Texas Catholic Herald - Nov. 28, 2023

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

A VETERAN SALUTE

ENTERING ADVENT

▪ SEE PAGE 10

▪ SEE PAGES 3, 13 & 14

Schools, parishes host Veterans Day events to honor those who served

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

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This Advent offers another chance to embrace our faith in a new and different way

Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964

VOL. 60, NO. 11

PRAYING WITH THE BLESSED MOTHER

MINISTRY

Guadalupe celebration returns to Co-Cathedral HOUSTON — Downtown Houston will be filled with music and festivities of ancient Mexican traditions on Saturday, Dec. 9, to celebrate the anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s appearance to a humble Mexican peasant, St. Juan Diego, in 1531.

The parade celebrating the Virgen de Guadalupe Festival is switching times and locations for its 51-year anniversary.

The procession will begin at 8 a.m. at 1700 Bell with dancers and drummers in costumes adorned with feathers and shells.

The route will end at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., where a 10 a.m. Mass is scheduled with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, See GUADALUPE, page 4

EDUCATION

CNS PHOTOS

Pilgrims are seen carrying candles while moving in procession at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France during a Marian celebration in this long-exposure photograph. Every day, from April to October, a candlelight Marian procession takes place at night in Lourdes, moving from the Grotto of Apparitions to the esplanade of the Rosary Basilica.

On journey toward God with Mary on pilgrimages across the world

UST president sees with gratitude, hope amidst record growth

BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — When Dr. Richard Ludwick, president of the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston, speaks about the current life and future of the city’s only Catholic university, his eyes have a distinct sparkle, and it’s not just his glasses.

During a recent interview with the Texas Catholic Herald, he reflected on his journey to UST and what inspires him in the students, faculty and staff of the school’s growing community.

At the end of the 2023 fall semester, Ludwick will mark his six-and-a-half year anniversary at the school, which is located in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, with its stark 30-foot black-and-white granite wall and the soaring golden dome of the Chapel of See LUDWICK, page 5

THE FIRST WORD † 3

A woman lights a candle as she prays at the grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern France.

BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — In the midst of December, several celebrations involve our Mother of God with the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary on Dec. 8, Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day on Dec. 12 and Our Savior’s birth on Dec. 25.

On a recent Marian pilgrimage with a group of 37, mostly parishioners from St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park, Father Reginald Samuels led the 13-day journey toward God at shrines starting with Fatima, Portugal; Santiago de Compostela, Spain; and Lourdes, France.

The pilgrimage group arrived at Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel in Fatima on Oct. 11 to celebrate their first Mass in Europe. Their minds and prayers focused

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COLUMNISTS † 12 - 14

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on peace, with war breaking out in Israel and Palestine and continuing battles in Ukraine.

The Mass in Fatima began with a reading from the book of the Apocalypse.

“Here God lives among men… His name is God-with-them… He will wipe away

ESPAÑOL † 17

all tears from their eyes; there will be no more death and no more mourning or sadness.”

The group was relieved to find out that other pilgrimages traveling in the Holy Land and trapped in Israel during the violence were finally able to leave for home through Jordan and Egypt.

Father Samuels said, “The Marian shrine pilgrimage was a journey of faith.

See PILGRIMAGE, page 6

| AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE † 19

2 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

U.S. BISHOPS ASSEMBLY 2023

U.S. bishops support request for pope to name St. John Henry Newman doctor of the Church BALTIMORE (OSV News) — The U.S. bishops voted almost unanimously (with two “no” votes) on Nov. 15 to support a request by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales that Pope Francis name St. John Henry Newman, the 19th-century British cardinal, a doctor of the Church.

Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, chair of the doctrine committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), presented the question to the body of bishops, including Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS. A majority of members present and voting was needed to pass the motion.

Bishop Flores said in June that the conference received the request from Vincent Cardinal Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, requesting “that the USCCB send a letter in support of the proposal.” He noted that the conferences of the Catholic bishops of Ireland and Scotland also have agreed to support this petitionary process.

“The Committee on Doctrine considered this matter back in 2019 and concluded that the writings of St. John Henry Newman are truly eminent and of great relevance for the Church today, especially in the areas of the development

of doctrine, the moral foundations of education, the primacy of conscience, the role of the laity and the search for the truth, amongst many others,” Bishop Flores said. “The committee, therefore, determined that St. John Henry Newman is indeed worthy of this high honor.”

The question received great support from bishops from the floor, including Cardinal DiNardo, Seán Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and several others.

With the bishops’ approval, a letter will be sent to Pope Francis indicating their support, Bishop Flores said.

Born in London in 1801, John Henry Newman was ordained an Anglican priest in 1825. He later founded the Oxford Movement, which emphasized the Catholic roots of Anglicanism.

After a series of clashes with Anglican bishops made him a virtual outcast from the Church of England, he joined the Catholic Church at age 44 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1846.

Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal in 1879 while respecting his wishes not to be ordained a bishop. A theologian and poet, Cardinal Newman died in 1890; his sainthood cause was opened in 1958.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified him in Birmingham, England, in 2010.

LOOKING TO THE EUCHARIST

St. John XXIII celebrates feast day with Eucharistic procession

KATY — Daniel Cardinal DiNardo presided over a Mass for St. John XXIII College Preparatory (SJ23) in Katy on Oct. 11 during a celebration to honor its patron saint and namesake, St. John XXIII. Father Tom Lam, pastor of Epiphany of the Lord Catholic Church in Katy and president of the SJ23 board of directors, concelebrated the Mass with Father Jonathan Mitchican, SJ23 chaplain and theology department chair. Following the Mass, a Eucharistic procession made its way to the gymnasium, The day’s celebration then continued with food, games and activities for the students around the campus. †

Pope Francis declared Cardinal Newman a saint on Oct. 13, 2019.

If he is eventually declared a doctor of the Church — defined by the Church as a saint who, through his or her research, study and writing, has advanced the mission and teaching of Jesus Christ and His Church — he would join 37 men and women who have earned that prestigious title. Most recently, Pope Francis issued a decree declaring St. Irenaeus a doctor of the Church in January 2022. Prior to that, St. Gregory of Narek received the title in April 2015, also by Pope Francis.

The original four doctors of the Church were St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome. Four women — St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Hildegard of Bingen — hold the title.

At a symposium held on the eve of Cardinal Newman’s canonization in 2019, Canadian Marc Cardinal Ouellet made a case for why Newman should be declared a doctor of the Church.

“The depth of this man of God and the place he now occupies in Catholicity make us aware of the void his absence would have left if he had not been,” Cardinal Ouellet said. The cardinal particularly pointed to the new saint’s teaching that “in order to keep its integrality, the faith of the Church must adapt its language to the cultural challenges and the dangers of heresy.”

Newman’s teaching on the development of doctrine held that “although the deposit (of faith) does not change, the Church’s knowledge of it progresses, deepens and is expressed in a new way, always faithful to the original idea,” the cardinal said.

During a presentation by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on the occasion of the first centenary of the death of Cardinal Newman on April 28, 1990, the future pope said that “throughout his entire life, Newman was a person converting, a person being transformed, and thus he always remained and became ever more himself.”

“The characteristic of the great doctor of the Church, it seems to me, is that he teaches not only through his thought and speech but also by his life because within him, thought and life are interpenetrated and defined. If this is so, then Newman belongs to the great teachers of the Church because he both touches our hearts and enlightens our thinking.” †

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THE FIRST WORD EDITOR’S NOTE: Delivery of the Texas Catholic Herald was delayed due to the Thanksgiving holiday. For the latest, visit the TCH website online at WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/TCH.

PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS Effective October 25 Father Jesus Alfonso Fuentes Mora, C.P. In Residence, Holy Name Retreat Center - Houston

ST. ANDREW, pray for us!

OSV NEWS PHOTO

The St. Andrew Novena: Prayerful preparation for Christmas ST. PAUL, Minn. (OSV News) — Ten “We can be caught up in the years ago, Erika Kidd sat at the edge of busyness of preparing for Christmas — a family member’s hospital bed. It was going to concerts, shopping, all of these Say this prayer 15 times each day, almost Christmas; wind buffeted the things — but at least this prayer allows either all at once or throughout the day, window. Quietly, she recited the St. us to stay rooted and grounded and to Andrew Novena over and over again. think about what it is and why it is that starting Nov. 30 to Christmas Eve. “Hail and blessed be the hour and we are celebrating Christmas,” said “Hail and blessed be the moment in which the Son of God was Father Looney, a priest of the Diocese of born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at Green Bay. It can be difficult to keep hour and moment in which midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing track of the prayer’s 15 daily repetitions; the Son of God was born of cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech even if a person misses a day or prays the most pure Virgin Mary, at thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and less than 15 repetitions, Father Looney grant my desires Through the merits of said that the novena is still efficacious. midnight, in Bethlehem, in Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His “There can be a specific grace that the piercing cold. In that hour Blessed Mother. Amen.” you request, but then I think there are vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O It is a curious novena. Unlike a just the different graces of the traditional novena, which spans nine Christmas season …. joy, hope, peace,” my God, to hear my prayer days, it lasts from the feast of St. he said. “The joy of the incarnation — and grant my desires through Andrew on Nov. 30 to Christmas Eve. On that is what we are praying for.” the merits of Our Savior Jesus each of these days, it is repeated 15 Father Looney said that what we pray times, either all at once or throughout the novena for might be answered in a Christ, and of His Blessed the day. The novena has a reputation for different way than we expected.

Mother. Amen.” answered prayers. The prayer recalls the “There is always going to be a grace “hour and the moment” of Christ’s birth given by God. We believe, in our finite “at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the knowledge, that we know what God piercing cold.” It evokes, with precision, the moment of the should do. But God, who is greater than us and knows all things, incarnation is revealed. For Kidd, the darkness at the moment knows what is for our good or their good,” he said. “God is still of Christ’s birth was reminiscent of the cold hospital room. at work, and God is aiding that situation.”

“Waiting in the hospital, I felt myself to be in those dark The prayer has an obscure history. Rachel Fulton Brown, an moments, just before the arrival of Christ,” Kidd said. “And I associate professor of medieval history at the University of prayed that He would come and set all things right... that He Chicago and an expert in medieval Marian devotions, said that would come and save us.” Her request — that her family the repetition of 15 has a long tradition in the Church. member return home in time for Christmas — was answered.

