Fostering a vibrant vocational culture in parishes to answer God’s call ▪ SEE PAGE 7
Christ the Redeemer, St. Helen and St. John Paul II schools celebrate recognition
HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Education recognized a trio of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese as 2024 National Blue Ribbon schools as exemplary high-performing schools on Sept. 23.
Christ the Redeemer and St. John Paul II Catholic Schools in Houston and St. Helen Catholic School in Pearland are among 40 non-public schools nationwide and 356 schools overall to receive the prestigious National Blue Ribbon recognition from the U.S. Department of Education.
Mazie S. McCoy, Ed.D., secretariat director and superintendent of
See RIBBON, page 4
Cardinal DiNardo concelebrates 150th anniversary Mass for Brownsville Catholic Church
history in South Texas intertwines with Galveston
BY BRENDA NETTLES RIOJAS Special to the Herald
BROWNSVILLE — In a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo concelebrated a special Mass of Thanksgiving at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine in Brownsville on Sept. 18. Bishop Daniel Flores, ordinary of the Diocese of Brownsville, presided over the Mass.
The anniversary Mass opened the Diocese of Brownsville’s yearlong celebration of the sesquicentennial anniversary.
Brownsville Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés, who is leading the anniversary celebrations and observances that coincide with the Jubilee 2025 and the National Eucharistic Revival Year of Mission, said the anniversary invites the faithful to reflect on the historical events that shaped the Church here in the Rio Grande Valley.
After the Mexican-American War, the new territory in the state of Texas became the Diocese of Galveston. On Sept. 18, 1874, the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was extracted from the then-Diocese of Galveston with Bishop Jean Marie Odin, C.M., as the Titular Bishop. Bishop Odin had nine priests at the time to serve a population of 20,000. The newly-organized ecclesiastical area encompassed what is now the Dioceses of Brownsville, Corpus Christi and Laredo.
Pope Pius IX issued the Bull, Ad Futuram Rei Memoriam, on Sept. 18, 1874, establishing the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, with the Immaculate Conception Church in that city designated as the cathedral.
This new ecclesiastical area, the third in Texas, had its own bishop, Bishop Dominic Manucy, who was called a Vicar Apostolic.Thirty-eight years later, in 1912, the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville was converted into the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Fifty-three years later, Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Brownsville in 1965.
Canon Law defines an apostolic
St. Mary’s Seminary 9845 Memorial Dr. Houston, TX 77024
vicariate as “a certain portion of the people of God which has not yet been established as a diocese due to special circumstances and which, to be shepherded, is entrusted to an apostolic vicar or apostolic prefect who governs it in the name of the Supreme Pontiff.” (Can 371) This new territory did not have structure and needed priests, community and order. The aid received was from the Jesuits, the Oblates of Immaculate Mary,
and various religious organizations.
The stories told by the early priests and religious sisters and brothers speak of the harsh challenges and realities of making the Church present and tending to the spiritual needs of the people.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate priests and the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament worked tirelessly to build churches, schools and hospitals in the community, they struggled with war, bandits, storms, illnesses — some died of yellow fever. Yet they persevered and left a legacy that serves as a foundation for what exists today.
With the observance of the 150th Anniversary of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville, the diocese launches a yearlong celebration which will culminate with a Mass observing the 60th Anniversary of the Diocese of Brownsville in 2025. †
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Cover photo by CNS/Filippo Monteforte, Reuters
PHOTOS BY PAUL BINZ/THE VALLEY CATHOLIC
Above, Bishop Daniel Flores presides over a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine in Brownsville on Sept. 18 marking the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville. At left, Cardinal DiNardo concelebrates the Mass.
THE FIRST WORD
PHOTOS AND STORY BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD Sister Rachel Gosda, SCTJM, (at right) with the Sisters with the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary pray with a woman as she venerates a reliquary with the blood of St. John Paul II at St. John Vianney Parish in Houston on Sept. 25. The relic visited five parishes and three Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.
►SEE MORE PHOTOS AND A VIDEO ONLINE AT ARCHGH.ORG/ATA OR SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW
Thousands venerate St. John Paul II relic
HOUSTON — In prayer, often kneeling, bowing or simply meditating in reverence, thousands venerated a miraculous relic of St. John Paul II when it visited five parishes and three Catholic schools around the Archdiocese in late September.
Carrying rosaries that clattered with each step, visitors from every generation moved in a solemn line to pray with the relic. Approaching the relic, one by one, they stopped for a few moments to meditate, placing their rosaries, prayer cards, family pictures, scapulars and dozens of other religious objects to make each a third-class relic.
Prayerfully guided and protected by a group of religious sisters from the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the relic first visited the St. John Paul II School in west Houston on Sept. 25.
Students and faculty at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Frassati Catholic High School also welcomed the relic later that week. Supported by the Scanlan Foundation and the St. Serra Apostolate for Vocations of North Houston, the relic also visited St. John Vianney in Houston, Ascension Chinese Mission in Alief, Christ the Good Shepherd in Spring, St. Matthias in Magnolia and Holy Family in Missouri City.
During the parish visits, hundreds had the opportunity to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the devotion inspired by St. Faustina’s visions and spearheaded by St. John Paul II himself, in the presence
of the pope’s relic at the 3 p.m. Hour of Mercy each afternoon.
At Ascension Chinese Mission in Houston, parishioners and parish staff gathered for a group photo with the relic and the religious sisters to mark the visit.
At times, Father Shuxin “Roger” Zhang quietly gazed at the relic, praying with it as the visit to his parish came to an end.
The first-class relic, a vial of the Polish
pontiff’s blood, is miraculously still liquid and is displayed in a reliquary inspired by the book of the Gospels that was placed on the pope’s casket.
Relics are classified as first-, secondand third-class. First-class relics are usually the body or parts of a saint’s body, like fragments of bone or flesh, or in this case, blood. Second-class relics are items that belonged to a saint, such as St. Teresa of Kolkata’s sandals or St. John Paul II’s papal crosier. Lastly, a third-class relic is an item that a saint had touched during his or her lifetime or an object — a Rosary or a prayer card — that has been touched by a first, second, or another third-class relic.
When the pope died on April 2, 2005, crowds in St. Peter’s Square chanted “santo subito” (“sainthood now”). The Vatican heard, and the sainthood cause for the jet-setting pontiff who helped bring down European communism was put on the fast track; he was beatified in 2011. A Pole and former actor shaped by World War II and the Cold War, Karol Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. In his 26-year pontificate, he evangelized on trips to 129 countries, upheld Church doctrine, connected with the world’s youth and named more than 450 new saints.
He also modeled Christian values by forgiving his would-be assassin and living an increasingly frail old age in public. He was canonized in 2014. To learn more about the relic, visit piercedhearts.org. †
PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS
Effective September 4
Father Jerry Jung
Rector – Holy Cross Chapel, Houston
Effective September 12
Father Joe Luis Hernandez
Formation Faculty – St. Mary’s Seminary
BRIEFS
Annual Firefighter Mass honors firefighters lost in the line of duty
HOUSTON — The annual Firefighter Mass honoring and blessing firefighters will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston. Father Jeff Bame, rector of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, is the main celebrant.
In addition, during the Mass, a special tribute will be given to firefighters who have died during the previous year.
It is open to active and retired firefighters, their families and the general public. †
Oct. 23 Red Mass unites law communities
HOUSTON — The annual Red Mass for members of the legal profession will be celebrated at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 23, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be the celebrant. The Mass will be immediately followed by a ticketed dinner at the Cathedral Centre. Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee will serve as the dinner speaker. For more information, visit www.archgh.org/redmass. †
Oct. 29 White Mass honors healthcare professionals
HOUSTON — The annual White Mass celebrating those who work in healthcare will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at St. Anne Catholic Church, located at 2140 Westheimer Rd. in Houston. Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, will be the celebrant.
A reception follows the Mass in the St. Basil Hall with a discussion on “Recognizing & Responding to Human Trafficking as Caregivers.” To attend the reception, register for free at archgh.swoogo.com/whitemass2024. †
Asian Mass celebrates culture, faith on Nov. 3
HOUSTON — All are welcome to attend the 28th annual Asian Mass, set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church, located at 10610 Kingspoint Rd. in Houston.
Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, is the main celebrant. The Mass unites and celebrates the various heritages of the faithful in the Archdiocese including Burmese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indonesian, Korean, Sri Lankan and Vietnamese.
A reception with food samplings from each of the cultures and cultural entertainment in the parish hall will follow the Mass. Participants are encouraged to wear their traditional wear for the festivities. Within the Archdiocese, at least 15 parishes celebrate Mass in various Asian languages. †
“With the Rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of His love. Through the Rosary, the faithful receive abundant grace, as though from the very hands of the Mother of the Redeemer.” - St. John Paul II, Rosarium Virginis Mariae
LOCAL
Two Houston parishes celebrate their golden milestones. ▪ SEE PAGE 20
Award recognizes Catholic education in Archdiocese
Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese, extended her congratulations to these three schools.
“We are proud of each of you,” she said of the three schools. This recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups.
“The National Blue Ribbon Schools Award is a testament to the exceptional achievements of students and educators at each of these schools,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools are raising the bar for our nation’s students, serving as models for effective teaching and intentional collaboration in their schools and communities.”
Christ the Redeemer Catholic School in northwest Harris County opened in the fall of 2014, with the Blue Ribbon designation being a notable achievement for a relatively young school. It highlights the dedication and exceptional achievement of the student body, whose performance in reading and mathematics ranks in the top 15% nationally.
Christ the Redeemer Principal Dan Courtney said, “This prestigious award highlights our teachers, staff, students and families’ collective dedication to maintaining a high academic excellence standard within a nurturing, faith-centered environment.”
