Bulletin for Jan. 27

Dear friends in Christ,

On this 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time I invite you to listen closely to our second reading from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. The great apostle clearly defines how the many are one. “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,” he says. Baptism unites us in Christ, and from there we are each gifted with unique charisms. Some have the gifts of healing, or assistance, or administration, or a variety of tongues, he says. They are different in each of us, but each is important to the whole. We are called to use our individual gifts to the service of the one Body of Christ. That’s Stewardship in a nutshell, my friends. In your prayer, ask God to reveal your gifts more clearly to you and then, through holy wisdom and courage, use your gifts to serve God and neighbor.

As I previewed last week, we kick-off Catholic Schools Week today. You’ll see a great number of our school kids at all the Masses this weekend. They’ve got a host of activities throughout this coming week, not the least of which is the Open Housefrom 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 31, which is open to everyone. Please let family and friends know who may not be members of CtR but who nonetheless may be looking for a new educational option for their children. Above all I ask you to pray for our school. It is a wonderful gift to our parish, and in the five years since it opened CtR Catholic School has truly made an impact on us all.

Applications are now being accepted for next year in all grades Pre-K 3 through 8th, and I encourage you to spread the word to your family, friends and neighbors about the great opportunity for a Catholic education available right here at Christ the Redeemer. We are open to all families (not just Catholic), and financial aid is available for those in need. We want all children and families to have access to a Catholic education and our doors are open to everyone. Our school website has more information and you can apply online at www.ctrschool.com.

We have more than 425 children enrolled this year and I’m edified that so many families are choosing it for their children. We live in the Cy-Fair school district which is home to wonderful parents, teachers and students in some of the best schools in the state. They can offer opportunities that we don’t, and it’s one of the main reasons so many people call Cypress home. I love our public schools (I’m a product of one), and our local school educators and staff. It’s important to note that our Catholic school is not in competition with the public schools. It never has been, and it never will be. It is, however, an option for parents who want their children to have a Christ-centered curriculum, steeped in the Catholic faith, with outstanding academics and opportunities to grow in both mind and heart in service to God and others. A great Catholic school benefits not just the children who matriculate through the halls, but the entire community as well. From their founding by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the early 19th century to today, Catholic schools are a gift to the Church and to the world. Please support Catholic education, and please pray for our own CtR School. Stop by this week and see what a gift it is to us all!

In addition to your prayers, remember there is also a fun and easy way to support our school. The annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk is set for Saturday, Feb. 16 and it provides much-needed funds for scholarships and programs in Catholic education. If you support my team, 100 percent of the money you pledge will come right back to benefit our own CtR School. You can make an online pledge to the Fr. Sean’s team and I’ll do all the work while you sleep in that morning! Pledge by clicking this link. It only takes a few minutes to make your pledge safely and securely online. Or if you like, you can give me a check or cash in person at Mass or in the office and I’ll see that it is credited to our CtR team.

In other news, I want to give you a heads-up on a very important happening later this week. On Thursday, the list of priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minors is set to be released by all the dioceses in Texas including our own Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. You may recall last fall Cardinal DiNardo announced his intention to do so and so it will be posted to the Archdiocesan website by the end of this month. We will have a link on our website to it. The list will go back to 1950 and include all priests who were credibly accused who served in the local area, both diocesan and religious order priests. A separate list of credibly accused deacons will be released in the near future.

I’m grateful that Cardinal DiNardo and his fellow bishops in Texas are taking this important step (a number of dioceses and religious orders throughout the country are doing the same). In my view it is painful, but a necessary step toward full accountability and transparency in the Church and is long overdue. I ask for your prayers this week and in the future as the full impact is realized for all involved, most especially for the victims of such abuse, who though they may have experienced the trauma long ago are nonetheless reminded of it anew when such revelations are made public again. They need and deserve all of our prayers and support, whether they make themselves known publicly or not. Put them at the top of your prayer list, please.

Second I ask for your prayers for all priests during this time. It’s sickening to us all. We are heartbroken at the sins and crimes of a handful of our colleagues. Many of the names on this list are of priests long since dead or out of ministry, and though Fr. Ralph and I didn’t know them, they were still part of our brotherhood at one point and their transgressions, regardless of how long ago they might have happened, do great harm to the priesthood and to the Church. Of the handful of priests that will be on the list who are still living (and to be clear, I have not seen the names yet either), none are active in ministry. To my understanding, none have ever served at this parish.

The only acceptable number on such a list is “0.” Unfortunately, that is not the case. We have sinners in the Church and some of them are clergy. Some have given into such sins and committed very grave acts and they should be held accountable. Regrettably, the manner of dealing with these moral failures was not always adequate nor appropriate. The Catholic Church in the United States implemented a very vigorous response to this sad and grievous crisis beginning with what is known as the Dallas Charter in 2002, and evidenced by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) report published late last year, the Church has made great strides in eradicating such incidents. The number of reported cases the past few years is just a handful. But again, the only acceptable number is zero, and we must continue to build on what we have accomplished and prayerfully move forward until that is achieved universally.

Sexual abuse of children is a societal calamity on many fronts. Last year alone the Texas Education Agency reports more than 400 accusations of sexual misconduct between adults and students. But let’s be clear: it is especially evil when those purporting to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and represent Christ in our midst act in such a vile way against the children of God. As a result of the actions of a few, we face a terrible crisis that cries out for a widespread response of saintly behavior. The way forward is through accountability and transparency, and uniting ourselves more closely to the life of Christ.  

We’ll have additional information on our parish website later this week including a “Frequently Asked Questions” page that will address what I’m sure will be several points that will be circulating. Chief among them is how the list was compiled, who vetted and reviewed the files, and what determination was used to define “credibly accused.” I’ll also have information soon on a prayer service that we are planning so that we might come together to petition God for His mercy and healing. We are planning it here in the parish in the coming weeks and I believe there will also be similar services in other areas of the Archdiocese in Lent. We will share all of that with you just as soon as it is finalized. Thank you in advance for your prayers, again most especially for those who have suffered such abuse, for us priests, and for the Church. May God grant us all His healing and hope.

Peace,
Fr. Sean