July 2017 - Vol.52 No.7

SERVING THE CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE OF CORPUS CHRISTI

South Texas

Catholic Vocations Bonanza from

Newman Center in Kingsville

W W W . S O U T H T E X A S C A T H O L I C . C O M • J U LY 2 0 17

ON THE

VOL. 52 NO. 7 Publisher Bishop Michael Mulvey, STL DD

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Twenty-one-year-old Luis Lozano is discerning the priesthood at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. He is one of many students at the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel & Newman Center who are considering religious life. Four young men have already entered seminary studies, three for the Diocese of Corpus Christi and one for the Diocese of Fort Worth.

COVER

Luisa Buttler for South Texas Catholic

Editor Alfredo E. Cárdenas ACardenas@diocesecc.org Theological Consultant Ben Nguyen, JD/JCL. BNguyen@diocesecc.org Editorial Staff Mary E. Cottingham MCottingham@diocesecc.org Adel Rivera ARivera@diocesecc.org Madelyn Calvert MCalvert@diocesecc.org Correspondents Luisa Buttler, Rebecca Esparza, Jessica Morrison, Luisa Scolari, Beth Wilson

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John Paul II High School officials recently announced plans for a completely 25 St.renovated track and field facility: the Bishop Edmond Carmody Field. The new

facility will cost close to $1 million and is scheduled to be ready by July. It will serve athletes from both St. John Paul II High School and Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School.

INSIDE

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

4 VIEWPOINTS Four books that make

CATÓLICA 22 VIDA Retiro ACTS promueve la vida de

PARISH LIFE 9 Diocese recognizes

NEWS 27 NATIONAL Texas bishops decry state’s new

good summer reading

examples of Christian witness

una parroquia

immigration law

NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE 29 Pope Francis: Migrant crisis requires 13 Emergency aid program VATICAN

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is heart of Catholic Charities

NEWS BRIEFS 16 Seminar asks

‘Why do we need the Church?’

focus on reality, dialogue and commitment

FAITH 31 OUR Restoration of the permanent

diaconate: 50 years of changes

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 3

†† VIEWPOINTS

Three books that make good summer reading Msgr. M. Francis Mannion is a viewpoints contributor to the Catholic News Agency.

Msgr. M. Francis Mannion

H Contributor

ere are three books (in no particular order) that I recommend for 2017. All are excellent and none require specialized knowledge or expertise.

Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History

BY RODNEY STARK Any mainstream textbook will tell you that the Inquisition was one of the most frightening and bloody chapters in Western history; that Pope Pius XII was anti-Semitic and is rightly called “Hitler’s Pope”; that the Dark Ages were stunted by Catholicism towards the progress of knowledge and science; and that the Crusades were an early example of the greed for power and riches on the part of the Catholic Church.

In this engaging book Rodney Stark, distinguished professor of history and the social sciences at Baylor University, argues that some

4 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

of the most firmly held ideas about history that paint the Catholic Church in the most negative light are, in fact, mostly fiction. In each chapter, Stark takes on a well-established anti-Catholic myth, and gives a fascinating history of how each myth developed and became the conventional wisdom, and he presents a startling picture of the real truth. Stark is not only an outstanding social historian—but significantly—is not a Catholic.

The Great Dance: the Christian Vision Revisited

BY C. BAXTER KRUGER Have you ever read a book or article—or heard a homily—that presented the doctrine of the Trinity in a compelling and spiritually nourishing fashion? Possibly not. If you are eager to have the Trinity explained to you, here is the book.

Presbyterian/reformed theologian C. Baxter Kruger presents the Trinity in a manner that is eye opening, compelling, contemporary and

Vibrant Paradoxes: the both/and of Catholicism

contrary—grace and nature, faith and reason, scripture and tradition, body and soul. Barron writes in a manner that is exciting, accessible, traditional and contemporary.

Go to our Online Store to order a back issue of the STC, the Catholic Directory, an official portrait of Pope Francis, Bishop Michael Mulvey and other resources.

BY BISHOP ROBERT BARRON Bishop Barron, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, and writer and host of the phenomenally successful “Catholicism” series.

His aim is always to present the Gospel and the life of the Church in a manner that focuses on the beauty of the faith and the “beautiful people”—the saints—of Catholicism.

Vibrant Paradoxes is a “both/and” book, meaning that it seeks to unite beliefs and motifs that often seem

South Texas

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SERVING THE CHURCH IN THE DIOCESE OF CORPUS CHRISTI

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Headlines from southtexascatholic.com ✝ Bookmark our Web site to keep up to date on all the happenings in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

• 38 teens complete ACTS retreat at Our Lady of Mount Carmel

• Schoenstatt Boys Walk, offers sacrifices, prayers and petitions

• Isaac Kimmel does missionary work teaching at Belize school

• Graduates recognized, awarded scholarships at Sacred Heart

• Bishop Mulvey will celebrate Mass on Feast of Corpus Christi, titular feast of diocese

• Teachers workshop centers on differentiated learning

• 10 students receive First Communion at St. Anthony’s • Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission Edroy holds first Communion • Father Villarreal confirmed as Parochial Administrator at St. Philip the Apostle Parish • First Communion Mass held at Sacred Heart in Rockport

• New Mission Council member chosen to inspire

• Marina Garcia completes year of ministering to youth

• Father Martin speaks of ‘God’s love’ at staff day of reflection

• Students honored at underclassman awards presentation

• Registration open for Women’s Conference in San Antonio

• IWA breaks ground on new Montessori building

• Office of Worship Announces: Cathedral TV MASS Festival of Choirs 2017

• Senior Signs Letter of Intent for University Cross Country Team

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 5

†† VIEWPOINTS

faithful to the longer Christian doctrinal tradition. I rarely read a book all the way through, this book I have read twice. I could not recommend it highly enough. It would be great for a study group.

6  South Texas Catholic | July 2017

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 7

8  South Texas Catholic | July 2017

†† PARISH LIFE

Bishop Michael Mulvey named Sister Mary Paul Hon, IWBS as the recipient of the Diocesan Evengelii Gaudium Award for her service in prison ministry.

Ervey Martinez for South Texas Catholic

Diocese recognizes examples of Christian witness Alfredo E. Cardenas

T

South Texas Catholic

he Diocese of Corpus Christi celebrated its third annual Evangelii Gaudium recognition on Wednesday, June 7, at the Corpus Christi Cathedral. The event recognizes men and women in the diocese who exemplify the Joy of

the Gospel.

This year Bishop Michael Mulvey named Sister Mary Paul Hon, IWBS a recipient for her service to

the diocesan family in prison ministry. In addition to Sister Mary Paul, 60 other recipients were recognized from 39 parishes.

Pastors in the various parishes nominate individuals or couples from their church who exemplify the Joy of the Gospel, which is Pope Francis’ first encyclical. This year Bishop Mulvey also chose to recognize someone.

Among the recipients are Guadalupe Aguirre from Sacred Heart Mission in Pettus; Laly Arteaga a July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 9

†† PARISH LIFE

parishioner of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Beeville; Betty Bauer for Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Refugio; Ricardo and Doris Carrillo from Sacred Heart Mission in Realitos; Mona Curiel from St. Helena of the True Cross of Jesus Parish in Corpus Christi; Tony and Barbara Dietz from Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Vattman; Henry Fey with Holy Cross Parish in Corpus Christi; Ruben Galabeas from St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles Parish in Corpus Christi; and

Owen and Kim Gallagher from St. John of the Cross Parish in Orange Grove.

Also, Margarito and Angelita Guerrero from Santa Rosa de Lima Parish in Benavides; Wayne and Mildred Hoffer of St. Patrick Parish in Corpus Christi; Louis and Faye Kaase from St. George Parish in George West; Jerry Joseph Knesek from St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Robstown; Liliana Leal from Most Precious Blood Parish in Corpus Christi; Gerald and Genoveva Lerma of

Recipients of the Evangelii Gaudium Award.

Ervey Martinez for South Texas Catholic

10 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

Holy Family Parish in Corpus Christi; Juan Lopez from Sacred Heart Parish in Corpus Christi; Maria Cristela Maldonado form St. Mary’s Parish in Freer; Albert and Patricia Martinez from Christ the King Parish in Corpus Christi; and Gerald and Linda McKamie from St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Corpus Christi.

Others recognized are Patricia McKeone of St. Andrew by the Sea Parish in Corpus Christi; Diane Elizabeth Montez from St.

