Texas Catholic Herald - Feb. 14, 2023

Forty-five men to be ordained as permanent deacons

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Catholics urged to donate after deadly Turkey-Syria earthquake

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Let us get up with Him from where we have fallen!

BY DANIEL CARDINAL DINARDO Archbishop of Galveston-Houston

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I frequently see the television advertisement of an elderly person who has slipped and cries out: “Help, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.”The dilemma is solved by wearing an electronic monitor that will respond to the persons and bring help to raise them up.

The scene can act as a metaphor for us in the human condition who need help though some will try to deny it. The first part of establishing a healing is a recognition that we are fallen! “Remember you are dust, and unto dust, you will return.” Those words of reminder and of invitation to repent, spoken to each person on receiving ashes, are a primary action of recognition: We are in need of being saved.

Each year Ash Wednesday and its resounding invitation to let the Lord raise us up begins a very serious season, a quarantine — a 40-day observance of renewal and penance to seek the Lord

Archdiocese celebrates Catholic Schools Week

▪ SEE PAGE 11

Tearful parishioners celebrate return to Mass at tornado-damaged St. Hyacinth Church

BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA AND REBECCA TORRELLAS Texas Catholic Herald

HOUSTON — As Houston and its surrounding counties braced for a storm on Tuesday, Jan. 24, people watched the news and stayed abreast of the tornado watches as they headed to work or school and went about their day. The last thing anyone imagined was that an EF-3 tornado would hit the area.

A rain-wrapped tornado began in southeast Houston and moved through Pasadena, Deer Park and the outskirts of Baytown before dissipating, directly hitting St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park.

It caused major damage to the religious education building, parish offices, rectory and Guyot Hall. The least amount of damage was to the main church, which had roof and window damage.

Father Reginald Samuels, pastor of the church, said they all received severe weather warnings on their phones.

“The alerts were becoming more and more ominous with two tornado warnings with tornadoes in the city of Deer Park,” he said.

“When we recognized that the weather was getting extreme outside, we all sheltered in place in the hallway of the offices, and then the tornado hit, and we prayed through it.”

While everyone in the building was not injured, the employees’ vehicles in the parking lots were damaged by all the debris, Father Samuels said.

“The outpouring of support from the community and the church members has been tremendous,” Father Samuels said. “We have had many people from the community coming by the church complex to see how they can help clean up the property.”

Ash Wednesday is February 22, which begins the Lenten season.

See pages 2, 17 for Lenten Observance Guidelines

Five days later, about 400 St. Hyacinth parishioners, some whose own homes were damaged by the tornado chewing up a 19-mile swath of destruction, carefully made their way through the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. HYACINTH CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DEER PARK

ABOVE: Father Reginald Samuels, pastor, wears a hard hat as construction workers continue cleanup efforts at his church, St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park.

BELOW: Five days after a rain-wrapped EF-3 tornado directly hit St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park, 400 parishioners came to attend Mass at the church.

PHOTO BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA/HERALD

A Shepherd’s Message

By Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

LENT, from page 1

Jesus and to accompany Him in His action of salvation for us, His Passion, Death and Resurrection. This salvation is done personally and communally in us, for we are called as the Body of Christ, the Church. None of us do this alone!

Lent is a marvelous time in the Church — a time of bright sadness. People are reconciled through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A whole corps of individuals, our catechumens, enter the final period of their preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at Easter; even their status changes as they become “elect” and “enlightened” are prayed over, instructed and anointed with the oil of catechumens.

Others of the faithful make it their special care to celebrate the Stations of the Cross, to pray the Rosary, to seek out the poor and homeless and provide assistance, to fast and abstain from food and other good things so as to concentrate their minds on the Word of God. Yes, Lent is a time for reading and studying Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels. Maybe this is the year to join the podcast “The

Bible in a Year.” It is also a time for receiving the Eucharist, even daily, our “supersubstantial” Bread.

Whatever the action, penance or charity accepted, Lent is the time to get serious. We have fallen, fallen away from the Lord and each other. We need help to get up, and Jesus is the One sent for our healing. His Resurrection is our resurrection.

The Gospels this year on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent are

three great chapters of gold from the Gospel of St. John: The Woman at the Well, The Man Born Blind and The Raising of Lazarus.

In each episode, the wonderful conversation and dialogue of Jesus with a number of different speakers draws out a central point not to be missed by us who hear them today. Jesus is Living Water to quench and refresh the human search for meaning, Jesus is Light that heals human blindness, physical and spiritual, and Jesus is Life, the fullness of life for all who come to him.

In one of the Eastern Churches, there is a series of poems on the Raising of Lazarus where Death and Satan, frightened by what is happening, tell the dead Lazarus: “You better go now; hurry, he is calling you Lazarus. Get up and leave the rest of us alone. Who knows what that Jesus will try next?” Though the picturing of the underworld and death may seem naïve to us and draw a smile, the theological point is poignant and powerful.

Jesus Christ has come and has shattered the fear of death by undergoing death for us. He is risen. Let us get up with Him from where we have fallen! †

Guidelines for Lenten Observance

Ash Wednesday is Feb. 22, and Lent continues through Good Friday, April 7. Both Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast and abstinence. Abstinence from meat is obligatory for all who have reached their 14th year. Fridays in Lent are days of abstinence. According to the U.S. bishops, fasting is obligatory for all who have completed their 18th year and have not yet reached their 60th year. Fasting allows a person to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may be taken, not to equal one full meal. Through works of fasting, prayer and abstinence, we heed the Prophet Joel’s exhortation to “return to God with our whole heart” (2:12). Lent is a penitential season and practices such as daily Mass, reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, works of charity and justice and acts of self-denial are highly encouraged. For more resources, visit archgh.org/lent.

St. Mary’s Seminary

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Nearly 50 men are currently in formation to become the next generations of priests at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. These men spend anywhere from 5 to 7 years preparing for their Ordination to the Priesthood.

To read more about our seminarians and how you can support them, scan the QR code, at left, with your phone’s camera or visit www.archgh.org/smseminary.

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El Cardenal Daniel DiNardo comparte su columna en línea en español. Visite www.archgh.org para leer su artículo en línea.

HERALD FILE PHOTO

THE FIRST WORD

Twenty-five years promoting God’s kingdom

HOUSTON — The Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus marks 25 years in the Archdiocese. The congregation was founded in Nigeria in 1931 by Sister Mary Charles Magdalen Walker, RSC (Servant of God), who came to Nigeria in 1923 at the invitation of Bishop Joseph Shanahan, CSSp. She served in Nigeria in evangelization, medical, social and pastoral works with a special focus on women and children.

They are an international pontifical religious congregation dedicated to Christian services. These include education, healthcare, primary evangelization through catechesis, social work, and pastoral care of the sick and the homebound. They participate actively in the care of migrants and refugees; their charism is an all-embracing charity.

The congregation came to the Archdiocese in 1998 at the invitation of Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza. They live a life of prayer in community, which enables them to bring God’s light, love and joy to the people they encounter.

The congregation has served at St. Dominic Village, Queen of Peace Catholic School, St. Christopher Catholic School, Holy Rosary School and O’Connell High School. Presently, they serve at Holy Family Parish and School in Galveston. The sisters minister to the sick in healthcare in nursing and pharmacy. As pastoral agents, they work in various areas of ministry in the parishes of Sacred Heart of Jesus in Manvel, St. Francis Xavier, St. Christopher, St. Philip Neri, St. Justin Martyr, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Theresa in Sugar Land.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE HANDMAIDS OF THE HOLY CHILD JESUS

The Congregation of the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus Pearland community are (top from left to right) Sisters Patience Asu, Eucharia Aseme, Christina Doggu, (bottom from left to right) Immaculata Chukwunyere, Caroline Onycoziri, and Leonie-Martha Okaraga.

Besides their four convents in the Archdiocese, they serve in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. †

THE HOLY FATHER’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR FEBRUARY

PRAYER INTENTION: FOR PARISHES

We pray that parishes, placing communion at the center, may increasingly become communities of faith, fraternity and welcome towards those most in need. Pope Francis notes that “there is no Christianity without community, just as there is no peace without fraternity. Let us believe in community and, with God’s help, build a Church free of the worldly spirit and full of the Holy Spirit!”

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PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS

Effective Jan. 6

Father Karl Davis, O.M.I.

Parochial Vicar, Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish

Effective Jan. 11

Father Jorge Lorenzo Martinez Gonzalez, L.C. Faculties granted to assist in parishes during studies.

Effective Jan. 23

Father Jose Guadalupe Hernandez Rodriguez, c.s. Parochial Vicar, St. Leo the Great Parish

Effective Feb. 2

Father Thomas Dung Ha, C.Ss.R.

