Bulletin for June 2

Dear friends in Christ,

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. We remember Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Father where He sits in glory until He comes again, a belief we profess every Sunday in our Creed. This feast is celebrated 40 days after the Easter resurrection which by tradition would have put it on the calendar for last Thursday. Some of you may remember “Ascension Thursday” holy days from your youth. It is still celebrated on that Thursday in a handful of the dioceses in the U.S., but several years ago nearly every other diocese, including the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, transferred the celebration to Sunday to highlight its prominence and give more people an opportunity to celebrate.

Next week we close out the great 50 days of Easter with the celebration of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus has promised. You are invited to wear red to Mass next Sunday as we did on Palm Sunday as a visual reminder of the gift of the fire of the Holy Spirit.

With summer in full swing I am guessing that many of us are planning various trips and vacations. As I always do at this time of year, let me remind you not to take a vacation from Mass. While it’s understandable that we take a break from work or school, we are reminded in the Scriptures to bless the Lord always without ceasing. Sunday Mass is not an option – failure to attend is considered sinful. It’s understandable that our attendance naturally drops in June and July with people out of town on vacation. But wherever you go, I encourage you to find a local church in the area to attend Mass. It is a great experience to celebrate the Sunday liturgy in a different city or country. You’ll see the catholicity (universality) of the Church, where even if the language is different, you’ll still feel right at home. Bring me back a bulletin from wherever you go as I always like to see what different churches have going on in their corner of the world. The website www.masstimes.org is a great help in finding parishes in the area where you will be staying.

Let me also make a request that you not forget your home parish while you are gone. Our expenses don’t stop over the summer, and the air conditioning bill is always highest in these months. One great way to support the parish in the summer is by tithing through Faith Direct, our online offertory contribution partner. Simply sign-up online. It only takes a minute or two to set-up and it’s a fast, easy, and most importantly secure way of making your contribution to the parish. I use it myself for my tithe and I find it a great convenience not to have to write a check. You can use it not only for the weekly collection, but also for your Capital Campaign pledge for the Redeemer Activity Center. Thank you for your continued support of CtR.

Another summer reminder is to please pay attention to our attire when we attend Mass. It’s a way we show our respect to the Lord and to one another when attending church. I wear shorts in the summer as much as anyone. They are almost a necessity for surviving Houston heat and humidity. But for an hour or so every Sunday we should strive for something more. Shorts, flip flops, athletic clothes, immodest or revealing attire is inappropriate for church. You wouldn’t wear a tuxedo or designer gown to a pool party, right? Let’s not wear clothes that are “too” casual to church. Proper attire at church is a sign of dignity, respect and good manners.

Every time I write or talk about proper dress at Mass I always hear from a handful of people who think I’m being too strict. “God doesn’t care what I wear” or “At least I’m here so what does it matter what I’m wearing” are the most common refrains. I understand, and yes, I’m happy you are at Mass. No one is going to ask you to leave if you come to church in shorts. I’m simply encouraging us to reach for something more and not sink to the most basic level of civil dress. Think of it this way – we’re coming to a banquet for a king, and the king’s son is the sacrificial offering. It’s done in remembrance of Him, and we are the beneficiaries of that offering. Let’s use that great gift as an occasion to raise our standards, at least in our dress for an hour or so on Sunday. Then we can race home, change into our swim suits, jump in the pool, and give thanks to God who has blessed us in so many ways. That to me sounds like a great Sunday. I will now get off my soapbox!

Also with the start of summer we’ll take our usual hiatus from Coffee and Donuts after Mass on Sunday morning. With many people out on vacation or traveling during the next few months it is hard to get an accurate count on how much to order so we’ll resume again in the fall once school is back in session. We try to be good stewards of our resources and having too much left over (or heaven forbid, not enough ordered!) is not a good thing. As you might surmise, we don’t aim to make a profit on Coffee and Donuts. If we break even, great, but if not, it’s still a good investment in our people and fellowship. Each year the line item in our budget for this ministry is known affectionately as the “Donut Hole.” Whatever donations we get in goes to help reduce the hole, but it’s still good money spent if it helps foster a sense of community.

I’m grateful to Mike and Peggy Bell who have helped shepherd the Coffee and Donuts ministry for a number of years. They are stepping back from it now, and so please join me in thanking them for the many Sundays they have arrived early to set up and stayed late to clean up in helping serve us all. They have wiped down the counters more time than you can imagine all in a spirit of hospitality for others. Truly they and their team of helpers embody what Stewardship of Time looks like. Thanks, Peggy and Mike. Hope to see you sitting enjoying a bagel and cup of joe later in the year. It is my hope that we can involve more people and ministries in this opportunity for service in the future.

Lastly, we have an immediate opening on our Parish Facilities staff. Wilber Sorto, who has been one of our key maintenance workers for several years, is leaving us to take a supervisory position with another Catholic parish closer to his home. We’re grateful for Wilber’s hard work in helping to maintain our buildings and grounds. He’s a great worker and will be sorely missed, but we wish him all of God’s blessing in his new position. With his departure, we have an opening for a full-time maintenance man (to be fair, it’s open to women as well). The job consists of various types of maintenance and facilities request, including moving and lifting heavy objects from time to time, and also involves some nights and weekend hours. It’s a full-time position with benefits and pension through the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. If you or someone you know is interested, please complete an application in the front Parish Office, or speak to Deacon Kerry Bourque, our parish administrator.

Peace, Fr. Sean