Texas Catholic Herald - Jan. 26, 2021

JANUARY 26, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

Feb. 7 Mass rejoices in the Church’s gift of Consecrated Religious Life ▪ SEE PAGE 3

JANUARY 26, 2021

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CELEBRATING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

CONSECRATED LIFE

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Schools embrace new ways to celebrate Catholic education ▪ SEE PAGE 10

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

‘MAKE US ONE IN CHRIST’

VOL. 57, NO. 15

DSF 2021

Called to walk in the light of Christ

Remembering Bishop Rizzotto’s legacy and ministry

BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent

▪ SEE PAGE 4

HOUSTON — By supporting the 2021 Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) annual campaign, “Walk in the Light of Christ,” the faithful of the Archdiocese have an opportunity to unite together and support the local Church.

The 55th annual DSF campaign begins Feb. 6 to 7 in 154 Catholic parishes and missions across 10 counties in the Archdiocese.

The DSF directly supports more than 60 important ministries that provide for the needs of thousands in local parishes and communities. The list includes lifelong faith formation for children to adults, Sacramental preparation programs and support for liturgical ministry, the formation and training of priests and deacons, and aid to poorer parishes.

“The gifts of the faithful to the DSF

DIOCESAN SERVICES FUND

See DSF, page 5

VOCATIONS

23 permanent deacons vault pandemic changes to ordination

BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — The first diaconate class of 2021 to be ordained under difficult Covid restrictions is diverse yet share their love for God and willingness to serve His people.

Although only numbering 23 men and their wives, two separate ordinations are scheduled for Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart because of social distancing for families and those attending by invitation only.

New deacon-to-be Bruce Flagg explored several churches, including Baptist, Reformed Presbyterian and non-denominational, before returning to his religion at birth, a cradle Catholic.

Auxiliary Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto SEPTEMBER 9, 1931  JANUARY 17, 2021

See DIACONATE page 7

A SHEPHERD’S MESSAGE † 2

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EDUCATION † 10

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COLUMNISTS † 12

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ESPAÑOL † 16 - 17

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JANUARY 26, 2021

A Shepherd’s Message

By Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

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anuary is a month of important celebrations for us in the Archdiocese. There is Epiphany, a day of many family celebrations and ethnic custom, the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord a week later when we bring many adults to confirmation — some 220 persons this year — and the observance of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a special observance at the Co-Cathedral on Jan. 17 even in this year of pandemic, where in person and virtual participation guaranteed a beautiful celebration.

By the time you read this, we will have marked the Jan. 22 infamous Supreme Court Decision Roe v Wade, legalizing abortion; we celebrate a special Mass for Life and pray for all the unborn and all those voiceless who so need our intercession.

I want to call attention in this column to another event that will happen later this month, the ordination of new permanent deacons for the Archdiocese. They have studied, prayed, engaged in El Cardenal Daniel DiNardo pastoral work, and grown in their vision of service to this local comparte su columna en línea en Church. After six years of preparation, each of the 23 candidates español. Visite www.archgh.org has presented himself to me, and I have interviewed them all as para leer su artículo en línea. well as each man’s wife. I found them to be humble, ready, anxious to serve, prayerful, studious and good conversationalists. I must really thank those who have formed them in these years, teachers and mentors, and especially Deacons Phillip Jackson, George Silva and Dominic Romaguera, who lead the Permanent Deacon Program for the Archdiocese.

I also want to thank the wives and families of the new deacons who have accompanied them, and in the case of the wives, have also been engaged in preparation work along with their husbands; they have been very generous with their time!

Of the threefold Office of Holy Orders, the diaconate is the first.

Priesthood is the second level of Holy Orders and the Office of Bishop is the highest grade in this Sacrament.

Deacons are ordained for service, for charity, for the Liturgy of the Word and preaching, and for willingness to go where the bishop sends them though most of them are sent to their home parishes, at least initially, which gave them the first impulse and the ongoing help as they prepared for the diaconate.

I would ask all our clergy, deacons and faithful to pray for and support these new men of service, “icons of charity” as they are sometimes called. One thing in particular I would ask all to pray for is that the treasury of God’s Word in the Sacred Scriptures, especially in the four Gospels, will be opened up to them that they will be first immersed in the unfathomable riches of Jesus’ words and then receive an overflowing river of peace and boldness to proclaim Jesus’ words in their teaching and preaching. Our permanent deacons devote time to preparing couples for marriage, announcing the Good News to catechumens and candidates in RCIA sessions, leading small retreats or Days of Recollection and teaching by outreach in being conduits of charity, almsgiving and social justice. May they excel in every spiritual gift of instruction and encouragement.

I also pray that these new deacons will collaborate with their pastors, other deacons and other ministries. The deacon is known for being available in mercy at all times.

God richly bless all our new deacons and their families and ministries!

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THE FIRST WORD IN BRIEF Registration for virtual Steps for Students underway

HOUSTON — In 2021, the 16th annual Steps for Students 5K goes virtual and starts from your own front door! The event raises funds and awareness for the network of 56 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Registered participants may run their own route anytime between Feb. 20 and March 6. Participation can be in a school event or on one’s own by logging miles using the Racejoy app. Each registrant for this year’s virtual 5K will receive the official race t-shirt, race bib and medal.

Race fee is $20, and increases to $30 after Jan. 31. A ‘Snooze’ registration option features the race t-shirt, but does not include a bib or race medal. ‘Snooze’ registration starts at $18 and increase to $28 after Jan. 31. To register, or for more information, visit www. steps4students.org. †

Food distributions continue to offer help during pandemic, update schedules

PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

Deacon Darryl Drenon of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church preaches the homily during the 36th annual observance of the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo celebrated the MLK Mass of Remembrance on Jan. 17 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. Auxiliary Bishop George A. Sheltz and retired Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza concelebrated the Mass, alongside other clergy, including Father Reginald Samuels, vicar for Catholics of African Descent.

PREVIEW 25th World Day for Consecrated Life Mass set for Feb. 7

FILE PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo greets sisters of the Missionaries of Charity during a past Mass for Consecrated Life at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. On Feb. 7, the Archdiocese will join in celebrated men and women religious for World Day for Consecrated Life.

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HOUSTON — The 25th World Day for Consecrated Life in the Archdiocese will be celebrated Sunday, Feb. 7.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will celebrate the 11 a.m. Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.

The annual celebration invites all the faithful to reflect on their vocations and how all vocations help and support each other. It also provides an opportunity to celebrate the goodness of God and to appreciate how He continues to labor among His followers and through them.

The Archdiocese was founded by missionary religious priests, brothers and sisters. For more than a century and a half, consecrated women and men, like Jesus, have responded with compassion to the needs of the times.

The worldwide observance of the Day for Consecrated Life was initiated 25 years ago by St. John Paul II. Attendance at Mass will adhere to social distancing and face mask protocol as required by the Co-Cathedral.

For those who are unable to attend, the Mass will be livestreamed online on the Co-Cathedral’s website at www.sacredhearthouston.org. †

HOUSTON — Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston continues offer food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food pantries are open for drive-through food distribution at three locations: Guadalupe Center in Houston, appointments required; Mamie George Community Center in Richmond; and Beacon of Hope Center in Galveston, a Galveston County super distribution site, where distribution is on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and no appointment is required. Call 409-762-2064 for more information.

In Fort Bend, The Mamie George Community Center is a Houston Food Bank super distribution site and appointments will be necessary starting Jan. 5, 2021.

In 2021, distributions will be on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. For assistance, call 281-202-7035.

For hours and addresses, visit www.catholiccharities. org/covidfooddistribution or call the Catholic Charities COVID Assistance Line at 713-874-6521. †

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Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI receive their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

▪ SEE PAGE 14

Bishop Rizzotto’s heart thrived in ministry, service Special to the Herald HOUSTON — Retired Auxiliary Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto, a Houston native and social justice advocate, died Jan. 17. He was 89 years old.

Funeral plans were still pending at the time this issue of the Texas Catholic Herald went to press.

“I express my deepest sympathy to Bishop Rizzotto’s family and friends, and to his brother priests in GalvestonHouston,” Daniel Cardinal DiNardo said.

“Bishop Rizzotto was an exemplary priest and a holy bishop.”

Bishop Rizzotto retired as auxiliary bishop on Nov. 6, 2006, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.

For the past several years, he lived at the Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence located at St. Dominic Village, the only Catholic retirement facility in the Archdiocese – and a place very dear to Bishop Rizzotto. The avid golfer hosted an annual spring golf tournament benefiting St. Dominic Village.

A FAMILY CLOSE TO THE CHURCH Born the youngest of nine children, Bishop Rizzotto grew up in a tight-knit family that was close to each other and to the Church. That spiritual closeness may very well have been the bed seed for his vocation to the priesthood.

“I grew up in a family that was very close to the Church. The Church and my family were wedded to one another. My father was a very faithful man, and my mother was a deeply devoted Catholic woman,” Bishop Rizzotto said in a 2006 interview with the Herald.

Bishop Rizzotto was raised in Houston, attending Holy Name Grammar School and graduating from St. Thomas High School in 1949, prior to entering St. Mary Seminary (when it was located in La Porte).

“I can look back and see some times of very high level of service and responsiveness, and there are also moments of difficulty and tension,” he said. “But through it all, I learned early to rely on God, and to find that God will provide me the way to respond to the different challenges that he will place in front of me.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ARCHIVES

Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza went to seminary with Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto and would later install him as an auxiliary bishop in Galveston-Houston. As priests in 1965, Archbishop Fiorenza and Bishop Rizzotto accompanied each other to march in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “I was just struck by all the barriers and the number of state police,” Bishop Rizzotto said in a 2019 interview with the Herald. “I remember all of us as priests, nuns, ministers, black and white, of all colors and persuasions on the march holding up the Gospel as the way of life. And that is still true today.” They are pictured here together in 1978 at St. Francis de Sales Church in Houston when Bishop Rizzotto served as pastor.

Archbishop Fiorenza asked Bishop Rizzotto to chair the committee on liturgical design for the new CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart which was dedicated in 2008.

He was very active at his home parish of Holy Name growing up. That experience made a lasting impression on him and his future vocation.

