Parish Update – Friday, Sept. 16

Happy Friday, friends, and surprise! There is a weekly update today after all. I mentioned last Friday that the next one would be Sept. 23, but to quote one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, “things have changed.” There’s just too much happening at the parish this week to pass up sharing with you, so here we are. And that’s a good thing!

The Gospel we’ll hear on the 25^th Sunday in Ordinary Time comes from St. Luke, and in it we hear of one of the strangest parables from Jesus about the Dishonest Steward. It closely follows the reading we heard last week on the Prodigal Son, but the “hero” of the story is an unlikely one. … There is similarity in both the Son and the Steward: when the Prodigal Son received his inheritance from his father, he squandered it. Likewise, the Dishonest Steward has wasted his master’s property. Both are desperate and willing to do anything to survive. We would do well to ask how prudent we are with all the Lord has given us. And are we willing to do whatever it takes to get back to the Lord of mercy when we wander far from God? He is waiting for us. Now is the time to turn back to him.

Here’s what’s happening this week and beyond in and around CtR:

• We invite you to please join us for Mass this weekend. If you’d like to join us in person, we welcome you on Saturday at 5 p.m., or Sunday at 7, 9, and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. You can also join us 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.

• Our Children's Liturgy of the Word ministry resumes this week at the 9 a.m. Mass after a long hiatus during the pandemic. It will rotate most weeks between the 9 and 11 a.m. masses, with children in grades K-5th being invited forward at the start of the readings for a blessing. They are then ushered into the chapel where the Word of God will be broken open for them before returning to the church at the offertory to join us for the remainder of Mass. My thanks to all our adult and teen leaders of this beautiful ministry, and we welcome others who would like to assist, too. See the link to find out more. ... Also our adult Redeemer Choir will be back in full voice at the 9 a.m. Mass this week after their summer break. 

• As mentioned last week, this weekend is also Catechetical Sunday in the Church in the United States. It’s a day designated to mark the beginning of the new Religious Education year for children, youth, and adults. It’s also our first day of the new RE year at CtR as classes begin this week for all our children and for junior high and high school youth ministry as well.

• I am most thankful to our fine RE staff who have been hard at work preparing this year. We are blessed by a dedicated group who take seriously the commandment of Jesus to “go and teach.” To Linda Watso, our Director of Religious Education, along with her staff of Adilene Huff, Marisel Menendez, Michelle Christopher, Angela Borges, and Anja Ozlos, we offer our sincere gratitude for coordinating the many aspects that go into a comprehensive RE program. … Likewise we appreciate the great work done by Angela Sengenberger, Clint Carton, Kendall Kaulfus, Rachel Smyth, and Stacie McKay in our Youth Ministry department. Their work would not be possible without our teachers, catechists, aides, and parent and core team volunteers. You are truly the backbone of our program and without your selfless gift of your time and talent, we would not be able to pass on the faith to the next generation. Thank you one and all. We’ll have a special commissioning and blessing today at all masses for our catechists as they begin this new RE year.

• To the parents of RE students let me also ask that you join me in showing gratitude to your fellow parents who are catechists. Be kind to them and assist them as much as possible so that they may instruct your sons and daughters in the ways of the faith. They welcome your help! The role of parents is vital in the faith development of a child. A young person is in class only 75 minutes once a week. The rest of the time they are at home so it stands to reason that parents will shape the development of the faith. That is done by example more often than words. … One of the most important ways to develop the faith is to see that your children attend Mass on a regular (i.e., weekly) basis. Every year catechists tell me they are amazed when they ask their class how many of them went to Mass that week. Inevitably it is less than half of the students. … I ask all parents to please make a commitment to worship with your children at Mass. To sign them up for RE class is a good thing and I thank you for that, but please do not fail to have them engage with the Church so that they can give fitting worship to God. It will be the best hour of your week as a family, I promise.

