The Grapevine - Dec 2015

Grapevine the St. Francis

December 2015

2015

uThe Pet Blessing has become a favorite aspect of our Fest amoung the Community. vSilent Auction Baskets abounded throughout the day and at the Dinner. The Wine Pull was a new and popular activity this year as well. wFacepainting + Games kept the kids busy during the day. xThe Outreach Garage Sale brings people from all over Grapevine and beyond to get some amazing deals, all to benefit our Outreach. yThe Petting Zoo was a favorite among the kids, especially as they got to feed the animals. zInternational Food + Good Conversation are two of the highlights of the Community Fest Dinner Auction. {The Book & Record Nook

Community Fest IN

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ensures parish members have a place to donate old books and find

v new ones each year. |The Occasional Piñatas ensured the kids left with lots of goodies and prizes. }The Dinner Auction

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helped to raise money for our parish Outreach and for other community non-profits, all while encouraging fellowship among the parish.

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A NEWSLETTER OF ST FRANCIS CATHOLIC CHURCH • 861 WILDWOOD LN, GRAPEVINE TX • SFATX.ORG

FROM THE PASTOR

OFFICE HOURS Monday - 9:15 am - 8:30 pm Thursday (closed for lunch

Friday Sunday

12:00 pm - 1:30 pm)

9:15 am - 12:00 pm 8:30 am - 12:30 pm

CHURCH HOURS Monday - Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

8:00 am - 8:30 pm 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 8:00 am - 6:00 pm 7:00 am - 5:30 pm

MASS SCHEDULE WEEKENDS (nursery/guardería) Saturday Vigil 5:00 pm Sunday 8:00 am 10:00 am

(en español) 1:00 pm 4:30 pm WEEKDAYS Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1st Saturday

8:30 am 6:00 pm 8:30 am 8:30 am 8:30 am

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

861 Wildwood Lane Grapevine, Texas 76051 817.481.2685 // sfatx.org

It has been a whirlwind of activity at St. Francis since fall and the beginning of classes. Religious education is in full swing, and we have over 700 children learning about their faith and drawing closer to Christ. I am particularly excited about our endeavor to start a pilot program of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd this fall. It has been a huge success thus far, and I look forward to expanding this Montessori-based religious education program in the coming years.

I am also very excited to have the National Evangelization Team (NET) here. “The Netters,” as they are called, have been a wonderful addition to our parish. They have been working with our youth and going out into the community to draw in nonpracticing and disaffected youth. Over the course of the next three years, they will be starting small groups, doing one-on-one ministry with our youth, and empowering youth to take their role as an evangelist seriously.

Our annual Community Fest this past October was a huge success.

I would like to thank all of those individauls on the Fest Committee for their dedication to putting on a wonderful event. The Fest directly benefits our own St. Francis Outreach Center, as well as other community causes. Thank you for all those who supported the Community Fest.

Our fall has been full of other fun and impactful activities, including our first installment of SEEK, Trunk or Treat, the Women of Grace Conference, the Catholicism & Islam talk by Tom Carroll, and our adult catechesis course - Literature as Prophecy. I encourage you to participate in activities such as these in the coming months. They are vital to the life of the parish! You can read about these events and those scheduled for the coming months in this issue of The Grapevine.

As we begin December, we are entering into Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas. The coming weeks are a special time for prayer, reflection and penance to prepare for the Christmas season, which begins (not ends!) on December 25th. Please make sure to use the Advent season to go to Confession and pray that you may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. The Advent and Christmas schedule can be found in this newsletter and on our website: sfatx.org.

God’s blessings to you and your family, Fr. James Flynn Pastor

PARISH HAPPENINGS

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ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?

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This question of Jesus found in Luke 18 gives us a reminder of what Advent is about – The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the preparation we make for Him. This is a time in our lives when we can take another spiritual leap forward in our lifelong journey with God and lifelong growth in holiness. It can be a focused time to allow “the true light, which enlightens everyone” (John 1:9), to shine in the remaining areas of darkness in our hearts. We know that God’s love and grace is available to all people alike (Matthew 5:45), however the difference between the holy, happy children of God and the desolate, desperate people of darkness is in the reception of that love and grace and our response to them. This Advent, let us avail ourselves to the many graces that God offers us this season, and “let every heart prepare Him room.”

