Texas Catholic Herald - Jan. 9, 2024

JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

ILLUMINATING TRUTH

KNOWING OUR STORY

A papal reflection on the unique encounter between Jesus and John the Baptist

We know our birthdays and anniversaries... but do you know your baptismal date?

▪ SEE PAGE 10

▪ SEE PAGE 3

JANUARY 9, 2024

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A HELPFUL GUIDE TO CONFESSION ▪ SEE PAGE 16

Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964

VOL. 60, NO. 14

SPIRITUALITY

‘THEY WERE OVERJOYED AT SEEING THE STAR’

The Examen: A simple, lifechanging prayer

BY JIM MANNEY Special to the Herald (OSV News) — A few years ago, I started to pray using the Examen of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Everything changed for me. Prayer took on a new, refreshing character. I became an evangelist for the Examen. I buttonholed friends, wrote blog posts and a book, and recorded guided Examens on the internet. I did everything I could to spread the news about this way of praying.

All of this almost didn’t happen. For years, I had occasionally heard people talk about the Examen as a good way to pray. But I wasn’t interested because I thought they were talking about the examination of conscience, the selfinventory of sins that I was taught to do as a boy in Catholic schools in the 1960s, See EXAMEN, page 5

MINISTRIES

Beyond purple shirts: Nurturing love, compassion for foster care children

BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent

“And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.”

MATTHEW 2:9-11 THE FIRST WORD † 3

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COLUMNISTS † 9 - 10

HOUSTON — Every month, the children residing at Kidz Harbor, a temporary shelter and long-term care facility located southeast of Houston, eagerly anticipate the arrival of a special group known as “the church in the purple shirts” — dedicated volunteers from St. Helen Catholic Church’s youth ministry in Pearland. Beyond routine visits, this connection transforms the lives of at-risk children aged birth through 18, enabling both volunteers and children to give and receive the love of Jesus through kindness and compassion.

The visits to Kidz Harbor began almost 15 years ago when the pastor and youth ministry leaders recognized the deeper meaning that service could bring beyond fulfilling checkboxes and meeting See HARBOR, page 6

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ESPAÑOL † 13

| AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE † 15

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ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • JANUARY 9, 2024

VATICAN NEWS

Diversity in the Church must be embraced, not feared, pope says in new papal intention VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Different ways of living out the Catholic faith, including different liturgical rites, should not be seen as threats to the unity of the Catholic Church but embraced as expressions of the body of Christ, Pope Francis said.

“You don't have to be afraid of the diversity of charisms in the Church,” the pope said in a video released Jan. 2, sharing his prayer intention for the month of January: “For the gift of diversity in the Church.”

“We are not all the same,” he said, and Catholics should “rejoice in living this diversity.”

Pope Francis recalled how, in the first Christian communities, “diversity and unity were very present and in a tension that had to be resolved at a higher level.”

The pope also noted that “to move forward on the path of faith, we also need ecumenical dialogue with brothers and sisters from other confessions and Christian communities.”

Dialogue, he said, is not “something that confuses or bothers, but a gift God gives to the Christian community so that it may grow as one body, the body of Christ.”

Pope Francis pointed to Eastern Catholic churches, who, he said, “have their own traditions (and) some characteristic liturgical rites but maintain the unity of the faith. They reinforce it; they do not divide it.”

The two-minute video shows several scenes from Eastern Catholic liturgical celebrations, such as using a spoon to distribute Communion and giving a blessing with large liturgical candlesticks.

Although they have their own liturgical and legal system, each Eastern church is considered fully equal in dignity to the Latin tradition within the Catholic Church.

The pope added that if the Church lets itself be guided by the Holy Spirit, “richness, variety, diversity never provoke conflicts.”

The Holy Spirit, he said, “reminds us that before all we are children of God, all the same in the love of God and all different.”

Pope Francis ended the video asking people to pray to the Holy Spirit “so that it may help us recognize the gift of different charisms of Christian communities and

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Above, Pope Francis waves to an estimated 70,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for his Christmas blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) Dec. 25, 2023. At left, Pope Francis gives his Christmas blessing “urbi et orbi” from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 25, 2023.

to discover the wealth of different ritual traditions within the Catholic Church.”

POPE’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: SAY ‘YES’ TO THE PRINCE OF PEACE, ‘NO’ TO WAR

Celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, should mean making a commitment to opposing all war, to cherishing human life, feeding the hungry and speaking up for those who have no voice, Pope Francis said.

“To say ‘yes’ to the Prince of Peace, then, means saying ‘no’ to war — and doing so with courage — saying no to every war, to the very mindset of war, an aimless voyage, a defeat without victors, an inexcusable folly,” the pope said Dec. 25, 2023, as he read his Christmas

message and offered his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world).

As he stood on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica with an estimated 70,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pope began his message speaking of Bethlehem where celebrations of Jesus’ birth are muted this year because of the Israeli-Hamas conflict.

But he also used his message to preach the hope of Christmas, which he said was found in God, who loved humanity so much that He sent His Son to be born in a manger.

In the midst of darkness for whole nations or for individuals, he said, God sends His light.

“Let us exult in this gift of grace,” Pope Francis said. “Rejoice, you who have abandoned all hope, for God offers you His outstretched hand; He does not point a finger at you, but offers you His little baby hand, in order to set you free from your fears, to relieve you of your burdens and to show you that, in His eyes, you are more valuable than anything else.” †

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JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

THE FIRST WORD ILLUMINATED BY HIS TRUTH A reflection on the Baptism of the Lord from Pope Benedict XVI

T

he joy that flowed from the celebration of holy Christmas is fulfilled today in the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The Gospel account of the Baptism of Jesus, which we heard in St. Luke’s version, shows the life of meekness and humility that the Son of God chose freely, complying with the Father’s plan to be obedient to His desire for love for man in all things, even to His sacrifice on the cross.

Having reached adulthood, Jesus began his public ministry by going to the River Jordan to receive from John a Baptism of penance and conversion. What might seem paradoxical in our eyes actually happened. Did Jesus need penance and conversion? Of course not. Yet the One who is without sin put Himself among sinners to have Himself baptized, to make this act of penance. The Holy One of God joined those who recognized they were in need of forgiveness and asked God for the gift of conversion, that is, the grace to return to Him with their whole heart, to belong totally to Him. Jesus chose to join the ranks of sinners, to be in solidarity with them, expressing God’s closeness.

Jesus shows His solidarity with us, with our efforts to convert and to be rid of our selfishness, to break away from our sins in order to tell us that if we accept Him in our life, He can uplift us and lead us to the heights of God the Father. And Jesus’ solidarity is not, as it were, a mere exercise of mind and will.

Jesus truly immersed Himself in our human condition, lived it to the end, in all things save sin, and was able to understand our weakness and frailty. For this reason, He was moved to compassion; He chose to “suffer with” men and women to become a penitent with us. This is God’s work, which Jesus wanted to carry out: the divine mission to heal those who are wounded and give medicine to the sick, to take upon Himself the sin of the world.

What happened at the moment when Jesus had Himself baptized by John? In the face of this act of humble love by the Son of God, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit showed Himself in the form of a dove, while a voice from on high expressed the pleasure of the Father who acknowledged His Only Begotten, His beloved Son. This was

PASTORAL APPOINTMENT Effective January 1 Father Paul Raj Gnanasekar, S.S.S. Pastor, Corpus Christi Church - Houston

BRIEFS Archdiocesan Mass celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

HOUSTON — The Archdiocese will honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and remember his call to achieve peace through service to one another at its annual Mass at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., in Houston.

Catholics from all 10 counties of the Archdiocese will celebrate King’s legacy at the 39th annual Archdiocesan Mass honoring his birthday, which will be celebrated by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo as principal celebrant and Father Martins C. Emeh, J.C.L., pastor at St. Monica Catholic Church in Houston, as homilist. A reception will follow in the Cathedral Centre. †

Registration for Steps for Students race continues

HOUSTON — More than 12,000 participants are expected to gather downtown on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the 19th Annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk. The event raises funds and awareness for the network of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.

The event will start with Mass at 7 a.m., followed by the presentation of the David Guite Spirit Award. The timed 5K race will begin at 8:30 a.m.; a post-race party will follow the event along with the Catholic School Village. To register, visit www.steps4students.org. †

Holy Hour for Life set for Jan. 18

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART

A 17th-century oil on canvas painting by Antoine Coypel depicts the Baptism of Christ.

a real manifestation of the Blessed Trinity that bears witness to the divinity of Jesus, of His being the promised Messiah, the One whom God sent to set His people free in order to save them (cf. Is 40:2).

In Baptism [we] express and witness... to the joy of being Christian and of belonging to the Church. It is the joy that comes from knowing [we] have received a great gift from God, faith itself, a gift which not one of us has been able to deserve but which was freely given to us and to which we responded with our “yes.” It is the joy of recognizing that we are children of God, of discovering that we have

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been entrusted to His hands, of feeling welcomed in a loving embrace in the same way that a mother holds and embraces her child. This joy, which guides every Christian’s journey, is based on a personal relationship with Jesus, a relationship that directs the whole of human existence.

Indeed, it is He who is the meaning of our life, the One on whom it is worth keeping our eyes fixed so as to be illuminated by His truth and to be able to live to the full. † — Excerpted from the Jan. 13, 2013, homily given by Pope Benedict XVI in the Sistine Chapel.

