‘MAY
A PILGRIM JOURNEY
How one Catholic is visiting all the Archdiocese’s parishes and missions
▪ SEE PAGE 4
SICILIAN TRADITIONS
Dozens of parishes mark historic devotions with St. Joseph Altars
▪ SEE PAGE 8
WOMEN LEADERS
Catholic women have led social ministries, change in the Church
▪ SEE PAGE 14
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
VATICAN CITY (CNS) —
The faithful must set aside their egos and sense of superiority over others to make room for God and his tender mercy, Pope Francis said at a Lenten penance service.
“Only those who are poor in spirit and who are conscious of their need of salvation and forgiveness come into the presence of God,” he said March 17.
mark the start of the worldwide celebration of “24 Hours for the Lord,” a period when at least one church in every diocese was invited to be open all night — or at least for extended hours — for confession and Eucharistic Adoration.
And those whose hearts are filled with haughty, self-righteous comparisons and judgment, “you will go to hell,” he said in his homily.
The pope led the penance service in a Rome parish, rather than St. Peter’s Basilica, to
The Rome parish the pope visited was St. Mary of Graces at Trionfale, the titular church of Joseph Cardinal Tobin of Newark, New Jersey. It also was the first parish in Rome he has visited since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020.
After delivering his homily at the service, there was a moment
See PENANCE, page 2
Upcoming 175th anniversary gala highlights six leaders in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
▪ SEE PAGE 6
HOUSTON — Busy Catholics working in the central business district of downtown Houston for over four decades have found a place of respite from their highly pluggedin, hectic lives inside a quiet little chapel located on Main Street.
Holy Cross Chapel, founded in 1982, was located inside the basement of a building in the middle of the city at 905 Main Street. One major milestone in the chapel’s history was in 2006, when, after purchasing and remodeling the building, the chapel was moved out of the basement and onto the ground floor, where it could be seen from the street.
The daytime chapel is currently open
See HOLY CROSS, page 7
HOUSTON Every year during Holy Week, the faithful of the Archdiocese are invited to gather with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo for the celebration of the Chrism Mass one of the most solemn and significant events of the liturgical year.
Cardinal DiNardo will preside over the Chrism Mass on Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. Hundreds of priests from the Archdiocese are expected to concelebrate the Mass, when all of the oils used in sacramental ministry throughout the Archdiocese are blessed and the Sacred Chrism is consecrated by Cardinal DiNardo.
According to the Roman Missal, “Chrism is a sign: by Baptism Christians are plunged into the paschal mystery of Christ; they die with Him, are buried with Him, and rise with Him; they are sharers in His royal and prophetic priesthood. By confirmation Christians receive the spiritual anointing of the Spirit who is given to them.”
The Oil of the Sick is used within the celebration of the Anointing of the Sick in order to bring God’s strength to those in need. Chrism is also used in the ordination of priests and in the consecration of altars and churches.
The Chrism Mass is one of the principal expressions of the fullness of the bishop’s priesthood and signifies the close unity of the priests with him.
PENANCE, from page 1
of Eucharistic Adoration during which the congregation knelt, and the pope stood, head bowed, leaning on his cane. Customarily, the pope would have then gone to a confessional in St. Peter’s Basilica and kneeled in front of a priest to confess his sins.
However, this year with increased difficulty with his knee, he went to a quiet corner of the Rome parish church where there were two chairs,
In his Chrism Mass homily last year in Rome, Pope Francis told priests that “the Lord is inviting [priests] to be faithful to Him, to be faithful to His covenant, and to let ourselves be loved and forgiven by Him.”
“‘Fixing our gaze on Jesus’ is a grace that we, as priests, need to cultivate,” he said. “At the end of the day, we do well to gaze upon the Lord, and to let him gaze upon our hearts and the hearts of all those whom we have encountered.”
The pope told the priests to be cautious and aware of hidden idols in life and said: “allow the Lord to
put on a purple stole and waited for each penitent to approach. He heard confessions for almost one hour.
Other priests were stationed in confessionals or elsewhere in the small church to hear confessions.
In his homily, the pope talked about the danger of being proud of one’s “religious accomplishments” and believing oneself better than others.
“They feel comfortable, but they have no room for God because they feel no need for him,” he said. Their prayer
You
destroy those hidden idols.”
“We should keep these things in mind and be attentive, lest the weeds of these idols that we were able to hide in the folds of our hearts may spring up anew,” he said.
All are invited to attend the Chrism Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located at 1111 St. Joseph Parkway in downtown Houston, on April 4 at 7 p.m. The Mass will also be livestreamed online at www.archgh.org/live.
For more Lenten resources and information online, visit www.archgh. org/lent. †
is more a series of “monologues” rather than sincere dialogue and prayer.
Such people may do good works, join church groups or help the parish and then expect a kind of “payback,” that is, a sense of righteousness or expectation of a “prize” that elevates them above those who don’t meet the same standards, he said.
“Brothers, sisters, let us remember this: The Lord comes to us when we step back from our presumptuous ego,” the pope said. †
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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For our last stop on our culinary tour of the world, we’re bringing you to Africa. This week, Catholic Relief Service’s (CRS) Rice Bowl program highlights a dish from Kenya, an eastern African country of 57 million bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania.
Turkana, Kenya is very hot and dry. Temperatures reach the mid-90s year-round. Most people in this area raise livestock such as goats and camels, and a few are farmers. But the climate makes this work difficult—and
helped families overcome the challenges nutrition. Turn in your
• 4 large potatoes, chopped
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves crushed garlic
• ½ tsp salt
climate change is making it even harder. Farmers raise goats but rely on rain and river water for crop irrigation and animal feed. But it’s raining less and less, and when it does rain, it’s unpredictable and intense, washing away many seeds and crops.
CRS programs have helped villagers build water wells and teach new land management techniques for the future. Solar power helps irrigate their lands and grow new crops.
This meat-free recipe features hearty potatoes and spinach and other veggies
for a filling meal. It is an opportunity for families to experience new cultures through new ingredients and flavors.
As we abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, journey with us around the world and incorporate these Lenten recipes into your meatless Fridays. Give the money you saved each week by not eating meat — about $3 per person per meal — to your CRS Rice Bowl to feed those in need around the world.
For other recipes and videos, visit www.crsricebowl.org/recipe. †
HOUSTON — St. Dominic Village is hosting its annual Easter egg hunt. Set for Saturday, April 1 at 2 p.m., the event is located at 2401 Holcombe Blvd. in Houston near the Texas Medical Center.
This is an annual tradition that brings joy and excitement to the families that participate and to the elderly residents of the nursing center. There will be lots of candy and a visit by the Easter Bunny.
For more information, call 713-741-8701. †
• 3 cups of spinach or other leafy green, chopped
• 1 16-oz bag frozen corn
• 1 16-oz bag frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp fair trade olive oil
30 MINUTES 4 SERVINGS
Place potatoes, onions, garlic and salt in a pot with water to cover the tops of the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-high heat and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes). Add spinach, corn and peas, and cook until water has completely evaporated (about 5 minutes). Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until spinach is tender. Remove from heat and mash entire mixture until it resembles mashed potatoes.
www.crsricebowl.org
HOUSTON — A local parishioner, embarking on a pilgrimage to attend Mass at all 146 parishes and seven missions in the Archdiocese, so far has visited more than 100 local churches by this Lenten and Easter season.
Carol Herrera, a cradle Catholic, has traveled throughout Houston and parts of the Archdiocese’s 10 counties, marveling at the diversity of the churches and their parishioners. But she also understood the universality of the Church in following the Mass in its various languages, whether in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Polish or Latin.
Along the way, she writes in her journal and takes lots of photographs.
“I want to be able to look back at the pictures of my parish visits and relish the moment. I want to be able to talk
about my visits and inspire other people to go to church,” said Herrera, a retired City of Houston community services manager.
Herrera started her pilgrimage in October 2020 by attending Mass at the parish where she grew up, the historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, near downtown Houston. Established in 1880, the white-marbled interior of the church known for its Mariachi Masses is home to 816 households.
What prompted her local pilgrimage came when she was originally scheduled to go to the Holy Land, but the trip had to be canceled because of COVID-19. Herrera said she was very disappointed and wondered when she would be able to take the trip. She prayed about it regularly, and then one day, the Holy Spirit moved her to make a different kind of pilgrimage: one that she could do locally.
So Herrera then decided to visit all parishes in the Houston-Galveston area to attend Mass. Throughout the journey, she discovered many hidden gems in the parish communities.
The pilgrimage took her to parts of town where she had never been before, enabling her to meet other parishioners and pastors even though they worshipped in different languages.
She traveled to large parishes like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in west Houston, which has 11 different weekend Masses in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
And she attended one of the smallest churches, St. Anne De Beaupre in the Heights, a predominantly African American parish established in 1937 and now home parish to an estimated 116 households.
So far, the greatest distance she has traveled is to St. Katherine Drexel in Hempstead, established in 2001 with a current 1,796 households. She has been to every edge of the region: from St. Paul the Apostle in Clear Lake, to Sts. Simon and Jude in The Woodlands, to St. Hyacinth in Deer Park and Epiphany of the Lord in Katy.
