Dear friends in Christ,
This, That & the Other ... If you have ever attended Mass on Thanksgiving Day, you’ll recognize the Gospel that we will hear this weekend on the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It comes from St. Luke and tells the story of the healing of 10 lepers by Jesus, only one of whom returns to give thanks for the gift he has received. It’s easy to see why we read it on Thanksgiving Day as gratitude for what God has done is at the heart of its message. … Of course, on Thanksgiving we are in the grateful mood and there are plenty of reminders to us that we should be thankful on that day. But we must not limit our thanks to God to simply one day when we are praying over a turkey. God’s mercy and forgiveness is boundless and so should be our thankfulness to be him for all we have received. So when you hear it this weekend, pause and give thanks to God for all of your blessings (even your crosses, too) and make a prayer of thanksgiving a part of your daily prayer.
... A quick reminder that tonight, Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. we are hosting an Open House for our CtR Catholic School. Perspective families are invited to come tour our facilities, talk to faculty and administration and discover all that our CtR School has to offer for students in Pre-K – 8th grade. Come join us this evening. ... Special congratulations to our school for receiving formal accreditation status from the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops Department of Education this past week. As a new school, it was our first time going through the rigorous, year-long accreditation study, but CtR School passed with flying colors and received high praise from the outside team of eight educators who visited our campus last week and examined all aspects of our curriculum and operations. Job well done! All parishioners can be rightfully proud of the outstanding Catholic education our school offer for our students and parents.
... We’re just a month away from one of the best events of the whole year at CtR. It’s our 6th annual Chili Cook-off on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 6-9 p.m. It’s a great night of chili, Frito Pie (my favorite), hot dogs, drinks, music, live and silent auctions, and fun for the whole family. It takes places on our back parking lot and is not to be missed. Get tickets in advance on-line at www.ctrschool.com/chili. Tickets are available for adults and discounted tickets are available for students, too. In addition, we have sponsorship and underwriting opportunities, and it’s a great way to support our school as all proceeds go to support scholarships and school advancement. We’ve already registered about 20 cook teams (still room for a handful more, however) and they’re ready to compete to see who has the best chili. You can sample it all and so much more by joining us on Nov. 9. Oh, and we’ve also got some great items available in both the live and silent auctions so it promises to be a special night for all ages. Make plans to join us!
... As we enter the final few months of the year please allow me to remind us all of the ongoing Diocesan Services Fund drive. We’re just about $17,000 short of our annual goal as set by Cardinal DiNardo for this year, and if you have not yet made your gift I ask you to do so soon. Remember the DSF funds the more than 60 ministries of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston that no one parish could ever do on its own, but that collectively allows us to offer, among other things, chaplains at the hospitals, food pantry and soup kitchens, ministry to the imprisoned, senior care centers, and outreach to the most needy, in addition to providing training for lay ministers in Religious Education and Youth Ministry. It’s an important work of the Church that benefits many and we all have a role to play. Your pledge of any size helps make it all possible. More than 830 parishioners, including myself, have made their gift already, and I encourage you to join us and do the same. It’s quick and easy at www.archgh.org/dsf. Thank you for your continued support of DSF.
... Remember that October is Respect Life Month and we have several initiatives at the parish to help us honor the dignity of the human person. Allow me to give a shout-out to CtR parishioner Nora Ponder, who does wonderful work with couples and individuals seeking to understand and live the Church's teaching on Natural Family Planning. NFP is a great gift to the Church and her members, and is most definitely a Respect Life issue. To learn more about Nora's work with the Creighton Model of NFP, that aides both fertility and infertility issues, contact her at this link.
... Finally, remember that our CtR Golf tournament is this coming Monday, Oct. 14 at Cypress Lakes Golf Club. Entry fee is only $125 and includes lunch and dinner. Proceeds benefit CAM and youth scholarships from the parish. We still have room for singles and foursomes, so spread the word and make plans to join us. We tee off at 12 noon and you can register at the course the morning of the tournament. Hope to see you there! ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you. See ya’ at Mass!
