Contributors: Justin Medina, Brian Pendleton, Sr. Mary Carina Schmid
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INSIDE
INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP MICHAEL MULVEY: Discern God’s Will
ENTREVISTA CON OBISPO MICHAEL MULVEY: Discernir la voluntad de Dios
WHAT IS DISCERNMENT?: Some reflections by Pope Francis on this practice that the Church has carried out since its beginning
¿QUÉ ES EL DISCERNIMIENTO?: Algunas reflexiones del Papa Francisco sobre esta práctica que la Iglesia lleva a cabo desde sus inicios
DISCERNING A VOCATION TO THE PRIESTHOOD: “I needed to move forward if I wanted to find out”
A DEEP DESIRE IN MY HEART: How a call to give everything to God persisted over the years
BEING PART OF THEIR JOURNEY: Vocation Teams in the parishes support seminarians and raise awareness for vocations in general
LISTENING AND LEARNING IN A GLOBAL CLASSROOM: Learning how to build a synodal Church in an international course Pic: caption Speakers and attendees are located in all parts of the world
Sr. Mary Carina Schmid felt called by God as a teenager.
participant in an international course on synodality is from Corpus Christi
AN UPDATE ON THE PROJECT: The Corpus Christi Cathedral will undergo a renovation in 2025
BIOETHICS 101: Why it is not the best idea to bring back the woolly mammoth by splicing its genes into elephants
DO WHAT HELPS YOU GROW: Lent is a season to grow closer to Godhere is some advice by Fr. Mike Schmitz
FOLLOWING JESUS: Discerning the Will of God: “I came down from heaven to do the will of the one who sent me” (Jn 6:38)
SIGUIENDO A JESÚS: Discernir la voluntad de Dios: “He bajado del cielo para hacer la voluntad del que me envió” (Juan 6,38)
A YEAR TO START ANEW: The Jubilee Year of Hope: Many celebrations in Rome and on the diocesan level
The apse of the Cathedral was designed by an Italian studio.
ON THE COVER: Fr. Raymond Pendleton at his ordination with Ray and Dorothy Garza. Courtesy of Dorothy Garza.
Submit your News and Stories! Send us your parish, school, ministry news stories, pictures and calendar events via our online form at diocesecc.org/send-news or via email to stc@diocesecc.org . If you have any questions, call STC at (361)693-6609 We are looking forward to hearing from you!
Bishop Michael Mulvey and the staff of the Office for Safe Environment and Child and Family Resources are committed to assisting those who have faced abuse of any kind. For immediate assistance, support, and referral information, please call Victim Assistance Coordinator Stephanie Bonilla at (361) 693-6686.
El obispo Michael Mulvey y el personal de la Oficina del Medio Ambiente Seguridad y Recursos para Niños y Familias están comprometidos a ayudar a aquellos que han sufrido abusos de cualquier tipo. Para asistencia inmediata, apoyo e información de referencia, llame al Coordinador de Asistencia a Víctimas Stephanie Bonilla al (361) 693-6686.
In the spirit of proper stewardship, the Diocese of Corpus Christi encourages reporting any financial abuse concerns or related issues. Report confidentially to: financialconcerns@diocesecc.org
En el espíritu de una administración adecuada, la Diócesis de Corpus Christi alienta a informar cualquier inquietud de abuso financiero o problemas relacionados. Informe confidencialmente a: financialconcerns@diocesecc.org
INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP MICHAEL MULVEY
Discern God’s Will
Pope Francis and many people in the Church always talk about discernment. What is discernment? How do you discern well?
Bishop Mulvey: We need to properly understand what discernment means. Sometimes people say, “Well, I’ll go discern about that,” but what they really mean is, “I’ll see what I think.” Ultimately, this involves analyzing my opinion and experience – it’s about me. In contrast, true Christian discernment is about understanding God’s will.
What is my ultimate discernment? It is my destination: eternal life, the kingdom of God. Within that context of my final goal, I have to discern what aligns with that, not what serves my own desires, because what I might prefer may not bring me closer to eternal life. In discernment, one must put the ego aside and open oneself to the deeper dimension of life, God, and His will. Otherwise, we risk settling for temporary satisfaction and end up miserable because we didn’t follow God’s will.
To discern well, I must follow several steps: I have to know God’s Word, allow myself to be challenged by it, be willing to open myself to it, and be open to the Holy Spirit because discernment is
rooted in life in the Spirit. St. John says we have to “test the spirits” (1 Jn 4:1): Is it mine or is it God’s? Do I have “the mind of Christ,” as Paul wrote to the Corinthians (see 1 Cor 2:16)? Christ Himself identifies the ability “to let go of myself and listen to the Holy Spirit” as a condition to discern well. A good decision cannot contradict the Word of God or the Church, nor can it contradict who I am as a person. We can always trust in the Holy Spirit.
Is discernment only happening between God and me, or can other people be helpful in this process?
Bishop Mulvey: It involves many different “voices,” yet they should all be directed toward the same goal. The Holy Spirit also speaks through others, even if they do not intend it. On several occasions, someone would say something to me, and I recognized it was the Holy Spirit using their words to touch my soul.
I can draw from my own vocation as an example because I knew I wanted to be a priest in second grade. My parish priest deeply inspired me, and my second-grade teacher, a religious sister, often spoke about vocations, which brought
the idea of becoming a priest to my mind.
When I was in eighth grade, some priests came to my school to talk about the minor seminary, and I thought that was the right path for me. I was so excited and told my parents, but they were both very clear – “No!” Of course, I didn’t like that response because I believed attending the minor seminary would fulfill God’s will. However, my dad said, “Until you graduate high school, your formation is here with the family.”
As the years went by, I came to realize that this was part of the discernment process. God used my father and mother to guide me towards His will, and they continued to shape me as a person. Even after high school, I didn’t go directly to the seminary; instead, I attended college in Austin, but the thought of pursuing my vocation never left me. In other words, discernment is an ongoing journey in our daily lives.
I was quite close to the pastor in my parish at that time. One Sunday—it was Mission Sunday— he spoke about what it meant to be a missionary, asking, “Who knows if someone in our pews is called today to be a missionary?” I wanted to jump out of my skin and say, “Here I am.” When I got home, I told my parents I wanted to become a missionary. My dad replied, “Wait a minute, you’re moving too fast. Go and talk to Father.” So, I did, and through our conversation, I came to realize that my path was probably not a missionary life but to join the diocesan priests. If God had called me further, I would have understood it later. I have always been guided, which requires letting go of one’s ego and not resisting God’s voice as a spiritual guide.
Today, many people don’t even think about a possible vocation anymore. Is there anything that could be done in parishes to raise awareness?
Bishop Mulvey: Before I leave as a bishop, I hope to set up Vocation Teams in parishes. We will offer some training, but it’s just what everyone can do: listen, walk together…
I hope we can empower individuals in each parish who are willing to listen to others and discern alongside them, serve as a sounding board, and keep this topic ongoing. As many great saints have said, the true sign of discernment is love. If you love the young people in your parish, pay attention to what is stirring in their hearts; you can assist them in their discernment.
As we approach Easter, how can we live this Lenten season well?
Bishop Mulvey: We all know that fasting is an essential part of Lent. Fasting doesn’t just apply to material things like food; we could also fast from some of our hard-held opinions and beliefs. Many people become absorbed by ideas that may not be in line with our faith.
Many perspectives on the world and people are shaped by negative ideas and thoughts fostered by the media. Perhaps we could let go of that and offer our thoughts to God in prayer, seeking His guidance: What does God desire for me? What does God wish for our country? What does God want for our church? Then, we should begin to listen to God rather than to the myriad of human voices surrounding us. This practice will inspire greater hope within us as individuals and as a community.
ENTREVISTA CON OBISPO MICHAEL MULVEY
Discernir la voluntad de Dios
El Papa Francisco y muchas personas en la Iglesia hablan siempre de discernimiento. ¿Qué es el discernimiento? ¿Cómo discernir bien?
Obispo Mulvey: Tenemos que entender bien lo que significa el discernimiento. A veces la gente dice: «Bueno, voy a discernir sobre eso», pero lo que realmente quieren decir es: «Voy a ver qué pienso». En última instancia, esto implica analizar mi opinión y mi experiencia: se trata de mí. En contraste, el verdadero discernimiento cristiano consiste en comprender la voluntad de Dios.
¿Cuál es mi último discernimiento? Es mi destino: la vida eterna, el reino de Dios. Dentro del contexto de mi meta final, tengo que discernir lo que se alinea con ella, no lo que sirve a mis propios deseos, porque lo que yo prefiero puede ser que no me acerque a la vida eterna. En el discernimiento, hay que dejar al lado el ego y dar paso la dimensión más profunda de la vida, la de Dios y de su voluntad. De lo contrario, corremos el riesgo de conformarnos con una satisfacción temporal y acabar sintiéndonos miserablemente por no haber seguido la voluntad de Dios.
Para discernir bien, debo seguir varios pasos: Tengo que conocer la Palabra de Dios, dejarme
interpelar por ella, estar dispuesto a abrirme a ella y estar abierto al Espíritu Santo, porque el discernimiento tiene sus raíces en la vida en el Espíritu. San Juan dice que tenemos que «probar los espíritus» (1 Jn 4,1): ¿Es mío o es de Dios? ¿Tengo «la mente de Cristo», como escribió Pablo a los Corintios (véase 1 Co 2,16)? Cristo mismo identifica la capacidad de «desprenderme de mí mismo y escuchar al Espíritu Santo» como condición para discernir bien.