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SCAN ME

HOUSTON — A Eucharistic Adoration vigil will be held at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, located at 6800 Buffalo Spdwy., Houston, on Jan. 18 from 7 to 9 p.m. to unite with the U.S. bishops and Catholics across the nation on the vigil of the National March for Life in Washington, D.C. The public is invited to attend one or both hours of the vigil. While not required, registration ensures adequate seating and parking for the event.

Register at archgh.swoogo.com/holyhour2024.

For additional information, contact the Office of Pro-Life Activities at 713-440-3443. †

Catholic Charities’ food distributions continue at three locations

HOUSTON — Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston continues offering food assistance at three locations. In Houston, food distributions at the Guadalupe Center (326 S. Jensen St.) are Tuesdays from 9 to 11 a.m. (drive-thru) and Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. New clients should bring a photo ID and bill with a confirming address. Call 713-874-6781 for more information.

The Beacon of Hope Isle Market in Galveston (4700 Broadway, Suite F-103) is open Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make an appointment, which is required, call 409-762-2064.

In Fort Bend County, the Mamie George Community Center (1111 Collins Rd., Richmond) hosts drive-thru food distributions and in-person shopping. Drive-thru distributions with the Houston Food Bank are on Tuesdays, from 5 to 7 p.m., and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Clients should visit the pantry by appointment only on Mondays, 12 to 2 p.m.; Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For help, call 281-202-6200. For more information, visit www. catholiccharities.org/food. †

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‘Faith is stronger than war’

The world has become very small and dangerous for the 600 Palestinian Gaza Christians sheltering at the Holy Family Parish. ▪ SEE PAGES 11 (ENGLISH) & 13 (SPANISH)

Aging Ministry marks 50 years of helping seniors

BY MARK CIESIELSKI Special to the Herald HOUSTON — Since 1974, the Archdiocese has developed a ministry to focus on adults 65 and older.

Back in that year, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded 22 million adults ages 65 and over, which was 10% of the overall population.

That same year, under the leadership of Sister Teresita Partin, C.V.I., the first director, and Sister Dorothy Sachnik, SISTER C.V.I., the Office of DOROTHY Aging Ministry, a SACHNIK, C.V.I. Diocesan Services Fund office, was created. Their vision was to adapt up-todate research and practices on aging to the pastoral and personal needs of older adults.

The staff utilized consultations and workshops to help parish leaders maximize their efforts to minister

effectively to the needs of the aging. Their plan included helping parish leaders become more aware of community resources to foster the autonomy of older adults and promote meaningful involvement in the parish community life.

In 1976, the Senior Senate structure was formed to provide an advisory bridge between parish senior groups and the office.

Initially, the office identified 21 active senior parish groups.

The staff provided adult enrichment classes, a spiritual day of reflection SISTER and several social TERESITA celebrations. In 1976, PARTIN, C.V.I. the office established Recognition Days as an annual event to honor outstanding service efforts from parish seniors.

In 1978, the Office of Aging expanded its staff to provide outreach services. This effort entailed a Friendly Visitor Program to provide aging adults with a variety of pastoral and practical in-home services.

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The outreach program was transferred in the 1980s to Catholic Charities’ Services to the Alone and Frail Elderly. In 1986, the Third Age Learning Center was established using senior volunteers to teach a variety of classes to other seniors in the community. The Office of Aging continued to provide outreach services as new parish senior groups or clubs were established.

THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY YEARS In 1995, Sister Partin retired, and Sister Sachnik became the director.

She continued the many activities of the office’s ministry until 2001, when she retired. Katherine Bingham was then hired as the director. Under her leadership, the office marked an increased focus on developing partnerships with community organizations serving seniors. This enabled the office to offer leadership development and support in aging ministry to parishes and pastors.

The Senior Senate structure expanded to include three senior senates serving the Central, Southwest and Northern areas of the Archdiocese. Each senate consists of representatives from parish senior clubs who meet monthly or quarterly. They convene to pray together, exchange senior club activities and receive educational support on aging topics from community organizations. In addition, the senates’ seniors celebrate through service recognition, wedding anniversaries and spiritual days of reflection.

During this era, in 1999, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a landmark pastoral document called Blessings of Age: A Pastoral Message on Growing Older Within the Faith Community. The document addressed not only how parish communities were called to address the challenges of aging but also how to foster intergenerational relationships whereby the sharing of gifts could enrich the entire community.

In 2017, both founders died: Sister Sachnik died Feb. 18 and Sister Partin on Sept. 10.

The U.S. Census in 2020 recorded 55 million adults age 65 and over, almost 17% of the population. In 2020, the Office of Aging identified 104 Archdiocesan parish senior groups and recognized the need to address three critical areas of aging: caregiving, aging in place and end-oflife planning. The office then developed regional seminars in collaboration with its community partners to support families with older adults. In addition, the office posted written, audio and video resources on its webpage that address these areas of aging.

APPROACHING THE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY When Bingham retired in the fall of 2021, Mark Ciesielski, who had served as an associate director in the office for six years, was named director. He had helped navigate the ministry through COVID-19 to help seniors remain connected when in-person meetings were nearly nonexistent. This included hosting online meetings with community educators or

► OFFICE OF AGING MINISTRY Phone Website Address Staff

713-741-8712 www.archgh.org/aging St. Dominic Chancery 2403 Holcombe Blvd.

Houston, TX 77021 Olga Najar, Gina Pasket and Blanca Cruz

digital Days of Prayer, maintaining phone outreach to parish senior club leaders, updating online resources, and sending weekly email memos with community resources and spiritual encouragement.

Although this period greatly impacted the number of active parish groups, many parish senior groups have resumed in-person meetings and activities. 2023 presented a return to the Office of Aging’s annual in-person Day of Prayer and three Senior Senate Recognition Days, all well attended.

Ciesielski also identified two growing needs in the Archdiocese. The first involved how to respond to the aging needs of Spanish-speaking families. In response, a bilingual associate director, Olga Najar, was hired to begin addressing this reality. The second recognized need was to foster greater awareness of the ministry services among parish leaders.

In turn, a monthly advisory team consisting of parish leaders serving older adults was formed.

In March of 2023, a pastoral ministry formation program for parish leaders was offered at St. Mary’s Seminary in partnership with the Office of the Permanent Diaconate. The formation served to offer pastoral ministry skills to better engage and support older adults in parish life.

THE FUTURE FOR AN AGING CHURCH: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES By the year 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau projects the peak of the Baby Boomer Generation to reach 73 million adults age 65 and older, which is 21% of the population. This scenario will provide both opportunities and challenges for the Church.

Opportunities to tap the vast pool of wisdom, gifts and resources of older adults for building the Body of Christ and challenges for the Church to provide the support needed to help care for an aging population.

Pope Francis’ weekly catechesis in 2022 emphasized the value and care of older adults as the roots of the Church’s communal tree. To promote this end, the Office of Aging is hosting an Archdiocesan Catholic Conference on Aging at Prince of Peace Parish on Friday, Jan. 26, for parish leaders and on Saturday, Jan. 27, for older adults and their families. It consists of a variety of presentations and community organizations to enrich and support older adults in parish life.

For more information and how to register for this free conference with tracks in English and Spanish, visit www. archgh.org/aging or call 713-741-8712. †

JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

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Using the Examen to embrace prayer in a New Year EXAMEN, from page 1

conversion to the cause of Christ, which is advanced in his book “The Spiritual which I didn’t think of as “prayer.”

Exercises.” He saw the Examen as a way Then I learned that the Examen is to develop a reflective habit of mind that not the old examination of conscience. is constantly attuned to God’s presence Quite the opposite. The Examen is a and responsive to God’s leading. prayer that focuses on God’s presence I told my friends about my discovery. in the real world. It looks to a God who It wasn’t long before one of them injected is near, present in my world and active a skeptical note. “Why is sifting through in my life. It told me to approach prayer our memories of the past 24 hours a with gratitude, not guilt. It helped me find sound way to pray?” she asked.

God in my life as I lived it. The Examen Our memories aren’t reliable. She had me take myself seriously, as I am, told me a story about discovering that not as I wished I were or thought I could something she remembered very vividly be someday so long as I worked hard never happened at all. She pointed out enough. that we all filter our memories through It’s no exaggeration to say that the our preconceptions and desires. She Examen changed everything. It might thought the Examen sounded very change things for you, too. self-centered. What’s to keep it from becoming a play starring me as the hero AN INTUITIVE PRAYER of a one-person show?

There’s nothing complicated or Good questions. The “theological” mysterious about making the Examen answer is that God really is present in part of your life. The subject matter of the our world. He is here, not simply “up Examen is your life — specifically the day there.” God’s project of saving our world you have just lived through. The Examen involves God becoming personally looks for signs of God’s presence in the caught up in the lives His creatures lead. events of the day: lunch with a friend, a walk This is the doctrine of the incarnation — in the park, a kind word from a colleague, the fact that the God who created men a challenge met, a duty discharged. The and women is personally involved in their Examen likes the humdrum. God is present lives, because through the Son, Jesus in transcendent “spiritual” moments, but Christ, He is human as well as divine.

He’s also there when you cook dinner, write Personal is the key word. God is a a memo, answer emails and run errands. community of three persons — Father, The Examen looks at your Son and Holy Spirit — and conscious experience.The ebb the relationship we have with LIVING and flow of your moods and God is a personal one as well. feelings are full of spiritual The word for it is friendship, A LIFE OF meaning. Nothing is so trivial explained the late Jesuit that it’s meaningless. spiritual director, Father PRAYER What do you think about William Barry. while sitting in traffic or Nothing in our lives is so waiting in a long line at the insignificant that it doesn’t grocery store? What’s your deserve God’s attention. In frame of mind while doing fact, the mundane and the boring and repetitive chores? You’ll humdrum parts of our lives give depth be surprised at how significant such and texture to the relationship with God. moments can be when you really look at The Examen focuses on God as present them. in our human experience. This is part of I was surprised. But then, on reflection, our relationship with God. It’s not the the Examen made intuitive sense. I am whole of it, but it’s a vital part of it.

