APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
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Local deaf ministry leaders welcome Vatican’s new Sign Language service
Inspired by St. Sebastian, a Catholic rugby club has one goal: evangelization ▪ SEE PAGE 6
APRIL 27, 2021
texas catholic herald
VATICAN DEAF OUTREACH
SEBASTIAN’S BOYS
▪ SEE PAGE 20
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
VOL. 57, NO. 21
VATICAN
Pope calls for May prayer marathon for pandemic’s end VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has called for a global prayer marathon for the entire month of May, praying for the end to the pandemic. “The initiative will involve in a special way all shrines in the world” in promoting the initiative so that individuals, families and communities all take part in reciting the Rosary, “to pray for the end of the pandemic,” said the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization in a press release April 21. “It is the heartfelt desire of the See MAY, page 2
YEAR OF THE FAMILY
Rediscovering St. Joseph
New online series explores the foster father of Jesus
BY HOLLY BERETTO Herald Correspondent
Inspired by Jesus’ appearances, light and hope shine forth in ‘Via Lucis’ devotion SEE PAGE 5
HOUSTON — Deacon Ly Nguyen spends a lot of time around teenagers. He has three of his own (“Please pray for me,” he jokes), and he works with young people at Our Lady of Lourdes parish’s youth programs. One thing he’s learned from the experience: Teens want spiritual guidance. They just want it in a way that feels relevant to them. “Sometimes they feel ‘the Bible is about someone else. It’s not about me,’” he muses. And that’s part of why he launched a web series about St. Joseph. When everything shut down last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deacon Nguyen saw how everything migrated to an online space. While that might have come as a shock to Baby Boomers and See FAMILY, page 7
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ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
Let ‘an unceasing prayer rise’ to God from the Church MAY, from page 1
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
Our Lady of Guadalupe is seen on St. Juan Diego’s tilma at a shrine at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. Pope Francis has called for a global prayer marathon during the Marian month of May to petition God for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Holy Father that the month of May be dedicated to a prayer marathon dedicated to the theme, ‘from the entire Church an unceasing prayer rises to God,’” it said. The theme refers to the miraculous event recounted in the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-12) when all the Church prayed for Peter, who was imprisoned until God sent an angel to free him, illustrating how the Christian community comes together to pray in the face of danger and how the Lord listens and performs an unexpected miracle. Each day in May, there will be a livestream from one of 30 chosen Marian shrines or sanctuaries to guide the prayer at 6 p.m. Rome time (noon EDT) on all Vatican media platforms. The pope will open the monthlong prayer May 1 and conclude it May 31, the council said. †
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Prayer in the Time of the Coronavirus
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Comfort us, O Lord, for we are like your disciples on the storm-tossed seas, unsettled by what lies ahead. We turn to You, our Healer and Guide, to still our hearts in our time of need and hear our prayer: Heal those who are sick with the coronavirus and protect the elderly and most vulnerable. Give strength to all who tend to our health and wisdom to researchers who work toward a cure. Open our eyes and hearts, as you did during Hurricane Harvey, that we may look beyond our immediate needs to care for others who need help. Through the Holy Spirit, guide our leaders to make wise decisions for the welfare of all the people they serve. Grant eternal rest to those who have died from the virus. May Mary, Our Mother, who has heard our pleas in the storms of our lives, intercede to her Son, that we may find healing and a prompt end to this illness. Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us. Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, heal us. Amen.
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THE FIRST WORD IN BRIEF
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS
DSF annual appeal to support Archdiocesan ministries continues HOUSTON — This year, the theme of the annual Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) appeal is “Walk in the Light of Christ.” The annual campaign to support more than 60 Archdiocese-wide ministries is under way and the local Church is asking parishioners to continue their generous giving to DSF. The fund supports a variety of ministries, such as those forming youth in Catholic faith; providing support and preparation for clergy; teaching, evangelizing, worshipping, and outreach to the incarcerated, aging, poor and sick; and programming to strengthen Christian families, among many others. A full list of the ministries supported can be found at www.archgh.org/dsf. The Archdiocese counts on DSF funds to help meet the needs of people struggling throughout our region. To pledge online, visit www.archgh.org/dsf. For more information about DSF and the ministries it supports, call 713-652-4417. †
Food assistance distributions continue
PHOTOS AND STORY BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
At left, Auxiliary Bishop George A. Sheltz greets a colleague during a drive-thru parade celebrating his 75th birthday held at the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence in Houston. Family, friends and colleagues turned out to mark the milestone occasion.
Bishop Sheltz marks 75th birthday HOUSTON — Bells, balloons and a large birthday cake helped mark the festivities as Auxiliary Bishop George A. Sheltz celebrated his 75th birthday on April 19 with a drivethrough parade at the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence in Houston. Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza joined Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, family, close friends and Archdiocesan colleagues and staff for a parade with special prayers, cheers, messages and greetings for Bishop Sheltz. Vehicles of all sizes were brightly decorated with handmade signs, colorful balloons, and of course, honking. In February, Bishop Sheltz was hospitalized due to some health concerns. Since then, he has been recovering while undergoing physical therapy. Since 2010, Bishop Sheltz has served as vicar general, chancellor and moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese, overseeing the administrative operations of the largest Roman Catholic diocese in Texas and the fifth largest in the United States. On Feb. 21, 2012, he was named an auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston by Pope Benedict XVI. Bishop Sheltz comes from a family of Houston vocations. His father, Deacon George Sheltz Sr., was in the first class of permanent deacons ordained for the diocese in 1972. His late brother, Anton Sheltz, was ordained a priest for the then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston in 1976. His uncle, Monsignor Anton Frank, was the first native Houstonian ordained for the diocese in 1933. †
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HOUSTON — Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston continues to offer food assistance with drive-through distribution at three locations: the Guadalupe Center in Houston, appointments required; Mamie George Community Center (MGCC) in Richmond, appointments required; and Beacon of Hope in Galveston, a Galveston County super distribution site. In Galveston, distribution is on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The next distributions are on May 12 and May 26, starting at 9 a.m. No appointments required. Call 409-762-2064 for more information. In Fort Bend, The MGCC is a Houston Food Bank super distribution site, and appointments are required. Distributions are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. For assistance, call 281-202-6289. Monthly food fairs have also resumed, with the next fair scheduled on May 22. At the Guadalupe Center in Houston, distributions are by appointment only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. For addresses, times and to make an appointment, visit www.catholiccharities.org/food or call 713-874-6521. The University of St. Thomas also hosts food distributions. Open to the community and not limited to UST students, the distributions will be on campus in the Link Lee parking lot, located at 3800 Montrose Blvd. from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on April 30 and May 28. Contact events@ stthom.edu for more information. †
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ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
UST TAKES SIGNIFICANT STEP FOR CATHOLIC ART
New graduate program aims to reverse decline seen in Catholic art, literature. ▪ SEE PAGE 19
IGNITE Campaign aims to address needs of Archdiocese BY REBECCA TORRELLAS Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — The IGNITE: “Our Faith, Our Mission” Capital Campaign has relaunched, continuing its efforts to address the vital needs of our local Church. “Amid the challenges of the last 12 months, the clergy and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston have shown themselves to be resilient,” Daniel Cardinal DiNardo said. “The relaunch of the IGNITE Campaign is an encouraging sign of the vitality of this local Church, and of our commitment to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.” The major capital campaign was launched in 2015 to address the campus infrastructure and housing needs of St. Mary’s Seminary, as well as tuition assistance at Catholic schools, faith formation and individual parish needs. The campaign also added a future disaster recovery fund and a fund to address rebuilding parishes and schools in light of Hurricane Harvey. With assistance from Guidance in Giving, a Catholic fundraising firm, the IGNITE campaign aims to raise $150 million. The current COVID-19 pandemic, as
PHOTO COURTESY OF GUIDANCE IN GIVING
The IGNITE campaign has begun at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. Father Michael Saah-Buckman, S.S.J. (Right), said the parish will use the parish portion of the funds to refurbish the pews and replace the sound system in the church and prayer garden. Also in the photo are Guidance in Giving’s Bryan Bedoya and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church’s business administrator Shirley Foreman.
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well as Hurricane Harvey, put unplanned pauses in the campaign. With vaccines on the way and a “return to normal” on the horizon, the vital needs supported by the campaign are back in the forefront. “The landscape has changed, our worlds have changed, but what hasn’t changed are the needs of our Archdiocese,” Aad de Lange, chief finance officer and business manager for the Archdiocese.“If
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anything, they are even more pressing.” De Lange said the Archdiocese is committed to the IGNITE campaign, “more than ever.” “We ask those parishioners participating in 2021 to join their brothers and sisters across the Archdiocese who have given so generously and make a gift,” he said. “Together, we succeed, as one Archdiocese, one faith, one holy, Catholic Church.” As part of the campaign, 33% of the funds collected from a parish are returned to that parish on a quarterly basis to be used toward specific church needs, including technology upgrades, beautification and repairs. As of April 20, $6,858,094 has been given back to the parishes. St. Justin Martyr Catholic Church conducted the IGNITE campaign in the Fall of 2018. Father Paul Chovanec stated that with the help of Guidance in Giving, the campaign progressed smoothly. “Parishioners are completing their pledges steadily, and we’re in our final phase of the project,” he said. Father Chovanec said that, so far, the parish has used the money received from the campaign to replace failing air conditioning units in the church. Father Larry Wilson, pastor at Shrine of the True Cross in Dickinson, was slated to conduct the IGNITE campaign in the Fall of 2020, but due to the COVID pandemic, began this year in January of 2021. “At present, we have shown the (IGNITE informational) video in the church during Sunday Masses and have proceeded to have the smaller meetings to explain the campaign,” he said. Earlier this month, the parish also conducted weekend gatherings, following Masses, available to everyone who had not already attended the explanatory sessions. Father Wilson, who has been meeting with Guidance in Giving regularly, said that the parish will also be handing out IGNITE brochures after weekend Masses to those unable to attend a reception. “The parish community seems interested in the campaign and we are optimistic about the outcome.” Father Chovanec said IGNITE is important “because it is a well-paced and steady way to raise funds for large ongoing needs in our Archdiocesan family, and it benefits parishes above and beyond the possibilities of the offertory collection fundraising Yourand helpperiodic is needed TODAY! events.” †
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Via Lucis devotion brings the ‘light of grace’ BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald
THE STATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION, OR THE VIA LUCIS Though there are varying ways to pray the Stations of the Resurrection, also known as the Via Lucis, or the Way of the Light, here are 14 biblical moments to reflect on during this devotion. For a guide to praying the Stations of Light, visit www.archgh.org/viacrucis.
HOUSTON — The Stations of the Cross, also known as the Via Crucis, or the Way of the Cross, has a similar devotion during Eastertide, called the Stations of the Resurrection. Also called the Via Lucis, or the Way of Light or Stations of the Light, these prayers are centered on the Resurrection, including the numerous appearances Jesus made after His death. The Stations of the Light are a spiritual journey with Christ that takes one through 14 of the most inspiriting events of His post-Resurrection life on earth.