Rector for St. Clement Redemptorists House

Effective Feb. 5

Father Augustine Asante

MD Anderson Chaplaincy Program and Catholic Chaplain Corps

Bishop Rizzotto Golf Classic set for March 2 at Wildcat Golf Club

HOUSTON — The 19th Annual Bishop Rizzotto Memorial Golf Tournament, which supports the retired priests, religious and elders of St. Dominic Village, is set for Thursday, March 2. Registration is at 11 a.m. The tournament is at the Wildcat Golf Club, 12000 Almeda Rd., in Houston. All proceeds directly benefit the residents of St. Dominic Village. Price per player is $250.

To register to play or sponsor-a-priest, visit www. stdominicvillage.org. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Kimberly Elliott at 713-741-8722 or email kelliott@stdominicvillage.org. †

Caritas Day set for March 4

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God

HOUSTON — Pre-registration is open to participate in the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart’s 11th-annual day of service known as Caritas Day, set for Saturday, March 4.

1 Corinthians 10:31

The day begins at 8 a.m. with a Mass, after which volunteers will disperse to either the Cathedral Centre, 1701 San Jacinto in downtown Houston, or to nearby service agencies to work on projects, many of which are family friendly.

You must pre-register to attend Caritas Day. To register, visit www.sacredhearthouston.org/caritasday. †

Café Catholica Lite set for March 9

HOUSTON — The Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry will host the next Café Catholica Lite at at Sacred Heart Church, located at 109 N. Frazier St. in Conroe, on March 9 from 7 to 8:45 p.m.

The speaker is PJ Lozano from Ablaze Ministries, and his talk will be “Missionary Purpose: Finding Your Own Calcutta.” The night will include light snacks, the talk, a Q&A and communal prayer. The talk will be available to view online as well at www.archgh.org/cafecatholica.

The Café Catholica program seeks to help young adults ages 18 to 39 encounter Christ and His Church. All young adults are invited to Café Catholica Lite throughout the year. For more, contact the Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry at yacm@archgh.org or 713-741-8778. †

HERALD FILE PHOTO

Local Catholic parish begins path to restoration

TORNADO, from page 1

church parking lot to celebrate a return to Mass.

Parking between debris piles, dump trucks and remediation vehicles, they gathered inside to start with a usual processional song that held even more meaning after the trauma.

“Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?...I will go, Lord, if You lead me. I will hold Your people in my heart.”

Father Samuels, told the crowd, “First of all, I want to give thanks to God that we all are here,”and the parishioners burst out in applause.

In his homily, Father Samuels added, “No matter the storm or whatever we go through in life, God is with us, and we are blessed.”

Parishioner Margie Gulledge, a St. Hyacinth church member for more than 40 years, dabbed tears from her bright blue eyes. “I was part of the committee and remember when we built the addition of the educational building. Seeing it damaged this way breaks my heart.”

A PARISH REBUILDS

“I also thank all of you who show support not only for our parish, but for our community,” Father Samuels said as he introduced Deer Park Mayor Jerry Mouton Jr. in attendance at the 10 a.m. Mass Jan. 29.

The pastor preached on the Gospel that day of Jesus teaching the Beatitudes to the crowds in Matthew 5:1-12 that begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

That religious education building, physically connected to the church by a hallway, completely lost its roof, ripped off by 100-mile-per-hour winds, exposing classrooms to the open sky. Those classrooms which would have been filled with children and adults meeting to learn faith formation if the storm had happened on a Sunday.

Deacon Charles Pitman and his wife Pamella Pitman, the church’s director of Liturgy and music, were among those staff members cringing in the hallway during the storm. They held on to each other as they prayed the “Hail Mary,” throughout the loud crashing, windows breaking and debris banging from the tornado swirling over them.

If a mother can’t take care of a baby, there is a Safe Haven All 50 states offer mothers protection from prosecution for relinquishing their newborns in a safe manner.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. HYACINTH CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DEER PARK ABOVE LEFT: The religious education at St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park building lost its roof and a wall, ripped off by more than 100-mile-per-hour winds, exposing classrooms to the open sky. LEFT: Construction crews work cleaning up the campus. ABOVE: A statue of Jesus remains untouched after an EF-3 tornado hit the campus.

“Afterward, I was rummaging through my purse in my office looking for my Rosary so we could continue to pray. My husband said, ‘Look inside the bottom of your bag.’ When I peered in, there was a pile of broken glass pieces that had fallen inside during the storm. But I didn’t get cut up digging around unknowingly in it, thanks be to God,” she said. “Angels were protecting us.”

The National Weather Service upgraded their preliminary rating to an EF3 tornado, with an estimated maximum path length of 18 miles, a maximum width

of .66 miles, and speeds between 136 and a maximum of 140 mph — a rarity in South Texas. There were no fatalities, and only one non-life-threatening injury reported.

At the end of Mass as people trailed off to resume their own clean-up, the recessional hymn rang out,“Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me and I will give you rest.”

Father Samuels said the church will continue celebrating at least one Mass at 10 a.m. Sundays, which will also be livestreamed on its website sthyacinth.

org/livestream-mass-and-liturgies. But all other parish activities have been postponed.

Although the church has power thanks to generators, the HVAC systems were damaged so air conditioning and heating are not working in the church, he said. Wearing a white construction hat, he is still helping to direct contractors to repair what is most in need.

“There was considerable damage to all the buildings on the complex,” the pastor said. “We currently do not have any Church systems in place, no phone

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system or computers online.”

They are working to implement a temporary office and are asking for patience from the public.

As he has stated in media interviews with the Houston Chronicle, Channel 13 and other local outlets, Father Samuels said, “I ask for everyone to please continue to support St. Hyacinth. The tornado has gone away, but the tornado did not stop bills. Please continue to pray as we move to recovery.”

To learn more about helping St. Hyacinth, visit sthyacinth.org. †

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. HYACINTH CATHOLIC CHURCH IN DEER PARK

LEFT: Everyone in the building sheltered in place in the hallway of the offices as the tornado hit, leaving a massive amount of debris in its wake. RIGHT: Volunteers work to save the bricks around the complex to be reused in the rebuild.

ORDINATION TO THE PERMANENT DIACONATE

REYNALDO R. RODRIGUEZ St. Rose of Lima

RAFAEL SANCHEZ Holy Family, Missouri City

JOEL SANTACRUZ St. James

ADAM SCHLEGEL St. Andrew, Channelview

VICTOR TANG Vietnamese Martyrs

GLYNN TRAHAN St. Matthias

Plantersville

MITCHELL VICKNAIR St. Anthony of Padua, The Woodlands

DAVID PERSICH St. Maximilian Kolbe

DOUGLAS REED St. Martha

ANDRES RENDON St. Leo The Great

CHRISTOPHER WALKER

A Prayer for Vocations

God our Father, we thank you for calling men and women to serve in your Son’s Kingdom as priests, deacons, and consecrated persons.

Send your Holy Spirit to help others to respond generously and courageously to your call. May our community of faith support vocations of sacrificial love in our youth and young adults.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

PATRICK KINNICK St. Laurence JOHN KYLE St. Michael, Lake Jackson

DOMINGO LITONG St. Faustina JOSE MACIAS St. Juan Diego/ St. Pius V

TERRY MARTIN St. Cecilia ALONSO MARTINEZ St. Ambrose FERNANDO MARTINEZ St. Edward

JOSE MARTINEZ St. John the Baptist

LEONEL MEJIA St. Cecilia

ROGELIO MENDEZ St. Dominic

RUBEN GOMEZ MENDOZA St. Leo The Great

ROBERT MILMOE St. Paul the Apostle

ANTHONY NGUYEN Vietnamese Martyrs CUONG VAN NGUYEN Our Lady of Lourdes, Houston

PAUL NGUYEN Our Lady of Lourdes, Houston

TIMOTHY NORTH Shrine of the True Cross

ANTHONY OLIVIERI St. Mary,

Epiphany of the Lord

ANTHONY WALLACE Sts. Simon and Jude DAVID WIRFS St. John Vianney

ALEJANDRO ARAMBURU St. Mary Magdalene

DOUGLAS BIRKBECK St. John Vianney GREGORY BREMER St. Mary, La Porte

MICHAEL E. CARR Our Lady of Lourdes, Hitchcock

BRYANT CHAPMAN Immaculate Conception, Sealy

GILBERTO DEFREITAS St. Justin Martyr DANIEL DRAGONE St. Anthony of Padua, The Woodlands

DENNIS DAVID DUFILHO St. Rose of Lima

MIGUEL ESQUIVEL Holy Ghost EDUARDO FARFAN St. Leo the Great

MAX FRITZEL Prince of Peace SAM HABIBI St. Bartholomew CARLOS HERNANDEZ SAAVEDRA St. Faustina

TOM VAN HO Vietnamese Martyrs

DAVID JEZIERSKI St. Michael the Archangel, Houston

45 new Permanent Deacons to be ordained Feb. 17 and 18

BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald

HOUSTON — Forty-five men of diverse backgrounds, from a NASA engineer to a Vietnamese refugee and a mission worker in Latin America, will be ordained as permanent deacons for the Archdiocese on Feb. 17 and 18.

