Dear friends in Christ,
This, That & the Other ... With Thanksgiving in just a couple of days, TT&O is coming to you early this week. Fr. Vincent, our deacons, and the parish staff joins me in wishing you all a safe and blessed holiday. God has richly blessed us all in many and varied ways so it is only right to give him thanks and praise. Remember, our word “Eucharist” means “Thanksgiving” and there is no better way to give thanks to God than by receiving him faithfully in Holy Communion and then going forth to be Christ for others. … We’ll celebrate Mass at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day in the church, and if you’d like to bring a few food items that you’ll be serving later that day, we’ll bless them at the end of Mass as a way of connecting the altar of Thanksgiving of the Lord to our own tables of Thanksgiving in our homes.
... When you come to Mass this weekend it will be the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the season of waiting patiently for the Lord. While everyone else is speeding up amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays, try slowing down and listening for the voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” … Also as you enter the church, take notice of how fresh it looks. We’re grateful for the more than 70 parishioners who came Monday morning for our Day of Service to clean the nooks and crannies of the pews, polish windows, and give the church, chapel, and Parish Hall a thorough sprucing up from head to toe. It looks (and smells) great!
... Remember that we will once again have our annual Toy and Gift Drive for the children of our sister parish, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Thanks to the great efforts of Tim Herbert from CtR we’ve developed a tradition of delivering gifts to the children of this small, but faith-filled inner-city parish. Tim is hoping this will be our most generous year yet and I know with your help we can deliver on that promise. We’ll collect the gifts at Mass and deliver them on Saturday, Dec. 21. Plan now when you are at the store to pick up an extra item or two that might brighten the day of a young boy or girl at OMOM.
... A little closer to home we will again be participating in what we call The Giving Tree, our annual collection of Christmas gift cards for Cypress Assistance Ministry. This weekend we pass out simple Christmas cards that you are encouraged to take and return the following two weeks with a gift card from a local merchant (think Wal-Mart, Target, HEB, etc. as they seem to be the most popular options) and a short Christmas note and greeting. We’ll collect all the gift cards and distribute them through CAM to the many needy families in the Cypress area. Of course, you may use your own Christmas card, or if you just want to drop off the gift card itself, that’s more than fine, too.
... Next Tuesday, Dec. 3, is #Giving Tuesday, following on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I ask you to consider making a donation to CtR on Giving Tuesday as a way furthering our mission to bring the Gospel to all people. You might consider a gift to the Diocesan Service Fund (DSF) or to our Living Our Mission Capital Campaign for the Redeemer Activity Center to help us retire our debt. The RAC campaign will be wrapping up on Dec. 31 of this year so if you haven’t yet fulfilled your pledge, I encourage you to do so. Any size gift would be a great blessing to us. You can do so on the front page of our website at www.ctrcc.com. Thank you for remembering CtR at the end of the year and especially on #Giving Tuesday!
... Our parish bulletin advertising representative, Javier Aguilera, is in our office this week through Wednesday and will be again next week. If you operate a business, please consider placing an ad in the bulletin. We publish 1,800 bulletins every week which go out to households across the Cypress and northwest Houston area. It’s a great way to get the name of your company out in front of the greater Catholic community. Make sure you use the bulletin when you are in the market for goods and services and tell businesses you saw their ad in the CtR bulletin. I often see comments on Facebook of parishioners seeking asking recommendations for a particular trade or service, and I always respond, “Look at the back of your CtR bulletin!” There are many fellow parishioners who are ready to respond to your needs, from car repair, to real estate, to plumbing, to tax service, and so much more. … I also encourage you to take a bulletin with you when you go to a shop or store that advertises with us and thank them for their support. Ads of all sizes are available and it helps us print the bulletin at no cost to the parish. You can also use it promote a parish organization or place a personal memorial ad such as “Pray for Vocations,” or “In Memory of ...” Call the parish (281-469-5533) and Javier will be happy to help you reserve your ad space.
... Our parish offices will be closed beginning at 12 noon tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 27 and will re-open on Monday, Dec. 2. In addition, there will be no confessions or Mass on Wednesday, Nov. 27, the night before Thanksgiving. Both will resume the following week, along with the Wednesday morning school Mass. ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you. See ya’ at Mass! Happy Thanksgiving!