THE STATIONS OF LIGHT 1. Jesus is raised from the dead 2. The finding of the empty tomb 3. Mary Magdalene meets the risen Jesus 4. Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus 5. Jesus is known in the breaking of bread 6. Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem 7. Jesus gives the disciples His peace and power to forgive sins 8. Jesus strengthens the faith of Thomas 9. Jesus appears by the Sea of Tiberias 10. Jesus forgives Peter and commands him to feed his sheep 11. Jesus commissions the disciples upon the mountain 12. The Ascension of Jesus 13. Mary and the disciples wait in prayer 14. The Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost
WALKING WITH MARY The Way of the Light is similar to the Way of the Cross: 14 stations, with corresponding biblical passages that start from the Empty Tomb, first sign of the Resurrection, up to the Pentecost, as its first fruit; there are also available relevant biblical passages. And as the Way of the Cross has been prayed with the company of Mary, full of sorrow because of her suffering Son, so along the Way of the Light it’s Mary who continues to accompany us; Mother who rejoices in the Resurrection of her Son. REFLECTIONS OF LIGHT In the early Church this practice was known as the Via Lucis, or Way of the Resurrection. It invites participants to walk along a path of transforming joy by following in the footsteps of the risen Christ and His friends. Although known and cherished since the first century, the prayers were never gathered into a precise devotion until recent years. While the Stations of the Cross focus on events within one day of Christ’s life on earth, the Way of Light begins with the story of the Resurrection and focuses on the awe-inspiring events from the Resurrection to Pentecost. The symbols in both devotions, the cross and the empty tomb, were key symbols in the early Church, according to the Diocese of New Hampshire. SALESIAN BEGINNING The Via Lucis was first blessed on Easter Sunday, 1994, in Turin, Italy, the birthplace of St. John Bosco, founder of the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians). It formally became a Roman Catholic devotion, however, at the end of the twentieth century when the Vatican was preparing the Jubilee Year and searching for new devotions appropriate to the millennial transition and yet faithful to Christian tradition. The Vatican has expressed its support for this newer devotion and said in the Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy: “For centuries the Via Crucis involved the faithful in the first moment of the Easter event, namely the Passion, and helped to fixed its most important aspects in their consciousness. Analogously, the Via Lucis, when celebrated in fidelity to the Gospel text, can effectively convey
the metaphor of a journey, the Via Lucis moves from the experience of suffering, which in God’s plan is part of life, to the hope of arriving at man’s true end: liberation, joy and peace, which are essentially paschal values.” It also encouraged praying the devotion for its potential for “the restoration of a ‘culture of life,’ which is open to the hope
HERALD FILE PHOTOS
A stained glass window at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Galveston depicts the Ascension of Jesus. The Ascension of Jesus is one of several parts of the Via Lucis, the Way of Light, a devotion that reflects on Jesus’ life after His Resurrection.
and certitude offered by faith, in a society often characterized by a culture of death, despair and nihilism.” † Editor’s Note: Living a Life of Prayer continues a series that explores the deeper meaning, context and history of some of the Church’s greatest treasures: its prayers.
Thousands of families in the Greater Houston area struggle every day.
a living understanding to the faithful of the second moment of the Pascal event, namely the Lord’s Resurrection.” FAITHFUL DEVOTION The document described the devotion as a “pious exercise” that “has developed and spread to many regions in recent years. Following the model of the Via Lucis, the faithful process while meditating on the various appearances of Jesus — from His Resurrection to His Ascension — in which He showed His glory to the disciples who awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14, 26; 16, 13-15; Lk 24, 49), strengthened their faith, brought to completion His teaching on the Kingdom and more closely defined the sacramental and hierarchical structure of the Church.”
LIVING A LIFE OF PRAYER
A BRIGHT RADIANCE The Vatican’s statement continued: “Through the Via Lucis, the faithful recall the central event of the faith — the Resurrection of Christ — and their discipleship in virtue of Baptism, the paschal Sacrament by which they have passed from the darkness of sin to the bright radiance of the light of grace.” The Via Lucis is potentially an excellent pedagogy of the faith since “per crucem ad lucem,” it said. The Vatican described the devotion as a movement of faith in prayer: “Using
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Men’s rugby club combines faith with competition Evangelization happens on and off the field
THE ARROWS
BY ANNETTE BAIRD Herald Correspondent HOUSTON — It seemed a bit of a crazy idea at first — starting a Catholic rugby club for men in a town where football, basketball and baseball suck up almost all of the oxygen. Mike Schaad wanted to take up the sport that he’d loved playing in college, but after searching around for a club that offered competitive rugby and a familyfriendly environment, he came up short. So Schaad and a friend decided to start their own club that blended faith and family with competition, and the Arrows rugby club was born. “I wanted to start playing again, but I found a lot of clubs I’d grown up knowing didn’t really fit the type of person I was trying to be,” Schaad said. That was the spring of 2016, and Schaad, now on his own, needed teammates and a place to practice and play. Using his contacts and putting the word out on social media, Schaad cobbled together a team to start the season that March. He also put in a call to Jason Kimball, then the athletic director at St. Pius X High School, to ask for help. “Mike Schaad called me up with a request to use the St. Pius field, and I thought, ‘this poor guy — he’ll never end up getting this up and going,’” said Kimball, now head rugby coach and director of the Academic Resource Center at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory and occasional player. “But it’s grown and continues to grow, and I think that’s a testament to Mike Schaad’s vision.” Named for St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes who was shot with arrows, the club is all about developing men both spiritually and physically while offering the opportunity for healthy competition. “Really, it’s an evangelistic opportunity on and off the field,” said Club President Blake Pellerin, who came back to the
PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL LATINO/DOWNROCK CREATIVE
William Getschow flanks the scrum while Justen Brignac prepares to secure and distribute the ball to the backs in the fall 2019 cup match against Galveston RFC.
Named for St. Sebastian, the patron saint of athletes who was shot with arrows, the club is all about developing men both spiritually and physically while offering the chance for healthy competition. Church when he met his wife. “Primarily, we want to present the club in a way where guys strive to be better men.” Pellerin said the recognition from Daniel Cardinal DiNardo strengthens the club’s relationship with the Catholic rugby community and promotes stronger ties with Catholic community partners. He said it also comes with responsibilities, which involve staying true to the club’s mission with discipline and integrity of faith and morals. Practices are twice a week, while there are varying spiritual formation programs after practice — depending on the season. In the fall, there is Scripture study. Arrows Tales, in which members share their faith
journey, is in the spring. Summer is for philosophical discussions, which cover a range of topics on everything from sin to friendship. Pellerin, 33, started playing rugby at St. Thomas High School and went on to play as a student at Texas A&M and later for Houston Athletic Rugby Club until injury and family life got in the way. That he enjoyed playing rugby was a given, but the idea of a faith-based, family-friendly club made the Arrows more appealing. “One of my favorite things about rugby is that it gives you a framework,” said Pellerin, now in his second year of a two-year stint as club president. “Rugby is non-stop playing — the coaches aren’t calling the shots. You have to make decisions on the fly and develop a framework. Plus, it’s just a cool, global thing to do.” Brett Owens had never played rugby until he joined the club in 2018 to satisfy his need for some “rough and tumble” and for the family-friendly, faith-based environment. A long-time fan of rugby and former high school football player, Owens, 40, said he liked that the Arrows offered a combination of the physical
The Arrows Rugby Football Club is nearing the end of its fifth season, with the penultimate match against the Kingwood Crusaders scheduled for 2 p.m. May 8 at Kingwood’s home field. The final match is against Galveston RFC at 2 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran. The May 8 match will be in recognition of the Knights of Columbus. Founded in 2016 as a Catholic community with the purpose of forming men in Christian virtue through competitive rugby, the Arrows RFC currently has some 40 active players, ranging in age from 18 to 42, reflecting a steady growth from its inception. There is also a supporters club for those who want to be involved in formation and the social aspects. The club currently has one team that plays in the Texas Rugby Union’s Red River Rugby Conference but continues to seek new players, supporters, volunteers and fans. The club, a private association of the faithful recognized by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, is open to people of any faith, with the expectation that members strive to uphold the Arrows code of conduct. Practices are from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Knights of Columbus Council # 2917, 607 E. Whitney St. Formation is after practice. For more information, visit www. ArrowsRugby.com. † and the “manly” alongside the mission of Christian virtue and forming men. He also appreciates being able to bond with men from different backgrounds and mentor the younger men. “We have the opportunity to influence the lives of men from youth to retirement,” said Owens, who was raised Methodist and converted to Catholicism when he met his wife. Looking ahead, Pellerin said they are working on establishing a youth program and want to add more teams to play in all three divisions. The current team plays in Division 3. †
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Online seminar steps into St. Joseph’s workshop FAMILY, from page 1
Joseph’s acts of service, his leadership within his family, how his actions some Gen-Xers, millennials were already are those of active prayer, and his living a lot of their lives online — chatting righteousness. with friends via apps, gathering their The segments are engaging and news and views of the world from social designed to help others dig more deeply media sites, sharing what was going on into the life of a man so often seen less in their own lives with photos, videos for himself but within the context of his and memes. He realized that if spiritual relationships with Mary and with Jesus. lessons could take place on teens’ online “It’s a lot of work!” Deacon Nguyen turf, they might be more receptive to the says with a laugh about creating the messages. videos. “You don’t think there could be Concurrent to the pandemic, Pope that much work when you’re looking at Francis announced TheYear of the Family, something the kids make on TikTok.” celebrating the beauty and joy of love in But the experience has left him the family. “Amoris Laetitia” kicked off on “constantly learning,” he says, and that’s March 19 — St. Joseph’s feast day — and been exciting. He hopes the series will will conclude next June. This year also allow others to come to love St. Joseph as happens to be The Year of St. Joseph. he does and to recognize his contributions For Deacon Nguyen, it was all to our faith. something of a perfect storm. “This isn’t just about the theological “There’s probably never been a time aspect of St. Joseph,” he says. “It’s about where there has been such an immense seeing him in the day-to-day of his life PHOTO COURTESY OF DEACON LY NGUYEN void, or at best confusion, about authentic and realizing that the lessons he left for manhood,” he shared in an email Deacon Ly Nguyen hopes the series will allow viewers to come to love St. Joseph as he does and to rec- us are still important.” discussing his video series. “It manifests ognize his contributions to our faith. Watch the series online at www.archgh.org/familylife. Deacon Nguyen’s video series can itself in the many ills of our be seen at the Family Life Ministry’s society today — young men Vietnam, he watched his Deacon Nguyen’s video series covers YouTube3:01 channel at www.archgh.org/ 2021 CC_FEST 706_3_r2.pdf 1 2/11/21 PM falling into delinquency parents sacrifice as they came these topics and others, including St. familylife. † YEAR because of not having to the United States to build a OF THE someone to guide them into better life for themselves and a purposeful life and future, their children. In Vietnam, FAMILY or young women having to Deacon Nguyen’s father had consider the path of abortion been a professor, but here, because their boyfriends or he took the job of a busboy ‘men’ have abandoned them to provide for his family. That to venture alone, or even kind of sacrifice is something our own children leaving the Nguyen appreciates and says is Catholic faith because of not evident in St. Joseph as well. having a strong spiritual leader “He put aside his own plans at home.” and wants for himself to support And what stronger spiritual Mary,” he explains. “God’s plan leader could there be, he felt, was that Mary would be the than St. Joseph? Nguyen has a mother of God and that Joseph special devotion to the saint, who would be her spouse and Jesus’s he feels embodies both humility earthly father. What an awesome and strength. He’s drawn to the responsibility. But it would have iconic image we see every year been unusual at the time for DEACON on Christmas cards, of Mary, a man to support a woman so LY NGUYEN the mother of Jesus, atop the fully.” donkey, with Joseph walking beside it, Helping young people see St. Joseph leading his pregnant wife to Bethlehem. as a role model is useful for both boys C “He’s a strong protector in that and girls, he says. moment,” says Nguyen. “He is guiding. He For young men, it demonstrates how to M is standing beside his wife.” be selfless and supportive. But for young Y The image and lesson of a caring, women, it gives them a glimpse of what protective father is reflective in Deacon kind of man they might want as a partner CM Nguyen’s own life. An immigrant from in their own lives.