• Remember that we offer an evening daily Mass every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the chapel. Since we resumed this Wednesday night Mass after the height of the pandemic it’s been fairly lightly attended, usually no more than 20-25 people. While it is true that the Lord is present whenever two or three are gathered, it would be wonderful to welcome a few more folks to this celebration. … It doesn’t replace the Sunday celebration, which is supreme, but it’s a great mid-week opportunity to give thanks to God and to be fed at the table of blessing. Confessions are also heard beforehand on Wednesdays from 6-6:50 p.m., and while we usually have a steady stream of people for that, not too many stay for the Mass. Come join us! … Recall as well that on the 3rd Wednesday of every month, like next Wednesday, Sept. 21, we have a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction following the Mass from 7:30-8:30 p.m, and on the last Wednesday of every month, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is offered during the evening Mass for anyone in need of it.

• Following our very well-received and attended Women’s Morning of Prayer last week, our CtR Men’s Retreat is coming up soon on Sept. 30-Oct. 1. Entitled “Increase Our Faith,” taken from Luke 17:15, the retreat will be held on our parish grounds and is intended to be a time of rest and renewal reflecting on what it means to journey as men of praise, hope, and charity in our world today. … It’s open to all men of the parish and beyond and runs from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, and then all day from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Registration is $65 and includes all meals and supplies. I highly encourage the men of the parish to set aside time to attend, and, as we men sometimes need an extra nudge (or an occasional kick), may I please ask the women of the parish to likewise encourage your husbands, sons, and brothers to join us. For more information and to register visit www.ctrcc.com/mensretreat.

• Let’s take a sneak peek into October for a few events to put on your calendar now. October is Respect Life Month and we’ll have a variety of things on tap to highlight the dignity of the human person that month. I’ll have more details soon, but early in the month on Sunday, Oct. 2 we’ll host our fall blood drive, and this one hits especially close to home. … We have two young parishioners, Matthew Gallardo, a 3rd grader in our CtR Catholic School, and Emma Tabush, a student in our Genesis Early Childhood Program, who have both been diagnosed with types of leukemia. This blood drive on Oct. 2 will be in their honor to help restock the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center that has provided needed blood for them both. Platelets are also in great need and we will be set up to accept them as well as blood donations. If you are able to give, please consider doing so on that day to honor these two brave, young CtR parishioners.

• Later in October, we’ll have our annual Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. in honor of the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi, who was, of course, a friend to all of God’s creatures. Plan to join us in the driveway between the Church and Parish Life Center. It only takes about 15 minutes or so, but it’s a fun event. All creatures, great and small, are welcome to attend.

• The annual CtR Golf Tournament is just a few weeks away on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 10 at Cypress Lakes Golf Club, about 10 minutes west of the parish. Entry fee is only $150 and we have room for foursomes and single players. It includes lunch, dinner, swag bag, and plenty of fun along the way. Our Knights of Columbus do a great job of hosting it each year and proceeds go to benefit CAM and youth scholarships from the parish. See our CtR website for more information, or you can register directly on the Knights’ page at www.8771events.com/golf.

• Speaking of the Knights, let me offer a special word of thanks to them and the Ladies Auxiliary for a truly memorable, sold-out Casino Night last Saturday. After being on hiatus during the pandemic it was great to get back together, and once again the Knights really knocked it out of the park. The amount of work that goes into preparing for it, and then running it, is stunning, yet they pull it off without a hitch. … As I walked around the Parish Hall visiting with everyone, it was clear that they were being well cared for and that our Knights and Ladies were doing yeoman's work. Let me add a special shout-out to Bob Suarez who chairs the event for the Knights. Great job, Bob and all your team, too. Thank you, brother Knights!

• When they were done with Casino Night, the Knights stayed late to flip the Parish Hall to be ready for our Welcoming Sunday the next morning. My thanks to all our new parishioners who joined us as they have started to call our parish their spiritual home. A number have moved to the area for work, while others have been residents in Cypress for a while and are just beginning to sink down spiritual roots here. It was wonderful to gather with all of them and share a little bit about our parish’s history, its present, and its future. We had our biggest crowd since well before the pandemic so that was a very nice sign. God is good!

• Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us! … We wish all our Mexican and Mexican-American parishioners a very happy Dieciséis de Septiembre. Today is Mexican Independence Day, marking 222 years of independence from Spanish rule. … And, as I was reminded by Wilber Sorto, one of our facilities staff members here at the parish, yesterday, September 15, was also El Salvador Independence Day, likewise commemorating its freedom from Spain 201 years ago. ¡Felicidades a todos!

Peace, Fr. Sean