This, That & the Other ... With Thanksgiving in just a couple of days, TT&O is coming to you early this week. Fr. Vincent, our deacons, and the parish staff joins me in wishing you all a safe and blessed holiday. God has richly blessed us all in many and varied ways so it is only right to give him thanks and praise. Remember, our word “Eucharist” means “Thanksgiving” and there is no better way to give thanks to God than by receiving him faithfully in Holy Communion and then going forth to be Christ for others. … We’ll celebrate Mass at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day in the church, and if you’d like to bring a few food items that you’ll be serving later that day, we’ll bless them at the end of Mass as a way of connecting the altar of Thanksgiving of the Lord to our own tables of Thanksgiving in our homes.
... When you come to Mass this weekend it will be the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the season of waiting patiently for the Lord. While everyone else is speeding up amidst the hustle and bustle of the holidays, try slowing down and listening for the voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” … Also as you enter the church, take notice of how fresh it looks. We’re grateful for the more than 70 parishioners who came Monday morning for our Day of Service to clean the nooks and crannies of the pews, polish windows, and give the church, chapel, and Parish Hall a thorough sprucing up from head to toe. It looks (and smells) great!
... Remember that we will once again have our annual Toy and Gift Drive for the children of our sister parish, Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Thanks to the great efforts of Tim Herbert from CtR we’ve developed a tradition of delivering gifts to the children of this small, but faith-filled inner-city parish. Tim is hoping this will be our most generous year yet and I know with your help we can deliver on that promise. We’ll collect the gifts at Mass and deliver them on Saturday, Dec. 21. Plan now when you are at the store to pick up an extra item or two that might brighten the day of a young boy or girl at OMOM.
... A little closer to home we will again be participating in what we call The Giving Tree, our annual collection of Christmas gift cards for Cypress Assistance Ministry. This weekend we pass out simple Christmas cards that you are encouraged to take and return the following two weeks with a gift card from a local merchant (think Wal-Mart, Target, HEB, etc. as they seem to be the most popular options) and a short Christmas note and greeting. We’ll collect all the gift cards and distribute them through CAM to the many needy families in the Cypress area. Of course, you may use your own Christmas card, or if you just want to drop off the gift card itself, that’s more than fine, too.
... Next Tuesday, Dec. 3, is #Giving Tuesday, following on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I ask you to consider making a donation to CtR on Giving Tuesday as a way furthering our mission to bring the Gospel to all people. You might consider a gift to the Diocesan Service Fund (DSF) or to our Living Our Mission Capital Campaign for the Redeemer Activity Center to help us retire our debt. The RAC campaign will be wrapping up on Dec. 31 of this year so if you haven’t yet fulfilled your pledge, I encourage you to do so. Any size gift would be a great blessing to us. You can do so on the front page of our website at www.ctrcc.com. Thank you for remembering CtR at the end of the year and especially on #Giving Tuesday!
... Our parish bulletin advertising representative, Javier Aguilera, is in our office this week through Wednesday and will be again next week. If you operate a business, please consider placing an ad in the bulletin. We publish 1,800 bulletins every week which go out to households across the Cypress and northwest Houston area. It’s a great way to get the name of your company out in front of the greater Catholic community. Make sure you use the bulletin when you are in the market for goods and services and tell businesses you saw their ad in the CtR bulletin. I often see comments on Facebook of parishioners seeking asking recommendations for a particular trade or service, and I always respond, “Look at the back of your CtR bulletin!” There are many fellow parishioners who are ready to respond to your needs, from car repair, to real estate, to plumbing, to tax service, and so much more. … I also encourage you to take a bulletin with you when you go to a shop or store that advertises with us and thank them for their support. Ads of all sizes are available and it helps us print the bulletin at no cost to the parish. You can also use it promote a parish organization or place a personal memorial ad such as “Pray for Vocations,” or “In Memory of ...” Call the parish (281-469-5533) and Javier will be happy to help you reserve your ad space.
... Our parish offices will be closed beginning at 12 noon tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 27 and will re-open on Monday, Dec. 2. In addition, there will be no confessions or Mass on Wednesday, Nov. 27, the night before Thanksgiving. Both will resume the following week, along with the Wednesday morning school Mass. ... Lastly, and most importantly, God loves you. See ya’ at Mass! Happy Thanksgiving!
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