Dear friends in Christ,
This, That & the Other ... Our Gospel on this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time from St. Luke speaks of the Dishonest Steward, and in your bible it comes immediately after the reading we heard last week on the Prodigal Son. There is similarity in both: when the 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. ... How prudent are we 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?
First, a quick word on the weather: As of 1 p.m. today, it's raining lightly on campus. We got a lot of rain this morning, and judging by the radar, I suspect we'll get some more later, but the heavy stuff seems to have missed us. Other parts of the greater Houston area and communities to the east we're not as fortunate and there are reports of lots of flooding, particularly in northeast Houston and along I-10 East into Beaumont and the Golden Triangle. We pray for all impacted by the storms, and we'll keep you posted on ways to help in the coming days. ... CtR School will have "rainy day" dismissal procedures in place, and after-school activities are canceled. Parish ministry groups with Thursday night meetings are still good to go, but stay alert for messages should that change. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is currently suspended at the parish, but we'll reopen on Friday, Sept. 20 after the 9 a.m. Mass
… As I mentioned last week, this weekend we welcome Bishop Roberto Camilleri, OFM, of the Diocese of Comayagua, Honduras to CtR to tell us about the vital work missionaries are doing in his country. In addition to our prayers of support, we’ll have a second collection immediately after the regular weekly offertory to help the Honduran missions. … Remember that every year all the parishes of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston welcome a missionary to inform us of the important work they are engaged in to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to afford us the opportunity to be united in prayer and solidarity with them and those they serve. Please join me in welcoming Bishop Camilleri to CtR.
… Our Religious Education year started this past week and we’re off to a great start. My sincere thanks to all our catechists, aides, hall monitors, and all who are giving of their time and talent to help pass on the faith to our children. That’s Stewardship in action so thank you! If you’d like to join us in this ministry, our RE staff will be happy to welcome you. … If you have not registered your children for RE yet, it’s not too late. This coming Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 12-7 p.m. in the lobby of the school building our RE staff will be on hand to get you signed-up (and help you learn how you can volunteer, too). This is the last-chance registration period for this year, so please come see us and let us assist you in getting your children in class.
… Allow me to give a special shout-out to our Encounter High School Youth Ministry program which also kicked-off its year this past Sunday (and our Junior High Rise program started on this past Wednesday, too). I was impressed by how smoothly that first night went. It’s amazing to see so many teens (nearly 500!) in our RAC Auditorium and then watch them split up into 40 small groups to break open the word to encounter Christ. Praise be to God! … Special thanks to all our small group Core team members as well as our awesome Youth Ministry staff. (Kudos especially to Stacie McKay, who does much of the behind the scenes logistics work for our youth. She’s a wizard at organization.) What a blessing our Youth Ministry is to so many teens and families at CtR. Never take it for granted, and please keep them in your prayers throughout this year. … Speaking of Youth Ministry, the parents of our Confirmation II students (those who have completed Confirmation I and are on track to be confirmed in the spring), are reminded about an important parent meeting this Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Youth Room of the RAC. It’ll be about an hour in length and enable you to finish in time to join us for the 5 p.m. Mass. Our Confirmation team has lots of important information to share with you so please attend so that we can work with you to help prepare your child for this most important sacrament.
… There is an excellent conference for married couples seeking to grow in holiness and in love for one another coming up next Saturday, Sept. 28 at two parishes not too far from us. It’s called the Together in Holiness Conference and it will be held at St. Anthony in The Woodlands and at St. Lawrence in Sugar Land on Sept. 28 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (It's the same program at both places; pick whichever location you prefer.) It’s sponsored by the St. John Paul II Foundation and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and features Mass, three very fine speakers on marriage and family, and prayer time with lunch included. We had a few couples from CtR attend last year and they spoke very highly of it. It’s only $59 per couple, and would make a nice “couple day” for you and your beloved to get away for a few hours of reflection and prayer together. See this link to learn more and to register.
… Finally, remember our annual CtR Golf Tournament is just a few weeks away on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14 at Cypress Lakes Golf Club. Entry fee is only $125 and we have room for foursomes and single players. It includes lunch and dinner 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 this link for more information and to register. … Speaking of the Knights, let me offer a special word of thanks to them and the Ladies Auxiliary for a truly memorable Casino Night last Saturday. Every year this is one of the top social events on the parish calendar, and the Knights really knock it out of the park. The amount of work that goes into prepping 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 work. We are blessed to have the largest and most active KC council in the entire Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston right here at CtR. Thank you, brothers! ... And if you have a hankering for their tamales, they’ll have them for sale next weekend after all masses. ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you. See ya’ at Mass!