Herrera said she looks forward to going to Mass every weekend and prays about her upcoming weekly journey. There is no method for her selecting parishes; she just picks one at random at the end of the week. Even with such travel, she finds the time to go to her local parish too.
“It has been an incredible pilgrimage,” Herrera said. “I’ve learned about new parishes and saints. Now I realize I don’t have to go far to discover God’s treasures: the cathedrals, churches, missions and chapels of the Archdiocese are all in our own backyard.”
She continued: “I’ve met a lot of kind and humble parishioners who speak proudly about their church, the clergy, and the community, which I found impressive. When I share my pilgrimage, the parishioners are very welcoming and excited, asking many questions about my experiences.”
She recalled the tour that Father Martin Eke, MSP, of St. Francis of Assisi gave her of his parish in Kashmere Gardens. He shared inspiring stories of how his parish overcame the deluge brought by Hurricane Harvey and how he waded through floodwaters to save what he could from the church.
She also noted a tour by Deacon John Naber of the chapel at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in west Houston. But what stopped her in her tracks was the life-size statue of Christ at rest in the sanctuary at
St. James the Apostle in Spring.
Among the memorable sites, she included the large and gorgeous grotto at Our Lady of Lavang Church in Houston, a predominantly Vietnamese parish. And she was also amazed at the sprawling church of St. Martha in Kingwood.
She found it very interesting how every parish church has its own unique signature but a common goal: giving thanks to the Lord.
The older churches encompass the traditional style of stained-glass windows, higher ceilings, Gothic and Romanesque designs, like the ones she grew up knowing. Newer churches might have a more modern, sleek build with straight lines and right angles, sometimes missing the spires and arches of the older houses of worship.
Another difference she’s noted was how churches worship. Some parishes worship in a traditional manner, some contemporary, while others are more charismatic. She said it just depends on the pastors and parish community.
Some churches incorporated choirs, bands, quartets, solo singers and mariachis, while others use the piano or organ. Some parishioners chant, clap and raise their hands in the air, while others might choose not to.
Another sacrament she finds fascinating is how Baptisms are conducted in some parishes. Prior to going on this pilgrimage, she had never seen a walk-in baptismal font.
She is especially moved by the delivery of Mass and homilies by priests and deacons, whom have their own style. The spiritual zeal of all the clergy she met in her travels was enlightening and
HOUSTON — Local parish leaders followed up with training March 17 to 18 on Pope Francis’s call to organize with immigrants and those at the margins to encourage “participation of the Christian in public life.”
About 80 people representing multiple local Catholic churches and other denominations met at All Saints Catholic Church in the Heights with training sessions in English and Spanish on being called to be “One Body.”They also learned how to lead small groups and listen to identify new leaders. They focused on practical measures such as “pressures on families.”
“Do we really know who sits around us in the pews?” asked a group leader with The Metropolitan Organization (TMO), a non-profit helping to train parishioners.
Talking about organizing “house meetings” with four to six fellow parishioners, Gina Reynoso said relationships can be built on sharing pressures impacting families. Some house meetings even take place in the parking lot of a trailer park, wherever the people are, she said.
“My husband works in the construction field, and they have been laying off. His team is down from 20 to only five
workers,” Reynoso said. “If people don’t feel heard, we are amputating part of our One Body.”
The local training followed up on a regional conference in San Antonio earlier from Feb. 28 to March 1 where Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Bishop Italo Dell’Oro and other bishops attended among 300 leaders and clergy at an Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) West/ Southwest training.
Founded in 1940, the IAF is the nation’s largest and longest-standing network of local faith and community-based organizations. It currently works with thousands of religious congregations, non-profits, civic organizations and
unions in more than 65 cities across the U.S. and in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Cardinal DiNardo, who welcomed both regional and local trainees, said, “That’s the good practical work that this organization does. It helps people recognize their solidarity and their ability to work together.”
Pope Francis also spoke to the regional group via video, thanking them for participating in the ongoing synodal process.
The Holy Father told the crowd, “My heart rejoices when I see that pastors, priests and laity — leaders in their communities — together with civic organizations meet to discuss the best ways to overcome serious situations of injustice suffered by the excluded. I encourage and urge you to continue to do so.”
The pope has also been recently meeting with local leaders, inviting them to the Vatican. Among them, Elizabeth
Valdez, Texas IAF director and Houston’s The Metropolitan Organization, said, “It has made us better organizers and leaders, and we are eager for the next phase of deepening and expanding parish organizing.”
In the local training sessions, Father Cyriaque Sounou, SVD, pastor of Holy Name Catholic Church, called himself “a single dad of 1,000 kids.” Among issues that parishioners are concerned about are homelessness, crime, and the takeover of the Texas Education Agency of the Houston Independent School District impacting their children, he said.
Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP, Archdiocesan director for the secretariat of social concerns, said, “Historically, people have seen the Church as a refuge. But that has eroded. Now we need to go out to the people and help them with their issues of education, transportation, and housing.”
Bishop Dell’Oro, also spoke to the local trainees, said, “God is in Heaven, but when we look at Him up there, we find out that He has come down here on earth.”
He added, “Through TMO activity, we can grow in a spirit of solidarity that brings us together. When we represent as a group, we have more sway to make people’s lives better.”
For more information, www. tmohouston.org. †
HOUSTON — The last of 175 years of the history of the Church in GalvestonHouston is filled with remarkable examples of service and faith.
From its earliest days, the local Church has been marked by the selfless determination and dogged perseverance of women and men who built parishes, schools and orphanages and served the poor and immigrant.
On April 20, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will mark its 175th anniversary with a gala at the Hilton Americas-Houston, located at 1600 Lamar St. in downtown Houston. At the gala, five individuals and an organization are set be honored. They exemplify the countless men and women who have helped the Gospel of Christ flourish in southeast Texas for nearly two centuries through their dedication and support. The six honorees are Sister Heloise Cruzat, O.P.; Deacon Gerald DuPont; Trini Mendenhall; The Scanlan Foundation; James Studdert; and Raye G. White.
“In honoring these individuals,” Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston said, “we recognize those who have generously contributed
their time and talent to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the local Church of Galveston-Houston.”
Stan Marek Jr., chair of the anniversary gala, said,“This is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the many ways we live out the Gospel — caring for the poor, the sick, the refugee; supporting our parishes and clergy; it’s a celebration of our faith and why we do it.”
SISTER HELOISE CRUZAT, O.P.
Sister Heloise Cruzat, O.P., was born in Houston and entered the Dominican Sisters of Houston convent in September 1951.
Beginning in 1955, Sister Cruzat taught French, Spanish and Latin at St. Agnes Academy before becoming principal in 1966. In 1981, she began working with alumni and development at St. Pius X High School for three years before serving as their principal from 1984 to 1991.
Following her time at St. Pius X School, she went on to serve 12 years in congregational administration. She served as vicar for religious for the Archdiocese for 13 years and is chair of
Deacon Gerald DuPont is a native of Simmesport, Louisiana, and grew up on the banks of the Atchafalaya River. He and his wife, Peggy, were married in 1968. Together, they have two children and eight grandchildren. Deacon DuPont was called to the permanent diaconate and ordained in 1990. In 2003, thenBishop Joseph A. Fiorenza called Deacon DuPont to become the first fulltime director of the Permanent Diaconate for GalvestonHouston. Deacon DuPont grew the program to become the largest in the U.S. and the world during his tenure. He has been president of the National Association of Diaconate Directors and the International Diaconate Centre. Deacon DuPont retired from the Office of the Permanent Diaconate in 2017. He continues to serve the Church community at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Bellville and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Industry, Texas.
Trinidad Mendenhall, the co-founder of Fiesta Mart and president of Fulton Shopping Center, has dedicated her life to serving others. In 1997, alongside her late husband, O.C., Mendenhall founded the Trini and O.C. Mendenhall Foundation, which empowers women, minorities and children. She also founded the Mendenhall Achievement Center at the University of St. Thomas. In 2002, she established the Mendenhall Asthma Research Laboratory at Baylor’s Biology of Inflammation Center in memory of her husband.
Mendenhall’s commitment to her Catholic values and her Houston community is made evident by her outstanding work on behalf of children, women and the vulnerable. She is a life director at the University of St. Thomas and serves on the board of Catholic Charities, and her foundation endows scholarships for the CROSS Academies and the College of Education of the University of Houston. She has served on the boards of Ronald McDonald House, Baylor College of Medicine, University of Houston’s Center for Mexican American Studies Excellence Endowment Campaign Committee, United Way’s Women’s Initiative, Alexis de Tocqueville Society, End Hunger Network, and others.
Established in 1947, the Scanlan Foundation continues to provide support and strategic thought to the growth of the Catholic Church in Texas. Through its grant-making capacities, the Scanlan Foundation also recognizes opportunities to support the Church and its ministries in ways beyond financial means.