After more than six years of discernment, study and pastoral counseling at St. Mary’s Seminary, these men and their wives are ready to share their lives with this ministry of the Liturgy, word and charity at their parishes.

Deacon Phillip Jackson, director of the Archdiocese’s Office of the Permanent Diaconate, said of the Class of 2023, “We are very enthusiastic about the quality and spirituality of the men being ordained.”

He added, “We are an aging diaconate and are always welcoming young men and their families to discern becoming a deacon. May the Holy Spirit guide them.”

Tim North, a parishioner at the Shrine of the True Cross in Dickinson, said his parish priest advised him to turn his discernment process over to God.

“My prayer became, ‘Lord, I give my

journey to You, lead me where You will, help me to see the doors You open, and give me the fortitude to step through. And… Mary, please help me,’” said the Air Force veteran who now works as an engineer in NASA’s Space Station program.

“I have to give credit to my wife, Robin, who has been there every step of the way, orchestrating and coordinating things at home and with our family. She’s been my best critic and most loyal supporter,” North said.

Paul Nguyen of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Houston agreed about the need for support from family and friends.

“I needed a lot of prayers and support, not only from my family but also my friends. This support and prayer gave me the love and strength to walk to the end of the journey,” Nguyen said.

And he did have a long journey, starting at a Catholic elementary school in Go Cong, South Vietnam that was primarily run by the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres. Although Nguyen grew up in a well-off family, many of his fellow students were children whose parents were either killed or the family abandoned them, he said.

“This was my first experience with

people living in poverty. With the other children, I would eat donated food and experienced some of the other aspects of their lives,” Nguyen said. But then, at 16, he escaped the Communist regime, going to a refugee camp and finally making it to America.

“As a teenage boy who came to this country without parents, there were many temptations, and it was difficult to stay out of trouble without guidance. I believe the Holy Spirit guided my conscience to make the right decisions through that difficult time,” Nguyen said.

All those experiences now help him in his ministry of serving youths who are in juvenile detention. “I pray that

God will use me to help our brothers and sisters in juvenile detention as I continue my ministry there,” he said.

Leonel Mejia of St. Cecilia Catholic Church traveled far as well, completing more than 30 mission trips to the Maya area of Quiche in Guatemala. But he chose to take all his diaconate academic courses in English, although his native language is Spanish growing up in El Salvador in Central America.

“It has been a difficult task. The first three years of diaconate studies, I survived thanks to my lifelong education in Jesuit schools,” he said.

But he knows what the end goal after ordination will be.

“I want to serve God to bring comfort to those who are in need, in hospitals, prisons, Casa Juan Diego (immigration shelter), the church, the streets,” Mejia said, asking for prayers for the new deacons and the people they will serve.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will ordain the first 23 deacons at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Parkway, and the remaining 22 deacons Feb. 18 at 10 a.m., also at the Co-Cathedral.

The ordinations will be livestreamed at www.archgh.org/live. †

“My prayer became, ‘Lord, I give my journey to You, lead me where You will, help me to see the doors You open, and give me the fortitude to step through. And… Mary, please help me.’ ”

are not yet done’: March for Life events held locally, nationally since overturn of Roe v. Wade

WASHINGTON (OSV News) —

Tens of thousands of pro-life advocates descended upon the nation’s capital for the 50th March for Life Jan. 20 — the first national march since the overturn of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that initially prompted the annual demonstration.

The Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston held a Mass on Jan. 23, Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children.

“Every human life is truly precious,” Daniel Cardinal DiNardo said during his homily at the Mass held at the CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart. But the Roe vs. Wade court decision, which was overturned last year after 50 years of the federal government allowing abortions, “made human beings disposable.”

He said the case was finally overturned with “prayer, action and intelligence,” and continued prayer is needed for the unborn.

Cardinal DiNardo spoke on the Gospel that day of the Beatitudes, especially the

blessings of those who are pure of heart and those who work for justice.

“These blessings help us transcend to the luminosity of God shining through every person,” Cardinal DiNardo said.

The Texas Rally for Life in Austin was held on Jan. 21 at the Capitol, and Gov. Greg Abbott was the keynote speaker. Abortion survivor Claire Culwell, and Ryan Bomberger, founder of the Radiance Foundation, who was conceived as a result of sexual assault and placed for adoption, also spoke at the event. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB) was on the host committee, and Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin, Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, and Bishop Michael Sis and Bishop Emeritus Michael Pfeifer of San Angelo were in attendance.

The Southwest March for Life was in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces and Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso celebrated Mass, followed by a rally and march.

Jennifer Allmon, executive director of the TCCB, said the regional event was a

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Hospital Catholic Chaplain Corps: Priest Chaplain

Interested candidates may send a cover letter, with salary requirement, and resume to resume@archgh.org with the job title on the subject line.

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beautiful expression of solidarity in the pro-life movement. “Although abortion is banned in Texas, and we celebrate the thousands of lives saved, the reality is that some women are traveling to our neighbor states where abortion remains legal,” she said. “New Mexico has seen an influx of abortion providers as well since they can no longer operate in Texas. The fight is not over until the humanity of every unborn child in the country and the world is recognized and protected.”

At the U.S. Capitol, Jeanne Mancini, March for Life president, told attendees at a rally prior to the march that “the country and world changed” when Roe was reversed in June 2022. But she said the annual March for Life would continue in Washington until abortion is “unthinkable.”

“While the March began as a response to Roe, we don’t end as a response to Roe being overturned,” Mancini said. “Why? Because we are not yet done.”

The national March for Life first took place in Washington in 1974 in response to the Roe decision legalizing abortion nationwide the previous year. The protest has taken place in Washington each year since, with a smaller-in-scale event during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

The 2023 event was the first national March for Life since the high court’s June 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe and returned the matter of regulating or restricting abortion to state legislatures.

Speaking with OSV News at the march, Kristan Hawkins, president of the prolife group Students for Life of America, said the next front of her organization’s activism will focus on fighting the spread of medication abortion. Hawkins said the pro-life movement should also focus on broadening the social safety net and its remaining goals at the federal level, such as stripping Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest single abortion provider, of taxpayer funds.

“We’re walking and running and chewing gum all at the same time,” she said.

“There is a lot for us to do as a nation,

especially raising awareness among its citizens,” Isalyn Aviles Rodríguez, who came to the march from Miami, told OSV News. Rodríguez said she was motivated to march because “the nation needs to know that children are part of God’s plan from conception until natural death.”

As in prior years, the March drew teenage advocates for life as well. Angeline Moro, 14, from Trenton, New Jersey, attended the event to learn how to raise her voice in defense of the most vulnerable.

“We all need to have a chance to live,” Moro said.

At various events leading up to the march, pro-life advocates joined together in prayer and solidarity.

At the Jan. 19 opening Mass for the annual National Prayer Vigil for Life, the night before the march, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said in his homily that the pro-life movement has “much to celebrate” because Roe v. Wade “is no more.”

But, he added, a “new important phase” for the cause of life “begins now.”

“Our efforts to defend life must be as tireless as ever” not only to change laws but also hearts “with steadfast faith in the grace and power of God to do so,” said Bishop Burbidge, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

The event, held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, drew between 6,000 and 6,500 people, with most of the congregation filling the Great Upper Church. Dozens also viewed the Mass via screens in the lower level of the basilica.

Pietro Cardinal Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said Pope Francis is “deeply grateful for the faithful witness shown publicly over the years by all who promote and defend the right to life of the most innocent and vulnerable members of our human family.”

The message was sent to the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese of the Military Services, to be read at the Mass. †

‘We

OSV NEWS PHOTO

Students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kan., arrive for the 50th annual March for Life in Washington Jan. 20.

St. Luke’s turns cameras on health care inequities in Houston

BY LISA EISENHAUER Special to the Herald

HOUSTON — A video series being produced by St. Luke’s Health is spotlighting the paradox faced by people who live near the Texas Medical Center in Houston but are unable to access most of its world-class services because they are uninsured or underinsured.

St. Luke’s Health, based in Houston, is part of CommonSpirit Health. St. Luke’s and the Baylor College of Medicine are joint owners of Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, an academic and research hospital that is part of the 1,345-acre Texas Medical Center complex. The complex calls itself “the largest medical city in the world.”

The complex is a partnership of several member institutions, including hospitals, health systems, public health agencies, colleges and hospices. Facilities on the campus tally more than 9,200 beds, 10 million patient visits and 180,000 surgeries per year.

Despite the complex’s vast healthcare offerings, Doug Lawson, chief executive of St. Luke’s Health and senior vice president of operations for the Texas Division of CommonSpirit Health, says many residents of Houston and surrounding communities can only access its care in its emergency departments because they lack health insurance for primary and specialty care.