While the monks of the Middle Ages ascended into the Prayers of thanksgiving trod on the heels of her novena. chapel, they recited the 15 psalms traditionally associated “The prayer invites us to take seriously the darkness of our with Mary — Psalms 119-133 in the Vulgate, the Latin current situation: The fact that Christ has not yet come again in translation of the Bible prepared by St. Jerome. Over time, glory, the fact that we are often living with difficult and troubling these 15 psalms became associated with the stairs that the situations, and it invites us to welcome Christ and rejoice in 3-year-old Mary ascended into the temple as recorded in the Christ’s coming,” said Kidd, an associate professor of Catholic “Protoevangelium of James,” an apocryphal, or non-scriptural, studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, Gospel account from the second century that describes the who teaches a class on Mary. infancy of Mary. Although the text does not specify the number For Father Edward Looney, president of the Mariological of steps, the monastic tradition associated each psalm with a Society of America, the St. Andrew Novena is “prayerful step into the temple. Brown said that the St. Andrew Novena’s preparation” for Christmas.

15 repetitions likely stem from this tradition. †

ST. ANDREW NOVENA

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Effective November 9 Father Kokouvi Gato Adamavi, F.M. Parochial Vicar, St. Pius V - Pasadena

BRIEFS Retirement Fund for Religious Collection set for Dec. 9 to 10 HOUSTON — The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection is scheduled in parishes throughout the Archdiocese from Dec. 9 to 10.

The funds from the collection provide financial assistance for retirement needs for women and men religious who have selflessly served for decades without significant financial compensation. Due to escalating healthcare costs, numerous U.S. religious communities face a substantial gap between their elderly members’ needs and the financial resources available for their care. Many religious orders currently experience insufficient retirement savings. To address the deficit in retirement funding among U.S. religious orders, the Catholic bishops of the U.S. initiated the collection in 1988.

For more information, visit www.retiredreligious.org. †

Registration for Steps for Students race continues HOUSTON — More than 12,000 participants are expected to gather downtown on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the 19th Annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk. The event raises funds and awareness for the network of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.

The event will start with Mass at 7 a.m., followed by the presentation of the David Guite Spirit Award. The timed 5K race will begin at 8:30 a.m.; a post-race party will follow the event along with the Catholic School Village. To register, visit www.steps4students.org. †

DSF annual appeal to support Archdiocesan ministries continues

HOUSTON — This year, the theme of the annual Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) appeal is “God is the Strength of My Heart.”

The annual campaign to support 64 Archdiocesewide ministries is underway, and the local Church is asking parishioners to continue their generous giving to DSF. The fund supports a variety of ministries, such as those forming youth in the Catholic faith; providing support and preparation for clergy; teaching, evangelizing, worshiping and outreach to the incarcerated, aging, poor and sick; and programming to strengthen Christian families, among many others.

To pledge online or see a full list of the ministries supported, visit www.archgh.org/dsf. †

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ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Two Masses for Christmas?

Christmas Eve is on Sunday! Do Masses for the Fourth Sunday of Advent count for Christmas Eve? ▪ SEE PAGE 13

Our Lady of Guadalupe procession, festival marks 51-year anniversary downtown GUADALUPE, from page 1 concelebrating.

After Mass, traditional dances and serenades will be performed starting at noon outside the Co-Cathedral, weather permitting, at the 1700 block of San Jacinto between the Chancery building and the Cathedral Centre.

Various Catholic churches will participate with their groups of Matachines dancers and others dressed in Aztec feather headdresses and colorful costumes, honoring the Virgin with their joyful movements and music.

The feast day commemorates the Virgin Mary appearing as Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531 to Juan Diego, a humble peasant on his way to Mass in what is now Mexico City.

Lazaro Contreras, director of the Archdiocese Office of Hispanic Ministry, said, “As the Patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a symbol of love and understanding, a unifying

WANT TO GO? ARCHDIOCESAN OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CELEBRATION 10 a.m. - Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston) with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. Festival with dancing and music follows at 12 p.m. in front of the Downtown Chancery.

FILE PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

Two men carry an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as part of a procession honoring the Blessed Mother during the Marian celebration. This year, the festival is hosted by the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

presence for all of us in the Americas.”

“This event helps families pass on faith and cultural values to younger

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family members, helping them nurture their spirituality. It also helps others learn more about Our Lady, whom Jesus gave to us as our mother as well,” he said.

The tradition honors the time on Dec. 9, 1531, on a hill of Tepeyac near a village in Mexico when now St. Juan Diego was stopped by the appearance of a brown-skinned woman bathed in light and speaking in his indigenous tongue of Nahuatl. She requested a church to be built on that site to manifest the love of Jesus and hear the petitions of the faithful.

At her bidding, he visited Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, who doubted the story.

But Juan Diego met with the Virgin Mary again on Dec. 12, now the official feast day, and she arranged roses within his cloak picked from the hill where only cactus had been growing before. She told him to present the flowers as a gift to the bishop.

When Juan Diego opened his cloak or tilma, the roses tumbled out, and the image of the Virgin Mary was miraculously traced on the coat, which still exists today. Realizing Juan Diego had told him the truth, the bishop began

the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe, which led to massive conversions of indigenous to Catholicism. The shrine in Mexico City, which displays the tilma, remains one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in the world.

Individual parishes will also be celebrating at their churches starting Monday afternoon of Dec. 11 through Tuesday, Dec. 12. Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 2405 Navigation Blvd. in Houston, will celebrate Masses Dec. 11 at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The traditional midnight Mass Dec. 12 will be outside in the church’s plaza.

Then, a morning Mass on Tuesday, Dec. 12, will first begin with the traditional song “Las Mañanitas,” with a Mariachi starting at 5 a.m. and Mass at 6 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

Another large celebration is planned at Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 6921 Chetwood Dr., in southwest Houston.

Starting Monday, Dec. 11, from 8 p.m. until midnight in the church’s gym, there will be a play on the apparitions of the Virgen de Guadalupe, a Rosary, and performances by their Danza Azteca and Matachines.

Tuesday’s Dec. 12 celebration starts at 4:30 a.m. with “Las Mañanitas,” then continues with 5 a.m. Spanish Mass, 8:10 a.m. English Mass and 7 p.m.

Spanish Mass in honor of the Virgen de Guadalupe. † — By Jo Ann Zuñiga

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

LOCAL

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Ludwick: A vision to see the good in all others LUDWICK, from page 1

disabilities.

Even with such growth already St. Basil marking the school’s 76-year cemented, Ludwick looks to a “bright presence near corner of Montrose and future,” he said, with plans to build West Alabama streets. residence halls and renovate facilities for Last August, the school welcomed its new and existing programs. largest incoming undergraduate class of “There’s a demand, a desire for 803 students. The record-setting growth students to be here,” he said. Offering comes with its challenges, however. students a place to sleep, pray, eat and Even with plans to build study isn’t a “a matter of new on-campus housing, convenience,” but it’s part of the school is currently the “formation of the human operating at 160% capacity person for the flourishing of for university housing, so the gifts that the Holy Spirit only a lucky few 400-plus gives them.” students, both graduate and “It’s an imperative that we undergraduate, can find a do this,” Ludwick said, “and it bed at the university. cannot happen soon enough.”

On its leafy park-like Some of the school’s campus that spans some programs and degrees 19 square city blocks, the may ebb and flow as a university has expanded reflection of the students’ and with new constructions marketplace needs, “there are and programs. The newer certain programs that will DR. RICHARD Center for Science and remain” as part of a Catholic LUDWICK Health Professions houses university’s curriculum the school’s successful and programming, namely STEM and nursing programs, and philosophy and theology, Ludwick said. additional degree offerings meet the He said what he found most needs of many, including Catholic challenging at UST — such as personnel catechists working in the Church’s and people issues — to also be the most Hispanic ministries through the Centro rewarding.

Semillero and Catholic literary arts. “[We] hope to see each other as the UST also offers the nation’s only image of God, understanding that in the program with a degree path dedicated to human condition, we are all flawed, but neurodiverse students, including those we are all also gifted in so many ways,” living with learning differences and he said. “That’s the hardest piece because

I want so much for everyone... God finds us sometimes in our most broken states, and that’s not what we want to see, but sometimes that’s what happens. On the converse side, you see the great brilliance of that image of God shining through all those faults, and it’s something that is so magical and beautiful... It really shows the depth of the human experience.”

A REASON TO BE THANKFUL Perhaps Thanksgiving has more significance for Ludwick than most, considering he was born on the November holiday, a memorable moment for Ludwick’s mother and his family.

His future wife, Melynda Ludwick, was also born on the same day, and every five years, their birthdays coincide with the November holiday.

Recalling a Thanksgiving celebration that gathered his whole family at his grandma’s house, when the turkey sat next to his fifth birthday cake, Ludwick said he is thankful for the family that God drew together around him, both by blood and by community.

“Sometimes they don’t always get along, but it is that way the human family as a whole — we learn to look past those things and into the hearts where goodness resides.”

Ludwick said he hopes to see growth in a seamless relationship with the Archdiocese and UST and that with both being part of “God’s family,” as a community of Catholic parishes, schools

and high schools, organizations and ministries spread around the Archdiocese, “we have a chance to encounter the living God to not only follow Him but to see where He lives. He invites all of us on that journey into His home. And that’s the piece that I continue to think about as we look to the evangelization of our world and to share the Good News.”

Ludwick recalled an experience of walking with a student who was struggling with a recent diagnosis of Stargardt’s disease, a macular dystrophy that causes loss of central vision, which Ludwick also has.

When the student told Ludwick of his diagnosis, Ludwick replied: “Great! That’s awesome, so do I,” surprising the student.

Their conversation wound through the student’s immigrant life, coming to the U.S. with no English, playing soccer until he couldn’t see the ball, and about where his life would go with visual impairment.

Ludwick pointed towards graduate school, something he had done himself, and a few years later, the first-generation college student and English speaker visited Ludwick and “was just alive... happy and thriving” as a soccer coach, teacher and father.

He faced challenges with great hope, Ludwick said. “The University [of St. Thomas] is a catalyst for good. So when there are inspirational stories like that that happen every day, we know that the spirit of God is at work in the hearts of what happens here.” †

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Please donate at your local parish December 9-10 or by mail at: National Religious Retirement Office/GAL 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.

retiredreligious.org Visit retiredreligious.org/2023photos to meet the religious pictured. ©2023 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington DC All rights reserved • Photo: Jim Judkis

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Marian apparition sites inspire faithful in hope, prayer PILGRIMAGE, from page 1 Experiencing the intersection of history, faith and culture allowed my fellow pilgrims and I to grow closer to God and helped us to grow in fellowship with other pilgrims from throughout the world at all the Holy sites.”

The candlelight procession in Fatima on the night of Oct. 11 was packed with thousands of pilgrims from around the world celebrating apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria (a valley) in the parish of Fatima in 1917. Our Lady of Fatima warned the children that World War I would soon end, but World War II would begin and urged them to pray the Rosary.