God’s creature living in God’s world; of course, God would be present in my A PRACTICAL PRAYER everyday experience. If prayer is making The other argument for the Examen is a connection with God, it makes perfect a practical one. This is what sold me. The sense to spend some time finding God in Examen helped solve some problems that my conscious experience of daily life.

I was having with prayer, problems that aren’t uncommon. Here are several: HISTORY OF THE EXAMEN • Where is God? Often, God seemed Five hundred years ago, St. Ignatius of remote. That changed when I started Loyola designed the Examen to sustain praying the Examen and found God and extend the intense experience of present in my everyday experience.

The Examen at-a-glance

The Examen is a method of reviewing your day in the presence of God. It’s actually an attitude more than a method, a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in everyday life.

It has five steps, which most do in order, that take 15 to 20 minutes a day. Here it is in a nutshell: 1 2 3

4 ST. IGNATUS OF LOYOLA OSV NEWS PHOTO BY JESUIT CURIA GENERAL

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St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus and origin of the Examen, is depicted in this detail from a painting by Peter Paul Rubens.

• What do I pray about? I would grow tired of praying about the same things over and over. I’d try to meditate, but I’d draw a big mental blank, what Frank Sheed called “drifting in a pious coma.”

To the question, “What do I pray about?” the Examen answers, “Everything.”

Every encounter, every challenge, every disappointment, every delight is a place where God can be found.

• Let’s pretend. This is the most insidious problem — the inclination to put on a good face when we pray. For years, I prayed when I felt virtuous; I avoided it when I felt guilty, ashamed or defeated, which meant that I didn’t pray very much for long stretches. The Examen is an excellent way to be honest in prayer.

We review our day in the loving light of Christ precisely to strip away façades and correct self-delusions. It helps us say, “Here I am, Lord, warts and all.”

• How are Christians different? A friend of mine, writer Chris Lowney, calls this “the Christian problem.” Our

S t .

M a r y ’ s

PRAY FOR LIGHT: Begin by asking God for the grace to pray, to see and to understand.

GIVE THANKS: Look at your day in a spirit of gratitude.

Everything is a gift from God. REVIEW THE DAY: Guided by the Holy Spirit, look back on your day. Pay attention to your experience. Look for God in it.

LOOK AT WHAT’S WRONG: Face up to failures and shortcomings.

Ask forgiveness for your faults.

Ask God to show you ways to improve.

RESOLUTION FOR THE DAY TO COME: Where do you need God today? What can you do today?

lives look pretty much the same as everyone else’s. We bob along on a river of emails, meetings, housework, errands, commuting and to-do lists. Believers of other faiths usually have outward signs of religious identity. Christians have few of these because Jesus was more interested in the conditions of our hearts than in external signs of piety.

PRAYER CHANGES EVERYTHING The answer to the Christian problem is to find God in all things — to see God in what we think, do and feel; in life with family, friends, colleagues and casual acquaintances; in our busyness and our rest. That’s what the Examen does.

That’s why I call it the prayer that changes everything. † Jim Manney is the founding editor of IgnatianSpirituality.com and author of “What Matters Most and Why: Living the Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola” (New World Library, 2022).

U n i v e r s i t y

Join our Catholic community We are excited to invite junior and senior Catholic high school students and their families in the Houston area to our beautiful campus in San Antonio, Texas. Join us on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, for a Catholic Mass followed by lunch with University President Thomas M. Mengler and members of our campus community. Experience the University firsthand and meet faculty, staff and fellow students to learn more about the unique St. Mary’s community spirit founded in the Catholic and Marianist traditions.

For more information, scan the QR code.

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Service outside Church helps teens grow in faith, leader says HARBOR, from page 1 Sacramental preparation requirements for the teens. The focus shifted toward immersing the teens in the realities of the needs of foster families and children, providing them a unique opportunity to embody the compassionate presence of Christ and to become his hands and feet.

These efforts now include a collaboration between St. Helen’s youth ministry and the newly established St. Joseph Ministry since May 2023. Together, they form a parish team providing essential material and emotional support to vulnerable youth and families in the Archdiocese. The St. Joseph Ministry also offers mentorship to parents, families and youth while actively raising awareness about how Catholics can contribute to supporting children within Texas’ Child Protective Services (CPS) system.

With nearly 400 teens in St. Helen’s youth ministry actively participating in the St. Joseph Ministry, around 30 teens eagerly volunteer for the monthly visit to Kidz Harbor. Organized into teams, they immerse themselves in a range of activities — crafting, painting, cooking and serving meals — expressing their unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of at-risk children aged 6 to 18.

The popularity of these opportunities is evident in the rapid sign-ups, reflecting the enthusiasm of teens dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of those in need.

Katie Marchand, a teen with St. Helen’s youth ministry, has lived through

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF PRO-LIFE ACTIVITIES

A collaboration between St. Helen’s youth ministry and the newly established St. Joseph Ministry since May 2023, they form a parish team providing essential material and emotional support to vulnerable youth and families in the Archdiocese.

the challenges of foster care herself and is now making a meaningful impact by giving back through the St. Joseph Ministry. She sees her involvement as a way to show the children at Kidz Harbor that they have people who care about them and that, with time, things can get better. Marchand believes that her journey from foster care to actively giving back serves as a testament to the positive transformations possible in the lives of these children.

“The thing that inspired me most about volunteering at Kidz Harbor is that I was also once in the foster care system, so I can better understand what the kids are going through, and I can try and support them by sharing God’s grace,” Marchand said. “One of the most memorable moments was a time I was dropping off some donations in the hall, and some of the kids that I bonded with my first time recognized me. They dropped everything and came and hugged me, and I started

The Dinner Party Sat u r day, Ja n ua ry 2 7, 2 0 2 4 t ic k e t s & i n f or m at i on

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tearing up because that was one of the best experiences ever.”

Marchand has learned from the resilient spirits of the children she now supports.

“The kids have taught me so much about appreciating what God has given me and caring for those around me, no matter their background,” Marchand said. “The way that the kids adapt to their given living conditions and how they all help each other through hardships, it’s truly inspiring.”

Miriam Escobar, youth ministry director at St. Helen, said the primary goals of participating in the St. Joseph Ministry at Kidz Harbor are to act as the children’s big brother or big sister for the day, bringing them joy and ensuring they feel cared for, protected, loved and heard.

She mentioned that, for many teens like Marchand, this experience can be radical and life-changing.

“The teens become very appreciative of all the blessings they have, and many come back after Confirmation,” Escobar said. “This also puts them on the path of service, and they start looking for other opportunities to serve those who need it most. Parents have commented many times on the changes the teens have in their home life, getting along better with their siblings and helping around the house.”

Escobar said she also forms a unique personal connection with the teens and at-risk children through the St. Joseph Ministry. Whether imparting cooking skills, collaborating on onsite projects or creating crafts together, Escobar experiences a special bond with these young individuals.

“I was personally inspired to participate myself because I wanted to lead by example to the teens in our program and to my own children,” Escobar said. “I want them to see that being Catholic is not something you do on Sunday; it is a way of life, and what we do outside our Sunday obligations is just as important.”

St. Joseph Ministry is part of the Archdiocesan Office of Pro-Life Activities, which is one of 60-plus ministries supported by the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF). Julie Dumalet, director of the Pro-Life Office, said the mission of the St. Joseph Ministry is to support vulnerable families in the foster system in a variety of ways.

“In our work with foster and kinship families and youth, we recognize that not everyone is called, or is able, to be a foster parent,” Dumalet said. “At the same time, everyone can do something to support our vulnerable families. Although one of the newest DSF-supported ministries, over 20 parishes are already actively involved in the St. Joseph Ministry, with youth and young adults comprising a significant number of the volunteers.”

Escobar said that the St. Joseph Ministry and its collaboration with Kidz

archgh.org/dsf The 2023 Diocesan Services Fund theme is “God is the Strength of My Heart.”

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.

Harbor plays a crucial role in serving the foster families and children in need in the Archdiocese. When she discovered the high number of foster families in Pearland, she was particularly surprised to learn that some of these families were affiliated with St. Helen’s youth ministry.

Among them were individuals who had experienced neglect and homelessness before finding refuge at Kidz Harbor or their foster homes.

“I believe that the services provided by the St. Joseph Ministry are of the utmost importance,” Escobar said. “We care for the most vulnerable, not only through material donations but also by being present and bringing the love of God to children who have endured unspeakable situations at such a young age. I would strongly encourage all the faithful to donate to this ministry. Even the smallest contribution goes a long way and brings joy to a child who hasn’t had the opportunity to be loved.”

Marchand expressed that her time spent volunteering with Kidz Harbor has led her to recognize that every donation and hour dedicated to volunteering, regardless of their size, will be appreciated in ways that may never be fully understood.

“One last thing I would like to share is that we should give back and volunteer out of the kindness of our hearts, not because we feel like we have to,” Marchand said. “In 2 Corinthians 9:7, it reminds us that, ‘Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.’”