THE GRACE OF VOCATION “Something in my own formation was touched by the Church’s prayer life. The way that we, in our busy lives, in our journeys, walk upon this earth – something has to give us food for the journey,” he told the Herald.

At a retreat shortly before his

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ordination to the priesthood, Bishop Rizzotto remembered thinking about the significance of God reaching out into the lives of young men and asking them to serve the Church.

“I was thankful to God for the grace of vocation, and I was fearful that I didn’t have what it took to measure up to the task,” he said in a 2006 interview. “But I was enthusiastic that if God had called me to this, there must be a reason, and I can measure up to God’s grace and do some great things for His Kingdom.”

Ordained a diocesan priest on May 26, 1956, Bishop Rizzotto furthered his studies at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He obtained a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1963. He served as an official of the diocesan marriage Tribunal from 1967 to 1972 and was pastor of All Saints Church from 1969 to 1972.

He was pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church from 1972 to 1982 and was raised to the rank of monsignor on Sept. 14, 1978. He served as pastor of St. Cecilia Church from 1982 to 2002.

LITURGY AT HEART As a priest and pastor at numerous parishes in the Archdiocese, Bishop Rizzotto was renowned for making Liturgy the center of parish life. “I have a passion for the Church’s Liturgy and its grace-filled possibilities,” he said.

“Liturgy should be the nourishment of our busy lives as human beings,” he told the Herald in 2006. “It is the way we are called to be spiritual. It is the summit and source of our spiritual life.”

In an interview with the Herald celebrating his 50th anniversary as a priest, Bishop Rizzotto said that call from God continued to be present in his pastoral ministry.

WALKING WITH OTHERS Outside of his duties at parishes, Bishop Rizzotto served in multiple Archdiocesan roles, including Vicar General; Chair of the Priests Personnel Board; Vicar for African American Catholics; and Secretariat Director for Chaplaincy Services and Clergy Formation.

“The priesthood has been one opportunity after another for me of just being able to use some very ordinary talents that were given to me by God for the service of His people, to help them grow,” Bishop Rizzotto told the Herald in 2006. “And my deepest fulfillment of it all was simply being a pastor and helping people come together as a community; to use their God-given talents for the building up of the Kingdom, to pray for people in their journey.”

RECEIVING THE PHONE CALL On June 22, 2001, Bishop Rizzotto was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of GalvestonHouston and Titular Bishop of Lamasba

by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on July 31, 2001, from Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, with then-San Antonio Archbishop Patrick Flores and then-Austin Bishop John McCarthy as co-consecrators.

Bishop Rizzotto selected as his episcopal motto, “Make Us One in Christ.”

When he was named an Auxiliary Bishop, he offered a vow to the people of Galveston-Houston, as reported in the Herald.

“I started the priesthood saying, ‘I want to do whatever I can for the Kingdom of Christ and for the mission of the Church’… and to all the people of this diocese, I want to pledge my support and ministry,” he said. “I’m committed to the enablement of our Catholic people to the ministry. I want to assist in every way in the spiritual work of the Church, and all I want of our people is to find their own Christian vocation. All of this is God’s work.”

MAKING JESUS PRESENT Days prior to his 2001 ordination as bishop, Bishop Rizzotto read numerous articles and books on the roles and expectations of bishops. One phrase during his reading drew his attention: “In him (the bishop), the Lord Jesus is present in the midst of those who believe. And the faithful’s life in Christ, in some way, depends on him and derives from him.”

Bishop Rizzotto told the Herald that he paused on that excerpt.

“I take that pledge very seriously and will try to fulfill it to the best of my ability,” he said. “Every moment that I have the opportunity to celebrate with you… and to be present to you will always be for one purpose and one purpose only... to bring Christ into your life.” †

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In 2021, faithful in the Archdiocese called to unite, walk in the light of Christ DSF, from page 1 allow us to work together in carrying out the mission of the Church,” said Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. “No single parish can do this alone. Through our combined efforts to support these essential ministries assisted by the DSF, we can reflect the light of Christ into the world around us. Due to the prolonged effects of the coronavirus pandemic, this is especially important in 2021.”

LIFELONG DISCIPLES One of the 60 ministries supported by the DSF that focuses on forming Catholic adolescents into faithful followers of Jesus Christ is the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization (OACE). OACE’s mission is to provide leadership, formation and resources in comprehensive youth ministry for parishes to effectively form adolescents into lifelong disciples in the Catholic tradition.

According to the director of OACE, Timothy Colbert, support of the DSF ensures that parishes receive the assistance they need to effectively proclaim God’s word and grow at all levels of the Archdiocese.

“Supporting the DSF is an acknowledgment that we are united as a diocesan Church,” said Colbert. “We are a community of communities ready, willing and able to reach beyond our own parish boundaries to ensure the needs of our sisters and brothers in Christ are met. Although the focus of ministry to the people of God is in the parishes, parishes rely on the diocesan offices and ministries to support their work.”

Colbert said the DSF helps fund resources to support OACE’s Archdiocesan Youth Council and the development of life-changing moments of evangelization for younger and older adolescents through large programming efforts.

He said gifts to DSF enable the office to develop and implement training and formation programs for youth ministry leaders and volunteers in parishes to ensure that the youth of the Archdiocese are receiving safe, healthy, developmentally appropriate, culturally appropriate and Christ-centered formation.

CATHOLIC ACADEMICS Another ministry that receives DSF support is the Catholic Schools Office (CSO), which ensures academic excellence, affordability and accessibility are available to anyone in the Archdiocese that desires a Catholic education. CSO currently serves 45 elementary schools and 11 high schools with approximately 2,200 employees and 18,500 students in the elementary and high schools. CSO also works with other Archdiocesan offices, Catholic Charities, the CHRISTUS Foundation, San José Clinics and University of St. Thomas, among other entities to bring forth its mission.

Debra Haney, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said through support of the DSF, the faithful in the Archdiocese are aiding in the collaborative efforts the CSO puts forth to continually improve, not only itself, but every Catholic School within the Archdiocese.

PROMOTING, PREPARING AND SUPPORTING THE CLERGY

The many ministries supported by the Diocesan Services Fund include: TEACHING, EVANGELIZING AND WORSHIP Apostleship of the Sea Catholic Schools Office Chapels (Holy Cross and Warren) Communications Office Ecumenism Commission Office of Evangelization and Catechesis Office of Worship Pastoral and Educational Ministry

MINISTERING TO THE POOR, THE SICK AND THE INCARCERATED

Angela House Catholic Chaplain Corps Catholic Charities Correctional Ministries Foreign Missions Office of Justice & Peace/Catholic Campaign for Human Development Our Daily Bread San José Clinic St. Dominic Center for the Deaf

Haney said for the Catholic Church to accomplish its evangelization and social justice work in its schools in current times, CSO becomes more dependent on lay ministers that need to be trained and supported. This training also is supported through the DSF, which means the CSO is completely dependent on the annual fund to accomplish its mission.

VOCATIONS IN FORMATION Another ministry directly supported by the DSF is the Office of Vocations, which is responsible for encouraging, fostering and walking with young people in the Archdiocese that are discerning a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life.

Director of Vocations, Father Richard McNeillie, said the Office of Vocations works with St. Mary’s Seminary to care for each seminarian while in formation, including personal, spiritual, academic and pastoral preparation of these men in discernment so they may become effective pastoral leaders who desire to serve the Church.

Father McNeillie said he is grateful for supporters that contribute to the DSF, which he feels is the lifeline of the ministry’s operations and allows vocations to be fostered in the Archdiocese.

“The Office of Vocations literally would not be able to pay for the seminarian’s education and formation without the DSF,” said Father McNeillie.

“That’s the biggest item in our budget, and we need it for the future of priests in this local Archdiocese.”

Through the DSF, the faithful in the Archdiocese also support financially challenged parishes and schools that

Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Priest Retirement Residence Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services Clergy Pastoral Outreach Department of Seminarians Good Leaders, Good Shepherds Ministry to Priests Office of Permanent Diaconate Ministry Office of Vocations for Priesthood & Religious Life

NURTURING AND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES

Aging Ministry Camp Kappe Ethnic Ministries Family Life Ministry Family Retreat Center at Circle Lake Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization Office of Hispanic Ministry Pro-Life Activities Special Youth Services St. Dominic Village Vicar for Judicial Affairs (Metropolitan Tribunal) Young Adult and Campus Ministry

To donate and more, visit www.archgh.org/dsf

need assistance funding major building and property repair.

SUPPORTING PARISHES IN NEED This financial assistance is provided through the Aid to Poor Parishes Fund, which was founded in 1968 by Bishop John L. Morkovsky. Currently, parishes that exceed their DSF goal receive half the surpassed amount, and the other half goes to the Aid to Poor Parishes Fund to assist parishes and their schools in need.

Father Kingsley Ogbuji at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Houston said the DSF and Aid to Poor Parishes Fund allowed his parish to fix major damage caused by a leaking pipe in one of the

“I thank the people of this local Church for extending our Savior’s love to those around them, and I encourage everyone to bring the light of Christ to others through their participation in the DSF.” DANIEL CARDINAL DINARDO

ARCHBISHOP OF GALVESTON-HOUSTON

parish hall classrooms. He said while it may be a mere collection for some, it would have been impossible for his parish to fix the extensive damage to the parish hall and future repairs that also are needed.

“It is an act of charity when we help the least of God’s children, and in this case, poorer parishes,” said Father Ogbuji. “It helps our parishioners feel that people care about them in their financial struggles. It really gives them hope, strengthens their faith and challenges them to show kindness and love to others.”

Cardinal DiNardo said he is grateful to the faithful in the Archdiocese who are always generous to DSF, and he encourages continued support of the DSF this year.

“I thank the people of this local Church for extending our Savior’s love to those around them, and I encourage everyone to bring the light of Christ to others through their participation in the DSF,” said Cardinal DiNardo.

More than 60 ministries are supported by the 2021 DSF annual campaign, whether direct service or education, require DSF funding to remain in operation. No funds are given to the Chancery.

