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February 2022
Saints \
A Stewardship Parish
Volume 19, Issue 2
Our Annual Lenten Mission
Inside 2 Stewardship:
Becoming Fishers of Men and Women
3 The Word of God:
How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It?
4 The Respect Life
Ministry Making a Difference and Upholding the Sanctity of Life
6
Valentine’s Day he Feast of a T Christian Martyr
7 Why Do Catholic Schools Exist?
Our Parish Newsletter: Spreading the news of Christ at work in our community.
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Entering Into the History and Spirituality of the Mass
he sacred season of Lent is an ideal time to renew our spiritual lives, reflect on the passion of Jesus Christ, and to deepen our relationship with Him. While it is often thought of as a time to give up something in our life, it can also be a time to take on something new, such as growing in understanding of our Catholic faith. One way parishioners might consider doing this is through our parish’s annual Lenten Mission. Our former pastor, Fr. Tom Cloherty, will lead this year’s Lenten Mission from March 8 through March 10 at our parish. Fr. Tom Cloherty looks forward to “Lent provides us with a beautiful joining All Saints for this year’s annual opportunity liturgically,” Fr. Tom says. “It Lenten Mission. All are welcome to helps people to carry out that resolve to attend and learn about the spirituality and history of the Mass. deepen their relationship with the Lord.” The main theme of the mission is the history and spirituality of the Mass. The mission takes place over the course of three one-hour evenings, from Tuesday through Thursday. On the first two evenings, Fr. Tom will bring participants through the history and development of the liturgy and spirituality of the Mass. On the final evening, he will accompany Fr. Garrett, continued on back cover
“Lent provides us with a beautiful opportunity liturgically. It helps people to carry out that resolve to deepen their relationship with the Lord.” — Fr. Tom Cloherty
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STEWARDSHIP
Becoming Fishers of Men and Women
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hether you hold a high-profile position, such as parish advisory council (PAC) chairperson or have more of a behind-the scenes role as a coordinator of a ministry at All Saints, God has called you – as a parish leader – to help build His Church. This challenge is just as important as the call of any other Catholic leader, including the earliest disciples. When Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He urged a group of fishermen, “Come follow me.” Jesus promised if they laid down their nets and followed Him, He would make them fishers of men. These men were among His original disciples, and they knew Christ’s call was so important that they left their secular occupation to follow Him. Just as He did with the fishermen, Jesus calls each of us today. He is not necessarily asking us to leave our secular careers, but He is asking us to put Him first in our lives and to share His message of love with others. God truly wants us to serve Him and to build His Church through the secular occupations we have chosen. It is through the Church that new disciples are born, and it is in the Church that disciples continue to mature. Forming disciples of Christ is the most important work that can be done on earth, and each of us has been called to play an active role in this work. So, how do we go about building the Church? Where do we find the plans? Some people mistakenly think that building the Church – in particular, building our own parish or diocese – is no different than building a successful business. Indeed, the purpose of building
the Church is to change hearts – a goal that only God can accomplish. Secular society has not prepared us for this work. However, the Holy Spirit – sometimes referred to as the “Architect of the Church” – has the plan. In order to implement this plan, we must become good listeners. We must open ourselves to the workings of the Holy Spirit as He transforms us and guides us to carry out God’s work and to serve as His instruments on earth, building the Church together with Him. This is where spiritual exercises, such as retreats, come into play. A retreat offers the individual an opportunity to spend time alone with the Lord, allowing God to draw the person deeper into the mystery of who He is, who we are and what He is doing in our lives. Stewardship retreats can offer parish leaders the opportunity each year to spend time with the Lord as He directs them in the ways of discipleship. As leaders, we must take time to meditate on the Scriptures and allow Jesus to open up His Word to us. Then, as we grow deeper in our understanding of what God wants of us, we can exclaim, just as the first disciples did on the road to Emmaus, “Our hearts are burning within us” (Lk 24:32). God has placed an extremely important call on the lives of all parish leaders, no matter how big or small the role. It is vital to understand how we, as parish leaders, can best answer His call. What, in particular, is the Lord calling each one of us to do? He most likely is not asking us to drop our nets, but to pick them up and become “fishers of men.” We must discern how we can most effectively cast our nets for Him.
