Orders on migration, death penalty called ‘deeply troubling’
▪ SEE PAGE 2
IT’S CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK
Celebration honors legacy, future of Catholic schools
▪ SEE PAGES 11 - 12
Celebrating 60 years of Catholic news in Texas
Archbishop-Designate Joe S. Vásquez, center, celebrated a Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston on Jan. 20 with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, following the announcement of his appointment as Galveston-Houston’s new Archbishop.
Archbishop-Designate Vásquez will be installed as Archbishop of Galveston-Houston at a Mass on March 25.
Bishop Joe S. Vásquez named Archbishop of Galveston-Houston
Archbishop-Designate Vásquez served as Auxiliary Bishop in Galveston-Houston from 2002 to 2010
HOUSTON — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston and named as his successor Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin.
In 2007, just a year after becoming archbishop, Pope Benedict XVI elevated then-Archbishop DiNardo to the College of Cardinals. On May 23, 2024, he turned 75, the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope. The cardinal is a former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop-Designate Vásquez, 67, has headed the Diocese of Austin since 2010. Additionally, he served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, from November 2023 to
the Feb. 24 installation of Tyler BishopDesignate Gregory Kelly.
The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington on Jan. 20 by Christophe Cardinal Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S.
“I am delighted by the appointment of Bishop Vásquez as the next Archbishop of Galveston-Houston,” said Cardinal DiNardo. “I give gratitude to the Holy Father for naming an experienced, prayerful and humble Shepherd to lead
See ARCHBISHOP, page 4
Cardinal DiNardo welcomes successor
HOUSTON — Following the announcement of Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin as the new Archbishop of Galveston-Houston on Jan. 20, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo lauded his successor.
“Archbishop-Designate Vásquez is a faithful, articulate and bicultural bishop who has wisely led the Diocese of Austin for the last 15 years,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “Further, we are joyful in welcoming him back to the local Church where he was ordained a bishop and served diligently for many years as auxiliary bishop.”
After leading Galveston-Houston since 2004, Cardinal DiNardo’s resignation was accepted by Pope Francis.
An Ohio native who was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, then-Archbishop DiNardo succeeded Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza as Galveston-Houston’s shepherd on Feb. 28, 2006. Two years earlier, he had been named See DINARDO, page 5
JANUARY 28, 2025
VOL. 61, NO. 15
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
PHOTO BY JONAH DYCUS/HERALD
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Executive orders signed by President Donald Trump on issues including migration, the environment and the death penalty are “deeply troubling,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), said in a Jan. 22 statement, while praising another on gender policy.
Among the first acts of his second term beginning Jan. 20, Trump signed a slew of executive orders. Some implement his hardline policies on immigration, including seeking to change the interpretation of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment, an order that prompted a legal challenge.
Others include withdrawing from the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate and another seeking to expand the use of the federal death penalty. Trump also signed an order directing the U.S. government to only recognize two sexes, male and female.
Archbishop Broglio, who heads the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, said many of the topics that the first batch of executive orders concern “are matters on which the Church has much to offer.”
“Some provisions contained in the Executive Orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, foreign aid, expansion of the death penalty, and the environment, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences, many of which will harm the most vulnerable among us,” he said. “Other provisions in the Executive Orders can be seen in a more positive light, such as recognizing the truth about each human person as male or female.”
Archbishop Broglio stressed that neither the Catholic Church nor the USCCB is “aligned with any political party.”
“No matter who occupies the White House or holds the majority on Capitol Hill, the Church’s teachings remain unchanged,” he said. “It is our hope that the leadership of our country will reconsider those actions which disregard not only the human dignity of a few, but of us all.”
Executive orders are legally binding directives from the president and are published in the Federal Register. At the same time, the term “executive actions” is broader and may include informal
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proposals for policy the president would like to see enacted. While it is typical for new presidents to issue some executive orders on their first day in office to signal certain priorities, Trump signed a larger number of orders than usual.
Citing the current Jubilee Year of Hope declared by Pope Francis, Archbishop Broglio said, “As Christians, our hope is always in Jesus Christ, who guides us through storm and calm weather.
“He is the source of all truth,” Archbishop Broglio said. “Our prayer is one of hope that, as a nation blessed with many gifts, our actions demonstrate a genuine care for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers, including the unborn, the poor, the elderly and infirm, and migrants and refugees. The just Judge expects nothing less.”
The Trump administration said Jan. 21 it would rescind a long-standing policy preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals, as well as other sensitive events like weddings and funerals without approval from supervisors.
Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, said in a Jan. 21 statement the policy change is one of “many drastic actions from the federal government related to immigration that deeply affect our local community and raise urgent moral and human concerns.”
“We stand with you in this moment of family and personal crisis and pledge to you our solidarity, trusting that the Lord, Jesus Christ, will bring about good even from this moment of pain and that this time of trial will be just a prelude to real reform, a reconciled society and justice for all those who are forced to migrate,” he said. Migrants continued arriving in Mexico, hoping to enter the U.S. ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Most were contained in southern Chiapas state, trying to nab one of 1,450 daily CBP One appointments for entering the U.S. legally when the app was operable.
With the CBP One app, appointments were given three weeks into the future, meaning more than 30,000 migrants likely have dates for presenting themselves at authorized ports of entry, according to Jesuit Father Brian Strassburger, who ministers to migrants in the Mexican
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS RESOURCES FOR IMMIGRANTS
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border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa, opposite the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Right after President Trump’s swearingin on Jan. 20, his administration ended use of CBP One.
Father Strassburger celebrated Mass for migrants Jan. 19 in Matamoros, where he heard concerns from people with appointments after Trump’s inauguration.
But he predicted many arriving at the border were “likely going to be stuck in these shelters” in border cities.
The State Department has also canceled all refugee travel to the U.S., following a Jan. 20 executive order by newly inaugurated President Trump. In addition, a Biden administration program that enabled private U.S. citizens to sponsor refugees has also been halted.
POPE CALLS TRUMP’S THREAT OF MASS DEPORTATION A ‘DISGRACE’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On the eve of U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Pope Francis said the new president’s threat to begin a massive deportation of immigrants would be a “disgrace.” In an interview on Italian television Jan. 19, the pope said that if Trump carries out his threat, “it will be a disgrace because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay the bill” for problems in the U.S.
“This won’t do!You don’t resolve things this way,” the pope said. When speaking about immigration, Pope Francis did not focus on the U.S. alone.
“Italy now has a median age of 46 years. Think about that. They don’t have children,” the pope said. The population is declining, and there are fewer workers paying the taxes needed to cover health care and pensions for the elderly. †
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THE FIRST WORD
Auxiliary Bishop
Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, anoints the head of a Confirmation candidate during a celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation at a Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on the Jan. 12, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Dell’Oro confirmed 936 Catholics across eight Masses around the Archdiocese in January.
STEPPING FORWARD IN FAITH
936 receive Sacrament of Confirmation
HOUSTON — With each step forward towards Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell'Oro, CRS, more than 900 adults made a commitment in faith and presented themselves to God.
One by one, bearing the name of a Confirmation saint, they reverently bowed slightly before Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Dell’Oro and received the blessing of the Holy Spirit and the holy chrism in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Just a step behind them in presence and prayer, their sponsor witnessed the moment as they placed their hand on the shoulder of the candidate they had walked with on their faith journey. Then, as they walked past the filled pews, the head-turning scent of chrism slowly filled the air.
In total, 936 Catholics from at least 63 parishes across the Archdiocese received the Sacrament of Confirmation at eight separate Masses celebrated by Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Dell’Oro across three
different days in January. They celebrated Masses on the feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 5 at four parishes, including St. Ignatius of Loyola in Spring, St. Maximilian Kolbe in Houston, St. Angela Merici in Missouri City and the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. They also celebrated three Masses at the Co-Cathedral, Christ the Redeemer in Houston and St. Helen in Pearland on the Jan. 12 feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
A final Mass was celebrated on Jan. 15 at Prince of Peace in Houston, bringing the final total of adults confirmed to more than 900, which is nearly 200 more than last year in 2024 and a nearly 70% increase of adult Confirmations as compared to 2023.
A solemn moment in the Liturgy fills the entire sanctuary with silence before Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Dell’Oro recited a prayer that invokes God the Father for an “outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” according to the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The bishop extends his two hands over all those to be confirmed, a sign of continuity of the New Testament custom
of laying hands on those who would receive the gift of the spirit.
“All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit, you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life,” both Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Dell’Oro said in prayer. “Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.”
The seven gifts traditionally associated with the spirit are inspired by Isaiah 11:1-3 and include wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety or reverence and fear of the Lord, also known as wonder and awe.
The Mass also included a renewal of baptismal promises, showing the connection between Confirmation and Baptism. Confirmation, like Baptism, is only given once since it also “imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark.”
After anointing the forehead of each candidate with chrism, a fragrant oil mixture consecrated every year during Holy Week at the annual Chrism Mass, Cardinal DiNardo greeted each sponsor, thanking them for their guidance and presence.
Likewise, Bishop Dell’Oro beamed as he welcomed the hundreds of candidates, also anointing them with chrism, each representing a unique story of the Catholic faith and a testament of their community.
Following the customary greeting of “Peace be with you” and a momentary pause, they each responded with “And with your spirit.” †
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Effective December 11, 2024
Father Philip Aneesh, O.S.H.