For more information about the fund and how to contribute, go to www.archgh. org/dsf. †

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Catholic Schools Week, Jan 31 - Feb 6 W H AT W I L L IN A

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JANUARY 26, 2021

MEET THE PERMANENT DIACONATE CLASS OF 2021

DAVID CARRASCO Christ the Redeemer

FRANK CLAYDON III St. Mary, League City

TIMOTHY CULLEN St. Laurence

FERDINAND DE JESUS Holy Name

BRUCE FLAGG St. Dominic’s Deaf Center

JOHN GOODLY St. Francis of Assisi

MICHAEL JONES Christ the Redeemer

FRANCO KNOEPFFLER St. Anthony of Padua, The Woodlands

WILLIAM LASALLE St. Martha, Kingwood

GUSTAVO MACHA St. John Fisher, Richmond

BURT MARTIN St. Vincent de Paul, Houston

EDUARDO MEJIA St. Anthony of Padua, The Woodlands

JOSEPH MILLHOUSE Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

SON NGUYEN St. Justin Martyr

ALEJANDRO PADILLA Sacred Heart, Conroe

RUSSELL PASKET St. Stanislaus, Anderson

MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ St. John the Evangelist, Baytown

JOSE ROMAY St. Cecilia

JOSE RUVALCABA Christ the Redeemer

THOMAS SPICER St. Paul the Apostle

JASON SULAK Holy Rosary, Rosenberg

PASCUAL VELAZQUEZ Shrine of the True Cross

CARLIN WALTERS St. Martha, Kingwood

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Diaconate class reflects Galveston-Houston’s diversity DIACONATE, from page 1 With his wife Toni’s encouragement, he enrolled in the FTCM program to learn deeper meanings of Catholicism.

The knowledge set him afire with the spirit, and they both prayed and came to a decision for him to apply for the Diaconate program.

UNIQUE GIFTS But Flagg brings unique life skills as a deaf person, and his home parish is the St. Dominic’s Deaf Center. With all of St. Mary’s Seminary classes being canceled on campus because of the coronavirus, the diaconate classes were all placed online with Zoom.

“This past year of COVID-19 has been very difficult. Since I am deaf, it was difficult to figure out the technology necessary for me to have an interpreter.

My wife interpreted everything for me during that spring semester, including formation classes,” Flagg wrote in response to questions.

By the fall semester, they were able to use the technology to have an interpreter on screen.

“The formation has been timeconsuming without a doubt, but with a supportive family, friends and the occasional camping trip, I managed to get through these past six years, thanks be to God,” he said.

During formation, his Archdiocesan ministry was working at Catholic Charities in the food distribution centers that have been so badly needed in these desperate times.

“I now have an even greater awareness of the needs of those whose finances are less than desirable, especially during these times of COVID-19,” Flagg wrote.

“I am one of a handful of deaf deacons in the country who will serve the needs of the deaf community. I look forward

to bringing the word of God to my community and to serve that community however the Lord desires,” he said.

FOLLOWING GOD’S CALL Fellow classmate Sean (pronounced Son) Nguyen said he felt God’s calling since childhood. The seed was planted in his heart and mind that he should be a priest when he grew older. But it did not take root until after college.

After graduation, he still couldn’t find a job, so he went on a mission in Missouri with his mom, serving food and cleaning tables. In the time in between, he asked God for direction.

“I gave myself up to Him. Two weeks later, I got a job. When I married, I realized that priesthood was out of the question but still had the urge to serve,” Nguyen said. He and his wife joined the St. Justin Martyr church community in 2009, and it remains their home parish.

“I found out that I could join the Diaconate, and six years of formation later with the blessing of my wife and family, I am getting ready to begin a new journey for our God,” he said.

A MOTHER’S PRAYER “I credit my calling and finding my way to the prayers of my mom. She is 96 years young and is looking forward to seeing my ordination,” Nguyen said.

The class of 2021 was fortunate to have spent more than five years together with in-person classes and pastoral training building up camaraderie before having to move to online Zoom classes, he said.

“We prayed, laughed and cried together. But this last year was difficult for us to stay connected. Online learning also felt distant... As for balancing work, school and family life, I did not think that I had the time. However, when we got started, God just made time for us, our kids accommodated, and things

Guidelines remain as parishes continue at 50% capacity

HOUSTON - After reopening parishes following the state-mandated closure, 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

SEE RELATED STORY

WATCH LIVE The Masses of Ordination of the Permanent Diaconate will be streamed online at WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/LIVE on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. from the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. just worked out by the grace of God,” Nguyen said.

A FAITH THAT RESPONDS Joe Millhouse, a former deputy sheriff with the Harris County Sheriff’s Department and a former Texas Highway patrolman and narcotics investigator, and his wife Wendy are parishioners at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart downtown. He grew up attending Catholic schools in Pennsylvania.

“A funny thing about where I am now.

As a kid in Catholic school, I was never one to volunteer for, as they called it way back then, being an ‘altar boy.’ I was a pretty quiet and shy kid. Now a Permanent Deacon. Wow!” Millhouse said.

He actually found Zoom classes easier to schedule, especially the Tuesday evening classes at home rather than dealing with Houston’s rush-hour traffic drive to the seminary off Memorial Drive.

“Now retired from law enforcement, I have a good amount of time on my hands to keep a balance in my life. My Archdiocesan assignment of ministry was to visit and correspond with retired priests and deacons. Because of COVID-19, we cannot make in-person

PAGE 12 SANDRA HIGGINS OF THE OFFICE WORSHIP EXPLORES THE DIACONATE TRADITION visits, so we visit over the telephone.

But the retired deacons I speak with are happy to hear from the newer folks,” Millhouse said.

“I have a mixture of feelings on our upcoming ordination; feelings of joy, excitement, anxiousness, and most of all, humility. I look forward to joining the rest of the staff at the Co-Cathedral,” he said.

RISING UP TO MEET CHALLENGES Deacon Phillip Jackson, director of the Office of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese, said, “We have certainly had our challenges during these past 10 months trying to do diaconal formation in the midst of a pandemic.”

“We certainly could not have gotten this far on our own. The men, mentors and wives embraced this new way of teaching. It reminds me of the opening prayer of the Invitatory, ‘Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise!’ They fully participated and were engaged in a most impressive way. It has caused us, the office of the Permanent Diaconate, to rethink how we will provide diaconal formation in the future,” Deacon Jackson said.

Both Masses of Ordination of the Permanent Diaconate will be livestreamed online at www.archgh.org/ live on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. from the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. †

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8 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

JANUARY 26, 2021

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JANUARY 26, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

OBITUARIES

IN MEMORIA Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of February.

Feb. 1, 1904 Feb. 1, 1915 Feb. 2, 1930 Feb. 2, 1995

Rev. Vac Chlapik Rev. F.M. Huhn Rev. F. Nona Rev. Abraham Sy Thuyen Ho, OP Msgr. Jack B. Jones Rev. Joseph C. Morrell Rev. Thomas A. Ryan Rev. Joseph Coll Rev. N.T. Domanski Msgr. John Nicholson Rev. Christopher Preker Rev. A. Wayne Elkins Msgr. Cornelius P. Flynn Rev. John Baptist O’Leary Msgr. Frank D. Urbanosky Rev. John Prill Rev. Fabian Stindle Rev. Joseph Kloboulk Rev. John Zimmer, CSsR Rev. J.J. Costello, CSB Rev. Pete J. Clancy Rev. Richard Johnson, CSsR Rev. Charles Ferguson Msgr. Joseph H. Crosthwait Rev. D.F. Berberich

Feb. 14, 1951 Feb. 14, 1978 Feb. 14, 1979 Feb. 15, 2018 Feb. 16, 1951 Feb. 17, 1879 Feb. 17, 2017 Feb. 18, 1933 Feb. 19, 1883 Feb. 19, 1960 Feb. 19, 1965 Feb. 20, 1968

Rev. Emil Landry Msgr. Jerome J. Tydlacka Rev. E.C. Fowler Rev. Aureliano Santa-Olaya Rev. Walter Fraher, MS Rev. Theodore Greyenbuhl Rev. Bruce H. Noble Rev. Otto Niekamp Rev. Joseph Mosiewiez Msgr. George A. Wilhelm Rev. Henry V. Parmentier Rev. Florimond B. Vanholme, SSC Msgr. William D. Steele Rev. Leonard C. Quinlan, CSB Rev. Robert A. Bordenkircher, OP Rev. Martin Weinzaepflen Rev. Ed Baur, SVD Rev. Henry J. Saxon Rev. David H. Noble Rev. Vincent J. Guinan, CSB Rev. Alfred P. Caird, CSB Rev. Pierre C. Saint-Onge

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Feb. 2, 2004 Feb. 3, 1968 Feb. 3, 1968 Feb. 5, 1978 Feb. 6, 1955 Feb. 7, 1935 Feb. 7, 1935 Feb. 8, 1995 Feb. 9, 1996 Feb. 10, 1936 Feb. 10, 1991 Feb. 10, 1997 Feb. 11, 1957 Feb. 11, 1957 Feb. 11, 1978 Feb. 12, 1906 Feb. 12, 1923 Feb. 13, 1988 Feb. 13, 2001 Feb. 13, 2011 Feb. 14, 1916

9

Feb. 20, 1984 Feb. 21, 1983 Feb. 21, 2005 Feb. 22, 1879 Feb. 22, 2001 Feb. 24, 1974 Feb. 24, 2011 Feb. 25, 1973 Feb. 27, 1980 Feb. 28, 1913

Sister Mary Elizabeth Dennison, rc

HOUSTON — Sister Mary Elizabeth Dennison, rc, a Cenacle Sister for 69 years, died Nov. 27, 2020. She was 92 years old.

In addition to her ministry at the Cenacle, Sister Dennison also served in the Diocesan Religious Education Office, the director of religious education at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, and worked with the Master of Religious Education program at the University of St. Thomas for 24 years, part of that time as its director.

She also founded the Cenacle Spiritual Direction Institute (SDI), a training program for persons interested in becoming spiritual directors. She served as director of SDI for 24 years.

Funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 9 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church. Interment is in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. †

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Deacon Gerald Gary Hilbig

HOUSTON — Deacon Gerald Gary Hilbig, former coordinator of the Clergy Pastoral Outreach Ministry serving retired clergy within the Archdiocese, died Jan. 10 after a long battle with cancer.

He was 70 years old.

In 2003, Deacon Hilbig was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese, where he served at All Saints Catholic Church for 16 years until his illness prevented him from continuing.

In 2013, he was hired to lead the Clergy Pastoral Outreach Ministry for the Archdiocese, which he served for six years until his retirement.

Funeral Mass was held Jan. 16 at All Saints Catholic Church. Interment is in Woodlawn Cemetery. †

Sister Mary Placidus Rouine, CCVI

HOUSTON — Sister Mary Placidus Rouine, CCVI, a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston, died Jan. 12.

Sister Placidus entered the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word on Dec. 28, 1937 at St. Michael Convent in Carrigoran, Ireland. She consecrated her life to God by Perpetual Profession of Vows on June 6, 1951. Sister Placidus taught in Our Lady of Fatima, Texas City and St. Francis of Assisi in Houston, where she was also a principal.

Funeral Mass was celebrated in the Immaculate Conception Chapel on Jan. 20. Interment is in Villa de Matel Cemetery. †

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:

February 10: Edward Busby Jr.

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10 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

JANUARY 26, 2021

EDUCATION

Celebrating Catholic education

Catholic Schools Week unites 18,000-plus students with hundreds of faculty, staff during pandemic

BY REBECCA TORRELLAS Texas Catholic Herald

HOUSTON — National Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated across the country from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6 with the theme: “Catholic Schools: Faith.

Excellence. Service.”

Sponsored by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Catholic Education, Catholic Schools Week (CSW), now in its 47th year, is an annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States.

In the Archdiocese, students, faculty and staff normally observe the week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. This year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the activities and gatherings will be different.

COMMUNITY OF SAINTS Rebecca Bogard, principal at St. John Paul II Catholic School, said the pandemic created challenges when figuring out how to celebrate together.

“We are a community of saints, and this year has been difficult as our community is so close, and we are not having the opportunities to be together,” she said.

The school had to change many events to a virtual format, with its talent show and ‘Saints Alive’ Jeopardy held online.

Bogard said their focus has been “directed at celebrating the blessings of being part of a Catholic School through a gratitude day and doing our best to bring the community together with a virtual Bingo night as well.”

PHOTO COURTESY HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN ROSENBERG

Students at Holy Rosary Catholic School in Rosenberg perform a science experience during class. From Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, Catholic school students across the nation and Archdiocese will celebrate Catholic education during Catholic Schools Week.

Anne M. Quatrini, principal at St. Francis de Sales Catholic School, said the Open House that regularly begins the week has now become tours only available by appointment only on designated days to limit the amount of people on campus. The students will still be able to celebrate their school colors, have a contest decorating their classroom doors, attend Adoration and be part of the teacher service awards.

“Our focus is that we are still able to pray and learn together in a safe community,” she said.

Susan Harris, principal at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Crosby, said that while the pandemic meant changing activities slightly to ensure social distancing and safety for all, they will

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continue their activities honoring the parish, community, vocations, students, faculty, staff and volunteers.

“With the pandemic, we looked at our Catholic School activities and scaled back those where there is contact or a gathering of people,” she said. Usually students attend Mass that Sunday and hand out prayer cards. A video will be played after Mass to also highlight the school.

SERVICE FOCUSED Jennifer Saladino, administrative assistant at St. Rose of Lima, said that “as a community throughout the pandemic, we have discovered that our sense of togetherness is strengthened through community service.”

Focused on service, the school will host another blood drive during CSW, with the first one held in October 2020.

Partnered with MD Anderson Cancer Center, the blood drive resulted in nearly 80 donations, which has assisted 204 cancer patients.

“During Catholic Schools Week, we will partner with St. Pius X High School and MD Anderson to further this cause again, hoping to provide additional, critical resources for those who most need it,” Saladino said.

A BRIGHTER TOMORROW Dr. Mazie McCoy, principal at Corpus Christi Catholic School (CCCS), said the pandemic caused their students’ lives to change overnight.

“So many people in our country are hurting right now,” she said. “CSW is our time to encourage our communities to rely upon their faith and the hope that there is a brighter tomorrow, which begins with our children.”

McCoy said the school’s faculty and staff feel it is important to place emphasis

on their role as each being the hands and feet of Jesus during this year’s CSW, considering the effect the pandemic has had on people worldwide.

Even without gathering in person, the school will pray for the nation with a Rosary. A seminarian, who is a CCCS alumnus, will visit with students and share his vocation journey.

Deborah Francis, principal at St. Joseph Regional Catholic School in Baytown, said that usually, CSW included an inperson Open House; a chili cook-off, a parent vs. teacher volleyball tournament; pep rallies, among other things.

Because of COVID-19, the school had to come up with alternative activities that would allow the students to enjoy this Catholic Schools Week.

“We will still do our traditional concentration of celebrating our community, our students, vocations, etc.

We will just do them safely,” she said. “For example, to Celebrate Our Community, traditionally, we have held a career day with speakers from our community. This year, students will have the opportunity to dress up as their favorite community helper and will write thank you letters to whomever they choose.”

FLEXIBILITY IN FAITH Veronica Tucker, principal at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in The Woodlands, said CSW is more important than ever this year because Catholic schools have been amazingly flexible in a challenging time.

Thanks to Mass streaming, students can worship from home with other parish families. A video shown after Mass will also highlight the school.

“Social distancing has also prevented us from gathering as an entire school, but we are getting creative and incorporating service and celebration into each classroom,” she said.

Dr. Kathleen Cox, principal at St. Michael Catholic School, said the pandemic, unfortunately, affected their gatherings with the students and their families.

“Parents are usually invited to have lunch with their children on a specific day, and this will not take place,” she said.

And like other schools who usually attend Mass in uniform together on Sunday of Catholic Schools Week, attendance remains limited.

Dr. Phyllis Coleman, principal of St. Helen Catholic School in Pearland, said the pandemic forced them to get creative when showcasing how the school fulfills the theme of CSW each day.

The school eliminated group celebrations or volunteer events, but moved its open house online. Families can also attend the Mass, but tours will be given online as well.

To learn more about Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese and how to support Catholic education, register to attend “A Pattern of Hope,” a virtual event benefiting Catholic Schools on Feb. 5, visit www.choosecatholicschools.org. †

JANUARY 26, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

11

YOUTH Archdiocesan Youth Council: As seen through the eyes of the youth Youth ministry cannot function without the input of those we serve.

Since July 1994, high school youth throughout the Archdiocese have been discerned to be members of the Archdiocesan Youth Council, which is sponsored by the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization. The council’s main missions are: • To assist in assuring active participation of youth in Archdiocesan events.

• To assist in interpreting the needs of youth and advocate for their concerns to the archbishop and Archdiocesan officials.

• To represent the youth of the Archdiocese in various capacities and to encourage the Archdiocese to attend to their needs.

• To further Christian growth through involvement in developing programs for youth. This shall be accomplished through observation, discussion, and action.

The council has grown from a few members in 1994 to well over 100 each year, representing the parishes and Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese. They serve with the help of the OACE staff and incredible volunteer adult advisors (many were former members themselves) who guide the council. During their year, the council, which is commissioned by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, will share a meal with him and have Q&A sessions to discuss some of the concerns affecting youth.

This year’s youth council has been unique under COVID-19.

Although we have only been able to gather virtually, this council has provided us with wonderful information, insight and knowledge, which has helped our office and our youth ministry leaders.

I have asked some of them to share their insights about Youth Council.

Why did you want to be a part of Youth Council?

“Honestly, I first learned about youth council whenever some of my close friends told me about it. It sounded like an amazing experience and a great way to get more involved in my church community.”

Zakary Sury, Guardian Angel, Wallis “What I like about the youth council is that your voice and opinions are heard. We also learn that we are called to be leaders for our parishes. I wanted to be a part of the youth council to learn more about how to lead and pick up ideas on what to do in my church’s youth group.”

Alfredo Rocha, St. Philip of Jesus

“From the moment I heard about this incredible opportunity to make a difference, I knew that I wanted to join the Youth Council. Being on the Archdiocesan Youth Council has changed my life in many ways. It has invigorated the other teens and me with a sense of purpose and community, as well as a unique support system. Most importantly, being on Youth Council gifted me with something I will never forget - a family. Every single person on the council has welcomed me with open arms, regardless of my background, struggles, or flaws, and that has changed my life forever.”

Callie Patterson, Council Community Chair, Our Lady of Lourdes, Hitchcock What do you feel you have accomplished?

“The people I met, the experiences I had, and the challenges I faced all molded me into a stronger individual, but more importantly, into a stronger Catholic. I’ve come to know the significance of the young Church and how experience with God allows these teens to develop into devoted and knowledgeable members of the Church, who are prepared to share Christ through their lives. Youth Council’s role is irreplaceable as it acts as a medium or guide for so many people to learning and developing in their faith.”

Hayden Diamond, St. Thomas High School

parent. The youth of the Church are demanding and prying for answers to the hot button questions.”

Cyprus Kananen, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spring A parent perspective So far, two of our daughters have had the privilege of representing our parish on the council. We’ve seen them both grow in their faith in ways that might not have otherwise been possible if not for the council and all of the opportunities it affords. For example, there are times in their lives when they don’t feel comfortable discussing their faith with their peers... be they Catholic or not. The council allows them opportunities to discuss their faith and its impact on their lives with other teens who want to take their faith to an even deeper level.

Melissa Lunkwitz, mother of Avery (2016-2019) & Erika (2019-2021), Sts. Simon & Jude, The Woodlands From Tim Colbert, director, Office of

Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization The council represents the heart and soul of who we are. They provide a direct window into the lives of adolescents today, which enables the office to respond to the unique characteristics of each generation. Each interaction with these outstanding young men and women fills me with hope. I echo the words of Pope Francis, “The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us.”

Do you feel like you could make a difference? The Archdiocesan Youth Council will have nominations for the 2021-2022 council this spring. If you are interested, please contact your parish youth minister or campus minister. † Randy Adams is the executive director at Camp Kappe Youth Facility and associate director of the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization.