Una buena decisión no puede contradecir la palabra de Dios o de la Iglesia, ni puede contradecir lo que yo soy como persona. Siempre podemos confiar en el Espíritu Santo.
¿El discernimiento sólo se da entre Dios y yo, o pueden otras personas ser útiles en este proceso?
Obispo Mulvey: Esto puede incluir muchas «voces» diferentes, pero todas deben dirigirse hacia el mismo objetivo. El Espíritu Santo también habla a través de otros, aunque no lo hayan hecho intencionadamente. En varias ocasiones, alguien me dijo algo, y reconocí que era el Espíritu Santo quien usaba sus palabras para tocar mi alma.
Puedo poner como ejemplo mi propia vocación, porque supe que quería ser sacerdote en el segundo
grado. Mi párroco me inspiró profundamente, y mi maestra de segundo grado, una religiosa, hablaba a menudo de vocaciones, lo que me trajo a la mente la idea de ser sacerdote.
Cuando estaba en octavo, unos sacerdotes vinieron a mi colegio para hablarme del seminario menor, y pensé que ése era el camino adecuado para mí. Estaba muy ilusionado y se lo conté a mis padres, pero ambos fueron muy claros: «¡No!». Por supuesto, no me gustó esa respuesta porque creía que el asistir al seminario menor cumpliría la voluntad de Dios. Sin embargo, mi padre me dijo: «Hasta que te gradúes de la escuela secundaria, tu formación está aquí, con la familia».
Con el paso de los años, llegué a darme cuenta de que esto formaba parte del proceso de discernimiento. Dios utilizó a mi padre y a mi madre para guiarme hacia Su voluntad, y ellos siguieron formándome como persona. Incluso después de la escuela secundaria, en lugar de ir directamente al seminario; asistí a la universidad en Austin, pero la idea de seguir mi vocación nunca me abandonó. En otras palabras, el discernimiento es un camino continuo en nuestra vida cotidiana.
En aquella época, tenía una relación muy estrecha con el párroco de mi parroquia. Un domingo -era el Domingo de las Misiones- habló de lo que significaba ser misionero, preguntando: «¿Quién sabe de alguien sentado en nuestros bancos quien está llamado hoy a ser misionero?». Yo quería saltar de mi piel y decir: «Aquí estoy». Cuando llegué a casa, les dije a mis padres que quería ser misionero. Mi padre me contestó: «Espera un momento, te estás apresurando mucho. Ve a hablar con el pastor».
Así lo hice y, a través de nuestra conversación, me di cuenta de que mi camino probablemente no era la vida misionera, sino unirme a los sacerdotes diocesanos. Si Dios me hubiera llamado a ser mas, ya lo comprendería más tarde. Siempre me he dejado guiar, esto requiere desprenderse del propio ego y no resistirse a la voz de Dios como guía espiritual.
Hoy en día, muchas personas ya ni siquiera piensan en la posibilidad de seguir una vocacion. ¿Hay algo que se pueda hacer en las parroquias para concientizar a la gente?
Obispo Mulvey: Antes de retirarme como obispo, espero crear equipos para la educación de vocaciones en las parroquias. Ofreceremos alguna formación, pero es lo que cada uno puede hacer: escuchar, caminar juntos...
Espero que podamos capacitar a individuos en cada parroquia que estén dispuestos a escuchar a otros y discernir junto a ellos, servir como caja de resonancia, y mantener este tema vigente ante la congregación. Como dicen los grandes santos
católicos, el verdadero signo del discernimiento es el amor. Si amas a los jóvenes de tu parroquia, presta atención a lo que se mueve en sus corazones; puedes ayudarles en su discernimiento.
Ahora que nos acercamos a la Pascua, ¿cómo podemos vivir bien este tiempo de Cuaresma? Obispo Mulvey: Todos sabemos que el ayuno es una parte esencial de la Cuaresma. El ayuno no sólo se aplica a cosas materiales como la comida; también podríamos ayunar de algunas de nuestras opiniones y creencias más arraigadas. Muchos concluyen por absorberse en ideas que pueden estar en contra de nuestra fe.
Muchas perspectivas sobre el mundo y las personas están moldeadas por ideas y pensamientos negativos fomentados por los medios de comunicación. Tal vez podríamos desprendernos de eso y ofrecer nuestros pensamientos a Dios en oración, buscando su guía: ¿Qué desea Dios para mí? ¿Qué desea Dios para nuestro país? ¿Qué desea Dios para nuestra Iglesia? Entonces, deberíamos empezar a escuchar a Dios más que a la miríada de voces humanas que nos rodean. Esta práctica nos inspirará a una mayor esperanza como individuos y como comunidad.
DISCERNMENT IS NOT A NEW INVENTION – IN FACT, THE CHURCH HAS DONE IT FROM ITS BEGINNING
What is Discernment? Some Thoughts by Pope Francis
BY STC
In the Fall of 2022, Pope Francis held a Catechesis on Discernment as a preparation for the Synod on Synodality.
“Discernment is a spiritual understanding and an experiential knowledge of how God is active in daily life that is acquired through disciplined spiritual practice. Discernment is faithful living and listening to God’s love and direction so that we can fulfill our individual calling and shared mission.” Henri Nouwen
The entire Church discerns from its beginning. In the 15th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, the Council of Jerusalem had to decide whether the Gentiles converting to Christianity needed to follow the Jewish Law. Paul and Barnabas shared how God was working among the Gentiles, while Peter and the elders discerned that the new converts only needed to follow some basic guidelines (see Acts 15).
It was a revolution: at a time when society was still highly status-bound, like in the Roman and Greek cultures, Christians embraced a distinctive
commitment to broad consultation and open-ended dialogue—giving dignity to all.
After several centuries of frequent and widely participated synods in both the Eastern and Western branches of the Christian Church, the frequency and scope of such gatherings declined. Travel became perilous during centuries marked by warfare, and consistent with the feudal system of the Middle Ages, Church authorities considered extensive consultation less necessary. Things changed with the rise of democracy. While always emphasizing
Wikicommons
that the Church is not a democracy, the concept of “the Church as the people of God” emerged in Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) and other Vatican II documents. These documents revived a participatory spirit within Roman Catholicism. Pope Paul VI initiated regular meetings of the Worldwide Synod of Bishops; since the late 1960s, the bishops have gathered every three years.
However, these meetings shifted from gatherings where everyone could speak and share freely to meticulously organized and choreographed conferences. In this format, the original intent—to discern and read the “signs of the times”—became impossible.
As a trained Jesuit, Pope Francis is well-versed in discernment, an essential aspect of his spirituality. He aims to introduce this concept to the entire Church through the Synod on Synodality. Discernment plays a significant role in this initiative—it involves making personal decisions about important aspects of life and collective discernment within the Church community, such as parishes, dioceses and global leadership. In a 2022 Catechesis on Discernment, the Pope clarified what discernment entails and how everyone can cultivate this skill.
Everyone has to decide
“Everyone has to make decisions; no one can make them for us. At a certain point, adults can freely ask for advice and reflect, but the decision is our own… In order to decide well, it is necessary to know how to discern.” (August 31, 2022)
It won’t be easy
“Discernment... involves hard work. According to the Bible, we do not find set before us, pre-packaged, the life we are to live. No! We have to decide it all the time, according to the reality that comes. God invites us to evaluate and choose: He created us free and wants us to exercise our freedom. Therefore, discerning is demanding.
“We have often had this experience: choosing something that seemed good to us yet was not. Or knowing what our true good was and not choosing it. Human beings, unlike animals, can be wrong and unwilling to choose correctly. And the Bible shows this from its very first pages. God gives man a precise instruction: if you want to live, if you want to enjoy life, remember that you are a creature, that you are not the criterion of good and evil, and that the choices you make will have a consequence, for you, for others and the world (cf. Gen 2:16-17); you can make the earth a magnificent garden, or you can make it a desert of death. A fundamental teaching: it is no coincidence that this is the first dialogue between God and man. The dialogue is: the Lord gives the mission, you have to do this and
that, and with every step people take, they have to discern which decision to make. Discernment is the reflection of the mind and heart that we have to do before making a decision.
“Discernment is demanding but indispensable for living. It requires that I know myself and what is good for me here and now. Above all, it requires a filial relationship with God. God is Father, and He does not leave us alone; he is always willing to advise, encourage, and welcome us. But He never imposes His will. Why? Because He wants to be loved and not feared. Also, God wants children, not slaves: free children. And love can only be lived in freedom. To learn to live, one must learn to love, and for this, it is necessary to discern: what can I do now, faced with this alternative? Let it be a sign of greater love and maturity in love. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us! Let us invoke Him every day, especially when we have choices to make.” (August 31, 2022)
Reading the signs of the Lord
“Discernment is the aid in recognizing the signals with which the Lord makes himself known in unexpected, even unpleasant situations, as the wounded leg was for Ignatius. A life-changing encounter can arise from them forever, as in the case of Ignatius. Something can arise that makes you better along the way, or worse, I don’t know, but being attentive: the most beautiful narrative thread comes from the unexpected: “How do I act in view of this?” May the Lord help us listen to our hearts and see when it is He who acts and when it is not.”