Parochial Vicar - St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Houston
Parochial Vicar - St. Martha Catholic Church, Porter
BRIEFS
Café Catholica Lite set for Jan. 30
HOUSTON — The Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry will host the next Café Catholica Lite at St. Faustina Parish, located at 28102 FM 1093 in Fulshear, on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 7 to 8:45 p.m.
The talk titled “Why Love Hurts: Discerning Love Beyond Experiences” will be given by Father Kingsley Nwoko, STL, Th.D., administrator at St. Albert of Trapani Church. He will share his insights on discerning the vocation of marriage and growing in love as a virtue. The night will include snacks, a presentation, Q&A and prayer.
The Café Catholica program helps young adults ages 18 to 39 encounter Christ and His Church. For more information, contact the Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry at yacm@archgh.org or 713-741-8778 or visit www. archgh.org/cafecatholica. †
Registration for Feb. 8 race continues
HOUSTON — Registration is open for the 20th Annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk, held Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. The event raises funds and awareness for the network of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.
The event will start with Mass at 7 a.m., followed by the presentation of the David Guite Spirit Award. The timed 5K race will begin at 8:30 a.m.; a post-race party will follow the event along with the Catholic School Village. To register, visit www.steps4students.org. †
Cardinal DiNardo to celebrate Mass for Consecrated Life
HOUSTON — To mark the upcoming World Day of Consecrated Life on Feb. 2, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will celebrate the Mass for Consecrated Life at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 11 a.m.
All those attending the Archdiocesan gathering will join in celebrated men and women religious around the world. For 28 years, the Church has designated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord as a time to thank God for the gift of Consecrated Life. Consecrated men and women reflect this light in witnessing to Jesus’ mission of revealing God’s love. †
HERALD FILE PHOTOS BY JAMES RAMOS
ARCHBISHOP JOE S. VÁSQUEZ
• Born: July 9, 1957 in Stamford, Texas
• Ordained a priest of the Diocese of San Angelo in 1984
• Served as an Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston from 2002 to 2010
• Led the Diocese of Austin from 2010 to 2024
• Motto: “SIGUEME” - Spanish for “Follow Me,” which expresses the instruction that Christ gives each of those called by the name of Christian
this local Church.”
His successor expressed gratitude to God “for bestowing this responsibility on me, and I am humbled by this appointment. With God’s grace, I pledge to serve the needs of this local Church to the best of my ability.”
Archbishop-Designate Vásquez will be installed March 25 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. Of Mexican American descent, the archbishop-designate is one of 26 active Hispanic Catholic bishops in the U.S. His episcopal motto is “Sigueme,” Spanish for “Follow me,” in reference to Jesus’ words to Peter in the Gospel of St. John.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Austin on Jan. 26, 2010. The central Texas diocese is home to more than 700,000 Catholics across 25 counties.
Before his appointment to Austin, the newly named archbishop was an auxiliary of the Archdiocese he will now head. He was named auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston on Nov. 30, 2001, by St. John Paul II and ordained early the following year. At the time of his episcopal ordination, he was the youngest bishop in the U.S.
The eldest of six children, Joe Steve Vásquez was born in Stamford, Texas, July 9, 1957. He attended the University of St. Thomas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theology, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a licentiate in sacred theology. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas, in 1984.
After his ordination, he served from
1985-87 as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Odessa, Texas, and from 198797 as pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Fort Stockton, Texas. In 1997, he was named pastor of St. Joseph Parish in San Angelo, where he served until his appointment as a Galveston-Houston auxiliary.
At a Jan. 20 press conference, Cardinal DiNardo said the Archdiocese is “joyful” about welcoming back the newly named archbishop “to the local Church where he was ordained a bishop.”
“I and the many priests, deacons, women and men religious, and lay faithful who make up this incredibly diverse local Church assure Archbishop-Designate Vásquez of our love, our prayers and support as he begins his new ministry among us,” the cardinal said.
Before taking questions, Archbishop Vásquez first thanked Cardinal DiNardo “for the many ways you have been a true shepherd and provided this local Church with wise leadership and excellent service. Please know of my profound esteem for you. ... I will depend on your counsel to help me serve the people of this vibrant and growing Church.”
PHOTO BY JONAH DYCUS/HERALD
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo speaks
ARCHBISHOP, from previous page
He said his first action as Galveston-Houston’s new shepherd will be to “do a lot of listening ... and find out exactly what’s taking place now.” A lot has changed in the 15 years he has been in Austin, he noted. “It’s a vibrant Church, it’s growing, it’s dynamic. Much has taken place in it, so I’m excited about that.”
Asked about his priorities for his new role, Archbishop-Designate Vásquez said they’ll be the same as his priorities in the Austin Diocese: families, young adults and vocations.
“Families to me are always critical and essential because the way the family is continues to strengthen who we are as a Church, as a society. ... So if the family is strong, we’re going to be strong as a society,” he explained.
As for young people, he said it is “essential that we keep them close to the Church. It’s our responsibility to attract them so that they’re able to live out their faith in a lively way dynamic way.”
Finally, he said, it is important that “we continue to promote vocations to the priesthood because they’re necessary in continuing the service to the people of God, the Sacraments, the preaching, the living out their faith.”
Archbishop-Designate Vásquez also recalled the late Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, who ordained him as a priest, then years later as a bishop. “He was truly a spiritual father to me and continues to be a source of inspiration. I think he had a hand in this (appointment) somehow.”
The future archbishop also thanked the priests, men and women religious, deacons, seminarians and lay faithful of the Austin Diocese for their “love, support and prayers.” “I will always carry you in my heart,” he added.
Cardinal DiNardo said he will remain in the Houston area in retirement — which, he noted, does not mean he is retired as a cardinal. “That holds on until I’m 80,” he said, adding that he will be “very happy” to assist his successor in whatever he asks him to do. “Except to go to meetings,” he added with a laugh. †
coadjutor bishop (later coadjutor archbishop) of Galveston-Houston in January 2004.
On Dec. 29, 2004, St. John Paul II elevated the Diocese of Galveston-Houston to the status of a metropolitan Archdiocese, creating a second Archdiocese in Texas. Archbishop Fiorenza was named the first archbishop of Galveston-Houston, and then-Bishop DiNardo became the coadjutor archbishop.
Before his Texas appointment, Cardinal DiNardo was the bishop of Sioux City, Iowa. He was appointed coadjutor bishop of Sioux City and ordained there as a bishop in October 1997. As his episcopal motto, he adopted: “Ave Crux Spes Unica,” meaning “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope.” He succeeded retiring Bishop Lawrence D. Soens as head of the diocese in November 1998.
The Galveston-Houston Archdiocese covers over 8,880 square miles and has over 2 million Catholics out of a total population of 7.1 million. †
DINARDO, from page 1
PHOTO BY JONAH DYCUS/HERALD Archbishop-Designate Joe S. Vásquez, presides over a Mass with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, concelebrating a at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston on Jan. 20. Diocesan priests, religious and clergy concelebrated and many religious and lay people attended the Mass to welcome and greet the newly named Archbishop of Galveston-Houston.
How to celebrate Sundays as a Catholic
BY LORENE HANLEY DUQUIN Special to the Herald
(OSV News) — Do you feel like you’re on a treadmill that never stops? Do you need some quiet time? Some family time? Some time when you can renew your mind, your body and your spirit?
Then maybe it’s time to reclaim Sunday as a day of rest!
There was a time when Sunday was a special day. People went to church on Sunday morning. The afternoon was a great time for a good book, a visit to friends and neighbors, or a little nap. Families gathered for Sunday dinner. Children played with their cousins. Stores, banks, businesses, schools and libraries were closed. It was unthinkable to do laundry or housecleaning. Sunday was the Lord’s Day. It was a special day, a day of celebration, a day of rest.
Times have changed.
Nowadays, Sunday seems like just another day. Parking lots at supermarkets and shopping malls are packed with cars. Many of us work on Sunday. Too few families have time for family dinners or playing with cousins. It seems like fewer Catholics than ever see Sunday as a reason for celebration or for rest.
We live in a world economy that operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Parents juggle work demands in addition to the busy schedules of children involved in school, sports, scouts, music and other activities. Sunday has become
another day for catching up on errands, chores and social media feeds.
But we have to ask ourselves if this is a good thing. What implications does our round-the-clock world have on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being?
Experts agree that it is important to balance activity with rest. Physical, mental and emotional strain depletes your energy and produces feelings of tension and fatigue. Rest gives your body a chance to replenish itself.
But there’s a spiritual component
involved, too. Pope Benedict XVI warned: “The men and women in our technical age risk becoming victims of their own intellectual and technical achievements, ending up in spiritual barrenness and emptiness of heart.”
Consider the old story about African tribesmen who had to carry goods from one village to another village. On the first day, they traveled faster and farther than expected. The next morning, they refused to move. They insisted that they had gone too quickly the first day, and they had to wait for their souls to catch up with them.
When we observe Sunday as a day of rest, it offers us physical renewal, but it also gives our souls a chance to catch up with our busy lives. Sunday offers us the opportunity to reflect on the spiritual side of our existence, to appreciate our blessings, and to draw closer to God.
When we set aside time for God, we begin to see everything from a different perspective. Our lives no longer spin out of control because we know in the depths of our being that God is in charge. We can let go of our own agendas. We can look forward to Sunday as a holy day because we begin to see that, ultimately, everything rests with God.
If you are going to reclaim the Lord’s Day, you have to make it a priority. Imagine what your Sunday would be like if you and your family decided to “keep Sunday holy.”