INNER CITY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS TRANSFORM THEIR COMMUNITIES
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Telemedicine, curbside pharmacy provide continuum of quality care for uninsured during COVID-19 BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent HOUSTON — While strict social distancing mandates during the global pandemic could have further restricted access to quality medical, dental and pharmacy care for uninsured clients, San José Clinic used this opportunity to deliver uninterrupted comprehensive care in new, innovative ways, including telemedicine and a curbside pharmacy model. “At the start of the pandemic, our clinic was faced with the fear of having to close our doors to protect our patients, volunteers and staff,” said Maureen Sanders, president and CEO of San José Clinic. “Thankfully, we were able to quickly and succinctly transition to a telemedicine platform, as well as a curbside pharmacy model, that ensured uninterrupted care for our patients.” Sanders said while the clinic was still able to care for nearly 3,000 patients while protecting the safety of all concerned, the new telemedicine platform allowed the team to continue with plans for opening the new satellite clinic in Fort Bend county. That location treated 114 patients and completed over 360 visits between August and December 2020. “In addition, the newly innovated curbside pharmacy allowed the clinic to dispense 10,426 prescriptions between March and December 2020,” said Sanders. “COVID-19 and its impact on the underserved population has, in fact, strengthened our clinic’s focus to not only maintain our mission but seek out ways to innovate our already comprehensive care.” Marking its 99th year of serving the
San José Clinic is supported by the Diocesan Services Fund. The 2021 DSF theme draws from a hope: “Walk in the Light of Christ.” DSF operates in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston each year to help the Church carry out the ministries of teaching and sanctifying. Of the 60plus programs under its umbrella, DSF brings the needed financial resources to carry out these ministries.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN JOSÉ CLINIC
The mission of San José Clinic is made possible through the dedicated service of 52 staff members and more than 300 volunteer healthcare providers and other community volunteers from institutions of higher learning, church groups and other faith-based and community service organizations and retirees.
uninsured in need living within the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, San José Clinic’s mission is to provide quality healthcare and education to those with limited access to such services in an environment that respects the dignity of each person. Its mission is made possible through the dedicated service of 52 staff members and more than 300 volunteer healthcare providers and other community volunteers from institutions
Guidelines remain as parishes continue at 50% capacity
HOUSTON - After reopening parishes in 2020, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo continued the second step in the phased reopening of parishes in the Archdiocese. Parishes were permitted to expand to 50% capacity provided they, and parishioners, observe health guidelines set by the State of Texas when attending Mass. These include at least the following:
Wash hands often and for 20 seconds
Cover mouth and nose with a mask or cover when around others
Keep a safe social distance and avoid gathering after Masses
Avoid close contact; Share a ‘Sign of Peace’ from a distance
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve
Stay at home if feeling sick
For more information, visit www.archgh.org/healthupdates
of higher learning, church groups and other faith-based and community service organizations and retirees. Through their efforts, a wide range of medical services are provided, encompassing primary medical care, 15 different specialties (gynecology, cardiology and neurology), dental care, eye care, pharmaceutical, mental health, diagnostic services, disease state management, physical therapy and counseling. Dr. Georgine De Roth, a volunteer primary care physician for adult patients with acute and chronic medical conditions since April 2018, said serving with San José Clinic has been an incredibly rewarding experience. “I have seen first-hand how the clinic makes a difference in the lives of so many patients,” said De Roth. “It has been a blessing to know that I am contributing in a small way to this important mission. The clinic staff and volunteers are such a dedicated, collaborative group of individuals, working together to provide quality healthcare to the underserved and uninsured.” As one of 60 ministries directly supported by the faithful in the Archdiocese through the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF), Sanders said this funding is critical to San José Clinic’s operating budget. “As Texas continues to lead the nation
SAN JOSE CLINIC
San José Clinic (Midtown) 2615 Fannin St., Houston 713-228-9411 San José Clinic (Fort Bend) 1615 Avenue E, Rosenberg, TX 832-945-6711 or visit sanjoseclinic.org in uninsured residents, DSF funding is critical to our clinic’s mission,” said Sanders. “Every day, we work to ensure that these residents in our community can receive the care that they need. In turn, many of these patients are able to continue their important essential work in industries like agriculture, hospitality and construction, allowing them to support their families and improve our overall community.” De Roth agrees supporting the DSF annually allows ministries like San José Clinic to continue providing quality care to those in need. “The clinic provides comprehensive care to a large number of patients who would not otherwise have access to such services,” said De Roth. “This includes primary care, sub-specialty care, dental care and pharmacy care. By supporting this ministry through the DSF, you are helping to ensure the safety and health of many families throughout the community.” To learn more about the DSF, San José Clinic, and additional ministries supported by the fund, go to archgh.org/ dsf. †
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APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
texas catholic herald
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KSHJ/Guadalupe Radio diaper drive helps low-income parents HOUSTON — All through May, KSHJ 1430 AM, the Guadalupe Radio Network’s station in Houston, will ask listeners to help parents who can’t afford diapers for their babies and toddlers. The radio station is sponsoring the Month of Mary Drive for Diapers for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Diapers will be given to parents through Catholic Charities’ Blessed Beginnings Life Center. Diapers are a significant expense for any family, but especially for low-income households. The average baby can go through eight diapers a day, which adds up to a thousand dollars a year for just one infant. That’s a significant expense for families that already struggle to pay rent and utilities. The need remains acute as families struggle with the economic blow from the COVID-19 pandemic. Blessed Beginnings staff are delivering diapers and baby items to many of their current clients who have been sheltering in place, dealing with loss of income. The
HOW TO HELP Support the diaper drive! • •
•
Drop off diapers at Catholic Charities’ main office at 2900 Louisiana St., Houston Purchase diapers from Catholic Charities’ online Amazon wishlist at www.catholiccharities.org/ diaperdrive Donations support Blessed Beginnings ministry
program also is holding drive-through diaper distributions to supply parents while maintaining social distancing. In addition to material support to low-income parents, Blessed Beginnings provides virtual pregnancy and parent education, as well as tele-counseling to help parents have healthy babies and children. “Not having to buy diapers has helped
me a lot because it has lifted the financial and emotional burden of worrying where to get diapers,” said a new mother who receives supplies while attending classes at Blessed Beginnings. The diaper deficit can have ripple effects for parents that go beyond the necessity to provide a healthy environment for their babies. “Not having enough money for diapers can even affect a parent’s ability to work, since most child care facilities require parents to supply diapers for their babies,” said Blessed Beginnings director Christy Salinas. “So if a parent can’t afford diapers, they’re risking job security as well.” Diapers donated to the KSHJ AM 1430 Month of Mary Drive for Diapers will stock Blessed Beginnings’ Baby Boutique, where infant and child care items are given to families who participate in
pregnancy and parenting classes. “There are several great reasons for this Diaper Drive, and especially during this time when we face the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said KSHJ General Manager Tim Motte. “First, KSHJ AM 1430 wants to be the Catholic hub for Houston, connecting our listeners to great ministries like Catholic Charities. Second, we all need to perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. And third, what better way to honor Mary as mother of the Church than by helping mothers in need.” Diapers can be dropped off at Catholic Charities’ main office at 2900 Louisiana St. in Houston. Gifts may be made online, either financial contributions through the website or through a wish list set up on Amazon.com. Visit CatholicCharities.org/ DiaperDrive for links and details. †
IN BRIEF Next Café Catholica Lite set for May 27
OBITUARY Peter Hawxhurst
LIMA, Peru — Peter Hawshurst, father of Father Tom Hawxhurst, pastor of St. Patrick Church, died April 6 in Lima, Peru from COVID-19 after a brief hospitalization. He was 86. Burial will likely be in Peru, though plans were pending at press time. †
HOUSTON — The next Café Catholica Lite will be held online May 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry will host Father Nathan Cromly from the Congregation of St. John and founder of Eagle Eye Ministries. His topic will be “Why a Year of St. Joseph?” The night will include the talk, Q&A, and communal prayer. The Café Catholica program seeks to help young adults (ages 18-39) encounter Christ and his Church. All young adults are invited to join us for Café Catholica Lite throughout the year. For more information, visit www.archgh.org/cafecatholica or email yacm@archgh.org or call 713-741-8778. To register, visit https://bit.ly/CafeLite2021. †
IN MEMORIA Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of May. May 1, 2008 May 2, 2009 May 3, 1984 May 3, 1985 May 3, 1993 May 4, 1977 May 5, 1897 May 5, 1972 May 5, 1991 May 5, 2002 May 5, 2008 May 5, 2015 May 6, 1946 May 7, 1974 May 7, 1981 May 7, 2004 May 8, 1996 May 9, 1965 May 9, 1974 May 9, 2003
Rev. Albert Moraczewski, OP Rev. Royce Hughes Rev. Wm. Peter Elder, OP Rev. John F. Kiernan, SSJ Rev. Ignatius Gutmann Rev. Maurice Dho Rev. Antoine Faure Rev. Thomas H. Dailey, OP Rev. Lawrence Fanning, OMI Msgr. James A. Jamail Rev. William H. Brenda, OP Rev. Msgr. Paul Procella Rev. Michael I Hurley Msgr. John A. Cummings Rev. Leo Joseph Munelly, CSB Rev. Sylvester Heppner, OFM Rev. Walter H. Principe, CSB Rev. Florencio Andres, OMI Msgr. Victor A. DiPrimeo Rev. Anton Sheltz
May 11, 1928 May 11, 2003 May 14, 1884 May 14, 2017 May 14, 2019 May 15, 1962 May 15, 1996 May 16, 1986 May 21, 1895 May 21, 2012 May 22, 1944 May 22, 2017 May 24, 1962 May 25, 1870 May 25, 2017 May 27, 1929 May 28, 1934 May 28, 1990 May 29, 1958 May 29, 2009
Rev. Theodore Buffard Rev. David Burns Rev. Victor de Lisicki Rev. Joseph D. Bang Rev. Patrick Cummings Rev. Edward A. Sheffield Rev. Jose Barandiaran, SSS Rev. James O’Connell, CSsR Bishop Claude M. Dubuis Rev. Thomas P. Warden, CSB Rev. Innocent Raska Rev. Isidoro Vicent, OP Rev. Joseph P. Sullivan Bishop Jean M. Odin, CM Rev. Edigio Vecchio, MS Rev. Matthew McSorley Rev. Benedict C. Pfiffner Rev. Rudolph G. Beranek Rev. Authur J. Flannagan, SSJ Rev. Joseph Luc Van Do, OP
Expand and deepen our hearts . . . Please pray for all victims of violence everywhere and their families. Pray for those being executed in Texas and their families:
May 19: Quintin Jones
Join us for a “boot” load of fun under the sun! Saturday, May 8, 2021 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
ART
with
Rembrandt at the Ranch Join Honorary Chairs His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo STL, Anna Gonzales, and Dr. Kenneth Buckle, along with Event Chairs, Suzanne and Mark Clevenger for a night of celebration and philanthropy under the Texas sky at Art with Heart 2021.