31ST ANNUAL ST. FRANCIS CHRISTMAS CONCERT Sunday, December 13 // 7:30 pm // Church

Join the St. Francis Adult Choir, accompanied by full orchestra, and the Spanish Ensemble for a night of music. Both groups have been busy since August preparing a spectacular program guaranteed to get you in the Spirit of Christmas!

This year’s concert will feature a variety of music styles that are both expressive and entertaining: traditional, madrigal, gospel, and contemporary. From the “Festival of Carols” featuring selections from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, to the captivating contemporary setting of the 9th century chant “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” concertgoers will experience a rich diversity of music.

There will be plenty of foot-tapping during the gospel rendition of “Jesus is the King” and “Joy, Joy, Joy!” And no Christmas Concert would be complete without the utterly moving “O Holy Night.”

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Advent Mission Feast of the Immaculate Conception Vigil Mass Advent Mission

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7 pm

Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy Begins

Feast of the Immaculate Conception Masses

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7 pm 6 pm

Advent Mission Reconciliation Service Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration 31st Annual St. Francis Christmas Concert Christmas Vigil Masses

6 am 12:15 pm 6 pm 7 pm 7 pm 7:30 am 7:30 pm

(Children’s Mass) 4 pm (Overflow - FLC) 4:15 pm

7 pm

(Carol Service @ 11:30 pm) Midnight

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Christmas Day Masses

9 am

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Solemnity of Mary Vigil Mass

6 pm

Solemnity of Mary Mass

10 am

(Spanish) 11 am

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All families are invited to participate in our

Children’s Christmas Mass December 24 • 4 pm Bring a gift for baby Jesus, participate in a candle procession, and join together as we sing traditional Christmas carols!

Our Spanish Ensemble at the parish is one of the best in the diocese.

In addition to some traditional Hispanic selections, the group will sing half of their program bilingually, including the popular “Mary Did You Know” and “The Angel Song.”

Listen to and learn about the Christmas carols we will be singing & find out more:

sfatx.org/childrens-christmas

This is the one time of year that the music ministry performs rather than leads the music, and we certainly would love to sing to a full house! Tickets go on sale Nov. 28 and can be purchased at the church office, from Denise Brooks, or any choir member. They will also be sold after the Masses on the weekends of Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13. Tickets are just $5 per person with a maximum of $20 per family.

Childcare will be provided with advance registration. the St. Francis

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PARISH HAPPENINGS At many parishes, the working assumption is that everyone has a pretty good grasp of the basic tenets of Christianity. This is either an explicit assumption (“We don’t need to spend time on that. People know this stuff.”), or it’s an implicit assumption because no time and effort is spent addressing the basic questions Christianity raises in the life of nonbelievers, new believers, and even long-time Christians.

While we use words like resurrection, conversion, evil, sin, prayer, catechesis, evangelization, discipleship, and others in our Church environment, we’re gaining around 20 new parish families a month who may not be familiar with these words or truly understand their meaning. On top of that, if we really want to give non-Catholics, atheists and even Protestants the opportunity to become Catholic, how easy is it for them to learn our language?

How easy, as a parish, do we make it for new parishioners and new Christians to come to understand the faith as reasonable and life-changing? More importantly, while many of us might enjoy a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ and a daily prayer life, how easy is it for new parishioners to encounter the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ? This fall, we decided to try and address these realities — hence our program, SEEK.

In Review

SEEK was a 10-week series on the basic tenets of Christianity, and an open, safe forum for honest discussion on the big questions in life. The goal was to create a space that was easy for parishioners to invite non-Catholics and easy to create dialogue. While we were creating the program, we were obviously a little nervous. Would our parishioners find the ten weeks helpful and interesting? Would non-Catholics come? Would there be good conversations? Thankfully, now that the first installment is over, we can answer all these questions with “yes!” So what comes next?