What kinds of things would you do? What kinds of things would you refrain from doing? Would you start new traditions? Would you resurrect old family traditions?
The best advice for modern-day Catholics who want to reclaim Sunday as a day of rest is to start slowly. Remember, there are no mechanisms in today’s society to support your decision to make Sunday a holy day.
Think of one thing that you will stop doing on Sunday and replace that one
thing with something spiritual or restful that puts God into your Sunday in a special way. Once this becomes a normal part of your Sunday, drop something else and replace it with another new activity that will help you to make Sunday holy. If you haven’t been going to Mass every Sunday, this is the best place to start. Make the commitment to attend Mass every week to hear God’s words in the Scripture and be nourished by the Eucharist. When you plan how you will spend your time, you prioritize by putting the most important items first and building around them.
Another possibility is to make a conscious effort to try to take care of shopping or household needs during the week or on Saturday. That doesn’t mean you can’t run to the store on Sunday if you’re out of milk or need a prescription refill. It means that you’re making an effort to restrict your activities on Sundays.
How you find rest and holiness on Sunday will depend on what you do during the week. If you are sedentary most of the week, an outdoor adventure on Sunday will give you a chance to appreciate God’s creation. If you are engaged in physical labor during the week, Sunday can be a quiet day to restore yourself. If you’re with people all week, you might build some solitude into your Sunday. If you don’t get a chance to see family members as often as you’d like during your workweek, Sunday could become your family day.
If your job requires that you work on Sunday, you don’t have to quit. Instead, try to incorporate the holiness of the day into whatever you do. Try to set aside some time during the day to reflect on God.
In the story of creation, God rested on the seventh day — not because He was tired, but because He wanted to give us an example of how to live. He gave us dominion over everything He created and then showed us that work is not an end in itself. He created a day of rest. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, He reminded us “to keep holy the Sabbath day.” Jesus observed the Sabbath, but after His death, the early Christians moved their observance from Saturday to Sunday for two reasons: Sunday was the day Jesus rose from the dead, and it was also the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles gathered in the upper room.
Keeping Sundays holy does not mean that you become a watchdog over yourself or other people. It means making room for rest and gratitude. Jesus reminded us that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27). †
Lorene Hanley Duquin is a Catholic author and lecturer who has worked in parishes and on a diocesan level.
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
Embracing Sunday as a day of rest, in its myriad of ways, can help us grow in our faith as Catholics.
Graduates take steps toward stability through SVdP Houston’s ‘Getting Ahead’ program
Special to the Herald
HOUSTON — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Houston (SVdP Houston) recently celebrated the accomplishments of 31 graduates from its Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World program.
This milestone marks the seventh cohort since the program’s introduction in 2021. To date, 109 individuals have completed the program, taking significant steps toward breaking the cycle of poverty and building more stable futures for themselves and their families.
The 16-week program equips participants with practical tools, essential knowledge and a supportive community. Weekly virtual sessions create a collaborative environment for sharing experiences, navigating challenges and celebrating successes. This supportive network fosters a sense of mutual encouragement, empowering participants to transition from crisis to sustainability.
One highlight of the program is the Vision Board project, where participants creatively map out their goals and aspirations. Presented during the graduation ceremony, these boards serve as tangible reminders of each participant’s dreams, helping them clarify
A group of recent graduates of the “Getting Ahead” program
program
their direction and sustain motivation.
“This program gave me the confidence to set goals I never thought were possible,” shared one graduate. “The support and encouragement from the group made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this journey.”
Graduates receive ongoing support from SVdP Houston, reflecting the program’s commitment to their long-
YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOW-BISHOP?
COURTESY OF ST. CLARE OF ASSISI CHURCH A St. Clare of Assisi Parish staff snowman building contest Jan. 21 resulted in this pious entry by Father Vincent Vuong-Quoc Nguyen, St. Clare pastor, which was a friendly frosty interpretation of newly named Archbishop-Designate Joe S. Vásquez to welcome the incoming Archbishop, including a miter and foil staff.
term success.This includes regular checkins, access to resources, mentorship and a strong community network. Such continued guidance is vital for helping participants overcome challenges and implement the strategies they’ve learned to achieve lasting stability.
“Our goal is to empower participants
“Our goal of the program is to empower participants to envision and build a better future for themselves and their families.”
MICHELLE GONZALEZ
Program Manager - Society of St. Vincent de Paul
to envision and build a better future for themselves and their families,” said Michelle Gonzalez, program manager.“It’s inspiring to witness the transformations and hope this program fosters.”
Since its launch, the Getting Ahead program has become a cornerstone of SVdP Houston’s mission to address systemic poverty through education, empowerment and community support. Sessions are offered twice a year, in January and July. To learn more about the program and other services, visit svdphouston.org/impact. †
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
is pictured with program manager Michelle Gonzalez,
coordinator Nicole Washington and facilitator Denise Monroe.
Healing through justice and compassion in the Metropolitan Tribunal
BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent
Houston — The Metropolitan Tribunal quietly serves as a vital arm of the Archdiocese’s judicial ministry, where justice and mercy intersect to guide the faithful through various personal matters, some challenging and difficult. Rooted in Canon Law and the Magisterial teachings of the Church, the Tribunal’s work extends far beyond its legal framework, embracing a pastoral mission to provide compassion and understanding to individuals navigating a range of circumstances.
The Metropolitan Tribunal upholds the Church’s mission by safeguarding individuals’ rights and responsibilities while offering essential services. These include examining marriage nullity petitions, addressing Privilege of the Faith cases, advising on canonical matters, supporting diocesan agencies with marriage-related policies, and serving as a resource for clergy, religious and laity.
As the Court of First Instance, the Tribunal decides cases of marriage validity, and as a Court of Second Instance, it judges appeals for our suffragan dioceses.
Father Luke Millette, J.C.L., judicial vicar for the Metropolitan Tribunal, acknowledged that the Tribunal’s work often goes unnoticed, as many in the
Church only become aware of it when they are personally facing a matrimonial issue. This is particularly true since most cases focus on investigating requests from individuals who have divorced to determine whether their previous marriages align with the Church’s theological and canonical understanding of marriage. Recognizing the heartache
A Port folio of Protection
that often accompanies the end of a marriage, Father Millette emphasized that the Tribunal’s mission extends beyond legal analysis, offering both clarity and healing during such a difficult and personal time.
“Many of us have friends and family members who have gone through divorce, so it’s a very relevant issue in the life of the Church,” said Father Millette. “It is important to minister to these people, ensuring they know they belong to the Church, and helping to determine whether they are free to marry in the Church in the future. In that sense, it’s a vital ministry that touches entire generations, from parents to children to grandchildren.”
Father Millette said there are a significant number of annulment petitions each year, with around 600 filed annually in the Archdiocese. He attributed this to Pope Francis’ 2015 reforms, which empowered local bishops to streamline the process and provide more compassionate support.
“When Pope Francis changed some of the laws governing the matrimonial praxis in the Church, this helped make the process much smoother and much quicker for a lot of families,” Father Millette said. “This was a very significant change in the life of the Tribunal.”
Anne Bryant, J.C.L., director of the Metropolitan Tribunal, has dedicated more than two decades to this ministry, viewing it as more than just a job — it’s a mission grounded in justice, mercy and commitment to the members of the entire Church. While the Tribunal’s work encompasses a range of cases, Bryant agreed that annulments constitute the majority of their caseload, often requiring extensive paperwork and time. This can be particularly challenging for individuals who are unfamiliar with the process or unsure of the necessary steps.
“For me, the most significant part of working here is watching people heal,” Bryant said. “I’ve been here 22 years, and I have served quite a few people in person, on the phone or through letters or e-mails. The most significant thing for me is that they understand we care about them.”
Because each annulment case is complex, Bryant said the Metropolitan Tribunal emphasizes education through parish visits and deanery meetings to help both clergy and laypeople understand the process and its spiritual significance.
The Diocesan Services Fund operates in the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston each year to help the Church carry out the ministries of teaching and sanctifying. DSF brings the needed financial resources to carry out 64 ministries.
DSF IN ACTION
This video series brings to life the ministry featured in these stories. Hear from people personally impacted by God’s grace through these DSF ministries.
The Tribunal also trains case sponsors at parishes, empowering them to assist individuals locally and expand the ministry’s support.
Although individuals may seek an annulment, not all requests are granted, particularly when there are insufficient grounds to support the case. However, Bryant noted that even when an annulment is not granted, the Tribunal staff takes the time to meet with individuals in person to explain their options, including the possibility of appealing the decision.
This compassionate approach aligns with a perspective that is equally important to Ryan Fitzgerald, J.C.L., a judge of the Metropolitan Tribunal.
“Sometimes people find themselves in a situation they shouldn’t be bound to,” Fitzgerald said. “We investigate each case, and hopefully, they can find healing one way or the other. They’ll have a greater appreciation for the Church’s teachings and what God is calling for them in their life.”
As a part of his judicial work, Fitzgerald helped establish and now oversees the “Favor of the Faith” process, a rare procedure for non-sacramental marriages. In this process, the Metropolitan Tribunal conducts all necessary investigations and submits the evidence to the pope, who can dissolve the non-sacramental marriage if it benefits the individual’s faith.
“The Tribunal’s work helps me see how seriously the Church takes marriage as a sacramental, lifelong reality in the midst of a fallen world,” Fitzgerald said. “It also shows that we don’t make people go through this lengthy, extensive process because we’re trying to be mean, or we’re trying to pry into people’s lives. Rather, we care so much about marriage, this gift from God to humanity, that we want to show it the respect it deserves.”