(September 21, 2022)
Unsplash/Mark Konig
Our faith journey is not always straight: “God invites us to evaluate and choose.”
An indispensable prerequisite
“Today, we focus on the first of its fundamental elements, which is prayer. To discern, we need to be in a state of prayer.
“Prayer is an indispensable aid for spiritual discernment, especially when it involves the affective dimension, enabling us to address God with simplicity and familiarity, as one would speak to a friend. It is knowing how to go beyond thoughts, to enter into intimacy with the Lord, with an affectionate spontaneity. The secret of the lives of the saints is familiarity and confidence with God, which grows within them and makes it ever easier to recognize what is pleasing to Him. True prayer is familiarity with and confidence in God. It is not reciting prayers like a parrot, blah, blah, blah, no. True prayer is this spontaneity and affection for the Lord. This familiarity overcomes fear or doubt that His will is not for our good, a temptation that sometimes runs through our thoughts and makes our heart restless, uncertain, or even bitter.” (September 28, 2022)
Know your own life story
“Often, we too have had St. Augustine’s experience, of finding ourselves imprisoned by thoughts that lead us away from ourselves, stereotypical messages that harm us: for example, ‘I am worthless’ — and it gets you down; ‘everything goes wrong for me’ — and it gets you down; ‘I will never achieve anything worthwhile’ — and it gets you down.
“Reading one’s own history also means recognizing the presence of these ‘toxic’ elements, but to then broaden our narrative, learning to notice other things, making it richer, more respectful of complexity, succeeding in grasping the discreet ways in which God acts in our life. I once knew a person who people said deserved the Nobel Prize for negativity: everything was bad, and he always tried to put himself down. He was a bitter person, and yet he had many qualities. And then this person found another person who helped him, and every time he complained about something, the other would say: ‘But now, to compensate, say something good about yourself.’ And he would say: “Well, yes... I also have this quality”, and bit by bit, he helped him move
forward, to read well his own life, both the bad and the good things.
“Goodness is always hidden because goodness is modest and hides itself: goodness is hidden; it is silent and requires slow and continuous excavation. Because God’s style is discreet: God likes to go unseen, with discretion, he does not impose himself; he is like the air we breathe — we do not see it, but it allows us to live, and we realize this only when it is missing.”
(October 19, 2022)
When a decision is taken
In the discernment process, it is important to remain attentive to the stage that immediately follows the decision taken, to either catch the signs that confirm it or disprove it. I have to decide, [so] I make the discernment, pro or con, my feelings, I pray... then this process ends, and I make the decision and then comes that part where we have to be careful and see. In life, some decisions are not good, some signs disprove them, while good ones are confirmed.
(December 7, 2022)
Even if we do not understand or see the way ahead, God is always with us.
Unsplash/Eileen Pan
EL DISCERNIMIENTO NO ES UN CONCEPTO NUEVO - DE HECHO, LA IGLESIA HA UTILIZADO EL DISCERNIMIENTO DESDE SUS INICIOS
¿Qué es el discernimiento? Algunas reflexiones del Papa Francisco
BY STC
«El discernimiento es la comprensión espiritual y el conocimiento de cómo Dios actúa en la vida cotidiana adquirido a través de la práctica espiritual disciplinada. El discernimiento es vivir una vida fiel y escuchar el amor y la dirección de Dios para que podamos cumplir nuestro llamado personal y nuestra misión comunitaria.» Henri Nouwen
La Iglesia ha discernido desde sus comienzos. En el capítulo 15 de los Hechos de los Apóstoles, el Concilio de Jerusalén tuvo que decidir si los gentiles quienes buscaban la conversión al cristianismo tenían que seguir la Ley judía. Pablo y Bernabé explicaron cómo Dios estaba obrando entre los gentiles, mientras que Pedro y los ancianos discernieron que los nuevos conversos sólo necesitaban seguir algunas pautas básicas (véase Hechos 15). Fue una revolución: en una época en la cual la sociedad seguía muy vinculada al estatus social, como en las culturas romana y griega, los cristianos se adhirieron a la colaboración de ideas y el diálogo abierto, un paso distintivo que otorgo dignidad a todos.
Tras varios siglos de sínodos frecuentes y con amplia participación en las ramas oriental y occidental de la Iglesia cristiana, la frecuencia y el alcance de tales reuniones disminuyo. Los viajes se volvieron peligrosos durante los siglos marcados por la guerra y, en consonancia con el sistema feudal de la Edad Media, las autoridades de la Iglesia consideraron menos necesaria una consulta extensa.
Las cosas cambiaron con el auge de la democracia. Aunque siempre se subrayó que la Iglesia no es una democracia, el concepto de “la Iglesia como pueblo de Dios” surgió en Lumen Gentium (la Constitución Dogmática sobre la Iglesia) y otros documentos del Vaticano II. Estos documentos reavivaron un espíritu participativo en el seno del catolicismo romano. El Papa Pablo
VI estableció la práctica de reuniones periódicas del Sínodo Mundial de Obispos; desde finales de la década de 1960, los obispos se han reunido cada tres años.
Sin embargo, estas reuniones dejaron de ser encuentros en los que todos podían hablar y compartir libremente y se convirtieron en conferencias meticulosamente organizadas y coreografiadas. En este nuevo formato, la intención original de discernir y leer los “signos de los tiempos” se hizo imposible. gGracias a su formación jesuita, el Papa Francisco conoce bien el discernimiento, un aspecto esencial de su espiritualidad. El pretende introducir este concepto en toda la Iglesia a través del Sínodo sobre la Sinodalidad. El discernimiento desempeña un papel importante en esta iniciativa: implica un proceso de escucha y participación en la vida y misión de la iglesia, como las parroquias, las diócesis y el liderazgo mundial, donde todos los miembros, incluidos los laicos tienen voz y voto en la toma de decisiones. En una catequesis publicada en 2022 sobre el discernimiento, el Papa aclaró el significado de el discernimiento y dio recomendaciones para cultivar esta habilidad.
Cada uno debe decidir “Todos tenemos que tomar decisiones; nadie puede tomarlas por nosotros. En un momento dado, los adultos podemos pedir consejo y reflexionar libremente, pero la decisión es nuestra... Para decidir bien, hay que saber discernir”. (31 de agosto de 2022)
No será fácil
“El discernimiento... implica esfuerzo. Según la Biblia, no se nos presenta, empaquetada de antemano, la vida que hemos de vivir. ¡No! Tenemos que decidirla en cada momento, según la realidad que se nos presenta. Dios nos invita a evaluar y elegir: Nos ha creado libres y quiere que ejerzamos nuestra libertad. Por eso, discernir es exigente.
“Muchos de nosotros hemos tenido esta experiencia: elegimos algo que nos parecía bueno y sin embargo no lo era. El saber cuál era nuestro verdadero bien y no elegirlo. El ser humano, a diferencia de los animales, tiene la capacidad de equivocarse y de estar poco dispuesto a elegir el bien. La Biblia lo demuestra desde sus primeras páginas. Dios da al hombre una instrucción precisa: si quieres vivir, si quieres disfrutar de la vida, recuerda que eres una criatura, que no eres el criterio del bien y del mal, y que las elecciones que hagas tendrán una consecuencia, para ti, para los demás y para el mundo (cf. Gn 2,16-17); puedes hacer de la tierra un magnífico jardín, o puedes convertirla en un desierto de muerte. Una enseñanza fundamental: no es casualidad que éste sea el primer diálogo entre Dios y el hombre. El diálogo es este: el Señor nos da la misión, tú tienes que hacer esto y aquello, y con cada paso que toman, todos tienen que discernir qué decisión tomar. El discernimiento es la reflexión de la mente y el corazón antes de tomar una decisión.
“El discernimiento exige mucho, pero es indispensable para vivir. El discernimiento exige que me conozca a mí mismo y lo que me conviene aquí y ahora. Sobre todo, exige una relación filial con Dios. Dios es Padre, y no nos deja solos; siempre está dispuesto a aconsejarnos, animarnos y acogernos. Pero nunca impone su voluntad. ¿Por qué? Porque quiere ser amado y no temido. Además, Dios quiere hijos, no esclavos: hijos libres. Y el amor sólo se vive en libertad. Para aprender a vivir, hay que aprender a amar, y para ello es necesario discernir: ¿qué puedo hacer ahora, ante esta alternativa? Dejemos que sea esto un signo de mayor amor y madurez en el amor. ¡Pidamos al Espíritu Santo que nos guíe! Invoquémosle cada día, especialmente cuando tengamos que tomar decisiones.” (31 de agosto de 2022)
Leer los signos del Señor
“El discernimiento es una ayuda para reconocer las señales con las que Dios se hace encontrar en situaciones imprevistas, incluso desagradables, como lo fue para Ignacio cuando se hirió la pierna. De estas señales puede surgir un encuentro que cambie tu vida para siempre, como en el caso de Ignacio. Puede surgir algo que te haga mejor en el camino, o peor, no lo sé, pero al estar atentos: el hilo narrativo más hermoso surge de lo inesperado: “¿Cómo debo actuar
El discernimiento es la reflexión de la mente y el corazón antes de tomar una decisión.
ante esto?”. Le pedimos al Señor que nos ayude a escuchar nuestro corazón y a ver cuándo es Él quien actúa y cuándo no.” (21 de septiembre de 2022)
Un requisito indispensable
“Hoy nos centramos en el primer elemento fundamental del discernimiento, que es la oración. Para discernir, necesitamos estar en estado de oración. “La oración es una ayuda indispensable para el discernimiento espiritual, sobre todo cuando implica la dimensión afectiva que nos permite dirigirnos a Dios con sencillez y familiaridad, como se habla a un amigo. Es saber ir más allá de los pensamientos, para entrar en intimidad con el Señor, con una espontaneidad afectuosa.