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A Letter from Our Pastoral Administrator
THE WORD OF GOD:
How Do We Hear It? And How Do We Respond to It? Dear Saints,
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few short weeks ago, we completed our Christmas season. We are now in what we call Ordinary Time — but before long, we will begin Lent. This is one of those rare years when Ash Wednesday is in March — so, Lent does not, of course, begin in February this year. The Gospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We speak often of the Word in the Church. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us? Basically, there are four parts of our celebration of Mass: Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part — the Liturgy of the Word. The main parts of that are a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a Second Reading, the Gospel, and a Homily. We draw on Holy Scripture from the Bible for the readings. As
Catholics, we do not consider that these readings are about God, or about the Church, or about our faith, or a history lesson, or a nice story from long ago. We consider them to be God speaking directly to us. Thus, our attentiveness to what is being proclaimed is important. Are we listening? Do we hear? And then, do we respond in our lives? All of those should be facets of how we approach the Word of God. For us, the Word of God is the living Word. God is speaking to us as a community, and He asks us to be faithful to His Word. If we
pay attention and truly listen, God can nourish our spirit, and Christ can be more real and present to us. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word. However, the question for us is, how do we respond to the Word? Does it change our lives? Does it bring us to the conversion necessary to live lives of stewardship and service? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear, and then to act requires time, practice, commitment, and a desire to fulfill all of this. That is one of my prayers for us — that we can hear the Word, and that we can bring it to life in our own lives and in the lives of others. Remain Ever Blessed,
Fr. Jovita Okoli Pastoral Administrator
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The Respect Life Ministry
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Making a Difference and Upholding the Sanctity of Life
ll life is sacred — and as Catholics, we have a responsibility to protect life and share the truth with others. All Saints’ Respect Life Ministry aims to bring awareness to the atrocity of abortion and promote a pro-life culture in which all lives are treated with respect and dignity. “Our society has degraded the value of life, regardless of who it is — there are so many different things going on that are so egregious,” says ministry leader Jack Falloure. “When it comes to abortion, we’re talking about 63 million children in the United States alone. This is such a large population and it’s just awful. We want to spread the message that all life is valuable.” The ministry, in conjunction with the pro-life efforts of the parish’s Knights of Columbus council, has been active for over 15 years. When previous ministry leader Jim DeSmet began his tenure with the ministry, he and his wife began to pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet in front of local abortion facilities. They — and whoever chose to join them — would pray at an abortion facility every Saturday on all 52 weeks of the year. “Regardless of weather, regardless of anything, they were always in front of an abortion facility praying every Saturday,” Jack says. “They had been doing it for years
and years when I took over the ministry, so I thought it was important to continue it. Usually, we have anywhere from five to 20 people that go every single weekend — sometimes it’s a good number and sometimes it’s a small number, but I always say that as long as there’s even one person, it’s okay. “We’re not there to prevent anyone from doing anything, but we’re there to encourage them to have their child,” he adds. “We do it all through prayer — we don’t get in their faces, or do any kind of counseling. We just want to work through prayer.” Ministry members will meet on Saturdays for the 9 a.m. Mass, and then receive a blessing — as well as the rosaries — before caravanning to the abortion facility. After finishing their prayers, each person receives a blessed rosary, which they then place on a nearby crepe myrtle tree. “We call it the Tree of Rosaries, and it has become very special because we’re trying to fill the tree up with rosaries,” Jack says. “We recently bought 100 rosaries from a local store and will continue to do this until we have used up all 100 — and then we’ll buy more. We really want to cover the entire tree with rosaries as a sign of what’s going on continued on page 5
“Our society has degraded the value of life, regardless of who it is — there are so many different things going on that are so egregious. When it comes to abortion, we’re talking about 63 million children in the United States alone. This is such a large population and it’s just awful. We want to spread the message that all life is valuable.” — Jack Falloure
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The Respect Life Ministry there, and it’s already beautiful to see how many rosaries are already on the tree.” In addition to this initiative, the Respect Life Ministry also participates in the diocesan March for Life, as well as any pro-life activities, events, or fundraisers held through the diocese or parish. They have also recently begun to branch out into other pro-life issues in addition to abortion — for example, in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus, they have worked on initiatives to support and pray for the sick and homebound. “We were working with the Knights to do a Rosary for the Sick just before the parish’s weekly adoration, along with a meditation,” Jack says. “So we decided it would be a good idea to stream this ‘healing Rosary’ and adoration so that the sick and homebound would be able to see it since we’re not able to go to their homes. We have always done Rosaries for the Knights who have passed away, so we thought we should
continued from page 4 also be doing it for the living. We should be helping them, not only in a physical way but also emotionally and spiritually. We need to be involved and do that for them.” Those who have participated in ministry activities have been able to strengthen their own faith, as well. “We have a family of five who come to pray on Saturdays, and those three children know the Rosary better than you and me — they love praying the Rosary with us,” Jack says. “It’s so important of an issue, that I think it’s impossible to participate for any length of time without it having an impact on your personal faith. It increases your faith significantly, and I think it’s really impacted people in that way.” If you would like more information about the Respect Life Ministry, or to get involved, please contact Jack Falloure at prolifeisright@gmail.com.