To learn more about the St. Joseph Ministry and how to form a parish team, contact Julie Dumalet at the Office of Pro-Life Activities at 713-741-8728 or jdumalet@archgh.org. The Archdiocese also collaborates in its efforts to support vulnerable families with The Riverside Project, a Houston-based nonprofit connecting churches and faith-based organizations to families in need.

To donate to the DSF, go to www. archgh.org/DSF. The DSF supports each of these ministries, whether direct service or education, which require this critical funding to remain in operation.

Out of each gift given to DSF, 100% of every dollar goes directly to supporting these ministries. †

texas catholic herald 7

JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

EDUCATION St. Edward students sing in global choir at Vatican papal Mass VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Song and music are gifts capable of touching the hearts of young people, drawing them out of spirals of anxiety and bringing them closer to God, Pope Francis said.

Greeted with song Dec. 30 by young people from the International Foundation of Pueri Cantores — an organization that promotes sacred music and the formation of children in choirs for liturgical singing — the pope praised the young vocalists for helping others pray and open their hearts to God, which is “fundamental for the life of the Church.”

He said, “There is much need for joy in the world,” and music can provide that.

The event included members of the St. Edward Catholic School choir, who traveled to Rome on Dec. 26, 2023, to take part in the 44th International Congress of Pueri Cantores, joining 4,000 choristers from around the world.

This Pueri Cantores pilgrimage, held once every five years, brings together children’s choirs worldwide for a weeklong celebration of sacred music and fellowship.

“So many people, also young people, are prisoners of their anxiety or of boredom; song and music can touch hearts, give beauty, restore a taste and hope for life,” Pope Francis said.

But the pope also insisted that choir

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. EDWARD CATHOLIC SCHOOL

St. Edward Catholic School choir students joined other choirs at San Policarpo at an Italian Mass. The students also sang at a papal Mass on Jan. 1 at St. Peter’s Basilica with 4,000 other choristers from around the world as part of the 44th International Congress of Pueri Cantores.

members are not “just any kind of artists; you don’t put on a show.” Rather, their role is to help others pray through their own sung prayer.

For that reason, Pope Francis said it is important for the children to “keep your heart close to Jesus not only when you sing, but always, and this is done through prayer each day.”

The pope cited the well-known saying

by St. Augustine: “One who sings prays twice.” Singing, he added, “is an act of love, and doing so we pray with words and music, with heart and voice, with devotion and with art.”

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— all-boys, all-girls or mixed — and represents some 40,000 young people in 43 countries. The organization brings groups of young people to Rome and to meet with the pope once every four years.

Pope Francis told the young singers that being part of a choir is a “school of humility” since each singer is part of something “bigger than him or her and in which all are at the service of all.”

“A singer who looks to put his- or herself at the center, or to prevail over the others, is not a good singer, indeed they risk ruining the work of everyone and this is immediately felt,” the pope said.

He encouraged them not to “show off”

but rather to strive “to blend together so that in unity, which comes from humility, your singing expresses true friendship with God, with others and among yourselves.”

Sacred music, the pope said, is particularly humble since it “knows how to step aside at the right time, to make room for silence, where everyone can listen in secret to the words that only Jesus knows how to say to each of us.

Singing well together requires effort, just as living well together requires effort.

Other events during the trip included the St. Edward choir joining other American choirs to sing in the Mass of Nations at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Dec. 29, 2023.

The highlight of the trip was attendance and participation in a papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on Jan. 1 in St. Peter’s Basilica. The group also explored the ruins of Ancient Rome, took a private Vatican Museum tour, and celebrated the New Year in Rome. Choir members and their families also saw Pope Francis and heard him speak during their rehearsal in the Paul VI Hall.

On March 2, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart will host the 2024 Pueri Cantores Houston Youth Choral Festival and Mass, celebrated by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, according to www.pcchoirs.org. †

8 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD EDUCATION

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY FOR CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • JANUARY 9, 2024

TALENT ON TOUR

Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Government requirements fulfilling Non-Discriminatory Compliance are published annually in January in the Texas Catholic Herald. This notice suffices for schools whose student population is at least 75% Catholic during the preceding three years. Schools that do not meet the three year, 75% test have to advertise in media (print or broadcast) of general circulation.

The Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston admits students of any race to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to the student body. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color and national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs and athletic and other school administered programs. (POLICY: 652.1)

THIS POLICY APPLIES TO ALL CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF GALVESTON-HOUSTON

— ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS — HARRIS COUNTY – Houston 2022 DSF_14x4.625_generic final.pdf 1 1/10/22

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Conroe Catholic school choir performs at Kennedy Center in D.C. CONROE — Sacred Heart Catholic School’s choir recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to perform with the Annie Moses Band in concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Led by Music Director Chris Nolin, the fourth- through eighth-grade choir joined the Annie Moses Band on stage Nov. 6 to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary by performing “Under the Tree of Life” narrated live by Jim Caviezel (actor, “Passion of the Christ,” “Sound of Freedom”). The evening also included a special appearance by country artist Clay Walker.

For the Sacred Heart choir students, the opportunity to perform at one of the world’s most prestigious performing arts venues and collaborate with a Grammy-nominated ensemble was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, according to school officials.

“To stand on the stage where so many famous musicians, dancers and actors have performed was absolutely thrilling for our students,” Nolin said. “Sharing the stage with

the Annie Moses Band was an honor, and our students were able to see that their hard work and dedication to their craft could lead to amazing opportunities.”

The Annie Moses Band is an acclaimed classical crossover string and vocal band known for its fusion of musical styles and high-energy performances that has released more than 15 albums and performed on stages around the world.

In addition to the performance, the choir toured many of the historic monuments and museums in Washington D.C. For most students, it was their first visit to the nation’s capital, making the trip both an educational and inspirational experience.

“Nolin’s dedication to our students and the future of the arts education at Sacred Heart has been a true gift to our community,” said Deb Brown, Sacred Heart Catholic School principal. “He has led the transformation and growth of our arts department, and we were delighted to see our program given this moment in the spotlight.” †

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The choir at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Conroe traveled to Washington, D.C., to perform with the Annie Moses Band in concert on Nov. 6 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The students were accompanied by Music Director Chris Nolin, far right, and Susan Carroll, far left, EnglishLanguage Arts teacher.

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JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

COLUMNISTS Christmas and the cross I hope and pray that you had a blessed Advent and Christmas season.

Over the past few weeks, we have spent time preparing our homes with decorations, exchanging gifts with loved ones, perhaps making a New Year’s resolution, and spiritually developing our hearts for the coming of the Lord. As the season passes, the tree is put away, the candles of the Advent wreath extinguished, and the Christmas songs fade from the radio — we ask the questions, “What now? Where do we go from here?”

We can also consider this from a spiritual standpoint. In asking this in my own prayer, the Lord placed on my heart the connection between Christmas and Easter. As Catholics, we believe that Easter is the most important feast in the life of the Church. This is because of the astounding power and gift of the resurrection. Yet, there is no cross without Christmas. Obviously, God could have chosen any method He desired to redeem the world, but in the Christian faith story, the journey to the cross begins with the incarnation at

Christmas. Without Jesus becoming human, the cross would have no effect. What have we been celebrating at Christmas? The fact that Jesus came to earth to teach us about God, to be a model for us to by follow, to establish a Church for us to access MATT Him and ultimately to KIERNAN offer His life on the cross for our salvation.

This connection between Christmas and the cross is found in our Liturgy as well. There is a practice that during the Mass on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, after the proclamation of the Gospel a deacon or cantor announces from the ambo all the moveable feasts for the upcoming year. As the Christmas season comes to its conclusion, the Church, in her wisdom, helps us to orient ourselves to what is coming next.

In doing so, we are urged not to lose momentum but to purposefully ensure our continued faith growth. The cantor

or deacon shares the date of Ash Wednesday, Easter, the feast of the Ascension, Pentecost, Corpus Christi and the first Sunday of Advent.

As Catholics, we are liturgical people, guided by our celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice in such a way that it helps us to enter the mystery that is the very heart of God. There is a principle in theology called anamnesis, which is a type of ritual memory that does not merely recall something that has happened but does so in a way that a past event becomes present here and now. From this perspective, we hear the words of consecration as if we are sitting at the table during the Last Supper, watching Jesus offer the bread and wine that have become His body and blood.

Following this principle, we also can enter into the story unfolding throughout the year — gazing upon the newborn baby Jesus in the manger, hearing the beatitudes during the sermon on the mount, sitting with the Lord during His agony, standing at the foot of the cross as He breathes His last, and discovering the empty tomb when He is raised from

“As the Christmas season comes to its conclusion, the Church, in her wisdom, helps us to orient ourselves to what is coming next. ” the dead.

During this new calendar year, I invite you to reflect on the joy we have received this Christmas. What difference does this make in your life? I pray this authentic joy that comes with the birth of the savior may reach its full effect by recognizing its place in the larger story of faith as we move from Christmas to the cross and everything in between. † Matt Kiernan is an associate director for Sacrament Preparation in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.

New Year, new perspective “He is with us” may seem like a basic concept of Christianity, but it is essential to the understanding of faith. As we encounter difficult times, the hardships overwhelm us. Our struggles surface emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The youth of Special Youth Services (SYS) are amidst these experiences every day. We have all experienced these feelings at one point or another. For many of us, it is our faith that guides us.

“Footprints in the Sand” provides a beautiful allegory of walking with God through our human journey.