George Ranch Historical Park 10215 FM 762 Road Richmond, TX 77469 Honoring Portrait of Compassion Awardees Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church Shelley and Robert Schick St. Laurence Catholic Church For sponsorships and tickets, visit sanjoseclinic.org/art-with-heart-2021 or contact Jill Reese at jillreese@sanjoseclinic.org or 713-490-2620.
ADVERTISING Want to advertise in the Texas Catholic Herald? Visit ARCHGH.ORG/TCH or email ADS@ARCHGH.ORG
San Jose Clinic is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, a ministry of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, a Texas Medical Center member institution, and a United Way agency.
10 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD
ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
Thank you for continuing to
SUPPORT YOUR PARISH St. Joseph, pray for us! www.archgh.org/stjoseph
As Catholics, we believe that all we have is a gift from God. Our response in faith is to offer these gifts back to God in gratitude. With gifts of prayer, we pray for our nation, Church and our parishes. With gifts of treasure, we support our parishes even when we cannot be there in person.
Make a gift to your parish online at WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/PARISHOFFERTORY
www.archgh.org/parishoffertory
APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
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EDUCATION IN ACADEMICS
St. Francis de Sales School students awarded full scholarships to Catholic writing camp
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES CATHOLIC SCHOOL
(Left to right) Amanda Emokah, Josslyn Leigh and May Le, students at St. Francis de Sales School, won a full scholarship to Catholic Literary Arts’ Fearless Catholic Writing Camp this summer. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. CECILIA CATHOLIC SCHOOL
St. Cecilia students join ecumenical online event HOUSTON — ILM Academy, St. Cecilia Catholic School and Emery/Weiner School gathered on April 12 in an ecumenical event to hear from faith leaders about compassion through faith online. ILM Academy is an Islamic elementary school in Houston, and the Emery/Weiner School is an independent Jewish day school in Houston. Isa Parada, a former Catholic who converted to Islam and is now an Imam; Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf, director of Jewish Life and Upper School Judaic Studies teacher; and Father Leon Strider, associate professor of Liturgical/Sacramental Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary, shared how the Islamic, Jewish and Catholic faith, respectively, demonstrate compassion through their faith practices. A great opportunity for all to learn from each other and build bridges of respect, love and compassion. †
HOUSTON — Amanda Emokah, May Le and Josslyn Leigh, students at St. Francis de Sales School, each won a full scholarship to Fearless Catholic Writing Camp. Sponsored by Catholic Literary Arts, this camp will be held on the campus of the University of St. Thomas from June 14 to 18. Classes are taught by professional writers and educators. Fearless Catholic Writing Camp is now accepting students going into third grade through graduates of high school. To register and for more information, call 713-331-9342 or visit catholicliteraryarts.org. †
I N C A R N A T E
W O R D
A C A D E M Y
M ID D LE s c h o o l Summer
camps
July 19–22, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. A week of skills training and drills to improve your game and help you better understand volleyball.
arts
• Monuments
Volleyball $150 per week
Calvary Cemetery 409-948-1455 Galveston
• In ground burial sites • Mausoleum Crypts • Cremation niches • Cremation Garden
Dance $75 session
Broadcast Journalism $175 per week
• Markers
(Available for families to purchase for use in the Catholic Cemeteries)
Catholic Cemeteries
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Serving Families Since 1845
for more information, visit
archgh.org/cemeteries
July 12–15, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Polish your court skills, including shooting and passing, playing good defense and how your offense is based around their defense.
socail studies
Mount Olivet Cemetery 281-337-1641 Dickinson
Basketball $150 per week
Session 1: July 7–9, 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Session 2: July 19–21, 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Students will learn different dance genres and choreography combinations while strengthening their dance techniques.
June 7–11, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Build your news writing and video production skills in this engaging introduction to broadcast journalism.
Leadership
+ CATHOLIC CEMETERIES +
Athletics
Engaging enrichment opportunities for girls.
Leadership $125 per week
June 7–11, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. June 14–18, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. Find out how to be a strong leader in this week of hands-on activities designed to highlight your unique gifts.
To register and for more information, visit www.incarnateword.org/summer-camps 609 Crawford Street, Houston, TX 77002 | 713-227-3637 | www.incarnateword.org
12 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD
ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
YOUTH W H AT W I L L IN A
YO U
C AT H O L I C SCHOOL?
Rigorous curriculum A welcoming & inclusive experience STEM Programs, Fine & Performing Arts, Athletics & Extra Curricular Activities An education that inspires & empowers
Embracing the virtues of the Sacred Heart Jesus Christ fully knew who he was. He never had to search out His identity or try on different personas in attempts at self-discovery. St. Thomas Aquinas asserted that Jesus fully knew He was the eternal Son of the Father from the moment of His incarnation, even if His human soul could not fully fathom what that meant when He was a child. This means that when Jesus speaks about the virtues of His heart, we can have confidence that the words He uses are chosen not at random but with great intentionality. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, used two words to describe His Sacred Heart: meek and humble. With great tenderness, Jesus says to each one of us: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest in Me” (Mt 11:2627). In today’s world, meekness is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the virtues, and humility might be the most despised of them. Meekness — due to its unfortunate similarity in sound to weakness — has often been confused with it. Weakness, however, causes us to shrink away, while meekness causes us to stand firm in the face of our inner passions, which might lead us into sin. St. Thomas Aquinas, in his work the Summa Theologica, says that meekness gives you “moderation over the power of your passions.” I know all too well what can happen when I allow my passions to control me rather than serve me. Anger has the potential to be either my foremost weakness or my unrivaled
strength. In seeking to imitate the meek heart of Jesus Christ, I am learning how to harness the strength of my anger, which, as odd as it sounds, helps me to more authentically love the by people in my life. Humility goes hand in BRIAN HENRITZE hand with meekness. The latter helps you to have control over your passions, and the former allows you to realize that only with Christ is perfect meekness possible (Mt 19:16). One of these virtues can never be perfected while the other is ignored. Humility must be learned directly from the sacred heart of Jesus, a heart which was so perfectly united to the will of the Father that it was able to traverse every road of pain, suffering, obedience and of service that God will ever call you to walk down. The human heart, which has learned how to be meek and humble by uniting itself with the sacred heart of Jesus, will burn brightly with the flame of the Holy Spirit. I wish the heart of every Christian were already ablaze with the unpredictable holy fire which burned before the dawn of the world. Perhaps then those who do not know Christ will see Him and know Him through our words and actions. Oh Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto Thine. †
†
Brian Henritze is an associate director with the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization.
Need Help? If you or a loved one is in need of help, contact these Archdiocesan social services:
Catholic Charities
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
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Home visits, food network, disaster relief, clothing and furniture.
Visit
ChooseCatholicSchools.org for more information
svdphouston.org/get-help or 713-741-8234
San José Clinic
Primary and specialty health care services, counseling and mental health services, dental and vision.
sanjoseclinic.org or 713-228-9411
APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
texas catholic herald
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COLUMNISTS He is risen! Go! Tell! Now nearly halfway through our celebration of this Easter season, we have heard clearly and often the proclamation that He is risen. The tomb is empty, and the chains of death are broken. We have been reminded once more of the heart of the Christian message. But I wonder, at this Easter midpoint, if it is enough for us to merely know these things. Perhaps a better question is: What comes next? I suggest that the Gospels themselves give us the answer. In the resurrection accounts, there are two things people are told to do. Go. Tell. Whether it is the angelic figure at the empty tomb (Mt 28:5-7, Mk 16:5-7) or Jesus Himself (Mt 28:9-10, Jn 20:17), these two commands are given explicitly. Interestingly, while Luke’s Gospel does not contain these two imperatives, twice (Lk 24:9, Lk 24:33-35) we get stories about people (the women, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus) who went and told. This missionary imperative is also in keeping with another liturgical tradition of the Easter season: the semi-
continuous reading of the Acts of the Apostles. The usual practice of taking a reading from the Old Testament is suspended in favor of this Scriptural book that is otherwise nearly absent from the by lectionary. Concentrating on a book dedicated to BRIAN the missionary activities GARCIAof the apostles in the LUENSE Easter season complements the resurrection narratives in giving a particularly missionary focus. This culminates in the two great feasts that conclude the Easter Season. On the Ascension, in Years A and B when we hear from the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, there is an explicit command by Jesus to go out into the entire world. In Year C, with the Gospel of Luke, the command is not as explicit, though Jesus does name them as witnesses and tells them to remain in Jerusalem “until you are clothed in
†
power from on high.”This leads directly to the final feast in the celebration of Easter: Pentecost. Every year we have the reading from the Acts of the Apostles that features the disciples boldly speaking out in the streets. While the lectionary cuts off the reading with the wonderment of the crowd, Acts continues with Peter giving the first public proclamation outside the circle of the disciples of the Kerygma, the death and resurrection of Jesus. And so the entire season of Easter is designed to teach us not merely the truth of the resurrection, but that, as witnesses to the power of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ in our lives, we have a mission to go and tell, to live as witnesses, to share this message. And we are not required to do this all on our own. The promised gift of the Holy Spirit is clearly what empowered Peter and empowers us. Indeed, the Church teaches that among the effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation is precisely the empowerment to proclaim this message. Now, this does not mean that all of us
are called to stand on street corners and preach to passers-by. But it does mean that our identity as a baptized Easter people includes a call to be missionary disciples. The task of evangelization, the spreading of the good news, is not for missionaries in distant lands only. The task of catechesis, of echoing what we ourselves have received, is not just for those who teach faith formation in the parish. How we engage in these missionary tasks will certainly vary depending on the particular circumstances of our lives. Nonetheless, in order to be true to our identities, we cannot shirk this task. Whether it is with neighbors or coworkers, classmates or teammates, or even within our own families, we have a responsibility to share this message, trusting that the Holy Spirit will use our best efforts and intentions far beyond our own natural power. † Brian Garcia-Luense is an associate director with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.