“That is the most expensive and inefficient and, ultimately, ineffective way to project care,” Lawson says.

FIRST, THE CHALLENGE

To shine a light on the situation, St. Luke’s is tapping the insight of healthcare executives and providers and civic leaders for its eight-part video series called “ExamiNATION.”

The first episode, “The Challenge,” came out in September. The five-minute video focuses on social justice issues within Houston’s healthcare system. One of the initial statements made is that the city has the highest percentage of uninsured children of any major American city. The speaker, Stephen L. Klineberg, the director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice

University in Houston, says that fact is central to the challenge of “building a viable society in the 21st century.”

Another featured speaker in the episode is Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. He notes that in some of the city’s ZIP codes, life expectancies are as much as 25 years less than in others.

“Recognizing where these health disparities are, that’s important,” Turner says in the video. “But then, once you recognize them, the question is: What type of investment, what type of resources are going to be put into these communities not just to touch on them but to be transformational in terms of people’s health care to remove the unjust disparities, the inequities, and bring these communities up?”

FLATTENING THE CURVE

The second episode, “Managing Chronic Conditions & Cancer,” came out in October. It underscores the importance of regular screenings and maintenance exams to detect disease early and how lifestyle decisions and environmental factors affect health.

One of the speakers in the eightminute episode is Dr. Kenneth Wells, a physician who is president of Alken Health Resources, a firm that designs, implements and manages corporate health care and wellness services. Wells is a past member of the board of directors of St. Luke’s and of Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health.

He notes in the video that early detection is a key to thwarting the progression of cancer and other diseases. “You may not stop the disease from occurring in totality, but you can certainly flatten the curve as it relates to it and ideally prevent it from extending on and requiring more invasive-type therapy,” he says.

In an interview with Catholic Health World, Wells adds that the inability of some people to get screenings and checkups puts them at greater risk of getting diagnosed later in the disease process and having a bad medical outcome. “We like to think that care is delivered consistently and uniformly,” Wells says. “The reality is, it is not.”

He’s hopeful that the video series will open the eyes of the leaders across

WATCH ONLINE

A video series by St. Luke’s Health can be found at: WWW.STLUKESHEALTH.ORG/ABOUT-STLUKES-HEALTH/FROM-THE-DESK-OF-DOUGLAWSON-PHD/EXAMINATION.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo is featured on Episode 3.

the city and state to the need for access to and funding for medical care for all residents.

“I’m old enough to know better than to think that it’s going to revolutionize things,” Wells says of the video series. “But I think maybe it will move the ball farther down the road in terms of allowing people to think about these things, perhaps differently, and to realize we’re all in this together.”

Released in December, the third episode in the series focuses on the need for access to mental health care. One of the speakers is Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of the Archdiocese. “One of the things the Church can do is to encourage our own people and people everywhere to not see mental distress or mental health distress as something that is shameful,” Cardinal DiNardo says.

He adds that mental, psychological and spiritual health “is important if we’re going to make sure that our bodily health is sound.”

Other topics that the series will explore in future episodes include heart health, human trafficking, healthcare affordability and diversifying the caregiver workforce.

STARTING THE CONVERSATION

One of the roadblocks to access that

Texas’ refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as most states have done. A study by Texas A&M University estimates that if the state were to expand Medicaid under the ACA, 1.5 million more Texans would be eligible to enroll. The U.S. Census Bureau says Texas, at 18%, has the highest percentage of uninsured people in the nation.

Lawson says St. Luke’s has been among the voices in the healthcare sector strongly urging the state legislature to expand the public insurance program under the ACA, so far to no avail.

“People are suffering as a result of our lack of expansion,” he says. “It’s very disappointing and frustrating for all of us that are in health care in Texas.”

St. Luke’s is using its social media channels to get the “ExamiNATION” videos seen. Lawson says he knows the videos are getting views based on the number of shares, likes and comments on the posts and on the feedback he gets, which he says is overwhelmingly positive. The first episode in the series had more than 2,600 views on YouTube by early January.

Lawson says St. Luke’s is using the series as a sort of pilot to see how best to get its messages out. He hopes that the videos are sparking discussions at dining room tables, in corporate board rooms and among policymakers about the need for wider access to health care.

“Ultimately, more than anything, I’m hopeful that we create a positive and productive conversation that puts us in a position to improve health and wellness across the communities that we serve,” he says. †

Permission granted from Catholic Health World, January 2023

U.S. Bishops’ Justice and Peace chairman calls for prayer, assistance in the wake of earthquake in Turkey, Syria

WASHINGTON — The Feb. 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has killed more than 11,200 and injured upward of 40,900 so far. The number of dead and injured was expected to climb further as rescue teams continued to search through the rubble of toppled buildings.

Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, mourned the loss of so many lives, called for the faithful to pray for those impacted, and give generously to those in need.

“As the death toll continues to rise, rescue workers are still trying to free people from the rubble, and those alive are facing freezing conditions as they try to salvage their belongings and seek shelter,” he said. “I join with our Holy Father Pope Francis in praying for the souls of the departed as we mourn the loss of so many lives. We pray for those injured and the many others suffering, and we also pray for the safety and protection of emergency personnel working to save lives and tending to those in need in the wake of this disaster.”

The Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), an agency of the Holy See, is looking to aid over 2,000 families in Syria’s Aleppo and Hama

regions — already long ravaged by conflict — by providing bedding, food, medicines, infant formula, diapers and clothing. Donations can be made online at https://cnewa.org/work/emergency-syria; by phone at 800-442-6392; or by mail to CNEWA headquarters, 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the U.S. Catholic Church’s overseas relief and development agency, also is accepting donations through its website, crs.org.

CRS is partnering with Caritas Turkey, Caritas Syria and Caritas Anatolia — members of Caritas Internationalis, a global confederation of Catholic relief organizations — to shelter displaced victims while ensuring access to food, clean water and hygiene supplies.

CNEWA president Monsignor Peter I. Vaccari said in a Feb. 7 news release his agency’s effort was “a preliminary response” to the disaster, which saw two powerful quakes strike southern Turkey and northern Syria mere hours apart.

The first quake, a 7.8 magnitude tremor, occurred just after 4 a.m. during a winter storm, followed by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock. The second quake, registering 7.5, hit nine hours later some 60 miles away. Numerous aftershocks have followed the quakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Thousands of buildings have collapsed, with rescue efforts hampered by inclement weather and damaged roads. Rescuers, joined by international teams, are racing against time to extricate survivors from the rubble.

“Survivors are still processing the shock of the earthquake, searching through the rubble and assisting in rescue efforts,” said CNEWA Beirut regional director Michel Constantin, whose team manages emergency programs throughout the region. “There is a general state of panic, exacerbated by the harsh weather, complicating rescue efforts and the capacity to collect and assess data and plan accordingly.”

Even prior to the quake, 4.1 million in Syria depended on humanitarian aid due to a long-running civil war that since 2011 has ravaged the nation.

“The situation is tragic. ... We have opened our convent doors to hundreds of families who have lost their houses, and their number is increasing by the hour,” said Blue Marist Brother Georges Sabe, whose order — which CNEWA’s campaign will aid — is sheltering up to 1,000 families in Aleppo, coordinating with the Franciscan Friars and the Salesian Fathers.

Brother Sabe said, “The elderly, children and women ... are now in urgent need of food, clothes, medications and most of all, comfort and warmth in this harsh winter.”

CNEWA’s campaign also will bolster outreach by the Society of St. Vincent de

DONATE ONLINE

To help the earthquake victims:

• The Catholic Near East Welfare Association: cnewa.org/work/emergency-syria

• Catholic Relief Services: crs.org

Paul, which currently aids more than 850 families in the Aleppo region through local churches’ extensive network of parishes and schools. Through CNEWA, the society will receive mattresses, pillows, blankets, food, water and medicines, as well as milk, infant formula and diapers.

In the Syrian city of Hama, about 153 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, CNEWA will assist three emergency shelters for more than 150 families who have lost their homes due to the quakes.

Bishop Malloy has asked the faithful to give generously to CRS and the CNEWA.

“In a region that has experienced much conflict and hardship, these heartbreaking scenes call out to us to provide aid and assistance to our brothers and sisters in need,” he said.

“I also call upon the U.S. government to provide much-needed assistance and to work in conjunction with Catholic aid organizations to deliver effective assistance to those most in need.” †

LENT AND EASTER 2023

Ash Wednesday is February 22

Palm Sunday is April 2

Good Friday is April 7

Easter Sunday is April 9

Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble following an earthquake, in Hama, Syria, Feb. 6. A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked areas of Syria and Turkey early that morning, toppling hundreds of buildings and killing 11,200 and injured upward of 40,900 so far.

