Weekly Letter: Aug. 4, 2024 Bulletin

Dear friends in Christ,

    We’ve entered into the month of August and with that there is a notable uptick in activity around the campus. It’s building slowly, mind you, like perhaps some of us in the morning before we have coffee. We’re moving, yes, but not at full speed quite yet. As the summer begins to fade, we will soon resume our usual schedule of parish ministries and activities. Some of us, myself included, have planned a few days of vacation time beginning this week, but before long everyone will be back and the hum of parish life will carry us forward. I look forward to what the new school and parish year brings. The Lord is always full of surprises, but we are in good hands if we trust and follow Him.

    And, of course, we’ll need to be fed by the Lord for the journey ahead, and so it is fitting that we continue our deep dive into the 6th chapter of the Gospel of St. John on this 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he himself is the eternal bread of life that has come from heaven. Just as God rained down manna for the Israelites while they were on their journey in the desert, so too does he give us food – Jesus! – that is life for the world.

    I love the line in today’s gospel from the people who hear Jesus’ words, “Sir, give us this bread always.” It’s oddly formal and polite (“Sir”), and yet so simple in its declaration. They hear of the bread of life and so they want the bread of life. Ah, but do they really know what they are asking for? Are they prepared to conform their life to His to truly receive what is being offered? Or do they simply want to fill their bellies while they continue to seek out so much else that fails to satisfy them? Those same questions are good “food for thought” for us as we approach the table of the Lord.

     This weekend we say goodbye to Deacon Jack Alexander and his wife Kathy, who are moving to Wisconsin, but the good news is we’ll still get to see them part of the year. Deacon Jack retired a few years ago (though you wouldn’t know it because he’s been just as active in ministry as he was when officially working!), and he and Kathy are returning to their roots in a small town outside of Madison, WI to be near family. However, they’ll be snowbirds and plan to spend the winter months back in Texas, and so I expect we’ll see a lot of them in the December–February time frame. We thank Deacon Jack for his dedicated ministry to our community, particularly with our RCIA and Adult Faith Formation groups, for the past 13 years and we wish him and Kathy much happiness in retirement, and look forward to seeing them again when the weather up north turns cold.   

    School will be back in session in just a few weeks, but before we say goodbye to summer I remind parents to take care of registration for Religious Education and Youth Ministry for your children. Representatives of both will be in the narthex after all Masses this weekend to help you do so.

    Speaking of our youth, next weekend at all masses we will offer a blessing for all our school children, youth and young adults, as well as staff members, who will soon be heading back to school. We’ve been blessed to have many of our college students home over the summer and we wish them God’s blessing as they go off to their respective universities. In particular I want to encourage our students to continue their faith life back on campus. College is often a time young adults can drift from active participation in the life of the Church. Sadly, the number of college-age students that leave active participation in the faith each year is growing, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

    Nearly every college or university has a Newman Center where students can connect with fellow Catholics and the larger Catholic community. Named after St. John Henry Newman, these centers allow Catholics at secular universities to “find a place” within the Church when they are away from their home parish. We’re blessed that our three most popular public universities in the state, UT, A&M, and Houston, all have vibrant Catholic populations where students can be engaged in the faith, as does Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State, Texas Tech, and on and on.

     I encourage parents and grandparents to encourage your college students (you might even “expect” it) to attend Mass on a regular basis. Be sure to help them locate it when you are helping them move in. Just as I’m sure you will search out the nearest Target and Starbucks, search out the Newman Center, too. If students can find time to attend football games and parties (and hopefully the library and lab!), there is no reason that they can’t also find an hour on Sunday to go to Mass. It’ll help them in more ways than they can imagine as they grow into the disciples the Lord calls them – and all of us – to be.

     Lastly, there will be no daily Mass on Tuesday, Aug. 6, as we will be hosting a large gathering of Catholic school teachers for an Archdiocesan-wide in-service workshop. We expect upwards of 900 teachers on campus and the only place we can fit them before they break into small groups is the church. Parking will be at a premium so keep that in mind if you will be visiting campus that day. Thanks in advance for your understanding and patience.

Peace, Fr. Sean