If we consider this quote, “If you fail to plan you plan to fail,” then it is true that we won’t make disciples of Jesus Christ on accident. We won’t battle atheism or secularism or complacency if we don’t have a plan. When a family becomes part of our parish, or when a non-Catholic who is interested in the Faith comes into our Church, will it be clear to them where they should go to learn this foundation? Will it be clear to them what the plan is?

We recorded every talk of SEEK and are creating a resource for parishioners to use in small group formats. Our vision is to have SEEK small groups running all throughout the year, all over the Grapevine and extended area.

Small groups that can plug new parishioners and old into intentional Christian community. Small groups that will be landing pads for new parishioners and new Christians. A space where every parish member of St. Francis can bring their questions about life and build a foundational personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This fall’s SEEK was the experiment and the first step. But we are building a foundation. A plan. And we need your help.

Watch the website and bulletin for details on how you can host or participate in a small group soon!

2015 TRUNK OR TREAT

MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT

CRHP CHRIST RENEWS HIS PARISH

Christ Renews His Parish is designed to “search, call and challenge” Catholics to commit themselves to spiritual growth and discipleship in Jesus. The weekend retreats are a space of renewal at St. Francis, inviting each of us to a deeper encounter with Christ, to experience Christian community at a new level, to immerse ourselves in the Living Word, and to commit (or recommit) ourselves to living the Gospel message and sharing it with others.

Feel new to the parish, or just returning to the faith? CRHP is for you! Ignite your faith with an awesome retreat provided by fellow parishioners. Involved in every ministry and feeling “plugged in?” CRHP will fan the flame of the Holy Spirit in your faith life and recharge your batteries with adoration and quiet time with God. Somewhere in the middle? CRHP will help you take your faith to the next level through testimony and reconciliation. Experience mass, adoration, reconciliation, scripture, prayer, testimony, praise, fellowship and awesome food. “The purpose of CRHP is to build, strengthen and support the Church by bringing parishioners together to build upon the parish foundation.” said a CHRP member, “CRHP supports the Church in many activities, such as festivals, food drives, dinners, lay ministries, teaching of the youth, choir, ushers, and many other church activities.” The next retreat is for women and scheduled for January 30-31, 2016. It is held in the Family Life Center and is FREE! Lots of prayer and preparation go into every participant, so a reservation is required. For more information or to register, contact Kate Velasco at katetonyv@verizon.net or 214-718-4853.

ALTAR SERVERS

Few roles in the parish, aside from the priests and deacons, have a more intimate call to service than altar servers. As St. Pope John Paull II said at a general audience in 2001, it is an honor and “The altar server occupies privilege to serve at the altar. These young men a privileged place in the and women stand as representatives of the Church liturgical celebration. community at each Mass, assisting the priest and He who serves at Mass... deacons and ensuring that the Mass runs smoothly. experiences firsthand that For many, this is their first job — an opportunity to Jesus Christ is present learn responsibility, leadership and commitment. and active in every As Susan Sullivan, the ministry coordinator, liturgical act. Above all, reiterates, “Altar servers follow directions, learn a you are servers of Jesus new skill, must be punctual, must be observant; Christ, of the eternal these are all really valuable qualities that will help High Priest. Thus, you, them in life and future employment. It gives the altar servers, are called opportunity to consider vocations in the Catholic in particular to be young Church. It instills the ideas that every person friends of Jesus.” has an important role, and that volunteering is important to the community.” At St. Francis, all St. Pope John Paul II altar servers are required to be at least 10 years of age and have made their First Communion.

Because the servers are already attending Mass, there is little additional time commitment, other than to arrive about 15 minutes early. We are currently in need of additional altar servers here at St. Francis of Assisi. If you are interested in joining this ministry, please contact Susan Sullivan at smas.sullivan@gmail.com or 817-614-1586.