†† PARISH LIFE

Martin of Tours Parish in Kingsville; Vicki Pannone with Corpus Christi Cathedral Parish; Norman Paris with St. Pius X Parish in Corpus Christi; Mary Perez from Sacred Heart Parish in Three Rivers; Joseph Polasek from Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Ingleside; Alicia Renken with St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Alice; Gil and Norma Reynado from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Alice; Alonso Rivera from St. John the Baptist Parish in Corpus Christi; Jerry

and Ofelia Rivera from Immaculate Conception Parish in Ingleside; and Jaime and Maria Rodriguez from St. Joseph Parish in Corpus Christi.

Also, Gilbert and Norma Salinas from Ss. Cyril & Methodius Parish in Corpus Christi; Juan and Velma Sanchez from Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Kingsville; Larry and Carol Snapka from St. Anthony Parish in Violet; Anita Tanguma from Sacred Heart Parish in Three Rivers;

Kathy Taylor with St. Gertrude Parish in Kingsville; Leonor Trevino from St. Joseph Parish in Kingsville; Deacon Luis and Alicia Trevino from St. Joseph Parish in Beeville; and Laurino Vega Sr., from St. Theresa of the Little Flower Parish in Woodsboro.

The recipients, are considered witnesses of Jesus Christ and examples of the joy in being a Catholic Christian, and are recognized annually in conjunction with the Feast of Corpus Christi.

seemore more photos go to: ToTosee photosofofthis thisevent event go to South Texas

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July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 11

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80200217

Rebecca Esparza

R Correspondent

oxanne, not her real name, was diagnosed with cancer late last year. She had been struggling with the harsh treatments for her cancer, along with raising two small children. Two months ago, she decided to leave her abusive husband, with her children in tow. Her name has been changed to protect her and her children.

Just one week after making this life-changing decision, she learned she was battling a second primary cancer. A social services agency in town referred her to the Emergency Aid Department of Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi.

“Catholic Charities came to my aid at a horrible point in my life,” Roxanne said tearfully. “But I thank God for Elma, who has been a guardian angel to me during this difficult time. Her help and the generous donations made by complete strangers on my behalf has given me back my faith in God. I can’t thank everyone enough.”

Elma Ortiz, intake specialist in the Emergency Aid Department, said Roxanne’s case is not unusual. People in dire need for shelter or basic necessities, like assistance with a utility bill, can receive emergency aid, sometimes within a few hours of applying. Many have two jobs, but are just not making enough to provide the basics for their families.

“Clients come in to see me due to unemployment or some unforeseen situation, such as a death in the family, vehicle repairs and any kind of financial hardship that has had them go off their budget,” Ortiz said.

In Roxanne’s situation, Ortiz was able to find affordable housing for Roxanne and her children and assisted with finding

Intake Specialist Elma Ortiz shares a small glimpse of donated items clients can choose from at Catholic Charities, including dishes, small appliances and other household items. Donations of new or gently used household items, toiletries, furniture, clothing, toys, diapers and nonperishable food are welcomed at the Catholic Charities office at 615 Oliver Court.

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

household items like beds, kitchen items, bedding and other items needed to start a new home.

The program’s director Yiyi Dean noted that the department has been serving those in need since the agency’s founding. “The Emergency Aid Department serves as the entry point to every client we serve. This is the heart of Catholic Charities,” Dean said.

The department does much more

than assist with utilities and or housing.

Last year, more than 76,000 individuals received help through the Emergency Aid Department.

“We have done home repairs for senior citizens, like gather students from one of the Catholic schools and paint a home, repair a roof or add handicap access to a home,” Dean said. “We also have a food basket program during Christmas and are July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 13

†† NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE

Emergency Aid program is heart of Catholic Charities

✝ NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE

Sister Marykutty Vellaplamuriyil assists Danielle Stubbs with food and diapers for her family, direct from the food pantry located at the Catholic Charities office, located at 615 Oliver Court.

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

a distribution point for the Toys for Tots program.”

Appointments are not required, but clients are seen on a firstcome, first-served basis on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Some weeks, as many as 150 calls come in, asking about assistance.

“I allow as many clients to sign up as they come in. There have been times I had 25-30 clients in one day. This doesn’t include any emergencies that are referred here, such as house or apartment fires, or referral from other agencies,” Ortiz said.

She noted her job does not end after the client leaves.

“At the end of my day—any client that I was able to assist with their utilities, electric or rental assistance—I must make contact with each individual company or landlord to notify them we will be assisting the client and the amount that we will be assisting them with at that time,” she said.

Ortiz said she even receives letters from those incarcerated asking for assistance.

“They know they will be in a halfway house upon their release and contact me for basics like toiletries, clothing items and food,” she said. “We help everyone here. If a homeless person walks in today asking for food, we give them a care package with travel food like potted meat and fruit cups.”

Danielle Stubbs recently visited Catholic Charities for assistance in the food pantry.

“Especially since I have young children, this assistance with food and diapers means the world to my family,” she said.

Sister Marykutty Vellaplamuriyil, of the Sisters of St. Ann at St. Joseph Parish, works in the food pantry assisting clients and said she does much more than simply help people pick out food.

“I listen to their problems and give them hope. People come here with tragic circumstances and so we ask for our Lord’s grace to be his instrument of charity,” she said.

Meanwhile, Roxanne was recently settling into her new apartment, which she obtained through the assistance of Ortiz in the 14 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

Emergency Aid Department. Ortiz negotiated one month of reduced rent. The money Roxanne saved was used for a deposit on her electricity service.

“I’m ready to tackle this cancer head-on, thanks to the help I received at Catholic Charities. As a single mother now, I don’t want to imagine where I would be without this assistance,” Roxanne said.

“It’s a great feeling when I am able to help a family or an individual with our assistance here at Catholic Charities Emergency Aid Department. I have clients who return only to let me know what a blessing it was to help them with that one bill that we were able to assist them with,” Ortiz said. “I also have to thank everyone here at Catholic Charities. We are like a family here and always try to help each other out when it comes to a client.”

Catholic Charities, located at 615 Oliver Court in Corpus Christi, accepts donations of household items, clothes, toys, food, non-perishable items and furniture.

The Emergency Aid Department has been Generously Adopted By

Celeste Vermeulen Guernsey

†† NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE

The Schoenstatt shrine in Lamar.

Jessica Morrison for South Texas Catholic

Schoenstatt celebrates 75th Jubilee of its Family Branch Jessica Morrison

O Correspondent

n Sunday, July 16, the apostolic Schoenstatt movement will celebrate the 75th jubilee of the Schoenstatt Family Branch at its Shrine Center in Lamar. The commemoration will include family adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a Jubilee Holy Mass, a picnic-style lunch with games and prizes and a family branch presentation, ceremony and blessing.

Sister M. Mara Medina, ISSM said the

jubilee celebration seeks to remember, renew, cultivate and preserve the family work, which is the foundation and crown of the whole Schoenstatt movement. On July 16, 1942, she said, the doors of Divine Providence opened for the founding of the most important branch of Schoenstatt: the family work. The family work occupies the fundamental position within Schoenstatt and functions as its foundation for all members of clergy and laity alike.

With varying degrees of commitment,

members belong to family institutes, leagues or federations within the family work. Married couples are connected within networks of like-minded families to mutually strengthen each other and make God visible to others. Schoenstatt bonds families in growth and stability, and fosters simple, life-affirming relationships while respecting the originality of each individual created by God, Sister Mara said.

Couples groups, or other groups such as mothers, who live within the same area July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 15

✝ NEWS FROM THE DIOCESE

meet at regular intervals for enriching conversation and faith sharing. The Schoenstatt Lamar Center has several discussion programs and topics freely available to anyone interested in starting or joining a local group.

Schoenstatt, meaning “beautiful place,” is a Marian shrine of grace. According to its website, Schoenstatt-Texas.org, a Marian shrine is “a place of pilgrimage, a movement, a family and a new way of life.” At its center, a Schoenstatt shrine offers “tranquility, peace and a home in the heart of the Mother of God for everyone who seeks answers in the uncertainty of life.”

In 1930, Pope Pius XI’s encyclical Casti Connubii emphasized that the building of a new society is only possible with the renewal and salvation of the family as a response to the many problems facing humanity. The Schoenstatt fathers, Sister Mara said, soon began pastoral work aimed at the preparation of couples for matrimony and for a covenant of love with Mary. The goal was to form a movement of Catholic marriages, modeled after the Holy Family, capable of radiating within society the Christian witness of joy while answering the heresies and ideologies, which destroy the family.

The Schoenstatt Family Branch hopes to continue to grow in number and depth and welcomes all men, women and children to attend the 75th jubilee celebration taking place on July 16 in Lamar. For more information and to RSVP call (361) 729-2019.

For the good of the people of God in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Bishop Michael Mulvey has made the following assignments: Father John Chavarria is appointed pastor of Father John St. Michael the Archangel in Banquete.

Chavarria

Seminar asks ‘Why do we need the Church?’