The obstacles placed in front of these young people would find many adults overwhelmed. Yet, these youth are resilient and open to the light and love of God. Young people have a remarkable gift of being able to know God without intimately knowing Him. It is usually in our adulthood that we truly begin to know Him. SYS provides an opportunity for those “in the free” to share and model their faith by sharing in another person’s experience. When we visit those on the margins, we are invited into a sacred space where the Holy Spirit does His mighty work. Our volunteers are gifted with seeing the face of Christ through the children.

Many viewing the ministry from afar may see adults ministering to kids, but we minister with them. “With” is the

correct word. When we open the Word and explore it with the youth, it offers us new understanding, perspective and compassion. These experiences are often followed by a youth by stating, “I’ve never FRANCHELLE thought about it like that before.”When I LEE hear this, it always catches my attention and prompts me to listen more intently. Their fresh perspective is where our religious study and spiritual implementation meet.

In much of our religious study, we learn things that expand our consciousness, provide insight into our minds, express our inner thoughts, or provide understanding in ways that transform our very being. Our academic understanding assists us in maintaining and nurturing our spiritual lives.

Fortunately, life events distract us from our connection to the spiritual, to one another, to Him. I say fortunately because these hardships can also be an opportunity for introspective growth and to learn from our little brothers and sisters by saying, “I’ve never thought about it like that before.”

In this new year, I would invite you to

seek where God is calling you to serve and consider serving with SYS. There are many opportunities with SYS to assist you in discerning your call. For example, the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition offers foundational training.

The program offers different tracks for those called to minister to the detained and imprisoned. Participants are guided through videos and reflection questions,

allowing opportunities for discernment, faith sharing and empirical realities of this type of service.

Those who experience the training have often responded, “I’ve never thought about it like that before.” † Franchelle Lee is the director of Special Youth Services.

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JANUARY 14

First Reading: 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2, 4, 7-10

Second Reading: 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20

Gospel: Jn 1:35-42

JANUARY 21

First Reading: Jon 3:1-5, 10

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 25:4-9

Second Reading: 1 Cor 7:29-31

Gospel: Mk 1:14-20

10 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD COLUMNISTS

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • JANUARY 9, 2024

The sign of faith and Baptism: My discovery My dear mother taught my siblings and me all of our basic prayers, and the first I learned from her was making the Sign of the Cross. It is probably the most repetitive of prayers in our faith and can, at times, be overlooked or perhaps rushed through so that we can get to the activity, meal or in the pew as we take our seat during Mass. As we recall the celebration of the Lord Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan River by John let’s take a moment and contemplate our Baptism and the sign of our faith.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate the simplicity and power of the Sign of the Cross as prayer, and I often encourage college students I encounter to take a moment and consciously focus on the words as they say them. I also, as a personal reflection, close my eyes, bow my head, contemplate and recite the words. I often ask students the question, do you remember your Baptism, or do you remember your parents or padrinos (Godparents) sharing pictures or stories about that day? What about the

day you learned the Sign of the Cross?

What I have discovered is that these questions help to open students to deeply personal conversations, and it allows me, as a campus by minister, to connect the story of salvation to their lives.

DORIS Do you know the BARROW III date of your Baptism or when you learned to make the Sign of the Cross for the first time? We all know our birthdays, work, weddings and ordination anniversaries, but what about the day you were baptized? I discovered the date of my Baptism when I requested sacramental records from the parish of my childhood a few years ago. In 1974, on Dec. 8, I was baptized on a Sunday. This past year, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I celebrated my Baptism.

The celebration was personal and private, but I made time to think about my life and how it all began many years ago. In 2024, Dec. 8 is on a Sunday, the actual day of the week I was baptized by Father Anthony Frommholz, C.S.Sp. — may he rest in peace. I share the story of my baptismal discovery as a prompt for starting 2024 with an additional resolution.

Perhaps you already know the day you were baptized and remember when you learned to make the Sign of the Cross. If you do not, try to locate that baptismal certificate. What is the date?

What about the name of the bishop, priest or deacon who administered the Sacrament? Was it a parent, grandparent or catechist who taught you your first prayers? I pray that what you discover in your search will strengthen you as a disciple of Jesus Christ as you begin a new year.

The last thing I recall my mother doing in the final hours of her earthly life was making the Sign of the Cross.

“We all know our birthdays, work, weddings and ordination anniversaries... but what about the day you were baptized?”

The priest visiting her asked her if she could do it, and with every bit of strength left, she signed herself. It was at that moment, once again, that I remembered it was the first prayer she taught me and how grateful I was for her and my dad having me baptized. † Doris M. Barrow III is the campus minister of the Newman Center at Texas Southern University in the Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry.

The Sisters in the Spirit of Houston forms closer relationships with Christ If you have had the pleasure of attending one of the many beautiful Archdiocesan Masses and or events at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and come across a group of African American women elegantly dressed in black adorned with red scarves, serving as greeters for an event, then you have come across members of the Sisters in the Spirit of Houston. The 23-year-old organization began with 54 women in July 2001 as a prayer and service ministry of the Office of African American Ministries in the diocese.

The Sisters in the Spirit of Houston was founded in 2001 at the National Gathering of Black Catholic Women, hosted by the National Black Sisters Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

At the invitation of the conference, the office of African American ministries at the time, headed by the late Monsignor Patrick Wells, invited African American women throughout the parishes of the

diocese to make a presence to participate in the conference. As a result of the conference, the women who attended officially called themselves “Sisters in the Spirit.”

The Sisters in the by Spirit of Houston Inc. is a 501c3 non-profit FATHER organization registered REGINALD in the State of Texas.

SAMUELS Current membership includes 204 women from 26 parishes across the Archdiocese. Members serve in ministry in their parishes and throughout the Archdiocese in various departments and offices, including the Office of Worship, the Office of Aging, and the Office of the Vicar for Catholics of African Descent.

Sisters in the Spirit of Houston

Saturday, Feb. 10

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF CATHOLICS OF AFRICAN DESCENT

Pictured with Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, The Sisters in the Spirit of Houston is a non-profit organization that serves in parish ministries and throughout the Archdiocese in various departments and offices.

supports organizations, including Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans, Catholic Charities, Angels Surviving Cancer, Galveston-Houston Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women and others.

Current president, Carolyne Mbong, said that the goals of the Sisters in the Spirit of Houston include providing opportunities for members to form closer relationships with Christ through retreats, prayer partnerships and independent studies, and expanding service in the Archdiocese through community outreach projects.

One of the ongoing principal projects of the organization is to advance the cause for the canonization of Mother Henriette DeLille.

In 1988, the cause for the canonization of Henriette DeLille, foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family, was opened, and in 2010, Mother

DeLille was honored with the title Venerable Henriette DeLille. The Sisters In the Spirit of Houston has taken it upon itself to educate and share the story of Mother Henriette DeLille and the Sisters of the Holy Family and praying on behalf of Mother DeLille’s canonization.

The Sisters In the Spirit of Houston continue to prayerfully and financially support the Sisters of the Holy Family.

To learn more about the Sisters in the Spirit of Houston, visit the website at www.sistersinthespiritofhouston.org, and listen to “In His Light Podcast with Father Reginald Samuels” on Spotify or Apple podcast. † Father Reginald Samuels is the vicar of Catholics of African Descent and pastor of St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park.

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JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

WORLD

‘We have nothing except our Church — faith is stronger than war,’ says young Gaza Christian JERUSALEM (OSV News) — The world has become very small and dangerous for the 600 Palestinian Gaza Christians sheltering at the Holy Family Parish church compound in Gaza City almost since the start of the IsraeliHamas war on Oct. 7, 2023.

OSV News approached the young people of the parish through lay leader George Anton and parish priest Argentine Father Gabriel Romanelli to write and tell about their life now in the midst of war.

The Holy Family church compound, along with the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius, is located in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, where at the beginning of the war, the Israeli military asked Palestinian Gaza civilians to flee to the south to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Eighteen people were killed early in the war in the St. Porphyrius compound when Israel bombed a building next to the church. Fierce fighting has taken place in the area near the church in the past few days, and two women — both parishioners — were killed and seven others wounded by sniper fire on Dec. 16, 2023.

According to parish priest Father Romanelli, who found himself stuck in Jerusalem when the war broke out, there are 1,017 Christians now living in Gaza, of whom 135 are Catholic.

Father Youssef Asaad, an assistant priest, has been ministering to Holy

Family Parish in Father Romanelli’s absence. In addition to two Rosary Sisters, including the principal of the Rosary Sisters School, Sister Nabila Saleh, who also have stayed with the community, two religious missionaries of the Family of the Incarnate Word and twin sisters María del Pilar and María del Perpetuo Socorro Llerena Vargas from Peru have remained in Gaza.

Some members of the Christian community with foreign passports were able to leave through Egypt when the Rafah crossing was opened briefly to foreign residents of the Gaza Strip.

Asked whether OSV News could hear from young people of the Holy Family Parish, Anton and Father Romanelli warned that it was doubtful that anyone would be up for writing about the traumatic time they were living through right now.

However, one young man, Suhail Abu Dawod, responded and sent a letter that he titled “Our Tragedy Daily Life During the War.” Abu Dawod describes the struggle of his daily life, his fear and panic as he guards the compound at night with other young men of the community, and also his unwavering faith in God because, he says at the end of his letter, “Faith is stronger than war.”

The letter was written before the shooting and tank attack on the Holy Family Parish church compound on Dec. 16. †

OSV NEWS PHOTO

A clergyman is pictured in a file photo carrying the monstrance during a Eucharistic procession outside Holy Family Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip. Following a series of attacks on Christians in Gaza by Israeli forces Dec. 16, 2023, including the killing of a mother and daughter at the parish, the Israeli Defense Forces denied claims that it targeted civilians in the Catholic parish.