The Metropolitan Tribunal is one of the 60-plus ministries in the Archdiocese
Sister Jill Jaeb, OSU
KIRKWOOD, MISSOURI — Sister Jill Jaeb, OSU, also known as Sister Lauren, who served many years in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, died on Jan. 16 in Eureka, Missouri. She was 82. She taught at O’Connell High School in Galveston from 1973 to 1977, and taught music to elementary grades at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Galveston from 1978 to 1980.
A memorial Mass is planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, March 22, at Ursuline Academy Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri. A private burial was held on Jan. 22 at St. Peter Cemetery in Kirkwood. †
Father Jones Jayaraj
HOUSTON — Father Jones Jayaraj, who was a hospital chaplain in the Woodlands area and in the Texas Medical Center, died on Thursday, Dec. 26. He was 69 years old. He was ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore in India on July 7, 1983. He was granted incardination into the presbyterate of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on March 27, 2017. Most recently, Father Jayaraj was living as a priest in residence at Annunciation Catholic Church.
A funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at Annunciation Catholic Church. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. †
Mathai Manuel
INDIA — Mathai Manuel, the father of Father Lukose “Luke” Manuel, parochial vicar at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Houston, died Dec. 25 in India. He was 75 years old.
A funeral was held in India. †
TRIBUNAL, from previous page
supported by the Diocesan Services Fund that impacts the lives of thousands of Catholics every year. Father Millette said he is deeply grateful for the faithful’s generous contributions to the annual appeal, which fully funds the 12 to 14 employees on the Tribunal staff and ensures the ministry’s vital work continues.
“I am sincerely grateful for all DSF supporters because every dollar they give helps those invisible ministries — ministries not directly funded by parishes like the Tribunal — that touch the entire life of the Archdiocese and transform the lives of those who experience them,” Father Millette said. “It’s a beautiful way they can support the Archdiocese.” Fitzgerald also acknowledged the crucial importance of supporting the annual DSF appeal.
“I thank the donors of the DSF for helping sustain the Tribunal because we would not be able to perform this work without them,” Fitzgerald said. “We charge
a small amount per case, but it is not nearly as much as it actually costs to finish a case. Without those donations, we would be in the red every year and wouldn’t be able to maintain this office.”
Bryant agrees that the DSF is vital to the ministry’s ability to continue offering healing and spiritual freedom to those navigating the annulment process.
“It’s very gratifying to see how much of a burden is lifted when people receive their annulments,”she said.“It’s uplifting to know we had a small part in that because the first step comes from them. God’s grace was with them when they sat down and decided to go through this process, and we’re just an instrument in that.”
To learn more about the Metropolitan Tribunal, visit the website www.archgh. org/tribunal.
To donate to the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF), which supports over 60 ministries, go to www.archgh.org/DSF. Every dollar donated to the DSF directly supports these ministries, including direct services and education, which rely on this vital funding. †
IN MEMORIA
Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of February.
Feb. 1, 1904 Rev. Vac Chlapik
Feb. 1, 1915 Rev. F.M. Huhn
Feb. 2, 1930 Rev. F. Nona
Feb. 2, 1995
Feb. 2, 2004
Feb. 3, 1968
Rev. Abraham Sy Thuyen Ho, OP
Msgr. Jack B. Jones
Rev. Joseph C. Morrell
Feb. 3, 1968 Rev. Thomas A. Ryan
Feb. 5, 1978 Rev. Joseph Coll
Feb. 6, 1955 Rev. N.T. Domanski
Feb. 7, 1935 Msgr. John Nicholson
Feb. 7, 1935 Rev. Christopher Preker
Feb. 8, 1995 Rev. A. Wayne Elkins
Feb. 9, 1996 Msgr. Cornelius P. Flynn
Feb. 10, 1936 Rev. John Baptist O’Leary
Feb. 10, 1991
Feb. 10, 1997
Feb. 11, 1957
Feb. 11, 1957
Feb. 11, 1978
Feb. 12, 1906
Msgr. Frank D. Urbanosky
Rev. John Prill
Rev. Fabian Stindle
Rev. Joseph Kloboulk
Rev. John Zimmer, CSsR
Rev. J.J. Costello, CSB
Feb. 12, 1923 Rev. Pete J. Clancy
Feb. 13, 1988
Feb. 13, 2001
Feb. 13, 2011
Rev. Richard Johnson, CSsR
Rev. Charles Ferguson
Msgr. Joseph H. Crosthwait
Feb. 14, 1916 Rev. D.F. Berberich
Feb. 14, 1951 Rev. Emil Landry
Feb. 14, 1978 Msgr. Jerome J. Tydlacka
Feb. 14, 1979 Rev. E.C. Fowler
Feb. 15, 2018 Rev. Aureliano Santa-Olaya
Feb. 16, 1951 Rev. Walter Fraher, MS
Feb. 17, 1879 Rev. Theodore Greyenbuhl
Feb. 17, 2017 Rev. Bruce H. Noble
Feb. 18, 1933 Rev. Otto Niekamp
Feb. 19, 1883 Rev. Joseph Mosiewiez
Feb. 19, 1960 Msgr. George A. Wilhelm
Feb. 19, 1965 Rev. Henry V. Parmentier
Feb. 20, 1968 Rev. Florimond B. Vanholme,SSC
Feb. 20, 1984 Msgr. William D. Steele
Feb. 21, 1983 Rev. Leonard C. Quinlan, CSB
Feb. 21, 2005 Rev. Robert A. Bordenkircher, OP
Feb. 22, 1879 Rev. Martin Weinzaepflen
Feb. 22, 2001 Rev. Ed Baur, SVD
Feb. 24, 1974 Rev. Henry J. Saxon
Feb. 24, 2011 Rev. David H. Noble
Feb. 25, 1973 Rev. Vincent J. Guinan, CSB
Feb. 27, 1980 Rev. Alfred P. Caird, CSB
Feb. 28, 1913 Rev. Pierre C. Saint-Onge
Expand and deepen our hearts
. . .
Please pray for all victims of violence everywhere and their families. Pray for those being executed in Texas and their families:
February 5: Steven Nelson February 13: Richard Tabler
ARCHDIOCESE HONORS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
FESTIVAL OF LESSONS AND CAROLS
The second annual Festival of Lessons and
Dec. 14. The festival was presented by the Cor Jesu
THE JUBILEE PRAYER
Father in heaven, may the faith You have given us in Your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of Your Kingdom.
May Your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of evil vanquished, Your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To You our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise forever. Amen.
JUBILEE 2025 - PILGRIMS OF HOPE
Learn more about the Jubilee Year online at ARCHGH.ORG/JUBILEE2025.
under the direction of
director of music and organist at the Co-Cathedral. A complete brass quintet,
and organ accompanied the choir throughout the evening. The Festival of Lessons and Carols was developed as an English tradition in 1880 and has since grown each year into an opportunity to celebrate, through song and prayer, the approaching Christmas season. Mixing carols with Scripture, the festival is a wonderful way to prepare to welcome Jesus Christ.
PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE
In a continuing effort to provide pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo would like to remind the faithful of the Archdiocese of the availability of the Victims Assistance Coordinator. Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel is encouraged to call Diane Vines at 713654-5799. Please keep in daily prayers the healing of victims of abuse and all who suffer in any way.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF FATHER REGINALD SAMUELS
The Archdiocese honored Martin Luther King Jr. with a Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Jan. 19. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, who celebrated the Mass, is pictured with (left) Father Reginald Samuels, pastor of St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land and vicar for Catholics of African Descent of the Archdiocese, and (right) Deacon Will Hunter of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Spring, who was the homilist at the Mass.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT
Carols at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart was held
Choir,
Crista Miller, DMA,
percussion
EDUCATION
St. John Neumann: A saint for Catholic teachers
(OSV News) — When a young Bohemian immigrant arrived in New York City on a rainy June day in 1836, his hopes for the priesthood were uncertain. Due to an ordination moratorium imposed by his homeland’s government, St. John Neumann could not be ordained at home. Forsaking the comforts of home and family, desiring only his life’s oblation in love and service, Neumann chose to go to America.
He read accounts of such storied missionaries as Frederic Baraga — a current candidate for sainthood — and he hoped to follow in their footsteps. Little did the young seminarian know when he set foot on American soil that the path God had in store would result in his canonization as the country’s first male saint.
Born in modern-day Czech Republic in 1811, Neumann grew up in a devout Catholic home, and he had many siblings called to religious vocations.
New York’s Bishop John Dubois — the one-time advisor to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton — was impressed quickly by Neumann’s intellect and missionary zeal, ordaining him a priest within his first month in America. Dubois assigned him to regions near Buffalo, New York.
While there, Neumann expressed how he faced many hardships and bouts with loneliness. Outwardly, he seemed successful, having established many
parishes between Buffalo and Erie, Pennsylvania. But Neumann knew he needed a change. With the help of several priest-advisers, Neumann recognized his need for the support of a religious community to settle his troubled spirit, and he set out for the Redemptorist novitiate in Pittsburgh in 1840.
Neumann proved himself to be a competent and talented administrator, responsible for finishing the building project at St. Philomena’s Church in Pittsburgh, where he ministered alongside a fellow Redemptorist, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos. Neumann then went on to pastor several other churches, mostly in Maryland. A surprise came when Neumann was appointed the American provincial of his order in 1847, requiring a move to Baltimore, where he became a naturalized American citizen the following year.