The foundation stimulates innovative ideas and initiatives which create impact
through leadership and innovation; equips organizations with the resources necessary to accelerate growth and transformation; measures impact through research, data tracking and analysis; and continues to expand its administrative processes and procedures for assessing grant effectiveness.
JAMES STUDDERT
James “Jim” Studdert is a native Houstonian born and raised in the Riverside neighborhood. In 1964, Studdert married his wife Ginny, with whom he had three children. Studdert entered the insurance business in the Houston area in 1962 and retired from the industry in 2002. In 1969, Studdert was a founding member of Notre Dame parish, serving as a volunteer director of religious education. From 1976 to 1983, Studdert served on the board of education for the then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston, including as president of the board. Additionally, Studdert has served as a member of the finance council of the Archdiocese for over 40 years and helped to establish the benefits committee of the Archdiocese on which he still serves.
Studdert continues to be involved with his parish at St. Cecilia Catholic Church and has been active in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for 13 years, serving for six years as president. He has six grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.
RAYE G. WHITE
Born and raised in Texas, Raye G. White is the executive vice president and chief compliance officer of Fayez Sarofim & Co. She has been with the firm since its inception in 1958 and is a chartered investment counselor. She has had a transformative effect on the local Church community. White is a board member for The Hermann Eye Fund, a life director at the University of St. Thomas, and the CHRISTUS Foundation for HealthCare. Other philanthropic ventures include supporting the development of the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence at St. Dominic Village, various initiatives of the Archdiocese, including the annual Archdiocesan Prayer Breakfast, and annual support of the San José Clinic and Catholic Charities.
To learn more about the gala, please visit www.bidpal.net/agh175. †
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mass is offered during the middle of the workday at 11:35 a.m., and when a priest is available, walk-in confessions and spiritual direction by appointment are offered.
Father Frank Vera, director of Holy Cross Chapel, invites those who work downtown or are visiting the area to stop by and attend Mass or spend quiet time in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
“You could say that the chapel is a ‘gift’ from the Archdiocese to the great professional population in downtown Houston,” said Father Vera. “It is an oasis of tranquility within walking distance from where thousands of people work, providing spiritual support that many seek but often do not find easily accessible.”
Father Vera said professional groups were founded at Holy Cross Chapel over the years, such as the Thomas More Society, a Catholic lawyers guild, and the Business Ethics Forum, where executives discuss ethical issues. A series of talks or seminars during Lent and Advent also are available for men and women, as well as other events planned throughout the year.
Father Vera said the spiritual support that the chapel offers does not replace, but rather complements, the work of parishes across the Archdiocese. He said those who take advantage of the chapel during work hours typically become more committed to their faith and engaged at their parish.
Father Vera said that over the years, the growth in attendance at Holy Cross Chapel has been steady and organic, mainly from people who work downtown like Schick or those on a business trip looking for Mass close by. He said prior to the pandemic, the chapel served an average of 24,000 each year, including approximately 80 visitors each day and 400 to 500 people on Holy Days of Obligation, including 1,300 on Ash Wednesday.
the Catholic centers a venue to showcase their activities and projects and reach alumni working downtown, some who during their college days were either not Catholic or practicing,” said Father Vera. “Many alumni feel proud of their school and want to support it. We try to show them that the most direct and effective way to support their alma mater in a way that will benefit their children is to channel their resources to the Catholic center.”
the DSF, parishes are partnering with them to provide spiritual nourishment to their parishioners when they are away.
One professional who had been a regular at the chapel since the late 1990s was Bob Schick, a recently retired lawyer with Vinson & Elkins. He said the chapel “puts the Gospel on Main Street — literally and figuratively.”
“Holy Cross Chapel and the priests who have directed it and celebrated Mass there made me a better Catholic,” said Schick. “To have such a wonderful accessible facility in the business district of Houston is a real blessing. The programs offered there throughout the year helped strengthen my faith and educate me in ways that my neighborhood parishes with thousands of parishioners simply cannot realistically provide.”
inspiring. Herrera said she prayed that everyone could enjoy and reflect on the local religious and spiritual treasures that she has had the honor to visit and be a part of from week to week. With less than 50 parishes to go, she hopes to visit all the rest.
“It’s been a very holy experience for me,” she said. “When I leave Mass, I’m at peace, grateful and thankful to God for His unwavering and unconditional love.”
Herrera said she always walks out of the churches feeling deeper in love with Christ, stronger in her faith and wanting to be a better Christian.
“The way we are all called to feel in the presence of the Eucharist.”
Herrera is a volunteer with Guadalupe Radio, KSHJ 1430 AM, where she discusses her weekly church visits on-air during the
“Since the pandemic, the numbers have dropped down to about half since many people haven’t come back to downtown,” said Father Vera. “The few days they do come, many have more lunchtime meetings than before, making it difficult to attend Mass here. We hope the numbers will little by little increase again, but it will take some time.”
Father Vera said a new initiative was put into place last fall where Catholic centers of major universities in Texas and beyond were invited to organize events at the chapel specifically for their alumni who work downtown. This included Texas A&M University, Baylor University, Texas Tech University, UT-Austin and Texas State University.
“The purpose of these events is to offer
Catholic Lunch Break show with host Tim Motte and co-host David Magallanez at noon on Mondays.
She said, “I’ve had the time of my life, and thank the Lord for leading me on this spiritual journey.”
Herrera added that she hopes her journey might encourage people to return to church if they are not going and to embark on their own personal pilgrimage if they can.
She finally made the trip to Israel in 2021 but continues her local pilgrimage. In the Holy Land, she walked with Jesus, praying at many churches in Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
“I was brought to tears as both the local and the global churches merged with me. All with one Christ,” Herrera said.
For a list of the 147 parishes and missions in the Archdiocese, visit www.archgh.org/parishsearch. †
Vera said this year they will promote these Catholic center events at local high schools to reach parents who are interested in finding ways to keep their children plugged into their faith while away at college.
Because Holy Cross Chapel is one of 64 ministries supported by the annual DSF appeal, Father Vera is grateful for the support of the faithful in the Archdiocese since this is the chapel’s primary funding source. He said through
“Holy Cross Chapel is really at the service of the whole Archdiocese, serving people working downtown from most parishes in the diocese,” said Father Vera. “The more we can help people downtown grow in their faith during work hours, the more fully their whole family will be present in the life of their parish on weekends and evenings. Without the annual support from DSF, we would not be able to operate.”
To learn more about Holy Cross Chapel, go to archgh.org. To donate to the DSF that supports the chapel and 63 other ministries, go to 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. †
SPRIGN — With a loud thunk-thunkthunk, St. Joseph knocked on the door and called out: “We seek food and shelter.”
A voice beyond the door responded: “There is no room for you here.” Asking again, knocking on another door, St. Joseph cries out: “We seek food and shelter,” only to receive another decline.
Finally, perhaps the third time is really the charm. After a visit to a third door, Jesus, Mary and Joseph are finally welcomed into the room, where an Italian feast was prepared for the journeying trio, concluding the “Tupa Tupa” at the St. Joseph’s Altar celebration at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring.
Held ahead of the March 20 Solemnity of St. Joseph, the gathering at St. Ignatius was one of the dozens of St. Joseph Altars held around the Archdiocese honoring the earthly father of Jesus.
The tradition is carried on from Sicily. The story holds that, during the Middle Ages, a famine struck the island of Sicily, who, in turn, sought help from St. Joseph to end their starvation and death, promising a feast in his honor if he did save them. The famine soon ended, and altars were prepared throughout the island. To honor St. Joseph, the food was given to the poor.
Many faithful from generations of Sicilian descent, coming from Louisiana over time, keep this tradition alive with its recipes, intricate bread plaiting and more, all handed down from generation to generation. The altar is still prepared today in gratitude.
Reaching upwards towards the ceiling, the altars are often multi-tiered delicate constructions. Usually, the altar’s three tiers represent the Holy Trinity, with a statue of St. Joseph on the top tier.
While no meat is ever used in the altar, or the meal, since the Solemnity of St. Joseph (usually March 19, but transferred to March 20 this year) is during Lent, dozens of baked breads, cakes and hundreds of treats — many in symbolic
Christian shapes like monstrances, chalices, crosses, fish and wreaths — fill the different levels.
Following the March 11 evening Mass at St. Ignatius, a troop of saints, including the Holy Family, processed from the Church to the Christus Center, where the towering altar was set up. Father Norbert Maduzia, pastor, and other St. Joseph Altar Guild members led the “Tupa Tupa,” a children’s depiction of the Holy Family, alongside some saints, going door-todoor looking for food and shelter before finding the St. Joseph Table.
Below the altar, a cloth banner declares: “SAN GIUSEPPE PREGA PER NOI” invoking the prayers of St. Joseph. Just above the stitched banner, homemade cakes lined the table with an iced, smiling lamb, a book and two intricately decorated eggs.
