Parish Update – Friday, Jan. 14

Happy beginning of a three-day weekend to you all! I pray that it will be a blessed one for you and your loved ones, though it seems our weather will once again be a bit of a roller coaster in terms of temperatures. Bundle up on Sunday morning!

Let’s be sure to remember why we have the holiday on Monday, and to honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I had the opportunity to visit the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, last summer, on the site where he was assassinated, and let me tell you, it was a powerful experience. I highly recommend everyone visit it at some point in their life. In my travels in life, I’ve been fortunate to visit museums all across the world, but few can match it for the story it tells. “Moving” doesn’t even begin to describe it. It really must be experienced. Together let us continue to honor Dr. King’s legacy and to work for respect and dignity for all of God’s children.

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen the green vestments and colors in the church, but that changes this weekend now that Advent and Christmas have concluded. We will celebrate the 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (the 1st Sunday was superseded last week by the Baptism of the Lord) and we’ll be in this liturgical season until Lent begins in early March. … Our Gospel on Sunday is the famous miracle story of the Wedding Feast at Cana, wherein Jesus intercedes with the first of his many “signs” that foreshadow his abundant, overflowing love for all people. May the fullness of that sign be seen in our own love for others as well.

Here’s some of the news and notes of what is happening at 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.

• As the new year is underway I want to bring you up to speed on a couple of changes to our pastoral staff that have taken place over the past few weeks. As mentioned several months ago, Kathy Kelley retired as our Director of Religious Education at the end of the year and Linda Watso, formerly our Coordinator of RE, has taken over her position. In turn, Adilene Huff, who was working part-time in RE, has now moved up to take over Linda’s former role as the full-time Coordinator. … Together these two ladies have hit the ground running, and along with the rest of our fine staff in our Faith Formation department, they will continue to shepherd our hundreds of children and catechists in teaching the faith. Please join me in congratulating them on their new roles. May God bless them in their service to our community.

• With Adilene moving over to the Coordinator role that creates an opening for a part-time assistant in our Religious Education department. Communication skills are a must, and as it involves Faith Formation, we are seeking someone who is a certified catechist (or who is open to working to become one). I think it would be an ideal position for a parent of a student in RE who is looking for part-time work (20 hours per week). Please help us spread the word. A complete job description can be found at www.ctrcc.com/workwithus. There are other job openings listed there as well for our Genesis Early Childhood Program and Youth Ministry.

• Over in Adult Faith Formation we have also had a change in leadership. Camilla MacKenzie has stepped down as our Director of Adult Discipleship as she and her husband, Khang, prepare to welcome their first child into the world. We’re grateful to Camilla for her work with us at CtR, first as an Echo apprentice, and the past two years in working in adult catechesis. We look forward to seeing her around the parish, and we really look forward to meeting the new baby!

• Joining us as our new Director of Adult Faith Formation is Barbara Knight. She previously worked as the Director of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry at St. Maximilian Kolbe parish, and is also a long-time volunteer and lay catechist at St. Max. She earned her master's degree in Theological Studies at the University of St. Thomas after working in the financial field for 29 years while she and her husband raised their five children. … I have known Barbara since high school, and we grew up attending St. Luke the Evangelist parish together. Her dad was my mom's favorite lector, and I actually worked with her mother in my early journalism career at the South Belt-Ellington Leader weekly newspaper, so in a sense, this is coming full circle. She has a lively faith and is a wonderful catechist who loves to share that faith with others. I know she will continue to build upon and expand the fine foundation that Camilla (and Deacon Jack Alexander before her) have laid for us in Adult Faith Formation at CtR. Please join me in welcoming Barbara to CtR.

• In other news, next Saturday, Jan. 22, is a Day of Prayer for Unborn Children as we mark the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal throughout the U.S. Since that tragic decision, nearly 60 million children’s lives have been lost to abortion, and still others, women and men, continue to suffer that loss, often in silence. … The annual Rally for Life takes place in Austin next Saturday, and while we won’t have a bus chartered from CtR this year, there is one departing from the St. Dominic Chancery, and others are planning to attend on their own. See www.ctrcc.com/respectlife for more information as well as at the USCCB website, www.respectlife.org. I encourage all of us to remember the unborn in your prayers that day, and to keep a fast throughout the day if possible.

• Our CtR Catholic School will open registration for the 2022-23 academic year this Tuesday, Jan. 18 to all families in the parish and community (it opened this past week for currently enrolled students). I encourage all families with children in grades Pre-K 3–8th to consider a Catholic education. We are having a great school year currently and we look forward to growing even further next year. CtR School recently became only the third Catholic primary school in the country to earn recognition from the National Institute of STEM Excellence, and our students and staff continue to thrive in faith and knowledge every day. Tours of the school are available at any time by appointment. For more information, visit www.ctrschool.com/admissions.

• We’re hosting a one-day Married Couples Retreat on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Camp Allen, about 40 minutes west of the parish in Navasota. It’s a great opportunity for spouses to give the gift of a day to one another and spend it in prayer and reflection with other Catholic couples. The retreat runs from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and will be led by Deacon Jim and Christy Wright and Deacon Jason and Chaille Sulak from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Lunch and dinner are included and there will be a few presentations during the day, but also plenty of time for couples to spend quiet time together and enjoy a day away from all the hustle and bustle of life. Consider it a late Christmas present to one another! For additional information and registration see www.ctrcc.com/events/married-couples-retreat.

A reminder that our offices will be closed (and our school as well) on Monday, Jan. 17, in observance of MLK, Jr. Day. We will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 9 a.m.

St. Martin de Porres, patron saint of social justice, pray for us!

Peace, Fr. Sean