Catholic Distance University is offering an online seminar “Why Do We Need the Church?” from July 3-24. Many people consider themselves to be “spiritual” but not “religious.” Surveys show that over half of American adults do not regularly attend church and only 20 percent of Catholics born after 1970 attend Mass.

This apologetics seminar will help the faithful respond to this alarming and growing trend by exploring key reasons why active involvement in the life of the Church, especially the Mass, is Christ’s will for his followers. All Catholics can appreciate this seminar as an opportunity to strengthen their faith and learn valuable information for sharing with family and friends who do not attend Mass.

All adults of the Diocese of Corpus Christi are eligible to take any non-credit seminar or independent study course at a discounted tuition rate of $30 each. To register and see a full list of continuing education courses and upcoming seminars, browse the university’s catalog atcdu.catalog.instructure.com.

Use Promo Code16CORPUSCHRISTI when registering.

Independent studies can be taken at any time.

Rachel’s Vineyard retreat scheduled for July 21

The next Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat will be on July 21-23 in Corpus Christi. Rachel’s Vineyard is a “safe place” to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion.

Weekend retreats offer a supportive, confidential and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-abortive emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing.

For more information contact Tammy Romo Alcala at (361) 510-0484 or email ccrachelvineyard@gmail.com.

16 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

†† NEWS BRIEFS

Mt. Carmel Home is closing its doors on July 31 After 63 years of serving the elderly in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the Carmelite Sisters will close Mt. Carmel Assisted Living Center located on 4130 S. Alameda. Some 30 residents were allowed to find a new home by July 31.

“We deeply regret their decision, but understand that the rising cost of operations and the enormous costs of construction in order to remodel the present facility have led to their decision,” Bishop Michael Mulvey said. “I am personally grateful to the sisters for the compassionate and loving care they showed to my mother in her final years.”

For the past few months the Carmelite Sisters have been working with professional consultants to determine the longterm future of Mt. Carmel Home. They conducted a market study, drew up architectural plans and a feasibility study with the end result being they could no longer continue operation.

Three of the sisters will remain at the convent until further decisions are made regarding the future of the building, Bishop Mulvey said. “We offer them our support in this difficult decision and our prayers that those who are still residents will be able to transition peacefully to another facility,” the bishop said.

High School alumni active in missionary work Two members of the St. John Paul II High School Class of 2012 have been active during the last year performing missionary work.

Working in different missionary fields, the two carried the word of Christ to others in fulfillment of the mission of their alma mater “to serve others and to strive toward the highest ideals of Christian spiritual, moral and intellectual perfection.”

Marina Garcia completed a year of leading a nine-member team from all corners of the country in a mission to make the love of Christ known to the youth of the Church.

Marina Garcia The missionary work is sponsored

by NET Ministries, located in St. Paul, Minnesota and is intended to engage youth and encourage them towards an active pursuit of their faith.

“We spent the days going to classes, lunches, practices

and performances. Essentially what we were trying to accomplish was to form a relationship with the students in order to show them that living a Catholic life outside of the classroom is entirely possible,” Garcia said.

Isaac Kimmel, meanwhile, spent the last year serving as a teacher at John Paul II Junior College in Benque Viejo del Carmen, Belize.

The junior college is the only liberal arts college in Belize, “so it fills a really important role,” Kimmel said.

“Belize is a young democracy, so it’s critical that its citizens know history and philosophy, and those sub- Isaac Kimmel jects aren’t taught in grade schools at all,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel was volunteering with the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT).

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 17

†† VOCATIONS

The Holy Spirit is present at the Newman Center in Kingsville, as a number of students are actively discerning the priesthood and consecrated religious life.

Luisa Buttler for the South Texas Catholic 18 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

Luisa Buttler

T Correspondent

he college years are stereotypically a time of discovery – discovery ranging from new friends, new viewpoints, new career options or even a new moral code.

For a select few students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, their time on campus solidified their discovery of a calling from God to a vocation of religious life or ordained life as a priest and the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center & Chapel at Texas A&M-Kingsville is the hub for much of that discernment.

In the last two years, three young men out of the Kingsville Newman Center have become seminarians for the Diocese of Corpus Christi—Michael Golla, Raymond Pendleton and Thomas Swierc. A fourth student, Eric Flores, has joined the seminary for the Diocese of Fort Worth. Other students are discerning the priesthood or consecrated life as a religious sister.

“A home away from home,” is how Nina Joiner, Director of Campus Ministry at the Kingsville Newman Center, describes the place she has worked at for 13 years.

“The center provides a place for students to feel at home,” Joiner said.

The St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center & Chapel opened in 2013. The chapel seats 300, a multipurpose meeting space adjoining the chapel is a hub for students and next-door the Newman student dorm, provides living accommodations for 278 students. Activities are plenty at the Newman Center. There is Scripture class, dances after home football games, movie nights and a computer lab with free printing.

And then there is food. Nobody who visits the Newman Center goes hungry. There is free-access fridge with sandwich fixings, plus a kitchen to cook in. On Thursdays during the school year, the Newman Center, with the help of neighboring Kingsville parishes, serves a hot casserole lunch for up

to 800 Javelina students, faculty and staff.

During Thanksgiving, more than 1,200 people came for lunch.

“I always felt I might have been called to religious life, but I didn’t really accept that idea until my freshman year of college, while I was at community college” Swierc said, a College Station native who attended Texas A&M-Kingsville from 2013-2015 to study engineering and computer science.

“I felt like there was something lacking in my prayer life, so I started by taking on an hour of weekly adoration at my parish and started singing with the church choir.

Once I transferred to A&M-Kingsville, that same feeling and desire was there, complemented with my desire to help people, so I volunteered at the Newman Center, taking on different projects. I deepened my faith further by attending daily Mass at the chapel, and Mass on weekend, and then weekly holy hour.”

The 24-year-old just finished his second

Michael Golla

Raymond Pendleton

Thomas Swierc July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 19

†† VOCATIONS

Kingsville’s Newman Center is wellspring for vocations

†† VOCATIONS

year of seminary at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas.

“Everyone at the Newman Center was supportive of whatever God’s call was for me,” Swierc said. “The priest when I was there, Father Peter Stanley, was very supportive. In fact, the first time he looked at me, he told me he knew I was in discernment. Later, during a passionate and intense moment of my faith, he helped me decide if I should leave school a year early for seminary. He helped me realize the intense burning in my heart was there to stay and I eventually told him ‘Father, pack me up. I am ready to go.’”

Pendleton, a Benavides, Texas native, completed his second year at Holy Trinity Seminary and is assigned to St. Pius X Parish in Corpus Christi for the summer months.

While at Texas A&M-Kingsville he was assigned to do an internship at the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel. His duties were to clean the Chapel and prepare the sacristy for the liturgy.

He soon found out that, in addition to the Mass, he enjoyed helping others. He decided to join the seminary while in his junior year.

Golla graduated this past May from Texas A&M-Kingsville and is starting his studies at Theological College in Washington, D.C. this fall.

“I was a fallen away Catholic when I began to fall in love with the Mass at the Newman Center,” Golla, a former Marine, said. He said that while attending Texas A&M Kingsville he began to learn about the faith of his childhood.

Luis Lozano is a 21 year old master’s student studying biology at Texas A&M-Kingsville. The Laredo native has a brilliant mind, Joiner said, and graduated Suma Cum Laude in his undergraduate degree in biomedical science with a minor in chemistry in only three years. He has been discerning the priesthood for more than three years.

“When I first went to the vocations office at the Diocese of Corpus Christi, I was in my second year of college, and they didn’t tell me ‘no,’ they just said ‘not yet,’” Lozano said. “I had just come off a retreat, and they were afraid I was on a ‘retreat high’ but that retreat high has lasted three years now. I am still on that high.”

In Lozano’s final year of his undergraduate degree, he made two visits to Holy 20 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

Cross Seminary, on the campus of Notre Dame. “Holy Cross provides the balance I am looking for, where they have priests that are professors—academic priests—who teach at the university,” Lozano said. “So I went there twice, once for a tour and once for the interview process, but again, they said I needed to wait.”

Lozano says, when it comes to his vocation, he has stopped making big plans, and has surrendered his future to what God has in store for him.

“What separated discernment from regular thought is the element of God. What does God want you to do? He has the best plan for you,” Lozano said. “That’s why I’ve decided to stop making plans, because as best as I may try, my plans are shortsighted, and I can’t see God’s full picture for me.”

Lozano is expecting to graduate from Texas A&M-Kingsville with his master’s degree in May 2018.

“The Newman Center has taught me what it means to serve,” Lozano said. “I have always been a person who likes to be helpful, but being helpful and committing to service are two very different Teresa Pendleton things. Service helps you find who you are and helps you find your vocation.”

