Parish Update – Friday, Jan. 13
Happy Friday, my friends, and how nice it was to wake up to a beautiful “winter” day in Texas – temperatures in the 40s, with sunny skies warming up later to the 60s. Yes, sir, just as God intended for this time of year! I’d be fine with another few weeks of this and then spring can follow. While I have empathy for those in other areas of the country dealing with harsh weather this time of year, I have no desire for it to get any chillier. Who’s with me?
Having celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany last weekend we now return, as they say, to our regularly scheduled programming. That means that this weekend is the
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time in the liturgical life of the Church. You will see the familiar green vestments for the next six weeks in this interim period between the end of the season of Christmas and the beginning of the season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 22. That’s 40 days from tomorrow – sort of a Lent before Lent. Let’s resolve to use this time wisely and effectively to grow in our faith.
Ironically the gospel we will hear this weekend is the account of John the Baptist testifying that Jesus is truly the Son of God (John 1:29-34). Didn’t we just hear that in the Advent season? Yes, we did, but it’s good to hear it again as we begin this liturgical year so that we might have a clear vision, right from the outset, of who it is we are to follow. Let there be no mistake. Like John, look to Jesus and see the Spirit of God descend upon him, and then make it your sole mission to follow him throughout this coming year.
Here’s what’s happening this week at the parish:
• 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.
• Thanks to all who responded last week to our
Stewardship Commitment 2023 initiative. We had nearly 600 people respond last Sunday (you all seemed to really like the QR option to do so on your phone, which is great), and more responses are still coming in. … We make Stewardship a way of life at CtR.
It’s not just a program, but rather is a way of intentionally setting our hearts to return to God what we have received through our time, talent, and treasure. As we spoke about last week, we follow a G-P-S model – Give, Pray, and Serve.
If you haven’t done so yet, we invite you to make your own Stewardship Commitment at
www.ctrcc.com/stewardship, or use one of the printed cards in the narthex. At the start of the year we might look to commit our time through personal prayer and devotion, and we share our talent by serving with a particular ministry or organization in the parish that is in need of assistance. … We should also resolve to take a renewed look at how we are responding with our treasure. How might I help further the mission of the Church through the giving of the financial resources that I have received? The size of the gift will differ for each one of us, but we all have a responsibility to the good of the community to give back in proportion to what we have received. Thank you for your Stewardship at CtR now and for years to come.
• We are looking to add a few new nursery workers to assist us with childcare at the Sunday masses and for other meetings and events during the week. These are paid positions and a great way to earn a few extra dollars while working in a team environment caring for and overseeing our youngest parishioners. If you or someone you know loves working with children, please email
Carleen Vernon (
carleen.vernon@ctrcc.com) or stop by and visit with her in Noah’s Place nursery in the narthex of the church at the 9 and 11 a.m. masses on Sunday. For more information on our nursery services at CtR, visit
www.ctrcc.com/nursery.
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We are hosting Café Catholica Lite next Thursday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Redeemer Activity Center for the young adults of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. This is an extension of the summer program of Café Catholica that is being offered monthly at various parishes throughout the city for young adults ages 18-39, and we’re happy to welcome them back to CtR. … We have an active Young Adult Ministry group at the parish that meets regularly, and they’ll be there, along with others from the surrounding region.
Sr. Berndettte Mota will lead a presentation entitled “New Year’s Resolutions: Be Who You Are and Be That Well,” which would seem to be especially timely. Lite bites will be provided and there will be time for communal prayer and discussion. If you know of a young adult Catholic, please invite them to join us. It’s a really great group of young Catholics living out their faith with a beautiful intentionality.
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Remember the discernment for new members of our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is this coming Wednesday, Jan. 18 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The PPC is an advisory board to me as pastor of the parish and is one of the chief ways that the parishioners participate in the life and mission of the Church. ... The PPC is composed of 12 parishioners and we rotate membership every year to get new people and new ideas involved. We try to keep a balance of nine discerned members and three appointees. It is important to note that members of the PPC are expected to be attentive to the needs of the entire community. They must work on behalf of all, not just their favorite areas of interest. They are a representative body, not a body of representatives. … They serve in a consultative role only and have no decision-making authority. They do not deal with the day-to-day operations of the parish, but rather are to be “forward-looking” in their role. They help identify present and future needs of the parishioners and consult with me on ways we can best achieve those goals.
To be a member of the PPC, one must be an active registered parishioner with a demonstrated commitment to the life of the parish. You must be fully initiated in the sacraments, and if married, be in a Catholic marriage. A PPC member must also be willing to engage in spiritual growth and skills development to best serve on the council, and I think it goes without saying that you must be willing to commit to working collaboratively with others. The PPC meets once a month, but there are often other responsibilities associated with the council that require time and preparation. … Please prayerfully consider if the Lord is calling you to discern for this ministry, and if so, join us on Wednesday, Jan. 18 from 6:30- 9 p.m. in Room 111 of the Parish Office Building.
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Please keep our CtR Youth in your prayers this weekend. We have a group of 150 of them at Camp Cho-Yeh for their Confirmation retreat, and I look forward to joining them for Mass on Saturday evening. The retreat is an important part of their journey toward the Sacrament of Confirmation the students will receive later in May. …
In particular I want to thank the 50 adult chaperones and core team members who will be with them for their dedication to our young people. They are offering their time and talent for the weekend to mentor and guide our youth closer to Christ.
This group of teens and adults have been together for two years, meeting regularly on Sunday evenings and forming close bonds. It makes a great difference in the life of our youth to experience a retreat with their peers and adults who they trust. … You can be proud of the fine teens of our Youth Ministry program. It’s just one example of how your gifts of Stewardship help us provide opportunities and support for our youth to grow in their relationship with Christ, to encounter Him in the Church, and to go forth to make Him known through lives of service and love.
• Finally, please note that our parish offices and school are closed on Monday, Jan. 16, in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 17.
• St. Hilary of Poitiers, whose feast day is today, pray for us. St. Hilary was a 4th century bishop in France and Doctor of the Church, whose writings, particularly on the Trinity, were a great help in defeating Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. For reasons unknown to me, he’s the patron saint against snakebites. I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of saint I want on my side!
Peace, Fr. Sean