Just outside the main gathering area, an Italian market buzzed with life as
BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALDvolunteers began to serve a Sicilian meal that featured pasta al pomodoro, hardboiled eggs, green beans, salad and bread. Also for sale were homemade Italian baked goods, including cuccidati fig cookies, biscotti, tanallucci wedding ring cookies, giugiuleni sesame cookies, paletermitani chocolate pecan cookies and limone cookies buzzed with activity with sellers quickly hawking cookies. Other activities included a raffle, with donations and proceeds benefiting the parish and St. Joseph Altar Guild’s outreach ministries, which helps those in need in the parish and neighboring communities.
A separate side altar, an ancestry table featured an intimate candleand lamp-lit shelf recalled loved ones through many photos of family members that have died, as well as photos from past St. Joseph Altars. Smiling bakers, former guild members and volunteers beamed from framed photos next to flowers and vases. A hand-drawn map of Sicily highlighted the geography of the Italian island.
Beginning the celebration, a program introduced the history of the St. Joseph Altar, as well as live music sung by Ken Camerino, accompanied by pianist Peter Ramirez. Father Maduzia presided over the Rite of Blessing with a prayer of blessing, showering holy water onto the altar. The crew of saints also assisted Father Maduzia in blessing the altar.
At each of the altars, ornate and handbaked breads stood tall next to statues of St. Joseph, fruit, red- and green-colored candles and flickering white candles. The breads were fashioned into a halfdozen shapes, each with symbolism tied to Jesus and the Holy Family.
Wreathes represented Jesus’s crown of thorns; a heart symbolized the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary; a staff recalled St. Joseph’s staff; palms echoed the palms raised at Jesus’s arrival into Jerusalem; fish represented Christ and Christianity; crosses remembered the Crucifixion and a monstrance recalled the Sacred Heart, as well as the Eucharist.
Other baked goods included bready crabs, seen alongside lilies, sandals, ladders, saws, hammers and nails, as well as “modica,” breadcrumbs, as sawdust, recalling St. Joseph’s trade as a carpenter. Wine bottles that sat among fresh vegetables recalled the first miracle of Jesus.
Among other parishes around the Archdiocese, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston hosted its own St. Joseph Altar on March 19 following each of the parish’s Sunday Masses.
In La Marque, Queen of Peace Parish hosted a three-day celebration also honored St. Joseph, starting on March 18 with a blessing of the parish’s altar after the Saturday Vigil Mass. On March 19, a procession followed the 11 a.m. Mass with a San Giuseppe Meal. Then a St. Joseph Rosary and Mass celebrated the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 20. Proceeds from the weekend’s celebrations benefited the sick, elderly and poor of Galveston County.
At St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Clear Lake, their March 19 St. Joseph Altar included a dinner and an Italian dessert table. Proceeds from the event benefited St. Hyacinth Parish in Deer Park, which continues its recovery efforts following a catastrophic tornado that struck the parish in January.
Even the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province, known as the Vietnamese Dominicans, also held their own St. Joseph’s Altar at their convent. Their mulit-level, candle-lit altar shimmered with baked breads, votive saint candles and ivory-colored flowers and fresh greenery, while a lifesized statue of St. Joseph watched from behind. †
“Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.”
HOUSTON — Ann Lee Henthorn, who was a principal for many years in the Archdiocese, died Feb. 9. She was 89 years old.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Edward Catholic Church on March 10. †
PONCHATOULA, Louisiana — Father Alberto Rodríguez López, OP, parochial vicar and then parish administrator of Holy Rosary Parish, died March 10. He was 77.
He served at Holy Rosary from 2016 to 2020, and resided there until his death.
A funeral Mass was celebrated March 16 at Holy Rosary Parish. Interment is in the Dominican Cemetery at Rosaryville, Ponchatoula, Louisiana. †
Father Thomas William Sepulveda, CSB
HOUSTON — Father Thomas Sepulveda, CSB, a member of the Congregation of the Priest of St. Basil (Basilian Fathers) for 59 years, died March 11. He was 79 years old.
He took his first vows in 1964 and then went to the University of St. Thomas where he earned a B.A. degree in 1968. After ordination Father Sepulveda spent the next 47 years serving the poor in parish ministry in Mexico, Detroit and Texas. After retiring he lived with his Basilian brothers at Dillon House in Houston before moving to Silverado Hermann Park Memory Care Community.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Anne Catholic Church in Houston on March 15. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. †
Sister Maria Goretti Nhiêm Thi Trinh, O.P.
HOUSTON — Sister Maria Goretti Nhiêm Thi Trinh, O.P., died March 14. A Dominican Sister of Mary Immaculate Province, she was 95 years old.
A funeral Mass was celebrated March 25 at St. Catherine Convent. Interment is in Earthman Resthaven Cemetery. †
Frances Diane (Byrd) Wooten
HOUSTON — Frances Diane (Byrd) Wooten, retired principal at St. Francis de Sales Catholic School (SFdS), died Feb. 27. She was 68 years old.
Diane began teaching English Language Arts at SFdS in 1976. Over her 44 year career at SFdS she served as a teacher of multiple subjects and grade levels, the director of religious education, assistant principal, then ultimately principal.
A funeral Mass was celebrated March 11 at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church. †
Ash Wednesday Good Friday
Ages 18-59
Abstinence
Ages 14+
When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal
Those that are excused from fast and abstinence outside the age limits include the physically or mentally ill including individuals suffering from chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Also excluded are pregnant or nursing women.
For more information on fasting and abstinence, visit usccb org
For more information on fasting and abstinence, visit www.archgh.org/lent.
Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of April.
April 1, 1874 Rev. Matthew Sarry
April 1, 1950 Bishop Christopher E. Byrne
April 2, 1965 Rev. Terenciano Montero, OMI
April 3, 1996 Msgr. William L. Tinney
April 3, 2011 Rev. Harold V. O’Leary, CSB
April 3, 2013 Rev. Henry C. Rachunek
April 4, 1983 Rev. John Hannaher, SVD
April 5, 1850 Rev. J.A. Jacobs
April 5, 1926 Rev. J.J. Gallagher
April 5, 1992 Msgr. John E. Kukral
April 6, 1989 Rev. Eugene Heyck, CSB
April 7, 1991 Rev. George A. Harcar, CSSp
April 7, 1995 Rev. Francis E. Monaghan, CSB
April 7, 2009 Msgr. T. Joseph Culver
April 8, 1912 Rev. C.M. Thion
April 8, 1980 Rev. Eugene J. Farrell, SSJ
April 9, 1890 Rev. V. Gury
April 9, 2002 Rev. Christopher Bang Le, CSSR
April 10, 1892 Rev. James Giraudon
April 12, 1931 Rev. Simon Spinneweber
April 15, 1935 Rev. Otto Bauer
April 16, 1867 Bishop John Timon, CM
April 16, 1947 Rev. William Roach
April 16, 1994 Rev. Edward Rehkopf, SJ
April 18, 2003 Rev. Francis Strafalace, SCJ
April 18, 2019 Rev. William Kelly
April 19, 1958 Msgr. Jacob Schnetzer
April 19, 2013 Msgr. Donald J. Fruge
April 24, 1976 Rev. Edward G. Lee, CSB
April 26, 1916 Rev. Peter Bienemann
April 26, 2007 Rev. Isaac O. Francis
April 27, 1900 Rev. Antoine Borias
April 30, 1992 Msgr. Dexter L. George
April 30, 2016 Rev. J. Donald Schwarting
Please pray for all victims of violence everywhere and their families. Pray for those being executed in Texas and their families:
March 7: Gary Green
March 9: Arthur Brown Jr.
March 29: Anibal Canales Jr.
will ensure that we can continue to help those who are suffering.
Monsignor Francis celebrates Ash Wednesday Mass with seniors
Monsignor Eugene Francis celebrated Mass on Ash Wednesday with seniors at Brookdale Champions, an assisted living and memory care facility located at 14050 Cutten Rd. in Houston on Feb. 22. Afterward, Monsignor Francis, who was the founding pastor of St. Edward Catholic Church in Spring, sat and visited with the seniors. In May 2022, Monsignor Francis, who is 94 years old, celebrated 70 years in the priesthood.
Food, clothing, emergency financial assistance, counseling, immigration assistance, veterans assistance, disaster recovery, refugees services, senior services and more. catholiccharities.org/need-help or 713-526-4611
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St. Mary of the Purification hosts Lenten Day of Reflection for Youth of African Descent on March 4
HOUSTON – On March 4, the Catholic Youth of African Descent held a Lenten Day of Reflection at St. Mary of the Purification Parish. This event, formerly known as African American Youth Day, was attended by at least 50 middle and high school youth and their chaperones from seven parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
Revived in 2017, the annual Lenten activity is an opportunity for young people to gather for a Lenten reflection interspersed with fun.
The Lenten theme, “Have You Been Changed?,” provided a reflection on the transfiguration of Jesus. Each youth received a blue and white wristband with the words “Have you been changed?” with the Scripture reference Matthew 17:1-9. Father Houston Okonma, parochial vicar of St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church in Houston, was the keynote speaker. Youth ministers Joel Trahan and Cherie Washington lead separate breakout sessions for middle and high school topics and concerns.