All new altar servers must attend a brief training session, where they will go through the Mass with a presider and some experienced servers, who will explain their duties. This ministry is a great opportunity for the teens of our parish to get involved, fulfill community service hours, make friends, and experience the Mass in an intimate and powerful way! the St. Francis

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OUTREACH IN ACTION

A Season of Giving: Baskets & Angel Trees

While we are all preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with our families, our St. Francis Outreach is doing the same — only they are assisting over 75 families prepare! This entails providing over 165 Thanksgiving and Christmas meal baskets, complete with meat, sides, and gift cards to purchase perishables, like milk and eggs. For the families who receive these baskets, there would be no celebration or meal without the assistance of our Outreach. “We allow them to enjoy the holiday season, rather than worry about how they will provide a meal or gifts for their children.” says Mary Molini, Director of St. Francis Outreach. These families also benefit from our St. Francis Angel Tree Program. “I always ensure that the children receive a new oufit, complete with shoes and a coat, along with a special toy or something they want, rather than need. We also give the parents gift cards, so they have some freedom to purchase what their family needs in addition to what we provide.” With over 75 families benefiting from this program, that means around 700 boy and girl ornaments and 300 gift card ornaments are created and fulfilled every year. “Each child has mulitple ornaments,” Mary says. “This ensures that more St. Francis families can participate in the program because they aren’t having to purchase as much.” Mary takes great pride in our Angel Tree Program, providing the parents with gift wrap so they can personally wrap the gifts they are giving their children. “They are so grateful for the little bit of participation this affords them.” All St. Francis families are encouraged to bring food items for the baskets, pick up an angel ornament (or two), or give gift cards in smaill amounts ($20-30). See the bulletin for more details on needs and deadlines. “This program would not be a success without the support of our parish family. These families appreciate your generosity more than you can imagine. Thank you!”

STAFF Q&A RIJO PHILIP

Rijo, a seminarian for the Diocese of Fort Worth, is spending his pastoral year here at St. Francis. As the newest (although temporary) staff member, we wanted share a bit about him with the parish: Describe your role AT THE PARISH. In discerning the priesthood, I am dabbling into many ministries and helping in limited pastoral tasks, such as being a chaplain to our NET team and helping to get a Young Adult Ministry running.

Tell us a bit about your family. My parents emigrated from India in the early 1970s and met in Chicago, where they began our family. So I wasn’t born in Texas, but I did get here as fast as I could – at the age of 4. I have an older brother who is married and has 7-year-old twin girls, and I have a younger sister who has been married for one year.

I was raised in a prayerful Catholic family, and my upbringing was instrumental in my relationship with God and my discernment of a priestly vocation.

Where did you go to school? I have a BBA in Management from Texas A&M, and I graduated from medical school at UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth. I began my seminary studies at the University of Dallas, and I am currently pursuing a Master of Divinity and Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology from Catholic University of America.

What is your favorite scripture passage?

One favorite is John 6:56, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

Can we imagine greater intimacy with our Lord here on earth? (What a gift! Can remove this too) The Eucharist truly is a taste of heaven.

What is AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOU? I played varsity basketball for 2 years at The Colony HS, where I was also Valedictorian and elected Most Likely to Succeed. In college, I was a 1st-Team All American in Men’s Collegiate Club Volleyball.

What is your favorite part about working here? Working with wonderful people and serving our Lord in an environment conducive for growing in holiness. I have felt very welcome here, and I have greatly enjoyed being with Fr. Flynn.

I really appreciate the community for their love for me and support of my vocation.

PRESCHOOL NEWS

Fun Fall Activities at the Preschool

Our Parish Preschool is having a great year! Our new Director, Ms. Karen Bedore, is very excited about how well we are learning and growing through our prayers and our curriculum. We started the year off in September with a School Blessing in the Church by Fr. Flynn. The 3 and 4-year-olds visit the Chapel each week and talk about the Saint we are studying each month, as well as Jesus and the Bible stories in our “I Am Special” curriculum. Our Toddlers and Twos take walks through the Church, as well to visit Jesus. Our parents were excited to visit the school at our Open House/Parent Night.