This, That & the Other ... Our Gospel on this 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time from St. Luke speaks of the Dishonest Steward, and in your bible it comes immediately after the reading we heard last week on the Prodigal Son. There is similarity in both: when the 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. ... How prudent are we 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?
First, a quick word on the weather: As of 1 p.m. today, it's raining lightly on campus. We got a lot of rain this morning, and judging by the radar, I suspect we'll get some more later, but the heavy stuff seems to have missed us. Other parts of the greater Houston area and communities to the east we're not as fortunate and there are reports of lots of flooding, particularly in northeast Houston and along I-10 East into Beaumont and the Golden Triangle. We pray for all impacted by the storms, and we'll keep you posted on ways to help in the coming days. ... CtR School will have "rainy day" dismissal procedures in place, and after-school activities are canceled. Parish ministry groups with Thursday night meetings are still good to go, but stay alert for messages should that change. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is currently suspended at the parish, but we'll reopen on Friday, Sept. 20 after the 9 a.m. Mass
… As I mentioned last week, this weekend we welcome Bishop Roberto Camilleri, OFM, of the Diocese of Comayagua, Honduras to CtR to tell us about the vital work missionaries are doing in his country. In addition to our prayers of support, we’ll have a second collection immediately after the regular weekly offertory to help the Honduran missions. … Remember that every year all the parishes of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston welcome a missionary to inform us of the important work they are engaged in to help spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to afford us the opportunity to be united in prayer and solidarity with them and those they serve. Please join me in welcoming Bishop Camilleri to CtR.
… Our Religious Education year started this past week and we’re off to a great start. My sincere thanks to all our catechists, aides, hall monitors, and all who are giving of their time and talent to help pass on the faith to our children. That’s Stewardship in action so thank you! If you’d like to join us in this ministry, our RE staff will be happy to welcome you. … If you have not registered your children for RE yet, it’s not too late. This coming Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 12-7 p.m. in the lobby of the school building our RE staff will be on hand to get you signed-up (and help you learn how you can volunteer, too). This is the last-chance registration period for this year, so please come see us and let us assist you in getting your children in class.
… Allow me to give a special shout-out to our Encounter High School Youth Ministry program which also kicked-off its year this past Sunday (and our Junior High Rise program started on this past Wednesday, too). I was impressed by how smoothly that first night went. It’s amazing to see so many teens (nearly 500!) in our RAC Auditorium and then watch them split up into 40 small groups to break open the word to encounter Christ. Praise be to God! … Special thanks to all our small group Core team members as well as our awesome Youth Ministry staff. (Kudos especially to Stacie McKay, who does much of the behind the scenes logistics work for our youth. She’s a wizard at organization.) What a blessing our Youth Ministry is to so many teens and families at CtR. Never take it for granted, and please keep them in your prayers throughout this year. … Speaking of Youth Ministry, the parents of our Confirmation II students (those who have completed Confirmation I and are on track to be confirmed in the spring), are reminded about an important parent meeting this Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Youth Room of the RAC. It’ll be about an hour in length and enable you to finish in time to join us for the 5 p.m. Mass. Our Confirmation team has lots of important information to share with you so please attend so that we can work with you to help prepare your child for this most important sacrament.
… There is an excellent conference for married couples seeking to grow in holiness and in love for one another coming up next Saturday, Sept. 28 at two parishes not too far from us. It’s called the Together in Holiness Conference and it will be held at St. Anthony in The Woodlands and at St. Lawrence in Sugar Land on Sept. 28 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (It's the same program at both places; pick whichever location you prefer.) It’s sponsored by the St. John Paul II Foundation and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and features Mass, three very fine speakers on marriage and family, and prayer time with lunch included. We had a few couples from CtR attend last year and they spoke very highly of it. It’s only $59 per couple, and would make a nice “couple day” for you and your beloved to get away for a few hours of reflection and prayer together. See this link to learn more and to register.
… Finally, remember our annual CtR Golf Tournament is just a few weeks away on Columbus Day, Monday, Oct. 14 at Cypress Lakes Golf Club. Entry fee is only $125 and we have room for foursomes and single players. It includes lunch and dinner 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 this link for more information and to register. … Speaking of the Knights, let me offer a special word of thanks to them and the Ladies Auxiliary for a truly memorable Casino Night last Saturday. Every year this is one of the top social events on the parish calendar, and the Knights really knock it out of the park. The amount of work that goes into prepping 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 work. We are blessed to have the largest and most active KC council in the entire Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston right here at CtR. Thank you, brothers! ... And if you have a hankering for their tamales, they’ll have them for sale next weekend after all masses. ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you. See ya’ at Mass!
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