El secreto de la vida de los santos es la familiaridad y la confianza con Dios, que crece en ellos y les hace cada vez más fácil reconocer lo que le agrada. La verdadera oración es familiaridad y confianza en Dios. No es recitar oraciones como un loro, bla, bla, bla, no. La verdadera oración es espontaneidad y afecto por el Señor. Esta familiaridad vence el miedo y la duda de que Su voluntad no sea para nuestro bien, una tentación que a veces recorre nuestros pensamientos y hace que nuestro corazón esté inquieto, inseguro o incluso amargado.” (28 de septiembre de 2022)
Unsplash/Donald Giannati
Conoce tu propia historia de vida “A menudo, también nosotros hemos tenido la experiencia de San Agustín, de encontrarnos presos de pensamientos que nos alejan de nosotros mismos, mensajes estereotipados que nos perjudican: por ejemplo, ‘no valgo nada’ - y te deprime-; ‘todo me sale mal’ - y te deprime-; ‘nunca conseguiré nada que valga la pena’ -y te deprime-.
“Leer nuestra propia historia significa también reconocer la presencia de esos elementos ‘tóxicos’, pero luego ampliar nuestra historia, fijándonos en otras cosas, haciéndola más rica en su complejidad, y lograr captar las formas discretas en que Dios actúa en nuestra vida. Una vez conocí a una persona de la que se decía que merecía el Premio Nobel de la negatividad: todo era malo, y siempre intentaba menospreciarse a sí mismo. Era una persona amargada y, sin embargo, tenía muchas cualidades. Entonces esta persona encontró a otra persona que le ayudó, y cada vez que se quejaba de algo, la otra le decía: ‘Pero ahora, para compensar, di algo bueno de ti’. Y él decía: “Bueno, sí...Yo también tengo esta cualidad”, y poco a poco, la otra persona le ayudaba a avanzar y a leer bien su propia vida, tanto las cosas malas como las buenas.
“La bondad está siempre oculta porque la bondad es modesta y se oculta a sí misma: la bondad está escondida; es silenciosa y requiere una excavación lenta y continua. Porque el estilo de Dios es discreto: A Dios le gusta pasar desapercibido, con discreción, no se impone; es como el aire que respiramos: no lo vemos, pero nos permite vivir, y sólo nos damos cuenta de ello cuando falta.” (19 de octubre de 2022)
Cuando se toma una decisión
En el proceso de discernimiento, es importante permanecer atento a la etapa que sigue inmediatamente a la decisión tomada, para captar los signos que la confirman o la desmienten. Tengo que decidir, [así que] hago el discernimiento, a favor o en contra, mis sentimientos, y rezo... entonces termina este proceso, y tomo la decisión y luego viene esa parte en la que hay que estar atento y ver qué pasa. En la vida, algunas decisiones no son buenas ya que algunas señales las desmienten, mientras que las buenas se confirman. (7 de diciembre de 2022)
El Papa Francisco invita a los fieles a discernir en asuntos personales y juntos como Iglesia.
“I NEEDED TO MOVE FORWARD IF I WANTED TO FIND OUT”
Discerning a Vocation to the Priesthood
BY BRIAN PENDLETON
As a child, especially in high school, I loved altar serving. So much so that I spent many of my weekends at my home parish, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, in Alice. By spending all that time in the liturgies and the community, I grew to love the Catholic faith, and it became something I could not live without. During this time, I started attending some vocational awareness events that the Diocese offered, such as the Andrew Dinners and Explore Retreats. These events made me ask myself what I was called to, and I started seeing the importance of my future decisions. Still, I wasn’t entirely convinced that seminary was the path for me, though it did come to mind more often.
It wasn’t until a couple of years later, when my brother, Fr. Raymond, was ordained a priest, that I started seriously asking myself the question of discernment. Now, in college, my future has always been on my mind, so this period was a challenging point in my life. I had spent years with my parish community but was no longer involved due to college and work. I was still going to Mass and trying to grow closer to Christ, but without community, I was suffering. My greatest desire was to continue serving the Church, but I was at a loss with seemingly no direction.
Eventually, I asked my brother what he thought I should do. I was starting to wonder if the priesthood was something I should seriously consider, and I wanted to see if he felt the same. He thought I could be a good candidate for seminary but that it was my choice to make. From then on, I started taking prayer more seriously and searching for a community that shared my values and would help foster my spiritual growth.
This was when I came across the Newman Center at TAMUK in Kingsville, where I met Fr. Charles Silvas and the Catholic community I had been looking for. While there, my new friends challenged me and helped me grow in my faith. They invited me into altar serving, adoration, spiritual retreats, and true friendships. I realized how much I needed prayer and the Sacraments and that nothing mattered without God.
This new fire I had attained for the faith left me at a crossroads; if I loved God and wanted to
do His will, I needed to ask what that will was. One day, during a homily, Fr. Charles mentioned that to figure out what vocation we are called to, we have to go and collect the data.
Listening to his words, I realized that God had led me to this place so that I wouldn’t stop asking the question but venture out and look for the answer. I quickly reached out to the Vocations Director, Mr. Bob Cummings, and started Discernment 180, a discernment guide for the priesthood. After meeting with him regularly, speaking with other priests, spending time in prayer, and reading books on the priesthood, it became clear that I had a question I couldn’t answer where I was and that I needed to move forward if I wanted to find out.
Ultimately, my desire to know God’s will, prayer, the help of family and friends, the guidance of close priests, and the desire to serve the Church brought me to seminary. I do not know with absolute certainty what God is calling me to do, but I know that He has led me here and that He will continue to guide and protect me, whatever His will may be.
Brian with his brother, Fr. Raymond Pendleton, on the day of his ordination in June 2023.
Courtesy of Brian Pendleton
HOW A CALL TO FOLLOW GOD PERSISTED OVER TIME
A Deep Desire in My Heart
BY SR. MARY CARINA SCHMID
In the midst of God’s still, quiet, and beautiful creation, He revealed His deep love to me. Sitting on pine needles against a tree, alone with Jesus, I recognized the desire of my heart to give Him everything in return. I was at Camp Wojtyla, a Catholic summer camp in the Colorado mountains, when I encountered the Lord in the stillness and peace. I found my love for Him so vast that I felt nothing I could give Him would ever be enough to satisfy my heart—nothing less than my whole self, given entirely as a gift of religious life.
I was going into seventh grade when I first felt the Lord calling me to religious life. My family practiced the faith, and as I grew up, I learned that God could call people to either marriage or consecrated life. That summer, when I was 12 years old, I participated in a week of youth nights at my home parish. One college student leader particularly inspired me, as her light of Christ radiated brightly. She was also discerning a religious vocation, and her witness to Christ and willingness to give Him everything stirred something within me. For the first time, I yearned for a deep, personal relationship with Jesus. Shortly after the program concluded at our parish, I attended camp with this newfound openness of heart, preparing me to hear the call of Our Lord.
Of course, I had several years ahead of me before I could take any steps toward entering a community. During high school, I discovered all that the world could offer and decided that I didn’t want to pursue a religious life anymore. I desired a family and a successful career and foresaw what could be a beautiful and hopefully very happy life ahead of me with those things. However, deep down, I knew I would eventually need to reconcile these new desires with the deep certainty of the call and desire for religious life that I once felt. I looked in the other
direction for about five years, away from the call to religious life. No longer wanting it, I was afraid of a vocation that might leave me unhappy.
Then, one evening in college, during adoration, the Lord gently rekindled the desire I had once known—to give Him everything out of love. At the same time, He tenderly revealed that He wants me to be joyful and fulfilled; He will not call me to a vocation where I would be miserable. So, I prayed, “Lord, I don’t want to enter religious life anymore because I desire other things. However, if You want me to be a sister, make me desire it and then I will do it because I know I will be happiest wherever You call me.”
After this, I began sharing my hesitations with the Sisters I met at retreats or on campus, and once again explored the possibility of religious life. Gradually, God granted me the freedom to let go of the things holding me back from being open to entering religious life and revealed to me how He could fulfill all my heart’s desires. At last, I was able to say again, “Lord, if you want to call me to be yours alone, I am ready.” And so, He invited me once more to give Him everything and to be His alone, to which I responded with freedom, peace, and joy, “Yes!”
I met the Sisters of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) at a FOCUS conference. I was drawn to the charism to be Jesus’ disciples through Mary, serving on ecclesial family teams (teams of priests, brothers, sisters and laity serving together) in areas of deepest apostolic need. Although I had looked into other communities, all aspects of the SOLT charism are ways I desired to live consecrated life for Our Lord. I got to know the community better on a two-week mission trip to Belize, and in experiencing the charism and life with the community in action, I knew this was where I was called.