They were able to see all the activities, and the children were able to show off lots of arts and crafts. The parents also had the chance to come to a Fall Coffee, after drop-off, and meet with other parents from each classroom.

Friendships began, and play-dates were made! We started October with our fabulous Pet Blessing! We had real pets, as well as stuffed pets, that were blessed by Fr. Flynn. The children are always excited to see Fr. Flynn because they know how much fun they have with him! Also in October, we learned about community helpers and had a visit from some of our local fire station. We watched one fireman get dressed in all his gear, and we saw all the hoses and tools on the fire truck. We even got to climb on the fire truck. We ended the month by going trick-or-treating through the church offices, and then a parade and party in the FLC. Please stop by and visit us to see the wonderful things that go on in Preschool, or contact Karen at kbedore@sfatx.org to set-up a tour!

HOLY TRINITY HIGHLIGHTS The students of Holy Trinity Catholic School have been very busy this fall! We welcomed the school year with our new Principal, Dr. John Shreve. The core motto of Learn, Serve and Lead has been ever present with the students. Holy Trinity Catholic School is accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year.

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uVolleyball Champs HTCS placed first at the St. Joseph 8th Grade Post Season Volleyball Tournament. v&wLiving Rosary The student body recites a Living Rosary for Respect Life. Students from Our Mother Mercy School joined in prayer.x&ySixth Grade Service Students worked in the Creating Hope Donation Center at Catholic Charities - Fort Worth, conducting a donation drive called House of Hope for the CCFW Families First program.zDr. Shreve - Our New Principal {HTCS Football Team is off to a great start! |&}Respect Life Month Students load diapers collected for the parish outreach services during Respect Life Month. the St. Francis

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ST FRANCIS FAMILIES 1,200 miles apart. As crazy and unexpected as it was, we believed in it and each other and made it work. We were together, but apart, for a little over 2 years before we married. It’s pretty amazing how God works and what you find in some of the most unexpected places.

We feel that we are really blessed to have found each other.

Rugg Family Tell us a bit about your family.

We have been married for 10 years now and have three beautiful daughters, Gabrielle (10), Amelia (5) and Kate (4). Gabrielle is in 5th grade at Dove Elementary and sings in her school choir, a proud member of her Junior Girl Scout troop, and loves to play softball.

Amelia has attended the St. Francis Preschool for four years now, and Kate has attended for two. I (Eddie) wear many hats being a stay-at-home-mom. I am a Tupperware Consultant; I volunteer at each of the girls’ schools for their classes, and I help head up the MOMS Group here, too. Jake works at the Mary Kay Cosmetics Corporate office in Addison as a Large Format Printing and Design/Layout Specialist. He is a Catholic convert since 2010 due to the great work of the Holy Spirit and his own studying/discerning. He was actually confirmed during the same mass at which we had Amelia baptized. It was a really special moment for our family for sure.

What is an interesting fact about your family that people may not suspect or know?

Jake & I met in a rather unusual way. I was working with Cutco Cutlery during my college years at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Co. It was the summer before my senior year that I was promoted to Branch Manager and took on the responsibility of opening a branch office for other college students for the summer. I chose Monroe, LA, which is the closest branch city to Grapevine (so my family could see me on weekends), but 1,200 miles away from my district office near CSU. Jake was hired in my first group of interviews and then became my top-selling rep for Cutco that summer. It wasn’t until the last week of the summer, that we both realized we liked each other. It was then that, without much hesitation, we decided to start a long-distance relationship - 17 hours by car,

Do you have any fun or interesting family traditions?

Whenever we gather together with our family back in rural Downsville, LA, we celebrate “family Christmas” by wearing our pajamas, slippers and sometimes robes for the whole day! It’s a fun tradition for the 16 of us (which includes the 8 grandkids, ages 4-11). It all starts in the morning with Mimi preparing breakfast pizza and coffee, then it’s off to the living room to start opening presents. Then later there’s always a showing of “Home Alone” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” We all love Christmas but love when we can spend it all together.