Continuing missionary cooperation Irish “Sister Margaret” spoke at each Mass, telling tales of her many years leading faith formation groups in the Philippines. “Father Bill” addressed the parishioners, describing the schedule he followed to bring the Sacraments to the rural villages in Mexico. While those scenarios are fictional, it is what missionaries who are visiting parishes do as a part of the Missionary Cooperative Plan — inspiring awareness of the universality of our Church. The Missionary Cooperative Plan is an annual program that brings Catholic missionaries to speak at parishes, share their stories and seek financial support. Started in the 1930s in the Archdiocese of Newark, the plan remains an important framework for linking local parishes with the needs of the worldwide Church. Scripture provides us with an even earlier example of “missionary cooperation.” In Romans 15:25, St. Paul explains how “the churches in Macedonia and Achaia have freely decided to give an offering to help the poor among God’s people in Jerusalem.” Through the ages, the missionaries extended the preaching of the faith in Jesus to more people in more places. Despite great hardships, missionaries have been working in all continents. The vision for the Church expanded. Various orders developed, focusing on different geographical areas and ministries. Their efforts were affirmed during the Vatican II Council, as the leaders of the Church
advocated for a global perspective in their “Ad Gentes Decree on Missionary Activity:”“The grace of renewal cannot flourish in communities unless each of these extends the range of its by charity to the ends of the earth” (Ad Gentes 37). HILDA Here in the OCHOA Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, the Mission Office coordinates the Missionary Cooperative Plan on behalf of Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. Representatives of 40 missionary societies and dioceses from mission territories around the world will once again be welcomed to speak at the parishes in 2021. Assignments are changed each year so that parishioners will learn about the situation of the Church in different parts of the world. Parishioners are invited to contribute support during the second collection and to consider how they might become more involved. The Missionary Cooperative Plan has sparked relationships of trust that have led to the development of committed local parish mission groups. Youth, young adults and school groups also participate. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has led to a greater understanding of how we are all called to work together in new ways to offer
†
the works of mercy to each other. All Catholic Christians are called to play a part. “Since the whole Church is missionary, …. the work of evangelization is the basic duty of the people of God. This sacred synod invites all to a deep interior renewal; so that, having a vivid awareness of their own responsibility for spreading the Gospel, they will do their share in missionary work among the nations. (Ad Gentes 35). As donors, prayer partners, active or associate members of mission groups, each one cooperates, working together for the common goal of bringing the love of Jesus to the ends of the earth. By linking the stories of the missionaries to the hearts and minds of the parishioners, the Missionary Cooperative Plan helps to ensure that
“each and every one of the Christian faithful may be fully acquainted with the present condition of the Church in the world, and may hear the voice of the multitudes who cry “Help us!” (Ad Gentes 36). With increased understanding of the needs of others, “the faithful may feel this mission work to be their very own, and may open their hearts to such vast and profound human needs, and may come to their assistance” (Ad Gentes 36). Information on the 2021 Missionary Cooperative Plan participants and schedule can be obtained at your parish office or through the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Mission Office. † Hilda Ochoa is the director of the Mission Office.
Thank you! Your Lenten sacrifices helped families around the world overcome the challenges of hunger and poor nutrition. Turn in your CRS Rice Bowl today. crsricebowl.org/give
SUNDAY MASS READINGS MAY 2
First Reading: Acts 9:26-31
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 22:26-28,30-32
Second Reading: 1 Jn 3:18-24
Gospel: Jn 15:1-8
MAY 9
First Reading: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 98:1-4
Second Reading: 1 Jn 4:7-10
Gospel: Jn 15:9-17
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ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
WORLD
Saying he missed people, Pope Francis returns to window for Sunday prayer
CNS PHOTO
Family members attend Pope Francis’s recitation of the “Regina Coeli” from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 18.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Greeting visitors in St. Peter’s Square after nearly a month of tight restrictions due to the pandemic, Pope Francis said he was happy to see people allowed to gather and be present for Sunday noonday prayer. “I offer a warm greeting to all of you, people of Rome and pilgrims,” he said, pointing out the many flags he could see being held high. A few hundred people, all wearing masks and socially distanced, attended the recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer on April 18 after nearly a month of tighter controls on gatherings in an ongoing attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “Thanks be to God, we can find ourselves again in this square for the Sunday and holiday appointment,” he said, adding how much he misses greeting people in the square when he must recite the midday prayer inside the apostolic library. “I am happy; thanks be to God! And thank you for your presence,” he said to applause. In his main talk, Pope Francis said Jesus is a real living person whose presence always leaves the person encountering him astonished, which “goes beyond enthusiasm, beyond joy; it is another experience” that is profoundly beautiful. He said the day’s Gospel reading of the risen Christ’s appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem “tells us that Jesus is not a ‘ghost,’ but a living person,” who
fills people with joy. “Being Christian is not first of all a doctrine or a moral ideal; it is a living relationship with Him, with the risen Lord: we look at Him, we touch Him, we are nourished by Him and, transformed by His love, we look at, touch and nourish others as brothers and sisters,” he said. Jesus invites His disciples to truly look at Him, which involves “intention, will” and an attitude of loving care and concern, he said. More than seeing, it is the way parents look at their child, “lovers gaze at each other, a good doctor looks at the patient carefully. ... looking is a first step against indifference, against the temptation to look the other way before the difficulties and sufferings of others,” the pope said. By inviting the disciples to touch Him, he said, Jesus shows that a relationship with Him and with one’s brothers and sisters “cannot remain at a distance” but requires a love that looks and comes close, making contact, sharing and “entering into a communion of life, a communion with him.” And the verb, to eat, clearly expresses “our humanity,” he said, and “our need to nourish ourselves in order to live.” When people come together to eat, it becomes “an expression of love, an expression of communion, of celebration,” which is why “the eucharistic banquet has become the emblematic sign of the Christian community. Eating together the body of Christ: this is the core of Christian life,” the pope said. †
IN BRIEF Pope prays newly beatified martyrs inspire greater fidelity to God
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church’s newest blesseds are six “meek disciples of Christ,” who showed heroic courage defending the Eucharist from profanation when French troops sacked their Italian monastery in 1799 and scattered the Blessed Sacrament on the floor while searching for valuables they take, Pope Francis said. “May their example spur us to a greater commitment to fidelity to God, one capable also of transforming society and making it more just and fraternal,” the pope said April 18, the day after the Cistercian monks of Casamari Abbey were beatified. Marcello Cardinal Semeraro, who was named prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes in October, presided over the Mass and beatification at the abbey, about 60 miles southeast of Rome. The French troops shot Father Siméon Cardon, who was the prior, and five other Cistercians who scrambled to recover consecrated hosts after the invaders broke open the tabernacle and scattered them on the floor. †
Christians, Muslims must spread hope, says Vatican message for Ramadan
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians and Muslims share a conviction that God calls them to be “witnesses, restorers and builders of hope” both in this life and for the life to come, said the leaders of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In a message wishing Muslims a peaceful and fruitful month as they fast during Ramadan and a joyful celebration of Id al-Fitr when Ramadan is over, the officials focused on the religious value of hope and its importance today amid the coronavirus pandemic. The message was signed March 29, before Ramadan began, by Miguel Cardinal Ayuso, council president. The Vatican released the message on April 16, three days after the Ramadan fast began. For believers, they said, “hope arises from our belief that all our problems and trials have a meaning, a value and a purpose, however difficult or impossible it may be for us to understand the reason for them or to find a way out of them.” In addition, they wrote, “hope also carries with it belief in the goodness present in the heart of every person. Many times, in situations of difficulty and despair, help, and the hope it brings, can come from those whom we least expect.” †
WORLD
APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
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Church leaders from U.S., Amazon ask governments to protect rainforest SÃO PAULO (CNS) — Less than a week before the U.S.-sponsored Leaders Summit on Climate, environmental and religious leaders said they are worried about talks on how to preserve the region and are asking government officials from the U.S. and the Amazon to look at kindly at the rainforest and its peoples. “The Amazon is very important for humanity, for life ... it helps stabilize the climate, it is a source of life,” said Pedro Cardinal Jimeno of Huancayo, Peru, president of the Pan-Amazonian Church Network, or REPAM. “Mistreating the Amazon forest is not only mistreating the Indigenous people who live inside it, but it is destroying their culture and their place. These peoples are the guardians of the Amazon forest. They have great wealth when it comes to spirituality, something that has been nurtured by their cultures,” the cardinal said. Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego asked “all the policymakers to really consider what are the implications of interconnectedness on the questions of the Amazon.” “It is not simply that the Amazon is such a vast warehouse to provide strength and richness and fertility and biodiversity for the future of our planet, it is also that the culture and the peoples of the Amazon provide a perspective we need to understand because many elements of that perspective of culture and faith and spirituality are going to
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Indigenous people from the Munduruku tribe are pictured in a file photo during a demonstration in Brasilia, Brazil, to request demarcation of Indigenous lands in the Amazon rainforest.
be the pathway we have to travel in the United States if we are truly to serve and maintain and recreate our common home that God has given to us and we have so shamefully defaced,” he added. Both men addressed the virtual, international Amazon Climate Forum on April 15. On April 13, the Brazilian bishops’
conference and REPAM-Brazil released a letter that expressed their concern about a possible agreement between Brazil and the United States for the protection of the Amazon. “The current U.S. government is meeting, without transparency or any participation of the peoples of the Amazon, with the federal government of
Brazil, with the possibility of drawing up agreements to protect this biome,” said the letter signed by retired Bishop Erwin Kräutler, president of REPAM-Brazil, and Cláudio Cardinal Hummes, president of the Brazilian bishops’ commission for the Amazon. “The main leaders of the Indigenous peoples, quilombolas (communities of ex-slaves), rubber tappers and peasants are very concerned with the prospect of international agreements and financing with an openly anti-environmental, anti-Indigenous, anti-democratic, science-denying government, whose management of the pandemic is leading more people to death and poverty every day. Any agreement that has the Amazon as its core requires a debate with Amazonian populations, which are not being consulted,” added the letter. The British news agency Reuters reported negotiations between Brazil and the United States for an agreement to reduce deforestation in the Amazon have come to a halt. The Brazilian government has asked for the release of financial resources in advance to be able to improve the protection of the forest and develop sustainable projects in the region, while the U.S. insists on seeing a decline in deforestation numbers before handing over any funds. According to local news reports, the Brazilian government has asked the U.S. government for $1 billion in aid to reduce deforestation. †
IN BRIEF Mozambique’s bishops speak out against violence in Cabo Delgado
MAPUTO, Mozambique (CNS) — Catholic bishops in Mozambique expressed concerns about ongoing violence in the country and increasing food insecurity — especially in the midst of the pandemic. In the northern province of Cabo Delgado, “defenseless people are killed, injured and abused. They see their possessions plundered, the privacy of their homes violated, their homes destroyed and the corpses of their family members desecrated. They are forced to abandon the land that saw them born and where their ancestors are buried,” said a statement at the end of the bishops’ plenary meeting in mid-April. In late March, the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern about a new surge of violence in the province, where insecurity began in 2017. The United Nations said that, in the wake of the violence and some devastating cyclones, up to 1 million people could be displaced by June. Gillian Triggs, the U.N. refugee agency’s assistant high commissioner for protection, visited Mozambique in mid-March and told U.N. News it is not clear who the insurgents are, how they are supported, or what they want, but there have been beheadings, killings, rape and other atrocities. Some media have reported the insurgents are linked to the Islamic State group. The fact that there is no end in sight to the conflict leads the bishops to believe “there are interests of varying nature and origin, namely of certain groups to seize the nation and its resources.” †
Women’s Silent Retreat Given by Priest of the Miles Christi Religious Order
May 21 – 23 Two nights lodging in private rooms, six meals, daily sacraments, guided meditations and 52 acres to draw closer to Christ. Register online at
www.retreatcentercrc.org Socially-Distant & Spiritually-Connected. Safety Precautions are in-place. Enjoy the 52-acres of the CRC. CRC has safely operated over 60 retreats since May 2020 under COVID-19 protocols.