Among the topics discussed were vocations, the importance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and career/life choices. Following a pizza lunch, the youth enjoyed a game of kickball. The day ended with many teens attending 5 p.m. Mass. †
HOUSTON — Students from St. Thomas High School’s drama program performed the famous musical, Les Misérables, from March 24 to 26. Directed by the school’s director of theater, Dan Green, more than 100 students were involved in this production.
As St. Thomas High School doesn’t rent sets, the students and their families helped design and build the world of Victor Hugo’s 19th-century novel and bring it to life on the St. Thomas stage. Support also came from Incarnate Word Academy, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart and St. Agnes Academy, all who had several students perform the female roles, including Eponine, Cosette and Fantine.
For all its grandeur and legacy, however, it remains a musical that is about love and about mercy. It follows the intertwined lives of the convict Jean Valjean, sentenced to a chain gang for stealing a loaf of bread and attempting various escapes.
Paroled at the beginning of the musical, he’ll eventually make a decision that will ripple
across decades. Throughout it all, he’ll be pursued by the relentless Inspector Javert, whose concept of justice leaves little space for daylight between black and white.
“I love working with Josh Wilson, Phil Gensheimer, Kim Shipman, Chris Patton, Katie Macalusco, Teresa Stranahan and a legion of people who love what we try to do in the St. Thomas Drama Program,” Green said.
Amid the musical’s epic sweep, the themes of God’s grace and making sacrifices for a higher cause run deep, seen not only in the main characters of Valjean and Javert but also in the supporting roles of Fantine, a factory worker with an illegitimate child to care for, and Eponine, the daughter of corrupt and callous innkeepers who is secretly in love with Marius, a student revolutionary. These are weighty subjects, which Green said, and he and the cast didn’t shy away from them.
“When we break down each scene, we can’t help but have these conversations about the joys and hopes and mercies we all hope for,” he explained. “Valjean’s redemption, Javert’s tragic rejection of mercy, Fantine’s sacrifice, and Eponine’s sacrifice all make sense only in a world illuminated by God’s divine presence.”
HOLLY BERETTOA common sentiment nowadays is that we cannot return to pre-pandemic ministry. We need to start afresh. Pope Francis, in his message for the 36th World Youth Day — confirms this sentiment regarding the young Church: “…we cannot begin anew without you, dear young people. If our world is to arise, it needs your strength, your enthusiasm, your passion.”
I am truly eager about the upcoming 67th Archdiocesan Youth Conference (AYC), where the youth of the Archdiocese will be invited to meet this challenge of renewal. We will celebrate the gift that young people are to the Catholic Church. We will listen to their voices and challenge them to live an authentic and deep Catholic faith.
AYC’s theme for 2023 is “Gift Received, Gift Shared.” It comes from the Bible verse 1 Peter 4:10: “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
On July 28 to 30, we will gather more than 1,000 young people to break open the theme of giftedness, service and stewardship with our vibrant keynote speakers. Paul J. Kim, also our emcee for the weekend, will utilize his many God-given talents to communicate the
Gospel message in an entertaining and meaningful way.
Father Casey Cole, OFM, is not only a religious priest but also an author, baseball enthusiast, and YouTube influencer. He will break open the message of service in a relatable and understandable manner. Meg HunterKilmer is an itinerant missionary who travels and lives out of her car! She is an alum of Notre Dame, an author, and a gifted storyteller of holy men and women, particularly the saints.
graders through graduating seniors — to contact their local parishes to join us in this unique and dynamic celebration of our Catholic faith.
by TIMOTHY COLBERTInfused throughout this three-day youth conference are opportunities for a ton of fun, building new friendships, and experiencing prayer with the body of Christ. Most of all, there will be time to receive healing in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and moments of silence in front of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The conclusion of our time together will be the celebration of the Eucharist, the source and summit of our Christian life (Catechism of the Catholic Church,
1324). As is tradition, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be our main celebrant and homilist for Sunday Mass.
The Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization challenges each of you to encourage and invite the young people in your lives — graduating eighth
Participants will leave the experience of AYC 2023 equipped and inspired to joyfully respond to this challenge of Pope Francis: The Lord, the Church and the Pope trust you and appoint you to bear witness before all those other young people whom you will encounter on today’s “roads to Damascus.” Never forget that “anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). †
Timothy E. Colbert is the director of the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization.
“Infused throughout this three-day youth conference are opportunities for a ton of fun, building new friendships, and experiencing prayer with the body of Christ.”
In the spring, as birds wake me up with their singing, I get a melody stuck in my head. Their song reminds me of a piece of music that I used in a dance routine over 20 years ago.
Back then, I was just starting my consecrated life with the Focolare, and I was part of a professional performing group called Gen Verde. Every morning we used a ballet warm-up sequence before practicing for the performances, and it is amazing that by hearing birds singing only a few notes, I’m transported back to Pliés & Relevés sequences.
Repetition! It’s all repetition.
Repetition has great value in spiritual life as well. It is said that repetition is the mother of learning, and in prayer, the more we keep on trying, the more we learn how to reach those heart-to-heart conversations with God and grow in our spiritual life.
One of the most common repetitions in prayer is the Hail Mary in the Rosary. I still remember, as a little girl, saying the Rosary and Litanies every day after dinner with my four sisters and my
It is National Women’s History Month; a time when we reflect on the contributions of women to culture, science, art and society. I would like to offer my own small reflection on three notable Catholic women who used their unique gifts and experiences to make an impact on the American Church.
• Servant of God Mother Mary Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence (1789-1882).
Elizabeth Clarisse Lange was born in San Domingo, Haiti, in 1789 to mulatto parents (people of African and French heritage). In the political unrest that followed the Haitian revolution, Elizabeth’s family moved first to Cuba
by JOELMA REGISparents. Even though I did not know the meaning of it all at the time, I’m sure that daily prayer helped shape the person I am today. As the years passed, I learned to repeat other forms of prayer and actions that brought me closer to God and helped me listen to His voice more often. The more I did those things, the more I practiced, and the more those things became part of my life.
In Ignatian spirituality, repetition has a special purpose. It means returning to prayer with a specific spiritual exercise that brought an experience of some significant spiritual movement: consolation, desolation, or a moment of appreciation. For me, going back to those moments is very helpful. For example, when I had dryness in my prayer while meditating on the Scriptures, I went back later to that
same piece and tried spending more time going deeper into it. Or, while feeling so tired, I remembered a moment of spiritual consolation that brought a big smile to my face and brightened the entire day.
In the last days of his life, when my dad was in the hospital, I read aloud from a spiritual book for him. After I finished a short reading, he said, “The word of the Lord.” And looking at me as
and then to Baltimore, Maryland. Seeing the unmet need for education and evangelization among the city’s Black Catholics, Elizabeth began a Catholic school for these children in her home in 1813 — the first such school in the nation.
From humble beginnings, Elizabeth and her friend Father James Joubert founded the Oblate Sisters of the Providence, the first congregation of African American women religious in the U.S. Her legacy of education and service continues with the Oblate Sisters and the thousands of African American women who have answered the call to religious life with compassion and determination.
• Servant of God Dorothy Day, cofounder of the Catholic Worker Movement (1897-1980).
if to say “respond,” I said, “Thanks be to God.”Then he said, “Keep going with the second reading,” and we ended up going through the entire Mass. He remembered every word of it, and I, skeptical at first, went along with him. It was a moment of dementia, but it made me reflect because my dad went to daily Mass for many years (again, repetition).
As he lost his mind, the words that came out of his mouth were the words he repeated in Mass. Since he did not have a habit of repeating bad words in his lifetime, at the end of his life he said good things.
I also wish to end my life saying and doing only good things — loving God and my neighbors! Therefore, I’ll keep repeating those acts of love to my neighbors and have those heart-to-heart conversations with Jesus until the end of my life here on earth as I prepare for one day to meet Him face to face! †
Joelma Regis is an associate director for the Office of Vocations.
by AMY AUZENNE
As an educated young woman in 1920’s New York, Dorothy Day lived a Bohemian lifestyle — active in progressive politics, writing for socialist journals, and practicing “free love.” Initially, Dorothy threw herself into her work on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised — she was even arrested once during a suffragist protest outside the White House. Her life took a dramatic turn in 1920 when she became pregnant by her lover. He threatened to leave unless she got an abortion; she did as he asked, and he left anyway. By 1925, she was disillusioned with politics, heartbroken and pregnant again. A chance friendship with a Catholic nun led her to a profound conversion experience; she and her infant daughter joined the Church in 1926. Now enlightened by the Gospel, her work on behalf of the poor continued.
With Peter Maurin, she founded the Catholic Worker movement during the Great Depression. Their “Hospitality Houses” welcomed all in the name of
Jesus and provided free meals, clothing and housing. At the end of her life, she was an active voice in the nuclear disarmament movement; Dorothy argued that the money should be spent on the poor instead. Today, the Catholic Worker movement continues Dorothy’s ministry of welcome and advocacy, operating over 170 Hospitality Houses in 17 countries, including Casa Juan Diego here in Houston.