Sr. Mary Carina Schmid (left) with two fellow novices of the SOLT community.
Courtesy of Sr. Mary Carina Schmid
VOCATION TEAMS IN THE PARISHES SUPPORT SEMINARIANS AND RAISE AWARENESS FOR VOCATIONS IN GENERAL
Being Part of their Journey
BY SUSANNE JANSSEN
Vocation to the priesthood and to consecrated life are decreasing. However, God is still calling. Maybe the call needs more fertile soil: families can pray together and teach their children that God calls everyone on a unique path to follow Him. Parishes can do a lot to accompany young people in finding their path. This task is often left to the priests already busy with many tasks.
Vocation Director Bob Cummings has some ideas about what people can do to raise awareness for vocations: “First, everyone can pray for vocations,” he says. However, his office wants to help every parish foster a “culture of vocations.”
The “Traveling Crucifix” or a “Traveling Chalice” are hosted by a different family every week, and the family prays every evening together for an increase in vocations.
His office is currently working to establish Vocation Ministries in every parish. Each deanery
will host informational gatherings for those interested in learning more about this ministry. The Kingsville Deanery began last year by creating action plans to increase vocations in their parishes.
Dorothee Garza has been involved with the Serra Club for over ten years, an organization dedicated to promoting Christian vocations. She recalls what sparked her interest: “There were so many priests I knew were retiring—and not many young priests being ordained.” Fr. Lopez invited her to join the Serra Club, which he wanted to revive. This led Dorothee to realize the importance of promoting all types of vocations, including Catholic marriages, the priesthood, and religious life.
The Vocation Teams will be a connection between the Office for Vocations and the parishes. “The Office works very hard to organize events and prepare material, but since the priests receive the information and have a lot to do, they don’t always
Many new ideas: People from the Kingsville Deanery gathered to learn about Vocation Ministry during an informal meeting.
Office of Vocations
manage to spread the word and invite young people.” The vocation ministers can relieve the priests from that duty, receive information, send invitations, and keep the parishioners updated and aware of the need to foster vocations.
She seeks to reduce any anxiety regarding the need for unique talents: “There are no required meetings or experiences,” she stated. “We offer guidance and training.” The Serra Club and the Vocation Office prepare various tools, and the Vocation Ministers will provide information about encounters and youth ministry events.
One possibility is organizing a Holy Hour for Vocations, and the Vocation Teams can receive materials on how to lead one. Another initiative: “Sometimes, other people see that someone might be called to be a priest or a sister, but the person themselves never considered it. On “Called by Name Sunday,” parishioners could submit their names to the Office for Vocations, which would reach out to them while always respecting their personal freedom. Affirmation is important
because most young people feel they can’t pursue this path. The fact that others recognize their potential can be helpful.
This ministry might be a good fit for people who don’t feel called to be lectors or Eucharistic Ministers but still want to help their parish without committing to regular meetings. “Some people just wait to be asked,” Dorothee says. And indeed, “Vocations come from the parishes.” Seeing young people discerning and accompanying in prayer leads to special moments when they eventually get ordained: “It’s very rewarding because you are part of their journey… it always brings tears to my eyes!”
Young men between the ages of 16 and 25 are invited to the Andrew Dinner during National Vocation Awareness Week. The Office for Vocations holds several “Come and See” meetings every year. Finally, if anyone in your family feels called, “don’t worry about not having grandchildren… God promises a hundredfold to those who leave everything behind and follow Him.”
The Garzas with Scott and Merci McCoy at Fr. Charles Silva’s ordination.
A primary blessing by Deacon Jim Craig.
Courtesy of Dorothy Garza (2)
LEARNING TO BUILD A SYNODAL CHURCH IN AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE
Listening and Learning in a Global Classroom
BY JESSE DE LEON
In an increasingly fragmented, divided, and distracted world, communication has become much more complex. Whether we are engaging in an exchange of ideas or spending time in quiet reflection, the ability to connect with others has become increasingly challenging. While it may be true that the communication process—where the sender encodes a message, transmits it through a channel, and the receiver decodes the message and provides feedback—has become somewhat convoluted due to today’s abundance of modern communication methods. Its underlying simplicity highlights its power to explain how we interact with one another.
Although this communication process occurs frequently, it may not always be practical. However, the key to effective communication lies in our ability to listen. The first step in becoming a better listener is recognizing the difference between hearing and listening. Our ears are designed to hear, but listening requires a much more focused effort. Listening means that the message from the sender is understood, acknowledged, and acted upon.
This brief lesson on the communication process sets the stage for a better understanding of the importance of Pope Francis’ call to synodality. According to the Laudato Si’ Movement, synodality means journeying together as the people of God. It also indicates a way of listening to each person as a member of the Church to understand how God might be speaking to all of us. In this way, synodality reminds us of the work of the Holy Spirit through each of us and through all of us working together for our common mission.
For Pope Francis, synodality is about living out pastoral care. Listening is central to the synodal process, as it allows everyone to participate by listening to the Holy Father and the People of God, all in service to the Church.
The entire Church is called to focus on collaboration rather than polarization. The 2024 Synod on Synodality took place in Rome from October 2 to 27, 2024. Its theme was “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission.” The Synod on Synodality 2024 allowed delegates to participate in roundtable meetings that led to subsequent sessions where key themes
A worldwide network: Jesse DeLeon is attending one of the sessions on Zoom.
S. Janssen
were presented and discussed. While Catholic bishops made up the list of delegates, a third were laypeople. After the document was presented, the delegates provided feedback. Amendments were discussed, and the final document was read on October 26.
The Final Document of the XVI Assembly was approved by Pope Francis and the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on October 26, 2024. It is the result of a three-year process that began in October 2021 and was characterized by listening and dialogue. This document now serves as a guide for creating and developing a synodal Church.
The scope and structure of its contents are as uplifting as they are expansive. To advance the synodal process and provide guidance and explanation, Sofia University Institute in Valdarno, Italy, started offering a synodality training course shortly after the final document was released. This course enables an even broader group of individuals to engage in the synodal process, learning from a distinguished group of priests, scholars, and laypeople who share their knowledge and personal experiences. In this unique, global classroom, all participants simultaneously experience what is being taught and is simultaneously experienced by all involved. It is synodality in action.
Bishop Michael Mulvey chose to offer a group of individuals in the Diocese of Corpus Christi an opportunity to enroll in this course. I graciously
The television, internet and radio broadcasts of The Service of Lessons and Carols and the Midnight Mass at Corpus Christi Cathedral on Dec. 24 at 11:30 p.m. were presented live thanks to a generous gift from
H-E-B and its partners desire that everyone remembers the true meaning of Christmas.
accepted his offer, and starting on Monday, November 4, I entered the virtual classroom via Zoom to begin learning about and engaging with over five hundred fellow students from more than fifty countries, including places like Ireland, India, and Spain, to name a few. While the differences in language and cultural backgrounds are vast, everyone was united in our effort to deepen our knowledge of synodality and build a synodal Church.
Highlights of the course have included thought-provoking presentations from Father Vincenzo Di Pilato, who spoke of the theology of science and our faith and how our friendship in Christ makes us disciples in His wisdom. Monsignor Luis Morin discussed how each of us is a channel of God’s grace and how embracing silence can lead to a conversation of the heart. He also reminded students that to be good listeners, we must abandon selfishness and empty ourselves of distractions to be truly present in our interactions with one another.
Sr. Nathalie Becquart emphasized the essential element of silence in our communication and reflection, adding that through mindful and wellconstructed messages that contain an element of useful repetition, discernment can be gleaned through focused listening. Professor Alessandro Clemenzia highlighted the evangelical quality of communication, how our relationships with one another can impact our witness to the Gospel, and how developing synodal relationships can lead us to salvation.
Upcoming topics for the course include New Practices in a Synodal and Missionary Church and Christian Initiation and Transmission of the Faith in a Synodal Style. The commitment of time and talent by the instructors and all participants is not only a testament to their enthusiasm for knowledge but also a life-giving blessing for the whole Church. Through prayer, sharing experiences, and enlightening hearts and minds, individuals in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, along with many from across the globe, continue to journey together, setting a course for the future of the Church through synodality guided by the Holy Spirit.
To learn more about “Listening Sessions” in your parish or deanery, scan the QR code or go to: diocesecc.org/listening
THE YOUNGEST PARTICIPANT IN AN INTERNATIONAL COURSE ON SYNODALITY IS FROM CORPUS CHRISTI
Stepping Up to be a Leader in the Church
BY JUSTIN MEDINA
Iwas initially unsure when I was invited to participate in an international synodality course. I didn’t really understand the concept of synodality, and it was kind of a mystery. But I took a leap of faith and signed up.
When it started, we listened to and talked to speakers and participants from all over the world, and I really enjoyed it. We discussed how synodality and the mission of the church intertwine. At the beginning of the course, back in November, we had presentations on how we discern together. You can choose your translation: English, Spanish or Italian.