Feed a hungry family for just $10 per month

IN BRIEF One year after death, everyday collaborators of Pope Benedict XVI remember the late pontiff ROME (OSV News) — On Dec. 31, 2022, the Catholic world stopped as Pope Benedict XVI passed away on the last day of the year, leaving behind an enormous theological legacy. But OSV News asked everyday collaborators to share memories of the late pontiff, remembering a man full of charm, kindness and humor.

From the printing house worker, personal doctor, to the operator of the lift in the Apostolic Palace and head of Vatican Gendermerie, Pope Benedict’s election was a natural continuation of the long pontificate of the Polish pope, St. John Paul II. “I had known him for over 20 years, and yet that meeting when I saw him leaving the Sistine Chapel in the white cassock made a great impression on me. I remember his eyes ... blue, sparkling, as if a new spirit had entered him,” recalled engineer Paolo Sagretti, who was head of the Vatican’s Floreria — in charge of furnishing Vatican offices and apartments.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger’s days were perfectly organized, people close to him said. He divided his workdays between office work, meetings and prayer time, but also did not forget about taking care of his physical condition. Every day he would take a walk in the Vatican gardens. “Even when he had a cold, he never gave up, walking outside and praying the Rosary belonged to his routine,” Patrizio Polisca, the pope’s personal doctor said. †

‘Listening is act of love,’ says papal message to European youths in Slovenia VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Christian community and society need young people to live out their dreams of a world where people listen to one another, accept each other and build bridges with members of different cultures and religions, Pope Francis told young Europeans meeting to “pray in” the new year.

“Make your dreams of love, justice and peace a concrete reality, starting with yourselves,” said the papal message sent by Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, to the thousands of young people meeting and praying with the Taize community in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Dec. 28, 2023, to Jan. 1.

“Dear friends, we live in a world full of noise, where the values of silence and listening are stifled,” the message said. “In this context, I invite you to rediscover the profound dimension of listening. Listening is an act of love. It lies at the heart of trust. Without listening, little can grow or develop. Listening gives the other person the space to exist.” †

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NATION

First woman named to key Philadelphia archdiocesan post inspired by faith of other women (OSV News) — As Pope Francis seeks to include more women in key Church leadership positions, a Catholic social worker has been named to a pioneering post for women in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia — and a number of women have inspired that historic journey, she told OSV News.

Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia announced on Dec. 1 the appointment of Heather Huot as that archdiocese’s secretary for Catholic Human Services (CHS), overseeing three agencies — Catholic Social Services, Catholic Housing and Community Services, and Nutritional Development Services — that combine to form the largest faith-based human services provider in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Huot, who took over on Jan. 1 for retiring longtime secretary James Amato, is the first woman in the archdiocese’s history to hold the position. She will supervise some 1,800 staff operating a broad range of programs across a five-county area that address poverty, homelessness, hunger, family and

pregnancy support, and the needs of refugees, immigrants, seniors and those with intellectual disabilities.

The CHS team represents “an incredible number of people who are every day fulfilling the Gospel and putting those works of mercy out there in real life every day,” said Huot, who has worked for the secretariat for the past 18 years, most recently as director of its Housing and Community Services division, known for its nationally acclaimed model for converting unused church buildings into affordable senior housing.

Along with her experience and education — she holds both a licensure and a master’s degree in social work — the 45-year-old Huot brings to her new role a profound faith, one that has been nurtured in particular by the women in her life, her mother foremost among them.

“My father was not Catholic when my parents were married, and it was really my mother’s commitment to her faith that got us to where we are now,” said Huot, who grew up in St. Matthew Parish in Philadelphia. “(She) was adamant that

we were going to church every Sunday — “who had given up their whole careers as a family, and my dad was part of that, to live and work at the inn,” Huot said. whether he was Catholic or not. Every “That is the year where the faith Sunday, all five of us were sitting in the became my faith, not just the faith that front pew at the 10 a.m. Mass.” was given to me by someone else,” she Her mother’s dedication proved to be said. “And with that, I felt like I needed transformative: Huot’s father converted to be out there doing more with the to Catholicism, and in 2001, he was homeless; I needed to figure out what ordained a permanent deacon. was the next step for me.”

“As a first grader, I saw my dad get That step led her to becoming a case baptized and become part of the Church, worker and later administrator at Women which was … a very amazing of Hope, an archdiocesan moment,” Huot said. “It’s really residence in downtown my mother’s faith that I really Philadelphia providing longsee as the foundation of my term housing and care for whole family’s trajectory in our previously homeless women faith lives. … I don’t think any experiencing chronic mental of us would be where we are illness. today without that at the start.”

“I was the only laywoman.

Inspired by her oldest sister, All the rest of the staff at who has intellectual disabilities, that time were Sisters of Huot completed undergraduate Mercy,” Huot said. “They were HEATHER studies in elementary and incredible women. I really feel HUOT special education as well like I learned their charism of as theology and planned to enter the hospitality. I learned how to really just be teaching profession — until a gap year with and listen to people.” spent as a Franciscan volunteer “turned Huot said she was struck by the my plan on its head” she said. tender, diligent ministry of the sisters, Working at St. Francis Inn — a who would “plan these beautiful prayers ministry in Philadelphia’s Kensington for Christmas and Good Friday. And it neighborhood, which has long been was just part of our everyday work, their plagued by addiction and homelessness charism of mercy and love. I’ve tried to — Huot experienced a profound sense carry that through as I’ve progressed of mission, one reinforced by the women to other roles in social services. … who aided the Franciscan friars: “a core They really taught me so much, both group of sisters” and two laywomen — one professionally and spiritually. And I a lawyer, the other a business professional really feel so indebted to them.” †

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord UPCOMING DATES Ash Wednesday Wednesday, February 14 First Sunday of Lent Sunday, February 18 Solemnity of St. Joseph Tuesday, March 19 Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Sunday, March 28

www.archgh.org

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JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

MUNDO CATÓLICO

‘No tenemos nada excepto nuestra iglesia: la fe es más fuerte que la guerra’, dice un joven cristiano de Gaza JERUSALÉN (OSV News) — El mundo se ha vuelto muy pequeño y peligroso para los 600 cristianos palestinos de Gaza que se refugian en el recinto parroquial de la iglesia de la Sagrada Familia en la ciudad de Gaza casi desde el inicio de la guerra entre Israel y Hamás el 7 de octubre del 2023.

OSV News contactó a los jóvenes de la parroquia a través del líder laico George Anton y el párroco, el padre argentino Gabriel Romanelli, para escribir y contar sobre su vida ahora en medio de la guerra.

El recinto de la Parroquia de la Sagrada Familia, junto con la Iglesia Ortodoxa Griega de San Porfirio, están ubicados en la ciudad de Gaza, en el norte de la Franja de Gaza, donde al comienzo de la guerra el ejército israelí pidió a los civiles palestinos de Gaza que huyeran hacia el sur para evitar quedar atrapados en el fuego cruzado.

Dieciocho personas murieron al comienzo de la guerra en el complejo de San Porfirio cuando Israel bombardeó un edificio al lado de la iglesia. En los últimos días se han producido feroces combates en la zona cercana a la iglesia, y dos mujeres, ambas feligreses, murieron y otras siete resultaron heridas por disparos de francotiradores el 16 de diciembre del 2023.

Según el párroco, el padre Romanelli, que se encontraba atrapado en Jerusalén cuando estalló la guerra, actualmente viven en Gaza 1.017 cristianos, de los cuales 135 son católicos.

El padre Youssef Asaad, sacerdote

asistente, ha estado ministrando en la parroquia de la Sagrada Familia en ausencia del padre Romanelli. Además de dos Hermanas del Rosario, entre ellas la directora del Colegio Hermanas del Rosario, Sor Nabila Saleh, quienes también han permanecido en la comunidad, dos religiosas misioneras de la Familia del Verbo Encarnado y las hermanas gemelas María Socorro Llerena Vargas de Perú se han quedado en Gaza.

Algunos miembros de la comunidad cristiana con pasaportes extranjeros pudieron salir a través de Egipto cuando el cruce de Rafah se abrió brevemente a los residentes extranjeros en la Franja de Gaza.

Cuando se les preguntó si OSV News podía escuchar a los jóvenes de la parroquia de la Sagrada Familia, Anton y el padre Romanelli advirtieron que era dudoso que alguien estuviera dispuesto a escribir sobre el momento traumático que estaban viviendo en este momento.

Sin embargo, un joven, Suhail Abu Dawod, respondió y envió una carta que tituló “Nuestra tragedia diaria durante la guerra”. Abu Dawod describe la lucha de su vida diaria, su miedo y pánico mientras vigila el recinto por la noche con otros jóvenes de la comunidad, y también su fe inquebrantable en Dios, porque, dice al final de su carta, “la fe es más fuerte que la guerra”.

La carta fue escrita antes del tiroteo y el ataque con tanques al recinto de la iglesia parroquial de la Sagrada Familia el 16 de diciembre. †

EN BREVE Colaboradores cotidianos de Benedicto XVI recuerdan al fallecido pontífice

ROMA (OSV News) — El 31 de diciembre del 2022, el mundo católico se detuvo al fallecer el Papa Benedicto XVI en el último día del año, dejando tras de sí un enorme legado teológico. OSV News pidió a los colaboradores cotidianos que compartieran sus recuerdos del difunto pontífice, recordando a un hombre lleno de encanto, amabilidad y humor.