Father Sean Horrigan, Christ the Redeemer pastor, said, “To be recognized as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School is a tremendous and humbling honor for our community and a validation of the hard work and tireless spirit of every student, family, teacher and administrator that has been part of our journey.”
School Blue Rally Day.”
“The entire staff and team are extremely excited about being honored as a Blue Ribbon School,” Coleman said. “This accomplishment has truly been earned by everyone in our community — students, faculty and staff, volunteers, parents, and the pastor and parishioners. We agree that this accolade has been the most rewarding of any bestowed upon us, and we look forward to continuing this journey of excellence as we grow our Saints in ‘wisdom, age, and grace.’”
Coleman said that in addition to academic excellence, the school also offers a before- and afterschool care program for registered students in the pre-K3 to eighth grade. St. Helen also offers advanced placement classes in grades sixth, seventh and eighth for literature, math, science and social studies.
St. John Paul II Catholic School in Houston’s Energy Corridor off I-10 West has won as a National Blue Ribbon School an impressive four times — 1997, 2008, 2018 and now 2024.
That places the school as earning more than any other elementary school, public or private, in Texas, and one of only nine elementary schools in the U.S. that has earned this distinction so many times.
The school, which serves families in northwest Houston and Cypress, has 477 students enrolled in this current academic year in grades pre-K3 to eighth, with 54 faculty and administration.
St. Helen is the only school in the City of Pearland to have achieved National Blue Ribbon recognition. Principal Phyliss Coleman, Ed.D., said they invited the community to celebrate the distinction at a rally on Oct. 2, with Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole presenting an official proclamation of “St. Helen
Principal Rebecca Bogard, M. Ed., said,“In the 36 years since we opened our doors, we’ve achieved something truly special — winning a Blue Ribbon every decade, which is almost unheard of.”The school community plans to celebrate on its saint feast day on Oct. 22.
She added, “We are abundantly blessed with the best teachers and families who have made this recognition possible. As we continue striving to “Be Greater” together, I am humbled and deeply grateful to serve as your principal. This achievement reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire community.”
In the last five years, four other Catholic schools in the Archdiocese were named Blue Ribbon Schools, including St. Theresa in Sugar Land in 2020; St. Anne in Houston, St. Cecilia in Houston and St. Vincent de Paul in Houston in 2022; and St. Laurence in Sugar Land in 2023.
For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, visit nationalblueribbonschools. ed.gov, and to learn more about Catholic schools, visit choosecatholicschools.org. †
RIBBON, from page 1
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
ST. HELEN
ST. JOHN PAUL II
New recruits bring wealth of faith, experience to Development Board
New members pledge to extend reach of the Church
BY ANNETTE BAIRD Herald Correspondent
HOUSTON — The recent recruits to the Archdiocese’s Development Board represent the various economic drivers of the community and together bring a broad range of skills, expertise and experience to the table.
But perhaps more importantly, they come from all corners of the Archdiocese and bring a deep desire to serve in the best way they can. Amongst them are three women and four men with backgrounds in law, finance, energy, oil and gas, aerospace and business.
Jason Ryan, Karina Hernandez, David Preng, Peter Noto and Christine Reichert joined the 13-member board in June, while Lance Walters and Brenda Bazan started last December. In addition to having a deep well of professional experience, the new members are active volunteers and leaders in their own parishes, which has provided a springboard for service on the board.
Preng, founder of executive search firm Preng & Associates, said as a knight in the Order of Malta, he is compelled to defend the faith and help the sick and the poor. His wife of 55 years is a dame in the same order. A parishioner of St. Laurence
IN BRIEF
The Archdiocese’s Development Board, a consulting body to Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, is responsible for fundraising, stewardship and business development. It is made up of 13 lay members of various backgrounds who provide advice and guidance on everything from schools and education to utilities and capital campaigns. Board members act as bridges to the various communities, parishes and professional networks in the Galveston and Houston area. The board meets three to four times a year with Cardinal DiNardo and the development staff. Board members serve a three-year term, renewable in perpetuity.
Church in Sugar Land, he serves as a Eucharist minister, helps lead a Bible study group and participates in a men’s prayer group.
“I want to help the Cardinal and the board any way I can, think through issues and provide any guidance and insight to help the Archdiocese better serve the community,” Preng said.
Preng, 78, started his professional life in the financial department of Shell Oil and worked for three executive search firms before starting his own company 44 years ago. Having served on numerous public and private boards, Preng believes his professional, board and volunteer experiences will be useful. Having been part of both functional and dysfunctional boards, Ryan hopes to bring the good experiences forward and identify the bad ones before they manifest themselves.
In this new role, Ryan, an executive vice president at CenterPoint Energy, hopes to help grow the reach of the Church in the region and make a difference in the lives of all its members.
“Faith is the purpose that is
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Red Mass
Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart – 6:15 p.m. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo Main Celebrant and Homilist
Optional Red Mass Dinner following Mass
Cathedral Centre – 7:30 p.m.
Keynote Speaker
Archbishop Jerome Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
foundational to my service,” said Ryan, who, along with his wife of 23 years, is a member of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
Ryan was an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy and served with a reserve unit for 10 years. He has a law degree from the University of Texas and has held leadership positions on the boards of various legal associations.
Hernandez, too, feels a duty to serve others and contribute to the well-being of her community.
“My Catholic faith is my life,” said Hernandez, who chairs Holy Rosary’s Pastoral Council.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Hernandez, a manager for Citgo Petroleum Corporation, also held leadership roles at Catholic Charities and
Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston.
She has had a leadership role in everything from creating and implementing strategic development programs to managing large-scale projects. She has experience in community engagement and volunteer services and understands the importance of building strong relationships with various stakeholders.
Bazan was president and chief executive officer of Houston First Corporation, the destination management organization for the city of Houston, before retiring four years ago.
“Had my children not attended Catholic schools, I would not be aware of the importance and impact of formation as part of a child’s education,” said Bazan, a convert to Catholicism.
A parishioner of Christ the Good Shepherd in Spring, she recently completed a three-year term on its finance council and serves as a lector and as chair of the annual fall festival. She also served on the Archdiocesan finance committee.
Reichert works for NASA on the International Space Station. Walters is a partner at the law firm Tracey Fox & Walters. Noto is an executive in the industrial energy sector.
incarnateword.org/admissions
Early Childhood Centers rise up to support Steps for Students
BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald
HOUSTON — Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Archdiocese’s Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk on Feb. 8, 2025, even more tiny pupils will put their youthful energy on the starting line.
Several local Early Childhood Centers that educate toddlers and preschoolers will be signing up for the first time to support the fundraiser to increase awareness of excellent Catholic education.
“As a Catholic preschool, we are excited to take part in this meaningful event,” said Sister Mary Theresa Thao-Ly Nguyen, OP, director of Mary Immaculate Preschool in northwest Houston.
She added, “Our goal is to introduce our preschool community to various Catholic schools, emphasize the importance of supporting Catholic education, offer families the opportunity to attend Sunrise Mass, participate in a race, and enjoy a post-race party in the Catholic School Village.”
Planning is already underway for one of the biggest Archdiocesan fundraisers for Catholic education to help schools and student tuition. Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk has raised up to $1 million in previous years for computers and school equipment, and its co-chairs, Roman Martinez and Diana Dávila Martinez, said they hope to create an even bigger celebration for the event’s 20th anniversary.
SAVE THE DATE
FEBRUARY 8, 2025
Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston
Register: www.steps4students.org
Prices rise Oct. 30
Cost: $17 - $20
7 a.m. Sunrise Mass
8:30 a.m. Race start
9:30 a.m. Post Race Party in Catholic School Village
seemed like a wonderful opportunity for community building.”
Sister Thao-Ly Nguyen has personally run the Steps for Students 5K for several years along with dozens of her fellow Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province.
But now the current 115 Mary Immaculate preschool students and their parents will also invited to register and participate in Steps to possibly raise funds to upgrade their children’s playground and safety gates, she said.
The students who learn in bilingual classes of English and Vietnamese are mostly Catholic, but some are Buddhists or other statuses. “Our school is now 29 years old, and we are closest to St. Jerome Catholic School or St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, so we want to invite our parents to come to the event and do a meet and greet with other schools for when their children graduate.”
Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, located in the Cypress area, sponsors its preschool Genesis, which is also stepping up. The church’s primary school was named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon designation for academic excellence awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Melanie Gehrt, director of the Genesis Early Childhood Program, said, “My youngest daughter attended Genesis, then Christ the Redeemer Catholic School, and graduated from St. Agnes Academy, so raising awareness about all opportunities for Catholic education is both personal and professional for me.”
“There is always so much fun leading up to Steps each year at Christ the Redeemer,” Gehrt said. “This just
Genesis is also 29 years old this year, with a preschool enrollment of about 160 children and 40 staff members. “We do have a limited number of age-specific spaces available, but we also have a waitlist,” she said.
Camille Arnold, director of St. Ambrose Early Childhood Center in the Spring Branch area, said the school decided to accept the invitation to participate because several families have students both in the preschool and at St. Jerome Catholic School.
“I believe Steps is a fun way to build community between the two schools and to raise funds for much-needed equipment and supplies,” Arnold said. St. Ambrose, at 21 years old, has a smaller enrollment of 39 students currently, with an opening for three more toddlers. “We do have a rather long wait list for the infant class because most of the parents want to start in January,” she said. Many of the more than 50 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese officially kick off their Steps for Students registration with rallies and challenges between classes for 100% registration to win prizes. Early bird registration is available now, with fees rising on Oct. 30.
Each school designates its registration fees and donations to benefit its school directly and count toward the families’ fundraising goals. To support Catholic schools and receive the official race T-shirt without having to be present, a registration option is to “Hit the Snooze for Students.”
To register or be a sponsor, go to www. steps4students.org. †
Our downtown location has temporarily relocated. We are NOW OPEN at 2409 Austin Street
(two streets behind our San Jacinto Street building) We
re-open our main location as soon as possible.