Pendleton’s sister Teresa is also discerning religious life. She first attended Texas A&M-Kingsville in the fall of 2015 and first visited the Kingsville Newman Center during her senior year of high school, when she attended a vocations retreat at the Center. It was then she met Golla, who, at the time, was a Texas A&M-Kingsville student and a friend of her brother’s.

“Michael is now one of my best friends, like one of my big brothers,” the 20-yearold education major said. “We have similar interests, including learning more about the Mass, the saints and just realizing there is so much more out there to learn. Michael also helped me to begin my discernment.”

Teresa Pendleton said she officially began to discern becoming a sister this past January.

“For a time, I thought I wanted to get

married and have a family, but for the last year or so, I’ve had thoughts of a religious life, especially because I’ve spent more time around religious sisters and priests, and all these instances, they grow on you, and you fall in love with the idea of it,” she said. “I have fallen in love with this vocation like I would have fallen in love with a man. It really hit me, and opened my eyes and my heart to the thought of being a sister.”

Teresa Pendleton worked at the Newman Center as an intern during her freshman year, and is now the president of the Catholic Student Organization at Texas A&M-Kingsville. She also volunteers her time at the Newman Center by getting involved with Mass as a lector or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.

“I go to the Newman Center pretty much every day,” Teresa Pendleton said. “If you put yourself around people who are about you, who actually mean it when they call you a friend, who aren’t afraid to ask why they haven’t seen you at Mass or ask to pray the rosary with you, it helps. These are the people I found at the Newman Center.”

“We are just normal kids,” Teresa Pendleton said. “We have bad semesters, drama in our personal life, but we are there for each other and we stick together. That’s how we express our thanks for what we have and to the one that gives us all these graces. I go to the Newman Center because that’s where I find love and peace, and isn’t that all what we want to feel? At the Newman Center, you will be served, and you will learn to serve and that sense of community leads to a wonderful, community life.”

Lozano is not sure how many other students at the Newman Center are in discernment, because sometimes the process is private and internal. What he and others do know is that there is something special about the Newman Center, and the people who work and serve there. The Newman Center gives these students an opportunity to become better versions of themselves — in whatever vocation lies ahead.

“The Newman Center is a place of peace,” Joiner said. “This is a place to think, where minds are not cluttered. People come here to worship, study, socialize—all in one place. This is a place where God is.”

†† VOCATIONS

Sister Eileen observes 40 years in consecrated life

S

ister Eileen Mary Doherty, SOLT grew up in “a simple, yet faith-filled family.” Born on Feb. 4, 1953, Sister Eileen is the 10th child born to Patrick and Mary Doherty of the Bronx, New York Everything the family did focused on family and faith, Sister Eileen said.

Both of her parents immigrated to the United States from Northern Ireland in the 1930s. They met and married in their newly adopted country. Neither one of them had many relatives in the states, so they cherished the family they did have here, passing on to each of their children the importance of family.

“My parents worked hard to insure that each of us had a strong Catholic education,” Sister Eileen said. She attended St. Raymond Catholic School from kindergarten through 12th grade, receiving her education from the Sisters of Charity of New York. The impact of the sisters’ witness of service in Catholic education and their ministry to abandoned and neglected children had a critical impact on her discernment to a vocation in religious Life.

On May 27,1972, her brother James was ordained a priest for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. Following his ordination, he invited her to travel with him to Kansas City, Missouri to meet other members of the Society and to experience the apostolic work of the community.

The idea of a religious community with members from each vocation in the Church serving on ecclesial teams was extraordinary and intriguing to her.

“What impacted me most intensely was the emphasis on family, graced-friendships and ministering to the anawim (the poor).

This struck a chord of connection to my

own formation from my parents and the work of healing the broken relationships Sisters of Charity,” Sister Eileen said. of God’s little ones through the ministry After spending two weeks with the of St. Joseph’s Dream did belong to the Society in Kansas City, she returned to vision, charism and ministry of Our Lady’s New York with a newfound interest and community. direction. She applied for membership Along with Sister Mary Patricia Burns, to the laity of SOLT, was SOLT, Sister Eileen began accepted, and entered the working in childcare, securing Society on Sept. 9, 1972. a Master’s degree in adolescent During the next three and family counseling. Since years, she experienced a 1977, they have served in resivariety of apostolates of dential treatment centers, group SOLT and grew in her homes and the foster care sysunderstanding of the tem in Dallas, Texas, Hartford, vision, charism and spirConnecticut, Bronx, New York, ituality of the fledgling Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas community.

City, Kansas and for the past She went on to com24-years in Corpus Christi. plete her college studies, Since 1993, Sister Eileen has receiving a Bachelor’s Sister Eileen Mary Doherty taught at Incarnate Word Acaddegree in English and emy High School. secondary education.

“I have deep regard for the During these initial years in the Society, Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed under the spiritual direction of its founder Sacrament and the countless ways they Father James Flanagan, she discerned her have allowed me to share in their charism vocation to religious life as a sister of the of making the Incarnate Word known and Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy loved throughout the world,” Sister Eileen Trinity. She started postulancy as a SOLT said. “My experiences in serving at Incarsister on July 16, 1975 and professed vows nate Word Academy have truly brought on Aug. 15, 1977. many blessings to me, and have allowed “Serving in a variety of apostolic works me to support the children at St. Joseph’s of the Society including jail ministry, parish Dream that Our Lady has entrusted to work and teaching, I discovered a common our care.” thread; those whose hearts were hungering Whether in the classroom or in the for healing in family relationships. It was home, Sister Eileen said it has been a joy then that seeds of St. Joseph’s Dream took to be part of the family of the Society of root in my vocation and ministry,” Sister Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity for the Eileen said. past 45 years—40 years as a religious sister; St. Joseph’s Dream is a foster care center “a family that enables us to proclaim the operated by SOLT. Good News and heal the brokenhearted Under the direction and discernment of in serving in areas of deepest apostolic Father Flanagan, it was determined that the need.”

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 21

†† VIDA CATÓLICA

Marcos Villarreal, director de la delegación de ACTS en la diócesis de Corpus Christi y Amalio Ortiz, coordinador de ACTS en español en la parroquia de el Sagrada Familia en Corpus Christi se reunieron en Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

Luisa Scolari para el South Texas Catholic

Retiro ACTS promueve la vida de una parroquia Luisa Scolari

L Corresponsal

a parroquia de la Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) en Corpus Christi está organizando el primer retiro de ACTS en español para hombres que se llevara acabo el 3 al 6 de Agosto. ACTS es un seudónimo de adoración, comunidad, teología y servicio.

El señor Amalio Ortiz, quien actualmente esta coordinando la organización del retiro en la parroquia de Sagrada Familia, 22 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

comentó que el sentía que el Espíritu Santo lo toco durante su participación en ACTS, haciendo un gran cambio en su vida.

“Antes no aceptaba a Cristo en mi vida pero (ACTS) despertó en mi un gran amor por Cristo y el deseo de servicio y a través de mi también impacto a toda mi familia ya que aprendí que es mi primera comunidad,” Ortiz dijo. “Mi esposa Cecilia esta sirviendo como sacristán en la parroquia y mis hijos como monaguillos, realmente ha

hecho un gran cambio en nuestras vidas y dinámica familiar”.

ACTS se fundo en la Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro en la ciudad de Selma, Texas en Mayo de 1987. Fue iniciativa de Ed Coarten, Joe Hayes y Marty Sablik, quienes tenían experiencia como instructores y coordinadores del movimiento de retiros Cursillos. El movimiento se fue extendiendo por las parroquias de la Arquidiócesis de San Antonio y hoy esta presente

Este propósito ha sido el éxito de este retiro, ya que las parroquias empiezan a crecer desde la base. El retiro se organiza para los parroquianos de la parroquia anfitriona, pero se permite una pequeña cantidad de asistentes de otras parroquias para que la semilla se disemine.

Villarreal comento que para ser servidor en un retiro, el laico tiene que haberlo vivido anteriormente y comprometerse a servir.

Después de haber vivido el retiro, se regresa como un miembro mas comprometido con su comunidad pues siente como el Espíritu Santo lo ha tocado. También busca de que manera puede servir a su comunidad para crecer a su parroquia. Se integra en actividades o ministerios que le gustan y sabe hacer, pero también en tareas que no le gustan pero que se necesitan hacer.

Cuando se organiza un retiro se consideran por lo general 36 integrantes con un equipo de 36 servidores, pues es un numero de asistentes que se pueden sentir a gusto y conocerse todos. “Sin embargo,” Villarreal dijo, “hubo uno de 18 asistentes y fue tremendo, con un excelente resultado.”