Thousands of families in the Greater Houston area struggle every day.

“I think that what we do here and what we stand for matters; the Youth Council prepares us to be the bridge that connects many young Catholics to the Church, and I hope that this will continue to uphold Christ’s values of servant leadership for many years to come.”

Gabriela Clinton, Incarnate Word Academy Why is Youth Council important for the young Church?

It is so important to have teen leaders because, like JPII says, “The young Church is the current Church.” So being able to help one another allows so many souls to be open to heaven and the Word of the Lord!”

Danika Zubizarreta, Council Chair, St. John Vianney “The youth have much to bring to Christ’s table. We are not the “future of the Church” as some may say. We are the Church. The Youth Council gives opportunities to the youth to work as apostles. We, as youth, are able to tell the hierarchy of the Church what questions we need answers to. It’s like a parentchild relationship. Just as a child demands and pries for answers from a

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12 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

JANUARY 26, 2021

COLUMNISTS The diaconate ordination and what it means to become one On the evening of Jan. 29 and the morning of Jan. 30, 23 men will be ordained to serve as permanent deacons in the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston.

Pope Paul VI restored the permanent diaconate in the Latin Church in his 1967 Apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordimem. The special nature of the order of deacon strengthens deacons so that they “can permanently serve the mysteries of Christ and the Church.”

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit and imposition of hands, the ordained fulfill a particular role. Bishops serve in the person of Christ the Head, the high priest, teacher and shepherd.

Priests serve as Christ the High Priest by assisting the bishop in his task to shepherd the flock. Deacons serve as Christ the Servant, responding to the call of the people of God in Liturgy, word and charity, especially to those in need.

Deacons minister not only within the Church but also outside the Church in

the broader world.

In the book “The Character of the Deacon,” Dr. David Fagerberg wrote, “The day of his ordination is the cosmic, eschatological, transfiguration, pneumatic and ecclesial by day, which contains his SANDRA own ministry.” Indeed, HIGGINS with words and song, vesture and action, we pray what we believe.

After stating their consent and promises to Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, the deacons will lay prostrate as the assembled community joins in the Litany of the Saints in prayer for the candidates. It is a moving moment and is indeed the duty of the faithful of the diocese to aid these men by their prayers. It is a prayerful and humbling moment for the candidates.

†

Cardinal DiNardo will then lay hands upon the candidates and call upon the Holy Spirit to strengthen them with the Spirit’s sevenfold grace. The Cardinal will pray, “May there abound in them every Gospel virtue: unfeigned love, concern for the sick and poor, unassuming authority, the purity of innocence and the observance of spiritual discipline. May Your commandments shine forth in their conduct, so that by the example of their way of life, they may inspire the imitation of Your holy people.”

These newly ordained deacons will be vested at the conclusion of the Prayer of Ordination in a stole and dalmatic, the liturgical vesture of deacons.

They will approach Cardinal DiNardo, who will hand them the Book of the Gospel. As they hold it, the Cardinal will pray, “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.”

It is fitting that the duty to proclaim the Gospel falls to the deacon, whose ministry is shaped profoundly by Christ’s word and action.

I have been privileged to attend many ordinations in my role at the Office of Worship. As I pray with the gathered community, I am in awe and grateful to God for the commitment of these men.

Attendance to the ordination is by invitation only due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, you can view the ordination via livestream. I invite you to pray and rejoice with the Church of GalvestonHouston. Encourage your children to watch with you. Mark your calendars for 7 p.m. on Jan. 29 and 10 a.m. on Jan. 30 at www.archgh.org/live.

God bless these men as they begin to serve the Church as deacons. † Sandra Higgins is the director of the Office of Worship.

Reading Scripture: Eavesdropping on foreigners Among the many changes effected in the lives of everyday Catholics by the Second Vatican Council, one has been the emphasis on the importance of all Catholics to read and become intimately familiar with the Bible regularly.

As strange as it may seem to those of us who have grown up and lived our lives in a post-conciliar world, it is well-documented that, in the centuries immediately before the Second Vatican Council, most Catholic families had a Bible that they very rarely read. Parishes did not have regular Bible studies.

The Liturgy of the Church made use of a much smaller collection of Scriptural passages than it does in the extensive lectionaries of today. As a result, most Catholics of that era had a far smaller exposure to and familiarity with Scripture than those of today. While we quite rightly celebrate the emergence of a much more Scripturally literate Catholic population now, it is worth asking the question as to why there was such reticence in the pre-conciliar period.

The historical evidence suggests that the hesitance to emphasize individual reading and study of Scripture by everyday Catholics was motivated by a concern that such individual reading and study might lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.

The truth is that these concerns were, in fact, well-grounded. And so, while we now understand better that failing to take up the task of reading the Scriptures with understanding is not the

best solution to this potential pitfall, we would do well to remember why these concerns existed in the first place and make ourselves aware of why it is that when we pick up the Bible for ourselves, as indeed we should do, we must do so carefully and with a special awareness.

It is important that we remember that the books of the Bible were not written in North America in our contemporary times. The books of the Bible were written in a different part of the world at a very different time in history.

Even the newest books of the New Testament are nearly 2,000 years old and the oldest parts of the by Old Testament are over BRIAN 3,000 years old. The vast GARCIAmajority of those reading LUENSE this column, when they read the Bible, do so in translation and not in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

Yet, we must also recognize that merely translating the words of the Bible into our modern languages is not enough for us to fully grasp the meaning intended by the Sacred Writers, working under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Cultural anthropologists rightly point out to us that meaning does not only come from words. Meaning inevitably is derived from the general social system of the speakers of a language. Therefore, we must remind ourselves when reading the Scriptures that we are eavesdropping

†

“When reading the Scriptures that we are eavesdropping on foreigners and need to be aware of the significant cultural differences between their world and ours.” on foreigners and need to be aware of the significant cultural differences between their world and ours.

I would like to point out a few of the most significant differences between the cultural world of the first-century Mediterranean basin and the dominant culture of 21st-century North America.

The culture of the world of the New Testament is what cultural anthropologists call a “limited good society.”The good things constituting life, like land itself, are seen as inherent in nature, there to be divided and redivided, if possible and necessary, but never to be increased.

This perception of a limited good society is in marked contrast to ours in which “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and all expect their children’s lives to be better than their own as the world constantly improves. Combining this with a groupcentered identity that stands opposed to modern individualism leads to an ancient belief that community stability and harmony among individuals and

families can develop and be maintained only by keeping the existing arrangements of statuses.

There can be no idea of upward mobility, for to move upward, someone else must move down. Everyone in society has an incentive to oppose changes to the status quo since each individual must worry that he or she is the one being harmed. Envy, not to be confused with jealousy, is the sin of one who seeks to gain at the expense of others.

One surprising result of this interaction of forces is how the place of gratitude in first-century Mediterranean culture differs from that of ours. As individuals would be extremely cautious about forming relationships outside one’s own group, the creation of these relationships would be negotiated very carefully. Because of the limited-good nature of society and questions of preserving honor, any relationship must be reciprocal in some way.

Gratitude then marks the way of terminating a relationship. Looking at the story of Jesus cleansing 10 lepers in Luke 18, Jesus asks, “‘Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?’” (Lk 18:17-18).

Our modern response would be to presume that Jesus is criticizing the nine for lack of manners. They did not say “Thank you” when it would be the appropriate thing to do. A reading of this See SCRIPTURE, next page

SUNDAY MASS READINGS JAN. 31

First Reading: Deut 18:15-20

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 95:1-2, 6-9

Second Reading: 1 Cor 7:32-35

Gospel: Mk 1:21-28

FEB. 7

First Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 147:1-6

Second Reading: 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23

Gospel: Mk 1:29-39

COLUMNISTS

JANUARY 26, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

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Planning End-of-Life Care: A gift to yourself and loved ones As we begin 2021, it offers us pause to reflect on the finiteness and fragility of life that this past year has brought us. St. Paul VI once stated: “In our youth, the days are short and the years are long. In old age, the years are short and the days long. Somebody should tell us, right from the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live to the limit every minute of every day. Do it! I say, whatever you want to do, do it now!

There are only so many tomorrows!”

During the past year, the Office of Aging has partnered with other Archdiocesan offices and community organizations to develop practical and pastoral resources for end-of-life planning. The planning process provides the opportunity to address in writing the wishes you want, temporal and spiritual — while you still have the capacity to do so.

This is not an easy or comfortable subject to discuss. A woman once recollected to me a story of how she had discussed her mother’s detailed wishes for her end-of-life care and funeral. A sibling of the daughter was uncomfortable with the subject and had chosen not to be part of the conversation. When their mother died unexpectedly, she noted that she was at odds with her sister regarding their

mother’s funeral arrangements. When she told her sister that she was representing what her mom wanted, her sister requested her mom’s funeral wishes in writing, which, in fact, by had never been recorded.

The result was a tensionMARK CIESIELSKI filled situation. This story contrasts with my own parents, having prepared and shared their end-oflife planning with my siblings and me. I later cherished their doing so as a gift at the time of my father’s death. It freed our family to focus on grieving and not on making funeral arrangements. It is ultimately your choice in how you want to write the last chapter for your life.

Essential tasks for planning end-oflife care: • Communicating end-of-life wishes with loved ones; • Recording wishes in legal documents (e.g., will, advance directives, powers of attorney); • Creating a legacy of spiritual values and beliefs, and possessions to leave to others; and • Making final arrangements for your

†

pastoral care, funeral and burial.

Making these decisions now can free you to do the things that you still want to do and find closure for any unfinished business. Yes, there may be an element of anxiety in the process, but invoking the Holy Spirit’s gifts of wisdom, understanding and courage can generate a peace-filled planning process for yourself and your loved ones.

The Office of Aging stands ready to SCRIPTURE, from previous page passage that considers this important cultural difference would understand that Jesus is not criticizing their lack of politeness, but their lack of faith. For the Samaritan to thank Jesus is for Him to recognize that the healing Jesus has effected is permanent, and hence their relationship may be safely terminated. The failure of the nine can be attributed to their belief that they may have further need of recourse to the healing power of Jesus and hence desire to leave the relationship open.