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
Two Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province take a photo in the Catholic Schools Village at the 2024 Steps for Students 5K Race and Walk. The 2025 race is set for Feb. 8 in downtown Houston at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and registration is under way.
Fostering a vibrant vocational culture in parishes to answer God’s call
BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent
HOUSTON — The journey to discovering one’s vocation — whether to the priesthood, religious life, marriage or single life — can be a deeply personal struggle, often shaped by the community and influences surrounding an individual. In the Catholic Church, a vocation is a unique response to God’s call to serve in the world, yet many find it difficult to discern their path without guidance.
The Office of Vocations of the Archdiocese offers essential support through events and activities that guide individuals in their discernment, helping them stay rooted in Christ.
Father Richard McNeillie, director of the Office of Vocations, envisions parishes as places where individuals can discover and live out their vocational call.
“Our goal is to create a culture that nurtures seminarians, skilled discerners and volunteers while equipping individuals and parishes with the tools they need to build a strong vocational culture,” Father McNeillie said.
This vision of a supportive environment is found in the experiences of those guided by the Office of Vocations, like Ian de Koster, a first-year seminarian at St. Mary’s Seminary.
“The Office of Vocations is Jesus’ hands and feet, walking with you, taking you by the hand, step by step, to hear God’s voice,” de Koster said. “They play an instrumental role in offering accompaniment and guidance through many events and activities. The greatest role they play is that helping hand — that village — that shoulder to lean on, to direct you toward Christ and the path He’s inviting you to walk with Him.”
De Koster’s first experience with the Office of Vocations was a year ago when he attended a discernment course at his home parish, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands. Since then, de Koster has participated in several ministry programs, including Andrew’s Dinner, an evening of prayer and fellowship with Father McNeely and diocesan priests, and a five-day St. Ignatian silent discernment retreat.
“The silent retreat was truly an opportunity to hear God in a way I hadn’t before and to mature in my discernment,” de Koster said. “It also deepened my overall relationship with God. I would recommend the retreat to anyone seeking a greater friendship with our Lord.”
De Koster said the Office of Vocations has been welcoming and supportive, recalling a memorable moment when a staff member on St. Mary Seminary’s campus offered him spiritual direction that deeply touched and opened his heart.
“Spiritual direction allowed me to see God’s presence in my life through my struggles, sufferings and the joys He placed in my life,” said de Koster. “I believe this is a testament to every time I’ve been blessed to interact with the vocations team. Whether sharing a meal or being at the chancery, they welcome us and are ready to embrace us with their care and open hearts.”
De Koster said this nurturing environment supports individuals in
taking practical steps in their discernment journey and deepening their connection with Christ through spiritual growth.
“I think that the best advice for someone considering getting involved with the Office of Vocations is to ask the Lord what the next little ‘yes’ is,” de Koster said. “Whether it’s a phone call, an email, a retreat or a discernment event, it’s all about taking one step at a time, as leaps and bounds don’t happen overnight. The Office of Vocations provides tailored events to guide you through every stage of your discernment process.”
The ministry’s step-by-step vocational discernment process is also reflected in the journey of Matthew Lester, another parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua. He first connected with the Office ofVocations during a student retreat at the Catholic Newman Center while attending the University of Houston (UH).
Having recently converted to Catholicism during his freshman year, his encounter with Father McNeillie marked the beginning of a deeper spiritual journey.
“The best takeaway from the student retreat was the forgiveness prayer, something I needed at that point in my life,” Lester said. “It helped set the stage for remaining open to any vocation that came my way.”
During his senior year at UH, Lester participated in Verbum Tuum, a discernment program for young adults offered by the Office of Vocations. He learned the value of detachment, especially in discerning his vocation, which had a deep impact on his spiritual growth and relationship with God.
“Verbum Tuum taught me that vocations are about how we’re called to love,” Lester said. “Instead of focusing on becoming a priest, or a married person, or a consecrated laity, it’s about being free in your decision-making to understand what God wants for you.
The Office of Vocations’ presence at the University of Houston has been awesome, reaching people and showing them that
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF VOCATIONS
Ian de Koster, a first-year seminarian at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, said the Office of Vocations offers accompaniment and guidance through many events and activities to direct people toward Christ to hear God’s call.
“If you’re in a parish with a diocesan priest, you’re seeing the results of DSF contributions from over 10 years ago.”
FATHER RICHARD MCNEILLIE Director, Office of Vocations
discernment is about being open and approaching it freely.”
Receiving monthly spiritual direction was also important for Lester as he discerned his vocational call, especially as he considered marriage with his future wife, whom he met at the Newman Center and married in 2022.
“If you love God, discerning where He wants you to go with your life, understanding your charisms, and uncovering that path requires opening your heart and healing the wounds from your salvation history,” said Lester.
Lester encourages those discerning a vocational call or interested in serving others in their discernment journey to reach out to the Office of Vocations. He believes these opportunities, such as his experience with Verbum Tuum, reveal God’s grace in powerful ways for all involved.
Father McNeillie said to continue supporting individuals like de Koster and Lester in their discernment journey, the Office of Vocations relies on funding from the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF). Without it, the ministry would struggle to maintain its programming
Funding also supports three fulltime staff positions, including an administrative assistant, a dedicated staff member for women’s vocations and
The 2024 Diocesan Services Fund theme is “We are the Lord’s.” DSF operates in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston 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 this story. Hear from people personally impacted by God’s grace through these DSF ministries.
a program manager.
“Sometimes it’s hard to see the value and impact of chancery offices, and the Office of Vocations is no exception,” said Father McNeillie. “If you’re in a parish with a diocesan priest, you’re seeing the results of DSF contributions from over 10 years ago. I’m grateful for those generous people who sacrificed years ago so that we could have the priests we need now.”
To learn more about the Office of Vocations, visit houstonvocations.com. To contribute to the 2024 Annual DSF Appeal, which supports over 60 other ministries requiring critical funding, visit archgh.org/dsf. Every dollar donated to DSF directly supports these vital ministries that provide direct service or education. †
Getting to know Our Lady Undoer of Knots
BY WOODEENE KOENIG-BRICKER OSV News
HOUSTON — Our lives have knots that can seem impossible to untie: marriage troubles, money problems, unemployment, illness, loneliness, fears and worries of all kinds. When we find ourselves facing challenges and seem to have no solutions, there is a devotion we can turn to that unties the knots for us so that we might, in the words of Pope Francis, “better unite with God and serve Him always.”
With its Sept. 28 feast day, the devotion to Mary as “Undoer of Knots” is recent; it’s only been around for a few decades. Pope Francis is credited with bringing it to Argentina. From there, the devotion spread to Brazil and is now rippling throughout the entire Catholic world.
Of course, devotions aren’t magic. Just saying words doesn’t do anything. But the trust we have in Mary’s ability to intercede for us and the faith in God to answer prayer can lead to changes in our lives that we never dreamed possible.
Devotions to Mary have entered the Church in many different ways: apparitions (Fatima and Lourdes), sacramentals (the rosary), doctrines (the Immaculate Conception), and miraculous statues and icons (Our Lady of Guadalupe). Sometimes, a devotion arises simply because it touches hearts and minds at a time of particular need. In the case of Mary Undoer of Knots, Pope Francis was instrumental in pulling
the devotion out of obscurity, and its popularity has spread most likely because all of our lives are filled with “knots” that need Mary’s intercession to untangle.
While this devotion is new, the image of Mary Undoer of Knots and its story are not. Even in the second century, St. Irenaeus described Mary as an untier of knots. The roots of the current devotion, however, date to 1612, with a miserably unhappy marriage. A German nobleman,
Prayer of Our Lady Undoer of Knots
As Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis is attributed with composing his own prayer in devotion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots, which serves as a central part of a special novena to Our Lady. Say this prayer to call on Mary to help untie the knots in your life:
Holy Mary, full of the presence of God, during your life you accepted with great humility the holy will of the Father and the legacy of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and evil never dared to entangle you with its confusion. Since then you have interceded for all of our difficulties as you did at the wedding feast of Cana.
With all simplicity and with patience, you have given us an example of how to untangle the knots in our complicated lives. By being our mother forever, you arrange and make clear the path that unites us to Our Lord. Holy Mary, Mother of God and ours, with your maternal heart, untie the knots that upset our lives. We ask you to receive into your hands (here mention your prayer request) and deliver us from the chains and confusion that restrain us.
Blessed Virgin Mary, through your grace, your intercession, and by your example, deliver us from evil and untie the knots that keep us from being united to God. So that free of all confusion and error, we may find him in all things, keep him in our hearts, and serve him always in our brothers and sisters. Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us. Amen.
Wolfgang Langenmantel, and his wife, Sophie, were on the brink of divorce. Desperate, Wolfgang sought advice from Father Jakob Rem, a revered Jesuit priest.
The tradition says that at their last visit, Wolfgang handed his wedding ribbon to Father Jakob, who lifted it up to an image of “Our Lady of the Snows” and, while untying its knots, prayed: “I raise up the bond of marriage, that all knots be loosed and resolved.”
(At the time, a bride and groom were “tied” together in the wedding ceremony with a ribbon, symbolizing their unbreakable union.)
LIVING
A
story behind it. He bought a postcard of the image and brought the devotion to Argentina, where it has grown in popularity. As cardinal, he had the image engraved into a chalice and presented it to Pope Benedict XVI.
In the image, one angel hands Mary a white ribbon while another smoothes the opposite end.
LIFE OF PRAYER
The unknotted ribbon became bright white — a sign of Mary’s intercession — and the Langenmantels’ marriage survived.
Years later, the Langenmantels’ grandson, a priest, donated a family altar dedicated to Mary at the Church of St. Peter am Perlach in Augsburg, Germany, and commissioned painter Johann Georg Melchior Schmidtner to provide a painting. The painter was fascinated by the Langenmantels’ story and incorporated the unknotted ribbon in his image of Mary.