Retiros se organizan para jóvenes,

hombres y mujeres por separado.

Cada parroquia donde se a organizado el retiro ACTS tiene un equipo coordinador de ACTS con 10 integrantes que se encargan de las necesidades y el buen funcionamiento del programa. Tienen reglas y reuniones y están organizados para ayudar y apoyar a la parroquia y no ser una carga y representarle mas trabajo.

El impacto de ACTS en las parroquias es el fuerte despertar del sentido de comunidad y deseo de servir, Villarreal comento.

Cuando una comunidad se conoce, es mas fácil identificar las necesidades y problemas que en ella existe y también mas fácil el trabajar para resolverlo. Por eso, muchos de los asistentes al retiro sirven en las parroquia como lectores, catequistas, ministros extraordinarios de la santa Comunión, clases de Biblia, decoradores de la iglesia, etc.

Si alguien esta interesado en participar en algún retiro de ACTS, ser voluntario o integrarse como miembro coordinador del equipo parroquial, pueden comunicarse con las oficinas de su parroquia para pedir informes o también puede entrar a la pagina: amccctx.org.

Obispo Michael Mulvey y el personal de la Oficina de un Ambiente Seguro y de Servicios para Niños y Familia se comprometen a ayudar en el proceso de curación de las víctimas y sobrevivientes de abuso.

Programa de Radio en Español en KLUX 89.5 HD-1 y “Listen Live” en KLUX.org Domingos a las 7:00 a.m. con el P. Juan Fernando Gámez P. José Naúl Ordóñez

Si usted o alguien que usted conoce está en necesidad de estos servicios, llame a Stephanie Bonilla, Director de la Oficina de un Ambiente Seguro y de Servicios para Niños y Familia: (361) 693-6686 (oficina) ó (361) 658-8652 (celular) para asistencia inmediata.

Oficina de un Ambiente Seguro y de Servicios para Niños y Familia

Ayudenos a Prevenir el Abuso Financiero La Diócesis de Corpus Christi por medio de la recomendación del Concilio Diocesano de Finanzas y el Concilio Presbiteral han llevado su dedicación mas allá para la buena administración y responsabilidad nanciera en nombre de donantes generosos al instituir un “hotline” para reportar el abuso nanciero.

La Diócesis de Corpus Christi ha seleccionado un tercer partido independiente, La Red, para proporcionarle a usted con una manera para reportar anónima y condencialmente el abuso nanciero e fraude. Los empleados, los parroquianos, los voluntarios, los vendedores, y otros partidos interesados estan impulsados para reportar las preocupaciones que tengan respeto a la conducta de påca ética nanciera dentro de la Diócese de Corpus Christi.

Todas las investigaciones serán tradas inmediatamente y discretamente.

Personas que llamen tienen el derecho de mantenerse anónimas.

Llamada 1-877-571-9748 July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 23

†† VIDA CATÓLICA

en 22 estados de Estados Unidos, en ocho estados de México, en Canadá, Honduras, Sudáfrica e Inglaterra y cuenta con miles de voluntarios que imparten los retiros y otros miles de participantes que se benefician de ellos.

La Delegación de Corpus Christi esta conformada por 12 integrantes, hombres y mujeres teniendo actualmente como director al señor Marcos Villarreal, pero cada año se elige un nuevo director. El señor Villarreal dijo que “La tarea que tenemos es la de evangelizar a través del retiro de ACTS, hecho por laicos que cuentan con la autorización parroquial para acercar a nuestros hermanos a Dios, haciendo énfasis en la importancia de la comunidad de las parroquias.”

Cuando recién se formo el retiro, los directores veían que las personas que asistían de las diferentes parroquias se beneficiaban del retiro pero al regresar a sus casas, parroquias y trabajos no lo compartían. Por eso ahora un objetivo importante es que a través del crecimiento espiritual y de la fe de los asistentes al retiro, la comunidad de su parroquia se beneficie de ello.

†† CATHOLIC EDUCATION

IWA first-grader named national champion in handwriting contest Wendy Schwantes

J

Contributor

ulieta Brusco, a first-grader at Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi was chosen as the grand national grade-level champion in the 2017 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest.

She was honored at a school assembly on May 12.

Julieta was one of nine students in kindergarten through eighth grade to earn the distinction of grand national gradelevel champion, meaning she had the best print writing among all first-grade entries.

Students who compete come from both public and private schools from across the country who use the Zaner-Bloser handwriting and/or reading curriculum.

The Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest, now in its 26th year, recognizes students from kindergarten through eighth grade for handwriting excellence.

Students in kindergarten through second grade submit manuscript–or print–entries,

Julieta Brusco practices her printing during class.

Raul Altamirano , Incarnate Word Academy

while students in third through eighth grades submit cursive entries.

All students are required to write the sentence “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” because it contains every letter of the alphabet. Judges select winners based on the Zaner-Bloser Keys to Legibility: shape, size, spacing and slant.

Participating schools hold handwriting competitions and select grade-level winners. Grade-level winners advance to state competitions, where judges select a public and private grade-level winner for each state. From there, judges select 18 public and private national grade-level semifinalists. The nine grand national grade-level champions are chosen from the group of semifinalists.

Zaner-Bloser sponsors the contest each year for schools that use its handwriting resources and Superkids Reading Program. The company estimates that more than four million students have participated in the

contest through its 26-year history.

“The process of writing out letters plays a vital role in spelling, reading, writing, mathematics and motor skills development, so we want to encourage the teaching of both print and cursive handwriting,” said Lesa Scott, president of Zaner-Bloser. “Research shows that learning and using handwriting impacts students’ overall literacy development.

We’re very proud to honor these students and their schools for their commitment to handwriting as a solid foundation for academic success.”

Each grand national grade-level champion earns a trophy, a check for $500 and educational materials for their school valued at $1,000. In addition, the teacher of each grand national grade-level champion is awarded with a trip to the International Literacy Association Annual Conference in July.

Incarnate Word Academy President Sammy Grunwald presents first grader Julieta Brusco, with a trophy and a check. Julieta was honored at a school assembly on May 12 for her excellence in print handwriting.

Raul Altamirano , Incarnate Word Academy 24 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

†† CATHOLIC EDUCATION

St. John Paul II High School and Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School and diocesan dignitaries gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bishop Carmody Field that will serve both schools.

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

New athletic field provides schools with additional draw Rebecca Esparza

S

Correspondent

t. John Paul II High School senior Shania Esquivel had grown accustomed to traveling to the West Oso High School track for discus throwing practice, despite the inconvenience. But thanks to an anonymous donor, a brand new track and field at St. John Paul II will enable students to stay on campus for training and games.

Father Peter Martinez, president of St. John Paul II

High School and Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School, says placing a priority on athletics is important because both schools will reach more students where they feel comfortable: playing sports.

“A student might be interested in track, but once they are here, we hope to help them see the purpose of their life and get them prepared for life…not just this life, but the life to come. I really see all our extracurricular activities as being incarnational. With athletics, we July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 25

†† CATHOLIC EDUCATION

reach students where they are, but then we invite them to be who they are called to be through spiritual formation and academic rigor; to get them ready for this life and the next,” Father Martinez said.

Esquivel said there were a lot of bumps on the old track. When there was rain, the track and field would be in an even more terrible condition than usual. “I’m so excited to have a new track, especially for my senior year,” she said.

Marco Hernandez, track and field coach

for St. John Paul High School, noted special thanks was in order to West Oso High School for the use of their track since 2010.

“We appreciate their help and always tried our best to assist with cleaning up their track after practice or even just pulling weeds out of the sand,” Hernandez said.

School officials recently announced plans for a completely renovated track and field facility: the Bishop Edmond Carmody Field. The new facility will cost close to $1 million and is scheduled to be ready

by July. It will serve athletes from both the high and middle schools.

“We are extremely blessed to finally move forward with this project. We’ve been wanting to replace this field for many years, but it has always been cost prohibitive,” Father Martinez said.

He said school officials had been speaking with a donor for some time about possible renovations, but new technology in track surfaces finally ushered the project into reality this year.

“Because of the clay soil we have out here, we have to be concerned about the type of track installed. Shifts in the soil affect the stability of the surface. Most synthetic tracks have a polyurethane bed, but this track we are installing is all synthetic grass, from the infield to the track itself,” he said.

Another major issue with the old facility Shania Esquivel looks forward to competing in the discus throw her senior year on a new field.

Rebecca Esparza for South Texas Catholic

26 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

was that with two schools using the field for a variety of sports, including football, track and soccer—both for competition and daily practice, the grass never really had a chance to grow.