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C
Valentine’s Day The Feast of a Christian Martyr
andy, flowers, romantic dinners, and excuses for wooing are the common traditions we associate with the once-pagan holiday known as Valentine’s Day. Dangling cupids, candy “message” hearts, and faux long-stemmed roses clutter every card store, waiting for that last-minute purchase. The question is — how did this overcommercialized holiday really begin? There are a few stories surrounding the history of Feb. 14 and St. Valentine himself, all dating back to the Roman Empire. The 14th day of February was a day set aside to honor the goddess Juno, queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. The following day, Feb. 15, began the feast of Lupercalia — a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. As part of the festival traditions, there was a name drawing among the young people. The names of young Roman women were written on slips of paper and placed into a jar. Each young man would draw a young woman’s name from the jar, and the two would be partners for the duration of the festival. Sometimes the pairing lasted an entire year, and often, the couple would fall in love and later marry. At the time, Emperor Claudius II was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns, and he was
having a difficult time recruiting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that soldiers were reluctant to join because they did not want to leave their loves or families. With this in mind, Claudius decreed all marriages and engagements cancelled in Rome. During this time, St. Valentine was a priest in Rome, and he and St. Marius secretly married young couples. For this, St. Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who sentenced him to be beaten and then executed by beheading. He suffered this martyrdom on Feb. 14, around the year 270 AD. Before his death, it is said that St. Valentine left a note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine.” Although the truth behind the St. Valentine’s legend is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and, most importantly, romantic figure. It is no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. Over time, Feb. 14 became a time for lovers to exchange sweet messages, making St. Valentine the patron saint of lovers. The date was often commemorated with the sending of poems and simple gifts. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that
Feb. 14 was the beginning of the avian mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine’s Day — should be a day for romance.
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Why Do Catholic Schools Exist?
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By COLIN CAMPBELL, President at All Saints Catholic School (Article originally published in the Catholic Neighbors Magazine)
am the product of 16-plus years of Catholic education and have found a vocation in continuing to work in and around Catholic schools for my entire career thus far. In the 12 months leading up to May 2021, more than 200 Catholic schools around America closed their doors, my own high school alma mater in a small town in Ohio was one of them. So, over the last year I’ve found myself regularly reflecting on the “why” behind Catholic Education and I’ve continued to come back to two core reasons, though by no means are they the only ones. So why do Catholic schools exist? And why is it so important that we work to support them? To support parents in their primary role There is no work more important than raising children and the Catholic Church recognizes that parents are the primary educators. Catholic schools pride themselves on working hand in hand with parents in the education of their children and it doesn’t take too many headlines to see that the same cannot always be said for every school or school district. The community that surrounds a Catholic school also helps parents realize that they are not alone. There are so many other families asking the same questions, making the same decisions, and navigating the same realities. Having a strong, faithfilled community to rely on is central, especially as the moral fibers of our society seem to be fraying. To evangelize by both teaching and by witness Catholic education is and should be the work of the entire Catholic Church. The young people who walk in the door of a Catholic school every day are somewhere on their faith journey, just like you or I. Where else in the modern world can a sixthgrader turn to answer some of life’s biggest questions? It’s unlikely that they are going to ask their parents, and in many other schools they aren’t even allowed to ask! No, Catholic schools are not evaluated based on how many students they convert or confirm, but we would be naive if we don’t recognize that, as they say, “more is caught than taught.” Whether it’s programming a Sphero robot or playing on the volleyball team, doing it in a Catholic environment encourages students to see the beauty of a Catholic faith well lived and it may encourage them to dig a little deeper into that faith for themselves. If you agree, please support your local Catholic school. If you have children or grandchildren, come visit All Saints or another one of our great local Catholic schools. We want to share the amazing things that are happening here every day and we don’t take lightly the charge that we have been given to help our parents raise these children in the faith.
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Our Annual Lenten Mission who will celebrate the Mass, and Fr. Tom will provide some commentary as the Mass goes along, explaining why and how the liturgy happens the way it does. “We can draw closer into our relationship with the Lord Himself, especially during such a sacred season,” Fr. Tom says. This particular theme holds importance for all believers, given that the Eucharist is at the center of our belief — what Fr. Tom refers to it as an essential element, the summit of our faith. The COVID-19 pandemic created some obstacles to the in-person celebration of the Mass, and Fr. Tom hopes this retreat will help parishioners experience a deeper hunger and appreciation for the Eucharist. The mission is an opportunity for parishioners to return to in-person
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worship and reconnect to the summit of their faith lives. Being only three weeknight sessions, the mission is ideal for anyone in the parish to experience Lent in a deeper way, without a large time commitment. Fr. Tom encourages all parishioners to consider participating in the mission. “It is one hour out of the whole day, an opportunity to come and be open to receiving how the Lord wants to touch and grace your life,” he says. The Lenten Mission will take place March 8-10 at All Saints, from 7 to 8 p.m. For more information, please contact the parish office at 972-661-9282.
5231 MEADOWCREEK DRIVE ● DALLAS, TX 75248 ● (972) 661-9282 Mass Schedule Weekday Liturgy: Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. | Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Weekend Liturgy: Saturday, 5:00 p.m. | Sunday, 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m.