The inspiring night procession followed behind a large, white-lit cross carried by servers and others carrying flags from various countries. The crowd, in unison, prayed the Rosary aloud and sang “Ave Maria” while walking together, holding their candles toward the outside altar.

A tall pillar highlights a statue of Jesus rising with outstretched arms in the middle of the plaza overlooking the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima.

Pilgrims can feel just a touch of the pain inflicted on Mary and her Son. Tears flow freely, but also love caresses hearts and calms souls despite such war and hate in the world — another blessing from Our Lady of Fatima.

Then on to Spain and the Cathedral

CNS PHOTO

At left, candles and torches flicker in a view from the front of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the Basilica of the Rosary during the traditional nighttime procession at the Marian shrine in Lourdes, France. At right, a bishop is seen celebrating Mass in the grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, which marks where the Blessed Mother appeared to a 14-year-old St. Bernadette Soubirous.

Basilica of Santiago de Compostela, part of the World Heritage Site in Galicia and traditionally considered the burial of St. James the Great, the first martyred apostle of Jesus Christ. In AD 44, he was

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beheaded in Jerusalem, and his remains were later transferred by boat to where the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral now stands.

The ancient church — built, burned, and rebuilt throughout the centuries — serves as a climatic ending for pilgrims who have walked hundreds of miles of varying paths of The Way (El Camino), where St. James walked during his evangelization in what is now Spain.

Some of those exhausted modern-day pilgrims lay resting on the cobblestone plaza in front of the cathedral with their backpacks, dogs, and hiking poles beside them.

The St. Hyacinth group of pilgrims attended the crowded Mass at the cathedral while Father Samuels concelebrated with several priests and a bishop. The finale included a gigantic “Botafumeiro,” a famous thurible used to scatter plumes of smoke from incense over the altar and pews in the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

Made of an alloy of bronze and brass, the thurible is one of the largest in the world at more than five feet tall and more than 100 pounds. It traditionally takes eight men dressed in robes to swing the thurible hanging from multiple thick ropes and pulleys as it picks up speed and swings over the heads of those gasping at the sight.

The Botafumeiro, taking place since at least the 12th century, is especially celebrated with its swinging motion during the Pilgrim’s Mass and other solemn dates, where it can reach speeds of about 60 kilometers (about 37.28 mi) an hour to cleanse the church and send the prayers of the pilgrims to God. The packed Mass on Oct. 12 was filled with families celebrating the national holiday in Spain in which Columbus Day coincides with the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar. That is the name given to the Blessed Virgin Mary for the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 40. She consoled and encouraged him to continue preaching despite the dangers.

This appearance is said to be the only

recorded instance of Mary exhibiting the mystical phenomenon of bilocation.

Among Catholics, it is also considered the first Marian apparition and unique because it happened while Mary was still living on Earth.

But the last Marian shrine on the pilgrimage — Lourdes, France — takes the breath away with its natural beauty, and the massive 130-acre Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes spread out with three basilicas. About eight million pilgrims each year visit the small village of only 17,000 in a valley cradled by the tree-covered mountains of the Pyrenees and the fast-flowing Gave de Pau River.

The group arrived on Oct. 15, Sunday evening, and immediately began preparing for the 9 p.m. candlelight procession. Gathering by the grotto and river, people began processing toward the plaza around the huge 30-foot white statue of Our Lady of Lourdes wearing her blue sash.

Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary for her apparitions in 1858 in the grotto at Lourdes to St. Bernadette Soubirous, then a 14-yearold peasant girl gathering firewood. Our Lady, naming herself the Immaculate Conception, instructed Bernadette to dig in the ground nearby, from which came a spring with healing properties, active to this day.

The rocky Massabielle Grotto is the very place where 18 apparitions occurred, and within it is the spring that Bernadette discovered. To the right of the grotto are the water taps where pilgrims can drink the Lourdes water. Those who wish can also go to the Sanctuary Baths and perform the water gesture when Mary told Bernadette to wash her face and drink of the spring. No total immersions have been allowed since the pandemic, but the experience remains spiritually cleansing.

In all these Marian sites, the Holy Virgin invites everyone to regard Earth as a place of pilgrimage toward our final home — Heaven. We are all pilgrims in need of Mary to help guide us toward God, as she was the first to say “Yes!” to our Lord. †

LOCAL

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

texas catholic herald 7

3rd Biennial Auxiliary Bishop George A. Sheltz

Altar Server

Appreciation Mass & Presentations SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2023

Photo by Frederick Warren

Co-Chairs

Most Reverend Italo Dell’Oro, C.R.S., Auxiliary Bishop

of Galveston-Houston was the Principal Celebrant at a Mass of Appreciation for altar servers with 5+ years of service. This very special Mass was sponsored by Serra and Scanlan Foundation, strong supporters of vocations in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Candice Tyrrell, Serra US Council Board

Concelebrant Priests

Larry W. Massey, Jr. President, Scanlan Foundation

Committee

Pictured on altar, from left to right: Fr. Maitthew Masihah, CRS, Fr. Clint

Pictured on altar, from left to right: Linda Cassano, Ernestina Viernes, Dcn.

Ressler, Fr. Justin Cormie, Fr. Richard McNeillie, Fr. Linh Nguyen, Fr. Jacob

Doug & Melia Reed, Bill Clary, Carol Cason, Candice & Ed Tyrrell, Pearl

Ramirez, Fr. J Serrato, Fr. Thomas Vellallipal, M. S., Fr. Steven Tran, Fr. Felix

Campbell. Not Pictured: Joe Atkins, Dorian Bray, Rose Ann Jackson, Renette

Osasona, MSP, Fr. Benjamin Bueno Martinez, FM, and Fr. Tom Smithson.

Jasmer, David Piwonka, Donna Rueby, Anisha Vinny.

Participating Parishes All Saints

Prince of Peace

St. Francis De Sales

St. Mary of the Expectation, League City

Assumption

Queen of Peace, LaMarque

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal

Blessed Sacrament

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Manvel

St. Francis Xavier

St. Mary of the Purification

Christ the King

Sacred Heart, Crosby

St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Matthias, Magnolia

Corpus Christi

Shrine of the Cross, Dickinson

St. Jerome

St. Matthew the Evangelist

Holy Family, Galveston

St. Albert of Trapani

St. John Neumann

St. Michael the Archangel, Lake Jackson

Holy Family, Missouri City

St. Angela Merici

St. John of the Cross, New Caney

St. Monica

Immaculate Heart of Mary

St. Anne, Houston

St. John the Baptist, Alvin

St. Paul the Apostle, Nassau Bay

LaDivina Providencia Mission

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Joseph, Houston

St. Peter the Apostle

Mary Queen, Friendswood

St. Cecilia

St. Joseph, New Waverly

St. Rose of Lima

Our Lady of Fatima

St. Charles Borromeo

St. Katherine Drexel

St. Stephen, Houston

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston

St. Cyril of Alexandria

St. Leo the Great

St. Thomas More

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Rosenberg

St. Dominic

St. Mark the Evangelist

St. Vincent de Paul

Our Lady of Lourdes, Houston

St. Edith Stein, Katy

St. Martha, Porter

UST St. Basil Chapel

Our Lady of Lourdes, Hitchcock

St. Edwards

St. Martin De Porres, Barrett Station

Vietnamese Martyrs

Our Lady of St. John

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Mary Magdalene, Humble

8 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD LOCAL

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Bridging Divides: The Catholic Church’s call for unity and embracing faith diversity

BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent HOUSTON — In today’s increasingly diverse world, the Catholic Church’s inclusive invitation, transcending age, race, religion and differences, has taken on a critical role. It underscores profound love, uniting all in prayer, fostering fellowship and celebrating diverse global connections, aligning with the pressing need for unity and understanding in our contemporary society.

The Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (OEIA) of the Archdiocese aligns with the Catholic Church’s commitment to seek visible unity among Christians and to build relationships with Jews, Muslims and followers of various world religions.

Its mission is dedicated to promoting ecumenical goals and deeper interreligious relations.

Father Orrin Halepeska, pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church and School in Rosenberg and Officer of the OEIA, emphasized the ministry’s crucial role in helping Catholics in the Archdiocese understand the significance of dialogue, prayer and service with people of other faiths. This is especially important amidst the major conflicts in the Middle East,

archgh.org/dsf

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF ECUMENICAL AND INTERRELIGIOUS AFFAIRS

Father Orrin Halepeska leads a tour of Holy Family Parish in Rosenberg, where he is pastor, for a group from the Ismaili Council of Houston on Nov. 15 as part of the The Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese, which is led by Father Halepeska.

which have a profound global impact.

“It is essential that we are in the forefront of the movement for people of different faiths and backgrounds to work together for common goals that are the golden thread that connects all major world religions,” Father Halepeska said.

“This golden thread has the possibility

of changing the world one prayer and one act of love at a time. Together, we as different faith traditions have the power to promote peace in our communities and homes.”

Father Halepeska said he believes this peace and hope should also be shared with those outside of their own communities so people can act from the beauty of all humanity and make the world reflect the values of the Church’s sacred text and traditions.

“It is essential to realize that several religious groups share common goals, themes and morals that we can stand together in unity,” Father Halepeska said.

“Some of these common goals include religious freedom, life issues and so many other aspects of the human condition.”

When evaluating the needs of the Archdiocese for the OEIA, Father Halepeska highlights the ministry’s need for volunteers who are open to dialogue and willing to establish relationships with people of different faiths in the Galveston-Houston area.

Some activities throughout the year include the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese celebrating prayer, traditions, and dialogue with brothers and sisters of other faiths.

“Our work also includes serving those in our community together and working towards solutions that help all humankind,” said Father Halepeska.

The OEIA is one of 64 ministries supported by the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF). Father Halepeska encourages the faithful to contribute to this annual appeal as it enables a range of ministries extending beyond individual parishes to support those in need.

“It is essential that we participate, for example, in the ecumenical and interreligious aspect of Houston’s diversity so that we participate and are on the front lines with many others who are doing something for those in need, preventing others from being persecuted, and finding justice for all in a sometimesunjust world,” said Father Halepeska.

If additional DSF funds were available, Father Halepeska expressed his desire to employ full-time staff to support the ministry’s efforts. He stressed

The 2023 Diocesan Services Fund theme is “God is the Strength of My Heart.”

DSF operates in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston each year to help the Church carry out the ministries of teaching and sanctifying. DSF brings the needed financial resources to carry out 64 ministries.

the significance of managing rising demands for phone calls, meetings and program development to promote unity.

He also stressed the need to bolster the office’s educational resources for a more informed and self-assured approach in engaging stakeholders through meaningful dialogues.