With the field being in constant use, even if we had a fulltime maintenance person to keep up with the field, there was never anytime for the field to recover, Father Martinez said. The field had to be watered at least three times a week to keep the grass “somewhat decent.”

“Kids today, for the most part, because of all the new technology available now, are spending a lot of time indoors. We want our kids to go outside and have fun. There are some lessons only learned when you are in a team. You learn about adversity, about growing together, setting goals and achieving them,” Father Martinez said.

Coach Hernandez said the new track and field also means much needed new equipment and specialized facilities, including a high jump pit, hurdles, a discus cage, a pole vault pit and starting blocks.

“Our students have been going to state competition for track and field consistently since 2010. And that’s because we were using another high school’s track to practice. I can’t wait to see how our students will succeed with a new track on campus,” he said.

Father Martinez estimated that 80 percent of the students at each the high school and middle school participate in athletic activities. He added that the schools want students to participate in as many athletic activities as they can, while maintaining their academic standards.

†† NATIONAL NEWS

San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller

Brownsville Bishop Daniel Flores

Texas bishops decry state’s new immigration law

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Catholic News Agency wo Texas bishops have defended—from charges of fear mongering—the opponents of a new law, which targets sanctuary cities for immigrants, explaining that the bill draws little distinction between criminals and undocumented immigrants. The law in question, Senate Bill 4, was signed into law May 7.

The new law will take effect in September, and requires local government and law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law. Cities that do not comply face fines and the withholding of state funding.

The law also allows law enforcement to question the immigration status of those they detain, as well as the victims and witnesses of crimes. This provision has led to fears that undocumented immigrants will be less likely to report crimes.

“The public debate often makes it sound

as if all immigrants are criminals because they are here without proper documentation. Overstaying a visa is not a criminal offense; it is a civil offense against a federal statute,” Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville wrote in a June 4 column.

“Yes, immigrants without valid documents have infracted federal statutes; but they are not justly lumped together with human traffickers, drug dealers and murderers,” they maintained.

The column, which appeared in The Monitor—the daily newspaper in McAllen, is a response to a previous column by Gov. Greg Abbott, which appeared in the San Antonio Express-News and in The Monitor.

The governor had charged “Whether driven by misunderstanding or by purposeful fear mongering, those who are inflaming unrest place all who live in Texas at greater risk.”

The bishops said there is more to the unrest than misunderstanding, and that it is SB 4 that is causing fear among immigrant communities. “This new Texas state law encourages the notion that the immigrant community is defined by the criminals in our midst—instead of defined by the fact that most immigrants are working families with children. These things generate fear in the immigrant community,” the bishops wrote.

Archbishop García-Siller and Bishop Flores are worried that the option for law enforcement to question immigration status will lead to aggressive interpretations, and that “pretexts will be invented so that [people] can be stopped and asked about their immigration status.”

Noting that while the law “prohibits discrimination and profiling,” the bishops said, “the immigrant poor are not likely to have the resources or the counsel needed July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 27

†† NATIONAL NEWS

to defend themselves.”

“People get stopped, and they are desperately afraid. They immediately wonder about their children, and about their own safety if deported. It is this uncertainty and potential panic at the moment of questioning that breeds fear and that hurts the community fabric.”

Any law enforcement agencies that are more aggressive in questioning immigration

status will undermine trust in all law enforcement persons, the bishops noted.

“And does not such uncertainty make it less likely that crimes will be reported?”

Archbishop García-Siller and Bishop Flores noted that “We are a nation of laws, as the governor says; unfortunately, not all our laws are good laws. Bad laws have bad effects.”

They stated, “we will step up our efforts

to inform persons of their rights, including the right to remain silent, and to make available the best advice about what to do if you are stopped and are without valid documentation.”

“We will also work to repeal SB 4, or correct the most injurious aspects of this law. And we encourage all who oppose this law to work together in strenuous and peaceful ways toward this same end.”

Bishop Michael Mulvey and the staff of the Office for Safe Environment and Child and Family Resources are committed to assisting in the healing process for victims and survivors of abuse.

If you or someone you know is in need of such services, call Stephanie Bonilla, Director of the Office for Safe Environment and Child and Family Resources at: (361) 693-6686 (office) or (361) 658-8652 (cell) for immediate assistance.

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(361) 241-8153 Help Us Prevent Financial Abuse The Diocese of Corpus Christi at the recommendation of the Diocesan Finance Council and Presbyteral Council has furthered their commitment to good stewardship and financial accountability on behalf of generous donors by instituting a financial abuse hotline.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi has selected an independent third party, The Network, to provide you with a new way to anonymously and confidentially report financial abuse and fraud. Employees, parishioners, volunteers, vendors and other interested parties are encouraged to report concerns they have regarding financial misconduct within the Diocese of Corpus Christi. All inquiries will be treated promptly and discreetly. Callers will have the right to remain anonymous.

Call 1-877-571-9748 28 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

July 15-16 SUPPORT THE

Solidarity Fund for the

CHURCH IN

AFRICA

Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa | Office of National Collections 3211 Fourth Street NE | Washington, DC 20017-1194 | www.usccb.org/africa Copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photo: © Ernst Ulz.

†† VATICAN

Pope Francis: Migrant crisis requires focus on reality, dialogue and commitment

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Catholic News Agency n June, Pope Francis sent a letter to the Latin American Parliament as they discussed migration in the region, encouraging governments to protect all who reside in their territory regardless of their origin.

“As members of a large family, we must work to place the ‘person’ at the center; this is not a mere number or an abstract entity but a brother or sister who needs our help and a friendly hand,” the pope wrote in his June 7 letter to the Latin American Parliament, which is holding

its 33rd General Assembly.

The assembly of representatives from 23 Latin American and Caribbean countries is meeting to discuss migration in the region and international responses.

Pope Francis offered his congratulations to the parliament “on this initiative that aims to help and make life more dignified for those who, having a homeland, regrettably do not find in their countries adequate conditions of security and subsistence” and are forced to flee.

The pope’s message highlighted three

Immigrants jumping on “La Bestia” that will take them to the Mexican-American border.

Central American migrants find quarter in southern Mexico by Peter Haden is licensed under CC BY 2.0

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 29

†† VATICAN

themes: reality, dialogue and commitment. He explained how each of these could be oriented toward developing effective humanitarian aid for migrant peoples.

Speaking about his first chosen word, “reality,” Pope Francis emphasized knowing the causes of migration.

“This requires not only analysis of this situation from ‘the study desk,’” he said, “but also in contact with people, that is to say with real faces.” He warned against an “aseptic analysis” which “produces sterile measurements,” instead encouraging the parliament to pursue “a relationship with a person in the flesh helps us to perceive the deep scars that he carries with him, caused by the reason, or unreason of migration.”

Pope Francis expressed hope that the assembly would produce “valid responses for migrants and host countries,” as well as security which is based in reality.

“Dialogue is indispensable in this work,” Pope Francis said. “One cannot

work in isolation; we all need each other.”

He condemned the “throwaway culture,” calling instead for member nations to work for approaches, which welcome migrants fairly and efficiently. He emphasized the need for unity in dialogue, saying that attaining “a consensus between the parties is a ‘craft;’ a meticulous, almost imperceptible task but essential for shaping agreements and regulations.”

“Dialogue is essential to foster solidarity with those who have been deprived of their fundamental rights,” the pope said.

Speaking on commitment, the pope cautioned against spending too much energy “on the detailed analysis and the debate of ideas,” saying instead that a solution must be sought.

“Latin America and the Caribbean have an important international role and the opportunity to become key players in this complex situation,” he said.

He emphasized the need for mid-term as well as long-term planning so that aid can extend beyond emergency responses.

This, he said, will allow for migrants’ integration into their new nations and, assistance in the lands they fled.

Pope Francis called special attention to the needs of children in this struggle, recalling their “right to be children,” and once more spoke out against human trafficking, which he described as a “scourge.”

He acknowledged the enormity of the work, saying “we need men and women of good will who, with their concrete commitment, can respond to this ‘cry.’”

“I urge national governments to assume their responsibilities to all those residing in their territory,” the pope said, “and I reiterate the commitment of the Catholic Church, through the presence of the local and regional Churches, to responding to this wound.”

In closing, Pope Francis encouraged the assembly in their work on this crisis, and prayed for the intercession of the Holy Virgin, recalling the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt. He asked for the prayers of the assembly, and asked God to bless them.

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†† OUR FAITH

Restoration of the permanent diaconate: 50 years of changes Deacon Michael Mantz is the Director for the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

Deacon Michael Mantz Contributor

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ast month’s article told the story of how the Order of Deacon was restored as a permanent order in the Latin Church hierarchy. This article explores the changes that have taken place during the 50 years and all that had to be done once the Vatican Council voted to restore the Permanent Diaconate in Lumen Gentium.