This, That & the Other ... If you have ever attended Mass on Thanksgiving Day, you’ll recognize the Gospel that we will hear this weekend on the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It comes from St. Luke and tells the story of the healing of 10 lepers by Jesus, only one of whom returns to give thanks for the gift he has received. It’s easy to see why we read it on Thanksgiving Day as gratitude for what God has done is at the heart of its message. … Of course, on Thanksgiving we are in the grateful mood and there are plenty of reminders to us that we should be thankful on that day. But we must not limit our thanks to God to simply one day when we are praying over a turkey. God’s mercy and forgiveness is boundless and so should be our thankfulness to be him for all we have received. So when you hear it this weekend, pause and give thanks to God for all of your blessings (even your crosses, too) and make a prayer of thanksgiving a part of your daily prayer.
... A quick reminder that tonight, Thursday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. we are hosting an Open House for our CtR Catholic School. Perspective families are invited to come tour our facilities, talk to faculty and administration and discover all that our CtR School has to offer for students in Pre-K – 8th grade. Come join us this evening. ... Special congratulations to our school for receiving formal accreditation status from the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops Department of Education this past week. As a new school, it was our first time going through the rigorous, year-long accreditation study, but CtR School passed with flying colors and received high praise from the outside team of eight educators who visited our campus last week and examined all aspects of our curriculum and operations. Job well done! All parishioners can be rightfully proud of the outstanding Catholic education our school offer for our students and parents.
... We’re just a month away from one of the best events of the whole year at CtR. It’s our 6th annual Chili Cook-off on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 6-9 p.m. It’s a great night of chili, Frito Pie (my favorite), hot dogs, drinks, music, live and silent auctions, and fun for the whole family. It takes places on our back parking lot and is not to be missed. Get tickets in advance on-line at www.ctrschool.com/chili. Tickets are available for adults and discounted tickets are available for students, too. In addition, we have sponsorship and underwriting opportunities, and it’s a great way to support our school as all proceeds go to support scholarships and school advancement. We’ve already registered about 20 cook teams (still room for a handful more, however) and they’re ready to compete to see who has the best chili. You can sample it all and so much more by joining us on Nov. 9. Oh, and we’ve also got some great items available in both the live and silent auctions so it promises to be a special night for all ages. Make plans to join us!
... As we enter the final few months of the year please allow me to remind us all of the ongoing Diocesan Services Fund drive. We’re just about $17,000 short of our annual goal as set by Cardinal DiNardo for this year, and if you have not yet made your gift I ask you to do so soon. Remember the DSF funds the more than 60 ministries of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston that no one parish could ever do on its own, but that collectively allows us to offer, among other things, chaplains at the hospitals, food pantry and soup kitchens, ministry to the imprisoned, senior care centers, and outreach to the most needy, in addition to providing training for lay ministers in Religious Education and Youth Ministry. It’s an important work of the Church that benefits many and we all have a role to play. Your pledge of any size helps make it all possible. More than 830 parishioners, including myself, have made their gift already, and I encourage you to join us and do the same. It’s quick and easy at www.archgh.org/dsf. Thank you for your continued support of DSF.
... Remember that October is Respect Life Month and we have several initiatives at the parish to help us honor the dignity of the human person. Allow me to give a shout-out to CtR parishioner Nora Ponder, who does wonderful work with couples and individuals seeking to understand and live the Church's teaching on Natural Family Planning. NFP is a great gift to the Church and her members, and is most definitely a Respect Life issue. To learn more about Nora's work with the Creighton Model of NFP, that aides both fertility and infertility issues, contact her at this link.
... Finally, remember that our CtR Golf tournament is this coming Monday, Oct. 14 at Cypress Lakes Golf Club. Entry fee is only $125 and includes lunch and dinner. Proceeds benefit CAM and youth scholarships from the parish. We still have room for singles and foursomes, so spread the word and make plans to join us. We tee off at 12 noon and you can register at the course the morning of the tournament. Hope to see you there! ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you. See ya’ at Mass!
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