Cara Bryan, the co-chair for the Ecumenical and Interreligious Commission of the Archdiocese, agrees with the significance of contributing to the DSF for the OEIA and many other initiatives.

“Giving to the DSF supports the EIO office and allows us to continue going out and sharing with Houston and surrounding areas how much the Catholic Church loves all and wants to pray, fellowship with, and learn about all those different from us,” Bryan said.

Bryan said the funds are instrumental in supporting the ministry’s educational endeavors, enabling them to learn and share knowledge, and emphasizing the value of listening and learning. She firmly believes that these actions resonate with the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13: “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.

For in one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.”

“I have learned a lot about the diversity of other faith traditions and that, although we are all different, we are all trying to reach the same faith goals,” Bryan said. “This has made me more open, and I feel connected to other nonCatholic brothers and sisters not only on a social level but a spiritual level as well.”

To learn more about the OEIA, including how to volunteer and get involved in the ministry, visit www. archgh.org/ecumenism. To donate to the DSF, go to www.archgh.org/DSF. The DSF supports each of these ministries, whether direct service or education, which require this critical funding to remain in operation. Out of each gift given to DSF, 100% of every dollar goes directly to supporting these ministries. †

DIOCESAN SERVICES FUND

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

LOCAL

texas catholic herald 9

IN MEMORIA OBITUARIES

Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of December.

Rosamma George Mangalath

Dec. 1, 1940 Dec. 1, 2014 Dec. 1, 1973 Dec. 1, 1987 Dec. 1, 1989 Dec. 1, 2002 Dec. 1, 2007 Dec. 2, 1997 Dec. 2, 2000 Dec. 2, 2005 Dec. 2, 2015 Dec. 3, 1900 Dec. 3, 1911 Dec. 3, 1947 Dec. 3, 1962 Dec. 3, 1963 Dec. 3, 1987 Dec. 3, 1995 Dec. 4, 2008 Dec. 4, 2021 Dec. 5, 1981 Dec. 5, 1998 Dec. 6, 1988 Dec. 6, 2001 Dec. 7, 1880 Dec. 7, 1995 Dec. 8, 1986 Dec. 9, 1943 Dec. 10, 1915 Dec. 10, 1969 Dec. 11, 1909

INDIA — Rosamma George Mangalath, mother of Father Jaison Mangalath, SVD, pastor of St. Mary of the Purification, died Nov. 4 in India. A funeral Mass was held Nov. 7. †

Ray Lopez

HOUSTON — Ray Lopez, brother of Father Eli Lopez, pastor of All Saints Catholic Church, died Nov. 4 after a month-long battle with pneumonia. He was 60 years old, just a day shy of his 61st birthday.

A Rosary will be recited at 10 a.m. Dec. 4 at All Saints Catholic Church, and a memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. †

Martha Kieu Thi Nguyen

HOUSTON — Martha Kieu Thi Nguyen, mother of Father Joseph Tien Phuong Bui, parochial vicar of Christ the Incarnate Word Church, died Nov. 16. She was 89 years old.

A funeral Mass will be held at 9 a.m. Dec. 2 at Christ the Incarnate Word Church. †

Jesus G. Villanueva

LUFKIN — Jesus G. Villanueva, father of Benita Gonzales, director of Student Support Services in the Catholic Schools Office, died Oct. 27. He was 70 years old.

A memorial service was held Nov. 3 at Shafer Funeral Home in Lufkin. †

SISTERS IN CHRIST

Rev. Paul F. Nemec Rev. Bernard Mahoney Rev. William Duggan, CSB Msgr. Thomas F. O’Sullivan Msgr. Christopher J. Martin Rev. G. Patrick Dougherty Rev. Albert Walsh Rev. Bernard Doyon, OMI Rev. Doug Smith Rev. John C. Wick, CSB Rev. E. Arthur Roberts, CSB Rev. Peter Berthet Rev. A. Badelon Rev. Douglas A. Moore Rev. George T. Koen Rev. Charles V. Palazzo Rev. John F. McMahon Msgr. Andrew Deslatte Rev. John T. Weyer Rev. Timothy Bucek Rev. Gilbert Kroger, CP Rev. Francis X. Chang-Lei, SJ Rev. James A. Matzinger Rev. Mark Horacek Rev. Louis Chambodut Rev. William Bosworth Msgr. James F. Welsch Rev. Michael Munar, TOR Rev. John M. Haughran Rev. John W. Meyer, CSB Rev. Joseph Legardeur

Dec. 11, 1914 Dec. 11, 1940 Dec. 12, 1927 Dec. 12, 1989 Dec. 12, 2010 Dec. 13, 2002 Dec. 13, 2016 Dec. 19, 1909 Dec. 19, 2009 Dec. 20, 1940 Dec. 21, 1992 Dec. 21, 2021 Dec. 22, 2016 Dec. 23, 1871 Dec. 23, 2021 Dec. 24, 2010 Dec. 25, 1918 Dec. 25, 2016 Dec. 26, 1998 Dec. 26, 2012 Dec. 26, 2017 Dec. 27, 1942 Dec. 28, 1953 Dec. 28, 1991 Dec. 29, 1994 Dec. 30, 1924 Dec. 30, 1934 Dec. 30. 1942 Dec. 30, 1952 Dec. 31, 1870 Dec. 31, 1926

Rev. George Montreuil Msgr. Joseph Pelnar Rev. Peter Litwora Rev. Benigno Gonzalez-Diez Msgr. Francis G. Wearden Rev. Philip R. Elmer, SCJ Rev. Charles Borski, OMI Rev. R. Drohan, CSB Rev. John F. Robbins, CSB Rev. Theodore Drees Msgr. Marcel Notzon Most Rev. George A. Sheltz Rev. Stephen Mandry Rev. Peter Lacour Rev. Albert Gaelens, CSB Msgr. Ralph C. Salazar Rev. J.C. Magnan, OMI Rev. George Hosko, CSB Msgr. Thomas A. Wendland Rev. Eduardo Lopez Rev. Mario Baldero, DS Rev. Kaspar Kaler Rev. John P. Campbell Rev. Emil Furlong Msgr. Bernard J. Roemer Rev. M.J. O’Callahan Rev. Thomas C. Healy Rev. John Leahy Rev. Paul Michalka Rev. Andres Farges Rev. Francis Pridal

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KNIGHTS OF PETER CLAVER LADIES AUXILIARY STATE CONFERENCE

An ecumenical gathering of African American women met at the Catholic Newman Center at Texas Southern University on Sept. 30.

Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary hosts state-wide ecumenical gathering in Houston HOUSTON — The Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary’s Texas State Conference hosted an ecumenical prayer breakfast at the Catholic Newman Center at Texas Southern University on Sept. 30 as part of the state conference’s theme of “Following Christ as FIT Clavers: Fairness, Inclusivity and Transparency.”

The breakfast was an opportunity for African American women of different Christian faiths and stages of life to “come together as sisters to be re-energized through prayer, meditation and reflection,” according to KPCLA officials.

Inspired by the “stalwart leadership and bravery” of the late Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza and Rabbi Emeritus Samuel Karff of Congregation Beth Israel and Reverend William Lawson, Pastor Emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, who were affectionately called Houston’s “Three Amigos,” the group reflected on how people of faith, today, still are praying and working towards human dignity and unity for all people.

Speakers at the event included Bianca Henny, Sister Odessa Stanford, SFCC, Daphine Sands, Pamela Plumbar Holliman, L. Faye Marshall, Joyce Jacquet and Ashley James.

Attendees were greeted with a message from Esohe Asemota, the U.S. representative on the board of World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations. The Texas State Conference Ladies Court is led by President Shaunte Collins Johnson of Austin and Texas State Deputy Rose Ellis of Houston. †

BLACK CATHOLIC HISTORY MONTH

Catholic Charities’ food distributions continue at three locations

HOUSTON — Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston offers food assistance at three locations.

In Houston, food distributions at the Guadalupe Center (326 S. Jensen St.) are Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Wednesdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. New clients should bring a photo ID and bill with a confirming address. Drive-thru distributions are on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The next food fair is set for Saturday, Dec. 9, at 9 a.m. No appointment is required. Call 713-251-6919 for more information.

The Beacon of Hope Isle Market in Galveston (4700 Broadway, Suite F-103) is open Tuesday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make an appointment, which is required, call 409-7622064. The next mobile food drive is on Dec. 27.

In Fort Bend County, the Mamie George Community Center (1111 Collins Rd., Richmond) hosts drive-thru food distributions and in-person shopping. Drive-thru distributions, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, are on Tuesdays, from 5 to 7 p.m., and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Register by texting “HFBPS” to 855-788-3663, then select “Catholic Charities - Richmond.” Clients should visit by appointment only on Mondays, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.; Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The next monthly food fair is set for Saturday, Dec. 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. For help, call 281-202-6200.

For more information, visit www.catholiccharities.org/food or call 713-874-6521. †

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10 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

EDUCATION

School mourns passing of their football coach with letters for family

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

HONOR & VALOR Schools, parishes host Veterans Day events to celebrate and honor those who served

ST. JOSEPH - BAYTOWN

PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. CECILIA CATHOLIC SCHOOL

ZACH MCMILLAN

Zach McMillan, football coach at St. Cecilia Catholic School, died in a car accident in downtown Houston in the early morning hours of Nov. 4 at the age of 32. He had been coaching at the school for eight years, leading the team to a league championship in 2019. A group of parents of current and former St. Cecilia Catholic School football players began a campaign to collect letters in memory of Coach McMillan, compiling a book for McMillan’s parents and family speaking about the impact he had on the boys.

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MANAGING YOUR SUBSCRIPTION Questions about subscription, circulation or need to change an address? Call 713-652-4444 or email TDIELI@ARCHGH.ORG for assistance. Visit ARCHGH.ORG/TCH for more information.

texas catholic herald 11

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

JOIN US FOR

OPEN HOUSE December 3, 2023 • 1 - 3:30 pm 4500 Memorial Dr. • Houston, Texas 77007 Welcoming 6th, 7th, and 8th grade boys At St. Thomas, our young men do not walk the halls anonymously. They are personally known by our teachers and staff, as well as challenged and encouraged to explore new ideas, concepts, and opportunities that lead them to graduate well-prepared, self-assured, and grounded in faith.

Begin to envision yourself as an Eagle during St. Thomas’ Open House.

You will have an opportunity to tour our historic campus; meet our dedicated faculty and staff; and learn about our academic programs, campus ministry, student organizations, and athletic teams!

Scan the QR code above to RSVP or visit sths.org/open-house.