Pope Francis’ introduction to the devotion came while he was in Germany in 1986 studying for his doctorate. While visiting St. Peter am Perlach, thenFather Jorge saw a painting of Our Lady untying the knots in a white ribbon. He was captivated by the painting and the
Houston’s only Catholic AMI Montessori school educating students from 14 months through 12th grade
The Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, appears over Mary’s head and is surrounded by 12 stars and eight angels. Mary unties knots in the ribbon while she stands above a crescent moon, crushing a twisted serpent under her heel. The scene recalls the words of Revelation 12:1: “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of 12 stars on her head.”
Pope Francis is known to be devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of the first things Pope Francis did after being elected was to visit the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome and dedicate his tenure as pope to Mary’s care.
As we enter October, a month dedicated to the Rosary and the Blessed Mother, we can turn to Our Lady Undoer of Knots to help us understand the knots in our lives.
The Rosary is central to the novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots, which also features nine daily meditations. †
Woodeene Koenig-Bricker writes for OSV News from Oregon.
Register for our Open House October 24, 2024 • 9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE VICAR FOR RELIGIOUS
Sister Francesca Kearns, CCVI, vicar for religious, speaks during a Sept. 20 gathering for consecrated women religious in Houston with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo at St. Catherine Convent in Houston. Organizers said Cardinal DiNardo shared pastoral concerns of the Archdiocese. The 90 participants included women from diverse forms of Consecrated Life. Attendees came from more than 20 religious congregations, apostolic societies, lay movements and consecrated virgins. The Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province hosted the event at their convent, providing hospitality and Vietnamese food.
Oct. 10 panel event highlights 40th anniversary of Vatican-U.S.
diplomatic relations
HOUSTON — A special panel event titled “Popes and the Presidents” will explore the lasting effects of the diplomatic relations between the U.S. in light of its 40th anniversary on Oct 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Nold Auditorium at St. Mary’s Seminary.
The free event will feature speakers including Ambassador Kenneth R. Hackett, a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See; and Father Matthew Súniga, vice rector of St. Mary’s Seminary, who will serve as moderator. The night will also include pre-recorded remarks from former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III.
Online registration is required. To register, visit www.bidpal.net/vatican40. †
Annual Nun Run celebrates 20 years of motorcycle rides
SAN LEON — The 20th annual Nun Run is set for Saturday, Oct. 19, starting at Villa de Matel of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, located at 6510 Lawndale St. in Houston. Registration begins at 8 a.m., with kickstands up at 10:30 a.m.
Hosted by the CHRISTUS Foundation for Healthcare, the ride concludes at Topwater Grill in San Leon, located at 815 Avenue O. The Nun Run brings motorcycles and community together to support “Keeping Children Healthy through CHRISTUS school clinics.”
This fundraising event provides vital healthcare services to children in nine schools. Because of donation support, school children in some of Houston’s most underserved communities receive access to healthcare, immunizations and mental health counseling, keeping children healthy and productive during the school day.
For more information, to participate or donate, visit www.christusfoundation.org/2024twentieth-annual-nun-run. †
‘Proclaim’ conference set for Oct. 25 to 26
SPRING — Catholics across the Archdiocese are invited to the biannual Proclaim Conference, which will be held on Friday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 26, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church, located at 7810 Cypresswood Dr. in Spring. Hosted by the Archdiocesan Secretariat for Pastoral and Educational Ministries, the conference is open to ministry leaders, catechists, Catholic school teachers, volunteers and parishioners from across the Archdiocese for two days of faith formation, practical ministry skills, inspiration and networking with peers from the region. Offered with programming in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, the event includes time for communal prayer, including Vigil Mass on Saturday. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, will preside over Masses during the conference. New this year is an optional $20 Friday trivia night at 6 p.m. that also includes dinner, which is open to the public.
$85 for two-day full conference passes and $65 for single-day passes that include lunch. A $65 virtual registration is also available. To register, view the schedule and speaker lineup and find more information at www.archgh.org/proclaim. †
Missionary priest serving Archdiocese for 30 years is
BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald
HOUSTON — Father Rafael Roman Dávila, at 93 years old, has traveled the world as a Maryknoll missionary, but the bulk of his 66 years as a priest bloom in Houston.
Born in 1931 in New York City, son of Venezuelan immigrant parents, Father Davila also grew up in Houston, graduating from St. Thomas High School. He then entered Maryknoll College in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in the fall of 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1958.
Now, he faces a new assignment and will be reporting to Maryknoll in New York to see where he will be placed.
Father Rafael said he has recently enjoyed multiple farewells at different parishes he served at, such as Christ the King Church and St. John Vianney Church.
“The people of Houston have opened their homes and their hearts to me. That is what I will carry with me,” Father Davila said. “But we still need more Spanish-speaking priests and deacons in our communities.”
IN BRIEF
World Mission Sunday 2024
In his 2024 World Mission Sunday message, which celebrates missionaries and their work, Pope Francis reflects on the Gospel parable of the Wedding Banquet, where the king tells his servants, “Go therefore to the thoroughfares and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.”
The invitation to the banquet is linked to the Eucharistic table, where believers share the Body and Blood of Christ, anticipating the final banquet.
The Holy Father writes, “Here it should be remembered that breaking our material bread with the hungry in the name of Christ is already a work of Christian mission. How much more so is the breaking of the Eucharistic bread, which is Christ Himself, a work of mission par excellence, since the Eucharist is the source and summit of the life and mission of the Church.”
Among those compassionate people, married couple Arturo and Esperanza Monterrubio first met Father Davila in 1991 when they attended a talk he gave in Houston. Esperanza said,“Father inspired us to participate in our community and made us feel like active, living members of the Church.”
She added, “He invited me to participate in the vocations committee in the Galveston-Houston diocese. Holding a foster baby in my arms, I was the only lay woman attending these meetings, and
The family’s participation in vocations
also inspired Deacon Monterrubio to answer the calling of becoming ordained as a permanent deacon. “This call came about after many prayers for vocations that we had committed to daily as a family,” he said.
Father Davila, who served in missions in Venezuela and in the U.S., traveling among Texas, New Mexico, and other mission churches, now works with the Monterrubios in Houston as Maryknoll missionary disciples for pastoral ministry with families.
Deacon Monterrubio, who previously served as Archdiocesan director for the Office of Family Life, helped his mentor priest to support a Spanish language branch of the Christian Family Movement (Movimiento Familiar Cristiano Catolico – MFCC).
The mission helps couples and their families live their Christ-centered faith and improve society through love, service, education and leading by example.
Father Davila served as national spiritual advisor of the MFCC, which holds a national conference every three years with thousands of families attending.
The Monterrubios continued to work even more closely during the past six years with Father Davila after the couple became mission education promoters for the Maryknoll fathers and brothers. “Father Davila has been our guide, mentor and a model of missionary discipleship,” Esperanza said. “We admire his discipline, his organization, his wisdom and humility.”
Hilda Ochoa, Archdiocesan director of the Missions Office, said, “Father Rafael is admired not only by the Hispanic community of the diocese for his tireless work as a missionary and priest but also
This theme calls us to reach out and welcome all to the feast of God’s love, echoing the inclusivity and urgency of the king’s invitation.
Our mission is to reflect this divine hospitality, bringing joy, compassion, and hope to everyone we encounter, especially in territories where the Gospel has not yet been received, has been only recently embraced, or is courageously upheld in the face of persecution.
Participating in World Mission Sunday is a tangible way for Catholics to live out the Great Commission, bringing the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. It’s an expression of solidarity with missionaries and a means to share Christ’s love universally.
Learn more online at www. onefamilyinmission.org. †
throughout the diocese.”
She also pointed out that this year’s World Mission Sunday is coming up on Oct. 20 for parishioners to donate to The Society for the Propagation of the Faith. As part of that mission, The Pontifical Mission Societies USA helps more than 1,000 missionary territories in building churches, schools, seminaries and other needs to spread the faith.
In 1926, Pope Pius XI instituted Mission Sunday for the whole Church, with the first worldwide Mission Sunday collection taking place in October 1927. The Mission Sunday collection is always taken on the next-to-last Sunday during the month of October. That day is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of Catholicity and universal solidarity so Christians the world over will recognize their common responsibility regarding the evangelization of the world. †
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MONTERRUBIO FAMILY
Maryknoll Father Rafael Davila (far right), along with married couple Deacon Arturo and Esperanza Monterrubio, attend the national convention of the Catholic Christian Family Movement in Denver, Colorado, in 2023.
The lasting mission legacy of Blessed Pauline Jaricot
BY D.D. EMMONS Special to the Herald
(OSV News) — In Church history, few lay people have had more positive effect on the success of Catholic worldwide missionary activities than a Frenchwoman named Pauline Jaricot. Born into an aristocratic family in 1799, she used her influence to not only help spread the Gospel but rejuvenate devotion to the Rosary and highlight the deplorable conditions of the working class.
More than 160 years after her death, the visionary programs Jaricot conceived still resonate and are universally observed throughout the Church. Her life of heroic virtue is exemplified by a pledge of perpetual virginity to Our Lord Jesus Christ, ultimately leading to her beatification in 2022.
As a teenager, Jaricot exhibited a zealous interest in the efforts of the French Church to evangelize people in foreign nations, particularly in China. She wanted to serve in China, but for a variety of reasons, including lifelong poor health, Jaricot never became a foreign missionary. She instead committed herself to fundraising programs that financed the spread of Christianity to
places and people unaware of the Gospel.
Around age 19, this prayerful and devout young woman originated a simple yet effective fundraising promotion to support the China mission, a promotion combining prayer and almsgiving.