As modern Catholics, we do well

support you in the planning process with practical and pastoral resources in audio and visual formats. For end-of-life planning resources, visit www.archgh. org/aging. For additional help, contact Mark Ciesielski at mciesielski@archgh. org or call 713-741-8712. † Mark Ciesielski is an associate director in the Office of Aging Ministry. to spend time reading and praying with the Bible. We should be cautious, however, and remember that when we do so, we are eavesdropping on foreigners.

If we want to understand what these foreigners mean, we need to find ways to try to enter their world.

Learning to do so will aid in our understanding of the Scriptures and will also open us to a way of entering more profoundly into conversations with a multicultural world. †

Brian Garcia-Luense is an associate director with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.

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JANUARY 26, 2021

WORLD

‘Words can be kisses,’ but also ‘swords,’ pope writes in new book CNS PHOTO

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Silence, like words, can be a love language, Pope Francis wrote in a very short introduction to a new book in Italian.

“Silence is one of God’s languages and it also is a language of love,” the pope wrote in the book, “Don’t Speak Ill of Others,” by Capuchin Father Emiliano Antenucci.

The Italian priest, encouraged by Pope Francis, promotes devotion to Mary under the title “Our Lady of Silence.”

In the new book, Pope Francis quoted St. Augustine: “If you keep silent, keep silent by love; if you speak, speak by love.”

Not speaking ill of others is not “just a moral act,” he said. “When we speak ill of others, we sully the image of God that is in each person.”

“The correct use of words is important,” Pope Francis wrote. “Words can be kisses, caresses, medicine, but they also can be knives, swords or bullets.”

Words, he said, can be used to bless or to curse, “they can be closed walls or open windows.”

Repeating what he has said on many

Capuchin Father Emiliano Antenucci presents an image of Our Lady of Silence to Pope Francis at the Vatican March 22, 2019. Silence, like words, can be a language of love, Pope Francis wrote in the introduction to a new book by in Italian by Father Antenucci.

occasions, Pope Francis said compared people who throw “the bombs” of gossip and slander to “terrorists” sowing destruction. The pope also quoted St. Teresa of Kolkata’s familiar phrase as a lesson in holiness accessible to every Christian: “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace.”

“One begins with silence and arrives at charity toward others,” he said.

The pope’s brief introduction ended with a prayer: “May Our Lady of Silence teach us the correct use of our tongues and give us the strength to bless everyone, peace of heart and joy in living.” †

IN BRIEF Popes Francis, Benedict receive their first doses of COVID-19 vaccine

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Both Pope Francis and retired Pope Benedict XVI have received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 after the Vatican started vaccinating its employees and residents on Jan. 13.

While it was reported widely that Pope Francis received the vaccine on Jan. 13, the retired pope’s secretary, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, told Vatican News that Pope Benedict received his shot the morning of Jan. 14.

The archbishop had told the German Catholic news agency KNA Jan. 11 that the 93-year-old pope, who lives in a converted monastery in the Vatican Gardens, and his entire household staff wanted to be vaccinated when the vaccine was available

in Vatican City State. He told Vatican News that the retired pope has been following the news “on television, and he shares our concerns about the pandemic, about what is happening in the world, about the many people who have lost their lives because of the virus.”

“There have been people he knows who have died because of COVID-19,” he added.

Archbishop Ganswein said the retired pope is still very sharp mentally but that his voice and physical strength have weakened.

The Vatican’s vaccination program was voluntary. The Vatican health service was giving priority to its health care workers, security personnel, employees who deal with the public and older residents, employees and retirees. †

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NATION & STATE

‘We need the Lord to cast out demon of division in our nation,’ cardinal says WASHINGTON (CNS) — Celebrating a livestreamed Mass for the community of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington Jan. 13, Wilton Cardinal Gregory noted how sometimes the readings of the day “fit our lives so perfectly.”

They “somehow almost mystically describe where we are at this moment,” he said.

Washington’s archbishop then pointed out how that day’s Gospel reading, Mark 1:29-39, which described Jesus curing Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever and later casting out evil spirits, could be connected to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the Jan. 6 insurrection when a mob of rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

“With the coronavirus, one of the first and clearest signs that you have been infected by that virus is you develop a fever,” the cardinal said. “So we really do need the Lord to do for us, many centuries later, what He did for Peter’s mother-inlaw, to cure us of this virus that is so often identified and manifested with fevers.”

Cardinal Gregory noted how in that day’s Gospel reading, “the Lord casts out evil spirits, and we often, as we look at the world around us, in particular during these past several days here in our nation, we need the Lord to cast out the spirit of evil, hatred, division, bigotry, racism (and) inequity.”

“We have lots of evil spirits that somehow are destroying the harmony of the nation, making people of different races and cultures and languages and religions afraid of one another,” he said.

“We need the Lord to cast out the demon of division in our nation.”

The cardinal also encouraged people to get the coronavirus vaccine when it is available to them, echoing a December statement issued by Maryland’s Catholic bishops and a message emphasized by Pope Francis.

“We have the vaccines that are effective in helping to protect us, and I urge and plead and invite all of our

CNS PHOTO

Wilton Cardinal Gregory of Washington speaks during Mass in the chapel of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington Jan. 13, where he addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent assault on the U.S. Capitol.

students, faculty, parents, grandparents, teachers (and) benefactors to make good use of those vaccines, to get vaccinated,” Cardinal Gregory said.

While this “is not necessarily the Lord Jesus curing us of a fever,” he continued, “it is His grace that allows these vaccines and the medical and scientific researchers to prepare and to successfully present ways for us to bring this virus under control.”

Washington’s archbishop then addressed the unrest that shook the nation one week earlier, when a rampaging mob broke through police lines and windows at the U.S. Capitol, disrupting members of Congress as they were gathering to certify the Electoral College victory of President-elect Joe Biden.

The lawmakers had to flee to safety in secure locations, and later, after peace

IN BRIEF ‘Disciples on the Journey’ Lenten program reaches crossroads amid pandemic VICTORIA, Texas (CNS) — The “Disciples on the Journey” small-group study has become a Lenten tradition for many over the past 18 years. Those who have been with the program since the beginning are likely to have an array of the books, printed in different colors to make them distinguishable from the previous years’ books.

This year, those who wish to take the journey can simply download the book from the “Disciples on the Journey” website, www.disciplesonthejourney.org. The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in the Diocese of Victoria are not selling the online books but are asking

for a free-will offering.

The uncertainty that still exists because of the pandemic has made it a reasonable way of distributing the study.

It costs thousands of dollars to produce the book, even though it has made a profit in past years. There’s a good chance that this may be the last one, according to Sister Digna Vela, who is coordinator of the project and one of the people who created the study.

The first time the diocese had small groups doing a faith-sharing program for Lent, the Paulist community’s “Disciples on a Mission” books were used. †

was restored in the Capitol, they returned to complete their work, finishing in the middle of the night on Jan. 7.

Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed. Biden was inaugurated on Jan. 20.

“But equally destructive, if not even more destructive than the virus, is the spirit of division that is so present in our society and manifested itself in horrible ways last week,” Cardinal Gregory said.

“We need the Lord to send His healing into our nation so that we can see ourselves as one people, united in our one government under the one flag that is a symbol of the unity and preciousness of our democracy,” he said.

Closing his homily, the cardinal again noted how appropriate that day’s Gospel reading was. “Just like Jesus did in His own day,” he said, “we need to be healed of our illnesses and have the spirit of hatred and division cast out. Amen.”

Prayers were then offered, encouraging Catholics to share the good news of Jesus’ saving love by

their everyday words and actions.

A prayer also was offered “for peace in our nation, and that those who perpetrate violence against our brothers and sisters be held accountable for their actions and take the necessary steps to repair the harm they have caused.”

Larry Savoy, Archbishop Carroll High School’s president and an alumnus of the school, welcomed the cardinal to the Mass.

Father John Mudd, another alumnus who served for many years as Carroll’s director of development, was the concelebrant, and Deacon Kenneth Lee, a religion teacher at Carroll, assisted.

At the beginning of the Mass, Cardinal Gregory noted it was meant to honor the Jan. 8 birthday of Archbishop John Carroll, the namesake of the archdiocesan coed Catholic high school. In 1789, thenBishop Carroll became the first Catholic bishop of the United States, heading the Diocese of Baltimore, which at that time included all 13 original states.

The Mass in Carroll’s chapel was livestreamed by students in the school’s Jim Vance Media Center, named for the late NBC4 news anchor and supporter of the school. Cardinal Gregory blessed and dedicated the center in March 2020, just before the coronavirus shutdown.

The limited number of faculty members and students in attendance wore face masks in accordance with coronavirus safety guidelines.

After Communion, Jennifer Cuadra, a member of Archbishop Carroll’s class of 2021, spoke on behalf of the school’s students, congratulating Cardinal Gregory on his recent elevation to the College of Cardinals.

Cuadra thanked the cardinal for celebrating the Mass for the school community and said it will be exciting to see what opportunities and experiences he will have in the days and months to come.

Cardinal Gregory offered the invocation at a pre-inauguration memorial service Jan. 19 to honor and remember the more than 400,000 Americans who have succumbed to COVID-19 with then President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. †

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JANUARY 26, 2021

MUNDO CATÓLICO

Papa enmienda ley canónica para que mujeres puedan ser lectores, acólitas CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — Reconociendo “los dones de cada persona bautizada” — mujeres y hombres — el papa Francisco ordenó un cambio en el derecho canónico y las normas litúrgicas para que mujeres puedan ser formalmente instituidas como lectoras y acólitas (monaguillas).

“Una práctica consolidada en la iglesia latina ha confirmado, de hecho, que tales ministerios laicos, al estar basados en el sacramento del bautismo, pueden ser confiados a todos los fieles que sean aptos, ya sean hombres o mujeres”, escribió el papa en su orden de cambio del derecho canónico.

El documento, emitido por “motu proprio” (por decisión propia), fue publicado por el Vaticano el 11 de enero.

