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July 23, 2024Dear friends in Christ,
On this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time our gospel comes from John 6, and we’ll read from it for the next five weeks all the way through August. Given that it is going to be resounding in our ears, and hopefully, our hearts, too, I would encourage you to take time to read the entire chapter now, and keep it bookmarked in your bible. Come back to it frequently over the next month and let it be a source of reflection in your personal prayer life.
John 6 is the longest single chapter in the New Testament and so it is good to take one’s time with it. Today we read from the first 15 verses of the chapter and it includes the well-known miracle story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. The entirety of John 6 is referred to as the “Bread of Life discourse” (or teaching). Time and again we will hear Jesus return to this theme that he himself is the true bread that has come down from heaven. We would do well then to ask ourselves what are we feeding ourselves on? If it is anything less than that one and same bread of Jesus, we will never be satiated. All of John 6 highlights the importance of the Eucharist to our life as Catholic Christians, and as the recently concluded National Eucharistic Congress proved, the centrality of the Body and Blood of Christ is a driving force for the renewal of the life of the Church. May it be so for us every day!
Now, on to other matters. Raise your hand if, like me, you cannot believe that we have reached the final weekend of July. Where did the month go? For that matter, where did the summer go? It seems like it just began, but in just a matter of weeks the kids will be back in school. It doesn’t seem possible. So much for an endless summer!
With the start of school it means that the start of our Religious Education year is not far behind, with the kickoff of Catechetical Sunday being on Sept. 15. As I’ve reminded you previously, please be sure your school-age children are registered now so that you and your family will be ready for the beginning of our formation year. Visit www.ctrcc.com/re for elementary-age children, and www.ctryouth.com for junior and senior high students.
When you are registering your child for RE classes, please be sure to also sign up yourself to be a catechist or aide. We are in great need of a number of catechists to teach our children, from the littlest ones in the early grades on through middle school and high school. In particular, there is a need for adults to be part of what we call our Core Team for Rise (junior high) and Encounter (high school). Our youth ministry program continues to grow, and thanks to your feedback in last year's survey and listening sessions, we are excited to be implementing some new initiatives this year. To make that possible and to ensure that we have enough adult leaders to journey with the teens, we are in need of adults (21+) who are willing to be Core Team leaders or Core Team Assistants.
Core Team members work with small groups of students as a spiritual mentor, so to speak, walking with them throughout the year. Our Youth Ministers do the overarching teaching to the whole of the group, but we need many Core Team members to be able to shepherd a group of 6-8 students in small groups, breaking open the Word of God and giving them a place to call their own in the Church. It’s a wonderful way to get involved in the life of the parish and our young people as you live out the call of Stewardship of your time and talent. We’ll train you and give you all the support you need. There is no greater gift than to pass on the faith to a child, so please consider joining this important ministry of CtR. For more information or to volunteer, please contact [email protected] or go to the youth ministry webpage at ctryouth.com
Speaking of Religious Education, I’m happy to announce that we will again be hosting an apprentice from the University of Notre Dame’s Echo program for a two-year stint beginning next month. Paul-Mark Eroma will take on a variety of roles and responsibilities in our Religious Education department, and we look forward to his ministry in our community. As with previous apprentices, those in the Echo program are enrolled at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, to obtain their master's in Theology while simultaneously being assigned to work in parishes throughout the country. Paul-Mark is part of a cohort of four apprentices living together in northwest Houston and working at Prince of Peace, St. Ignatius, and St. Edward parishes in addition to CtR.
Paul-Mark comes to us with a wealth of pastoral experience in his native Archdiocese of Ibadan, Nigeria, and is the first international student we’ve had through Notre Dame. While he’ll serve our entire community, I have no doubt that our sizable contingent of parishioners from Nigeria will make him feel right at home! He’s the sixth apprentice that has been assigned to us over the years, and like the others, I know that we will learn as much from him as he will from us. This is his first time ministering in the U.S. and he’s eager to learn about the Church and pastoral life in the U.S. We’ll be sure to introduce him to the community at an upcoming Sunday Mass, so please join me in welcoming him to CtR.
One area that we are going to assist him with is finding a good, dependable, used car. If you know of anyone selling a car in the $5,000-6,000 range, please contact me in the parish office. Notre Dame has given him a stipend to buy one as he’ll need reliable transportation the next two years, so if you have any leads on a vehicle for sale, please let me know and I’ll pass it on to him.
Peace, Fr. Sean