• Sister Norma Pimentel, MJ, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (1953-).
Sister Norma Pimentel grew up in Brownsville, Texas, with her parents and four siblings. As a child, she struggled in school but eventually was able to attend college, where she majored in art.
She began her religious studies in 1978, earning master’s degrees in theology and counseling before being assigned to Casa Oscar Romero, a Catholic Worker house in San Benito, Texas, serving refugees fleeing Central American guerilla wars.
Working with the staff at Casa Oscar Romero to provide for the material and spiritual needs of their guests, Sister Norma discovered a passion for this work. Today, she is on the front lines of the ongoing refugee crisis on our southern border. Her work to interject
See WOMEN, on page 19
“As the years passed, I learned to repeat other forms of prayer and actions that brought me closer to God and helped me listen to His voice more often. The more I did those things, the more I practiced, and the more those things became part of my life. ”OSV NEWS PHOTO An image of Mother Mary Lange, foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, is seen in a stained-glass window in the chapel of the religious order's motherhouse near Baltimore Feb. 9, 2022.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In interviews focused on the 10th anniversary of his election, Pope Francis insisted it is not his task to make an accounting of what he has or has not accomplished since March 13, 2013.
“The Lord will do the appraisal when he sees fit,” the pope told the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano
However, he said he was certain the criteria for judgment would be from Matthew 25: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting prisoners.
But he did have three words for what he hopes for the future: “Fraternity, tears, smiles.”
As Pope Francis marked his anniversary celebrating Mass with cardinals in the chapel of his residence, Vatican News released a short “popecast” that included the pope’s three-word response to a question about his dreams for the Church, the world and humanity.
“We are all brothers and sisters,” he explained, and more efforts must be made to live like it.
“And to learn not to be afraid to weep and to smile,” he said. “When a person knows how to cry and how to smile, he or she has their feet on the ground and their gaze on the horizon of the future.”
“If a person has forgotten how to cry, something is wrong,” Pope Francis said. “And if that person has forgotten how to smile, it’s even worse.”
In the handful of interviews Pope Francis granted in connection with his anniversary, several topics kept coming up: the war in Ukraine and wars around the world, women in the Church, outreach to LGBTQ Catholics, handling criticism and even whether he thinks about death.
He does, he told the Argentinean website Perfil. He said he thinks about death often and “very peacefully” because “it is necessary to remember” that no one lives forever.
The Argentinean newspaper La Nacion asked Pope Francis about the importance of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, a process the pope launched in October 2021 and that will culminate with synodal assemblies in 2023 and 2024.
In the context of explaining how he has tried to revitalize the synods, which were reinstated by St. Paul VI after the
Second Vatican Council, the pope told La Nacion that including more voices is an ongoing process.
During the 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, he said, “The question was asked: Why can’t women vote? Are they second-class Christians?”
The Vatican’s answer always had been that while the input of many was essential to a synod, it was the role of bishops to discern and vote. However, 10 priests — and occasionally a religious brother — traditionally were elected by the men’s Union of Superiors General of religious orders as full voting members of the synod alongside bishops.
In February 2021, Pope Francis named Xavière Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart one of the undersecretaries of the synod general secretariat, a post that would make her an automatic voting member of the assembly.
So, La Nacion asked the pope if only one woman would have a vote at the next synod assembly.
“Everyone who participates in the synod will vote. Those who are guests or observers will not vote,” he said, but whoever participates in a synod as a member “has the right to vote. Whether male or female. Everyone, everyone. That word everyone for me is key.”
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.
On the question of LGBTQ Catholics, Pope Francis insisted to the Perfil interviewer that “everyone is a child of God and each one seeks and finds God by whatever path he or she can.”
While the pope insisted matrimony can only be between one man and one woman, he also repeated his support for the legal rights guaranteed by civil unions for gay couples and others who share a life. And he said, as he told the Associated
Press in January, homosexuality should not be criminalized.
As for Catholic teaching that homosexual acts are sinful, like any sexual activity outside of marriage, Pope Francis said he did not think those sins would send a person to hell.
“God only sets aside the proud, the rest of us sinners are all in line,” he said, and God always is reaching out to save sinners who seek his help.
In the interviews with both La Nacion and Perfil, Pope Francis insisted there is a difference between a pastoral outreach to LGBTQ Catholics and accepting “gender ideology,” which, he said, “is one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations.”
“Why is it dangerous? Because it dilutes differences, and the richness of men and women and of all humanity is the tension of differences. It is to grow through the tension of differences,” the pope said.
A gender theory that sees being male or female as a social construct or choice rather than a fact related to biological identity “is diluting the differences and making the world the same, all blunt, all equal,” the pope said. “And that goes against the human vocation.”
In each of the interviews, he spoke of the horror of war and his concern for the continued fighting in Ukraine.
Asked by Vatican News what he would want as a gift for his 10th anniversary, Pope Francis responded: “Peace. We need peace.” †
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— San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said a recent daylong pastoral visit to death row at San Quentin State Prison with three other California bishops confirmed for him“there is a deep spiritual thirst” among those imprisoned there, “and a desire of the men to grow in their knowledge of the Catholic faith.”
The visit to death row “was especially heart-wrenching, but even there, I saw a desire for a deeper spiritual life,” he said in a reflection on the March 7 visit shared by the California Catholic Conference in a March 14 email newsletter.
“One of the condemned is even a Benedictine oblate, who renews his vows annually with the prison chaplain,” the archbishop wrote.“And all this despite the very oppressive conditions: a cell about 5’ x 15’, with a sink, a toilet and a table that doubles as a bed. They are confined in
that space most of the time. And yet, the ones we spoke with were happy to see us and very conversant.”
The other prelates who visited the prison were Bishops Michael C. Barber of Oakland, Oscar Cantú of San Jose and Jaime Soto of Sacramento. The bishops heard confessions and spoke with inmates in the prison’s general population, as well as on death row. The men talked about “their unexpected trials, spiritual conversions and faith life while incarcerated,” the Catholic conference’s newsletter said.
Deacon John Storm, director of Restorative Justice for the Diocese of Santa Rosa, who also was in the delegation, said he was moved by testimony from one inmate in particular “who described a personal encounter with Christ engendered by his participation in programs sponsored by the Catholic chapel.”
“That encounter led him to drop out of the gang culture, where he was previously a leader or ‘shot-caller,’ and to seek a new life of discipleship to others,” the deacon said. The visitors were required to wear a bulletproof vest while visiting death row, or the “East Block,” which Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised to dismantle following his moratorium on executions in the state.
The prison complex sits on Point San Quentin, a 432-acre parcel of land on the north side of the San Francisco Bay. It has California’s only death chamber.
California, which last carried out an execution in 2006, is one of 28 states that maintain death rows, along with the U.S. government, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In early January 2023, corrections officials said this year the state will start to move all inmates into the general prison population. As of Jan. 9, 671 male inmates are housed on San Quentin’s death row.
In his reflection, Archbishop Cordileone said that in his conversations with inmates in the chapel, he was “struck by the men’s sensitivity to the sacredness” of that space.
San Quentin “is one of the few prisons in California to have a dedicated Catholic chapel,” he noted, “and the men very much respect that sacred space, and feel aggrieved when others violate that sense of sacredness by irreverent behavior.”
“The ones I spoke with are very interested in what is happening in the church, in Rome and throughout the
world, and would like more access to information on that,” the archbishop said. “They are also very earnest in their desire to learn more about the faith in order to defend it against some of the inmates who criticize Catholic beliefs. They emphasized the need for more apologetics.”
“As I told them, I often tell people ‘on the outside,’ who have no knowledge of what it is like in a prison, that ‘Jesus is alive and well behind bars,’” Archbishop Cordileone said.
Bishop Soto said conversations with inmates in the North Block were “unique and personal.”
“There was little reference to the awkward circumstances of speaking through bars,” he said. “Worries about their family, questions about Scripture, curiosities about the world outside, and interesting books, filled our conversations.”
“My brother bishops and I finished our visit hearing the confessions of men from the other parts of the prison, the ‘general population,’” he continued. “There was a palpable hunger for the particular grace of the sacrament of penance. God’s infinite mercy is revealed in the humble, human matter of a personal conversation. There was also a sacramental dimension in the conversations through the bars of ‘North Block.’”
He added, “Even in the institutional restraints on those simple human encounters, the powerful divine mercy of Jesus continues to make the Incarnation a redeeming encounter with God.” †
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Mario Cardinal Grech, secretary-general of the Synod, has named Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas and six others to be members of the preparatory commission for the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October.
Bishop Flores served on the priest formation faculty at St. Mary’s Seminary and teaching faculty with the University of St. Thomas School of Theology from August 2001. Named vice-rector in June 2022, he served the seminary until September 2005, when he was named rector of Corpus Christi Cathedral in Corpus Christi, Texas.
According to the apostolic constitution for the synods, the secretary-general establishes the commission “for further exploration of the theme and for the redaction of any documents that may be issued prior to the Synod Assembly.”