Administration of his order brought heavy burdens to Neumann since Redemptorists in America at the time tended to work independently. Neumann was chosen to provide unity among his brothers and proved to be successful. In Baltimore, he also served as pastor of his order’s St. Alphonsus Church and provided much-needed support to many religious orders of women in the area. Neumann’s talents as an administrator would change directions in his life yet again in 1852 when he was named the
fourth bishop of Philadelphia by Blessed Pope Pius IX. He was ordained a bishop in Baltimore on his 41st birthday. Neumann received an overwhelming welcome in his new diocese, and he was immediately recognized as a fatherly,
kindly and even saintly pastor. His legacy as bishop includes the establishment of the first American diocesan schools system, the founding of religious orders, starting the Forty Hours Eucharistic devotion, and care for the poor and the city’s booming European immigrants. Neumann led his flock courageously amid the rampant anti-Catholicism and anti-immigration prejudices of the KnowNothing party.
Neumann excelled in the virtues, most notably humility, without which he said “other virtues could be neither genuine nor permanent.” Neumann desired sanctity, praying at his first Mass,“Dearest God, give me holiness!” No matter what obstacles presented themselves in his life, Neumann responded with a total “yes” to God.
A life of love and service came to a sudden end when, on Jan. 5, 1860, at age 48, Neumann collapsed from a stroke on a Philadelphia street. In 1977, when Neumann became the first (and to date, only) American bishop to be canonized, Pope St. Paul VI said that for Neumann to accomplish his great works, “love was necessary. And love meant giving; love meant effort; love meant sacrifice. And in his sacrifice, Bishop Neumann’s service was complete.”
His feast day is Jan. 5. He is the patron of educators and teachers. †
A week to celebrate Catholic education in Galveston-Houston
Catholic Schools Week
unites 1.6 million students nationwide with those in the Archdiocese
BY REBECCA TORRELLAS Texas Catholic Herald
HOUSTON — National Catholic Schools Week is underway as Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese are celebrating their education through different events, Masses and initiatives.
Themed “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community,” most schools opened the week, with Mass on Sunday, Jan. 26. Sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Secretariat of Catholic Education, Catholic Schools Week is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the U.S.
The celebration closes on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Mazie McCoy, Ed.D., Archdiocesan Catholic School superintendent, said there are many amazing things taking place on each campus every day that deserve to be celebrated.
“We are grateful to the many friends and supporters of Catholic education as we all work together to form disciples of Christ who will transform the world,” she said. “Graduates of our Catholic schools are able to think critically, collaborate with others, communicate effectively and serve others as disciples of Christ.”
McCoy said schools will observe Catholic Schools Week by celebrating Mass, competing in academic competitions, participating in various events, providing special treats, having special dress days and hosting open houses.
“I invite the community to learn more about the quality education provided in our Catholic schools by visiting a school during Catholic Schools Week,” she said.
On Monday, St. Thomas More Catholic School in Houston hosted a school Book Character Parade.
Carolina Bowman, principal at the school, said the students brought their favorite book and dressed up as their favorite book character. The parade route began at the preschool, through the rest of the campus, exiting through the front office doors, looping past the library patio, and ending back at the preschool gate. Parents were invited to line the parade route along the fence to cheer on students.
“Although it will be quick, I hope it reinforces our students to engage with books and reading while having a fun time celebrating a community of learners,” Bowman said.
Dr. Mary Mack, principal at Assumption Catholic School, focused on celebrating community Monday by assigning students to clean out the school and “Make it shine.”
“Each class has an area to work on outside, in the gym, etc.,” she said.
Mack said that on Wednesday, Assumption will celebrate the nation.
“Middle School classes will be writing to our congressmen and senators while elementary will be writing to military members,” she said.
Tuesday, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School is hosting a Religion Bowl Jeopardy Game for kindergarten to eighth grades.
“We break the competition up and have age-appropriate questions for teams of Kinder to first grade, second to fifth grade, and fifth-eighth grade. There ends up being three to four students from different grade levels on each team, Catie Watso, advancement director at the school, said. “On their turn, they can choose the category and amount and then have the chance to earn points if they answer the question correctly. Teams take turns until there are no questions left, and it ends with a ‘final jeopardy’ question where they can wager points to win/lose more.”
Also on Tuesday, Holy Family Catholic School in Galveston will host a “Gallery of Saints.”
“Students have been learning about saints and will share what they have learned,” said Jeanna Porter, principal at Holy Family Catholic School.“Elementary students will share food and snacks from the country of the saint that they learned about.”
On Friday, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in The Woodlands is hosting their first-ever Staff Inflatable Dance Competition.
“The teachers and staff will be disguised in inflatable costumes and will sing songs while dancing, and students have to guess which teacher is beneath the costume,” said Veronica D. Tucker, principal at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School.
During the week, Catholic schools plan to share their Catholic Schools Week celebrations on social media using #CSW2025.
To learn more about Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston or to find a Catholic school nearby, visit www.choosecatholicschools.org. †
PHOTO COURTESY OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Photo of last year’s Religion Bowl Jeopardy Game at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School. The school is hosting a Religion Bowl Jeopardy Game for kindergarten to eighth grades on Jan. 28.
COLUMNISTS
Christ, Our Light: Celebrating the Feast of the Presentation
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, celebrated on Feb. 2, is a moment of profound beauty and meaning in the Church’s liturgical calendar. This year, Feb. 2 falls on a Sunday, which means it takes precedence over the usual Sunday Liturgy because it is a “Feast of the Lord” compared to a feast for a saint. So, this Sunday brims with a unique theological significance and offers us a different way to deepen our faith.
Also known as Candlemas, this feast marks the 40th day after Christmas and commemorates Mary and Joseph bringing the infant Jesus to the Temple, as required by the Mosaic Law. There, they encounter Simeon and Anna, who recognize the Christ Child as the Light of the World.
This highlights the feast’s importance as a celebration of the Lord’s entry into His Temple — an event that fulfills Old Testament prophecy and points toward His mission of salvation. In the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40), Simeon declares Jesus as a “Light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.” If we listen attentively, Simeon’s words will resonate in the Church’s prayers this Sunday, and we get to unite our prayer to Simeon’s to marvel at how Christ’s light dispels
by ADAM BRILL
darkness and brings hope to the world.
For Mary, the Presentation was also a moment of humility and obedience. Although she was free from sin, she submitted to the Mosaic Law by undergoing the rite of purification. Her actions show us the virtue of humility and the importance of honoring God’s law, even when we might not fully understand it. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on how we live out our faith and seek to grow in humility and trust.
The blessing of candles is a beloved tradition of this feast, symbolizing Christ’s light. Parishioners often bring candles to Mass, where they are blessed and sometimes carried in a procession. This beautiful ritual reminds us that, as baptized Christians, we are called to carry Christ’s light into a darkened world. The candles blessed on Candlemas are often taken home and used throughout the year during storms, moments of prayer or times of illness. These practices connect our liturgical
celebrations with daily life, making our faith tangible and present in our homes. These sacramentals create a bridge between the sacred and the everyday. This custom encourages us to see Christ’s light shining in all areas of our lives and remind us of our call to be light-bearers for others.
The Presentation of the Lord invites us
God’s mercy restores hope
The parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:17) reminds all of us that God is merciful. Here and in many other verses of the New Testament, Jesus searches out sinners to offer His pardon and salvation. Mercy is the force that reawakens all and restores our hope of new life.
Pope Francis’ first publication as pope, The Name of God is Mercy (2016), twice references Bruce Marshall’s novel, To Every Man a Penny (1949). Marshall cites a young priest hearing confession from a dying German soldier during World War I. The soldier confesses an immoral act yet still in a state of complacency, committing that sin again, if he had a chance.
Before absolution, the priest asks: “… But are you sorry that you are not sorry?” The soldier impulsively replies, “Yes, I am sorry that I am not sorry.” Pope Francis uses this dialogue to illustrate God’s unconditional and endless mercy. Even the smallest glimpse of sorrow reveals the opening of a crack, allowing the mercy of God to enter one’s heart and soul.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis’ central teaching is mercy. “The Lord never tires of forgiving: never! It is we who tire of asking Him for forgiveness.”
Similarly, “The mercy of God is always greater than any sins, and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive.”
(Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel) No one can place limits on God’s love for us. His mercy is one way of expressing that love.
God reaches out to sinners and offers them a new chance to look at themselves so as to trust and hope in God’s mercy.
As it is written in the Psalm, “You forgave the iniquity of your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all your wrath and turned from your fierce anger” (Ps 85:2-3).
unlimited and everlasting mercy of God as the source of our strength and hope in this Jubilee Year. As the Doors of the Holy Year have been opened, Pope Francis once again emphasizes his Christmas Day message, “The door of God’s heart is always open; let us return to Him. Let us return to the heart that loves us and forgives us.”
As Catholics and pilgrims of hope, we heed and treasure the call of this Jubilee Year 2025. Lam 3:22-24 declares: The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, His mercies are not spent. They are renewed each morning,
So great is his faithfulness. My portion is the Lord, says my soul; Therefore, will I hope in Him.
to encounter Christ’s light anew. As we bring candles to be blessed or gaze upon their flickering light, may we be reminded of Simeon’s proclamation and our baptismal call to carry Christ’s light into the world. †
Adam Brill is the director of the Office of Worship.