EDUCATION

HOUSTON — National Catholic Schools Week, celebrated across the country and in the Archdiocese from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4, united 1.6 million students nationwide with those in the Archdiocese in an annual celebration of Catholic education. Sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Secretariat of Catholic Education, it is an opportunity for schools to celebrate their faith and showcase their school spirit. Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese celebrated their school and Catholic education with different events and theme days:

ABOVE: On Wednesday, Feb. 1, during Catholic Schools Week, Holy Family Catholic School in Galveston hosted Career Day. Parents and parishioners came to the school so that students could discuss their career choices and ask questions. There were nurses, a dental hygienist, an environmental researcher, a judge, an engineer and other careers represented. Students also had the opportunity to dress like the career that they would like to pursue in the future.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN GALVESTON

PHOTO COURTESY OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN HOUSTON

RIGHT: During Catholic Schools Week, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School kindergartener Matthew Cardenas showed off his pilot suit for his future career in aviation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. AMBROSE CATHOLIC SCHOOL During Catholic Schools Week, St. Ambrose Catholic School hosted Opera To Go from the Houston Grand Opera. The opera, called “Monkey and Francine in The City of Tigers,” entertained first through fifth graders as a great way to bring the arts and culture to the students.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. THERESA CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN SUGAR LAND St. Theresa Catholic School in Sugar Land celebrated International Day During Catholic Schools Week.

PATRIOT’S PEN

WILDLIFE SCHOOL Saving the bees

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YOUTH

Accompanying Gen Alpha

Generation Alpha, or Gen Alpha, is the young people born between 2010 and 2025. A few years ago, Mark McCrindle, a social researcher and analyst, coined this term, and it stuck. More data on this generation will come out, and how we interact with these young people may change, but these initial observations are important for our families and our parish leaders to make a note of. I have my own children who are part of this generation; thus, it is important for me to look more deeply at the general characteristics that make up Gen Alpha.

This is the most educated generation in history. Learning is highly personalized, and the options for schooling — private, public, homeschool, hybrid — are many and varied. A student can learn in a myriad of ways, and access to information can be immediate.

Like Gen Z before them, Generation Alpha is inundated with technology. For instance, artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop with the most recent news of ChatGPT (an AI bot that engages in human-like dialogue) trending a few weeks ago. Social media, and all that goes with it, continues to heavily impact the lives of our youth.

Many young people of Gen Alpha come from a variety of different non-

traditional households.

They can come from a two-parent home, a single-parent home, a multi-generational home, parents who may not actually be the biological parents of the young person, or a variety of other configurations. These different types of household situations are increasing significantly, and the way we minister to families at our parishes needs to be thought through.

at.” Pope Francis refers to this concept as accompaniment. We journey with young people and bring them to Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Understanding this current generation is to respectfully listen to their hearts and patiently journey with them in their lives.

in passing on the faith to their children?

by DUNN ESTACIO

Additionally, many young people can come from unstable and dysfunctional homes, and this can lead to the need for mental health services. As with previous generations, self-harm, anxiety and stress continue to be on the rise for young people, and it needs to be addressed.

Lastly, they are a generation that is fluid in how they relate to the world. As a result, the way they look at life, from how they eat to how they view religion, can vary and change. There are other characteristics, and more are sure to come forth, but this gives a broad picture of Gen Alpha.

In youth ministry, there is a saying: “We have to meet them where they are

We can all look at the young people in our parishes or communities, and we can meet them where they are at. I would like to propose two things we can look at to truly accompany Gen Alpha.

In May 2021, Christian Smith, a sociologist from Notre Dame, wrote the following in an article for First Things: “The good news is that, among all possible influences, parents exert far and away the greatest influence on their children’s religious outcomes… In almost every case, no other institution or program comes close to shaping youth religiously as their parents do.”

I would suggest that whoever is raising the young person is the “parent,” and he or she needs help. How can our parishes or communities support parents

Young people are constantly changing, and how we react to them matters greatly. The next time a young person comes to you, sit and listen to what they have to say. Try to understand where they are coming from before you say anything. “Each young person’s heart should thus be considered ‘holy ground,’ a bearer of seeds of divine life, before which we must ‘take off our shoes’ in order to draw near and enter more deeply into the Mystery.” (Christus Vivit, 67)

Some things have changed in youth ministry and in our world in general.

There are other things that continue in much the same manner. One reality that will not change is young people are both the present and future of the Catholic Church, and they are a gift to us. How we serve and accompany matters. †

Dunn Estacio is an associate director with the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization.

COLUMNISTS

On Epiphany Sunday, 2023, the people of our Archdiocese received a special spiritual gift. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo restored the practice of distributing Holy Communion from the chalice to the faithful throughout the Archdiocese. Now the ancient words of Jesus, prayed in the Eucharistic Prayer at every Mass, take on a renewed meaning: “Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.” (RM3, EP I-IV)

Cardinal DiNardo asked all parishes to resume their customary pre-pandemic practice of distributing the precious blood to the faithful at Holy Communion on Epiphany Sunday. Understanding that some of the faithful may not be comfortable receiving Holy Communion under this form due to health concerns, he reminded us that the reception of Holy Communion from the chalice is

always at the discretion of the communicant. As guests at the banquet of the Lord’s Supper, we can now fully share in the joy and graces of receiving both the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

I cannot extol the late Pope Benedict XVI’s intellectual capabilities, his apostolic zeal, or his virtuous life in a better way than any of the dozens of articles that have been published in the past few weeks. Rather than add to that veritable flurry of literature, I want to offer a perspective on Benedict’s life from that of a young Catholic, one who came of age only knowing him as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

It was not until I watched his simple casket disappear behind the gargantuan front doors of St. Peter’s Basilica that I became aware of the retired pontiff’s immense presence in the life of the Church, even while living out his days in solitude and prayer. His presence was unseen, unfelt, but unconsciously we all knew he was there. Little did we perceive it at the time, but Benedict was modeling for a weary world the mission of retirement.

Ours is an age that spares little time for simply stopping, for pausing. We pass from tragedy to pandemic to crisis without any time for processing. In our own individual lives, we glide from meeting to commitment to event, saving no time for simply savoring. In the midst of this, Benedict did the unthinkable: he resigned, and for nine long years, stood

by DAN GIRADOT †

While Communion under one kind is not lacking in any way theologically, there is a fullness in the outward expression of the sacred reality of the Eucharist when receiving both the body and blood of Christ. The invitation of Jesus to His disciples to drink of the cup, which is repeated at every eucharistic Liturgy, is an invitation to sacrificial living and dying for each of us.

It is beautiful that each species expresses a different aspect of the Eucharistic Mystery. In saying “Amen”

to the body of the Lord under the appearance of bread, we remember St. Augustine’s Sermon 272,“When you hear ‘The body of Christ,’ you reply ‘Amen.’ Be a member of Christ’s body, then, so that your ‘Amen’ may ring true!” When receiving from the chalice, we express the way in which we become Christ’s Body, imitating Christ by pouring out our lives in love and service of God’s people. Receiving the precious blood refreshes the baptismal grace as we drink of the Spirit, inflaming us with the humble, gentle, patient, and compassionate love of Christ.

Many have valid reservations about receiving from the chalice. However, a reasonable hesitation in the hearts of the faithful can also become an opportunity to investigate anew the Mystery of Christ among us in the Eucharist. Some reservations regarding Communion from the cup stem from a fear of disease and the possible spread of germs. Professional, peer-reviewed

Holy Communion Reflections on Benedict XVI’s funeral

medical research from epidemiologists concluded that there is no known outbreak of disease directly related to this liturgical practice. Individuals with illness, of course, are encouraged to refrain from reception of the cup. For the many years of this ancient practice, we learned that proper procedures practiced by Ministers of Holy Communion and the alcohol content of sacramental wine on a metal surface reduce the possibility of transmission through sharing a common cup to a barely detectable level.

To all the faithful of the Archdiocese, Cardinal DiNardo shared, “We are grateful for your perseverance during these past years. Please be assured of our prayers for you as we receive our Lord in the great gift of Christ’s body and blood in which we celebrate Communion.” †

Dr. Dan Girardot is an associate director of Liturgical Formation in the Office of Worship.

by THEODORE BIRKOFER †

athwart a culture hellbent on binging absolutely everything. He thereby exercised a Petrine ministry utterly unique in the last half-millennium of the Church: that of a retired pontiff. On some level, I think his neardecade of near-silence deserves consideration as his magnum opus. There is an old saying: “If the Devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” Against this, the pope emeritus preached his boldest sermon.