12 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

YOUTH Fidelity: The path to heaven “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever!” (Ps 136) This is the message on every page of Scripture, like a refrain sung from the peak of Mount Tabor (Josh 19; Judg 4; Mt 17) and echoed even to the valley of the shadow of death (Ps 23:1).

Israel’s God is a “faithful God” who keeps His covenant “for a thousand generations!” (Deut 7:9) “Emet,” the Hebrew word for “faithfulness,” also translates as “truth.” God is ever faithful because His very essence is love and truth. St. Paul asserts this absolute truth when he asserts that even “if we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13). So, when life inevitably presents us with countless frustrations and unbearable suffering, when those we love and trust the most disappoint us, or even when we let ourselves and our loved ones down, we must still rely with confidence on God, for He is constant. His love is unfailing. His loyalty is absolute. His steadfastness is the rock and fortress on which we can stand firm. Relying on Him, fidelity can become our path to heaven.

The peculiar characteristic of fidelity is that it is at once the fruit of lifelong

striving and a purely gratuitous gift from God. In her awardwinning novel “Kristin Lavransdatter,” Sigrid Undset paints a poignant scene of the eponymous protagonist by pondering over her life as she lay on her deathbed. While waiting SISTER for the final Sacraments THERESA MARIE CHAU from the priest, Kristin NGUYEN, OP reminisces on her life as a wife and a mother of seven, a life marked with difficulties, symbolized by the wedding ring she still wore. Her mind pauses to muse on the deep impression the ring has left on her finger and an unearthly peace wells up within her. She is confident that it has been God’s grace that has preserved her to this very moment. Her reliance on God in every circumstance of life has become her path to heaven.

The same invitation to be faithful to the end is extended to each one of us.

When we walk in the way of the Lord, our paths must also be permeated by faithful striving. Though this path may

seem ordinary and inconspicuous, the hidden but extraordinary love imbuing the ordinariness of our daily lives intimates true progress toward heaven.

Small acts of kindness consistently done for the love of God merit more than all the accolades of this world. Such opportunities and examples of holiness abound.

Take, for example, the teenager who is unfailingly present every Saturday morning to visit and assist residents at a retirement home; the homemaker who devotedly packs lunch for his/her spouse and children every day for 20 years and watches them scurry off to work and school, leaving a pile of dirty dishes in the sink; the pastor who readily attends with care to the needs of his parishioners; the religious sister who day in and day out is faithful to the observances of her community. Let us not be deceived by what appears to be a humdrum routine. For the person who loves, the Spirit’s sanctification is at work in the ordinary details of our lives.

This path of fidelity is thus open to everyone, and it is put to the test particularly in times of difficulty — when prayer seems dry and empty; when our mental and physical health are at a weak point and every fiber of our being aches for healing; or when our family life hits a rough patch and we are plagued with misunderstanding and

“Small acts of kindness consistently done for the love of God merit more than all the accolades of this world.” loneliness. In these times, it is especially important to remain steadfast, relying on God as our rock and sure foundation.

If we strive to live in His truth and walk in His love in all circumstances, His grace will uphold us, and an eternal reward awaits us. Do not hesitate, then, to set your eyes on God, our Savior, and take the next step forward.

Perhaps today, you could take some time to reflect on your life’s journey.

What milestones have you passed?

Where do you struggle to be faithful?

Offer these to the Lord and pray for the gift of final perseverance because fidelity is the path to heaven. † Sister Theresa Marie Chau Nguyen, OP, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of undergraduate theology at the University of St. Thomas.

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NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

COLUMNISTS Two Masses for Christmas? A Christmas Mass explainer Christmas Day is a momentous celebration in our faith, but this year provides a unique scheduling challenge since it falls on a Monday. The convergence of Christmas with the beginning of the workweek is a relatively rare occurrence.

This scheduling challenge prompts us to review necessary adjustments to fully participate in the Liturgies at hand.

Mass scheduling for Christmas Parishes may change their usual Saturday night and Sunday morning Mass schedule, given the unique timing of Christmas. Masses for the Fourth Sunday of Advent will be celebrated from 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23, through early afternoon on Sunday, Dec. 24. Masses for Christmas will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24, and continue throughout the day of Dec. 25. However, both days retain their obligation status.

A holy day of obligation is not merely a religious obligation but a beautiful invitation to deepen our faith and

strengthen our connection with God. These special days mark significant events in the life of Jesus and the Church. They offer us the chance to come together as a community, celebrate by our shared beliefs, and commemorate the ADAM mysteries that shape our BRILL faith. As for the Sunday Mass obligation, it’s not just a rule; it’s an opportunity. Every Sunday, we are called to gather as a faith family to break bread, hear the Word of God, and be spiritually nourished. It’s a time to refuel our hearts, find solace in our Lord’s presence, and receive His grace to guide us through the week ahead. So, we should embrace these obligations as moments of grace and joy where we can draw closer to God and each other.

So, we are obliged to go to two different Masses to meet the obligations.

The obligation for the Fourth Sunday of

Advent Mass may be met at a Saturday evening Mass or any Mass held before 4 p.m. on Sunday. The obligation for the Christmas Mass may be met at any Mass after 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 24, or any Mass celebrated on Monday, Dec. 25. It is crucial for parishioners to stay informed about any changes in their parish’s Mass schedule and to check for updates at the parish.

A joyful and meaningful Christmas As we navigate this uncommon scheduling challenge, let us focus on the true spirit of Christmas: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The adjustments made by Christmas falling on a Monday are in no way intended to diminish the significance of this holy day. Instead, they allow us to adapt to the circumstances while preserving the solemnity and joy of the Nativity.

We look forward to welcoming you to the great feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. Together, we will celebrate the miracle of Christ’s birth and strengthen

“As we navigate this uncommon scheduling challenge, let us focus on the true spirit of Christmas: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” our bonds as a faith community. Let us remain flexible and understanding, appreciating the parish leaders as they work so hard to facilitate these celebrations. May the birth of Jesus bring peace, love and joy to your hearts and homes. † Adam Brill is the director of the Office of Worship.

Preparing for Christ now and at the end of time This coming Sunday, over a week after Thanksgiving, after the early morning sales, the parades featuring Santa Claus, the Christmas music blaring unapologetically from radios and stores, and the declaration that the “holiday season is upon us,” we will gather as a people of faith to celebrate, not Christmas — not yet — but the first Sunday of Advent. And we may be tempted to simply nod our heads and say, “Yes. Advent. The Church’s period of preparation for Christmas. The Church is doing the same thing as the rest of the country, getting ready for Christmas — just in its own way.” And while there is some truth to this idea, if that is all we think Advent is about, we will certainly be surprised by the readings and prayers we hear this weekend.

Advent is a word that means “coming” or “arrival”. What or who’s coming do we celebrate? Well, the coming of Christ, naturally. Which coming of Christ?

Certainly, we remember the coming of Christ in the great mystery of the incarnation.

We also, however, look forward to the coming of Christ at the end of time. This season is layered with reflections and symbols of both of these comings, for the Church sees them as two sides of a single coin. The one inaugurates the kingdom of God and our redemption,

and the other brings them to their final fulfillment. We cannot rightly celebrate one without the other. And so, this season of Advent is about much more than getting ourselves ready for the physical by and emotional demands of the holiday season. It BRIAN is about getting GARCIAourselves ready for our LUENSE final destiny in Christ. It is, in the words of the opening prayer, about being worthy of possessing the heavenly kingdom.

Our destiny, however, is achieved not in a moment but in a journey. As anyone who has even been on a pilgrimage knows, pilgrims travel anticipating their arrival. We, as individuals and as a community, are on a journey — a pilgrimage — toward final fulfillment in Christ. They model on their journey the behavior that will be the hallmark of their entrance. In our Christian pilgrimage, we journey in hope grounded in the promise that our future is to share in that which is already realized in Christ. That hope allows us to live in the in-between of the journey as ones who already live the joy-filled life

of Christ, modeling our life on his.

Christ, who is our way and our light, This journey is marked by the living as pilgrims who anticipate our awareness of both our own sinfulness arrival even while we journey, we will and God’s graceful intervention in our not be a worried and fearful people, nor lives. This weekend, Isaiah will remind will we be surprised by the final coming us that we are all sinful people. Paul, on of the Son of Man, but we will rejoice as the other hand, will remind us that by a people who finally arrived home. † the grace of God bestowed on us in Christ, we are not lacking in any spiritual gift. Holding these together is Brian Garcia-Luense is an associate the Gospel, in which Jesus tells His director of the Office of Evangelization disciples to be watchful and alert. If we and Catechesis. are not watchful and awake and alert, we may lose our way and wander from the path that leads to our final destination.

Our journey is an unusual journey, for our destination is not in some other place, far away.

Rather, it is a journey of growth, renewal, transformation and redemption that takes place where we already live.

We will have arrived when our cooperation with and participation in the

transformative mission of God for this

creation — this creation and not another — has finally come to fulfillment.

In this winter of darkness, we anticipate the dawn of His final coming and welcome His light. We use symbols Archdiocesan Office to help express this process, as week by 713-741-8732 week, the light that shines forth from our Advent wreath grows. archgh.org/correctionalministries If we keep our eyes fixed firmly on

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Correctional Ministries

DEC. 3

First Reading: Is 63:16-17, 19; 64:2-7

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19

Second Reading: 1 Cor 1:3-9

Gospel: Mk 13:33-37

DEC. 11

First Reading: Is 40:1-5, 9-11

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 85:9-14

Second Reading: 2 Pet 3:8-14

Gospel: Mk 1:1-8

14 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD COLUMNISTS

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Advent: Aging’s perspective on preparedness Two pastors on a fishing trip were staking a sign at the side of a country road that read, “The End is Near! Turn around now before it’s too late!” A passing motorist sped by, shouting out his window, “You religious nuts!” From the curve ahead, they heard screeching tires and a big splash. One pastor turned to the other and asked: “Do you think maybe our sign should just say, “Bridge Out”?

What kind of message would help you to pay attention and respond more readily this Advent?

The message of the Advent season essentially echoes what Jesus told His disciples 2,000 years ago — that as we recall with joy the saving action of God’s love for us through the birth of Jesus, we are called to integrate His love into our lives as we await His second coming.

Jesus used multiple metaphors to help us remain vigilant and prepare us to be ready to enter the heavenly Kingdom

— having our lamps lit, not knowing the hour of the Bridegroom’s coming, wearing the appropriate wedding garment for the banquet, safeguarding our “homes” from the wiles of the ever-watching by thief lest we let down our guard for his attack.

