Parish Update – Friday, Dec. 3

Happy first Friday of the month, friends! I pray this holy season of Advent, which began last Sunday, finds you well and waiting joyfully for the coming of Christ. When we speak of “the coming of Christ” in Advent, remember that there is a two-fold meaning to that expression. We wait to celebrate his coming on Christmas morning, yes, but we are also called to look with expectant hearts to the second coming of Christ in glory at the end of times. Are we putting as much preparation in our lives for the latter coming as we are the former?

If we need assistance in that regard, this Second Sunday of Advent gives us a most helpful visitor – John the Baptist. He comes seemingly out of nowhere to prepare the way of the Lord, and while he was by all accounts a bit eccentric, his message is as timely today as it was some 2,000 years ago. Let us heed his message to repent, and as we go about busily preparing our Christmas lists and making plans for the holidays, let us likewise prepare our hearts to welcome the coming of the King of Kings.

Here’s what is happening around CtR this 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.

• We’ve added extra times to our schedule the next couple of weeks for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) in Advent. We’re available on Wednesday evenings beginning at 5 p.m. until the start of Mass at 7 p.m., on Saturdays from 9-11 a.m., and anytime by appointment by emailing priests@ctrcc.com. We won’t have a parish-wide Reconciliation service this year (we’ll try to do so during Lent, but it is getting harder to secure a sufficient number of priests to assist us), so please don’t delay. God’s mercy awaits you!

• Next Wednesday is a Holy Day as we honor the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We’ll celebrate a vigil Mass on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m., and on Wednesday, Dec. 8, masses will be at 9 a.m. (livestreamed) and 7 p.m. The CtR School students will have a separate Mass in the afternoon, so there is plenty of room for everyone at the morning Mass. It is under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception that the United States has been dedicated as well as our Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. While the Blessed Virgin Mary has many titles and days dedicated to her, the Immaculate Conception is supreme.

• Now, let’s look ahead to not this Sunday, but the following one. Sunday, Dec. 12, is always the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but because it falls on a Sunday this year, the 3rd Sunday of Advent will take precedence. So while we can’t have a specific Mass for her, we definitely can celebrate her with a Prayer Service on Saturday, Dec. 11 beginning at 10 p.m. – yes, late into the night so that we can greet the new day by singing her praises. It will be bilingual in both English and Spanish, and include all the readings, hymns, and songs that we are accustomed to using to honor Our Lady. A simple fiesta will follow as we conclude the night/morning. ... Her feast day is always a special day in all Catholic parishes, but especially for those of us in Texas and the southwest. Our Lady of Guadalupe is Patroness of the Americas (as declared by Pope Pius XII in 1946) and holds a special place in the hearts of all people of faith. I’m grateful for our team of dedicated parishioners who have helped plan this prayer service, and I know it will be a special celebration for our community. All are invited to join us in late night prayer as we honor her. ¡Viva Our Lady of Guadalupe!

• As mentioned last week we are once again assisting our twinned parish of Our Mother of Mercy Church by collecting Christmas toys for the children of that community. Many of the larger parishes of the archdiocese have a “twin” and it is encouraged that the two work together on a variety of projects. We’ve collaborated on the Christmas gift giving project for several years now and it is always a great success. CtR parishioners are generous in giving and our brothers and sisters in Christ at OMOM are truly grateful.

OMOM was founded in Houston’s Fifth Ward in 1930 and is one of the great historical African-American parishes in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. It is quite small in number, but they are large in spirit. It serves not only as a spiritual home, but also a community advocate in the Fifth Ward and is a place of refuge for many who are trying to make it through these difficult times. Each year OMOM tries to offer each child a Christmas present from the larger community. For many it might be the only present they will receive. … We invite you to bring an unwrapped Christmas gift and drop it off in the narthex next week or, better yet, use our convenient Amazon Wish List found at www.ctrcc.com/toydrive and have it sent directly to the office. The gift need not be elaborate or extreme, but simply from the heart.

• Closer to home we are also again collecting gift cards to be distributed through Cypress Assistance Ministries (CAM). Drop off a gift card to a local merchant (Wal-Mart, Target, and HEB gift cards seem to be the most popular as they can be used for a variety of items) in the narthex at church or in the office over the next week and we’ll distribute them through CAM. It’s a great way to help out those in need in our community and be part of the Christmas spirit.

• Remember our Christmas liturgical schedule for this year: On Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec. 24 masses will be at 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., and 12 a.m. Midnight. On Christmas Day, Saturday, Dec. 25, masses will be at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. (bilingual). Both the Midnight Mass and the 9 a.m. Mass will be livestreamed. … Note that there is no Saturday evening vigil Mass at 5 p.m. on Dec. 25. All masses for the Feast of the Holy Family will be celebrated on Sunday, Dec. 26 at our regular times.

St. Francis Xavier, whose feast day is today, pray for us! St. Francis Xavier, a companion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, is one of the co-founders of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) and one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever known, having brought the message of Christ throughout India and Japan most notably. He died on this day in 1552.

Peace, Fr. Sean