Using her God-given grace of persuasion, Jaricot committed nine friends, plus herself, to daily pray for the French missionaries in China and to weekly contribute one sou (a penny) to that cause. She then asked those friends to solicit 10 of their friends to do the same, and those 10 to ask 10 more, and so on; all offered daily prayers and weekly contributions in support of the China missionaries.
She called the groups “circles of 10.” This initiative was eventually so productive that in 1822, it was expanded to fund all foreign French missions. Jaricot’s circle of 10 became known as the Society of the Propagation of the Faith and would be adopted by the worldwide Church.
In 1922, Pope Pius XI declared the Society of the Propagation of the Faith as the official fundraising society of the Church and included it as a Pontifical mission. Today, the society assists more than 1,100 Catholic dioceses and is coordinated by the Vatican’s Dicastery
for Evangelization.
All Catholics are asked to continuously pray for Church missions and encouraged to financially support the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, as well as three other Pontifical Mission Societies, especially on World Mission Sunday held every October, which in 2024 is Oct. 20.
Jaricot’s commitment to Christ and the Church were not limited to the Propagation of the Faith.
In 1826, disheartened by the
antireligious culture spawned by the French Revolution, Jaricot began promoting the notion of a living Rosary. This idea divides the Rosary’s 15 traditional decades among 15 different people who commit to daily praying one decade of a specific mystery. Thus, each group prays daily all the mysteries, and each person involved receives all the graces of the Rosary. Those 15 people enlist 15 friends who similarly pray the Rosary. Jaricot said of this eagerly received idea, “15 coals: one well lighted, three or four partially so and others with no warmth at all. Bring them together and you have a furnace.”
In 1832, Pope Gregory XVI gave canonical status to the Living Rosary Association.
To those who endeavor in Catholic missions or promote the Rosary, Jaricot is a perpetual inspiration. Her life demonstrates what one person of love, faith and conviction can achieve for God’s glory. Jaricot’s cause for canonization was opened in 1930, and in 1963, Pope John XXIII declared her venerable. She was beatified in 2022 during a Mass celebrated in Lyon, France. †
D.D. Emmons writes for OSV News from Pennsylvania.
BLESSED PAULINE JARICOT
EDUCATION
IN SCHOLARSHIPS
IN ACADEMICS
37 seniors at area Catholic high schools named National Merit semifinalists
HOUSTON — An elite group of 37 high school seniors at Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese were named semifinalists on Sept. 11 in the 70th annual National Merit Scholarship program, based on scores in last year’s Preliminary SAT college entrance tests. As semifinalists, these teens have the chance to compete for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $26 million offered next spring.
This year’s group is more than twice as many as last year’s semifinalists.
The students recognized are Erin Baumeister from Incarnate Word Academy in Houston; Gabriela Arenas, Maria Paulina Ferrante, Karina Fung, Scarlet Jacobson, Emily James, Winston Jenkins, Michelle Nguyen, Alexis Vu and Alyssa Wang from St. Agnes Academy in Houston; Peter Bryant, Everett Denson, Roberto Pacini, Michael Richards and Evan Wagner from St. Thomas High School in Houston; Elias Al-Ramahi, Christopher Bezemek, David Calderon, Maxwell Chen, Peter Cyr, Blaise Dorenbaum, Daniel Guo, Luke Holmes, Ethan Johnson, Maxwell Johnson,
Matthew Mejia, Henry Omanga, Matthew Parker, Andrew Robertson, Michael Rodriguez, Marcus Rohrig, Justin Wang, Allen Wu, John Yates, Oliver Zhang and Jason Zhao from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston; and Matthew Parmenter at St. John XXIII College Preparatory in Katy.
These students are among a select 16,000 students from across the country. More than 90% are expected to be named finalists, and roughly half will earn scholarships. Of the 1.3 million juniors in 21,000 high schools who took the preliminary SAT exam in 2024 across the U.S., these students are in the 1% of the highest scorers.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. This includes submitting a detailed scholarship application with information about their academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership capabilities, and honors and awards received. Finalists will be named in February 2025. †
Catholic Charities
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School student choir performed “You Are Holy (Prince of Peace)” at the ACE Scholarships luncheon at the River Oaks Country Club on Sept. 13. ACE Scholarships are partial tuition scholarships that provide financial assistance to lower-income families in Texas and other states, enabling them to enroll their children in private schools.
COLUMNISTS
The Catholic bishops of the U.S. are concerned about the mental health crisis impacting so many people. They want Catholics in every community to join them in responding to it with pastoral boldness.
Last year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign to raise awareness, combat stigma and advance wise, compassionate and effective public policy around this issue.
This initiative is renewed each year with a special nine-day novena starting on World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10) and concluding on the feast of St. Luke, patron of health care (Oct. 18). Each day, a prayer is offered in the company of a powerful intercessor among the Communion of Saints who either struggled with mental health or accompanied others in times of great need. In addition, the novena offers background into a particular area or population impacted by this crisis, as well as actionable ideas for consideration.
When the global pandemic struck, it
by PAUL JARZEMBOWSKI
Taking a bold step for mental health Peace seekers work for justice
I try not to watch the news very often. Available daily, the topics of violence, war, health care, mental health and immigration are discussed at an exhausting rate. Did I mention violence? It seems to be the underlying theme with most things nowadays.
In the ministry of Special Youth Services (SYS), we are not strangers to hearing about violence and sorrow. The most difficult listening occurs when hearing the violence committed towards the kids and their families. Listening to the creative and depraved ways people hurt one another is astonishing and bewildering. The most heart-wrenching is hearing the pain inevitably following violent acts.
As difficult as it is, it is in those moments the Holy Spirit creates a sacred space of healing and consolation. In this sacred space, grace pours out to all gathered in His name. Grace is a powerful gift often taken for granted. Grace works for justice. Like justice, grace is a fundamental element in the human experience of healing and the essential tool for the transformation of hearts.
Pope Paul VI taught that if you want peace, work for justice. If this is true, then we all have an obligation to work for justice. Working for justice begins in
opened eyes to seeing what was there all along. From those who have clinical diagnoses of mental illness to others whose emotional and mental wellness is fragile due to the realities of life, the issues at play are not something distant or unknown.
At the same time, Jesus promises us abundant life and longs to see us live our daily lives to the fullest (see Jn 10:10). The Lord also invites his disciples to tend the wounds of those who are burdened and overwhelmed (see Lk 10:25-37, the Good Samaritan parable).
The U.S. bishops recognize that, in order to embrace the pastoral vision witnessed by Christ, the entire community of faith should be engaged. Every Catholic has a role to play. As Pope Francis noted, “Caring for others is not just a skilled job, but a real mission,
by FRANCHELLE LEE
the pews. Learning our faith, conceptualizing the spirits of the faith, and nurturing an active prayer life are the basis of our fundamentals as people of faith. But what do we do after we rise from our knees?
Reverend James Lawson, a respected religious leader in Houston, provided a notable perspective when he said, “And I think if religion is valid, as I understand it for myself and for my family, I think religion must get out of the pews and become a movement for the moral, intellectual spirituality that can help us become the people that God has created us to be.”
From this statement, one can appreciate the reminder to put our Christianity into action.
SYS volunteers strive for peace and work for justice by modeling the embrace of Christ through pastoral care, advocacy and faith sharing in local juvenile justice facilities, including restorative services to at-risk youth, ages 10 to 17, and their families through
“From doctors to parents and from co-workers to friends, Jesus has given us a mission to care for one another and allow others to take care of us.”
which is fully realized when scientific knowledge meets the fullness of humanity and is translated into the tenderness that knows how to approach and take others to heart.” From doctors to parents and from co-workers to friends, Jesus has given us a mission to care for one another and allow others to take care of us.
Providing formational tools and advancing compassionate public policy are important dimensions of the USCCB Campaign, but this is more than a program or policy initiative.
Rather, it is a call to infuse our homes, workplaces and Catholic parishes with a renewed sense of pastoral mission and a compassionate response to the dignity of the human person. The campaign is a nationwide drive to revitalize our very souls so that Jesus’ command to “love one another” (Jn 13:34) is integrated into how we approach those who are impacted by anxiety, depression, loneliness, grief, suicidal ideation, substance abuse and all dimensions of mental illness.
The campaign, then, reminds us of our summons from the Lord to journey together in mutual love. The U.S. bishops have offered us a first step. Will we be bold enough to accompany them?
Resources for the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, including the annual novena, can be found online at www.usccb.org/mentalhealth. †
Paul Jarzembowski is associate director for the Laity for the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Grace is a powerful gift often taken for granted. Grace works for justice. Like justice, grace is a fundamental element in the human experience of healing and the essential tool for the transformation of hearts.”
weekly visitation, Bible study and group programming. We all have a part to play in bringing about the kingdom of God. If we are able, we should serve our families and friends, we should love one another as He loved us, and we should serve our local communities. We must all be active and involved in our civic communities as well. One of the simplest
ways to strive for peace is by utilizing our voting privilege.
If you would like more information about SYS, contact us at sys@archgh. org. †
Services.
Franchelle E. Lee is the director of Special Youth
In Mt 22:37-39, Jesus emphasizes the two greatest commandments — love of God and love of neighbor. It is obvious that being a Catholic goes beyond attending Mass; it is about living a life of faith, love and service to others. The emphasis on looking out for your neighbor reflects the core Christian values of compassion, charity and community, as taught by Jesus.
In his message during World Mission Day in 2023, Pope Francis reflected on the reality of the world we live in when he stated, “Today more than ever, our human family, wounded by so many situations of injustice, so many divisions and wars, is in need of the good news of peace and salvation in Christ.”
How true it is! When we look around, we see many conflicts and wars; we see people living in fear of losing their lives; we see displaced families. The wars
Christ’s call to love our neighbor
by
FATHER QUANG NGUYEN, S.C.J.
between Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Palestine, and the domestic turmoil between Venezuela and Myanmar are a few examples of citizens deprived of opportunities to live in peace. In our own country, we cannot avoid seeing divisions and tensions present in cities every time we turn on the television or the internet.