God is personally and vigorously opposed to every form of evil but merciful to sinners. The more God loves, the more He will be angry with everything [sins] that mars His beloved children. With this in mind, let us ponder the
The Jubilee Year is an exceptional time of grace for all of God’s sons and daughters. Let us rejoice and be comforted that our Good Shepherd remains loving and forgiving. †
Sister Maria Goretti Thuy Nguyen, OP, is an associate director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.
by SR. MARIA GORETTI NGUYEN, O.P.
Holy Year shines headlight on journey of life, faith, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Whether one needs a fresh start or simply time to “recalculate the route,” the Holy Year 2025 is an opportunity for all Christians to set off on a pilgrimage, Pope Francis said.
“The destination is not just any goal, but a place of as much sharing, fraternity and joy as possible in this world with its lights and its trials,” and where people are “open to the ultimate happiness in the company of Jesus, Mary and all the saints,” the pope told members of the Italian Automobile Club.
Pope Francis focused on the meaning of jubilee pilgrimages in his meeting with the club members on Jan. 23 and in audiences that day with the Italian police who patrol the area around the Vatican and with leaders of the foundation that supports the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
On the pilgrimage through life, he told the auto club that people risk “taking the wrong road — it’s true — or finding oneself in difficulty or feeling lost.”
Especially in those situations, he said, “the Jubilee can be an opportunity to start again, to recalculate the route of one’s life, identifying the landmarks that should not be missed and those that might instead become obstacles to reaching the goal.”
Even worse than getting lost, though, is not moving at all, he said. “We were not
made to stand still.”
“Do not get discouraged, but always start again,” the pope told them.
In his meeting with the Italian national police unit responsible for the area around the Vatican, Pope Francis thanked
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them for guaranteeing his safety and that of his collaborators and the pilgrims and tourists who visit the Vatican.
But he also encouraged them to take advantage of the Jubilee and the holy doors opened in St. Peter’s Basilica and
the basilicas of St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
“Going through the Holy Door is not a magical act — no, it is not — it is a symbol, a Christian symbol; Jesus himself says, ‘I am the door,’” the pope told them, quoting the Gospel of John.
Making a pilgrimage and crossing the threshold of the Holy Door is “a sign that expresses the desire to begin again,” the pope said. A wise person recognizes the need “to begin again. Always going one step forward. The desire to be renewed and to let God find you.”
Pope Francis prayed that even “those who may not recognize that they have the gift of faith, let them equally take advantage of this Jubilee Year to go forward.”
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, a longtime Jesuit ministry that shares the pope’s monthly prayer intentions, has a more obvious Jubilee connection since pilgrims must pray for the pope’s intentions, go to confession and receive the Eucharist to receive a Holy Year indulgence.
The pope told the group that the network also can contribute to the Jubilee by “helping individuals and communities to live the spirit of the Holy Year as a journey in which prayer and compassion, prayer and closeness to the least among us, prayer and works of mercy are inseparably combined.” †
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CNS PHOTO
Pope Francis poses for a photo with representatives of the Italian Automobile Club after an audience in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Jan. 23.
NATION LA fires destroys church, damages retreat house
LOS ANGELES (OSV News) — When Passionist Father Febin Barose first stepped outside the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre and saw the flames from the Eaton Fire far away, he thought they’d be okay.
But the heavy winds quickly changed that line of thinking.
“We never thought that this was going to happen,” Father Barose said. “I thought it was just on the hillside. But the wind did not help us at all. It was burning so fast. It was just an orange line far away behind two or three mountains. But in 30 to 40 minutes, it was right close.”
Father Barose spoke to Angelus, the Los Angeles (LA) archdiocesan news outlet, after surveying significant damage to the retreat center by the Eaton Fire, which has torn through more than 13,000 acres so far. Father Barose had to evacuate Mater Dolorosa on the evening of Jan. 7 and saw the fire and water damage to the facility on the morning of Jan. 8.
According to NBC News on Jan. 21, 27 people are known to have died across the LA area after destructive wildfires fueled by dry conditions and powerful winds erupted on Jan. 7. More than 13,600 structures have been destroyed, and roughly tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes.
Father Barose said the main retreat center is still standing, but the workers’ apartments, garage and hermitage were burned up, while the administrative offices and one of the conference spaces suffered heavy fire and water damage.
The spacious and picturesque outdoor gardens are also gone, he said.
Two groups totaling 60 people were on retreat at the center at the time of the evacuation, Father Barose said, many of them elderly, which made it difficult when it came time to evacuate. But the staff at the center rallied, and everyone made it out safely, including finding hotel rooms for the Passionist community members.
Father Barose said they don’t know what will happen next and are still regrouping but tried to look at the situation with eyes of faith.
“There are things that we can’t comprehend, but we know and can be confident that God still loves us,” Father Barose said. “I see lots of God’s love
and grace coming through support from different people. The biggest blessing is that everybody’s safe.”
At nearby St. Rita Church in Sierra Madre, Father Tom Baker, pastor, said that flames came “within a couple of blocks” from the parish and school but so far have been largely spared while extending prayers and support for all those affected by the fires.
In the meantime, school leaders have organized a daily Zoom Rosary to pray for all those affected and to keep the school community engaged. Until then, they wait.
“We’re going to try to assess all that once we get back, but it’s hard to know,”
Father Baker said. “I don’t even know if we’re going to have services this weekend. Which is a sad thing because, at this time, it’s really what people need.”
Another area greatly affected by the fires, the Pacific Palisades, is the only
place Sam Laganà has ever called home.
The man known today as the official stadium voice of the LA Rams grew up playing in the closely knit community’s streets. He was educated in its public schools and received his faith at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, where he went
to catechism class as a child.
On the night of Jan. 7, he watched all of it — the streets, the homes, the schools, and his beloved church — burn to ashes.
“It’s too much,” said Laganà. “Overwhelming.”
While the last residents were evacuating the picturesque enclave in LA’s Westside that night, Laganà was using water from garden hoses and his backyard jacuzzi to put out the flames encircling his home of 28 years.
“Next door, everything was all burned already, all of the sides,” recalled Laganà. “The next-door neighbor’s house was blowing all of its embers straight at me.”
Thanks to friends who soon arrived to help with the firefight, Laganà’s house was saved. Corpus Christi’s church building, located directly downhill from his house, was not. Laganà saw the church in flames as he finally drove out of the neighborhood around 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
“As I was leaving, I was trying to defend my home and hoping to keep the [Corpus Christi] school from catching on fire by watering down the hillsides,” said Laganà.
Laganà’s efforts may be one reason the parish school was mostly spared, apart from its gym. And so, on Jan. 9, Laganà and his wife were among the dozens of Corpus Christi parishioners at a special Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to pray for those affected by the fires raging through parts of LA
– Pope Francis
OSV NEW PHOTO
Monsignor Liam Kidney, left, and Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson are pictured at St. Monica Church with the tabernacle recovered Jan. 11 from Corpus Christi Church, where Monsignor Kidney is pastor. Some days after Corpus Christi was incinerated by the Palisades Fire, Captain Bryan Nassour of the Los Angeles Fire Department crawled through the rubble and found the tabernacle intact.
County.
Many, if not most, of them had become both physically and spiritually homeless in the last 36 hours.
Longtime parishioner Rick McGeagh serves on Corpus Christi’s pastoral advisory council. His worst fears came true Wednesday morning when his son hiked up through Will Rogers State Park and confirmed that their home was gone.
But looking through pictures of the rubble sent by his son, McGeagh was amazed when he saw the sole part of his home left standing: a statue of the Virgin Mary installed outside in 1998 when they moved in.
“That statue belonged to my grandmother, who died in 1997,”explained McGeagh. “The fact that she survived, when everything, even our Viking stove, burned down, I think is miraculous. There’s no way to explain that.”
McGeagh describes Corpus Christi as “a strong family” that’s grown thanks to ties fostered by the parish school and the steady leadership of Monsignor Liam Kidney, who has been the parish’s pastor since 1999.
“It’s actually an easy choice to be here,” McGeagh told Angelus after the cathedral Mass, held the day after he learned his home was lost.
“I need God’s strength, as we all do,” he said. “We’re all going to have a tough road ahead to rebuild our homes, and monsignor’s got to rebuild the church, and he’s not alone. We’ll be there to help.”
In his homily at the Mass, Archbishop Gomez acknowledged, “We can be tempted to question God’s love for us, to wonder where he is when good people are suffering.”
While there are no “easy answers” after
such a tragedy, the archbishop said that God calls each person “to be instruments that show his compassion and care to those who are suffering.”
Four days after Corpus Christi Church was incinerated in the Palisades Fire, Capt. Bryan Nassour of the LA Fire Department picked his way over a 6-foot layer of rubble in the ashen bones of the sanctuary and recovered the tabernacle Jan. 11.
“I did it because the whole community
has been decimated — it looks like a nuclear bomb has gone off and nothing is standing,” Nassour told Angelus Nassour’s family belongs to St. Francis de Sales Church in Sherman Oaks, and his brother belongs to Corpus Christi.
That Saturday morning, Nassour, whose station in Pacific Palisades is across the street from Corpus Christi, had been up all night battling other fires. As he sipped coffee at his desk and gazed at the ruined church, he decided to
“There are things that we can’t comprehend, but we know and can be confident that God still loves us.”
FATHER FEBIN BAROSE
Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat
Center
check for valuables. He wanted to protect them from looters and perhaps return something meaningful to the parish.
