Parish Update – Friday, Oct. 23

Happy Friday to one and all! I pray that all is well with your family and friends. I can’t believe that this is the final week of October, and that we’ll soon begin that mad dash toward the end of the year. When the calendar flips to November the pace of life seems to just naturally pick up, but I’m curious to see how things are this year, when literally nothing has been as it usually is. … We are busy at the parish trying to plan for the upcoming Advent and Christmas schedule (and we’ll let you know as soon as we have it finalized), but to be honest, none of us knows what to expect. We’ll take it as it comes, but remember, God is in control. Whatever comes, God is in control. And thanks be to God for that!

We close out Respect Life Month with the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time this weekend with Jesus responding to yet another “test” from his accusers, this time about which is the greatest commandment. His answer is simple: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.” And then he adds the kicker: “The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” … I always find it interesting – and challenging – to remember that Jesus equates the second to the first. I like to think I do a pretty good job with honoring the first commandment, but I know I need a lot of prayers and help from Jesus to remember to do the second just as well. If you find yourself in the same boat, let’s redouble are efforts to do them both better.

Now, on to the news of the week: 

• Of course, we certainly invite you to please join us for Mass via our livestream on Sunday at 9 a.m. on both our Facebook and YouTube pages. You can find the link to the livestream at www.ctrcc.com/live-stream, and in addition, you’ll find there both a worship aid and a link to the Scripture readings to follow along with Mass. And you can make your weekly offertory contribution online at www.ctrcc.com/donate. If you’d like to join us in person for Mass, we welcome you on Saturday at 5 p.m., or Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

 • In the bulletin this Sunday and for the next few weeks, you will see an announcement about the upcoming ordination to the Diaconate for three men from CtR. This notice is required by Canon Law to be made public, and we’ve done it frequently over the years before all of the ordinations of our deacons. It’s one we never get tired of running, however, as it lets us know that we are about to be blessed – triply so – with new servants of the Gospel! Please pray for David Carrasco, Mike Jones, and Dan Ruvalcaba (and for their respective spouses Ofelia, Mary, and Gabriela) as they enter the homestretch of their formation. We look forward with great joy to their ordination and service to the Church. May God bless them in their ministry.

• The diaconate is a vital ministry of the Church that involves both husband and wife, but it’s not the only one. We also have our Sponsor Couple Ministry, and I encourage couples from the parish to consider giving of your time and talent to assist us in preparing young couples for the Sacrament of Marriage. We’ll give you all the training you need, and you’ll have the support of others parishioners who are doing it, too. Everyone of them has told us that they get out of it so much more than they imagined, and that it has strengthened their union as they walk with engaged couples on the path to their wedding day. It’s a real way to witness to the faith. ... You don’t have to have a “perfect marriage” (as if one existed) to be a Sponsor Couple. You just have to be open and honest about what the Lord is doing in your life. To learn more about how you and your spouse can serve together contact Christy Wright, our Director of Family Life, in the parish office or visit www.ctrcc.com/sponsor-couple-ministry

• Remember our Fall Open House for our CtR Catholic School is set for next Thursday, Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. I know parents are looking at a variety of learning options for their children these days, and I invite you to come explore the gift of a Catholic education at CtR. Our teachers and administrators will be on campus that evening to show you all that CtR Catholic School has to offer. Come see what we offer and learn about how we are engaging our students to achieve academic excellence while growing as disciples in Christ. See www.ctrschool.com for more information (and click here to RSVP). If you don’t have children or grandchildren of your own, please pass the word on to others in your community who might be interested. All are welcome!
 
 • Also note that we are just three weeks away from our 7th annual CtR School Chili Cook-off on Saturday, Nov. 14. We’re going virtual this year – that’s right a virtual cook-off with very real chili! It’s our chief fundraiser in the fall for the school, so I encourage you to please support this year in a new way.

There’s a couple of easy ways to support the Chili Cook-off. First, we invite you to buy a Chili Kit, wherein we’ll provide you just about everything you need to make your own bowl of Texas Red. For $60 you get a CtR reusable bag, bamboo cutting board, ingredients for the chili (save for the meat, for obvious safety reasons; you’re on your own for that!), a terrific CtR Texas Chili Recipe, plus shredded cheese and Fritos (the most important part, in my opinion, along with lots of onions and jalapeños). That’s quite a deal and it makes me hungry just thinking about it! Order your kit at www.ctrschool.com/chili.

Secondly, if you think you’ve got the best chili in the parish, we invite you to enter our “Best Bowl” competition. Put together your team (or do it yourself!) and compete for the top prizes from our panel of expert tasters. Judging will take place on Friday, Nov. 13, and we’ll announce the winners the following day. It’s only $25 to enter your team’s chili, and again, all proceeds go directly to the school. … We’ve also got an on-line auction that will be launched soon, plus t-shirts with a very cool design that are available now. Get all the scoop at www.ctrschool.com/chili and join us in supporting this great community event.

St. John Paul II, whose feast day was yesterday, pray for us!

Peace, Fr. Sean