St. Teresa of Avila’s life of prayer made her ‘exceptional,’ pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While St. Teresa of Avila was outstanding in many ways, her union with Christ through prayer made her an “exceptional woman,” Pope Francis said. In a video message April 15 marking the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Teresa of Avila as a doctor of the Church, the pope said the Spanish saint’s “audacity, creativity and excellence as a reformer are the fruit of the interior presence of the Lord. We are dealing with a person who was outstanding in many ways,” he said. “However, it should not be forgotten that her recognized relevance in these dimensions is nothing more than the consequence of what was important to her: her encounter with the Lord, her ‘determined determination,’ as she says, to persevere in union with him through prayer.” The pope’s video message was played during a conference titled “Exceptional Woman,” held at the Catholic University of St. Teresa of Avila in Spain. In his message, the pope said holiness is not a virtue reserved to “specialists of the divine” but is the “vocation of all believers.” Saints, like St. Teresa, “stimulate and motivate us, but they are not for us to literally try to copy them,” he said. “Holiness cannot be copied because even that could lead us away from the unique and different path that the Lord has for each one of us.” †
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.
16 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD
ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
NATION & STATE
‘The death penalty is broken’: Advocates, editorials urge Biden admin to end federal death penalty WASHINGTON (CNS) — The death penalty has been getting attention across the country this year with legislation introduced or voted on in several states aimed at limiting, repealing or even renewing capital punishment. These discussions in state capitols, along with the lack of action by President Joe Biden to end the federal death penalty, have prompted advocates to keep speaking out and also have led to a number of newspaper editorials condemning continued use of the death penalty and the need for elected officials to put an end to it. The death penalty still exists in 27 states, and about 50 prisoners are currently on federal death row. In late March, Virginia announced it was abolishing the death penalty and became the first Southern state to do so. In recent weeks, state legislators in Ohio, Nevada, Wyoming and Florida have made advances to limit or even fully outlaw capital punishment. In Montana, a bill that would have allowed the state to resume executions after a 15-year hiatus was defeated in the state Senate on April 16. In Arizona, the state’s attorney general is similarly moving to resume executions that have been put on hold since 2014. Although the nation has a mixed record at the moment on capital punishment, Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, said that “despite the regressive actions of a few states, the trends clearly indicate that the U.S. is moving in the direction of abolition -regardless of political affiliation.” In an April 16 email to Catholic News Service, she said advocates for ending the death penalty are “still celebrating Virginia’s death penalty repeal” particularly since it is the first formerly Confederate state to do this and in light of the state’s history “as one of the most active death penalty states.” She said when Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, signed the bill ending capital punishment on March 24, he was surrounded by Republicans
CNS PHOTO
Demonstrators are seen near the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind., showing their opposition to the death penalty July 13, 2020.
and Democrats as he said the practice is fundamentally flawed and has no place in the state or the country. “It was a powerful moment,” she said. The state’s action was praised byVirginia’s Catholic bishops and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, who called it a “bold step toward a culture of life.” “I urge all other states and the federal government to do the same,” he added. During the bill-signing ceremony, many people thanked the state’s Catholic conference for its advocacy work, including the bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Sen. Scott Surovell, who thanked the conference, the public policy arm of Virginia’s bishops, and several priests for their work behind the scenes. “I can’t tell you how much that has helped,” he said. In other state actions, Vaillancourt Murphy said Catholic advocates brought a “strong, persistent voice in support of
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these efforts to chip away at the deadly practice and have served as key advocates toward repeal progress.” She also said support against capital punishment has not just come from Democrats. In Montana, the bill to reinstate the death penalty was pushed by Montana’s Republican attorney general, but the state’s Senate Republicans spoke against it on the floor, she said. In his testimony before Montana’s House Judiciary Committee in February, Matthew Brower, executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference, said the proposed legislation would move the state “further away from embracing a vision of mercy and justice.” He said the Church follows the example of many families of crime victims “who have rejected capital punishment as a system that denies the goodness and beauty of their loved ones and perpetuates an unending cycle of violence.” Brower said the Catholic Church has long been vocal in its opposition to the death penalty, noting it is not “some novel shift” introduced by Pope Francis but stressed by the two popes before him and Church leaders dating back to St.
Augustine in the year 412. As the states examine their own death penalty laws, Vaillancourt Murphy said, it also is time to look at and end the federal death penalty, adding that there is momentum behind this in the wake of the “unprecedented federal execution spree by the Trump administration.” She stressed that Biden — whom she described as “the first sitting U.S. president to publicly oppose capital punishment and to have campaigned on an explicitly anti-death penalty platform” — has yet to formalize his opposition to the death penalty. Concrete steps he could take, she said, would be to declare “an official moratorium on executions, commuting the death sentences of those on the federal death row and advocating to end the death penalty in law with Congress and the states.” Catholic Mobilizing Network has been calling for the president to take this action in an online letter: https://bit.ly/3tyM4PZ. Vaillancourt Murphy sees a strong connection between ending the federal death penalty and the president’s platform of racial justice and said he needs to “prioritize dismantling the archaic, broken systems that prop up racism in our country.” She isn’t alone in calling the president to act. Two recent editorials on this topic offer similar pleas: “Biden should make good on pledge to end death penalty,” said the April 7 editorial in the Chicago Sun Times, and “Stop the Executions, President Biden” was the headline on a March 26 New York Times editorial. The New York Times’ editorial urged Biden to help break the cycle of violence by “imposing an immediate moratorium on federal executions, and commuting the sentences of the 50 or so inmates on federal death row.” The Chicago Sun Times offered similar advice and also said the president could “push legislation through Congress to abolish the death penalty, as many states have done.” “This would be the best option, if Congress will have it,” it said. “But what matters most is that Biden send a message: The death penalty is broken and can’t be fixed.” †
APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DEL CLERO En un continuo esfuerzo por facilitar atención pastoral a las victimas de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, el Cardenal DiNardo gustaría recordar a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis la disponibilidad del Coordinador de Ayuda a Víctimas. Si alguien ha sido victim de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, se les anima llamar a la Diane Vines al 713-654-5799. Por favor rece por la sanación de las víctimas del abuso y por todos los que sufren de alguna manera.
APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
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MUNDO CATÓLICO El Plan Cooperativo Misionero reanuda su labor La hermana Margaret, religiosa irlandesa, habló en cada Misa un fin de semana, contando historias acerca de sus muchos años liderando grupos de formación en la fe en Filipinas. El Padre Bill se dirigió a los feligreses y describió el proceso que sigue para llevar los sacramentos a las aldeas rurales de México. Aunque los nombres no son reales, es un ejemplo de lo que hacen los misioneros cuando visitan parroquias como parte del Plan Cooperativo Misionero, inspirando conciencia sobre la universalidad de nuestra Iglesia. El Plan Cooperativo Misionero es un programa anual que invita a los misioneros católicos a visitar nuestras parroquias, compartiendo sus historias y buscando apoyo financiero. Iniciado en la década de 1930 en la Arquidiócesis de Newark, el Plan sigue siendo un marco importante para vincular las parroquias locales con las necesidades de la Iglesia mundial. Las Escrituras nos proporcionan un ejemplo aún más antiguo de “cooperación misionera”. En Romanos 15:25, San Pablo explica “En efecto los de Macedonia y Acaya han decidido hacer una colecta en favor de la comunidad de Jerusalén”. (Romanos 15:25)
A través de los siglos, los misioneros extendieron la predicación de la fe a más personas en más lugares. A pesar de grandes dificultades, los misioneros han llevado a por cabo su labor en todos los continentes. La visión de HILDA la Iglesia se expandió OCHOA como consecuencia, desarrollándose multitud de órdenes religiosas con sus carismas individuales, localizadas en diferentes áreas geográficas. Los esfuerzos misioneros fueron confirmados durante el Concilio Vaticano II, ya que los líderes de la iglesia abogaron por una perspectiva global en su “Decreto Ad Gentes Sobre la Actividad Misionera”: “La gracia de la renovación en las comunidades no puede florecer si no expande cada uno de los campos de la caridad hasta los confines de la tierra…” (Ad Gentes 37). Aquí en la Arquidiócesis de Galveston-Houston, la Oficina de Misiones coordina el Plan Cooperativo Misionero en nombre de Daniel Cardenal DiNardo. Representantes de cuarenta sociedades misioneras y
†
diócesis de territorios de misión alrededor del mundo serán nuevamente bienvenidos para hablar en las parroquias en 2021. Las asignaciones se cambian cada año para que los feligreses aprendan sobre la situación de la Iglesia en diferentes partes del mundo. Se invita a los feligreses a contribuir con su apoyo durante la segunda colecta y a considerar cómo podrían involucrarse más poniendo en práctica su llamado bautismal de promover la propagación del reino de Dios. El Plan Cooperativo Misionero ha contribuido además a la creación de grupos misioneros parroquiales comprometidos. En ellos participan adultos, jóvenes y grupos escolares. La pandemia mundial de COVID ha suscitado mayor comprensión sobre cómo todos estamos llamados a trabajar juntos en nuevas y diferentes formas para ofrecer nuestra caridad para con los demás. Todos los católicos estamos llamados a participar en este esfuerzo. “Puesto que toda la Iglesia es misionera y la obra de evangelización es deber fundamental del Pueblo de Dios... teniendo viva conciencia de la propia responsabilidad en la difusión del Evangelio, acepten su cometido en la obra misional entre las
naciones” (Ad Gentes 35). Cada donante, compañero de oración, miembro activo o asociado de grupos misioneros ha de cooperar, trabajando juntos por el objetivo común de llevar el amor de Jesús a los confines de la tierra. Al hacer vivas las historias de los misioneros en los corazones y las mentes de los feligreses, el Plan Cooperativo Misionero ayuda a asegurar que “todos y cada uno de los fieles cristianos conozcan puntualmente el estado actual de la Iglesia en el mundo y escuchen la voz de los que claman: ayúdanos.” (Ad Gentes 36). Cuando se comprende mejor la realidad de los que habitan en tierra de misión, “los cristianos, haciéndose cargo de su responsabilidad en la actividad misional, abren los corazones a las inmensas y profundas necesidades de los hombres y pueden socorrerlos.” (Ad Gentes 36). Información sobre los participantes y el calendario del Plan Cooperativo Misionero 2021 se puede obtener en la oficina de su parroquia o a través de la Oficina Arquidiocesana de Misiones. † Hilda Ochoa es la directora de la Oficina de Misiones.