El mismo cambia la redacción del canon 230, párrafo 1.

El canon decía: “los hombres laicos

de una edad y dones determinados por decreto de la conferencia episcopal podrán ser empleados permanentemente, mediante el rito litúrgico establecido, en los ministerios de lectores y acólitos”.

El canon actualizado dirá: “los laicos de una edad y unos dones determinados por decreto de la conferencia episcopal podrán ser empleados permanentemente, mediante el rito litúrgico establecido, en los ministerios de lectores y acólitos”.

“La decisión de conferir también a las mujeres estos cargos, que implican estabilidad, reconocimiento público y un mandato del obispo, hará que la participación de todos en la labor de evangelización sea más eficaz en la iglesia”, dijo el papa en una carta al cardenal Luis Ladaria, prefecto de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe. En la mayoría de las diócesis del mundo — y también en el Vaticano — las

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FOTO DE CNS

Una lectora lee durante misa en una iglesia en Ronkonkoma, Nueva York, el 20 de agosto de 2014. El papa Francisco ordenó el 11 de enero un cambio al Código de Derecho Canónico para que las mujeres puedan ser instituidas formalmente como lectoras y acólitas.

mujeres y las niñas han sido lectoras en la misa y han servido en el altar durante décadas. Ese servicio fue posible, no como un ministerio formalmente instituido, sino bajo los términos del canon 230, párrafo 2, que permitía a las mujeres u hombres llevar a cabo las funciones “por designación temporal”.

En su carta al cardenal Ladaria, publicada con el documento que cambia el derecho canónico, el papa dijo que desde el Concilio Vaticano II la iglesia ha hecho “una distinción más clara entre los atributos de lo que hoy se llaman ministerios no ordenados (o laicos) y los ministerios ordenados”, tales como diácono, sacerdote y obispo.

Esas distinciones, dijo, hacen “posible eliminar que los primeros sean reservados solo a los hombres”.

El papa Francisco repitió la enseñanza de san Juan Pablo II de que la Iglesia Católica “de ninguna manera tiene la facultad de conferir la ordenación sacerdotal a las mujeres” ya que Jesús eligió sólo a los hombres como sus apóstoles.

Pero con “los ministerios no ordenados es posible, y hoy parece oportuno, superar esa salvedad” de permitir que sólo los hombres sean formal y permanentemente instituidos como lectores y acólitos.

La carta del papa también explicó que

la Congregación para el Culto Divino y la Disciplina de los Sacramentos, supervisaría la implementación del cambio y necesitaría modificar partes del Misal Romano y del rito para instituir lectores y acólitos.

La “instrucción general del Misal Romano”dice:“El acólito es instituido para servir en el altar y asistir al sacerdote y al diácono. Su función principalmente es preparar el altar y las copas sagradas y, si es necesario, distribuir la eucaristía a los fieles como un ministro extraordinario”.

“Se instituye al lector para proclamar las lecturas de la Sagrada Escritura, con excepción del evangelio. Puede también anunciar las intenciones de la oración universal y, en ausencia del salmista, recitar el salmo entre las lecturas”, dice la instrucción.

La misma también agrega que en ausencia de personas formalmente instituidas para esas funciones, a cualquier laico calificado se le pueden asignar esas funciones.

El documento del papa Francisco y su carta al cardenal Ladaria enmarcan la cuestión en el contexto de los dones y talentos otorgados por el Espíritu Santo “a través de los sacramentos del bautismo, la confirmación y la eucaristía” a todos los miembros de la iglesia para que puedan contribuir “a la edificación de la iglesia y a la proclamación del evangelio a todo ser humano”.

Y, dijo — citando su exhortación apostólica “Querida Amazonia” del 2020 — que una instalación formal y pública de mujeres en esos ministerios “también le permitiría a las mujeres tener un impacto real y efectivo en la organización, las decisiones más importantes y la dirección de las comunidades, mientras continúan haciéndolo de una manera que refleje su condición de mujer”.

“El sacerdocio de los bautizados y el servicio a la comunidad representan los dos pilares en los que se basa la institución de los ministerios”, dijo el papa.

El cambio, dijo, reconoce el servicio que ya realizan muchas mujeres, pero también destacará para los hombres que se preparan para el sacerdocio — que también son instituidos formalmente como lectores y acólitos — que esos ministerios “están arraigados en el sacramento del bautismo y la confirmación” que todos comparten y que el sacerdocio producto de una ordenación y el sacerdocio de los bautizados siempre deben trabajar juntos para el bien de toda la comunidad eclesial. †

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MUNDO CATÓLICO

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Ministerio para trabajadores migrantes, desde Vermont a México VERGENNES, Vermont (CNS)— Durante cuatro años, Eleuterio “Teyo” Hernández-Ortiz ha trabajado en una granja lechera de Vermont para poder mantener a su esposa y cuatro hijas en su ciudad natal de San José Monteverde, en el sur de México.

Es un trabajo agotador, duro y peligroso, y durante mucho tiempo Hernández-Ortiz no podía practicar completamente su fe católica.

No tenía manera de llegar a la iglesia, e incluso cuando lo hacía, no podía entender el inglés que se hablaba en la Misa. No había ningún sacerdote que escuchara sus confesiones en español.

Pero el año pasado, después del Sínodo Diocesano de Burlington, los feligreses de las iglesias de San Pedro en Vergennes y San Ambrosio en Bristol — ambas atendidas por el padre Yvon Royer como párroco — decidieron concretar el llamamiento del sínodo para que las parroquias se involucren más en la evangelización a través del servicio a los trabajadores inmigrantes locales.

Un pequeño grupo de trabajadores migrantes asistía a la Misa del domingo de vez en cuando, pero después del impacto de la pandemia del COVID-19 eran menos los que venían.

Courtney Banach de San Pedro, quien trabaja en una granja con trabajadores migrantes, sabía lo mucho que la fe significaba para ellos — como lo evidenciaban los collares con cruces que llevaban o las imágenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, patrona de las Américas, que tenían en sus teléfonos.

“Es lo que los mantiene unidos”, dijo Banach.

Los feligreses de San Pedro formaron el Equipo de Alcance a los Migrantes para reunirse con los trabajadores, conocer sus necesidades y determinar cómo los parroquianos podrían ayudar.

Lo primero que hizo el padre Royer fue aprender la oración de absolución en español para poder dar absoluciones, después de escuchar las confesiones de los trabajadores con la ayuda de un programa de traducción en internet.

El primer evento formal en San Pedro fue una Misa en español con ocasión de la fiesta de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en 2019.“Fue un gran éxito”, dijo Banach.

Los integrantes del equipo esperaban que asistiera una decena de personas, pero vinieron 120 — incluyendo los trabajadores, los feligreses y los estudiantes locales del programa federal Job Corps.

“Nos dimos cuenta de que teníamos mucha gente interesada en el ministerio”, dijo el padre Royer.

FOTO DE CNS

Miembros del Vermont’s Migrant Outreach Team (Equipo de Alcance para Migrantes) aparecen en esta foto sin fecha con bolsas tejidas que están vendiendo para beneficiar a las mujeres que las hicieron y al ministerio que trabaja con migrantes locales y la gente de una aldea mexicana. Miembros vienen de las parroquias de Vermont de la iglesia St. Peter en Vergennes y la Iglesia St. Ambrose en Bristol.

Veintisiete feligreses tomaron clases de español en el salón parroquial, antes de que fueran suspendidas por la pandemia del coronavirus. El servicio de oración en español del Viernes Santo también fue cancelado.

Cuando se reanudaron las Misas públicas, algunos feligreses comenzaron a llevar en auto a los trabajadores a la Misa diaria. También les dieron botas, chaquetas, ropa e incluso aire acondicionado.

Los parroquianos ahora están vendiendo bolsos elaborados por mujeres de San José Monteverde que no pueden vender su mercancía en México debido a la pandemia. Dos de los trece dólares de ganancia de cada bolso van a la iglesia de su pueblo. Las fabricantes de bolsos reciben 11 dólares de ganancia; antes solían ganar unos 50 centavos al día. Muchas de ellas son viudas sin otra fuente de ingresos.

Hernández-Ortiz apreciaba todo lo que los feligreses de Vermont — incluyendo algunos de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Buen Socorro en Brandon — les daban a los trabajadores migratorios, pero su visión era que el ministerio se expandiera para ayudar a las familias de los trabajadores en su ciudad natal de 1,500 habitantes. Aunque el 70% de los residentes son católicos, sólo acude un sacerdote una vez al año.

Los feligreses aceptaron su idea y “adoptaron” al pueblo, inicialmente recaudando fondos a través de la venta de artículos usados y donaciones para

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.

enviar 2,000 dólares para construir un confesionario que se necesitaba en la iglesia. Enviaron alimentos y más de 100 libras de ropa y ahora están trabajando con Rotary International para financiar un proyecto de 30,000 dólares para una segunda cisterna de agua potable.

“Estoy muy feliz y me siento orgulloso de poder apoyar a mi comunidad con la ayuda de estas personas”, dijo HernándezOrtiz con la asistencia de un traductor.

Le conmueve el deseo que tienen, no sólo de ayudar a los trabajadores migrantes

a llegar a Misa, sino de ayudar “con lo que es tan importante como apoyar y cambiar vidas en mi comunidad”.

Los miembros del Equipo de Alcance Migratorio se dan cuenta de la importancia del trabajo de los trabajadores migrantes en las granjas del condado de Addison en Vermont. “Dejan sus hogares y vienen a trabajar aquí en nuestras granjas para que podamos tener buena comida en nuestras mesas”, dijo Donna Fox, parroquiana de la Iglesia de San Ambrosio. “Estamos muy agradecidos, y esta es una forma de retribuirles”.

Alicia Rodríguez de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Buen Socorro y su esposo, trabajan en una granja lechera local.

Rodríguez, oriunda de México, se alegró al oír hablar del trabajo del Equipo de Alcance al Migrante y quiso ayudar.

“Ellos son mi gente”, dijo refiriéndose a los trabajadores mexicanos.

