Bulletin for Oct. 14

Dear friends in Christ,

There is a lot of alliteration going on in the Old Testament passage that we hear today in the First Reading at Mass. It comes from Solomon in the Book of Wisdom – listen to the first three lines: “I prayed ..., I pleaded ..., I preferred ...” That’s a lot of p’s! And what is it that Solomon prayed for, pleaded for, and preferred more than anything else? Nothing less than holy wisdom itself. When we seek wisdom first, and not the fame and fortune of the world, as Solomon could have certainly requested, we too will know the grace that he received. When we are gifted with wisdom we have all that we need. Let us pray today that the Lord will shower us with such wisdom in all the deliberations of our life.

We’re about a month away from two big events happening in November. Let me encourage you to make room on your calendar to join us for what is shaping up for two not-to-be-missed events. First up is our 5th annual Chili Cook-Off from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10. It’s a great night of chili, Frito Pie (my favorite), hot dogs, drinks, music, live and silent auctions, and fun for the whole family. It takes place on our back parking lot and is not to be missed. Get tickets in advance online or after Mass on Nov. 3-4. We’ve already registered a record 28 teams to compete who are ready to duke it out for the title. You can sample it all and so much more by joining us on Nov. 10. We’ve also got some great items available in both the live and silent auctions, and I’m planning to open up my cellar as well to offer the Fr. Sean Wine Pull. It was a hit at the Spring Festival and let me assure you that wine goes very well with chili. Join us!

The week after Chili Cook-Off we’ve got three days of events planned on Nov. 16-18 to help us commemorate the 10th anniversary of the dedication our new church. We begin in prayer with a beautiful Evening Vespers service on Friday, Nov. 16, and then we move out in mission with our Family Service Day on Saturday, Nov. 17. Finally on Sunday, Nov. 18 we celebrate our faith at all Masses and conclude with a choir concert at 2 p.m.

A word about the Family Service Day. The Church exists to love and serve God and neighbor. We’ll be sending teams of volunteers into three main areas (groups on campus, groups off campus, and teams at our sister parish of Our Mother of Mercy). It’s a great way for both young and old, individuals and families, to be the hands and feet of Christ for others. I’m grateful to our dynamic CtR Youth Ministry team for coordinating the Family Service Day. See their website at ctryouth.com to discover the various ways you can be of service for a few hours on Saturday, Nov. 17. Please sign-up in advance for your preferred work location (on campus, in the local community, or at Our Mother of Mercy) so that we can ensure we have enough volunteers at each site.

I received a nice thank you letter this past week from the Missionary Carmelites of St. Teresa who were with us two weeks ago for their annual appeal. They asked that I convey to all of you their gratitude for the more than $21,000 that you donated to help their missionary work, and let me join my thanks to theirs as well. The sisters were touched by our generosity and promised to remember CtR in their prayers. Thank you one and all.

Next weekend is the annual celebration of World Mission Sunday, which is different from the specific appeal we had from the Missionary Carmelites. That was just for their order from us, whereas World Mission Sunday raises awareness and funds for all missionary organizations and is, as the name applies, a worldwide collection. We’ll have the second collection after Mass and I encourage you to remember that we are missionaries by virtue of our baptism in Jesus Christ. Offerings from Catholics in the United States from this collection are combined with offerings from Catholics around the globe and distributed to mission dioceses – about 1,100 at this time. It helps spread the Catholic faith to mission dioceses most in need through catechetical programs, seminaries, the work of Religious Communities, communication and transportation needs, and the building of chapels and churches.

It’s important to remember that our own country, and particularly our area of Texas, was once missionary territory. It was through the prayerful and financial sacrifice and often heroic efforts of the missionary priests that the Catholic faith was brought here in the 19th century. The Diocese of Galveston, as it was once known, included the entire state of Texas, and it was all served and supported by missionaries. Now we can do our part to help “pay it forward.” We are all missionaries indeed. Please remember World Mission Sunday next weekend in your prayer and support.

Looking ahead even further, if you are an adult who has never received the Sacrament of Confirmation now is the time to prepare to do so. Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation, along with Baptism and Holy Communion, and it is a vital necessity in our spiritual journey. For a variety of reasons, however, it can be missed at the traditional time it is offered in high school. It’s unfortunate that some Catholics do not receive this great gift of the Holy Spirit which aids us and draws us closer in union to the Holy Trinity. If that is the case for you or someone you know, we’d love to prepare you to receive the sacrament next year.

The first step for Adult Confirmation is a half-day retreat from 12:30-4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28. For more information on the Adult Confirmation process and how you can be part of it, please contact Deacon Jack Alexander, our Director of Adult Faith Formation, in our Parish Office. I highly encourage those who have yet to receive this important step in the Christian journey to make time now to do so. The gift of the Holy Spirit that is given to us in confirmation is literally a life-line to the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. Take advantage of that life-line now!

Finally, thanks to our Knights of Columbus who hosted the annual CtR Golf Tournament this past Monday. It was a great day on the links to support scholarships and charitable efforts of the Knights. This was the 11th year for the Knights running the tournament and, as always, they aced it, to borrow a golfing analogy. Thank you, brothers, and thanks as well to the women of the Ladies Auxiliary who helped out with the auction and meal afterward. It takes a lot of work behind the scenes to pull off a successful tournament. Best of all, the proceeds come right back to CtR to help support our youth and CAM.

Peace, Fr. Sean