The process began when Pope Paul VI sent the apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordito to all episcopal conferences in 1967 requiring them to petition for the right to start a diaconate formation program. In 1968, the Apostolic Constitution Pontiticalis Romani Recognitio approved the new rite of conferring the sacred orders of the episcopate, presbyterate and the diaconate and determined the matter and form of these sacramental ordinations. The 1972 Apostolic Letter Ministeria Quaedam basically suppressed tonsure, minor orders and the sub-diaconate in the Latin Rite of the Church. Lastly, in this line of formal acts by Church authority, Pope Paul VI issued the Apostolic letter Ad Pascendum in August 1972, which clarified the conditions for the admission and ordination of the candidates.

The essential elements of these norms passed into the Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II, in 1983. The institution of the ministries of reader and acolyte became pre-requisites for entering the clerical state, with the vow of celibacy being taken at the time of diaconate ordination for those men going on to the priesthood and for those single men who enter the permanent diaconate.

The bishops of the United States petitioned Rome in 1968 and were granted permission by the Holy See to begin a program. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops then began working on a set of guidelines to help guide dioceses as they initiated their programs. They created a standing committee for the permanent diaconate.

The first set of guidelines created by the U.S.

bishops was promulgated in 1971 but were not normative. They were suggestions for the formation and for the ministry and life of those already ordained. While very well written, they were only a conceptual presentation that left the interpretation to each local diocese.

These new guidelines were a type of national catechesis on the diaconate, but this catechesis was shared only with those involved in the program. In other words, the majority of the people in the pews had no idea that this was happening.

These guidelines had the intent of assisting the fledgling programs in this country, but fell short of the mark because they could not reflect the actual experience of formation programs and or the experiences of those who had already received holy orders. This makes absolute sense because these guidelines were published in 1971 and the first 13 programs nationwide with more than 400 candidates were also established that same year.

The first group ordinations took place in 1972.

The number of ordained deacons in the U.S. was listed at 58 in 1972, with an additional 500 plus candidates. The number of deacons began to grow along with the number of candidates. The bishops’ committee ordered a study after 10 years of actual experience with the restored order of deacon.

This study was done primarily to update and revise the original 1971 guidelines. In 1984, the bishops published the revised guidelines, which were driven by one common theme; they wanted to correct, improve and update the existing formation and ministerial efforts in the light of the increased theological and ecclesial practice of deacons and deacon formation programs for the first dozen years.

Ten years passed and the bishops called for another national study. This study resulted in the U.S. bishops convening two sub-committees to oversee another revision of the 1984 guidelines.

July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 31

†† OUR FAITH

In 1998, Pope John Paul II promulgated a joint document by the congregations for clergy and education. They organized a plenary assembly to study the diaconate, which raised some concerns about selection, adequate intellectual formation and proper pastoral ministries for deacons. The document was titled “Basic Norms for the Formation and Ministry and Life of Deacons” and dovetailed with the study of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1997 and was used as a springboard for the new “National Directory for the Formation Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons in the U.S.” This Directory was promulgated in 2004, and is normative throughout the United States. It is no longer a guideline to be used, but something that must be followed by the USCCB and its territorial sees. The new Directory has helped to harmonize the formation programs drawn-up by each diocese in the United States that at times varied greatly from one diocese to another.

The Directory came together after extensive consultations with bishops, major superiors of men religious as well as diocesan directors of diaconate programs and national diaconate organizations. The Directory has come to be an important point of reference for the Church as the diaconate has become a living and active reality.

The diaconate has come a long way in just 50 short years.

From the early days of programs that varied in length and were less than solid theological and pastoral instruction, to a National Directory that guides and makes normative all

programs in the U.S., programs that must contain academic, pastoral, human and diaconal formation and programs that must be at least five years in length, including a year of inquiry and discernment.

The National Association of Diaconate Directors, in conjunction with the USCCB Committee on the Diaconate, is in the process of “tweaking” minor changes to the National Directory. These changes are not major revisions, nor are they a complete updating. They are— after a dozen years of experience with the new Directory—more of a “fine-tuning”.

The development of the Order of Deacon as a permanent order in the Church has been a slow but authentic process.

It has been 50 years in which the diaconate has grown and matured in conjunction with the needs of the Church in the ever-changing world around us. Fifty years seem like a long time, but it is merely a blink of an eye in the life of the Church.

What started as a small movement in Germany and France after the Second World War, has grown to be a dynamic call to service in bringing Gospel values to all walks of life.

The deacons in the United States, which number about 19,000, are organized nationally by state and by individual diocese. All of these organizations exist for the prime purpose of serving their bishops to help build-up the body of Christ and to bring Jesus Christ to a society in need of God’s healing love.

(Editor’s note: Next month we will take a look at the diaconate program in Corpus Christi.)

Liturgical Calendar

1| Sat | Weekday | green/white/white [USA: Saint Junípero Serra, Priest; BVM] Gn 18:1-15/Mt 8:5-17 (376) 2| SUN | THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME| green 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a/Rom 6:3-4, 8-11/Mt 10:37-42 (97) Pss I

3| Mon | Saint Thomas, Apostle | red | Feast | Eph 2:19-22/Jn 20:24-29 (593) Pss Prop

7| Fri | Weekday | green | Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67/Mt 9:9-13 (381)

8| Sat | Weekday | green/white [BVM] Gn 27:1-5, 15-29/Mt 9:14-17 (382) 9| SUN | FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME | green Zec 9:9-10/ Rom 8:9, 11-13/Mt 11:25-30 (100) Pss II 10| Mon | Weekday | green | Gn 28:1022a/Mt 9:18-26 (383)

4| Tue | Weekday | green/white [USA: Independence Day] Gn 19:15-29/Mt 8:23-27 (378) or, for Independence Day, any readings from the Lectionary for Mass (vol. IV), the Mass “For the Country or a City,” nos.

882-886, or “For Peace and Justice,” nos. 887-891

11| Tue | Saint Benedict, Abbot | white | Memorial | Gn 32:23-33/Mt 9:32-38 (384)

5| Wed | Weekday | green/white/ white [Saint Anthony Zaccaria, Priest; USA: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal] Gn 21:5, 8-20a/Mt 8:28-34 (379)

14| Fri | USA: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin | white | Memorial | Gn 46:1-7, 28-30/Mt 10:16-23 (387)

6| Thu | Weekday | green/red [Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr] Gn 22:1b-19/Mt 9:1-8 (380)

12| Wed | Weekday | green | Gn 41:5557; 42:5-7a, 17-24a/Mt 10:1-7 (385) 13| Thu | Weekday | green/white [Saint Henry] Gn 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5/Mt 10:7-15 (386)

15| Sat | Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church | white | Memorial | Gn 49:29-32; 50:15-26a/ Mt 10:24-33 (388)

32 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

16| SUN | FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME | green Is 55:10-11/ Rom 8:18-23/Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9 (103) Pss III

17| Mon | Weekday | green | Ex 1:8-14, 22/Mt 10:34—11:1 (389) 18| Tue | Weekday | green/white [USA: Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest] Ex 2:1-15a/Mt 11:20-24 (390) 19| Wed | Weekday | green | Ex 3:1-6, 9-12/Mt 11:25-27 (391) 20| Thu | Weekday | green/red [Saint Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr] Ex 3:13-20/Mt 11:28-30 (392) 21| Fri | Weekday | green/white [Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church] Ex 11:10—12:14/Mt 12:1-8 (393) 22| Sat | Saint Mary Magdalene | white Feast | Sg 3:1-4b or 2 Cor 5:1417/Jn 20:1-2, 11-18 (603) Pss Prop 23| SUN | SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME | green Wis 12:13, 16-19/Rom 8:26-27/Mt 13:24-43 or 13:24-30 (106) Pss IV

24| Mon | Weekday | green/white [Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest] Ex 14:5-18/Mt 12:38-42 (395) 25| Tue | Saint James, Apostle | red | Feast | 2 Cor 4:7-15/Mt 20:20-28 (605) Pss Prop 26| Wed | Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary | white | Memorial | Ex 16:1-5, 9-15/Mt 13:1-9 (397) 27| Thu | Weekday | green | Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b/Mt 13:10-17 (398) 28| Fri | Weekday | green | Ex 20:1-17/ Mt 13:18-23 (399) 29| Sat | Saint Martha | white | Memorial | Ex 24:3-8 (400)/Jn 11:1927 or Lk 10:38-42 (607) 30| SUN | SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME | green 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12/Rom 8:28-30/Mt 13:44-52 or 13:44-46 (109) Pss I 31| Mon | Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest | white | Memorial | Ex 32:1524, 30-34/Mt 13:31-35 (401)

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July 1 at 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at Corpus Christi Cathedral Room 4. Come and See if you are being called to a vocation as a Secular Franciscan. For more information contact Patsy at (469) 487-6981 or email: patsyfo@att.net or visit the website at lostrescompaneros.org.