Yet one need not be an aged pontiff to enjoy the richness of retirement. Christ comes to us in the present moment, in our real lives, beckoning, “Come to me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you” (Mt 11:28). Dotted across our Archdiocese are hundreds of sanctuaries of quiet refreshment: our beautiful parishes. Adorning our everyday lives are myriad opportunities for recollection: our commutes, that time while our morning coffee is brewing, or waiting in line at a store. All that is required is the courage to resign, like

Pope Benedict; to put our phones down, close out of our inbox, to pause whatever media we are currently consuming. Of course, this courage is, in fact, not too common, which is what made Pope

Emeritus Benedict XVI’s witness all the more heroic. †

Theodore Birkofer is a seminarian at St. Mary’s Seminary.

WORLD Victims of violence in Congo share their grief with pope

KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) — Ladislas set a machete under the crucifix. Bijoux laid a wicker mat there. And Emelda dropped military fatigues.

The three of them and other victims of violence in eastern Congo told Pope Francis horrifying stories of watching their families be slaughtered or of being kidnapped or raped repeatedly by militia members.

Pope Francis had planned to go to Goma in the violence-torn North Kivu province, but increased fighting forced him to cancel the trip to the East to protect the crowds that would gather to see him.

Instead, the pope invited about 40 victims of violence in the East to the apostolic nunciature in Kinshasa on Feb. 1.

Ladislas Kambale Kombi, 16, said he watched his father being hacked to pieces with a machete and his mother being kidnapped, leaving him alone with his two little sisters. “Mom hasn’t come back. We don’t know what they did with her.”

Léonie Matumaini, an elementary school student, said she watched militia members stab her family; then, she said, they gave her the knife and dared her to bring it to the army.

Kambale Kakombi Fiston, 13, was kidnapped and held for nine months. He asked the pope to pray for children still captive in the forest.

Bijoux Mukumbi Kamala, holding one toddler and with another strapped to her back, stood in front of the pope as a friend read her testimony because she does not speak French. The 17-year-old said her “Calvary” began in 2020 when rebels kidnapped her.

“The commander chose me. He raped me like an animal. It was an atrocious suffering,” Bijoux wrote. “He raped me several times a day, whenever he wanted, for hours. This went on for 19 months — one year and seven months.”

When she and another young woman escaped, she was pregnant. “I have twin daughters who will never know their father.”

Father Guy-Robert Mandro Deholo read a testimony prepared for the meeting by Désiré Dhetsina “before she disappeared without a trace a couple of months ago.”

She had survived the rebel attack on Feb. 1, 2022, on the Plaine Savo displacement camp near Bule and, she wrote, she had seen “the savagery: people cut up like butcher’s meat, women

disemboweled, men decapitated.”

Maiming is not uncommon, Father Mandro Deholo told the pope, holding up his left hand, which is missing a finger. As he spoke, two women in the audience raised their arms — one was missing a hand, the other was missing both. The priest accompanied the two women up to the pope, who touched their mutilated stumps and laid his hands on their heads in blessing.

On their behalf, the priest laid an axe at the foot of the crucifix placed near the pope.

Emelda M’karhungulu also had a friend read her testimony about what began on a Friday night in 2005 when she was kidnapped by armed men and “kept as a sexual slave and abused for three months.”

“They made us eat maize meal and the flesh of the men they killed,” she said. Those who refused were killed and fed to other hostages.

And, she said, “they kept us naked so we wouldn’t run away.”

“We put under the cross of Christ the clothes of the armed men who still strike fear in us because of the countless heinous and unspeakable acts of violence they continue to this day,” she said. “We want a different future. We want to leave behind this dark past and be able to build a beautiful future. We demand justice and

PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE

In a continuing effort to provide pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo would like to remind the faithful of the Archdiocese of the availability of the Victims Assistance Coordinator. Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel is encouraged to call Diane Vines at 713-654-5799. Please keep in daily prayers the healing of victims of abuse and all who suffer in any way.

peace.”

The testimonies, Pope Francis said, leave listeners without words. “We can only weep in silence.”

But he did use the meeting to express his closeness to all the people disappointed that he was not traveling to Goma and, especially, to “condemn the armed violence, the massacres, the rapes, the destruction and the looting” that continue to sow terror in the lives of the people of Congo.

“Put away your weapons. Put an end to war. Enough,” he told those responsible.

In a country where sexual violence is a common weapon of war, Pope Francis offered special words of consolation to women and girls and strong warnings to those who would target them.

“I pray that women, every woman, may be respected, protected and esteemed,” he said. “Violence against women and mothers is violence against God himself, who from a woman, from a mother, took on our human condition.” †

CNS PHOTO

Pope Francis caresses the cheek of a woman whose hand was amputated in the violence that continues to plague the eastern part of Congo. The pope met victims of violence Feb. 1, at the apostolic nunciature in Kinshasa.

STATE & NATION

A Safe Haven allows women who can’t care for their newborn to safely drop off baby

(OSV News) — Only an hour old and weighing 6 and a half pounds, Angel Grace LNU announced her arrival at approximately 1 a.m. on Jan. 28 on a 50-degree night in a wooded area in Mulberry, Florida. She was wrapped in a blanket, placenta still attached, and placed next to the chain link fence of the adjacent mobile home park.

“At about midnight, I heard cats fighting, and then about an hour later, about one o’clock, I heard a noise — it sounded like a baby crying, and I went out with my husband to look in the woods,” explained Magdalena Gregorio Ordonez, a mother of three from Guatemala whose mobile home backs up to the fence. “We used the flashlight on my phone and found what was making the noise. I called 911. It was cold outside. We were concerned for the baby and very sad.”

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to the call, and Angel Grace LNU was transported to a hospital. She is in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Sheriff’s Office is making every effort to locate the baby’s mother. They responded

immediately with drones, air surveillance and bloodhounds. They have taken DNA samplings, gone door-to-door and are using other undisclosed methods.

“This is one of those situations in a law officer’s career that sticks with them forever,” said Brian Bruchey, public information officer and former patrol deputy serving since 2007. “I have a son, and this kind of call touches home. It’s tough to see defenseless victims like a baby. The most important thing is the baby is healthy; she has just a few insect bites and is now safe.”

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd named the baby Angel Grace LNU because, he said, “she’s as beautiful as an angel, it’s by the grace of God she is not dead, and LNU is ‘last name unknown.’”

“The state has a Safe Haven law,” Bruchey explained, “and it’s good that there is a program like A Safe Haven for Newborns — that if a mother can’t take care of a baby, there is a Safe Haven: fire and police stations, hospitals — wherever the Safe Haven sign is posted — a mother can drop off her baby to a staff person, and there are no questions asked.”

“In this case, we don’t know the circumstances. It’s unfortunate the mother didn’t get the help she needed ahead of time because she couldn’t imagine the direction it went,” he told OSV News. “Right now, we don’t know the motivation. We wish the mother would have done it differently. Maybe she was the victim of human trafficking. There is a homeless camp nearby, and this is a migrant community. We don’t know yet, but we’re working on it.”

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami said, “We can imagine the desperation that moves a mother to abandon her child. We thank God that A Safe Haven for Newborns is available. But there can be more options between abortion and abandonment.”

“Walking with Moms in Need is a way to accompany mothers in crises,” he said, referring to a U.S. bishops’ parishbased pro-life initiative. “A helping hand, a listening ear can help reveal to a despairing mother a ray of hope for a better tomorrow both for herself and her child.”

All 50 states and several other countries have safe haven laws, offering mothers protection from prosecution for relinquishing their newborns in a safe manner. Twelve states offer professional training for a Safe Haven program, and there are programs already in place in several states.

Nick Silverio, founder of Florida’s A Safe Haven for Newborns organization, explained that in the period 2000 to 2021 nationally, 1,639 babies were recorded abandoned, but during that same timeframe, 4,709 were relinquished to Safe Havens, giving them an opportunity to live.

“This did not have to happen,” Silverio said. “Here in Florida, not only have we saved 360 precious newborns and assisted with seven in other states and one in Honduras, but we have also assisted over 6,000 women in their time of need/crisis.”

“A Safe Haven for Newborns enriches my soul every single day,” he told OSV News. “So many wonderful life-changing stories — the thousands of moms we helped, hundreds of babies that now have a future, and the hopes and dreams of a forever family fulfilled. What is more important and meaningful in life than saving a life, especially of a precious, innocent child?”

In March 2020, simultaneous with the pandemic, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) launched a new pro-life initiative called Walking with Moms in Need.

“It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time,” said Kat Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communication at the USCCB. “Children home from school, the challenges of work, Moms needed support both financially and emotionally more than ever. The Catholic Church is here for Moms in Need. We want every person in every parish to know how to help, where to refer, and how to support and befriend Moms in Need. We want people to know that in addition to walking with moms, we want more parishioners to see the vision of what it is to serve the Gospel of life.” †

OSV NEWS PHOTO

All 50 states and several other countries have safe haven laws, offering mothers protection from prosecution for relinquishing their newborns in a safe manner.

MUNDO CATÓLICO

¿Cómo evangelizar en esta próxima cuaresma?