MARK (Lk 12:35-48) CIESIELSKI Aging, too, offers us a certain wisdom or perspective for preparing ourselves during the Advent season. Older adults have experienced the fragileness and vulnerability of life with unexpected losses of loved ones or misfortunes. They know the meaning of mortality and the finiteness of human existence. They will say, “Be generous because you can’t take your money with you! Forgive! Be

patient! Let by-gones be by-gones! Time is short.”The Reverend Ronald Rolheiser, in his book Sacred Fire, captures this essence when he advises us to “stand where you are supposed to be standing, and let God provide the rest.” Simply put, in everything you do, love to the fullest.

This was St. Therese of Lisieux’s Little Way that shaped her path to holiness.

Being prepared is Jesus’ invitation to being a warm, peaceful, faithful, kind, forgiving and compassionate person with our loved ones and to all who cross our paths each day because life is short and unpredictable.

The Office of Aging is celebrating Senior Recognition Days in November and December in each of its three senior senates. The events serve to recognize outstanding examples of seniors’ community service. At the same time, it reminds each of us to carry out the unique mission of service God has intended for us:

• Being a caregiver to a loved one; • Reaching out to a homebound parishioner; • Making rosaries to be shared with those in hospitals or youth; • Baking goods for a parish fundraiser; • Providing Christmas packages for seafarers or the homeless; and • Bringing a smile, prayer, or word of encouragement to a stranger.

And praying that God will use our loving intentions and acts to work all things for His glory as He builds His Kingdom of love and peace through us.

If we use this Advent to live as good stewards, we will be properly dressed for the eternal heavenly wedding feast and be confident when we meet God face-toface. † Mark Ciesielski is a consultant for the Office of Aging Ministry.

Advent is Here: Be alert!

The Advent Season is here. It is the season when we actively wait and prepare for the celebration of Jesus’s Nativity at Christmas and His return at the second coming.

In Mark’s Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent, Jesus reminded His disciples, “Be watchful! Be alert!”What Jesus asked of us is to use this time as an opportunity to examine our lives to assess the progress of our relationship with God. Is there anything we need to change? To improve? To redirect, so our relationship with Him may be strengthened and deepened?

Unfortunately, the true meaning of Advent is not very well registered for many of us, especially for young

students. For many of them, it is a busy time for buying gifts and completing a list of “things to do” before Christmas. Even for dedicated and religious students, it is not an easy time since it is the by time for final exams for the semester. They will FATHER be consumed with QUANG NGUYEN, SCJ studies and final projects aside from routine activities.

Actively preparing for the celebration seems to be on the back burner. Students at the University of

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Houston are not exempt from this phenomenon.

At the Catholic Newman Center at the University of Houston, which serves students at a non-Catholic institution, the task of inviting students to celebrate the true meaning of this season is particularly challenging. All of us on staff are trying to prepare and help students focus on the essence of being the children of God. Preparing for external things is less important than preparing hearts. We remind them that the ultimate goal is the absolute union with God, and Advent is an excellent opportunity for them to reflect on how they can achieve this purpose.

Of course, building a strong relationship with God is not limited to Advent. There is a need to continually provide spiritual guidance and support throughout the liturgical year because, for many students, this is the first time they are independent and are making decisions for themselves. This is the first time they are exploring their faith as well as other aspects of their lives, and we realize how confusing and challenging it can be. Thus, being reminded to be watchful and alert is especially important to these young students.

More importantly, Advent is a season when we reach out to those in need and

bring them the joy of Christ. We hope our students will be transformed through their active watchfulness and alertness. As they are being transformed, they will be better able to reflect God to other students on campus. Through this transformation, they are able to “bring Christ to the campus and bring the campus to Christ.”

“Be watchful! Be alert!” is an urgent call for each of us, and perhaps it is a little more urgent for us as campus ministers. We need to find ways to support our students in their faith journey. We hope and pray — regardless of where they are spiritually when they enter our Newman Center — that by the time they graduate, we will have exposed them to opportunities to grow their faith and take advantage of the things we offer so as to experience God’s love for them.

Please pray for us and our students.

May this Advent season bring us joy and active hope. Please be assured of our prayers to you and yours. On behalf of our students, please accept our sincere thanks and appreciation for your generosity through the DSF. † Father Quang Nguyen, SCJ, serves as chaplain/director for the University of Houston Catholic Newman Center.

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PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE In a continuing effort to provide pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo would like to remind the faithful of the Archdiocese of the availability of the Victims Assistance Coordinator. Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel is encouraged to call Diane Vines at 713-654-5799.

Please keep in daily prayers the healing of victims of abuse and all who suffer in any way.

texas catholic herald 15

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

WORLD

Eucharistic Adoration, charity, promoting justice are connected, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The daily rhythm of the life of a priest should resemble “ping pong” — praying on one’s knees before the tabernacle, helping those in need and returning to prayer, Pope Francis told a group of Latino priests from the U.S. “Do not leave those who suffer alone; do not leave the Lord in the tabernacle alone. Convince yourselves that you cannot do anything with your hands unless you do it on your knees,” the pope told members of the National Association of Hispanic Priests during an audience in the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 16.

“It’s like ping pong; one thing leads to the other,” the pope told them.

Priests in the group had been invited to send the pope questions in advance. He prepared a general response but added liberally to his prepared text.

Meeting the priests in the Clementine Hall, a room ornately decorated with marble and frescoes, Pope Francis told them to“beware of ecclesiastical elegance” because concern for keeping churches pristine increases the temptation to keep the doors closed, and “that won’t do.”

During the U.S. National Eucharistic Revival and with preparations well underway for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024, the pope focused his remarks on the importance of Eucharistic Adoration and the essential tie between reverencing the Eucharist and serving one’s brothers and sisters.

Pope Francis said he did not want to make anyone “blush,” so he would not ask the priests how many hours a week they spend in adoration, but “I’ll throw the question out there.” In the busy life of a priest, there are many possible excuses for limiting time in private prayer, he said. “But if you don’t pray, if you don’t adore, your life is worth little.”

The pope said he wanted to respond to one of the questions sent in by the group by recalling a talk about the women at the foot of Jesus’ cross given by St. Manuel González García, one of the patron saints

CNS PHOTO

Pope Francis meets with members of the National Association of Hispanic Priests in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Nov. 16.

of the National Eucharistic Revival.

“The same helplessness, the same desire to act against injustice, that the holy women experienced in those moments, we can experience in the face of the problem of immigrants, the closure of certain civil and religious authorities, the challenges of interculturality, the complexity of proclamation — so many things,” the pope said.

But the saintly bishop noted that “Jesus does not cease to suffer” and that although he has risen, “he is still on Calvary in the person of his brothers and sisters,” the pope said.

“In every tabernacle, in every consecrated ciborium, we see the cross being erected, and ask ourselves, ‘Can we do something to alleviate the suffering Christ of today?’”

“What God asks of you is not to abandon them,” the pope said.

Pope Francis said a priest cannot always schedule or predict when someone experiencing injustice or simply in need of spiritual consolation will need him.

“Sometimes the modern world leads us to schedules,” he said, imagining a conversation: “Father, can I confess?”“No. The schedule is from such and such a

time to such and such a time.”

“Please,” the pope said, “first the people, then the schedule. Do not become clerks of the sacred.”

Pope Francis told the story of a priest at a parish in a poor neighborhood who “used to say that he wanted to board up his window” because if people came

looking for him and found the door closed, they would just go to the window.

Keep the doors open, the pope told them, and be “priests for the people.”

While priests often will not get to see the results of the seeds they plant, he said, God wants them to trust that he will make them bear fruit. †

16 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

NATION

March for Life announces 2024 theme: ‘Pro-Life: With Every Woman, For Every Child’ WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The March for Life’s theme for its 2024 event will be “Pro-Life: With Every Woman, For Every Child,” the group’s president announced on Nov. 14.

The March for Life first took place in Washington in 1974 in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide the previous year. Pro-life advocates have gathered in Washington to march each year since then to protest the ruling, with a smaller-in-scale event during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

After the high court reversed Roe in 2022, marchers still gathered to protest abortion. Each year, the group selects a theme that it says fits the cultural moment.

Jeanne Mancini, March for Life president, said that following the court’s ruling in Dobbs, she wanted to highlight the work the pro-life movement does to support women facing difficult or unplanned pregnancies.

At an event in Washington, Mancini said the theme was selected due to what she called “the false narrative around abortion, whether it’s through mainstream media or the entertainment industry or academia, is that abortion is empowering and necessary.”

“We disagree,” she said. “Such fearbased messaging tries to convince women who are facing unexpected

OSV NEWS PHOTO

Pro-life demonstrators carry a banner past the U.S. Supreme Court during the annual March for Life in Washington on Jan. 20 for the first time since the high court overturned its 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision on June 24, 2022. The March for Life’s theme for the 2024 event will be “Pro-Life: With Every Woman, For Every Child,” the group’s president announced on Nov. 14.

pregnancies that they’re alone, that they are incapable, that they are ill-equipped to handle motherhood. We who are here today know that is just not true. We aren’t saying that it’s easy. But we are saying that it is right to choose life, and we hold that choosing life is empowering and that love saves lives.”

Mancini said that she wanted to

IN BRIEF Synod, Eucharist are interconnected, with work needed to live out fullness of both, say bishops BALTIMORE (OSV News) — The Eucharist and synodality are interconnected, said prelates attending the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) annual fall plenary assembly in Baltimore from Nov. 13 to 16.

Synodality, they said, ensures the faithful’s communication so the church can fulfill its Eucharistic mission.

The October meeting of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican was a touchpoint for several bishops speaking Nov. 14, including the conference’s president, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA, and Christophe Cardinal Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S. Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, and Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, both synod delegates, also shared about their experience with the assembly.

Cardinal Pierre said that synodality and the National Eucharistic Revival now underway in the U.S. may “at first glance” seem unrelated, but in reality “belong together by their very nature” and “shed light on one another.”

In both his address and remarks to reporters, Bishop Flores, who is tasked with shepherding the synodal process in the U.S., stressed the importance of reading and reflecting upon the synod’s synthesis document, through which “we can hear the

many issues that the local churches around the world grapple with.”

“The synod offers us a Catholic way to do this grappling faithfully, realistically, prayerfully, thoughtfully and charitably,” Bishop Flores said. †

USCCB president calls for continued prayer in world where ‘peace seems so far away’

BALTIMORE (OSV News) — The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Nov. 14 urged his brother bishops and all the Catholic faithful to “continue to pray” when “peace seems so far away” in today’s world.

“Our thoughts readily turn to the Holy Land, sacred to all three monotheistic religions,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese of the Military Services said in his presidential address. “We recognize and defend the right of Israel to exist and to enjoy a place among the nations. At the same time, we know that the Palestinians, who represent the majority of Christians in the Holy Land while still being a minority themselves, have a right to a land that is their own,” he said. “The Holy See has long advocated for that right, and we also plead for them.”