CDU Seminar–Why Do We Need the Church?

Catholic Distance University CDU is offering an online seminar “Why Do We Need the Church?” from July 3-24. As a subsidy partner, all adults of the Diocese of Corpus Christi are eligible to take any non-credit seminar or independent study course at a discounted tuition rate of $30 each. To register and see a full list of continuing education courses and upcoming seminars, browse our catalog at cdu.catalog.instructure.com.

Use Promo Code: 16CORPUSCHRISTI when registering. Independent studies can be taken at any time.

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St. Patrick Altar & Rosary and Rosary Annual Card Party

July 6 from 1-5 p.m. in St. Patrick Parish Hall (3350 S. Alameda).

Please bring your own cards or games you wish to play.

Donation is $7 per person. All are invited to join in an afternoon of games and refreshments.

Men are also welcome. For more information call (361) 960-3545 or (361) 884-5975.

Hour followed 6 Holy by a healing Mass

July 6 and every first Thursday of the month from 5-6:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Chapel (422 North Alameda St.) in Corpus Christi.

Annual SOLT 7 2nd Conference

July 7 from 7-9:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 9 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. at Our Lady of Corpus Christi (1200 Lantana). Dynamic presentations given in Spanish and English by SOLT priests, sisters and laity, Mass, adoration, confession, music and more.

Children and teen programs

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Come experience the love and mercy of God. Cost is $40 for an adult; $60 for a couple; $5 per child; and $10 per child five and under. Register online at ourladyofcc.org or call (361) 289-0807.

Annual 8 48th Schoenstatt Boys Walk

July 8 from 5 a.m.-6 p.m. from Schoenstatt Wayside Shrine (2309 Marguerite) in Corpus Christi to Confidentia Shrine (134 Front St.) in Rockport. Boys Walk encourages young men to a life of ministry.

For more information call Primo Garcia at (361) 548-8250.

8 Baile Ranchero

July 8 from 8-11 p.m. at Ss. Cyril & Methodius’ Msgr. Kasper Youth Center. This event is a fundraiser sponsored by Our Lady of Guadalupe Society of Ss. Cyril & Methodius Church. Entry fee is $5, includes a Polka dance contest with first, second and third place winners. There will be barbecue sandwich combo plate

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CATHOLIC Programming on RADIO, TV and INTERNET Cathedral Sunday Mass - LIVE BROADCAST at 9:30 a.m.

KLUX-HD 89.5, KLUX.ORG AND KDF-TV (cable subscribers should consult their cable guide)

Mass video replays on local public access channels Cathedral Sunday Mass: Thurs. 7 p.m. , Fri. 10 a.m.

La Santa Misa: Tues. 7 p.m., Wed. 10 a.m.

Internet Podcasts & video at GoCCN.org:

Cathedral Sunday Mass, La Santa Misa, Our Shepherd’s View, Simmillas De Experanza, Labors of Love, and Con Permiso

For H-D Radio Information: KLUX.org July 2017 | South Texas Catholic 33

†† JULY CALENDAR

1

Secular Franciscan Come and See

†† JULY CALENDAR

available from 6-8 p.m. For more information call Manuel Garcia at (361) 548-5682.

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8

10

15

Schoenstatt 16 The Family Branch 75th

Anniversary Celebration

July 16 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Schoenstatt Retreat Center in Lamar. There will be Mass, adoration, games and a picnic. Lunch plates will be available for $6, and will include a sandwich, chips, fruit and a drink. To RSVP or for more information call Roseanne Norman at (361) 991-7653 or (361) 215-7299.

Convalidation Seminar

July 8 from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center. The convalidation seminar is offered several times a year to prepare couples who are seeking to validate a civil or otherwise irregular marriage.

Pre-registration is required.

For more information go to diocesecc.org/convalidationseminar.

Diocesan Marriage Preparation

21 TOUGH Retreat

July 21-23 begins on Friday, July 21 at 6 p.m. and ends Sunday, July 23 at 5 p.m. at Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center (4601 Calallen Drive) in Corpus Christi.

The TOUGH Retreat is for high school age youth (grades 9-12) for both boys and girls in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Only $75 for the whole weekend, which includes food, lodging, prayer, reconciliation, adoration, Mass, fellowship and the opportunity to reflect on God’s holiness. Due to limited rooms the deadline to register is July 14 or until filled.

Jul 8–9 at Pax Christi Liturgical Retreat Center. The Diocesan Marriage Preparation Program is a two-day overnight event for the engaged. It is designed to inform couples of the spiritual and practical aspects of Catholic marriage and facilitate couple dialogue on these important issues. For more information go to diocesecc.org/marriageprep.

OLPH Vacation Bible School

July 10-14 from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish Hall. Cost is $40 and only $25 for an additional student from the same household. Cost includes snacks and a Vacation Bible School T-shirt. Open to students in first-fifth grade (for the school year 2017-2018). For more information call the parish office at (361) 991-7891.

21 Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat

Begins Thursday, July 21, at 6 p.m. and end Sunday, July 23, at 3 p.m. in Corpus Christi. Rachel’s Vineyard is a safe place to renew, rebuild and redeem hearts broken by abortion. Weekend retreats offer you a supportive, confidential and non-judgmental environment where women and men can express, release and reconcile painful post-abortive emotions to begin the process of restoration, renewal and healing. For more information contact Tammy Romo Alcala at (361) 510-4684 or email ccrachelsvineyard@gmail.com.

Grounded in Truth at OLCC Adoration Chapel/Cafe Veritas

July 15 from 7-9:30 p.m. An hour of adoration with praise and worship in the OLCC Perpetual Adoration Chapel from 7-8 p.m., followed by music and fellowship in Cafe Veritas/Bookstore from 8-9:30 p.m. Call (361) 289-0807 for more information.

34 South Texas Catholic | July 2017

22

King of the Court

July 22 from 9 a.m.-4p.m in the St. John Paul II High School Gym. The 3-3 King of the Court Basketball Tournament is to provide more diocesan sports related events for the youth in the diocese and

to bring all youth together in fellowship, prayer and games while reminding them that everything they do should be to give glory to God.

s Club Rummage 22 Women’ Sale at Vattmann Hall

July 22 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at Our Lady of Consolation Parish Vattmann Hall located at 204 Palm Ave. in Riviera (from Kingsville approx. 12 miles south on Hwy. 77, then travel five miles east on FM 628). Hosted by the Women’s Club of Our Lady of Consolation the event is mainly indoors, airconditioned and welcomes the public. Booths available inside with tables and outside without tables. For more information call Teresa May at (361) 296-4642.

s Spiritual 27 Women’ Exercises Retreat

Begins Thursday, July 27, at 5:30 p.m. and ends Sunday, July 30, at 1:30 p.m. A weekend to go deeper in a relationship with the Lord through the power of prayer and silence. Take a quiet vacation with Jesus and Mary.

Register deepprayer.org or call (361) 289-9095, ext. 321.

30 Christmas in July

July 30 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in St. Paul the Apostle Parish Hall (2233 Waldron Rd.) This fundraiser event is presented by Catholic Daughters. There will be arts and crafts for sale made by various vendors from the Corpus Christi area. For more information call Cathy Fichtel at (361) 937-5875 or Veronica Garza at (361) 537-0203.

To see more calendar events go to:

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July 2017 Issue SOUTH TEXAS CATHOLIC 620 Lipan St. Corpus Christi, TX 78401-2434 (361) 882-6191

Pope Francis and Bishop Michael Mulvey want to hear from you in preparation for the 2018 Synod: Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.

We want to hear from you! ¡Queremos escuchar de ti!

El Papa Francisco y el Obispo Michael Mulvey quieren escuchar de ustedes en preparación para el Sínodo 2018: Los Jóvenes, la Fe y el Discernimiento Vocacional.

If you are 16 -29 years of age, we want

to hear from you.

Si tienes entre 16-29 años de edad, queremos escuchar de ti.

If you are a parent of young people, clergy, religious or a lay leader in ministry, we want to hear from you too.

Si usted es padre/madre de un joven, clero, religioso/a o líder laico en el ministerio de jóvenes, también queremos escuchar de ustedes.

Visit www.DioceseCC.org/Synod2018 and take this online survey before Aug. 4.

Visite www.DioceseCC.org/Synod2018 y responda este cuestionario en línea antes del 4 de agosto.

2018

SYNOD ON YOUNG PEOPLE Sínod sobre los jóvenes