Hace unos años atrás, una persona me pregunto lo siguiente ¿Cómo hago para despertar el interés de la fe en los demás? Una pregunta muy acertada para nuestros tiempos, pero también una pregunta que requiere profundización, ya que no hay respuestas sencillas debido a varios factores. ¡Cuántas veces vemos los templos llenos los miércoles de ceniza, pero no tan llenos durante los domingos!

Como mencioné, se requiere un análisis para identificar nuestra realidad, y no es con la finalidad de ser pesimista o fatalista, pero si realista. Al nombrar algunos factores, nos puede brindar luces y conocer el contexto de la persona o cultura, pero también nos puede brindar posibles caminos o pasos en la evangelización. Te nombro algunos de estos factores:

[1] Vivimos en una cultura acelerada en el consumismo y el materialismo (prueba de ello son los comerciales y las imágenes constantes que vemos en nuestros celulares). No hay estándares absolutos, al contrario todo es relativo y todo se consume para desechar y como la religión no se puede consumir es más fácil desecharla o hacerla a un lado.

[2] Lazos familiares–puede que la persona tenga un cierto interés por las cosas de Dios pero no hay una seguridad debido a que su familia es renuente o indiferente a las cosas de Dios. Cuando estos lazos familiares no están impregnados de una relación con Dios, fácilmente la persona puede sentirse desanimada o desamparada, ya que no encuentra una comunidad de apoyo en la fe.

[3] Las amistades de la persona — si la persona quiere acercarse a Dios, pero

por ADRIAN HERRERA

no hay en su entorno una comunidad de creyentes o un grupo de amistades que compartan la fe, es muy difícil que esta persona haga crecer su relación con Dios, y más bien se desanime haciendo que sus intereses o prioridades sean otras y no tanto su crecimiento espiritual. Esto se ve muy frecuentemente en padres de familia que solo les preocupa que sus hijos reciban los Sacramentos, pero ellos en si no están comprometidos en su fe, no asisten a misa, y participan poco en la celebración de los sacramentos o en las actividades de la Iglesia.

[4] La carencia de formación en la fe en la persona — un buen numero de adultos esta en una constante búsqueda de lo trascendental, pero debido a la poca formación religiosa que la persona tuvo durante su crecimiento, no le es fácil conectarse con la Iglesia o con alguna institución religiosa (en muchos casos la persona tendrá una escasa formación sacramental pero no una maduración en la fe)

Mencionado lo siguiente, lo interesante es que uno sea creyente o no, todos padecemos de — “un hambre espiritual”, hambre por una felicidad plena, hambre por encontrar el amor supremo. Lamentablemente, el hombre busca saciar esta hambre a través de las compras, del dinero, del poder de los vicios, del entretenimiento, etc… Pero siempre quedan vacíos. Aun así, como escribiera San Agustín en el libro de sus

CUARESMA Y PASCUA 2023

El Miércoles de Ceniza es el 22 de febrero

El Domingo de Ramos es el 2 de abril

El Viernes Santo es el 7 de abril

El Domingo de Pascua es el 9 de abril

www.archgh.org

confesiones “Nos hiciste para Ti y nuestro corazón está inquieto hasta que descanse en ti” (Las Confesiones, i, 1, 1).

¿Cómo hago entonces para despertar la fe en los demás? Comencemos con nuestro propio testimonio de vida, “Predica el evangelio en todo momento, y cuando sea necesario, utiliza las palabras.” Una frase atribuida a San Francisco de Asís, en pocas palabras, que nuestra vida hable por sí sola del Evangelio, que sepa a Evangelio. Este primer paso es muy importante, ya que muy a menudo nos vemos tentados por buscar palabras, tener el programa o retiro correcto, o el libro adecuado que puedan ser la fórmula exacta y obtener el resultado de una fe en el creyente. Papa San Pablo VI escribió “El hombre contemporáneo escucha más a gusto a los testigos que a los maestros o si escucha a los maestros es porque son testigos” (Evangelii nuntiandi, n. 41). Y recientemente Papa Francisco nos ha invitado a una forma de predicación informal que se puede realizar en medio de una conversación o cuando se visita un hogar. En pocas palabras, ser discípulo es “tener la disposición permanente de llevar a otros el amor de Jesús y eso se produce espontáneamente en cualquier lugar: en la calle, en la plaza, en el trabajo, en un camino” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 128).

¿Quieres despertar la fe en los demás? Comencemos con uno mismo

para poder ser discípulos y testigos creíbles de Cristo. En este tiempo de Cuaresma no busques quitar o renunciar a algo como parte de tu sacrificio, más bien incrementa en tu vida buscando detalles y formas que puedan ayudar tu vida espiritual. Por ejemplo, si tienes hijos, dedícales tiempo ya sea jugando o platicando con ellos. Habla con tus vecinos, evangeliza con tus buenas obras. Trata de no hablar mal de nadie, al contrario saluda a la gente, conversa con Dios, ábrele tu corazón, Él escucha lo que pasa por tu vida, ¿tú lo escuchas? Lee su palabra — la Biblia. Baja aplicaciones a tu celular que te puedan ayudar a reflexionar su palabra, aquí algunos ejemplos “Ibreviary” o “Rezandovoy”. Acércate a una parroquia y conoce a los sacerdotes, puedes visitar www.archgh.org para ver la lista de Iglesias católicas, acude al Sacramento de la Penitencia y Reconciliación. No hay respuesta mágica, pero puedes comenzar a reflexionar con las siguientes preguntas.

¿Alguna vez has visto a alguien que había caído muy bajo y que cambió su vida por completo? (Leer Lc 15, 11-32) ¿Tratas de compartir tu fe con tus hijos? ¿De qué maneras? Cuando haces decisiones, ¿en quién confías? y ¿por qué? si no es Dios ¿por qué no? †

Adrian Alberto Herrera es actualmente Director Asociado para la Oficina de Evangelización y Catequesis en la Arquidiócesis de Galveston-Houston.

Guía Para La Observancia Cuaresmal

El Miércoles de Ceniza es el 22 de febrero, y la Cuaresma continúa hasta el Viernes Santo, 7 de abril. Tanto el Miércoles de Ceniza como el Viernes Santo son días de ayuno y abstinencia. La abstinencia de carne es obligatoria para todos los que han cumplido 14 años. Los viernes de Cuaresma son días de abstinencia. Según los obispos de los Estados Unidos, el ayuno es obligatorio para todos los que han cumplido sus 18 años y aún no han cumplido los 60 años.

El ayuno permite a una persona

comer una comida completa. Se pueden tomar dos comidas más pequeñas, para no equivaler a una comida completa. A través de obras de ayuno, oración y abstinencia, prestamos atención a la exhortación del profeta Joel de “convertíos a mí con todo vuestro corazón” (2:12). La Cuaresma es un tiempo penitencial y prácticas como la Misa diaria, la recepción del Sacramento de la Reconciliación, las obras de caridad y justicia y los actos de abnegación son altamente alentados.

APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE

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.

WITHIN THE ARTS Sacred Art Live! event inspires all

BY SARAH CORTEZ Special to the Herald

HOUSTON

— Almost 400 people attended the second annual Sacred Art Live! event on Jan. 28 at the Borski Center located at St. Mary’s Seminary.

Thirteen contemporary artists brought their unique canvases from cities as far away as Philadelphia and as near as Houston’s Third Ward. Working in mediums such as oil, acrylic, charcoal, ceramic and print-making, the artists also brought inspiration and hope to the diverse crowd of attendees.

Images of the Sacred Heart, the Holy Family, the Blessed Virgin Mary, various saints and the Eucharist drew positive comments and, in some cases, tears as people strolled the exhibition space viewing the paintings and prints.

“The Sacred Art Live! exhibition is a special event because people are seeking an encounter with God,” says Larry W. Massey Jr., president of the

Scanlan Foundation. “Other art shows and contests don’t allow this type of art to enter, so people haven’t seen this kind of art.”

Houston-based iconographer Al Sauls was one of the featured artists. Recently interviewed in the Houston Chronicle and featured in the Black Catholic Messenger magazine, Sauls is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He is renowned for his icons and paintings of saints, which incorporate aspects of early Byzantium images, Roman Catholic imagery, and traditional portraiture.

Robert Puschautz, who paints sacred art for the diocese of Tyler, Texas, brought paintings that are largely representational. Kate Capato, based in Philadelphia, showed her oil paintings which seek to bring viewers closer to God through the use of beauty in the tradition of the Renaissance masters. Capato’s work is influenced by St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. Capato says, “A deeper relationship with Christ through the beauty of sacred art can also bring awareness to viewers of who they are as men and women through beauty.

William K. Stidham traveled from San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, to participate in the show. His sacred images, done in watercolor, were shown as originals and prints, with smaller reproductions available on ceramic tiles and glass candle holders. “The whole time I paint, I am praying the Rosary,” says Stidham whose Catholic faith has been a constant throughout his life.