He listed many other trouble spots, including the suffering of Ukraine and the oppression against the church in Nicaragua.

“We pray that the Prince of Peace might enlighten those who determine the fate of nations.” †

highlight “the vast pro-life safety net” from pregnancy resource centers to state resources, including the Mississippi Access to Maternal Assistance (MAMA) program administered by the office of the Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, R-Miss., which connects pregnant women and families with resources for parents.

Fitch argued the Dobbs case before the Supreme Court.

Mississippi Deputy Attorney General Whitney Lipscomb said at the Nov. 14 event that “in the Dobbs case, we asked the Supreme Court to return the issue of abortion to the states, for the people through their elected leaders to decide how to best promote the dignity of life and support mothers and children.”

“And when the Supreme Court did just that, it became incumbent on all of us to find ways to match the compassion in our hearts with the compassion and justice in our laws,” Lipscomb said, adding that the MAMA program connects public and private resources, ranging from medical care during pregnancy to food stamps to job training.

“When a woman is facing an unexpected pregnancy, what she most needs to hear (at) that moment is you can do this,” Mancini said.

The national march is scheduled for Jan. 19. The 2024 event will take place in both a presidential election year and one that could bring additional ballot measures on abortion, possibly in states including Arizona and Florida.

Ohio voters on Nov. 7 approved Issue 1, a measure that will codify abortion access in the state’s constitution through fetal viability, typically understood to be 24 weeks gestation and beyond, if a physician decided an abortion was necessary for the sake of the mother’s life or health. The loss marked another electoral defeat for anti-abortion ballot measures in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision: In 2022, voters in California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it.

The March for Life said some of the speakers at its 51st include singer Danny Gokey, as well as Pastor Greg and Cathe Laurie. Former NFL tight end and founder of the Watson 7 Foundation, Benjamin Watson, will be speaking at the Rose Dinner, which follows the event.

The group said a full speaker list will be announced prior to the event. †

texas catholic herald 17

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

MUNDO CATÓLICO

Llenos de esperanza, líderes profundizan en la aplicación del nuevo plan pastoral para el ministerio hispano de EE.UU. POR JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON (OSV News) — Hace 30 años, un grupo de líderes del ministerio hispano de todo EE.UU. se reunió en Houston para discutir planes e iniciativas para atender a los católicos hispanos/ latinos que viven en Estados Unidos.

Del 10 al 13 de octubre, la conferencia anual de la Asociación Católica Nacional de Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano (NCADDHM — por sus siglas en inglés) regresó a Houston, reuniendo a 250 líderes del ministerio hispano de 109 diócesis de los EE.UU. Esta conferencia nacional — que tuvo lugar en la a finales del Mes de Hispanidad, celebrado del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre — también reunió a unos seis obispos, varios de los cuales dirigen los comités de los obispos de EE.UU. sobre el ministerio hispano y la diversidad cultural en la Iglesia.

La conferencia de NCADDHM se centró en el nuevo “Plan Pastoral Nacional para el Ministerio Hispano/ Latino”, que fue aprobado por la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de EE.UU. (USCCB) en junio de 2023 y que fue desarrollado a través de un proceso de consulta, discernimiento y liderazgo durante varios años. Este documento es considerado la hoja de ruta para la pastoral hispana para los próximos 10 años.

El plan es una respuesta al proceso del V Encuentro Nacional de Pastoral Hispana/Latina que ha buscado ayudar a los laicos hispanos y a los líderes eclesiales a responder a las necesidades del grupo demográfico de más rápido crecimiento de la Iglesia Católica en EE.UU. En la conferencia de Houston, Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, director adjunto de la Pastoral Hispana del Comité para la Diversidad Cultural en la Iglesia de la USCCB y coordinador nacional del V Encuentro, dijo que el plan pastoral era un reflejo y una respuesta directa a las “prioridades, necesidades y aspiraciones” de los católicos hispanos y latinos y tiene “el potencial de transformar la Iglesia en Estados Unidos”.

El V Encuentro fue un proceso de muchos años que incluyó reuniones diocesanas, regionales y nacionales en las que participaron decenas de miles de líderes hispanos y latinos que culminó con una reunión nacional en Grapevine, Texas, en 2018, e identificó las prioridades pastorales clave para los católicos latinos.

Entre las 10 prioridades destacadas en el plan pastoral estaba la pastoral juvenil, la promoción de vocaciones, la formación en la fe, el acompañamiento pastoral de familias hispanas, el ministerio a los marginados, y la migración y defensa.

Durante la conferencia, los líderes escucharon a ponentes, obispos y teólogos que hablaron de las implicaciones del plan pastoral. Además de participar en la Misa diaria y las presentaciones, los participantes se dividieron en pequeños grupos en distintos momentos para

FOTO POR JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

Daniel Cardenal DiNardo pronuncia la homilía durante la Misa de apertura el 10 de octubre para la conferencia anual de la Asociación Católica Nacional de Directores Diocesanos para el Ministerio Hispano en Houston.

compartir cómo se podría aplicar este nuevo plan en sus ministerios y sus regiones.

Para Olga Lucía Villar, directora ejecutiva del Instituto Pastoral del Sureste (SEPI), con sede en Miami — que coordina y asiste a los ministerios hispanos de 30 diócesis del sureste de EE.UU. — y una de las muchas ponentes de la conferencia, el nuevo plan pastoral no podía llegar lo suficientemente pronto.

Ella considera que el plan pastoral ayuda a la Iglesia a ser más sensible a la realidad multicultural de hoy en la Iglesia Católica en los EE.UU. “Especialmente en momentos en los que es difícil, en los que hay más cuestiones que podrían dividirnos racialmente, creo que el plan nos sitúa en un buen punto para continuar sanando los procesos de reconciliación y centrarnos en pertenecer y ser enviados por Cristo”, dijo a OSV News.

Villar vio un paralelismo entre el proceso del Encuentro y el más reciente esfuerzo sinodal liderado por el Papa Francisco y dijo que“el plan nos encamina a ser una iglesia sinodal”.

Desde que se celebró el primer Encuentro en 1972, dijo Villar, se ha hecho un esfuerzo en la Iglesia para reflexionar, dialogar y buscar juntos formas de avanzar como católicos hispanos en EE.UU. Ese sigue siendo el caso, aunque el panorama demográfico haya cambiado.

Desde 1972, el número de hispanos en EE.UU. se ha multiplicado, pasando de unos 9 millones a 63,7 millones, según datos del censo de EE.UU. de 2022.

Y aunque ha habido informes sobre un aumento de la desafiliación, datos demográficos recientes mostraron que alrededor de 31 millones de hispanos/ latinos se identifican como católicos.

Estamos hablando más ya que pertenecemos a esta Iglesia. No nos vamos a ir a ninguna parte. También es nuestra Iglesia y queremos formar parte de ella”, dijo Villar. “Y creo que todo el proceso sinodal, y la forma en que el Papa Francisco nos anima a avanzar en esa dirección, lo hemos estado haciendo en pequeños pasos a lo largo de estos 51 años”.

El obispo auxiliar de Detroit, Arturo Cepeda, presidente del Comité para la Diversidad Cultural en la Iglesia de los obispos estadounidenses, dijo que el nuevo plan pastoral era el “fruto de muchos años de sabiduría y consulta, experiencias, altibajos, de escucha, colaboración y tantos frutos que han traído los Encuentros”.

“Necesitamos ser capaces de compartir eso y saber que necesitamos preparar a nuestras segundas, terceras generaciones”, dijo el obispo Cepeda a OSV News. “Necesitamos avanzar. Creo que es una bendición. Es un reto, sí. Pero tenemos que ser conscientes de ello”.

En Houston, Lázaro Contreras, director de la Oficina del Ministerio Hispano de la Arquidiócesis, dijo que espera ver cómo cada parroquia y comunidad católica de la región implementará de manera única

el plan pastoral.

“Con este plan pastoral, espero que la gente se sienta motivada y animada a hacerlo suyo”, dijo.“El ministerio hispano es un trabajo que no hacemos solos. Es un trabajo que hacemos todos como Iglesia. Por eso este tipo de encuentros son un recordatorio constante de que, ese trabajo de pastoral de acompañamiento a los católicos hispanos lo hace toda la Iglesia”.

Ahora que el plan pastoral está en manos de los líderes ministeriales, Aguilera-Titus dijo que el plan enfatiza la importancia de la diversidad y el compromiso intercultural e incluye pautas prácticas y recursos para crear un sentido de unidad y pertenencia. Señaló cómo una parroquia puede prosperar cuando abraza las diversas culturas presentes en una congregación a través de su fe católica compartida.

“Cuando se entablan relaciones entre culturas, empiezan a desarrollar un nuevo sentido de identidad como comunidad católica diversa”, dijo Aguilera-Titus. “El plan tiene un lenguaje inclusivo, atractivo y está dirigido no sólo a los católicos hispanos/latinos, sino a toda la Iglesia.

Esperamos que aporte nuevas formas de dar vida al Evangelio y crear una Iglesia más sinodal y diversa”.

“Ahora nosotros nos ayudamos.

Estamos aquí haciendo una misión y sabemos que todos somos iguales ante Dios”, continuó, diciendo que el plan no se trata de compartir idiomas o culturas, sino de evangelizar y fortalecer la fe. “No es porque seas hispano o no seas hispano.

Somos una Iglesia, y estamos aquí para amarnos y servirnos los unos a los otros y simplemente para llevar a Jesús a todo el mundo”. †

Programas de radio hispano

de la Arquidiócesis de Galveston-Houston La estación de radio KYST 920 AM Transmite los domingos 6 a.m – 7 a.m. & 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.

APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DEL CLERO En un continuo esfuerzo por facilitar atención pastoral a las victimas de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, el Cardenal DiNardo gustaría recordar a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis la disponibilidad del Coordinador de Ayuda a Víctimas. Si alguien ha sido victim de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, se les anima llamar a la Diane Vines al 713-654-5799. Por favor rece por la sanación de las víctimas del abuso y por todos los que sufren de alguna manera.

18 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

WITHIN THE ARTS Praying for celebrities as a charitable act?

Did you ever decorate your room with posters of your favorite famous people when you were a teenager — a sports figure, movie star or musician? Growing up, I sure did. I had posters of John Denver, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in my bedroom.

There’s no doubt that we in the U.S. live in a celebrity culture. Whether sports stars or even celebrity chefs, we love news about our favorite celebrities.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that.

It’s a natural thing to want to know about those who hold influence in our society. At the grocery store checkout, we are tempted to buy from a wall of magazines screaming headlines about the latest celebrity “news,” which is often just gossip.