Typically, we have a presentation on a specific topic, and then you can join breakout rooms based on your language. I was in a breakout group with people from the U.S., a woman from the Philippines, people from the U.K., and several different African nations. During the very first meeting, I ended up in the same group as our bishop. The topic was discernment—how it can be practiced in various groups within the Church, and he began asking me, “How about you, Justin, what do you think?” The other participants on that call were mostly much older than me, in their 50s and 60s, so it was nice to share my perspective.
Generally, it is very interesting to listen to people from all over the world. Everyone has a different view and perspective, which goes beyond the positions we hear here in the U.S., and that opens my mind a lot.
One thing that I really discovered is listening. I’ve always tried to improve my listening skills, and this course has helped me with that. Secondly, I would say keeping myself open to others. At times, I try to shut my thoughts off and just listen and understand the other person without trying to think too much about my ideas.
I believe I’m the youngest participant in the course (I’m 18). There are some younger people in their 30s, but I haven’t encountered any of them in the breakout rooms yet.
The course has been a very positive experience.
It has helped me become more involved in the life of the Church and encouraged dialog, which is also important in life in general.
I encourage all other young people to participate in activities like that. I want them to know that they are heard; they are seen and acknowledged. Although it can sometimes be challenging, we shouldn’t be afraid to talk and engage in conversations.
It is also empowering in terms of leadership, encouraging me as a young person to take on leadership roles in my parish, Holy Family, and in the diocese, wherever I’m needed.
Justin Medina is a youth leader at Holy Family Parish in Corpus Christi.
S. Janssen
The Corpus Christi Cathedral will undergo a renovation in 2025
BY SUSANNE JANSSEN
Forty years after its last renovation, the Corpus Christi Cathedral is due for both renovation and restoration. “The purpose of the Cathedral’s renovation and restoration is to address much-needed repairs while also enhancing and beautifying the sanctuary and other sacred areas,” says Bishop Michael Mulvey. While many exciting changes will take place, great effort has been made to improve and beautify the existing sanctuary, preserving many essential elements that have always existed.
The timing of the Cathedral renovation and restoration goes hand in hand with the Jubilee Year 2025 and aims to similarly contribute to restoring a sense of hope and trust in the Church. In the
Bull announcing the Jubilee Year 2025, our Holy Father stated: “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision.” Many proposed improvements in the Cathedral speak to this call to “fan the flame of hope” through a renewed beautification of the Cathedral sanctuary around which we gather as the People of God – all of us participating in the one sacrifice of God’s immense love on the cross (see Sacrosanctum Concilium #7).
Every object used in the Liturgy (vesture, books, vessels, candles, etc.), every focal point in the sanctuary (altar, ambo, chair, tabernacle,
A draft of the design for the nave of the Cathedral.
Progetto
Arte Poli
font, etc.), and every work of art in the church can lead us to the Divine because Christian beauty manifests itself “as an echo of God’s own creative act” (Built of Living Stones: Art, Architecture, and Worship, no. 145), and therefore should reflect the best of our artistic heritage. The setting for the celebration of the Liturgy should be beautiful. As such, the renovated Cathedral will incorporate all new liturgical furnishings, including a new baptismal font, altar, ambo, pews, and flooring. In addition, improvements will be made to the existing lighting, an enhanced and state-of-the-art sound system, and an improved organ. All these improvements and changes will be in accord with Catholic teaching through the guidance of Vatican documents and the Roman Missal. The following summarizes some of the major modifications.
The Altar will serve as the focal point of the sanctuary, with new floor tiles that visually lead directly to it. The new altar will match the new ambo and new cathedra; its size will be proportional to the area of the sanctuary. The new stone Altar exhibits prominent mosaic symbols of bread and wine to highlight the celebrant who gathers not only the bread and wine but also the joining of them to Christ’s perfect sacrifice.
The Tabernacle will be relocated from the adoration chapel and placed behind the altar in the center of the apse. This change responds to the desire of many people in the diocese for the Eucharist to remain in the main sanctuary. Although the tabernacle will not change, it will be supported by a new pedestal highlighting its visibility and prominence throughout the Cathedral.
The Crucifix - Above the tabernacle, there will be a new bronze crucifix emphasizing the moment when Jesus turned His gaze to heaven and spoke the words of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This psalm ends with a declaration of God’s deliverance and victory.
The Ambo - To highlight the importance of the Word, a new ambo will be installed to the right of the altar, replacing the current wooden lectern. The Bishop’s chair will be positioned to the side, as is customary in almost every Catholic cathedral, giving central focus to Jesus on the cross and in the
Tabernacle. The new ambo will feature mosaic tiles that depict the canonical Gospel accounts of the Four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The Baptismal Font , currently located to the left of the altar, will be moved to the Cathedral entrance. “It symbolizes our spiritual pilgrimage - we enter the Church through baptism and then proceed toward the altar, where we receive Jesus’ Body and Blood,” says Bishop Mulvey. The new font will be surrounded by various shades of blue hand-made mosaic tiles that emulate water and allow those who enter to recall their baptism.
The side chapel will also be transformed by installing new pews and a small altar. The Pietà from the entrance – often overlooked by many –will find a new home as a space for quiet prayer.
Two confessionals will be remodeled for the Sacrament of Penance and relocated to the back of the Cathedral. The two existing confessionals in the front will be transformed into shrines – one in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the other in honor of saints.
The entrance to the cathedral will be redesigned after the renovation of the central nave. The inner doors will be translucent, allowing natural light to illuminate the church. Three bronze exterior doors, each representing a symbolic path, will depict three essential episodes from the Gospel: the Supper at Emmaus, the Way of the Cross, and Pentecost. They carry central Christological meanings: recognition (Emmaus), sacrifice (the Cross), and mission (Pentecost).
Improving Functionality
These modifications will greatly improve the Cathedral’s functionality. “We need to install a new sound system with modern technology,” said the Bishop. Currently, the spoken word often is not audible in the pews, particularly at the back of the cathedral. A new sound system will provide better audio quality through a new sound system and accompanying acoustic treatments. The sound system will also incorporate Bluetooth technology. New LED lighting will further enhance the beauty of the sacred building.
The pews are now 80 years old and in poor condition; the disinfection process during COVID19 has damaged the wood. The brand-new pews include kneelers designed to move up and down quietly, minimizing noise and distraction. Additionally, remodeled restrooms will be built at the back of the church.
The Baptismal Font
Progetto Arte Poli
The new altar
Progetto Arte Poli
Meet the Liturgical Designers
Arte Poli, an Italian company based in Verona, has designed a new sanctuary that aligns with the guidelines of the liturgical constitution while enhancing our Cathedral’s beauty. “We want to make the paintings stand out even more,” said Anna Pighi, Export Manager of Arte Poli, who met with Bishop Mulvey in Rome to discuss this project before visiting Corpus Christi in November. Gold leaf mosaic tiles will accompany the new Tabernacle and cross in the apse, positioned below the fresco depicting Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the apostles, along with the statues of Mary and St. Joseph on the side altars. The company has an impressive portfolio of credentials both in Italy and abroad; Bishop Mulvey had seen their work at St. John Lateran Basilica.
Albano Poli, the father of the current director, Paolo Poli, founded Studio Progetto Arte Poli. After attending art school, he initially concentrated on stained glass windows but later broadened his skills to include various techniques in his studio, such as frescoes, mosaics, painting, woodwork, sculpture, and wrought iron restoration. “He aimed to recreate the concept of the Renaissance workshop, emphasizing hands-on work,” explains Anna. To this day, all their projects are handcrafted, contributing to the unique appeal and beauty of their work.
Future plans and funding
After the renovation of the Emmanuel Chapel in 2024, the Cathedral’s interior will be the next phase of a plan to enhance its spiritual life while honoring tradition and history. The work will not stop there: both parking lots require renovations, the old school building needs to be rebuilt, and plans are underway to improve external landscaping, lighting, and security. More details will be shared in the coming months.
A new website will offer more information about the renovation and provide regular updates. Manufacturing of the new liturgical elements has already begun in Italy. Local contractors will handle the renovation and installation. The Cathedral will likely temporarily close during the renovation, while the Emmanuel Chapel will remain open. The rededication is scheduled for the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.
A generous grant from the Kenedy Memorial Foundation has been received to begin the funding of this project. In addition, individuals and organizations inside and outside our community can contribute to the renovation.
Scan the QR code to learn more about the project or go to cathedralrenovationcc.com
The team of Progetto Arte Poli from Verona: Anna Pighi, Export Manager, Director Paolo Poli and his son, Andrea Poli.
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De-extinction?
BY FR. RICHARD LIBBY
There is a biotech business that is working on “de-extinction.” They plan to bring back animals that have gone extinct, and among the animals on the list are the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger. The project sounds interesting and exciting, and I think it would be hard to resist an opportunity to see one of these extinct animals. Although these projects do not directly affect human life, some concerns, including ethical considerations, might affect us and have bioethical implications.
The plan to bring back certain extinct animals relies on the use of their DNA. Mammoths, dodos, and Tasmanian tigers have all gone extinct recently enough for their DNA to still be available. For the purposes of this essay, I will focus on the woolly mammoth as an example.
The scientists plan to collect woolly mammoth DNA and splice the mammoth’s genes into Asian elephants (the closest living relative of the woolly mammoth). The hope is to produce Asian elephant embryos with woolly mammoth characteristics, including the ability to survive in the cold climates where mammoths lived.
