Parish Update – Friday, Jan. 21

Happy chilly Friday to you all! I don’t know about you, but despite the bright blue skies, I’m about ready for winter to be over. Anja Ozols, our Echo apprentice from Notre Dame, who hails from just outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin, gave me a hard time about my message last week when I told you that we needed to “bundle up” with the drop in temperatures. Unless it’s below zero I don’t think those cheeseheads even wear a jacket! Given that it is going to be even colder this weekend than last, I’m seriously considering hibernating until March.

Our second reading this 3^rd Sunday in Ordinary Time comes from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians and speaks of the oneness of the body that is composed of many parts. So, too, says Paul, are we one in Christ. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.” ... As we look at the Church that Christ has founded we should likewise see a oneness in our diversity. Each of us has gifts to offer, and though those gifts differ, they are all necessary components of the one body of Christ, the Church. I invite you this week, maybe as you huddle around the fireplace, to prayerfully consider your gifts and discern how you might best use those gifts to serve the greater good of our community.

Along those lines, let me call to your attention that next weekend, Jan. 29-30, we will have our annual Ministry Fair in the narthex at all masses. Representatives of our many ministries will be present, and I ask that you take a few moments after Mass and see what they have to offer. There is a place for you here, and each of you has a unique gift and talent, like St. Paul spoke of, that can be put to greater service to the wider body of the Church. … Perhaps it is in one of many liturgical ministries, or in Religious Education, or in Adult Faith Formation. The possibilities are endless, but the only way we can truly “be Church” is to have you use your gifts. Don’t hide them or neglect them. Be a good steward of your gift of time and talent and find a place in 2022 to go beyond yourself and become involved in at least one aspect of the life of CtR. I guarantee it will make a positive difference in your practice of the faith that we all share.

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. ... There is a Second Collection this week for the Church in Latin America, however, you may notice if you have printed offertory envelopes that it is marked for next weekend. That is a printing error, but we’ll be happy to take them either this week or next, whichever is most convenient for you.

• Also next week we kickoff our annual celebration of National Catholic Schools Week. Our own CtR Catholic School has a host of activities planned to mark the week for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, we will focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our Church, our community and our nation. This year’s theme is “Discover and Celebrate Catholic Schools,” and that’s what we invite you to do.

• One way to discover and celebrate Catholic Schools is by joining us for an Open House for the community on Wednesday, Feb. 2 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. This is a great chance to tour the school and see what the kids are doing up close and personal. That’s not only a good time for prospective parents to see what is happening, but it’s also a fine time for any parishioner to come and see. Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren that are school age you are invited to see how Catholic schools have an impact on the life of us all. … There is also a Pre-K Preview this coming Thursday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. for families with kids ready to start Pre-Kindergarten. See ctrschool.com/admissions for all the details.

• Another way to discover and celebrate our CtR Catholic School is through the annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk. It’s set for Saturday, Feb. 12 and it provides much needed funds for scholarships and programs in Catholic education. It’s a great family event and always a lot of fun. All are invited to join our CtR team and in the process, all proceeds will come back to our school – 100 percent! It’s a well-organized fun run through downtown Houston with a great party afterwards. I’ve done it for a number of years and find it to be a great way to spend the morning getting some exercise and helping a great cause. … Registration is fast and easy and we always have a big team from CtR and we’d love to have you join us this year. Go to www.ctrschool.com/steps4students for information and to register. Even if you don’t want to come downtown that morning in person, I encourage you to sign up as a team member and then select the “Snooze” button option. That way you can sleep in, but your donation to CtR School still counts. That’s a win-win!

If you don’t want to run yourself, you can sponsor my team and all proceeds will come right back to benefit our own CtR School. You can make an on-line pledge and I’ll do all the work while you get the satisfaction of knowing you supported Catholic education. To pledge to my team go to https://runsignup.com/Race/85757/Donate/irYvcXUqq8cyaau6 (sorry it’s such a cumbersome URL; there’s a link on our parish website that’s easy to follow). It only takes a few minutes to make your pledge safely and securely online. … Or if you like, you can give me a check or cash in person at Mass or in the office and I’ll see that it is credited to our CtR team.

• I encourage you to take a look at the many and varied Adult Faith Formation activities and ministries that are up and running in the new year. You can see a complete list at www.ctrcc.com/adults. There is no shortage of ways to get involved and grow in your faith as we have programs most every day of the week, in both the morning and evening. In particular, you might check out the new semester series on Journey Through the Scripture (www.ctrcc.com/jts). A new session just began this week on the “Bible and Sacraments,” but it’s not too late to join in. We’ll catch you up in no time! … Not to be outdone, our Youth Ministry programs of Encounter on Sunday nights (high school) and Rise on Wednesday night (junior high) resume this week after the winter break.

• Our annual Winter Blood Drive will take place next Sunday, Jan. 30 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Community Center. (Note the location in the Community Center, as opposed to the Parish Hall, which will be occupied that same morning by Coffee and Donuts sponsored by CtR Catholic School and our Genesis Early Childhood Program.) There is a critical shortage of blood in the Houston area right now, so if you are able to donate, please do so. Walk-ins are welcome, but you can also reserve a specific time spot by visiting www.ctrcc.com/events/blood-drive.

• In your charity, please pray for Beatriz and Julio Caraballo, whose 17-year-old son Gabriel died last Saturday. The Caraballos are active in a variety of ministries at the parish, and their oldest son, Alejandro, built the beautiful deck and benches under the big oak tree in the back part of our property a few years ago for his Eagle Scout project. The funeral for Gabriel will be Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.

St. Agnes, virgin and martyr, whose feast day is today, pray for us!

Peace, Fr. Sean