Our world needs healing. It needs an authentic hope of reconciliation and peace to counter the spiritual and moral degradation that infects lives. In the same speech, Pope Francis emphasized the urgent need to share the Good News
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.
of the Gospel, “I take this opportunity to reiterate that everyone has the right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to announce it without excluding anyone, not as one who imposes a new obligation, but as one who shares a joy, signals a beautiful horizon, offers a desirable banquet.”
Pope Francis has underlined a fundamental vocation of every Catholic. It is important to realize the mission of sharing God’s message of love and mercy, not as an exclusive ministry of a selective group of people, such as clergy or nuns. The whole community, animated by the Spirit, is responsible for keeping alive the memory of Jesus and furthering His mission. In short, it is our responsibility, regardless of our state of life.
Being the chaplain at the University of Houston’s Newman Center, I am trying to help students understand our religious journey as deeply rooted in living a life of faith. It is an ability to recognize that faith is not just about ritual but is an integral component of daily life. It is a life of faith in action.
I invite students to live their faith through actions regardless of how insignificant they may seem. It may be a few minutes of listening to a friend who needs an ear, a few hours helping at a soup kitchen, a short visit to a pregnancy shelter, or an act of collecting dried and canned foods for a food pantry. It may be reaching out and building relationships with people with whom they normally would not associate. I also
“Without a doubt, embracing mission is a profound element of our spiritual life. The Church, in its wisdom, has used this month of October to remind us.”
encourage students to engage in community activities, especially when these activities would positively impact the powerless and downtrodden, because I believe that these activities demonstrate an authentic connection to their beliefs.
Without a doubt, embracing mission is a profound element of our spiritual life. The Church, in its wisdom, has used this month of October to remind us. By understanding and accepting this faith in action, we can respond to God’s invitation to live a life that honors the sanctity of all life and actively participate in His mission of love and redemption. The response is up to each one of us. †
Father Quang Nguyen, S.C.J., serves as director-chaplain of the University of Houston Catholic Newman Center.
KRAKÓW, Poland (OSV News) — Christianity “freed from the old demons” can be a driving force of Europe, a French professor argued during the Sept. 20 to 21 international conference on “The New Shape of Europe,” part of a series on the role of Christians in the process of European integration.
The remarks vibrated in a room full of European officials — many of them Catholic.
“Christianity, if freed from the old demons, will be able to help us immensely in the anxiety-filled modern times,” said professor Chantal Delsol, who is also a philosopher, political historian and novelist, in her Sept. 20 lecture in Kraków. Listing “demons” such as the abuse crisis and the crisis of identity, she said that Europe often takes the path of being convinced it is able“to bring about an ideal society.” She said that while “Marxism has fortunately been overthrown,” the temptation “to build a paradise on earth is returning in other ways.”
Even though people who laid the ground for the European Union member states after World War II were, in fact, mostly Catholic — French politician Jean Monnet, Italians Alcide de Gasperi and Altiero Spinelli and Robert Schuman, whose beatification process is underway — a 2004 draft treaty establishing the European constitution refrained from acknowledging the Christian roots of the movement. The preamble instead mentioned “the cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe.”
The popes, however — whether European or not — have made it very clear that the “Christian roots of Europe are the main guarantee of its future,” as St. John Paul II said in a homily on June 28, 2003. “Could a tree that had no roots grow and develop? Europe, do not forget your history!”
Pope Francis, though, stressed in 2019 that Europe has refused to embrace its Christian heritage, and that’s the reason why it’s experiencing a “profound crisis of identity” today.
Father Kazimierz Sowa, organizer of the conference and a member of the Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek Foundation, told OSV News, “In Europe, we still have people who want to discuss its future in reference to its foundations.”
Throughout the years, top European politicians were Christian, he said, such as former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2012, who is Lutheran, as well as former Belgian Prime Minister Herman Von Rompuy, first permanent president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014, who is Catholic. Both were present during the conference.
Father Manuel Barrios, general secretary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, or COMECE, told OSV News that theologically and morally, Christianity will remain in Europe,” though as Christians “we have to also fight for that.” “Churches have to do a lot of
homework,” he added, to remain leaders of European societies. “This is also a message. I think we have to lose our self-referential attitude of what we think about ourselves and give really good answers to the concerns of the people. So I think we have a lot of potential,” Father Barrios said.
For Father Sowa, since in many European countries “extreme right parties gain more and more political recognition,” the European Union will most likely prefer to “hold on to the lack of references to Christianity in its official documents.”
Father Barrios stressed, however, it’s the Church that needs to hold on to its values, such as welcoming migrants and refugees and show the way.
“Promoting, welcoming people that are coming for different reasons” is an urgent task of Christians in Europe, he said.
“They’re looking for freedom. They’re looking for a better life for themselves or their families. So they’re coming for good reasons. And as a European society, which has solidarity as one of its main values, we have to be open to welcoming them and to integrate them into our society,” Father Barrios said.
Regarding migration, Father Sowa added that “the conference showed clearly that Europe is rich in its diversity, and those cultural differences have to be taken into account in creating laws and proposals of top-down solutions,” Father Sowa said.
“The dialogue is needed, especially
OSV NEWS PHOTO
Former Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, president of the European Parliament between 2009-2012, speaks during the Sept. 20 to 21 international conference “The New Shape of Europe” in Kraków, Poland, part of a series on the role of Christians in the process of European integration.
regarding migration policies,” Father Sowa said.
In his Sept. 20 remarks, Piotr Sztompka, a Polish professor of sociology and expert in Europe’s religiosity, said that “God is not dead in Europe, but lives differently.”
“While not recognizing religious dogma, most Europeans do not reject spirituality, the sacred, humility in the face of reality and the world, awe in the face of nature,” he said.
The conference, which each year gathers politicians, academic and church leaders, awarded Buzek and Von Rompuy with its annual “In Veritate” award.
Buzek, who is a former member of the anti-communist Polish trade union Solidarity — first one in the Soviet bloc — said that the word “Solidarity” always had a Christian dimension throughout his political career.
“This word in itself for us Poles means deep immersion in Christian tradition, Christian values and Christian faith,” Buzek stressed.
“When Solidarity was formed and we had our first convention in Gdansk, every day of that convention began with Mass,” he remembered the 1981 historical forming of the trade union.
“We took this moment very seriously. ... In a sea of communism, we acted as a free trade union of free Polish women and men,” he said.
Von Rumpoy stressed, for his part, that solidarity today means for Europe to support Ukraine in its fight for freedom.
“For me, Ukraine, in a spiritual, moral, political way, is already a member of the European Union,” he said, according to Polish Catholic news agency KAI †
Come and join the celebration of our loved ones. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Catholic Cemeteries
All Soul’s Day Mass schedule for Saturday, November 2, is as follows:
• Mount Olivet Cemetery & Mausoleum - 7801 Gulf Frwy. SB at Hughes Road, Dickinson. Mass at 10 a.m.
• Calvary Cemetery & Mausoleum - 2506 65th St., Galveston. Mass at 10 a.m.
• Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum - 3502 North Main St., Houston. Mass at 10 a.m. with Rev. Joseph Limanni, celebrant.
• Mount Olivet Candlelight Mass - 7801 Gulf Frwy. SB at Hughes Road, Dickinson. Candlelight Mass at 7 p.m. with Rev. Ricardo Arriola, celebrant.
Catholic Cemeteries
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Serving Families Since 1845 www.ccadgh.org | 281-337-1641
NATION & STATE
Catholic death penalty abolition group condemns ‘regressive’ spate of executions
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), a group that advocates for the abolition of capital punishment in line with Catholic teaching, urged its supporters to speak out against what it called a “regressive” trend of five executions in five states in the span of one week.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, CMN’s executive director, said in a Sept. 23 statement that her group is organizing its supporters to voice their opposition to the spate of executions.
“Simply stated, instead of offering real justice or authentic healing that victims and communities need and desire, executions endorse and perpetuate the cycle of violence,” Vaillancourt Murphy said. “As Catholics, we believe in the dignity of all human life, no matter the harm one has caused or suffered.”
Vaillancourt Murphy called the upcoming Respect Life Month, observed every October, “a timely opportunity to proclaim that each of us is made in God’s image.”
Her statement also noted that World Day Against the Death Penalty is Oct. 10.
“In the face of such death-dealing this week, we have a sacred responsibility and the moral agency to usher in the change we seek,” she said, adding, “As people of faith and hope, we must shine our light ever brighter in this present darkness. Together, we not only can turn back this regressive tide but also generate such a groundswell that a tipping point comes to wipe out the unholy and unjust use of state-sponsored killing in America once and for all.”
An execution was carried out on Sept. 20 in South Carolina, with two more, in
Missouri and Texas, that took place Sept. 24. A fourth execution in Oklahoma took place the morning of Sept. 26, and a fifth execution was scheduled for the same day in Alabama.
“The five scheduled executions in the month of September display the horrific injustice that runs rampant throughout this system of capital punishment,”
Vaillancourt Murphy said. “Several of the five individuals facing execution have histories of extreme trauma and abuse or diagnoses of severe mental illness. One is a Black man who was sentenced by an all-white jury. Two men hold strong claims of innocence.
Although Harris has opposed the death penalty in her previous roles, now as the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, her campaign has thus far not made clear whether she would work to end the practice as president.
“One can easily speculate that the uptick in executions as well as efforts to expand the use of capital punishment in certain states could be for reasons of political manipulation or signaling during an election season,” Vaillancourt Murphy said. “Politicians are known to wield the death penalty as a political tool to appear ‘tough on crime,’ treating people on death row like political pawns. We are calling on Catholics across the country, and especially in these five states, to urge decision-makers to stop these executions.”