The technology is fascinating, and there’s no denying the interest a revived mammoth would generate. It’s also worth noting that most of the animals set for de-extinction are unlikely to cause the kind of damage and loss of life that the dinosaurs in “Jurassic Park” caused. Even so, I believe there are reasons for concern.
First and most obviously, we do not know how we will coexist with animals that have been extinct for hundreds or even thousands of years. Perhaps there won’t be any problems, but we can’t know that. It would be terrible if any problems arose at the cost of a human life.
Second, these animals became extinct for a reason; if this project is to succeed, we would need to be sure that the reasons for extinction would not become factors again. The dodo, for example, lived only on the island of Mauritius (in the Indian Ocean). The Dutch acquired Mauritius in 1598 and discovered the unusual birds. While the Dutch settlers hunted dodos and transported them abroad as curiosities, the real threat to the dodos came from other animals that the Dutch
introduced to the island. The last reported sighting of a dodo was in 1688. Given the sad history of the dodo, it would be necessary to provide the dodo with a proper habitat and to avoid subjecting it to the same fate.
Third, we should accept that the animals will not be what they are advertised to be. Since each extinct animal will have its genes spliced with those of its closest living relative, the resultant animal will be a hybrid. We would have Asian elephants with mammoth characteristics, Nicobar pigeons with dodo characteristics, etc.
Fourth, these animals would be manufactured rather than being created by God. God would be left out of the picture. This would not have the same moral weight as similarly creating new human life, but nevertheless, the Book of Genesis is clear that God created the animals, too.
The final and most significant concern is the technology used in this process. The question arises: what would prevent the technology from
Fr. Richard Libby, Chancellor of the Diocese and Pastor at St. Helena of the True Cross of Jesus parish in Corpus Christi, answers questions on bioethics.
being employed similarly to human lives? Such an experiment would raise serious concerns because the dignity of human life and the means of its transmission would not be upheld or respected. The final concern would be a bioethical problem that would trouble the Catholic conscience.
The scientists working on de-extinction believe that the revival of extinct animals would benefit the environment and contribute to a healthier ecosystem. This may be true, as far as it goes, but it will take millions of dollars and several years before even the first sign of success might be seen. The money could be better spent on ecological initiatives that would be more feasible and produce more immediate results, including efforts to protect animals that are now endangered.
The idea of reviving species such as the woolly mammoth and the dodo from extinction sparks the imagination. It possesses the elements of a science fiction thriller, even though the attempt is being made. It might be best if this project remains in the realm of science fiction.
World History Encyclopedia
The woolly mammoth became extinct around 4,000 years ago. Its closest living relative is the Asian Elephant.
LENT – A SEASON TO GROW CLOSER TO GOD. HERE IS SOME ADVICE BY
FR. MIKE SCHMITZ
Do What Helps You Grow
BY FATHER MIKE SCHMITZ
Lent is right around the corner, and I never seem to know what to do for the season. I’ve tried giving things up, but it always seems a bit hollow. What should I do? We all face this challenge. We can find ourselves walking the tightrope between something so impossible that we end up abandoning it in a week and something so minimal that it is essentially worthless.
In addition, it can be hard to be honest about our motives. Are we giving up something out of love of God or because we would like to lose some weight? Are we doing this thing “just to see if we can make it?”
What is Lent for? What is the point of the whole thing, anyway?
Broadly speaking, Lent was originally the last step for people who were preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil Mass. After roughly three years of preparation, the final weeks leading up to Easter were called a time of “Purification and Enlightenment.”
Those future Christians would examine their lives more thoroughly for areas where they needed to be purified from things that interfered with God’s will in their lives. They would strive to learn more about who God is and the life of Christian discipleship.
So, the original purpose of Lent was to become more and more conformed to God’s will. What in my life needs to go? What needs to get stronger? How can I live like Christ?
What
is the goal?
Author Stephen Covey reminded his readers to “begin with the end in mind.” What is your end? What is the goal? The goal is to become more like God, to become a saint. This needs to be your goal. Knowing yourself and knowing where you need to grow, which Lenten disciplines will help you become the saint God is calling you to be?
Let’s make this as simple as possible. Jesus talks about three areas that are indispensable regarding the Christian life: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. For Lent, do one thing in each of these three areas.
Prayer: What is one way that you can pray every day throughout Lent that will strengthen your relationship with Christ? Again, this is not merely about “challenging yourself.” This is about asking, “What will help me get to know the Lord better?”
You know yourself. You know what will actually help you grow. For the last couple of years, in addition to my normal prayer time, I spend an extra 15 minutes slowly reading and reflecting on the Gospels at night. It isn’t huge, but it really helps.
Fasting: While we are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, your “fast” can be almost anything. If you have a difficult relationship with food, feel free to choose a penance that is unrelated to nourishment. A penance can be any time we say “no” to a good and natural desire out of love for God. For example, someone might decide to only check their email (or social media, or their smartphone) at certain times during the day. This would be
Fr. Mike Schmitz: “The original purpose of Lent was to become more and more conformed to God’s will.”
S. Janssen
an act of discipline and sacrifice oriented toward purifying their heart. Your penance could be not sweetening your coffee. Another penance could be getting out of bed the moment the alarm goes off and not hitting the snooze button.
Almsgiving: While both prayer and fasting could be seen as being all about you, almsgiving is oriented toward the good of others. Who could you help this Lent? While this could be actually giving money, it could also be giving time. I know of people who have decided to write one letter per day throughout Lent. They decided that these letters would be positive notes of encouragement and gratitude.
Of course, almsgiving could also be supporting the material needs of others. There are groups everywhere who need the support of Christians.
One note: If you participate in Operation Rice Bowl sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, do it like Jesus. In other words, do it on purpose. Make the decision to place money in that little cardboard box — not just the change you don’t want, but even the money that you do want. If you crack it open at the end, you should only see silver and green.
No false humility
One more thing: Please don’t get all hung up on “I
can’t tell anyone what I’m doing for Lent because I’ll become prideful.”
First, answering someone’s question isn’t the same thing as “wanting to appear to others to be fasting”; you are just answering a question. Secondly, the things you are doing for Lent are probably pretty unimpressive. I mean, you might be the hardcore Catholic on your block, but if you remember that St. Francis of Assisi (and others) spent one Lent eating literally nothing, people knowing that you have given up beer isn’t likely to give you a big head. It is probably more humbling to have to admit the smallness of what you have been called to.
Ultimately, the question is, “God, what can I decide to do during this season that will make me more like you?”
Father Michael Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
This column originally ran in the February 2016 issue of The Northern Cross.
Cathopic
While fasting is a common practice during Lent, what about other penances – like checking social media only during limited time of the day?
DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD
“I came down from heaven to do the will of the one who sent me” (Jn 6:38)
BY FR. BRADY WILLIAMS, SOLT
Yogi Berra once quipped: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” That appears to be sound advice, given our modern tendency to keep our options open. Still, all of us, at one time or another, have faced times when we have had to choose between two good things: this job or that; move here or there, or not move at all; a vocation to marriage, priesthood, or religious life. Undergirding, the answer to our dilemma is: “What is God asking of me?” If we genuinely and actively seek God’s will, we are relieved to discover a way to answer our quandary.
Toward the conclusion of the Bread of Life discourse in the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus say:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” (Jn 6:37-38)
One of the most significant assurances Jesus gives us is that we will not be rejected, cast aside, or forgotten if we come to the Lord. We should approach Him with our questions, concerns, and problems. If we do, we can find comfort in knowing that He welcomes us wherever we are and that there is no issue in our lives that He cannot resolve. Instead of saying, “God, I have a big problem,” we can say, “Problem, I have a big God.”
More important are Jesus’ words about fulfilling His Father’s will: “I have come not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” In the Gospels, we see how Jesus’ human and divine will is aligned with His Father’s will, and we should desire the same. This brings up a fundamental question for our discernment: do I really want to do God’s will? Having the right disposition to discern God’s will requires a heart and mind that seeks to be attuned to Him.
Forming the right disposition invites us to
present freely our wants/desires for a particular choice at the Lord’s feet and to be open to where He might lead us. It is important to note here that God wants us to make known to Him our desires while at the same time not trying to force Him to see it our way, to make things turn out as we think they should or manipulate Him to choose what we want. The desires of our hearts may indeed arise from His inspiration, and we want to be open so that the Lord can direct us the right way. A good image of where we want our hearts to be is a scale at balance when we come to a point of
Fr. Brady Williams, SOLT, is the Director of Our Lady of Corpus Christi Retreat Center and Novice Servant of the SOLT.
‘holy indifference’ and can say with all sincerity: “Whatever you want, Lord.”
We can use several means to help form the right disposition. It is not coincidental that Jesus’ words on doing the Father’s will form part of the Bread of Life discourse as if to say it is in the context of receiving Holy Communion and spending time with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration – and everyone can benefit from adoration – that we open ourselves to His guidance. Meditation on Sacred Scripture is also an excellent means to hear His voice, as well as having a spiritual director/guide with whom we can bounce things off. All of these means are important to help us discern God’s will.
Spending time with Jesus in Adoration and having times of silence in our lives opens us up to listen to His guidance. Meditation on Sacred Scripture is also an excellent means to hear His voice and spiritual direction/guidance, which we
can use to bounce things off. All these means are essential to help us discern God’s will.
