Dear friends in Christ,

     This, That & the Other ... “How much more ...” Those words that from the last line of this weekend’s Gospel from St. Luke always strike me to my core. Having taught his followers how to pray, Jesus reminds them that God desires to give us even more than we can imagine through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We do ourselves a disservice to overlook how gifted we are in Christ. It’s up to us to use that gift to keep our eyes fixed on God and to enable others to discover it, too.

     ... I invite you to join me in praying this weekend for the more than 3,000 teens that’ll be in attendance at the annual Archdiocesan Youth Conference in downtown Houston. We’ll have a group from CtR present, of course, and it’s a spirit-filled weekend for our young people. … We’re blessed with a vibrant Youth Ministry program at CtR – indeed, it was one of the chief driving forces behind our construction of the Redeemer Activity Center last year. The entire 2nd floor of the RAC is dedicated to junior- and senior-high Youth Ministry and we have four full-time staff members focusing on engaging our young people with Christ. It’s a great testament to the people of CtR that you generously support us to be able to provide such outreach to our teens. Not every parish is as fortunate as we are and so this annual summer program is chance for all parishes to come together, to learn and pray together, and to recognize the joy that comes with living our Catholic faith from a very early age. Pray for all teens that they may encounter the Lord more deeply in their lives – and consider joining them. We always welcome adult volunteers and team members to accompany them on the journey throughout the year.

     ... Moving up a few years, I reminder our young adults (20s-30s) that the annual summer program Café Catholica concludes this coming Monday, July 29 at St. Michael Church on Sage near the Galleria. ... It finishes with a bang, too, with Cardinal DiNardo as the featured presenter. He’s always a big draw who gives a great and inspiring talk so I expect it to be well attended. It’s not uncommon for 800+ young adults to come to Café Catholica. Mass is at 6:15 p.m. (with confession available beforehand at 5:15 p.m.), followed by a light dinner at 7:15 p.m. and Cardinal DiNardo's talk at 8:15 p.m. If you know of a young adult Catholic encourage them to attend. It’s great for them to be reminded that their fellow “millennials” are on fire with the faith! For more information check the Café Catholica website at www.archgh.org/cafecatholica.

     ... As we close out July and head into August, our attention turns to the upcoming Religious Education year. Classes don’t begin until September 15 but the all important registration period is open now. Registration is conducted on-line at our parish website of www.ctrcc.com/re. … We expect another record number of students to be registered, so please do not delay. We’re blessed with many classrooms in our Education Building, but class sizes still must be limited so remember that it is first-come, first-served for available days and times. We also offer home-based catechesis for those families who need more flexibility in timing.

     ... I would be remiss if I didn’t also remind you that our CtR Catholic School is preparing for its new year and we are still accepting applications for new students. We have openings in all classes from pre-K3 through 8th grade. From 175 kids six years ago we’ve grown to more than 400 this year so you can see the word is out on the impact we are making as more and more families join us. … It’s a blessing to our parish community to have a school and I invite all parishioners with school-aged children to consider a Catholic education for your child. Our school website at www.ctrschool.com has all the details. You’re invited to stop by for a personal tour to see all that it has to offer. … Also, don’t forget about our wonderful Genesis Early Childhood Program for our youngest learners, aged 18 months through 4 years old. It offers either a two- or three-day-a-week program to provide flexibility for families. We’ve got just a handful of openings left in Genesis for this coming year so stop by today to learn more.

     ... All this talk about education reminds me that our annual Operation Backpack for school supplies kicks-off this weekend, and runs from July 28 through August 18. Bring them to mass or drop them off in the parish office during the week. We are asking for new school supplies (wide notebook paper, folders, binders, spiral notebooks, pens, pencils, map colors, etc.; see the website for a complete list) and clear backpacks that we can distribute to local school children in need through Cypress Assistance Ministries (CAM) and also our sister parish, Our Mother of Mercy, in Houston’s Fifth Ward. We always have a great response from the CtR community so please remember to pick up a few items when you are at the store. I’ve seen plenty of sales advertising school supplies, so stock up and bring them to Mass and we’ll make sure they get to children most in need. ... Finally, take a sneak peak at our upcoming Parish Mission with Fr. Jim Sichko and the accompanying Party Under the Big Top set for the weekend of Aug. 25. That's just a month away, so mark your calendars and make plans to join us. More details coming soon! … Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you! See ya’ at Mass!