Scorched bricks, tiles and hunks of debris filled the nave so high that he had to crawl under the top of door frames that no longer had doors. The roof had collapsed, and a burned steel frame teetered above the twisted remains of a chandelier.The pews had been consumed. Only the granite altar remained, with the solid brass tabernacle atop it and a cross above. The Blessed Sacrament was intact.
Nassour was astounded to find that the tabernacle weighed more than 300 lbs. His crew helped him get it into the station house.
“It was one of the most uplifting things,” he said.“Not everyone is religious, but they saw that, and they’re like, ‘This is awesome.’ We’re doing something — at least one thing — that we can salvage for the community.”
The Archdiocese of LA has announced a special dedicated fund “to support parishes and schools impacted by the fires.” To donate, go to the donation portal at https://lacatholics. org/california-fires. †
• Pastoral Minister
• Pension Specialist
• Stewardship and Engagement Manager
• Facilities Manager
• Hospitality Coordinator and more
• Youth Ministry and Religious education
• Music Ministry
• Bookkeepers and more
WILDFIRES,
PHOTO COURTESY OF MATER DOLOROSA PASSIONIST RETREAT CENTER
One of the biggest fires, the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., badly damaged the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center in Sierra Madre.
MUNDO CATÓLICO
La Corte Suprema de Texas escucha los argumentos en el intento del fiscal general de cerrar Annunciation House
(OSV News) — La Corte Suprema de Texas escuchó el 13 de enero los argumentos orales en un caso relacionado con el intento del fiscal general de Texas, Ken Paxton, de cerrar Annunciation House de El Paso, una organización católica sin fines de lucro que sirve a los migrantes.
En presentaciones judiciales y declaraciones a la prensa desde febrero de 2024, la oficina de Paxton ha alegado que Annunciation House dirige “escondites”, facilita el cruce ilegal de la frontera, oculta “extranjeros presentes ilegalmente de las autoridades” y no entregó documentos que la oficina buscaba en su investigación. Sin embargo, Annunciation House y sus abogados negaron haber cometido infracciones o conductas ilegales y afirmaron que la oficina de Paxton no siguió los procedimientos legales adecuados para solicitar documentos a la organización.
En julio, un juez estatal denegó el intento de Paxton de cerrar la organización sin ánimo de lucro, al considerar que su oficina “no había establecido motivos probables para el procedimiento” y que éste violaba la Ley de Restauración de la Libertad Religiosa de Texas, entre otras cuestiones. Poco después, Paxton apeló directamente al más alto tribunal del estado para reactivar su iniciativa.
Durante los argumentos, el fiscal general adjunto Ryan Baasch dijo que Annunciation House “no está inmunizada a causa de su religión”. Amy Warr, abogada que representa a Annunciation House, dijo que la oficina del fiscal general utilizó “retórica” en lugar de pruebas en sus afirmaciones, y que no hay pruebas de conducta ilegal por parte del ministerio.
“No ha habido violación del estatuto de acogida porque Annunciation House, un ministerio establecido de la Iglesia Católica, no esconde a personas indocumentadas de las fuerzas del orden. Ocultarlos es un elemento del ‘harboring statute’”, dijo Warr.
Refiriéndose al Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos, Warr añadió: “La mayoría de las personas que alojamos nos las trae el ICE después de haberlas procesado y necesitan un lugar donde quedarse”.
America First Legal, un grupo fundado
por Stephen Miller, uno de los principales asesores del presidente Donald Trump y el subjefe de personal de política y asesor de seguridad nacional de la Casa Blanca, respaldó el esfuerzo de Paxton para cerrar este ministerio católico.
En un escrito presentado en el caso, el grupo escribió: “No se debe permitir que las ONG como Annunciation House, ya sea por motivos políticos, religiosos o de otro tipo, socaven la ley y la soberanía estadounidenses, exacerben la crisis fronteriza, pongan en peligro la seguridad nacional estadounidense y violen las leyes de Texas con impunidad”.
Pero First Liberty Institute, una organización de libertad religiosa que suele asociarse con clientes conservadores, argumentó a favor del ministerio católico. Elizabeth Kiernan, representante de ese grupo, dijo que el trabajo de Annunciation House está motivado por su fe católica.
“La Iglesia católica ha reclamado Annunciation House como uno de los suyos”, dijo Kiernan, añadiendo que si la Ley de Libertad Religiosa y Restauración de Texas “protege algo, protege a esta organización benéfica religiosa contra el cierre absoluto”.
Líderes católicos, entre ellos el obispo de El Paso, Mark J. Seitz, se han pronunciado en contra de la iniciativa de Paxton. El obispo Seitz es presidente del Comité de Migración de la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Estados Unidos (USCCB por sus siglas en inglés).
En un escrito presentado en nombre de Annunciation House, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de Texas dijo que los católicos están llamados a llevar a cabo las obras corporales de misericordia, que se centran en actuar caritativamente hacia los pobres.
“La Iglesia católica subraya que los católicos tienen la ‘obligación moral de tratar al extranjero como trataríamos al propio Cristo’”, decía el escrito, citando el resumen de la USCCB de la doctrina social católica sobre inmigración.
El escrito argumentaba además sobre Annunciation House que “no hay nada oculto, ni criminal, en su ministerio muy público y de décadas de duración”.
“Más bien, es un ejemplo abiertamente proclamado con alegría de un ministerio católico que busca llevar a cabo las obras
APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE
ABUSO SEXUAL DEL CLERO
En un continuo esfuerzo por facilitar atención pastoral a las victimas de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, el Cardenal DiNardo gustaría recordar a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis la disponibilidad del Coordinador de Ayuda a Víctimas. Si alguien ha sido victim de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, se les anima llamar a la Diane Vines al 713-654-5799. Por favor rece por la sanación de las víctimas del abuso y por todos los que sufren de alguna manera.
corporales de misericordia”, decía.“Como tal, debería estar libre de interferencias de organismos estatales”.
El caso incluso llamó la atención del
FOTO DE OSV NEWS
Una familia migrante es dejada el 13 de diciembre de 2022 en un refugio local para migrantes dirigido por la Casa de la Anunciación en el centro de El Paso, Texas. La Corte Suprema de Texas escuchó los argumentos orales el 13 de enero, en el caso del fiscal general del estado contra Annunciation House, que ha estado ayudando a los inmigrantes en la frontera entre EE.UU. y Texas.
Papa Francisco, quien criticó el intento de Paxton de cerrar Annunciation House, calificándolo de una “locura” durante una entrevista con CBS News en 2024.
Annunciation House opera varios refugios en el área de El Paso, ayudando a los migrantes y refugiados con alimentos, vivienda y otros tipos de asistencia, así como proporcionando información sobre cómo completar los documentos legales requeridos para solicitar asilo en los Estados Unidos. †
WITHIN THE ARTS
Medical sculptor’s job is to bring hope, some sense of restoration to hurting people
BALTIMORE (OSV News) — He’s worked with patients whose ears were bitten off in dog attacks. He’s seen people whose eyes or ears were lost in accidents or whose flesh was ravaged by aggressive cancers. And he’s helped others born without body parts or who suffered unimaginable gunshot wounds.
But even Juan Garcia is sometimes still taken aback by his work.
“Sometimes I’m seeing individuals who are missing a whole midface,” explained Garcia, one of fewer than 40 board-certified clinical anaplastologists in the world — that rarest of professions that combines artistry and medicine in the design and craftsmanship of prosthetic devices.
“I’m looking into the nasal passageways, and I’m seeing a tongue as it’s trying to swallow through the orbital maxillary cavity,” said Garcia, director of the Facial Prosthetics Clinic within the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. “These are things that even for a seasoned professional will elicit a response of, ‘Oh, my gosh.’”
No matter what he may be experiencing emotionally, it’s Garcia’s job to bring hope and perhaps some sense of restoration to hurting people. His priority is to convey an atmosphere of ease for his patients, some of whom have never looked in a mirror after losing part of their face to cancer or an accident.
MOVIE RATINGS By OSV News
A-I – SUITABLE FOR ALL
• Mufasa: The Lion King (PG)
A-II – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN
• Mary (NR)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (PG)
• The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (PG-13)
A-III – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS
• A Complete Unknown (R)
L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE
• Better Man (R)
• Wolf Man (R)
O
– MORALLY OFFENSIVE
• Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (R)
• Kraven the Hunter (R)
• Nosferatu (R)
• One of Them Days (R)
• Y2K (R)
▶ For full movie reviews, visit www. osvnews.com/category/reviews
“I try to make patients feel like this is a safe space where I see you — I don’t see the affected area,” said Garcia, a parishioner of Church of the Nativity in Timonium who has meticulously fashioned an estimated 500 prosthetic noses, ears, faces and other body parts over the years. “I see you as a person.”
The weight of his responsibilities can be enormous, but so too are the spiritual rewards that come with living out a calling that transforms lives around the world.
Born in Puerto Rico to a Cuban family, Garcia grew up in Florida. His mother was a seamstress and his father worked as an employee and then general manager of one of the religious statues stores operated by a specialty warehouse called Almacenes Gonzalez in Miami.
Interested in art since he was a child, Garcia informally helped repair statues customers brought to his father’s workplace. The younger Garcia used a plaster-like compound to reattach an amputated head of a saint or a broken hand of Christ.
“The statues would have glass eyes in them,” Garcia recalled in an interview with the Catholic Review, the news outlet of the Baltimore Archdiocese. “That was always very intriguing, this whole idea of this glass eye and the beauty of it.”
Garcia enrolled at the University of
Miami as a pre-med major. After several years of scientific study, he needed a break and took some art classes. He became so interested in the field that he switched majors. He earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design/illustration and then decided to finish his bachelor’s degree in biology, too.