What is one way your family prays together?

We make it a point to try to eat dinner together every night if possible; when we do, the girls take turns saying the blessing over our meal. We try to share at least one good thing that has happened in each of our days, too. I happened to give Kate a thumb rosary a few months ago, and she has really treasured it and keeps it safe under her pillow. I love that she thinks it’s really special and likes to very deliberately pick her bead to pray on for that night. She will then choose to pray the “Our Father” or the “Hail Mary.” Since Amelia and Kate share a room, Amelia goes along with it all and we pray this together right before they go to bed.

What drew you to St. Francis of Assisi Parish?

My family has been members of St. Francis since 1993, when we moved to Grapevine. When our family moved from Louisiana to Texas 4 ½ years ago, it was just the natural place to come back to.

What do you love most about the parish?

Although the parish has changed over the years, most recently with Fr. Flynn’s vision, it’s becoming a place for our Catholic faith to be nourished and our parish community to be more knowledgeable, faithful and stronger than ever. There is always something going on at church. It makes me excited to have our family involved in many ways, for our girls to be comfortable, yet respectful, of our church and proud to call St. Francis our home.

Wilson Family Tell us a bit about your family.

We have three younger children – Mac (9), Keegan (7), and Reese (5) – and one older son, Austin, who is married and lives in Chicago. Mac (4th) and Keegan (1st) attend Holy Trinity Catholico School, and Reese attends a preschool near our home. Dan is an account manager for Forsythe Solutions Group and Lara is a stay-at-home mom. We also have a 10 ½ year old black lab, named Trooper.

What is an interesting fact about your family that people may not suspect or know?

Although we don’t know many parish families yet, Dan has been a member of St. Francis since 1981, when it was a small wooden church on the other side of Northwest Highway (except for a ten-year hiatus, when he lived in GA).

Do you have any fun or interesting family traditions?

When Lara was little, her favorite tradition was icing Christmas sugar cookies. Now we make over 200 sugar cookies every year, and we let our kids invite friends to ice their own cookies and take them home to their families. Lara usually ends up icing over 100 cookies each year.

What is one way your family prays together?

We haven’t been good about daily prayer, until we hosted the NET women in early October. Since then, we pray together as a family each night. We say an “Our Father” and a “Hail Mary.” Then each one of us says for what we are thankful, for what we are sorry, for what we need prayers or for all of the above. Then Dan reads a daily prayer and we conclude our prayers. We pray before our dinner meals and are making prayer a more natural, essential part of our days.

What parish ministries is your family involved in?

Most recently, we hosted four of the NET ministry members. The women of NET were a complete joy to have in our home and helped us grow closer to God.

In every issue, we will feature 1-2 families from our parish. Each of these families contributes to what makes St. Francis a thriving community. We are honored they call us home. To nominate a family to be featured, contact dmilliken@sfatx.org.

What mass does your family usually attend?

We bounce back and forth between 10 AM Sunday and 5 PM Saturday, depending upon activities. We like the 4:30 PM Mass on Sunday, too. We like to keep our attendance a surprise!

What drew you to St. Francis of Assisi Parish?

Dan has attended St. Francis since he was in the 7th grade. Father B was a great influence on Dan and his entire family. Dan was confirmed by Father B. We moved from Atlanta to Trophy Club in 2009 and rejoined St. Francis.

How would you describe our parish if you were to explain it to an outsider or fallen away Catholic?

Parishioners are humble, fallible and most can empathize with those who have fallen away from Catholicism or have doubts about it.

What do you love most about the parish?

Fr. Flynn, who inspires us and the rest of the parish to grow closer to Christ. He has reinvigorated our family’s faith.

HOST THE NET TEAM! We are looking for willing families to host members of our NET Team for 2-3 weeks at a time. All they need is a roof over their heads, food and a family to pray with. This is integral to the ministry of NET at St. Francis, as they could not be here without hosts!

