DECEMBER 22, 2020 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
texas catholic herald
CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF CHRIST
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CHRISTMAS DAY MASS WITH DANIEL CARDINAL DINARDO Televised live from the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Dec. 25 at 10 a.m. on KPRC-TV Channel 2 • SEE PAGE 20
DECEMBER 22, 2020
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
VOL. 57, NO. 13
EMBRACING ADVENT
GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST
Filipino faith shines in ‘Simbang Gabi’ tradition HOUSTON — Less than five seconds into a recent Disney UK Christmas animated short, Filipinos — no matter where they are in the world — will immediately recognize iconic sounds and sights of the Philippines. Calls for “taho,” a Filipino silken tofu dessert, are heard as lanterns, or EMBRACING parols in Tagalog, softly glow above ADVENT a 1940s Filipino streetscape near the steeple of a large church. A young girl greets her elder by asking for mano, a gesture of respect where she places her forehead against the back of his hand to receive his blessing, another major Filipino tradition. These paper lanterns are hallmarks of the Christmas season in the Philippines. Dozens are strung high and low throughout every “barangay,” or neighborhood or village, handmade See SIMBANG GABI, page 3 CNS PHOTO
The Christmas tree decorates St. Peter’s Square after a lighting ceremony at the Vatican Dec. 11. The tree, nearly 100 feet tall, is a 7-ton Norway spuce from southern Slovenia and has taken up temporary residence in St. Peter’s Square until Jan. 10, 2021.
Giving the gift of mental health, wellness BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald
lives? Especially during the holiday season, and with 2021 around the corner, mental HOUSTON — No matter how you health advocates are encouraging the look at it, this Christmas season will feel public to be mindful of their mental different. health when the holiday blues might And even though Advent bubble up as Christmas is a liturgical season set draws near. BEATING aside especially for prayer “If we’re not mindful, and reflection in anticipation we might develop a mental THE of the coming of the birth illness that may be more of Christ and the Christmas difficult to handle in the HOLIDAY season, a pandemic swiftly future,” said Ivan Navarro, a BLUES threw any sense of tradition counselor at the Counseling by the wayside, which was and Behavioral Health also witnessed during Lent Center at Catholic Charities and the Easter season. But of the Archdiocese of what if this Christmas, the best gift Galveston-Houston. could be mental health and wellness to “We do need to pay a lot of attention to ourselves and other loved ones in our our feelings, our emotions, our thoughts,
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and just in general, our mental condition so that those negative situations don’t get worse,” he said. The Christmas holidays are supposed to be times of prayer, joy, and celebration, and having a mental health condition will disrupt the purpose of the holidays, he said. And as families choose to be more mindful of pandemic guidelines, more traditions change. Gatherings might look smaller, with pandemic restrictions changing general access to Mass at every parish. But still, the holidays can be a time for new traditions and different ways to celebrate the coming of the Lord, said Navarro. Just like we care for our soul
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IN SERVICE
Celebrating family life on hallowed ground BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent PINEHURST — On a secluded 45acre tract of piney woods northwest of Houston is a hidden retreat center where families and friends have come together to laugh, play, pray and experience life together in a safe, quiet environment for close to 20 years. Circle Lake Retreat Center (CLR), a hidden gem available to friends and family of the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston, has been a place of hallowed ground where the spirit of family continues to thrive. “The greatest blessing of Circle Lake is the experience of those that have gathered together two miles into our piney woods without the distractions of city life,” said
See HOLIDAY BLUES, page 6
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ESPAÑOL † 17
See CIRCLE LAKE, page 8