With the explosion of social media over the last decade, celebrity and influencer obsession has become much more pronounced. Not all of what we hear about our celebs is positive or flattering, either. We often hear about fractured relationships, arrests or socially unacceptable behavior. When celebs show normal human weakness, photographic proof gets splashed everywhere.

We in the Church also have our “stars.”

Prominent media Catholics like Bishop Robert Barron and Father Mike Schmitz have become celebrities with huge

CNS PHOTO

U.S. gymnast Simone Biles holds up the bronze medal she won in the balance beam as she stands on the podium Aug. 3, 2021, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

followings. Then we have celebrities who are vocal about their Catholicism, like Mark Wahlberg, Patricia Heaton, Jim Caviezel, Andrea Bocelli and Simone Biles.

As with anything, our fascination with celebrities needs to be balanced

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Catholic Charities

Food, clothing, emergency financial assistance, counseling, immigration assistance, veterans assistance, disaster recovery, refugees services, senior services and more.

catholiccharities.org/need-help or 713-526-4611

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Home visits, food network, disaster relief, clothing and furniture.

svdphouston.org/get-help or 713-741-8234

San José Clinic

Primary and specialty health care services, counseling and mental health services, dental and vision.

sanjoseclinic.org or 713-228-941

SUBMIT EVENTS FOR AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE

Around the Archdiocese

E-mail event details to tch@archgh.org for possible inclusion in the Around the Archdiocese calendar or scan the QR code and fill out the form online at www.archgh.org/ata. There is no charge for listings but space is limited.

with the rest of our lives. Too much focus on famous people can lead to obsession.

There’s even a psychological term for it: Celebrity Worship Syndrome, which seems to be more prominent among young people still working out their own identities.

I enjoy hearing about celebrities who use their influence to make the world a better place. Oprah Winfrey immediately comes to mind, but here are some others.

• Actor Matt Damon co-founded Water.org, which works in Africa, Asia and Latin America, seeking to provide clean, safe water to as many as possible.

• Serena Williams is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and is involved in building schools in Africa and other children’s charities.

• Ryan Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, are known for their support of many charities, especially in Ryan’s native Canada. He received the 2023 Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

At my first red carpet event for the film “Risen,” I was nervous about interviewing Joseph Fiennes. One of my fellow sisters told me, “You know, he brushes his teeth every morning just like

you do.”Thus, she reminded me that celebrities are people, too, with the same ups and downs, talents and limitations, joys and struggles that all of us experience every day.

Their lives may seem so fortunate that we don’t think about how — because they are people before they are “stars” — celebrities need prayers, just like the rest of us, prayers to sustain and support them spiritually. The celebrity life comes with its own disorienting difficulties of outsized privilege and temptation, so it makes sense that they would need prayers for the good of their souls.

Here’s an activity that might be fun to do by yourself or as a family (especially if you need something to occupy the kids). Thanks to Sister Orianne Pietra Rene Dyck, a fellow Daughter of St. Paul, for the activity.

• Choose a celebrity you would like to pray for. It might be your favorite celebrity or someone God is placing on your heart to pray for. Write their name down.

• Write out a prayer for that person.

Try to include an element of thanksgiving (thanking God for the life, talent, inspiration, etc. of the chosen celebrity) and an element of petition (interceding for a particular need of this celebrity, or a hope you have for their life, or asking that the celebrity come closer to God).

• After the prayer is written, pray the prayer, either individually or as a family.

Another idea would be to pray your prayer as a novena, praying for your celebrity nine days in a row.

This activity could be repeated, choosing a new celebrity every week or every month. Intercessory prayer is a great gift we can offer to those who have their lives constantly under a spotlight.

It is a true act of charity.

Once, when one of our sisters was interviewing Harrison Ford, she told him that we Daughters of St. Paul pray for people in the entertainment industry. He replied, “Thank you. That means more to me than you know.” † Sister Hosea Rupprecht, a Daughter of St. Paul, is the associate director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies.

MOVIE RATINGS By OSV News A-I – SUITABLE FOR ALL • Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (PG) • Journey to Bethlehem (PG) • Wish (PG) A-II – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN • A Million Miles Away (PG) • Trolls Band Together (PG)

A-III – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS • Five Nights at Freddy’s (PG-13) • Freelance (R) • Killers of the Flower Moon (R) • Priscilla (R) • Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (PG-13) • The Creator (PG-13) • The Marvels (PG-13)

L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE • Dumb Money (R) • Napoleon (R) O – MORALLY OFFENSIVE • Saw X (R) • The Exorcist: Believer (R) • Thanksgiving (R)

► To read more full movie reviews online, visit www.osvnews.com/category/reviews

texas catholic herald 19

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH

AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE ► FOR SUBMISSION DETAILS AND MORE LISTINGS, VISIT WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

DEC. 9-10

INVOKING THE HOLY SPIRIT

RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS COLLECTION, Annual collection benefits 24,000 elderly religious sisters, brothers and religious order priests across the U.S. Several men’s and women’s religious congregations in the Archdiocese have benefited from this collection in the past.

NOV. 29-DEC. 1

RETREAT, 7 to 9 p.m., St. Jerome (8825 Kempwood Dr., Houston). Father Matthew Linn, SJ, hosts “Letting Christmas Change Tour Life” three-day Advent mission. church@ stjeromehou.org; 713-468-9555.

DEC. 15

DEC. 1

ADVENT MASS & LUNCHEON, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. Mary’s Seminary (9845 Memorial Dr., Houston). The Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston Council of Catholic Women hosts a Mass celebrated by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, and luncheon supporting the Seafarers Port Ministry with Port Chaplain Father Jan Kubisa and Spiritual Advisor Monsignor Dan Scheel.

Cost: $25 per person or $240 for reserved table of 8. ghcw.org.

•••

EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL NIGHT, 7 p.m., St. Angela Merici (9009 Sienna Ranch Rd., Missouri City).

Event includes music, guest speakers and Eucharistic Adoration. stamericigh.com.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT, 7 p.m., St. Cyril of Alexandria (10305 Westheimer Rd., Houston).

Event includes photos, kids gifts, sweets, Santa Claus and more. Admission is one bag of nonperishable food items. Concert benefits the West Houston Assistance Ministries.

DEC. 1-2

CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE MARKET AND LUNCHEON, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mary Queen (606 Cedarwood Dr., Friendswood). 60 local vendors and artisans with quilts, home décor, crafts, jewelry, wreaths, ornaments, soaps, dips, ceramics and more.

Lunch served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

DEC. 2

WORKSHOP, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). “Releasing the Power of Prayer: Deepening Our Image of God” explores understanding how God’s image can be distorted and understanding the lifetime process of healing with God. Cost: $75. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

DAY OF REFLECTION, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. Angela Merici (9009 Sienna Ranch Rd., Missouri City).

Kathleen Messina, director of the Emmaus Spirituality Center’s Spiritual Direction Institute, hosts “Re-Igniting Our Hope” reflection. Free with registration. stamericigh.com; 281-778-0400.

MERRY MARKET, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. Rose of

To find additional listings online, visit the website at WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo prays a blessing over the Red Mass congregation on Nov. 8 at the CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart. The annual Mass, held this year the day after Election Day, honors the legislative community in prayer. Following the Mass, a dinner featured presentations by Douglas Sandvig, a retired attorney who serves with the Order of Malta’s prison ministry, and Deacon Alvin Lovelady, director of Correctional Ministries of the Archdiocese.

Lima (3600 Brinkman St., Houston). “Merry Market” will be held at the East and West Hall and feature items for early Christmas shopping.

DANCE & DINNER, St. Peter Claver Hall (6005 N Wayside, Houston). The “Black & Red Benefit Dance & Dinner,” sponsored by the Knights of Peter Claver #152, will feature a dance, food and senior recognition. Cost: $25. 281-4511790; janphaeb17@yahoo.com.

DEC. 5

CANDLELIGHT CELEBRATION, 7 to 8 p.m., CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston). Adoration by Candlelight will feature the sanctuary flooded with natural candlelight and will echo with some of the Church’s timeless musical treasures. sacredhearthouston.org.

Having an Event?

Send it to Around the Archdiocese!

DEC. 6

BUS TRIP, 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., St. Bernadette (15500 El Camino Real, Houston). Men and women 50 years of age or older are welcome to sight-see Christmas lights in the Houston area. Cost: $15. Dinner is on your own. RSVP

by Dec. 4 to 832-605-8360; gretchenmitchell@ gmail.com.

Scan the QR code below, follow the link, fill out the form and submit.

DEC. 9

ARCHDIOCESAN GUADALUPE CELEBRATION, 8 a.m., Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston). 8 a.m. procession begins at 1700 Bell St. and ends in front of the downtown Chancery (1700 San Jacinto St.) followed by 10 a.m. Mass at the Co-Cathedral with traditional dancing and singing to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe at 12 p.m. Mass livestreamed online at archgh.org/live.

Festival of

archgh.org

Thursday, December 14, 7:30 p.m.

2023 Liturgical Calendar

Join Cardinal DiNardo and the Cor Jesu Choir of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for a celebration of song and prayer as we approach the Christmas season!

First Sunday of Advent December 3

Lessons & Carols

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston, TX 77002 This event is free and open to the public.

Free parking available. All are welcome!

Second Sunday of Advent December 10 Third Sunday of Advent December 17 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 24

20 TEXAS CATHOLIC HERALD

MILESTONES

ARCHGH.ORG/TCH • NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Do you have a photo you’d like to share? To submit a photo of a place, group or event that you would like to see in the Herald, email it to tch@archgh.org.

A CENTURY OF FAITH

Listen to the Around the Archdiocese Podcast New episodes released every Monday!

Recent topics include: • Giving Tuesday with Nicholas Sawicki and Michael Schillaci • A Day in the Life of a Vocations Director with Fr. Richard McNeillie • Catechesis and Sacrament Preparation for Persons with Disabilities - Melissa Alvarez and Matt Kiernan • Proclaiming and Teaching - The Relationship of Evangelization and Catechesis with Amy Auzenne and Miguel Vences • Marriage, Divorce and Annulments with Fr. Luke Millette PHOTO COURTESY OF THE KNIGHTS OF PETER CLAVER

• St. Joseph Foster Care Ministry with Julie Dumalet and Chandler James

Father Reginald Samuels, in green, celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on Nov. 12 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston to mark the 100th anniversary of the Knights of Peter Claver Father John H. Dorsey Grand assembly #2, which was founded Nov. 14, 1923.

• Liturgical Ministries with Adam Brill and Dr. Dan Girardot

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To listen, scan the QR code to the right or visit archgh.org/podcasts

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