Dear friends in Christ,
This, That & the Other ... Merry Christmas! Yes, it’s still Christmas. In fact, today is the 9th day of Christmas, so if you happen to see nine ladies dancing, do not be alarmed. ... This weekend we celebrate the
Solemnity of the Epiphany. Just as the wise men from the East long ago journeyed to see the newborn child Jesus, we too are called to do Him homage as well. Where do we see God manifested in our world today? How do others see Christ manifested in us? Let us pray that we will see Him in all people and all places in this coming year. … Christians first celebrated the Epiphany (or “the manifestation”) in northern Africa sometime during the 3rd century. This means our Church first celebrated the “Day of the Three Kings” even before we observed Christmas itself. In many parts of the world, Epiphany is celebrated on Jan. 6, traditionally following the 12th night of Christmas of Jan. 5, but in the United States it now is celebrated on the first Sunday after Jan. 1, regardless of the day. (This year we just about hit the date on the nose.) The following Sunday, Jan. 12, will be the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and that will conclude our liturgical season of Christmas.
… As we get back into the swing of things after the Christmas and New Year’s break I encourage us all to commit to going deeper into our Catholic faith. If you’ve been looking for some way to jump start your spiritual dive consider joining us for one of a series of presentations we have scheduled entitled, appropriately enough,
Renew and Refresh Your Faith in 2020.
Deacon Jack Alexander, our Director of Adult Faith Formation, has put together a series of seven Monday night talks over the next two months that will look at different aspects of how we live our Catholic faith with an intentionality focused on God and the Church. ... The first session is this
Monday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m. in Room 208 and it will be on the Foundations of the Faith with the Church Fathers. Others will follow in the coming weeks on Mary and the Saints, the Mass, the Creed, and other aspects of the faith. … These sessions are open for everyone – for those who have been away from the Church, those who have questions about the Church, or for those who attend Mass every Sunday and just want to be better informed. Attend one class or all. For more information follow this
link and come join us on an upcoming Monday night.
... If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to find a ministry that you and your spouse can do together (and I know many of you have shared with me that you’d be interested in something like that), join us this Sunday, Jan. 5 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 112 of the parish office for an information meeting for
Teams of Our Lady (ToOL). It’s a great ministry for couples who are looking for Christ in their marriage and their everyday life. … ToOL is one of my favorite ministries we offer at CtR because it does so much to strengthen couples in their love for one another and the Church and it is done together, just as the two have become one in the Sacrament of Marriage. For more information or if you can’t make it but would like to know more, follow this
link. The meeting will be about an hour (done in time to attend 5 p.m. Mass if you like) and childcare is available.
... Due to a scheduling change, we’ve moved our upcoming discernment for new members of our
Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) from Saturday, Jan. 11 to Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. It it my hope that many of you will want to come out for the discernment, and certainly if you know of a parishioners who you think would make a good candidate for the PPC, please let me know and I’ll invite them to join us. … The PPC is an advisory board to me as pastor of the parish and is one of the chief ways that the parishioners participate in the life and mission of the Church. The PPC is comprised of 12 parishioners and we rotate membership every year to get new people and new ideas involved. They are a representative body, not a body of representatives. They serve in a consultative role, and are meant not to deal with the daily operations of the parish, but rather as a forward-looking body. They help identify present and future needs of the parishioners and consult with me on ways we can best achieve those goals. ... To serve on the PPC one must be an active parishioner with a demonstrated commitment to the life of the parish, be willing to engage in spiritual growth and skills development, and to work collaboratively with others. … Pray on it, and then
let me know your interest or someone you’d like to nominate. You can
email at this link or just catch me after Mass in the narthex.
... Remember that this weekend is the first full weekend of the month and we always designate that as
Food Pantry Sunday for Cypress Assistance Ministry. Bring non-perishable items to Mass and drop them in the narthex baskets and we’’ll see that they get to families in need in our area right away. You can bring them any week, but the first weekend of each month is our special emphasis to get the word out. … Also, don’t forget that this weekend our
Religious Education classes resume following the Christmas break. … Lastly, and most importantly,
God loves you! See ya’ at Mass!