Desde el trabajador de la imprenta, el médico personal, hasta el operador del ascensor del Palacio Apostólico y jefe de la gendarmería vaticana, la elección del Papa Benedicto fue una continuación natural del largo pontificado del papa polaco, San Juan Pablo II. “Le conocía desde hacía más de 20 años, pero aquel encuentro, cuando le vi salir de la Capilla Sixtina con la sotana blanca, me causó una gran impresión. Recuerdo sus ojos... azules, brillantes, como si un nuevo espíritu hubiera entrado en él”, recuerda el ingeniero Paolo Sagretti, que fue director de ‘Floreria Apostolica’ en el Vaticano, la oficina encargada de amueblar las oficinas y apartamentos vaticanos.

Los días del cardenal Joseph Ratzinger estaban perfectamente organizados, afirman sus allegados. Dividía su jornada laboral entre el trabajo de oficina, las reuniones y el tiempo de oración, pero tampoco se olvidaba de cuidar su condición física. Todos los días daba un paseo por los jardines vaticanos. †

APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DEL CLERO En un continuo esfuerzo por facilitar atención pastoral a las victimas de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, el Cardenal DiNardo gustaría recordar a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis la disponibilidad del Coordinador de Ayuda a Víctimas. Si alguien ha sido victim de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, se les anima llamar a la Diane Vines al 713-654-5799. Por favor rece por la sanación de las víctimas del abuso y por todos los que sufren de alguna manera.

FOTO OSV NEWS/ CORTESÍA DEL PADRE RIFAT BADER, PATRIARCADO LATINO DE JERUSALÉN

Un modesto nacimiento en la Iglesia de la Sagrada Familia de la ciudad de Gaza, la única iglesia católica de la Franja de Gaza, en esta foto sin fecha. En medio del bombardeo de la Franja de Gaza por parte del ejército israelí, que comenzó el 7 de octubre de 2023 y continúa — a pesar de la temporada navideña — los clérigos cristianos del Medio Oriente denunciaron los ataques contra los cada vez más escasos miembros de su comunidad.

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WITHIN THE ARTS

Legendary Irish Catholic singer reflects on role of faith in music (OSV News) — Legendary Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell readily admits that he doesn’t write many songs. But two that he has written came to him almost as inspired works when he was on pilgrimage in 2002.

“When I went to Medjugorje, I didn’t intend to write songs,” O’Donnell told OSV News in a recent interview. “I just felt I wanted to go.”

However, while he was in the town in Bosnia and Herzegovina — which, despite being an unapproved Marian apparition site, welcomes millions of pilgrims a year — O’Donnell wrote a hymn about the Blessed Mother, titled “Sweet Queen of Peace,” which he said he “felt very compelled to write.” “I felt drawn up the mountain and wanted to sing ‘Sweet Queen of Peace,’” O’Donnell said.

He also wrote “When Darkness Falls,” a hymn in praise of the crucified Lord and trust in providence. Ascending the very rugged terrain in Medjugorje, O’Donnell recalled having a walking stick in one hand and a flashlight in the other. He looked up into the darkness of the sky, saw the stars, and remembered thinking what would become the song’s opening lyrics: “When darkness falls, I feel you close to me.” He didn’t have a free hand to write that evening but pledged to put it to paper when he returned home. He did.

And recorded it.

Born the youngest of five children, O’Donnell grew up in a small sea town

OSV NEWS

Irish Catholic singer Daniel O’Donnell performs at the Blue Gate Perfoming Arts Center in Shipshewana, Ind., during his recent U.S. tour.

in County Donegal in northwest Ireland.

Although he considered a career in accounting, O’Donnell began his music career in 1980, getting his start with his sister Margo, who was by then a famous musician in Ireland. About a decade later,

after a run of sold-out shows, O’Donnell was hit with exhaustion.

He recalled in his 2017 memoir “Living the Dream” that “when I faced an uncertain future, I started to seek solace through my faith. And I began to think: Well, maybe there’s something else He wants me to do. … I’m very pleased that He didn’t want me to do something else.” By the mid-1990s, O’Donnell was a household name throughout the U.K. Now at 62, O’Donnell shows no signs of slowing down. He appeared on the U.K. music charts earlier this year for an unprecedented 35th year in a row, this time for his latest album “How Lucky I Must Be.” One of Ireland’s most beloved singers, O’Donnell has garnered a substantial American audience as well. His PBS specials first appeared in American living rooms over two decades ago, and he now has a weekly television program on satellite and cable via RFD-TV. On Dec. 15, he wrapped up a monthlong tour of the U.S., where he held concerts in the Northeast and Florida, as well as a string of performances in both Branson, Missouri, and Shipshewana, Indiana.

His music is mostly secular country and pop, with Christian mixed in. Irish music, O’Donnell tells his audience, often tells a story and is related to American country music, and he considers the genre

his favorite. His most recent tour included many religious Christmas carols, but also standards such as “Footsteps,” about the Lord’s presence in our lives, and his take on the Rastafarian ballad “By the Rivers of Babylon” about the Hebrew exile as recounted in psalms 19 and 137.

O’Donnell doesn’t wear his faith on his sleeve, though. “I’m not in the world telling people what they should do, and I don’t judge people at all because we never know how anybody’s life is,” he said. However, his strong Catholic roots have shaped and informed his work throughout a successful career.

An intentionally strong sense of family comes across for O’Donnell’s audience, which he called “just an Irish thing.” Concertgoers have no doubt how much the star loved his late mother or how devoted he is to his wife of 22 years, Majella, or their children (Majella’s from a previous marriage) and three grandchildren.

O’Donnell is known for his great connection with his audience. After his concerts, he takes the time to meet and greet those who come to hear him perform — many of whom he has gotten to know over the years. “I always say a show doesn’t change the difficulties that anybody might have in their lives, but it might diminish it for a period. Lots of people say music is a comfort. But that’d be true of a lot of singers, not just me.”

In 2024, O’Donnell is scheduled to return to North America for 10 days beginning at the end of May. He will have more concerts in the U.S. in the fall. †

IN BRIEF St. Joseph to host Theology of the Body, art event on Feb. 6

HOUSTON — Catholics across the Archdiocese who are interested in theology and sacred art are invited to explore the meaning of the body and the Eucharist through art with Catholic artist and sacred art painter Kate Capato, who will present on Theology of the Body and the Eucharist.

She will showcase her original paintings for a full immersive experience at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at St. Joseph Parish, located at 1505 Kane St. in Houston. The evening will include a time of Eucharistic Adoration and visio divino prayer, accompanied by live music from Capato's husband, Pawel Machura.

For more information, visit saintjoseph.org or call 713-222-6193. †

MOVIE RATINGS By OSV 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 reminds 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 713-654-5799. Please keep in daily prayers the healing of victims of abuse and all who suffer in any way.

A-I – SUITABLE FOR ALL • Migration (PG) • Wish (PG) A-II – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN • Trolls Band Together (PG) A-III – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (PG-13)

► For more full movie reviews online, visit www.osvnews.com/category/reviews

• Freud’s Last Session (PG-13) • Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (NR) • The Boys in the Boat (PG-13) • The Holdovers (R) • The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (PG-13) • The Marvels (PG-13) • Wonka (PG)

L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE • May December (R) • Napoleon (R) • The Color Purple (PG-13) • The Iron Claw (R) O – MORALLY OFFENSIVE • Anyone But You (R) • Silent Night (R) • Thanksgiving (R)

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JANUARY 9, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE ► FOR SUBMISSION DETAILS AND MORE LISTINGS, VISIT WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

FEB. 17-18

CARDINAL DINARDO CELEBRATES SIMBANG GABI MASS

VINTAGE MARKET, Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., St. Anne (2140 Westheimer Rd., Houston). Household goods, collectibles, furniture, sports equipment, books, jewelry and more. Free. 713-526-3276; saintanne.org/news-events/596-vintage-values.

JAN. 14

TURKEY DINNER, 11 a.m., Holy Rosary Cafeteria (1416 George St., Rosenberg). CDA Court Holy Rosary No. 1476 host dinner with turkey, dressing, green beans, potatoes and cranberry sauce. Cost: $15. Drive-thru available on Allen Street at 10:30 a.m.

PARISH LENTEN MISSION, Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston).

Embracing Lent’s call to prayer, fasting and almsgiving with the Sisters of Life. Saturday, in English, 2 p.m. Mission, 5 p.m. Mass; Sunday, in Spanish, 9 a.m. Mission, 1 p.m. Mass; Sunday, in Vietnamese, 9 a.m. Mass, 10:30 a.m. Mission. sacredhearthouston.org/lent.

JAN. 15

HUMAN TRAFFICKING NIGHT OF AWARENESS, 6 p.m., Christ the Redeemer (11507 Huffmeister Rd., Houston). Panel of speakers raise awareness about human trafficking, turning advocacy into action. Free. 281-469-5533; kerry.chu@ctrcc. com; streetgrace.org.

PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

JAN. 17

SPEAKER, 9:30 a.m., Mary Queen (606 Cedarwood Dr., Friendswood). Bay Area Deanery Council of Catholic Women host ChristyAnne Collins with raffle and diaper drive to assist Bay Area deanery Gabriel Projects.

Bring diaper sizes 3, 4 and 5 and toiletries.

JAN. 19

SUPER BINGO, 7 to 11 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi (5102 Dabney St., Houston). Ten games. Cost: Tickets $20 presale; $25 at the door. elizabethkindle01@gmail.com; stfrancisofhouston.org.