And one of the men scheduled to be executed previously survived a failed execution attempt at the hands of the state.”
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has pushed for expanding the use of the death penalty. In 2020, President Joe Biden, with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate, became the first U.S. president to have campaigned on an openly anti-death penalty platform.
IN BRIEF
“The death penalty is contrary to human dignity, immoral, flawed, arbitrary and useless as a deterrent to crime,” she added. “Mobilizing Catholics for advocacy has substantial potential to advance progress toward death penalty abolition. Catholics, comprising 22% of the U.S. population, hold significant influence, particularly in key death penalty states with large Catholic populations.”
Pope Francis revised the Catechism of the Catholic Church in 2018 to clarify the Church’s teaching that capital punishment is morally “inadmissible” in the modern world and that the Church works with determination for its abolishment worldwide. †
Discern, pray and vote using Gospel, Catholic Social Teaching as guides
HOUSTON — Faithful Catholics need to vote in the upcoming Nov. 5 election, reviewing candidates’ entire qualifications, not only polarizing issues, urged religious and Catholic Charities officials in a recent webinar. The virtual event “Faithful Citizenship: Discernment and Preparation,” facilitated by Cynthia Colbert, president of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese, on Sept. 25, included insights from Sister Maureen O’Connell, O.P., Archdiocesan Secretariat of Social Concerns, and Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, president of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Brownsville.
“Don’t get caught up in a single issue. You can’t just focus on one thing,” Sister O’Connell said, citing the importance of using the guidance of Catholic Social Teaching principles.
Sister Pimentel agreed, “Look at the person as a whole. Pray for who would do more good for the country.”
Colbert said, “We don’t tell people how to vote, but how do we use our Catholic social values to form our conscience?”
Actions must echo Catholic Social Teaching for the common good, Sister O’Connell reiterated. Those include seven
principles — respect for the human person foremost along with promotion of the family, the individual’s right to own property, subsidiarity (local authority decisionmaking), the dignity of work and workers, and pursuit of peace and care for the poor.
“Jesus gave us the best example with the Gospel of the Good Samaritan about the man on the road who was attacked. Who was the one who helped him — who sees him as a human person, not invisible as society sometimes treats the homeless or the immigrant?” Sister O’Connell said.
Sister Pimentel, recognized by Pope Francis for her exhaustive work helping to feed and house the immigrants along the border and in Brownsville, said, “We deal with immigrants who have been through so much suffering. We give them back their dignity and remind them that they are all children of God.”
She added, “We must live our faith as a good Samaritan every day.”
The responsibility to vote is as important as putting food on the table for your family and having a home for them, the officials said.
† – Jo Ann Zuñiga
OSV NEWS PHOTO
Cathy Harmon-Christian, the executive director of “Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty,” holds a photo of Willie James Pye outside of the Georgia Diagnostic Prison in Jackson, March 20.
MUNDO CATÓLICO
Los obispos católicos de los Estados Unidos están preocupados por la crisis de salud mental que afecta a tantas personas. Quieren que los católicos de todas las comunidades se unan a ellos para responder a ella con audacia pastoral.
El año pasado, la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos (USCCB) lanzó la Campaña Nacional Católica de Salud Mental para crear conciencia, combatir el estigma y promover políticas públicas sabias, compasivas y efectivas en torno a este tema.
Esta iniciativa se renueva cada año con una novena especial de nueve días que comienza el Día Mundial de la Salud Mental (10 de octubre) y concluye en la fiesta de San Lucas, patrón de la atención médica (18 de octubre). Cada día, se ofrece una oración en compañía de un poderoso intercesor entre la Comunión de los Santos que luchó con la salud mental o acompañó a otros en momentos de gran necesidad. Además, la novena ofrece antecedentes sobre un área o población en particular afectada por esta crisis, así como ideas prácticas para su consideración.
Cuando llegó la pandemia mundial, abrió los ojos para ver lo que había allí
JARZEMBOWSKI
problemas en juego no son algo lejano o desconocido.
Al mismo tiempo, Jesús nos promete una vida abundante y anhela vernos vivir nuestra vida diaria al máximo (véase Juan 10:10). El Señor también invita a sus discípulos a curar las heridas de aquellos que están agobiados y abrumados (ver Lucas 10:25-37, la parábola del Buen Samaritano).
Los obispos de los Estados Unidos reconocen que, para abrazar la visión pastoral testimoniada por Cristo, toda la comunidad de fe debe estar comprometida. Cada católico tiene un papel que desempeñar. Como señaló el Papa Francisco, “el cuidado de los demás no es solo un trabajo calificado, sino una verdadera misión, que se realiza plenamente cuando el conocimiento científico se encuentra con la plenitud de la humanidad y se traduce en la ternura que sabe acercarse y tomar en serio a los demás”. Desde los médicos hasta los
educativas y promover políticas públicas compasivas son dimensiones importantes de la Campaña de la USCCB, pero esto es más que un programa o una iniciativa política. Más bien, es un llamado a infundir en nuestros hogares, lugares de trabajo y parroquias católicas un sentido
¡Regocíjense en el Espíritu Santo!
“Alégrense más bien de que sus nombres estén escritos en el cielo.” Lucas 10:20
UNA CONFERENCIA PARA EDUCADORES, LÍDERES DE MINISTERIOS PASTORALES Y CATEQUÉTICOS, Y VOLUNTARIOS 25-26 de octubre, 2024
Iglesia Católica San Ignacio de Loyola - Spring, TX
Escanee para obtener más información: Dar un paso audaz para la salud mental por PAUL
enfermedad mental.
La Campaña, por tanto, nos recuerda la llamada que nos ha hecho el Señor a caminar juntos en el amor recíproco. Los obispos de Estados Unidos nos han ofrecido un primer paso. ¿Seremos lo suficientemente audaces como para acompañarlos?
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.
DE 2024
AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE
► FOR SUBMISSION DETAILS AND MORE LISTINGS, VISIT WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.
OCTOBER 11-13
MEN’S RETREAT, Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday 12:30 p.m., Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston). “Jubilant Pilgrims: Prepare, Pray, Profess, Praise” is a three-day day retreat that includes Mass, Reconciliation, conferences and time for private prayer. Parish groups, father/sons (16+) and individuals are welcomed. $265. registrar.holyname@ passionist.org.
OCTOBER 12
CCSF LUNCHEON, 10:30 a.m., St. Mary’s Seminary Campus at Borski Hall (9845 Memorial Dr., Houston). Event includes silent auction, lunch, presentation of the Catholic Clerical Student Fund (CCSF) gift to St Mary’s and honoring the burse recipients. Cost: $35/person or table sponsor bit.ly/ccsfluncheon. smseminary.com/ catholic-clerical-student-fund.
OCTOBER 12-13
BAZAAR, 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, St. Martin de Porres (12606 Crosby Lynchburg Rd., Barrett). Event includes Sunday entertainment with Keyun & Zydeco Masters at 12:30 p.m. and Step Rideau & Zydeco Outlaws at 4:30 p.m. Cost: $5 gate fee, $20 kids’ games fee. Food and drinks for sale. stmartinbarrett.org.
BAZAAR, Saturday 5 to 10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., St. Laurence (3100 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land). Event includes international foods, games for all ages, Bingo, cake walk, art gallery, live entertainment and a raffle. Free entry. stlaurence.org/parish-bazaar.
FESTIVAL, Saturday 3 to 8 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Christ the King (4419 N Main St., Houston). Event includes food booths, kids’ games, raffle and live entertainment featuring Abraham Salas on Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. Food and drink tickets are $1. 713-869-1449; ctkcc.org.
BAZAAR, Saturday 3 to 10 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., St. Mark the Evangelist (5430 W. Ridgecreek Dr., Houston). Event includes foods, games for all ages and entertainment. alvarado@stmarkshouston.org.
OCTOBER 13
BAZAAR, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., St. Stanislaus Kostka (1511 Hwy. 90 South, Anderson). The 70th annual homecoming and bazaar includes a barbecue dinner at 11 a.m., games, booths, kids’ games, homemade items in country store, live auction, free 150-year history books, 1917 church open for viewing, live Polish music and dancing with Brian Marshall and the Texas Paradise Band. 936-873-2291; saintstans.org.
BAZAAR, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., St. Augustine (5560 Laurel Creek Way, Houston). Event includes Mexican and Asian food, barbecue, Bingo, cake walk, Bingo and kids’ games. staugustinecc.org.
FESTIVAL, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Holy Family (1510 Fifth St., Missouri City). Bingo, raffle, train and bouncy house, arts and crafts market, games, music, barbecue, Filipino, Indian and Nigerian cuisine, gorditas, street tacos, desserts and drinks. Free entry. 281-4999688; holyfamilychurch.us; information@ holyfamilychurch.us.
FESTIVAL, 12:30 to 6 p.m., St. Edward (2601 Spring Stuebner Rd., Spring). Event includes a silent auction, raffle, food market and more. saintedward.org/festival.
FESTIVAL, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Holy Rosary (3617 Milam St., Houston). Event includes food, games, vendors, inflatables and music. Free entry. holyrosarycatholic.org/holy-rosary-feastday-festival.
BAZAAR, noon to 6 p.m., St. Mary (816 Park Dr., La Porte). Event includes Bingo, silent auction, raffle, music and food. Free entry. stmaryslpcc@ sbcglobal.net.
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BAZAAR, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Resurrection (915 Zoe St., Houston). Event includes live music, dance, kids’ games and a variety of food, drinks and refreshments. Free entry.
BAZAAR, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Immaculate Conception (7250 Harrisburg, Houston). Food and game booths, raffle, live music with The Hometown Boys, Zenzio and other groups. 713-921-1261.
OCTOBER 14
WORKSHOP, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). “Women in Training” features a morning of prayer and sharing around selected topics for those women in the age cohort of 65+ years. No charge but registration is required. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.