In life, we are faced with crucial decisions; all of us come to forks in the road: should I choose this or that, go this way or that? Especially at these times, we should pause and turn trustingly to the Lord and ask what we should do. Yogi Berra’s witty phrase above suggests that we should not shy away from these crucial moments but embrace them, for through discernment, we dispose ourselves to the will of God and seek to accomplish it more perfectly as Jesus did. Discerning God’s will should not make us anxious or fill us with fretfulness. Instead, as God’s sons and daughters, we can be confident that He will show us the way He desires for us if we ask, seek, and knock (c.f. Mt 7:7-11).
When discerning, one does not always see where the path leads us to – trust in God’s will is essential.
Unsplash
“He bajado del cielo para hacer la voluntad del que me envió” (Juan 6,38)
POR PADRE BRADY WILLIAMS, SOLT
Yogi Berra dijo una vez: “Cuando llegues a una bifurcación en el camino, ¡tómala!” Aunque parece un buen consejo por esa tendencia moderna de mantener nuestras opciones abiertas; todos nosotros, en un momento dado, nos hemos encontrado en situaciones en que tenemos que elegir entre dos cosas buenas: este trabajo o aquel; o en mudarnos aquí o allá, o en simplemente quedarnos en donde estamos. También en elegir una vocación: al matrimonio, al sacerdocio, a la vida religiosa, etc. En el fondo, la respuesta a nuestro dilema está en: “¿Qué me pide Dios?”. Si buscamos genuina y activamente la voluntad de Dios, para nuestra vida, nos sentiremos aliviados al descubrir la manera de responder a la interrogante.
En el Evangelio de San Juan; cuando escuchamos la conclusión del discurso de Jesús sobre el Pan de Vida, Jesús dice:
“Todo lo que me da el Padre vendrá a Mí, y al que venga a Mí no lo rechazaré, porque he
bajado del cielo no para hacer mi voluntad, sino la voluntad del que me ha enviado” (Jn 6, 37-38).
Una de las certezas más significativas que nos da Jesús, es que nunca seremos rechazados, desechados u olvidados, si acudimos al Señor. Debemos acercarnos a Él con nuestras preguntas, preocupaciones y problemas. Si lo hacemos, encontraremos consuelo, confiando en que Él nos dará la bienvenida dondequiera que estemos, y que no hay ningún asunto en nuestras vidas que Él no pueda resolver. En lugar de decir: «Dios, tengo un gran problema», podremos decir: “El problema, es que tengo un gran Dios”.
Lo más importante son las palabras de Jesús, a cerca del cumplimiento de la voluntad de su Padre: «No he venido a hacer mi voluntad, sino la voluntad del que me ha enviado». En los Evangelios, vemos cómo la voluntad humana y divina de Jesús se alinea con la voluntad de Su Padre, con ese ejemplo, nosotros deberíamos desear hacer lo
Jesús siempre siguió la voluntad de Dios: «No he venido a hacer mi voluntad, sino la voluntad del que me ha enviado».
Pixabay
mismo. Se nos plantea una cuestión fundamental para nuestro discernimiento y nace la pregunta: ¿quiero realmente hacer la voluntad de Dios?
Tener la disposición correcta para discernir la voluntad de Dios, requiere un corazón y una mente que busquen estar en sintonía con Él. ¿Cómo? formando una disposición correcta que nos invite libremente a presentar nuestros deseos o quereres, sobre una elección particular, siempre a los pies del Señor y en actitud abierta hacia donde Él nos guíe. Es importante señalar aquí que Dios quiere que le demos a conocer nuestros deseos, no tratar de forzarle a que los vea a nuestra manera, para que las cosas salgan como nosotros pensamos que deberían salir o intentar manipular la situación para que elija lo que nosotros queremos. Los deseos de nuestro corazón deberían surgir de Su inspiración, y queremos estar abiertos para que el Señor pueda dirigirnos por el camino correcto. Una buena imagen de dónde queremos que esté nuestro corazón es una balanza en equilibrio cuando llegamos a un punto de «santa indiferencia» y podemos decir con toda sinceridad: «Lo que tú quieras, Señor.”
Podemos utilizar varios medios para ayudarnos a formar una disposición correcta. No es una coincidencia, que las palabras de Jesús sobre hacer la voluntad de Su Padre, formen parte del discurso del Pan de Vida. ¿No es como si nos dijera, que en el contexto de recibir la Sagrada Comunión y pasar tiempo con Jesús en la Adoración Eucarística nos abrimos a Su guía? - Todo el mundo puede beneficiarse de la
Adoración- . La meditación sobre las Sagradas Escrituras es también un medio excelente para escuchar Su voz, así como tener un director/ guía espiritual con quien podamos intercambiar ideas. Todos estos medios son importantes para ayudarnos a discernir la voluntad de Dios.
Pasar tiempo con Jesús en Adoración y tener momentos de silencio en nuestras vidas nos da apertura para escuchar Su guía. La meditación sobre las Sagradas Escrituras, también son un medio excelente para escuchar Su voz y Su dirección/guía espiritual, que podemos utilizar para eliminar cosas. Todos estos medios son esenciales para ayudarnos a discernir la voluntad de Dios.
En la vida, nos enfrentamos a decisiones cruciales; todos llegamos a bifurcaciones en el camino: ¿debo elegir esto o aquello, ir por este camino o por aquel otro? En esos momentos especiales, deberíamos hacer una pausa y dirigirnos con confianza al Señor y preguntarle qué debemos hacer. La ingeniosa frase de Yogi Berra: “Cuando llegues a una bifurcación en el camino, ¡Tómala!” sugiere que no debemos rehuir esos momentos cruciales, sino abrazarlos, porque a través del discernimiento, nos disponemos a hacer la voluntad de Dios y tratamos de cumplirla más perfectamente, como lo hizo Jesús. Discernir la voluntad de Dios no debe causarnos ansiedad, ni llenarnos de inquietud. Por el contrario, como hijos e hijas de Dios, podemos confiar en que Él nos mostrará el camino que desea para nosotros: “Pedid y se os dará, buscad y encontrareis; golpead y se os abrirá” (Mateo 7,7-11).
Como hijos e hijas de Dios, podemos confiar en que Él nos mostrará el camino que desea para nosotros.
THE JUBILEE YEAR OF HOPE: MANY CELEBRATIONS IN ROME AND ON THE DIOCESAN LEVEL
A Year to Start Anew
BY SUSANNE JANSSEN
The Jubilee Year of Hope has started – while Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s on Christmas Eve, Bishop Mulvey celebrated the Diocesan Opening Mass on December 28 at Corpus Christi Cathedral. We have over nine months left to take advantage of this special occasion to grow in our faith!
A Jubilee Year is traditionally proclaimed by the Catholic Church every 25 years. It is a particular year set aside to encourage the faithful to embark on pilgrimages, to repent of their sins and forgive the sins of others, and to renew a focus on the spiritual life. In the Jewish tradition, every 50 years, there was a year designated as a Jubilee, a time to release slaves, cancel debts, and return the land to its original owners, signifying a fresh start and renewal of relationships with God and one another. The term “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word “yobel,” which refers to a ram’s horn used to announce this special year.
Some deaneries in our diocese are planning to dedicate one day as a pilgrimage day, having many priests available for confession. Other parishes plan to organize pilgrimages together as an opportunity to build community. Our Lady of Guadalupe in Corpus Christi starts adoration every Monday from 6 to 7 pm, and the Schoenstatt Shrine in Lamar offers one day a month a unique program for pilgrims, who are welcome every day to visit the Shrine from 8 am to 6 pm. If you plan to visit a Holy Site and want to enter into the Church, please call the parish office before you go.
During the Jubilee Year in Rome, there will be some special Jubilee Celebrations for specific age groups, vocations or professions. The first meeting, scheduled for January 24, 2025, focused on the Jubilee of the World of Communication, reflecting on the role of the media and words as instruments of hope and change.
Calendar for the remaining year:
March 28: 24 Hours for the Lord
March 29-30: Missionaries of Mercy
April 5-6: Jubilee of the Sick and Health Care Workers
April 25-27: Jubilee of Teenagers
April 28-29: People with Disabilities
May 1-4: Workers
May 4-5 Entrepreneurs
May 10-11 Bands and Popular Music
May 12-14 Eastern Churches
May 16-18: Confraternities
May 23-24: Those celebrating their First Holy Communion
May 30-June 1: Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly
June 7-8: Ecclesial Movements, and New Communities
June 9 Holy See
June 14-15: Sport
June 20-22: Governments
June 23-24: Seminarians
June 25: Bishops
June 26-27: Priests
July 28 - August 3: Young People
July 28-29: Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers
September 14-15: Consolation
September 20-21: Justice
September 26-28: Catechists
October 4-5: Missions
October 4-5: Migrants
October 8-9: Consecrated Life
October 11-12: Marian Spirituality
October 28-November 2: Education
November 16: Poor
November 22-23: Choirs
December 14: Prisoners
Holy Mass celebrated by The Most Reverend Wm. Michael Mulvey, STL, DD Bishop of
Corpus Christi
Saturday, June 14, 2025, 10 am at Corpus Christi Cathedral