JAN. 21

WORKSHOP, 2 to 4 p.m. Sundays, Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). “Success: Full Living” (SFL) six-week workshop (through March 3) on life skills with lectures, meditation, music, exercise, goal and life planning in small groups. Cost: $175 per person, $30 for SFL graduate. You must attend all six sessions to receive certificate. info@ emmausspiritualitycenter.com; 281-241-9678; emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

JAN. 26-27

AGING CONFERENCE, Friday and Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Prince of Peace - St. Andrew Discipleship Center (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston). Office of Aging hosts “Nurturing The Roots of Our Communal Tree: A Catholic Conference to Honor and Support Aging,” a two-day event with presentations and vendors that support pastoral and practical care for families with older adults. Friday’s sessions are geared for parish leaders; Saturday is for older adults and family members. View agenda and register at archgh.org/aging.

FEB. 1

MEMORIAL MASS, 7 p.m., Prince of Peace (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston). Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court of the Holy Family #2597 host the annual St. Gianna’s Hope Memorial Mass for Infant Loss to honor and pray with families who have lost infant children or miscarried. Bring diapers, pullups, diaper wipes or formula to benefit Mercy Ministry. 281-3810309; maryjalbert@sbcglobal.net.

FEB. 1-3

FEB. 23-25

GARAGE SALE, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, St.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo speaks to the congregation during the 2023 Simbang Gabi Culmination Mass on Dec. 22 at Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church in The Woodlands. More than 1,000 attended the conclusion of Simbang Gabi, a beloved tradition of Filipino Catholics in Houston and abroad. In his homily, Cardinal DiNardo encouraged Filipino Catholics, many who work in healing ministries in healthcare professions in greater Houston and said, "In these final days of Advent, stay close to the Lord Jesus by making the Magnificat of [His] mother your prayer." More than 30 parishes hosted a Simbang Gabi Mass, with at least four hosting daily Masses for the Novena.

Ignatius of Loyola (7810 Cypresswood Dr., Spring). Garage sale with furniture, household items, clothing, jewelry, baby items, toys, books and more. Early bird pre-sale ($25 per person) Wednesday, Jan. 31, 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday is free. Rain or shine. garagesale@silcc. org; ignatiusloyola.org/garage-sale.

FEB. 4

WORLD DAY FOR CONSECRATED LIFE, 11 a.m., CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston). Daniel Cardinal DiNardo is celebrant. Mass expresses gratitude for the gift of consecrated life and to pray for and with consecrated men and women religious.

ACTS RETREAT, Christian Renewal Center (1515 Hughes Rd., Dickinson). St. Hyacinth’s Men’s ACTS host a retreat focuses on entering into a new or deeper relationship with the Lord. juanm_dp@hotmail.com.

CURSILLO, 9 a.m., Our Lady of Lavang (12320 Old Foltin Rd., Houston). Latino, Vietnamese and English Cursillo communities host Cursillo’s Grand Ultreya. Event begins with 9 a.m. Mass.

WOMEN'S CONFERENCE, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., St. Michael the Archangel (1801 Sage Rd., Houston). Houston Catholic Women’s Conference features keynote speaker Kathleen Beckman, Mass, confession and fellowship with other Catholic women from Houston. Cost: $55; after Feb. 8, $60. $70 at the door, includes lunch. Register: houstoncwc.net. 281-948-6256; houstoncwc01@gmail.com.

••• To find additional listings online, visit the website at WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

FEB. 10

HEART OF WORSHIP, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., St. Laurence (3100 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land). Conference with talks on the Eucharist by speakers Patty Schneier and Father David Michael Moses, praise and worship, dinner, Mass and Adoration. Catered dinner from Carrabba’s. Registration open to age 12 and older. Cost: $30 early bird registration by Jan. 22, $50 after. sehrenkranz@stlaurence.org; stlaurence.org/how.

DINNER & DANCE, 6 p.m., St. Anne (1122 South Cherry St., Tomball). Knights of Columbus host dinner and dance with catered meal, music and auction. Proceeds benefit religious vocations. Cost: $50 per person. 346-645-3100, kc-11472.org.

FEB. 11

SPAGHETTI DINNER AND FUNDRAISER, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Guardian Angel (5610 Demel St., Wallis).

CDA Court #1538 host spaghetti dinner with meat sauce, salad, green beans, garlic bread and dessert. Event includes raffle, live and silent auction. Cost: $12 for meal; donation for desserts, raffle tickets $1. 281-224-0477; annamull66@att.net.

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston 39th Observance of the Annual Celebration

"A Mass of Remembrance" Honoring the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Parkway Houston, Texas 77002

SUNDAY AFTERNOON January 14, 2024

SUBMIT EVENTS FOR AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE Around the Archdiocese

FEB. 24

FEB. 15-18

FEB. 17

WEEKEND RETREAT, 5 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m.

Sunday, Mother of Perpetual Help Retreat Center (3417 W. Little York, Houston). Marian Servants of the Incarnate Wisdom present “Healing Through the Power of Jesus Christ” with Father Greg Bramlage, founder of the Missionaries of the New Evangelization. Cost: $250 per person. info@marianservantshouston.org.

E-mail event details to tch@archgh.org for possible inclusion in the Around the Archdiocese calendar or scan the QR code and fill out the form online at www.archgh.org/ata. While there is no charge for listings, space is limited.

Most Rev. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo Archbishop

PRINCIPAL CELEBRANT

3:00PM Reception to Follow in the Cathedral Centre.

Rev. Martins C. Emeh, J.C.L. Pastor, Saint Monica Parish

HOMILIST

16 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • JANUARY 9, 2024

THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS

A guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation When was the last time you went to confession? Has it been a while? Perhaps the New Year is a good time to go back...

The Sacrament of Penance, also known as reconciliation or confession, may seem intimidating at first, but with some simple preparation, it can be a peaceful healing encounter with Christ and His Church.

Take this guide with you to confession as a way of reflection and rediscover the Sacrament of Penance.

Reconciliation is a Sacrament instituted

by Jesus Christ in His love and mercy to offer sinners forgiveness for offenses

committed against God. At the same time, sinners reconcile with the Church because it is also wounded by our sins. Every time we sin, we hurt ourselves, other people and God. In Reconciliation, we acknowledge our sins before God and His Church. We express our sorrow in a meaningful way, receive the forgiveness of Christ and His Church, make reparation for what we have done, and resolve to do better in the future.

Not only does it [the Sacrament of Penance] free us from our sins but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin against us. We are liberated to be forgivers. We obtain new insight into the

THE FOUR PARTS OF CONFESSION

• CONTRITION: A sincere sorrow for having offended God, and the most important act of the penitent.

There can be no forgiveness of sin if we do not have sorrow and a firm resolve not to repeat our sin.

• CONFESSION: Confronting our sins in a profound way to God by speaking about them — aloud — to the priest.

• PENANCE: An important part of our healing is the “penance” the priest imposes in reparation for our sins.

• ABSOLUTION: The priest says the words by which “God, the Father of Mercies” reconciles a sinner to Himself through the merits of the Cross.

RITE OF RECONCILIATION STEPS

Reconciliation may be face-to-face or anonymous, with a screen between you and the priest. Choose the option that is the most comfortable for you.

▪ Quick tip: If it has been a while, let the priest know and he can help guide you through the steps for a good confession

1. To begin, the priest gives a blessing or greeting.

2. Make the Sign of the Cross and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was [length of time, days, weeks, months, etc.] ago.”

3. Confess all of your sins to the priest. (Tip: If you feel unsure or uneasy, let him know and ask for help) 4. Say, “I am sorry for these and all of my sins.”

5. The priest gives a penance and offers advice to help you be a better Catholic.

6. Say an Act of Contrition, expressing your sorrow for your sins. The priest, acting in the person of Christ, then absolves you from your sins.

words of the Prayer of St. Francis: “It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.”

Jesus entrusted the ministry of reconciliation to the Church. The Sacrament of Penance is God’s gift to us so that any sin committed after Baptism can be forgiven. In confession we have the opportunity to repent and recover the grace of friendship with God. It is a holy moment in which we place ourselves in his presence and honestly acknowledge our sins, especially mortal sins. With absolution, we are reconciled to God and the Church. The Sacrament helps us stay close to the truth that we cannot live without God. “In Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). †

A BRIEF EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

▪ Adapted from an Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments

Before confession, prayerfully ask yourself what you have done and reflect on how sin has damaged your relationships.

— Have I treated people, events or things as more important than God? Have my words, actively or passively, put down God, the Church, or people?

— Do I ‘keep Holy the Sabbath’? Do I go to Mass every Sunday (or Saturday Vigil) and on Holy Days of Obligation, as is possible? Do I avoid, when possible, work that impedes worship to God, joy for the Lord’s Day, and proper relaxation of mind and body? Do I look for ways to spend time with family or in service on Sunday?

— Do I show my parents and familiy due respect? Do I seek to maintain good communication with them where possible? Do I criticize them for lacking skills I think they should have?

— Have I harmed another through physical, verbal or emotional means, including gossip or manipulation of any kind?

— Have I respected the physical and sexual dignity of others/myself?

— Have I taken or wasted time or resources that belonged to another? How do I protect and care for God’s creation, including my family, the environment and those around me?

AN ACT OF CONTRITION

God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to confess my sins, do penance and to amend my life. Amen.

Tip: If it has been a while since your last confession, remember, “Do not fear” (Is 41:10). The priest will help guide you. And feel free to take this guide with you.