The Vatican released the names of the seven commission members on March 15, the same day all seven were meeting with Cardinal Grech and with Jean-Claude Cardinal Hollerich of Luxembourg, general relator of the upcoming synod.
The theme Pope Francis chose for the Synod is: “For a Church that Journeys
Together: Fellowship, Participation and Mission.” It will meet at the Vatican Oct. 4 to 29. A second assembly has been scheduled for October 2024.
Mercedarian Sister Shizue “Filo” Hirota from Tokyo, Japan, was the only woman named to the preparatory commission. She is a consultant for the Catholic Council for Justice and Peace of the Japanese bishops’ conference of Japan.
The other members are Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa, who will serve as coordinator; Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth, president of the Australian bishops’ conference; Bishop Lucio A. Muandula of Xai-Xai, Mozambique; Father Dario Vitali, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; and Polish Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, a member of the synod secretariat staff, who will serve as secretary of the commission. †
(OSV News) — La presidenta de la mayor organización de religiosas y religiosos de América Latina dijo que si bien la región sigue siendo un lugar de dolor y derramamiento de sangre, es uno donde la iglesia puede ayudar a los “perpetuamente excluidos”.
El 2 de marzo, en la celebración del 64 aniversario de la Confederación Latinoamericana de Religiosos (CLAR), su presidenta, la Hermana Liliana Franco, dijo que la organización sólo podrá celebrar este hito si sigue comprometida con la construcción de un mundo de igualdad y dignidad por el que tanto han luchado los religiosos y religiosas de América Latina.
“Este continente sigue clamando por una vida digna, por una distribución equitativa de bienes y oportunidades, por la paz y por escenarios en los que sean posibles el diálogo y la amistad social de los que habla el Papa Francisco”, dijo la hermana Franco en su discurso inaugural.
“Somos herederos de una historia de anuncio, misión, profecía y martirio”.
Parte de ese papel profético implica denunciar los abusos, dijo la hermana Franco, que pertenece a las Misioneras de la Compañía de María.
“Ahí es donde resuena la voz de Dios, invitándonos a no callar ante la corrupción... a no callar frente a los abusos que carcomen la identidad de quienes están llamados a ser hermanos y hermanas”, dijo.
A finales de 2022, CLAR publicó un informe sobre los distintos tipos de abusos — físicos, psicológicos y espirituales — que han sufrido las religiosas en América
Latina. Los religiosos y religiosas deben optar por una comunidad “donde no haya más víctimas de abusos entre nosotros”, dijo Franco.
CLAR, fundada en 1959, representa a religiosas y religiosos de 22 países de América Central y del Sur, así como del Caribe.
Dado que CLAR se fundó unos años antes del Concilio Vaticano II — y antes de la conferencia de obispos latinoamericanos celebrada en 1968 en Medellín, Colombia — sus miembros consideraron desconcertante el cambio de enfoque sobre los marginados y los pobres, dijo Franco.
“Los rincones más empobrecidos del continente estaban habitados por hombres y mujeres que se sentían incómodos al ritmo del Concilio Vaticano II y de la Conferencia Episcopal Latinoamericana de Medellín”, dijo la hermana Franco. Pero ellos “dejaron ese estatus de comodidad” y optaron por servir a los pobres y excluidos de la sociedad, y en esos años, “Dios ha sido el protagonista”, añadió.
Su discurso se produce en un momento de agitación social y política en América Latina. En Perú, las protestas de quienes se han sentido privados de sus derechos se han prolongado desde finales de diciembre, dejando al menos 60 muertos. Venezuela se enfrenta a un éxodo de más de 7 millones de sus ciudadanos que abandonan la economía del país en espiral en medio de problemas políticos, con retos similares en Cuba, así como en Nicaragua, donde la Iglesia católica se encuentra bajo el ataque del gobierno.
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.
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.
Correo
3 al 16 de Septiembre de 2023 $4,190.00 por persona desde Houston
HOUSTON (OSV News) — After a brief theatrical run in the U.S., a new film that profiles Pope Francis’s last decade of traveling the world as the pontiff of the Catholic Church will be available on most online streaming sites on March 31.
Titled “In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis” (“En Route” in Italian), the film is directed by Gianfranco Rosi, an Italian-American documentary filmmaker who won the Venice Film Festival’s best film award, the Golden Lion, with his 2013 film, “Sacro GRA.”
The 82-minute film was screened at the 79th Venice Film Festival in Italy in 2022, but it was not in competition for the grand prize. Rosi also won the Golden Bear — the Berlin Film Festival’s best film award, with his 2016 film, “Fire at Sea.”
Available in English, Spanish and Italian, the film chronicles nearly a decade of the pope’s globe-trotting, as recent as July 2022. Since his election
10 years ago in 2013, Pope Francis has traveled 60 countries during 40 trips abroad.
Drawing from roughly 500 hours of Vatican archival media and footage Rosi filmed himself, the movie follows the Argentinian pontiff on his first voyage outside of the Vatican, when the pope visited Lampedusa, Italy, where he mourned the deaths of migrants who drowned at sea.
Lampedusa was the focus of Rosi’s Academy Award-nominated 2016 documentary film, “Fire at Sea” (“Fuocammare” in Italian), which profiled the dangerous and often fatal boat travel from North Africa to
Full descriptions for each open position are available online: www.archgh.org/ employment
Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services: Executive Administrative Assistant
Development Department: Development Coordinator
Office of Aging: Associate Director
Legal Department: Legal Counsel
Office of the Permanent Diaconate: Director of Field Education
Evangelization & Catechesis:
Associate Director of Sacramental Preparation, English/Spanish
Associate Director of Catechetical Leaders and Catechist Formation in English/Spanish
St. Dominic Center: Part-Time Weekend Receptionist
St. Dominic Village Retirement Home: Support Specialist to Retired Priests
Interested candidates may send a cover letter, with salary requirement, and resume to resume@archgh.org with the job title on the subject line.
*Submissions that do not include the salary requirement will not be moved forward for consideration.
Lampedusa, a coastal town in Italy. Pope Francis had seen the documentary ahead of his trip to the Italian coast.
“For Francis, travel is an intellectual and spiritual practice,” Rosi said in a statement. “Travel is where Francis the man becomes visible. Direct engagement with the people is clearly extremely important to him. You could say that his pontificate is a reverse pilgrimage, so rather than followers streaming from remote places to the Vatican, the pope himself travels to the people, meets them where they live and learns firsthand about their lives and woes.”
Rosi accompanied Pope Francis on his trips to Malta and Canada. These two trips, Rosi said, made him think differently about how he thought as a filmmaker.
“Traveling with Francis, being there in person, immediately engaged the way I think as a cameraman and a director, and a completely different sense of the trips emerged,” he also said.
Last year, Venice Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera told Italian news agency ANSA that “In Viaggio” was “an extraordinary film, an incredible piece of work” gleaned from hundreds of hours of footage.
A-I – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (PG)
A-II – MATURE TEENS
• Jesus Revolution (PG-13)
• In Viaggio: The Travels of Pope Francis (NR)
A-III – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS
• 65 (PG-13)
• 80 for Brady (PG-13)
• Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania (PG-13)
“If we think we know everything about the pope’s travels, this film will make us think again,” he said.
Barbera said the film follows the pope to the island and the many nations he has visited and ties them together by highlighting common themes, such as poverty, nature, migration, war and solidarity.
“It is a kind of a Way of the Cross,” he said, in that “Francis gives witness to the suffering of the world and experiences the difficulty of doing something more, beyond the comfort of his words and presence.”
Rosi said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the film to change its order. “Chronology became essential. Francis had always spoken forcefully against all war,” he said. “Now his warnings, and his analysis of the pattern of war, stood out.”
ANSA reported producer Donatella Palermo said Rosi, who was in Canada filming the pope’s latest trip there July 24 to 29, 2022, had planned to continue to add footage to the original film as the pope travels.
Rosi chose to do this documentary out of “the desire to tell the story of the emotion of seeing the world through the eyes of Francis,” Palermo said. †
• Champions (PG-13)
• Creed III (PG-13)
• Missing (PG-13)
• Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (R)
• Shazam! Fury of the Gods (PG-13)
• The Pale Blue Eye (R)
L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE
• Knock at the Cabin (R)
O – MORALLY OFFENSIVE
• Cocaine Bear (R)
• Magic Mike’s Last Dance (R)
• Scream VI (R)
For more reviews, visit osvnews.com/category/reviews
Editor’s Note: Contact event organizers for the latest updates. For deadline details and more listings, visit WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.
MARCH 30
CONCERT, 7 p.m., Sacred Heart (704 Old Montgomery Rd., Conroe). “The Stories I Tell Myself” tour featuring Matt Maher and Mission House. $25 to $50 tickets on sale at www. shconroe.org.
MARCH 31
MARKET, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Bayou City Event Center (9401 Knight Rd., Houston). The City Market features 60-plus merchants with assortment of merchandise. $20 presale, $25 at the door. Free parking. Proceeds support Third Age Learning Center at All Saints Catholic Church and volunteer service and grants to 15 Houston-area non-profit organizations. Tickets purchase: thecitymkt.org and www. houstonjuniorforum.org.