Papa: Los santos acompañan, interceden por los cristianos orantes HOUSTON — Los cristianos nunca están solos en oración, sino que están acompañados por una miríada de santos que los protegen y buscan la intercesión de Dios, dijo el papa Francisco. Siempre que hombres o mujeres abren su corazón a Dios, estarán siempre en la “compañía de santos anónimos y reconocidos que rezan con nosotros y que interceden por nosotros como hermanos y hermanas mayores que nos han precedido en esta misma aventura humana”, dijo el papa el 7 de abril durante su audiencia general semanal. Continuando con su serie de charlas sobre la oración, el papa reflexionó sobre la conexión entre la oración y la comunión de los santos que “no están lejos de nosotros”y son un recordatorio de Jesucristo porque también “han recorrido el camino de la vida” como cristianos. “En la iglesia no hay duelo solitario, no hay lágrima que caiga en el olvido, porque todo respira y participa de una gracia común”, dijo. La tradición de tener cementerios alrededor de las iglesias es una señal de ese intercambio, dijo. Es “como para decir que la multitud de los que nos precedieron participa de alguna manera en cada Eucaristía. Están nuestros padres y abuelos, nuestros padrinos y madrinas, los catequistas y otros educadores… Esa fe transmitida, que hemos recibido: con la fe se ha transmitido también la forma de orar”. Los santos, explicó,“son testigos que no
FOTO DE CNS
El Papa Francisco entrega su bendición durante su audiencia general en la biblioteca del Palacio Apostólico en el Vaticano el 7 de abril. El Papa dijo que los cristianos nunca están solos en oración, sino que están acompañados por innumerables santos que los han precedido.
adoramos — por supuesto, no adoramos a estos santos — pero que veneramos y que de mil maneras diferentes nos remiten a Jesucristo, único Señor y Mediador entre Dios y el hombre”. El papa dijo que la vida de los santos también sirve como un recordatorio de que “en nuestra vida, aunque débil y
marcada por el pecado, la santidad puede florecer”. “Leemos en los Evangelios que el primer santo ‘canonizado’ fue un ladrón y fue ‘canonizado’ no por un papa, sino por el mismo Jesús”, dijo. “La santidad es un camino de vida, de encuentro con Jesús, ya sea largo, corto, o un instante, pero
siempre es un testimonio”. El papa también destacó la necesidad de que los cristianos oren unos por otros y que “rezar por los demás es la primera forma de amarlos y nos empuja a una cercanía concreta”. Agregó que “incluso en los momentos de conflicto, una forma de resolver el conflicto, de suavizarlo, es rezar por la persona con la que estoy en conflicto. Y algo cambia con la oración. Lo primero que cambia es mi corazón, es mi actitud. El Señor lo cambia para hacer posible un encuentro, un nuevo encuentro y para evitar que el conflicto se convierta en una guerra sin fin”. El papa Francisco dijo que lo primero que debe hacer la gente en momentos de angustia “es pedir a los hermanos, a los santos sobre todo, que recen por nosotros” porque ellos pueden “echarnos una mano para obtener de Dios las gracias que más necesitamos”. Los cristianos que “no han alcanzado el punto de ruptura” y perseveran en tiempos de prueba tal vez se lo deban a la intercesión de los santos que no solo están en el cielo, sino también de los santos y santos aquí en la tierra, agregó el papa. “Ellos no lo saben, nosotros tampoco lo sabemos, pero hay santos, santos de todos los días, santos escondidos o como me gusta decir los ‘santos de la puerta de al lado’, los que viven con nosotros en la vida, que trabajan con nosotros y llevan una vida de santidad”, dijo. †
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Grupo pide a administración de Biden acelerar reunificación de familias WASHINGTON (CNS) — Una comunidad interreligiosa de activistas está pidiendo a la administración de Joe Biden que acelere el ritmo de la reunificación familiar para remediar la política de “tolerancia cero” impuesta por la administración de Donald Trump. Esta política separó a unos 5500 niños inmigrantes de sus familias al invocar procedimientos penales contra sus padres. “Si bien tenemos una nueva administración y es un nuevo día, la injusticia persiste”, expresó la reverenda Jennifer Butler, ministra presbiteriana y directora ejecutiva de Faith in Public Life (Fe en la vida pública), que organizó el evento en línea, llamado “Nuestra oración de temporada santa: Reunir a todas las familias”, el 7 de abril. “El trabajo del reencuentro está incompleto, por lo que una vez más estamos alzando la voz”, agregó. El enfoque principal del evento fue un plan de cinco puntos para la administración: • Encontrar a los padres desaparecidos, reunir a todas las familias, y asegurar de que puedan vivir juntos en los Estados Unidos, libres de detención y deportación. • Brindar protección inmediata contra la deportación y apoyar una vía hacia la ciudadanía para todas las familias separadas. • Establecer recursos y fondos de reparación, que incluyan cobertura de servicios de trauma y salud mental. • Realizar cambios sistémicos para terminar definitivamente con las separaciones familiares. • Y proseguir las investigaciones y la rendición de cuentas de los responsables. “Nunca olvidaré ver a una larga fila de familias migrantes venir del centro de detención” a un centro de descanso dirigido por la hermana Norma Pimentel, una misionera de Jesús, y administrado por Caridades Católicas del Valle del Río Grande en Texas, recordó la reverenda Butler. “Acababan de ser liberados. Estaban enfermos y hambrientos”. La voz de la reverenda Butler se quebró por la emoción cuando recordó haber visto “un niño montado en los hombros de su padre. Me recordó a mi propio hijo, alto
FOTO DE CNS
A migrant boy seeking asylum in the U.S. is seen in Roma, Texas, looking up to his mother April 5 while they wait to be transported by the Border Patrol after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States from Mexico.
y flaco. Estaba como doblado. No podía ver su rostro. Sólo observé al niño y oré por él”. Luego, ella continuó diciendo, “los voluntarios, quienes estaban en la entrada, vitorearon y aplaudieron, y el niño levantó la cabeza, sonrió de oreja a oreja y comenzó a saludar vigorosamente. Por primera vez en semanas estaba siendo tratado como un ser humano”. Después, “vi el lema, ‘Restaurar la dignidad humana’, sobre la puerta de la hermana Norma”, manifestó la reverenda Butler, repitiéndolo para enfatizarlo. “Esa es la nación que queremos crear. Esa es la nación por la que estamos luchando”. La hermana Pimentel, quien tenía programado hablar, no pudo debido a una emergencia en el centro de descanso de Caridades Católicas en Brownsville, Texas, según expresó José Arnulfo Cabrera, director de educación y defensa de la Red de Solidaridad Ignaciana. “Ella trabaja todos los días”, él dijo sobre la hermana Pimentel. “Tan caótico como ha sido todo en la frontera, su ausencia también es un recordatorio para nosotros de toda esa locura en la frontera
— el tener que lidiar con CBP (la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de los Estados Unidos) y todas sus políticas”. El tema del evento tomó nota de la fiesta simultánea de las religiones abrahámicas este año: los cristianos celebraron la Pascua el 4 de abril, cuando concluía la Pascua judía, y los musulmanes comienzan la observancia de un mes de Ramadán al atardecer del 12 de abril. Cuando los funcionarios del Departamento de Justicia anunciaron la política de tolerancia cero en 2018,“sabían absolutamente que separarían familias”, expuso Yesenia Chávez, analista de políticas de derechos de los inmigrantes de la Unión Estadounidense por las Libertades Civiles (o ACLU por sus siglas en inglés). “Esta medida de disuasión no funcionó”, dijo Chávez, y agregó: “Este es un daño moral en la historia de nuestro país”. En entrevistas con abogados de ACLU después de haber sido detenidos por las autoridades de inmigración, los inmigrantes dijeron que “no les habría quedado otra opción que venir a este país porque estaban huyendo de la violencia y
tratando de mantenerse con vida”, sostuvo Chávez. “Le han dicho específicamente a nuestros representantes: ‘Mi familia estaba en peligro de ser asesinada, ya sea yo o mis hijos’. La gente viene a este país en busca de un respiro y poder vivir libremente”. El Ramadán requiere ayunar durante las horas del día, y el ayuno “requiere autocontrol y conciencia de Dios, incluida la conciencia social”, expresó el imam Ali Siddiqui, profesor islámico, capellán, consejero familiar y asesor juvenil en California. “La conciencia social está en la parte superior de la lista, para tomar conciencia de la difícil situación de los pobres”, dijo el imam Siddiqui, “y del migrante que necesita nuestra ayuda con urgencia”. El Ramadán, agregó,“es también el mes de la justicia y la bendición”, y cualquier retraso en la reunificación de las familias separadas en la frontera “significa una injusticia continua”. Condenando “la maldad de la separación familiar y el horror que trae a padres e hijos”, dijo la reverenda Traci Blackmon de la Iglesia Unida de Cristo, “No puedo estar a la sombra de una tumba vacía que representa la esperanza de mi fe mientras también estoy de pie a la sombra de una cruz vacía que me recuerda los horrores de la humanidad”. La reverenda Blackmon, ministra general asociada de justicia y ministerios de la iglesia local para su denominación, dijo que Jesús, mientras estaba en la cruz, “se tomó el tiempo para asegurar el cuidado de su madre antes de su muerte. Jesús nos estaba enseñando a todos nuestra responsabilidad de cuidar unos y otros.” Los copatrocinadores católicos del evento incluyeron el Centro Columbano de Defensa y Difusión; las provincias estadounidenses de la Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Buen Pastor; la Red de Acción Franciscana; la Conferencia de Liderazgo de Mujeres Religiosas; la Oficina de Maryknoll para Asuntos Globales; el Centro Nacional de Defensa de las Hermanas del Buen Pastor; y la provincia de Estados Unidos y Canadá de la Sociedad del Sagrado Corazón. †
Papa a jóvenes: El Señor siempre los espera CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — La fe es un don que nunca se impone a nadie, sino que debe aceptarse con el corazón abierto, escribió el papa Francisco a los jóvenes. “Si lo piensas, es muy hermoso y muy respetuoso con nuestra libertad”, escribió el papa a los jóvenes en el prólogo de un nuevo libro. La fe “es un don que hay que desear”. “Tal vez has buscado al Señor y no lo has encontrado, pero déjame preguntarte algo: ¿Qué tan fuerte era tu deseo?”, escribió el papa. “Búscalo con toda la pasión de tu corazón, reza, pide, invoca, clama y él se dejará encontrar como ha prometido”. En forma de carta a “mi joven amigo que busca”, el prólogo del papa Francisco es la introducción de un libro en italiano del cardenal Raniero Cantalamessa sobre san Francisco de Asís como lo describió el hermano Pacífico, un afamado poeta que se convirtió en uno de los primeros hombres en unirse a san Francisco tras conocerlo a principios del siglo XIII. El libro “Francisco: El loco de Dios”, sale a la venta el 9 de abril. Avvenire, el diario de la Conferencia Episcopal Italiana, publicó el prólogo del papa el 7 de abril.
Cuando el hermano Pacífico, entonces conocido como Guillermo de Lisciano, conoció a san Francisco “vio el esplendor de su santidad y a través de él vio la belleza del rostro de Dios”, escribió el papa Francisco. “Lo que siempre buscó, finalmente lo encontró y lo halló gracias a un hombre santo”. En su Sermón de la Montaña, Jesús le dijo a la multitud: “Pedid y se os dará; buscad y hallaréis; llamad y se os abrirá la puerta. Porque todo el que pide, recibe; y el que busca, encuentra; y al que llama, se le abrirá la puerta”. “Son palabras fuertes”, escribió el papa.“Pero podemos preguntarnos: ¿Debemos tomarlas en serio? Si pido al Señor, ¿escucha realmente mi petición? Si lo busco, ¿lo encontraré? Si llamo, ¿me abrirá la puerta?”. Son preguntas comprensibles e importantes, dijo el papa, especialmente cuando uno mira a su alrededor y ve cuántas personas “llaman a las puertas del cielo y no escuchan más que el silencio del otro lado”. Una línea del Libro de Jeremías puede tener la clave, continuó. Dice: “Cuando me busques, me encontrarás. Sí, cuando me busques con todo tu corazón, dejaré que me encuentres”.