“Son nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo”, dijo Banach. “Es nuestro deber ayudarlos, acercando la iglesia a ellos y haciéndola accesible, y apoyarlos mientras están aquí. Ellos mantienen nuestra economía agraria”.

El feligrés de San Ambrosio, Gerry Tetrault, dijo que es un “mandato del Evangelio”ser amable con los extranjeros y acoger a los inmigrantes. Le dio crédito al padre Royer por su compromiso, tiempo y energía para el ministerio.

Para el padre Royer, el esfuerzo por apoyar a los trabajadores inmigrantes y sus familias es “otro recordatorio de los buenos corazones (de los feligreses), corazones muy cariñosos”. †

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston | 1700 San Jacinto | Houston, TX 77002

Parish Accounting Services (PAS) Staff Accountant Summary: The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is seeking a full-time Staff Accountant for the Parish Accounting Services Department in the Downtown Chancery who is able to succeed in a faith-based, fast-paced, dynamic work environment. The Staff Accountant applies principles of accounting to analyze financial information received from the parishes and schools of the archdiocese and prepares financial reports and schedules. The staff accountant provides assistance with accounting, bookkeeping and payroll functions to the parishes; staff accountant assistance may be online and at parish locations.

Educational Experience: • BBA/Accounting degree. Minimum 30 hours of Accounting.

• CPA Certification preferred.

• Four to six years related experience in accounting and administration, especially in a not-for-profit environment.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills • Experience in reconciliation of general ledger and Bank accounts • Knowledge and experience with FASB and GAAP statements and standards.

• Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Requirements: • Excellent oral and written communication skills.

• Ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals • Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from bookkeepers, business managers, principals and pastors.

• Must have a valid TDL and a vehicle for onsite parish assignments.

• Bi-lingual Spanish and/or Vietnamese is a plus.



If interested, please send your resume to resume@archgh.org with PAS Staff Accountant in the subject line.

18 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

JANUARY 26, 2021

WITHIN THE ARTS

Authors find spiritual lessons amid pandemic’s restrictions WASHINGTON (CNS) — Under COVID-19 pandemic isolation and its steadily escalating death toll, managing the anxiety of ordinarily stressful life passages has become exponentially unbearable.

Michael Heinlein, the editor of the “Simply Catholic” website in Fort Wayne, Indiana, learned this in the past year when his grandmother with Alzheimer’s disease needed an operation and moved into a nursing home.

“Those small sacramental stations along the way,” he said, were made easier when his family found a priest to anoint her despite the health risks.“We just carry the cross, all of us, in different ways,” he added.

Father Harrison Ayre, pastor at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Nanaimo, British Columbia, found, as he switched parishes, that the socializing to which he was accustomed was impossible on top of “the stress of organizing and

making Mass safe” with no more than 50 worshippers at a time.

Health guidelines have made it difficult for worshippers to develop the sense of being part of a congregation — livestreamed services, a welcome respite in the early months of the pandemic, have their limits — and access to the Eucharist has been restricted, he noted.

Heinlein and Father Ayre decided this was a teaching moment for anyone finding themselves falling into the despair of the “COVID fog.”They put their acquired insights into writing “Finding Christ in the Crisis: What the Pandemic Can Teach Us,” recently published by Our Sunday Visitor.

For those suffering from the deaths of loved ones, the lack of human contact and the inability to feel connected to the larger world, the book is intended to be a compact means of support.

“While attending Mass in person is the ordinary means of participation (because

MOVIE RATINGS By Catholic News Service A-I – GENERAL PATRONAGE • Gunda (G)

A-II – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS • Pinocchio (PG-13) • The Croods: A New Age (PG)

A-III – ADULTS • • • • • • • •

All My Life (PG-13) Dark Waters (PG-13) Greenland (PG-13) Half Brothers (PG-13) Herself (R) Monster Hunter (PG-13) News of the World (PG-13) Soul (PG)

• The Last Vermeer (R) • The Marksman (PG-13) • Wonder Woman 1984 (PG-13)

L – LIMITED ADULT AUDIENCE • Fatale (R) • Us (R) •

O – MORALLY OFFENSIVE

• Promising Young Woman (R) •

we live an incarnated faith), we have a unique opportunity for spiritual growth when we cannot attend physically,” the book says.

The authors point out the “encouragement to receive Communion in the hand and the requirement to wear a face mask when inside a church have entailed a sacrifice of significant personal piety on our part.Yet, we can find comfort in the knowledge that the Sacraments are Christ’s gifts, mediated by the hierarchy.

Receiving Communion in the hand is not a violation of revelation or ecclesial tradition.”

Heinlein said the goal of writing the book was to answer the question: “Where was God in the midst of all of this? And so, we decided to just write and see where we landed. We each wrote it over the course of a couple of weeks and decided to pitch it as a book.”

The theory expressed by some that the pandemic is a hoax “is not based on a Catholic understanding of truth, but a relativistic one, guided primarily by ideology,” they wrote.

“Those who see this pandemic as a hoax have set themselves up as public health and statistical experts, though most have no experience in either field.

Others see the pandemic as a conspiracy, a secret attempt by those in power to overthrow or further control society,” the book stresses.

None of this connects to “the Catholic vision of truth,” which “depends on the reasonableness of things, relying on data and evidence to support such claims -something conspiracies and hoaxes are unable to offer.”

Regarding the Sacrament, the book notes that receiving them alone does not make an impact. Instead, “Our own cooperation with God’s grace is needed for them to be effective, and so the

CNS PHOTO

This is the cover of the book “Finding Christ in the Crisis: What the Pandemic Can Teach Us,” by Father Harrison Ayre and Michael R. Heinlein.

Sacraments are not spiritual personal protective equipment.”

Heinlein is also attentive to those who grew up with, and have become accustomed to, daily Mass attendance.

“There were plenty of saints who only received Communion a few times a year,” he observed. “I think this moment sort of forces us to find the balance. The grace that Christ gives us — He doesn’t give us part of Himself in the Eucharist; He gives all of Himself. And so, the graces of our last Communion are still operative in our lives. And we can’t forget that.”

Father Ayre said one of his goals was “dealing with whatever God has put in front of us.” Since the pandemic, he has seen reactions that were either “extreme distraction or extreme laziness. This time has helped at least make us aware that a lot of that is in our hearts.”

He thinks God is saying: “I want to meet you in what resists my love.”

Accepting inconvenience to our way of life can be seen as an act of love, not a violation of our freedom,” the book points out. “True freedom is when we lay down our lives, in whatever way, for others. As St. Clare of Assisi put it: ‘Love that cannot suffer is not worthy of that name.’” †

ADVERTISING Want to advertise in the Texas Catholic Herald?

Visit ARCHGH.ORG/TCH or email ADS@ARCHGH.ORG

JANUARY 26, 2021 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

texas catholic herald

19

MILESTONES St. Cyril Knights of Columbus funds support Catholic education HOUSTON — The St. Cyril Knights of Columbus-Texas State Council 8024 recently presented a check to Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, which will be used in support of Catholic education.

Councils throughout Texas contribute annually to the Texas State Charities fund, which makes donations like this possible.

Seventy percent of the proceeds from donations in our Archdiocese support local Catholic education, while the remainder supports additional statewide projects such as education grants, disaster relief and support for infirm priests. †

DOSES OF HOPE

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. CYRIL KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL 8024

AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE Editor’s Note: Contact event organizers for the latest updates and information. View additional listings or updates online at www. archgh.org/ata.

FEB. 3

MEMORIAL MASS, Annual St. Gianna’s Hope Memorial Mass for Infant Loss, 7 p.m. at Prince of Peace Catholic Church (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston). All are welcome to join in prayer with families who have lost infant children or miscarried. Bring diapers, pullups, diaper wipes or formula to benefit Mercy Ministry. Face masks must be worn and social distancing will be observed. Sponsored by Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court of the Holy Family #2597. Mary J. Albert: 281381-0309 maryjalbert@sbcglobal.net.

FEB. 7

DRIVE-THRU SPAGHETTI FUNDRAISER, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Columbus Club Hall (703 Columbus Rd., Wallis). Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court Queen of Angels #1538 host $10 spaghetti plate drive-thru fundraiser. Plates include spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, green beans and garlic bread from Ben’s Chuck Wagon. Raffle drawing at 1 p.m. Proceeds benefit college scholarships, high school Project Graduation, local fire departments, EMS, etc., and National and State CDA endorsed charities and projects.

Pre-sale tickets available: Dorothy Bodle, 281346-1243.

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.

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 713-228-941

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOSEPH MEDICAL CENTER AND ST. DOMINIC VILLAGE

Above, Robbie Bradford, director of nursing at St. Dominic Village, receives his vaccine Dec. 29, 2020. Below, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo receives his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at St. Joseph Medical Center in downtown Houston on Jan. 12.

Cardinal DiNardo joins St. Dominic Village staff, residents in getting COVID-19 vaccine HOUSTON — Beneath an icon of Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega, and sitting next to a brilliant statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Dominic Village (SDV) front-line workers received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 29, 2020.

Amy Shields, CEO of SDV, and Robbie Bradford, SDV’s director of nursing who is seen at left, led by example and received the vaccine. With CVS Clinic, the vaccine was distributed to SDV staff, nursing center residents and assisted living residents.

A little over two weeks later, with a smile and a thumbs-up, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 12 as a member of the 1B group at St. Joseph Medical Center in downtown Houston.

According to St. Joseph’s Medical Center, COVID-19 vaccines were available in Houston for individuals who meet the state’s criteria for 1A or 1B groups which included front-line health care workers, people 65 and older and people 16 and older with health conditions that increase risk of severe COVID-19 illness.

At the 2020 White Mass, in his homily, Cardinal DiNardo said: “In this difficult, terrible time of COVID-19,” the efforts of

healthcare workers have “been so intense, draining.”

Encouraging their heroic efforts, Cardinal DiNardo said their “response is incredible and magnificent.” He also reminded them that, even “in the harshest and most difficult of circumstances,” to always see the “image of God” in their patients.

For information about vaccine distribution in Houston, visit www.

HoustonEmergency.org/COVID19. †

20 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

JANUARY 26, 2021

Thank you for continuing to

SUPPORT YOUR PARISH 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.

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