APRIL 7-16
DIVINE MERCY NOVENA AND CHAPLET, 3 p.m., Mary Queen (606 Cedarwood Dr., Friendswood). Novena and Chaplet begins on Good Friday, April 7, following the 3 p.m. Stations of the Cross at the church, then continues in the St. Joseph Chapel at 3 p.m. each remaining day of the novena, April 8 to 15, including Easter Sunday. At 3 p.m. on April 16, Divine Mercy Sunday, prayers include Divine Mercy Chaplet, Adoration and Benediction in St. Joseph Chapel.
APRIL 14
ANNIVERSARY GALA, The Post Oak Hotel (1600 W Loop South, Houston). Benefiting Incarnate Word Academy, the event includes cocktail reception, seated dinner, special tribute, with silent and live auctions. Tables from $5,000 to $150,000; Individual tickets: $500. krizzo@ incarnateword.org; 713-227-3637 ext. 105.
APRIL 15
GALA AND AUCTION, 7 p.m., St. John XXIII College Preparatory (1800 W. Grand Parkway N., Katy). Buy tickets for “Off to the Races,” online at sj23lions.org/giving/advancement-programs/ gala--auction.
DISCUSSION, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Dominican Center for Spirituality (6501 Almeda Rd., Houston). Brandon Mack hosts a discussion on“The Racist History of the Death Penalty.” This will be the first in a series of programs that will explore the criminalization of behaviors of African Americans and how it has led to the school to prison pipe line. croeger@domhou. org, 713-440-3714.
APRIL 19
BUNCO, 9:30 a.m. to noon, St. Mary (816 Park Dr., La Porte). $5 per person. Prizes, raffles and snacks. No experience required, game rules will be explained. Sponsored by Bay Area Council of Catholic Women. RSVP by April 17 to 281827-4232, terrykelley91@hotmail.com.
WORKSHOP, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). “Road to Emmaus” Joan McGovern explores accessing that “road” to God and how the walk to answers might be different from what we expect. $30. info@ emmausspiritualitycenter.com; 281-241-9678; www.emmausspiritualitycenter.com.
APRIL 20
175TH ANNIVERSARY GALA, 7 p.m., Hilton Americas-Houston (1600 Lamar St., Houston). Landmark gala celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston and with special honorees. www. bidpal.net/agh175.
APRIL 29
DAY OF PRAYER, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., St. Thomas Aquinas Center (12627 W Bellfort Ave., Sugar Land). Family Life Ministry Leaders invite all married couples and individuals to rekindle love at a day of praise, reflection and conversation: “See How They Love One Another.” Registration: $35-$60. drtruc@yahoo. com, hiepster88@gmail.com.
MUSIC AND SPIRITUALITY WORKSHOP, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). Music workshop explores healing songs, peaceful instrumental sounds, and songs about life, love and observations of the human experience with God. Cost: $30. info@ emmausspiritualitycenter.com; 281-241-9678; www.emmausspiritualitycenter.com.
APRIL 29-30
FESTIVAL, Christ the Redeemer (11507 Huffmeister Rd., Houston). 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Event features food, music, children’s games, auctions, Bingo and more. ctrcc.com/festival.
MAY 4
LUNCHEON, 12 to 2 p.m., Houston Country Club (1 Potomac Dr., Houston). 2023 Catholic Charities Spirit of Charity Luncheon honors
The Anna Marie and Harold Hidalgo Family for their longstanding and generous support of Catholic Charities and their passion for helping the less fortunate in the community. nrivera@ CatholicCharities.org; 713-874-6629.
MAY 5-6
BAZAAR, St. Matthias (302 FM 1774, Magnolia). Saturday at noon, crawfish and shrimp boil (recommend pre-order) and Gumbo Cook-off (must pre-register to compete), ending the day with a barn dance with live music provided by Lonely Road Band beginning at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday at 10:30 a.m. includes games, inflatables, a live and silent auction, a variety of food options including a barbecue dinner, live music and plenty more. 281-356-2000; www. st-matthias.net/bazaar.
MAY 7
BAZAAR, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., St. Bartholomew (5356 11th St., Katy). Food, games and vendors for all ages.
Editor’s Note: Contact event organizers for the latest updates.
FRIDAYS OF LENT
HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC SCHOOL (6921 Chetwood Dr., Houston), 5 to 7:30 p.m. $10 dinner plates with fish, hush puppies, mac and cheese or rice at the school cafeteria.
MARY QUEEN (606 Cedarwood Dr., Friendswood), 5:30 to 7 p.m. Knights of Columbus #8494 host a fish fry for dine-in or take-out with $15 plates of fried catfish, coleslaw, French fries, hush puppies and corn-on-the-cob.
OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA (1731 Blalock Rd., Houston), 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE (2405 Navigation Blvd., Houston), noon to 6 p.m. Dine-in or take-out. Knights of Columbus Council #7532 host a fish fry serving $12 plates of fried or grilled fish, French fries or baked potato, hush puppies, corn and salad.
PRINCE OF PEACE (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston), 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew Discipleship Center. $10 adult plates and $5 children’s plates include fried or grilled fish or fried shrimp with hush puppies, coleslaw, and baked potatoes or French fries.
SEALY COLUMBUS HALL (1310 Hwy 90 West, Sealy), 5:30 to 7:15 p.m. Knights of Columbus #3313 host a fish fry, serving $12 plates of fried fish, fries, pinto beans, coleslaw and hush puppies. Drive-thru only.
ST. CHRISTOPHER (8150 Park Pl., Houston), 5:30 to 8 p.m. hosted by the Knights of Columbus Council #16218. $10 fish dinners include French fries, salad, hush puppies, tartar sauce and iced tea.
ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA (10503 Westheimer Rd., Houston), 5:30 to 8 p.m. Knights of Columbus Council #8024 serve fried or baked fish plates. $12/adults, $10/seniors, $8/children. Dine-in or take-out in room 121.
ST. EDITH STEIN (3311 North Fry Rd., Katy), in Carmel Hall, 6 to 9 p.m.
ST. FRANCES CABRINI (10727 Hartsook St., Houston), 12 to 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, $12 plates include fried fish, fries, rice, hush puppies and bread.
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI (5102 Dabney St., Houston), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Knights of Peter Claver #231 Council and Court are hosting Lenten dinners through Good Friday with $12 catfish plates, $13 crawfish etouffee plates and $15 mixed dinner. Meals include green beans, potato salad, bread and cake. Pre-order by calling 281-315-0452.
ST. MARTIN DE PORRES (12606 Crosby Lynchburg Rd., Crosby), 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. $15 plates includes catfish fillets, potato salad, green beans and bread. Pre-order by calling 281-328-3601 on the Thursday before the dinner sales.
ST. PETER CLAVER (6005 N. Wayside Dr., Houston), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Knights of Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary 152 and parish volunteers serve $15 two-piece fish dinner, $15 crawfish etouffee or a both for $20. All dinners include green beans, potato salad, green salad, bread, slice of cake and water or soda. $7 fish sandwiches also available.
MARCH 31
ST. FRANCES CABRINI (10727 Hartsook St., Houston), 12 to 6 p.m. Sponsored by La Sociedad Guadalupanas, $13 plates include fried fish, French fries, coleslaw, roll and a drink.
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST (800 W. Baker Rd., Baytown), Lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and dinner 5 to 7 p.m. Dine in or takeout. 5 to 7 p.m. Sponsored by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Mary St. John #2197, meals are catered by Catfish on Wheels and cost $12. Tickets available at the door. 281837-8180.
To find more listings online, visit the website at WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.
Send
WOMEN, from page 14
some humanity amid a heated political debate has been both praised and criticized. After all, there is nothing so divisive in our cynical world as a person who is determined to love as Jesus did. To quote Sister Norma: “We are a people of God, people driven by
the presence of God in ourselves and in others. When we see human suffering, we cannot turn our backs; we must respond.” †
Amy Auzenne is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. DOMINIC VILLAGE
At least 156 golfers filled up both the Lakes and Highlands courses of the Wildcat Golf Club in Houston for the 19th annual Bishop Rizzotto Memorial Golf Tournament on March 2, raising more than $100,000 to benefit St. Dominic Village. At left, at top, Trip Norkus, George Wrobel, Colin Matheny and Dan Pepe won first place in the Lakes course. At left, Darrell Babineaux, James Ferguson, Curtis Lucas and Clarence Williams won first place in the Highlands course.
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 HOLY
Seen in this photo with a group of young scouts, Carolyn Sears, principal of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School (SVdP), was honored by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) with the Fretwell Outstanding Education Award on March 3. The award recognizes those who follow the BSA’s mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Sears is retiring this summer after 35 years at St. Vincent de Paul, with 17 of those as principal.
Palm Sunday is April 2
Holy
Good Friday is April 7
Easter Sunday is April 9
Divine