SIGN-UP: sfatx.org/ministries/net

SFA NET Team with the Wilson Family the St. Francis

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MINISTERIO HISPANO ACTIVIDADES REALIZADAS

CATEQUESIS ES...

- Tomar conciencia de lo que nos pasa - Iluminados por el Evangelio - para seguir juntos a Jesucristo - transformándolo todo

u RETIRO DE PAREJAS Próximas a recibir el sacramento del matrimonio las parejas tuvieron un día de reflexión. Felicidades a los nuevos esposos. v&w JÓVENES PARA CRISTO Los días 9, 10 y 11 de octubre. El grupo jóvenes para Cristo en su retiro de crecimiento.

Gracias a Dios por tantas maravillas. x FIESTA DE TODOS LOS SANTOS Promoviendo vivir en santidad cada día.

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CONTACTO

Sr. Rosy Rodríguez Treviño, MCSH rosyrodriguez@sfatx.org 817-481-2685 ext. 239

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YOUTH MINISTRY

INTO THE DEEP: Fall Middle School Retreat A Reflection by Kimberly Blan

The Fall Middle School Retreat was an amazing experience for me! The theme of the retreat was “Into The Deep,” inspired by Luke 5:1-11. Nic gave a talk about “The Call of Simon, the Fisherman.” Out of all the talks, Nic’s talk made the most impact on me. I was amazed at Peter’s conversion from calling Jesus “Master” to calling Him “Lord.” When Jesus told Peter to cast out his net into deep water, Peter replied “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but on your command I will lower the nets.” After they lowered their nets and brought them up to the surface, the nets were filled with loads of fish, to the point that their boats were in danger of sinking. At this Peter was amazed and fell to his knees and said, “Depart from me, oh Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Jesus replied, “Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men.” Nic told us that by this, Jesus meant not to be afraid of our own personal limits, for He is Lord. After Nic’s talk, Brittany also gave a talk about sin. After each talk, we split into small groups, then Nic had us all meet outside at the back entrance of the Church. Nic gave us all glow sticks and told us it was so cars could see us while we were walking. At first we didn’t know where we were going, but then we all figured out we were going to Grapevine Lake. When we got there , Nic and JP from the NET Team were already there, and they had carried a table, a Crucifix, and Nic’s guitar. Earlier, Nic told us he got a minnow for each person who came to the retreat, so the minnows were also there with us. We all knelt down in prayer, and while we were praying, in my heart I felt love and joy, like the Lord was kneeling right beside me; it was an amazing feeling! After that, on the count of three, we let the minnows go free, and all shouted “Into The Deep!” and ‘Free Willy!” It was an amazing retreat, and I’m looking forward to THE TWITTER VERSION: one in the Spring.

#Prayed, Prayed some more, Accidentally killed some minnows, Prayed for the minnows, prayed at the end, how was your retreat?

STAFF BLOG SAMPLINGS

Meet the St. Francis NET Team!

NET Team 14 here! On our first day at St. Francis, we went straight into small groups within an hour of arriving. We have not slowed down since! So far, we have helped Nic and Edmund with high school and middle school youth groups, thrown a NET housewarming party for the youth, and hosted the first ever middle school retreat. Our team has done a lot of outreach all over Grapevine, attending various high school football games and lunches at Catholic schools around the area. We’ve also been building relationships with young people by meeting with them one-on-one.

It’s been a great time, and we can’t wait to see what else the Lord has in store for us!

Now that you have a feel for what our team does, we would like to introduce ourselves. Team 14, like any team, is a team made up of different faces that come from plenty of different places.

JP Sullivan is a 20-year-old from Portales, New Mexico. Prior to NET, JP finished his freshman year at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. There, he was introduced to NET Ministries and set on fire with a desire to share his faith. JP looks forward to engaging with the youth and inspiring others to live out their faiths with passion.