Looking to combine his divergent interests in art and medicine, Garcia applied to the medical and biological illustration graduate program at Hopkins — a first-of-its-kind course of study founded in 1911 under the pioneering leadership of Max Brödel.
At Hopkins, Garcia earned his master’s degree and came in contact with someone who made artificial eyes and facial prosthetics. He delved deeply into the field, emerging as one of the world’s foremost authorities in facial prosthetics. In 2009, he established a one-year training certificate program in clinical anaplastology.
“It’s humbling work,” said Garcia, a 50-something associate professor in Hopkins’ Department of Art as Applied to Medicine. “It definitely pushes me to create the best that I can out of silicone and clay and wax and color. It makes me feel like I have to constantly try to do better.”
Jodie Ezell was born 57 years ago with a malformed left ear. She had a bit of an earlobe, she said, but no ear canal. Within her middle ear, three bones had formed as one.
From the time she was just 6 months old and continuing into adulthood, she had an estimated 25 surgeries to create an ear with her own skin and various sculpting materials, including Teflon. She eventually had cartilage harvested from a rib to help in ear reconstruction.
With so many surgeries, however, blood flow couldn’t support the new skin, and the reconstruction had to be removed. It was at that point that Ezell’s
plastic surgeon asked if she had ever considered a prosthesis. Like many with her condition, she didn’t even know it was an option.
Garcia has designed several prosthetic ears for Ezell — new ones are needed every few years as colors change or the patient’s body changes. Each prosthesis is attached to bone-anchored titanium implants and is held in place with tiny magnets. Other patients rely on other methods of attaching devices, depending on their unique medical situation.
During a Nov. 8 session inside a cramped Hopkins office, Ezell sat in a chair as Garcia stood nearby, along with Jess Liddicoat, a 24-year-old graduate student from Arizona whom Garcia mentors in the university’s nascent master’s program in clinical anaplastology.
At Garcia’s direction, Liddicoat held up a prosthetic ear she crafted out of silicone. As she placed it next to Ezell’s healthy right ear, Garcia peered intently at the twin body parts.
“This would pass certification review,” Garcia said in his understated but encouraging way.
The prosthetic ear was cast using multiple colors, the medical sculptor said, with Liddicoat using pigments suspended in a silicone fluid to paint over the already-painted prosthesis.
Ezell, who travels by train fromVirginia for her Hopkins appointments, later gave Liddicoat a high-five as she was leaving. The ear Garcia’s protégé made, which was constructed in a parallel way to the actual prosthesis Garcia is working on, will become one of 18 different pieces in Liddicoat’s portfolio.
“You can’t really tell that it’s not my natural ear,” Ezell said with a smile. “It’s incredible.”
Wearing such a natural-looking prosthesis is a confidence booster, she acknowledged. It provides a lot of practical benefits, too.
“It’s pretty cool — the things you don’t think about, like being able to wear your glasses without them getting all askew,” she said, “or being able to tuck my hair behind my ear. It’s the little things in life. It makes a big difference.”
The process can include taking an impression that’s used in sculpting a prosthesis. In recent years, Garcia has used a hand-held 3D scanner to help create models that can be mirror-imaged. Medical sculptors are not physicians, Garcia emphasized, but they collaborate with medical doctors on such matters as determining where implants should be placed.
Garcia said patients, many of whom are struggling with pressing thoughts of their own mortality, often share their faith or want to discuss spiritual issues during their lengthy sessions with him. As a devoted Catholic, he said, he’s open to those conversations.
“I share my faith, and they share their faith,” he said. “I pray many times about these families and these issues that they’re going through.” †
OSV NEWS PHOTO
Juan Garcia adjusts the placement of a prosthetic ear on Jodie Ezell Nov. 8, 2024, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE
► FOR SUBMISSION DETAILS AND MORE LISTINGS, VISIT WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.
JAN. 28
HUMAN TRAFFICKING NIGHT OF AWARENESS, 6 p.m., Christ the Redeemer (11507 Huffmeister Rd., Houston). Faith-based national non-profit Street Grace will teach how to recognize warning signs of child sexual abuse and exploitation, report suspicious activity and get involved. Local law enforcement and House representative will update on progress being made at the Capitol. 281-469-5533; kerry.chu@ ctrcc.com; ctrcc.com.
JAN. 29-FEB. 1
GARAGE SALE, Jan. 29 (4 to 7 p.m., $25 admission), and Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission). St. Ignatius of Loyola (7810 Cypresswood Dr., Spring). Sales of furniture, household items, clothing, jewelry, baby items, toys, books and other items benefit the St. Ignatius Outreach Ministry. Rain or shine. garagesale@silcc.org. Cost: $25 pre-sale access Wednesday, Jan. 29; GarageSale@silcc.org; silcc.org/yearly-projects.
JAN. 31
SUPER BINGO, 7 to 10 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi (5102 Dabney St., Houston). Tickets $20 presale; $25 at the door. stfrancisofhouston.org.
JAN. 31-FEB. 2
AA (ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS) MEN’S RETREAT, Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday 12:30 p.m., Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston). Three-day 12-step study weekend for men working 12-step programs offers an opportunity to grow spiritually and participate with others. Cost: $265, or $250 for 65 and older. registrar.holyname@passionist.org.
FEB. 1
FUNDRAISER, 6:30 p.m., St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Family Life Center (6646 Addicks Satsuma Rd., Houston). Knights of Columbus #8096 annual “Las Vegas Night” fundraiser includes games and food. Cost: $40 per person. tdescioli@aol.com.
FEB. 1-2
EXHIBITION, Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., St. Charbel Youth Center of Mary Queen (606 Cedarwood Dr., Friendswood). This photographic exhibit contains over 150 Eucharistic miracles approved by the Vatican from 22 countries. Free entry. 281-7108876, ekurian@maryqueencatholicchurch.org.
FEB. 2
SPAGHETTI DINNER AND FUNDRAISER, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Guardian Angel Parish Hall (5610 Demel St., Wallis). $12 spaghetti plates with homemade meat sauce, salad, green beans and garlic bread. Homemade desserts for donation. Raffle, cake live auction and silent auction. 281-224-0477.
GOSPEL MUSICAL, 3 to 5 p.m., Our Lady Star of the Sea (1401 Fidelity St., Houston). 75th Anniversary Black History Month Gospel musical features several choirs. 713-674-9206.
FEB. 5
ADORATION HOUR, 7 to 8 p.m., Sacred Heart (507 S 4th St., Richmond). Adoration Hour on the first Wednesday of the month to pray for vocations. Confession and Anointing of the Sick available.
FEB. 7-9
AA (ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS) WOMEN’S RETREAT, Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday 12:30 p.m., Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston). Three-day 12-step study weekend for women working 12-step programs, providing an opportunity to grow spiritually and participate with others. Cost: $265, or $250 for 65 and older. registrar.holyname@passionist.org.
MARRIAGE RETREAT, Friday 8 p.m. to Sunday 4 p.m., St. Dominic’s Diocesan Center, (2405 Holcombe Blvd., Houston). A non-residential (go home at night) Marriage Enrichment Weekend to elevate the power and joy of marriage by promoting deeper communication and faith-centered values. $200 fee. 281-7734014; houstonme.org.
FEB. 7
WORSHIP, 7 p.m., St. Rose of Lima (3600
Brinkman, Houston). “Faith Night: Called to Community” is a night of faith and worship. Tickets: stroselima.org.
FEB. 8
GALA, 6 p.m., Cathedral High School (7726 Westview Dr., Houston). Catholic Literary Arts gala features Mark Brumbley of Ignatius Press and benefits Fearless Catholic Writing Camp scholarships. Ticket and table prices: catholicliteraryarts.org/the-dinner-party. 713331-9342; cathla.org@gmail.com.
DAY OF REFLECTION, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., St. Laurence Ave Maria Parish Life Center (3103 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land). Fort Bend Theresians host annual day of prayer and reflection for women with speaker Katie Hartfiel. Cost: $40 includes breakfast and lunch. Seating is limited. theresians.org.
FEB. 9
ITALIAN MASS/LUNCH, 10:30 a.m., The Italian Cultural and Community Center (1101 Milford St., Houston). Mass celebrated by Father Luke Millette followed by Italian lunch with pasta, meatballs, salad, dessert and ice tea or coffee. Cost: $15 per person, cash only. iccchouston. com; 713-774-2628; jcoles8433@sbcglobal.net.
FEB. 14-16
COUPLES RETREAT, Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday 12:30 p.m., Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston). Married couples are welcome. Cost: $430 per couple, includes lodging, meals and materials. 713-464-0211 x 10. registrar.holyname@passionist.org.
FEB. 15
VOCATION DINNER & DANCE, 6:15 p.m., St. Anne School Gymnasium (1111 S Cherry St., Tomball). St. Anne Knights of Columbus Council 11472 hosts dinner, dancing and live and silent
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auctions to benefit vocations to the religious life. Cost: $50 per person; tickets to be purchased in advance. colstryker@att.net; 832646-5542; kc11472.org.
DANCE, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., St. Martin de Porres (12606 Crosby Lynchburg Rd., Crosby). “Hearts & Beads Masquerade Dance,” featuring Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws, celebrates Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras. Attire: Mardi Gras colors (green, purple and gold) or Valentine’s red. Cost: Pre-sale tickets $25; at the door $30. 723-806-9793 or 832-889-6624.