Several other local artists participated: Emily Fonseca, Paul Latino and Alicia Lloyd. Sisters from the Dominican Sister of Mary Immaculate Province also showed their icons “written” as prayers in a recent class with Philadelphia-based artist Father Dominic Bump, O.P., who exhibited his own paintings. Father Bump

teaches the truths of the faith through Catholic sacred art in the tradition of the Early Renaissance artist Fra Angelico. He builds on the tradition of Fra Angelico through the teachings of Sts. Thomas Aquinas and Louie de Montfort, who gave their lives preaching the Gospel.

A selection of music and song curated by Gonzalo A. Ramos, artistic director of the Bravura Concert Series at All Saints Catholic Church in the Heights, accompanied the reception and exhibition.

“The Scanlan daughters were early supporters of the arts in Houston and would be very proud of this event,”Massey said. “This type of event is a portal for the Church’s Mystical Body to reach people’s hearts.”

To sign up for the Sacred Art Live! newsletter, visit www.sacredartlive.org. †

MOVIE RATINGS By Catholic News Service

OK – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN

• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (PG)

T – MATURE TEENS

• Till (PG-13)

M – MATURE VIEWERS

• 80 for Brady (PG-13)

• A Man Called Otto (PG-13)

• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (PG-13)

• M3GAN (PG-13)

• Missing (PG-13)

• The Pale Blue Eye (R)

• Ticket to Paradise (PG-13)

L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE

• I Wanna Dance With Somebody (R)

• Knock at the Cabin (R)

• Plane (R)

U – UNSUITABLE FOR ALL

• Babylon (R)

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN DOHERTY

Sisters from the Dominican Sister of Mary Immaculate Province showed their icons “written” as prayers at the second annual Sacred Art Live! event on Jan. 28 at the Borski Center located at St. Mary’s Seminary.

MILESTONES

Sister Benignus Galiano celebrates a century of birthdays

HOUSTON — The Dominican Sisters of Houston joyously celebrated the 100th birthday of Sister Benignus Galiano, O.P., on Jan. 23. Her family members and friends attended the special occasion. She is the third Houston Dominican to reach a century in the congregation’s 140-year history.

Cousin of the late Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, Sister Galiano was born in Beaumont and entered the Dominican Sisters of Houston in 1940. She ministered in education as both teacher and principal in Texas in the Dioceses of Beaumont, Galveston-Houston, Austin, and in the Dioceses of San Bernardino and Los Angeles, California.

As a teacher, she enjoyed encouraging creativity in children, particularly as a drama teacher. Sister Galiano also served as religious education director in several parishes for over 15 years and ministered in social services helping people find employment and helping the aging.

Reflecting on her 100th birthday celebration, Sister Galiano recalled a T.S. Eliot quote she has found

AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE

Editor’s Note: Contact event organizers for the latest updates. For deadline details and more listings, visit WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

FEB. 15

LENTEN DAY OF REFLECTION, 8:30 a.m., St. Paul the Apostle (18223 Point Lookout Dr., Houston). The Bay Area Council Catholic of Women host a Day of Reflection for men and women. 8:30 a.m. Mass, then light breakfast; 9:30 a.m. brief meeting; 10 a.m. presentation with Deacon Scott Daniel and Steve Oliveri sharing reflections on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land. yodainoz@comcast.net.

FEB. 17

MARDI GRAS DANCE, 6 to 10 p.m., St. Benedict the Abbot - J-Hall (4025 Grapevine St., Houston). The Knights of Peter Claver Council & Court #248 host a night of dancing, food and fun. $25 advanced tickets, $30 at door. 713-870-4393 or 281-253-5520.

FEB. 19

DANCE, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., KC Hall (607 E. Whitney Dr., Houston). Music provided by Mark Halata & Texavia. Cost $12. 281-356-3535.

FEB. 25

GALA, 6 to 9 p.m., Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School (10114 Hwy 6, Hitchcock). The Denim & Diamonds Legacy of Love annual gala honors all alumni and includes dancing, an opportunity to bid on desserts as well as silent auction prizes, a served meal and complimentary drink. Live entertainment by Tyler Wayne Griffith. Proceeds benefit Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. Free parking. 409925-3224; ololcs.org.

MARCH 2

GOLF TOURNAMENT, 11 a.m., Wildcat Golf Club

meaningful in her life: “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

Sister Galiano remains current about both national and world events, and her conversation unfailingly reflects her Dominican commitment to truth, justice and peace. †

(12000 Almeda Rd, Houston). Tournament supports the mission of St. Dominic Village and celebrates the memory and legacy of Bishop Rizzotto. www.stdominicvillage.org/events.

MARCH 4

COUPLES RETREAT, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Dominic Center Auditorium (2401 Holcombe Blvd., Houston). Family Life Ministry hosts a couples retreat for married couples and individuals to rekindle love by participating in a day of praise, talks, reflection and conversation. Cost: $35/ person; $60/couple, includes breakfast, lunch and all materials. www.archgh.org/familylife.

MARCH 5

TURKEY AND DRESSING DINNER, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sealy Columbus Hall (310 Hwy 90 West, Sealy). $12 plates include turkey, dressing with gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, hot roll and tea. Sliced desserts, $10 cakes and $15 cheese rolls also available. Dine-in, take home or drive thru. CDA homemade goods, silent and live auctions and drawing at 1 p.m. 281-220-9084.

MARCH 6-8

LENTEN PARISH MISSION, St. Edward Catholic Church (2601 Spring Stuebner Rd., Houston). Mission sessions by Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Monday to Wednesday, 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 7 to 8:30 p.m. Daily Mass will be offered preceeding morning mission session at 8:30 a.m. Free, open to the public. www. saintedward.org/parishmission.

MARCH 11

ST JOSEPH’S ALTAR, 6:30 p.m., St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church Christus Center (7810 Cypresswood Dr., Spring). Feast begins after 5:15 p.m. Mass with traditional children’s procession of saints to the dining area. Meal includes Sicilian pasta dinner. Homemade Italian cookies and cannoli from the St Joseph’s Altar Guild available for purchase. Multi-item

Do you have a photo you’d like to share? To submit a photo of a place, group or event that you would like to see in the Herald, email it to tch@archgh.org

Inspired by father’s legacy, Eagle Scout helps moms in need

FRIENDSWOOD — Cameron Culling, inspired by his late father, chose a pro-life service project as his Eagle Scout project.

Culling, who started scouting in the first grade as a Tiger Cub Scout, achieved all ranks of scouting, including Eagle Scout on Aug. 11, 2022. He earned 39 merit badges and three palms.

Hosted and supported by Mary Queen Parish in Friendswood, Culling raised around $11,000 in donations and around $2,500 in goods such as diapers, wipes, laundry, clothes, bottled, etc.

In addition to Mary Queen, four other parishes were distributed $2,500: St. Paul the Apostle in Nassau Bay, St. John the Baptist in Alvin, Sacred Heart in Manvel, and St. Joseph in downtown Houston.

“I am thankful for the tremendous support of my parish at Mary Queen and that I was able to help mother’s in need,” Culling said.

Pro-life has a special place in the Culling family. His father, Thomas, who earned his Eagle Scout status in 1987, was adopted in Houston through Catholic Charities. He died Dec. 19, 2018 at the age of 49.

Inspired by his father’s story, the Gabriel service project was the perfect way for Culling to honor his father’s

raffle drawing concludes the night. Free, open to the public. stjosephaltarguild@silcc.org; 713825-4576 or 713-269-4239.

MARCH 25

CATHOLIC WOMENS CONFERENCE, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., St. Mary’s Seminary (9845 Memorial Dr., Houston). Talks focused on Mary, the Eucharist, and celebrating the 175th Anniversary of the Archdiocese. Keynote speakers include the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Lisa May and Kim Brown. Register: www.ghcw.org.

MARCH 30

CONCERT, 7 p.m., Sacred Heart Catholic Church (704 Old Montgomery Rd., Conroe). “The

legacy and to serve mothers in need to support the pro-life mission. He will attend the University of Houston to pursue a degree in computer science. †

Stories I Tell Myself” tour featuring Matt Maher and Mission House. Tickets on sale for $50 (VIP), $35 (Preferred), and $25 (General Admission). Purchase: www.shconroe.org.

MAY 4

LUNCHEON, 12 to 2 p.m., Houston Country Club (1 Potomac Dr, Houston). 2023 Spirit of Charity Luncheon honors The Anna Marie and Harold Hidalgo Family for their incredible longstanding and generous support of Catholic Charities and their passion for helping the less fortunate in our community. NRivera@ CatholicCharities.org; 713-874-6629.

•••

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Around the Archdiocese

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– Daniel Cardinal DiNardo Archbishop of Galveston-Houston