Hannah Harmon is an 18-year-old from Valdosta, Georgia. Hannah graduated from Lowndes High School this past May and plans on doing more mission work after serving this year with NET, either doing mission work outside of the country or a second year with NET. Hannah has a huge desire to serve the Kingdom of God by sharing her love for the Lord and is overjoyed to share that same love for God here at St. Francis.

Anna Marquard is an 18-year-old from Faribault, Minnesota. Anna graduated from Bethlehem Academy Catholic High School in May, and she plans on attending Benedictine College in Kansas after serving with NET. Anna has a great zeal for living out her faith and looks forward to investing herself in the parish life and sharing the love of the Lord with others.

David Martinez is a 24-year-old from Portland, Oregon. Before NET, David was a cage fighter for Team Quest and then worked as a union carpenter for 3 years. David has a passion for serving the Lord in big and small ways every day. He looks forward to growing stronger in God’s love and learning more about his own faith by serving with NET here at St. Francis.

Nick O’Brien is an 18-year-old from Fishers, Indiana. Before serving with NET, Nick graduated from Fishers High School, and he plans on attending Butler University in the fall of 2016.

He loves the Lord with a great fervor and serves Him wholeheartedly in everything he does.

Nick is passionate about sharing the love of God that he knows and looks forward to sharing that same love with the youth this year.

Maria DeRoo is a 22-year-old from Columbus, Ohio. This past May, Maria graduated from Ohio State University with a B.S. in Psychology. Maria has a passion for her faith, and is so excited to have the opportunity to share that passion here at St. Francis this school year!

Joey Horn is a 20-year-old from McConnelsville, Ohio. Joey graduated from high school in 2014. This is Joey’s second year serving with NET Ministries; last year, Joey served on a traveling team that traveled predominately around the East Coast of the United States. Joey has a kind heart and loves sharing the joy and compassion of the Lord to everyone that he meets, he is excited to be here at St. Francis to further the Lord’s kingdom.

Christina Malliet is a 26-year-old from Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Christina graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in English and French in 2012. She completed her Master’s in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in the summer of 2015. While at St. Francis, Christina looks forward to preparing youth to be orthodox leaders in the Catholic faith and fall even more in love with the Catholic Church. the St. Francis Grapevine 11

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2016 DATES TO REMEMBER

DAY

DATE

EVENT

FRI-SAT

JAN 15-16 Confirmation Retreat

FRI

JAN 29

Father - Daughter Dance

SAT

FEB 6

Mardi Gras Chilli Cook-off

WED

FEB 10

Ash Wednesday

FRI-SAT

FEB 12-13

Spring Middle School Retreat

FRI-SAT

FEB 26-27

Spring Middle School Lock-in

SAT

MAR 26

Easter Egg Hunt

SUN

MAR 27

Easter Sunday

TUES FRI

MAR 29 APR 8

Holy Land Pilgrimage with Father Flynn

FRI

APR 15

Volunteer Appreciation Event

SAT

APR 23

North Texas Catholic Men’s Conference

SAT

APR 30

Confirmation

SAT

MAY 7

First Communion - Bilingual

SAT

MAY 14

First Communion - English

SAT

MAY 21

First Communion - Spanish

SAT

JUN 11

Parish Picnic & BBQ Cook-off

SAT

OCT 1

Community Fest

St. Francis recently hosted the National Women of Grace Conference entitled ‘Woman’s Influence, Effect and Power: Reclaiming the Feminine Ideal’. Among the many topics covered was spiritual warfare, authentic femininity, leading and praying with your family. Johnette Benkovic, founder of Women of Grace International, along with her team of speakers and volunteers conveyed the beauty of womanhood and motherhood all enveloped and displayed through our Blessed Mother. Women from all over the country, from California, to Idaho, to Louisiana, came to event. St. Francis was blessed to be chosen as the host parish and we look forward to working with Women of Grace in the future.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the upcoming North Texas Catholic Men’s Conference happening here at St. Francis as well on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Speakers include Fr. Wade Menezes, Vinny Flynn, and St. Francis’ own Jared Zimmerer. For more information head to ntxcmc.org to register and find out more.