OCTOBER 16
SERVICE EVENT, 9:30 a.m., Marius Room at St. Bernadette (15500 El Camino Real, Houston). Bay Area Deanery Catholic Council of Women host a meeting and presentation by Romani Perera, director of Catholic Chaplain Corps. Tasker Room following to fill gift bags for Seafarers. sbalfour2009@gmail.com.
OCTOBER 18-19
GARAGE SALE, Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon, St. Francis de SalesFamily Life Center (8200 Roos Rd., Houston). Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court #2647 host a two-day garage sale. 832-3607137.
RETREAT, Friday 6:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m., St. Edward (2601 Spring Stuebner Rd., Spring). Two-day retreat to reflect on Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima and her call to spread the First Saturdays throughout the world. Speaker is Dr. Katrina Leyden, president, author and co-founder of the Communal First Saturdays Apostolate. Deadline to register Oct. 14. Cost: $30 and includes two meals. 205-422-0880; CommunalFirstSaturdays.org/SECC-retreat.
OCTOBER 19
FESTIVAL, noon to 5 p.m., Epiphany of the Lord School (20910 Highland Knolls Dr., Katy). Inflatables, petting zoo, face painting, pumpkin patch, beer garden, chili cook-off and more. epiphanycatholic.school.
MEN’S WORKSHOP, 9 a.m. to noon, Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). “Men’s Spiritual Journey: Obstacles and Truths Hidden in Plain Sight” focuses on obstacles to wholeness that are hard to recognize. Cost: $30. emmausspiritualitycenter. com.
ROSARY RALLY, 8 a.m., Annunciation (1618 Texas Ave., Houston). Mass followed by a light breakfast in Foley House and a Rosary procession starting at Discovery Green. 713222-2289; www.acchtx.org.
OCTOBER 19-20
FESTIVAL, Saturday 5:30 and Sunday noon to 6:30 p.m., St. Vincent de Paul (6800 Buffalo Spwy., Houston). Event includes a spaghetti dinner and Bingo on Saturday, and a Circus Theme FunFest Sunday including live music, food booths, inflatables, games and a raffle.
OCTOBER 20
BAZAAR, noon to 8 p.m., St. Monica (8421 West Montgomery Rd., Houston). Foods and sweets, DJ music, games and raffle. Vendor booths available. Free admission and parking. 713-4197239 or 281-447-5837; stmonicahouston.com.
FESTIVAL, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Shrine of the True Cross (300 FM 517 Rd East, Dickinson). Event
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includes fun, food, activities, vendors and raffle. Free entry. truecrosschurch.org.
FESTIVAL, 10:30 a.m., Guardian Angel (5610 Demel St., Wallis). Event includes barbecue with homemade dressing and all the trimmings. Serving begins at 10:30 a.m. Auction begins at 1 p.m. under the pavilion. Other events include kids’ games, music, dancing, booths, drawing. 979/478-6532; guardianangelwallis.org.
FESTIVAL, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Corpus Christi (9900 Stella Link Rd., Houston). International food booths, silent auction, plant booth, kids’ games, rides, raffle prizes and DJ. 713-667-0497.
OCTOBER 24
GALA, 6 to 9 p.m., Chateau Crystale (2517 South Gessner Rd., Houston). Emmaus Spirituality Center hosts “Journey With Emmaus” gala with keynote speaker Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP. Cost: $150. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.
GARAGE SALE, Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 to 11 a.m., St. John The Baptist (110 E South St., Alvin). Catholic Daughters of St. John the Baptist #2073 host a two-day garage sale with clothes, home decor, kitchen and more. 979-418-1222; jrmontague@ comcast.net.
CONFERENCE, Friday 6:30 to 8:15 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., St. Michael the Archangel (1801 Sage Rd., Houston). Conference for youth, young adults and adults features dinner and talks on Friday, and talks and lunch on Saturday. Speakers include Jackie and Bobby Angel, Father Bart Reynolds and Matt and Stephanie Regitz. Cost: $15. Register by Oct. 18. agapecongress-stmichael.my.canva. site.
OCTOBER 25-27
WOMEN’S RETREAT, Friday 6 p.m. to Sunday 12:30 p.m., Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston). “Jubilant Pilgrims: Prepare, Pray, Profess, Praise” is a three-day day retreat with Mass, Confession, conferences and time for prayer. Open to parish groups, mother/ daughters (16+) and individuals. Cost: $265. registrar.holyname@passionist.org.
OCTOBER 27
TRUNK OR TREAT, 3 to 6 p.m., Our Lady Star of the Sea (1401 Fidelity St., Houston). Event includes games, costume contest and food.
BAZAAR, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., St. Andrew (827 Sheldon Rd., Channelview). St. Andrew’s 50th jubilee celebration features food, live and silent auctions, live music, games and family entertainment. Open to the public. standrew7067@comcast.net; 281-452-9865; standrewchurch.net.
TURKEY DINNER AND BAZAAR, 11 a.m., Heritage Hall (508 E. Bernard St., West Columbia) Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sweeny and St. John the Apostle in West Columbia parishes host turkey with all the trimmings, tea and dessert. Dine-in or drive-thru Cost: $15 per plate. Also live music by Duke Gamino, pastry booth, Mexican food, country store, raffle, kids’ games, live and silent auctions. 979-548-2020; olphsjaoffice@gmail.com.
NOVEMBER 1
RELIC VENERATION, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Our Lady of the Angels Chapel at St. Anthony of Padua (8715 Kuykendahl Rd., Spring). Venerate 65 saint relics, including the Wood of the True Cross, the Veil of Mary, seven Apostles and more. ap.churchcenter.com/registrations/ events/1600260.
NOVEMBER 1-3
MARRIAGE RETREAT, Friday 7 p.m. to Sunday 12 p.m., Christian Renewal Center (1515 Hughes Rd., Dickinson). Weekend retreat helps couples understand how the 10 Commandments applies to their lives and marriage. Cost: $379 per couple (Commuter); $529 per couple (Overnight). retreatcentercrc.org/marriage.
NOVEMBER 4
GOLF TOURNAMENT, 9:30 a.m., South Shore Harbour Country Club (4300 South Shore Blvd.,
AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE
League City). Charity golf tournament benefits the Christian Renewal Center. Check in is at 8 a.m. with breakfast, putting green and driving range. Regular registration: $175 per golfer or $600 per team. retreatcentercrc.org/golf-3.
NOVEMBER 7-8
MARKET, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., St. Michael (100 Oak Dr. South, Lake Jackson). 42nd annual craft market with 50 vendors selling jewelry, clothing, leather accessories, famous cheese soup, chicken salad croissants and desserts. Free to the public. wosmlj@yahoo.com.
NOVEMBER 9
CHILI COOK-OFF, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sts. Simon & Jude (26777 Glen Loch Dr., The Woodlands). Event includes DJ music, games, drinks, desserts, hamburgers, hot dogs, raffles and silent auction. Proceeds benefit the American Wheelchair Mission. Cost: $5 includes 5 samples, drink and door prize entry. To enter the cook-off, contact John Edwards (832871-6625; johnedwards7662@sbcglobal.net) - Registration: $150, deadline to enter is Oct. 31.
NOVEMBER 10
FESTIVAL, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., St. Frances Cabrini (10727 Hartsook St., Houston). Event includes live music from “The Slags” and “Conxzion,” food, games, Bingo, petting zoo and a silent auction. Free entry. CristinaHR15@gmail.com; cabrinihouston.org.
NOVEMBER 16
FASHION SHOW, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Golfcrest Country Club (2509 Country Club Dr., Pearland). St. Helen Catholic Daughters of the Americas host a “Pumpkin Spice Soiree Fashion Show Fundraiser,” with lunch, auction and raffle. Tickets: lastryk@gmail.com; 281-685-2746.
For additional listings, visit WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA
MILESTONES
A GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY DUO
St. Matthew the Evangelist
HOUSTON — Around 400 parishioners, guests and community members attended St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic Church’s 50th anniversary celebration on Sunday, Aug. 18.
The festivities began with a Mass followed by a catered dinner, music and dancing. The evening also included speakers representing the past, present and future of the church.
In attendance to lead the celebration were St. Matthew’s first pastor, Father Richard A. Johnston, S.C.J., and its immediate past and present administrators. Father Chad D. Henry, the current pastor, was appointed parish administrator on Aug. 1, 2023.
St. Matthew the Evangelist was established on Aug. 15, 1974, under the leadership of Bishop John Morkovsky of the then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston. Father Johnston, who is now retired, and Father John Pringle held Masses at Eisenhower High School, affectionately known as “St. Eisenhower,” in the Aldine Independent School District. The church broke ground for its current location at 9915 Hollister in Houston on Dec. 13, 1975 and celebrated their first Mass on Dec. 4, 1976. The parish has been served over the years by priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Disciples of Hope of the Philippines and Archdiocesan priests. †
St. Mark the Evangelist
HOUSTON — St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, located at 430 W Ridgecreek Dr. in southern Houston, celebrated their 50th anniversary Sept. 18 with a Mass of Thanksgiving presided by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and concelebrated by Father Oscar Castro, pastor, and Father Richard Wahl, CSB.
The Mass was followed by dinner, which included presentations from founding families about how the church began.
St. Mark the Evangelist was established with 300 families and has grown to approximately 1,100 registered families under the current leadership of Father Castro. †
PHOTO COURTESY OF ME’N MY PAL PORTRAITS
St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic Church’s current pastor, Father Chad D. Henry; previous pastor, Father Martial Oya; and founding pastor, Father Richard A. Johnston, S.C.J., were on hand to cut the cake in celebration of the church’s 50th anniversary.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. MARK THE EVANGELIST CATHOLIC CHURCH
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo concelebrated St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church’s 50th anniversary Mass with Father Oscar Castro, pastor of the church.