“Dios se deja encontrar, sí, pero sólo por aquellos que lo buscan con todo su corazón”, escribió el papa. “Abran los Evangelios; lean los encuentros de Jesús con las personas que acudían a él y verán”que cumplía los deseos de quienes --como la viuda insistente o el pecador arrepentido o el leproso necesitado de curación-- buscaban a Jesús con un impulso único. “El que busca encuentra si lo hace de todo corazón, si para esa persona el Señor es tan vital como el agua en el desierto, como la tierra para la semilla o el sol para la flor”, escribió el papa Francisco. Dios nunca ha dejado de esperar que la gente le abra su corazón, dijo el papa. “Y, tal vez, hoy hace oír su voz más que ayer”, escribió. “Si sólo bajas el volumen de otros sonidos y subes el de tus deseos más profundos, lo escucharás fuerte y claro dentro de ti y a tu alrededor”. Dios también sigue llamando a las personas para que le dediquen su vida, dijo el papa. “Si tuvieras el valor de dejar tus seguridades y abrirte a él, te abrirá un mundo nuevo y tú, a su vez, te convertirás en una luz para los demás”. †
APRIL 27, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
texas catholic herald
19
WITHIN THE ARTS New UST graduate program aims to reverse decline seen in Catholic art, literature HOUSTON (CNS) — The creation of a new master’s of fine arts (MFA) degree program in creative writing at the University of St. Thomas in Houston marks a breakthrough in a resurgence of Catholic literary arts, said its founders. The entirely online two-year, 30-credit program is being described as a significant step for the Catholic Church in North America. “Our aim is to serve and inspire the ongoing revival of Catholic letters in our time,” said co-founder James Matthew Wilson, outgoing professor of humanities at Villanova University near Philadelphia. Wilson will serve as head of the poetry section of the new program, while Joshua Hren, a writer and publisher of Wiseblood Books, takes on the creative writing side. Wilson, a longtime poet with four published collections to his credit, said the quality and quantity of Catholic literary output has been meager over the past several decades but that a revival could be in the making. “We have great ambitions that merit attention, as this is not a time of grand schemes and projects in the Church,” Wilson said, “and yet that is just what we hope to initiate — something big.”
CNS PHOTO
Joshua Hren, a fiction writer and publisher of Wiseblood Books, is seen in this undated photo. He is the co-founder of a new online master’s degree program in writing Catholic fiction and poetry at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.
The impetus for the fine arts program comes from concerns of Catholic academics, most notably Dana Gioia of the University of Southern California, that Catholic arts and letters in North
America are in rough shape. In his 2014 booklet, “The Catholic Writer Today,” Gioia lamented that although Catholics comprise the largest religious and cultural group in the U.S., Catholicism “enjoys almost no positive presence in the American fine arts.” Program co-founder Hren brings experience as a writer and president of a Catholic publishing house to the project. “We need well-made stories that make the truth about human life intelligible, tangible, definite for readers,” Hren told Catholic News Service (CNS). “We need stories that reach into our moment through a contemporary idiom but bring to bear the weight of the Catholic literary tradition to bear on these new creations.” The new MFA at the University of St. Thomas “is a home for artists who seek to advance in such a Christic vision,” Hren said. Jessica Hooten Wilson, instructor of humanities and classical education at the Catholic-run University of Dallas and one of the visiting scholars at the University of St. Thomas creative writing program, said the initiative should support the promulgation of the Catholic literary traditions.
“The Catholic imagination is as old as the Church, yet in the 20th and 21st century, Catholic writers have contributed the richest fare of great storytelling and beautiful poetry to our tradition,” Hooten Wilson said. Although the list of visiting faculty is not final, guest lecturers include such accomplished writer/poets as USC’s Gioia, Sarah Cortez, Robert Royal, Adam Kirsch, Glenn Arbery, Rod Dreher, Ron Hansen and Christopher Beha. “The program is unique in offering a unified course of study that prepares students for lives as writers and teachers, editors and publishers, whose grasp of the western and Catholic intellectual tradition reaches from Plato, Virgil and Dante,” co-founder James Matthew Wilson said, adding that despite its Catholic emphasis, it is open to applicants from all faith traditions. The University of St. Thomas plans to launch a national campaign to promote the program, which is part of the university’s aim to renew Catholic higher education and reverse the country’s cultural decline. The Basilian order founded the university in 1947 and today has over 3,000 full-time students. †
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ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • APRIL 27, 2021
MILESTONES
Archdiocesan Deaf Ministry applauds Vatican’s new sign language YouTube channel BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — This Easter Sunday, April 4, Pope Francis’s livestreamed general audience and Angelus and Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) addresses formally went live with the Vatican’s launch of a new Sign Language service on its YouTube account. Father Len Broniak, C.Ss.R., chaplain and program director of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s deaf ministry, said, “It is a great step forward for open access to the Pope’s messages. I’m glad awareness is growing.” The Archdiocese has ministered to the Catholic deaf community for more than 50 years, supported by Diocesan Services Fund, but that has not been the case in smaller dioceses, he said. “The deaf community has been overlooked for such a long time. I hope this heightens awareness of the bishops throughout the world,” Father Broniak said. The Vatican’s new “No One Excluded” project is an effort to reach out to people with disabilities, including plans to develop other technological tools that would help the disabled, including people with visual impairment and sensory
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE REDEMPTORISTS/DENVER PROVINCE
Father Len Broniak, C.Ss.R., chaplain and program director of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s deaf ministry, joined other deaf ministry leaders in applauding the Vatican newly-launched online new Sign Language service.
issues, more easily access papal content. While the coronavirus pandemic has isolated many people, those with disabilities have felt even more cut off from society, said Deacon Bruce Flagg, recently ordained this year as one of the few deacons who are deaf in the country. Even those who could lip-read were at a disadvantage with mostly everyone wearing masks. Assisting Father Broniak, Deacon Flagg said,“First of all, as a member of the
Volunteers keep churches and nonprofits operating HOUSTON — After working at the City of Houston for 30 years and retiring four years ago from several positions, including station manager of the Houston Municipal Channel, Carol Herrera was called to volunteer for the Lord, she said. April is National Volunteer Month, a month dedicated to recognizing the importance of volunteering and honoring the significant contributions that volunteers make by generously donating their time and talents to worthy causes. Herrera, among thousands of volunteers who keep churches and nonprofits operating with their knowledge, expertise and hard work, now volunteers at both Catholic Charities as well as Guadalupe Radio - KSHJ 1430 AM, in Houston. “The Holy Spirit opened my heart right after Hurricane Harvey hit and I began to volunteer at Catholic Charities helping people who had lost their homes, lost everything,” she said. That work has continued at least a couple of days each week, even after the most recent freeze in February when she returned to distribute food at the drive-through line at Catholic Charities’ Guadalupe Center off Navigation and South Jensen. Her communications experience also comes in handy in producing public service announcements for KSHJ, the Catholic radio station, and even working the cameras for videos placed on its website, including the Catholic Lunch Break program at noon on Mondays. One pilgrimage she does on her own is to visit a different Archdiocesan church each
deaf community, I want to thank Pope Francis for his dedication to inclusion on behalf of the deaf throughout the world. I feel that I am a direct recipient of his views in bringing Christ to all people.” “I preach every other Sunday. This task takes a full week of researching, writing, rewriting and receiving a critique from my wife. Remember that American Sign Language is a completely different language than English, so there is not a word-for-word translation, but a conceptual one,” he said. Although the number of deaf parishioners fluctuates around 250, there had been about 75 parishioners
AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE Editor’s Note: Contact event organizers for the latest updates and information. View more listings at www.archgh.org/ata.
MAY 1
CRAWFISH BOIL AND RAFFLE, 4 to 9 p.m., St Francis de Sales Church (8200 Roos Rd.). All you can eat crawfish $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Both live and silent auction, Live music by Texas Miles Band. Raffle with great prizes. 713-774-7475, Sfds-houston.org for more information and to purchase tickets.
MAY 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES
Volunteer Carol Herrera, after bagging up food, prepares to load in the car of a family in need at Catholic Charities’ Guadalupe Center in Houston.
Sunday with a goal of attending all 146 parishes in the Galveston-Houston area. “I’m on number 28 right now. Although the Mass is the same, each church has its own culture and something unique to be proud of. All Saints in the Heights has the beautiful icons of the saints while downtown St. Joseph has its mariachi Mass,” Herrera said. She added, “I’m a sinner like everyone else, but I love the feeling of helping others. We’ve been blessed, and we need to give back to others in need.” That’s the spirit of volunteerism. †
attending Sunday Masses offered by St. Dominic’s Deaf Center at Warren Chapel, 2403 Holcombe Blvd., but those have been placed on hold until the pandemic restrictions are lifted. Now the Masses are at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in the gymnasium on Sundays at 11 a.m., with only about 25 parishioners attending. Plus, those Masses are now recorded and posted on YouTube for those who are homebound. Father Broniak, who is trilingual in English, Spanish and ASL, said, “It has been a very busy post-Easter week with two Baptisms, two deaths and a funeral” involving families with deaf members. Deacon Flagg concurs on the busy schedule, “I assist Father Len at every Mass. I have also provided catechesis on the Rite of Baptism for two families and ultimately baptized both babies on Easter Sunday!” “No one ever explained the pure joy that I would receive baptizing a baby or being a part of someone’s life. To me, that has been the biggest blessing since being ordained,” he said. The local Deaf Ministry Masses are available via its Facebook site andYouTube at https://youtu.be/Vu8h3XGpHn8 while the Vatican American Sign Language site is at https://e.va/asl. †
SPRING BAZAAR, noon to 5 p.m., St. Matthias (302 FM 1774, Magnolia). Barbeque dinner with all the trimmings, take out available. Live music by The Lonely Road Band. Virtual silent auction begins April 18 and ends May 1. Online auction at www.bazaar21.givesmart. com. 281-356-2000.
MAY 7
GOLF TOURNAMENT. 8:30 a.m., at Quail Valley Golf Course (2880 La Quinta Dr, Missouri City). KC Council 4204 hosts 20th annual charity golf tournament with four-player
team scramble, shotgun start followed by lunch, awards and prizes. Registration: $100 individual, $400 team. kc4204.org, 713-8992645 or lloydwaguespack@comcast.net.
MAY 10
CLAYS FOR A CAUSE, 8 a.m. registration, 8:30 a.m. start at Greater Houston Sports Club (6700 McHard Rd., Houston). Mary Queen Knights of Columbus Council 8494, hosts clay shoot. $250 individual or $1,000 team entry fee includes ammunition, lunch, raffles and silent auction. Benefits Friendswood community charities. Register: 803-493-5353, lsims@vectorcag.com.
MAY 17
GOLF TOURNAMENT. 11:30 am at Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club (23230 Meadowbrook Farms Club Dr., Katy). Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center hosts 25th Annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser with 1 p.m. shotgun start. $175 per golfer, $700 per foursome registration includes prizes and meals. Register: holynameretreatcenter.com/annual-golftournament; 713-464-0211.
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