend, it’s also Trinity Sunday. Having culminated the great season of Easter with the Feast of Pentecost last Sunday, the Church now turns her attention to Ordinary Time, weeks so named not because of their “ordinariness” but because they are numbered. We are beginning the 9th week of Ordinary Time, and we’ll continue in Ordinary Time all the way to the end of November and Advent. … The first two Sundays following Pentecost are given special recognition with this Sunday being the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Next week is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi Sunday.

When we talk about the Trinity we don’t just celebrate a rule or teaching of the Church, but rather the very mystery of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is a belief that there is one God, yet three persons. How can that be? Three doesn’t equal one. Don’t think of “persons” as we normally do, i.e., I’m a “person,” you are a “person,” my next door neighbor is a “person.” In God, the three persons are one being with a single, divine nature. The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action and will. It is one of the most complex theological doctrines of the Church and not easily explained or understood. … But think of it this way: The Trinity is not a math problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived. We are invited into the love that flows in and between the persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To be caught up in that active, dynamic Trinitarian love is our great hope and destiny.

With the spirit of the mystery of the Trinity alive in our hearts, let’s look at what is happening this coming week:

• We invite you to please join us for Mass this weekend, 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. … 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. ... This weekend we'll have a special blessing for all graduates from both high school and college at every Mass. If you've got a graduate living under your roof (or returning to live under your roof!) invite them to join us for the blessing. We congratulate all who have reached that great milestone in their academic career. Job well done!

• As mentioned last week, Cardinal DiNardo issued updated health and safety protocols for parishes in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and I thank everyone for your understanding and cooperation as we returned to some old practices and revised some of our current policies and procedures. It was great to see so many people make their way back to Mass, and to see many of your faces was a nice bonus, too. From all indications we seemed to have adapted pretty quickly to the optional mask policy. … As mentioned, Cardinal DiNardo recommends that those who have not been vaccinated to please wear them out of charity for others, while others choose to do so for their own comfort and peace of mind. That’s wonderful and we want to continue that openness for all. We’ll further refine and revise our in-house procedures, but I think we are off to a good start. Thank you again for your patience and charity of spirit to one and all. 

• I remind you as well that we have resumed using the confessionals in the church for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday from 9-10 a.m. We had been using classrooms in the chapel during the pandemic, but now we invite you to enter through the main church front doors on the plaza. You are still welcome to email us (priests@ctrcc.com) to schedule a time during the week if you prefer. … We will hear confessions tomorrow, but not the following Saturday, June 5, due to the priesthood ordinations.

 • I’m happy to report that our virtual Spring Festival netted roughly $82,000 this year, double the amount from last year. My sincere thanks to all the individuals and families, along with our generous sponsors, who helped support it by purchasing a meal, t-shirt, wine pull, or especially the online auction. It was a great success, and though it pales in comparison to what a “normal” Spring Festival would raise, to simply be able to hold it in some fashion was a triumph in and of itself. The funds that it raised are wonderful and much needed, but really what makes me burst with pride is how we were able to join together and offer something for the good of the community. Thank you one and all!

My thanks as always to our Festival Core Committee, led by Mike and Camille Havelka, and a special shout-out to Sylvia Baker and Ashley Bass in our office for their work on the auction. The online platform we used worked very well and we got a lot of good feedback on it. Our cook teams, too, deserve special recognition for their efforts each of the three days. I know Fr. Vincent and I both ate well that weekend, and I know anyone who bought a meal any (or all!) of the nights did, too. We completely sold out of just about everything so there was very little waste or overage. We are already looking forward to next year and our 37th annual Spring Festival on April 30-May 1, 2022.

• We invite you to join us for a study on Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, “On Fraternity and Social Friendship (Fratelli Tutti)” beginning this week. We’ve got two options, either on Wednesdays, starting June 2 from 7-9 p.m., or on Thursdays, starting June 3, from 10-11:30 a.m. Both 8-week sessions will be held in person in Room 208 of the Parish Office. … In a time where it can seem like division is easier than dialogue, Pope Francis encourages us to reach out to those around us and reflect God’s mercy to them. It’s a beautifully written document that will spur both your heart and mind, so join us in this deep dive into God’s call to accompaniment. … Reading such writings from the Pope can, at first glance, seem a bit intimidating. What does it really mean? How does this apply to my life? Is this going to take up a lot of my time? But perhaps the important question we can ask is, “Will this help me grow in holiness?” My answer to that would be a resounding yes! I invite you to participate in this opportunity to go deeper into a lived experience of what it means to be an authentic disciple. … I often hear from parishioners, “We want to understand the foundations of our faith better.” Amen to that, I say. “What do you have to help me do so?” And to that I say here’s a great place to start with the latest encyclical (teaching) of the Holy Father. To learn more about this opportunity and to sign up to join us, see www.ctrcc.com/discussions.

• Looking ahead to next weekend, remember that it will be the first weekend of the month and that’s a time when we aim to stock the Cypress Assistance Ministry Food Pantry. With summer approaching there is a need for breakfast cereals and staples such as peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, and canned foods. Drop off donations in the baskets in the narthex at any time and we’ll make sure they get to CAM and in the hands of those who need it. Thank you for your support of this vital ministry in our community. … Speaking of CAM, they are making great progress on their new building on Cypress N. Houston and if construction progresses at this same rate through the summer they should be ready to move in around Labor Day. That will be a real blessing for our community and greatly enhance CAM’s mission to serve those most in need. … Also next Sunday, June 6 is our annual summer Blood Drive. You can sign up in advance to reserve a specific time slot at www.ctrcc.com/events/blooddrive, or walk-ins are welcome, too.

• Our parish offices and school are closed Monday, May 31, for Memorial Day. Please join us in remembering all those who died while serving in the military for our great country. As mentioned above, consider praying the rosary, or at least a decade of it, in gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice they have given to the cause of peace. Our offices reopen on Tuesday, June 1 at 9 a.m.

Our Lady of the Visitation, pray for us!

Peace, Fr. Sean