Parish Update – Friday, May 26

Happy Friday, my friends, and a very happy Memorial Day weekend, as well. I suspect there is an extra pep in our step today not only because of the three-day holiday weekend that is upon us, but because school is officially out for our students, families, and, most especially, our teachers and administrators. Great job, one and all! You made it to summer!

We’ve also made it to the end of Easter, too. This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus. It is what has come to be known as the “birthday of the Church.” … Gathered together in Jerusalem the followers of Jesus, who were of every race and tongue, soon discovered themselves to be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” It was a microcosm of what the Church would become: faithful believers in the saving work of Jesus Christ who are empowered by the Spirit to go and spread the Good News. … That work continues today. We, too, the parishioners of CtR, come from different backgrounds and ways of life, but yet we are united by the one and same Spirit of God to build up the Body of Christ in all we say and do.
 

For the past 90 days – 40 days of Lent and now 50 days of Easter – we have walked with the Lord. Way back at the start on Ash Wednesday, we were marked with ashes, we shouted “crucify him” on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, and then we waited at the empty tomb before rejoicing in the resurrection. Last week, we witnessed his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and now the Spirit of God comes upon us. What a journey these days have been for us spiritually! I love how the rhythm of the Church’s liturgical seasons helps frame our lives. Now, emboldened by the Spirit at Pentecost, we resolve to go forth to live as “intentional disciples.”

I’m fond of what is known as the Holy Spirit prayer. It’s a good prayer to keep handy and call upon frequently, especially in these Pentecost days:

After several busy days this week, our schedule eases up a bit as we head into the Memorial Day weekend. Here’s what is happening:

• We invite and welcome you to join us for Mass this weekend on Saturday at 5 p.m., or Sunday at 7, 9, and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. For those unable to join us in person due to illness or infirmity, our livestream is available 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.

• A few liturgical notes for Pentecost: We'll wear red vestments and you are invited to likewise wear red as an outward sign of the fire of God's love. ... We'll sing the Pentecost Sequence at all masses immediately following the 2nd reading. It's the traditional "Veni, Sancte Spiritus" hymn that dates from the 13th century. You might consider it to be the "bookend" to the Easter Sequence that we sang on Easter Sunday that heightens the solemnity of this most special day. ... Finally, we'll use incense at the 9 and 11 a.m. masses this Sunday, but not at the others. 

• Having celebrated two masses of Confirmation for our high school teens this past week (congratulations to all 161 of them!), we have one additional Mass of the Holy Spirit this Sunday at 7 p.m. for the Archdiocesan-wide celebration of Adult Confirmation. … More than 1,100 adults are completing their Sacraments of Initiation into the Church by being confirmed this weekend and next, and we’re one of the host parishes for this celebration of Confirmation. … As such, we’ll have plenty of visitors and we’ll need extra help to accommodate them. If you can assist with being a greeter or usher this Sunday evening, I invite you to stay a bit later after our regular 5 p.m. Mass ends to help us get our visitors situated. You don’t have to stay for the Confirmation mass unless you want to (it satisfies your Sunday obligation if you do, however), but it would be a great help to us if you could assist us between 6-7 p.m. as they all arrive on our campus. … Thanks to our Liturgy and Music departments for helping us celebrate our many liturgies this past week.

• The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will be blessed with three new priests who will be ordained next Saturday, June 3 by Cardinal DiNardo at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. The Mass is open to the public, and will also be on the Archdiocesan website at www.archgh.org/live. … Please note that we will not hold confessions next Saturday – a week from tomorrow – so that Fr. Vincent and I might attend the Mass of Ordination to welcome them to our presbyterate. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin their ministry.

• And speaking of ordinations, I send my special thanks to all who reached out to me recently as I marked the 25^th anniversary of my priestly ordination on May 16. Thank you! I asked the staff not to make a fuss about it (they sort of abided by that request!) because it’s not about me, but about God who has blessed me beyond all measure by putting such beautiful and faithful witnesses like all of you in my life. … Still, I’m grateful for all the kind wishes, emails, and cards, and most especially, the prayers. That’s what I need the most. In fact, prayers are the only thing I need! I’m grateful to God for all the blessings of my priesthood the past 25 years, and to you here at CtR for welcoming me for the past 19 of those years as your pastor. I’m already looking forward to Year 20 here on Huffmeister! To God be all glory, praise, and honor!

• Finally, as mentioned earlier, this coming Monday, May 29, is Memorial Day in our country, and we give thanks to God for all service men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. May they rest in peace. Our parish offices will be closed for the day and will reopen on Tuesday.

• Monday is also the feast day of Mary, Mother of the Church. It’s a relatively new feast day that Pope Francis added to the Roman Calendar a few years ago, always on the Monday following Pentecost. The promotion of a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under this particular title is meant to encourage growth in the “maternal sense” of the Church. Mary is the mother of the Lord and thus mother of the whole Church. We’ll honor her with that celebration at our regular Monday morning Mass at 9 a.m.

Peace, Fr. Sean