Bulletin for Feb. 4

Dear friends in Christ,

We all know that February is shortest month (and we don’t even get the extra day this year), but we’ve got a lot going on at CtR in these 28 days. Let’s take a look at what lies ahead for us and take advantage of some wonderful opportunities to grow in faith and charity.

It begins today on this Super Sunday when we hear a super Gospel from St. Mark (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) – “Let us go ... for this purpose have I come.” Beautiful words from our savior, but do we take them to heart? Do we see ourselves as having a mission-driven purpose like Jesus? Is our mission in life aligned with the life of our Lord? Perhaps we resist in going forward for one reason or another. Maybe we’re burned out. Maybe we need to change something within us so we can get moving again. Ask the Lord for the grace to move forward with Him, and then go out to the world so that others might encounter the mission of Christ in and through you.

One great way to join in the mission of the Lord is allowing ourselves to be “Instruments of God’s Mercy.” That’s the theme of the 2018 Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) campaign that begins this weekend. To borrow a phrase or two from the big game taking place later today, we are “kicking off” our “drive” this week, and I pray that we will “come together as a team” to reach the “goal line.” Let’s not “fumble” this opportunity to be instruments of God’s mercy through the more than 60 ministries in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

All registered parishioners should have received a letter from Cardinal DiNardo recently along with a personalized pledge card inviting them to participate in this year’s DSF drive. I know I got mine at the rectory this past week. We also have the pledge envelopes in the pews this week. Please complete the pledge card or the pew envelope and drop it off today, or bring it with you to Mass next weekend. You can also return it in the mail in the envelope provided, or drop it off in the office. Personally, I think it’s easiest and fastest to go online at www.archgh.org/dsf to make your pledge. That’s what I did to make my pledge and it couldn’t have been easier.

Every parish has a goal, set by the cardinal, to meet as part of DSF. Our goal this year at CtR is $305,000, the same as it was this past year. I am happy to say we have made our goal each of the last 13 years and we definitely want to keep the streak alive. As an incentive to reach and surpass we receive a rebate of 50 percent of any overage of our goal, with the other half going to support low-income parishes in the inner city. This past year we received about $8,500 back to us. 
    
I’m often asked how much should a family give to DSF. That’s ultimately up to you to decide, and I would ask you to please don’t forget to make a pledge to our own Capital Campaign that is ongoing, but maybe I could suggest that you consider giving $1 a day (a $365 yearly pledge) to support DSF. That’s about $91 every three months. Remember that you don’t have to pay it all at once. You can spread it out through the year, and there are options for credit card payments or bank drafts. But please do make a pledge of any size. Your gift, regardless of the amount, will go a long way in helping our brothers and sisters in so many ministries throughout our Archdiocese, and thus enable us to join the Lord in today’s Gospel “to go” into the world as instruments of His mercy. Thank you for your continued support of DSF.

Moving forward in February we are just 10 days away from the start of Lent. Ash Wednesday is Feb. 14. Yes, that’s Valentine’s Day, but no, you don’t get a free pass from fasting or abstaining from meat that day. Ash Wednesday trumps Valentine’s Day, so if you want to celebrate with your significant other, that’s fine, but plan to do so either before or after Ash Wednesday. Look at it this way – you’ll avoid all the crowds of people eating out on Valentine’s Day. I suggest you celebrate on Feb. 13, which is Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday. Nothing says “I love you” like gumbo and jambalaya! 

I’ll have more details about Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent in next week’s bulletin, but just to give you a head’s up we will have six liturgies on Feb. 14, beginning with a 6:30 a.m. Liturgy of the Word service for those on the way to work or school. We will only have one Mass on Ash Wednesday at 9 a.m. We will have additional Liturgy of the Word services (all with distribution of ashes) at 12 noon, 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. All services will be in the church. There are no confessions on Wednesday nor an evening Mass. Again, more details next week, but plan to join us at some point that day to receive your ashes and begin the holy season of Lent. Also, if you have old palm branches from past years, bring them to Mass next weekend. We’ll collect them and burn them, and then use the remains as part of the ashes that will be “branded” upon us on Ash Wednesday.

Lastly I want to call your attention to a very special event that will help frame our 40-day journey through the desert of Lent to the joy of Easter that awaits us. Our 2018 Lenten Parish Mission will be Feb. 19-21, with Fr. Bruce Nieli, CSP, leading us. The theme of our mission is “Responding to the Spirit: In the Soul, In the Church and In the World,” and it is shaping up as a wonderful gift for our parishioners to come, either in the morning or evening, to be formed as missionary disciples living the “Joy of the Gospel,” as Pope Francis has commissioned us to do.

Fr. Bruce will preach at all Masses the weekend of Feb. 17-18 to prepare us for the mission and I think you’ll really like him. I’ve heard him speak a number of times over the years at various missions and conferences and he does a fine job of engaging the community and calling us to the work of living our faith in everyday life.

You’ll have two opportunities each day to join in the mission as we will be offering a morning session from 10-11:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 19-21. We’ll have a continental breakfast each day as well, so I hope many of you will join us. For those who work or are in school in the daytime, we will also offer an evening session each day beginning with a community meal (yes, we’re going to feed your body and your soul!) from 5:30-6:45 p.m., and then the mission will begin at 7 p.m. in the church. I highly encourage you to come to each session, but if your schedule only permits one or two, that’s fine. Each day is independent of one another and you’ll experience the Spirit at any and all of the sessions!

Again, I’ll have more details on our Lenten Mission next week, but for now, I ask that you please mark the dates of Feb. 19-21 on your calendar and join us for what promises to be a grace-filled time as we begin the season of Lent.

Peace,
Fr. Sean