Pope: Archbishops must promote unity, seek new ways to share the Gospel
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Archbishops around the world can provide by their example the fraternity and unity in diversity the entire Catholic Church needs today, Pope Leo XIV said.
“The whole Church needs fraternity, which must be present in all of our relationships, whether between lay people and priests, priests and bishops, bishops and the pope,” he said during his homily at Mass on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29.
According to the Vatican, 54 archbishops from more than two dozen countries who were named over the past 12 months received the palliums. Eight of them were from the U.S., including Galveston-Houston’s own Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez.
The feast day celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica included the traditional blessing of the pallium, the woolen collar that the heads of archdioceses wear around their shoulders over their Mass vestments and symbolizes an
VOCATIONS
Newly ordained priests begin parochial ministries
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WITHIN THE ARTS At St. Peter’s, newly restored statues witness Pallium Mass SEE PAGE 17
A SIGN OF UNITY
For Archbishop Vásquez,
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Leo XIV gave newly appointed metropolitan archbishops their pallium on the June 29 feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, he told them it symbolizes their responsibility to care for their people and to promote unity.
Kneeling before the Holy Father at the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez was among the 54 archbishops from around the world who received a pallium, a circular woolen band worn around the shoulders over Mass vestments that marks their position as a metropolitan archbishop.
Appointed Archbishop of GalvestonHouston in January 2025, Archbishop Vásquez joined Archbishop Joseph A.
Fiorenza and Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, who each also received their palliums in 2005 and 2006, respectively, after the diocese was named an Archdiocese in 2004.
In his homily, Pope Leo told Archbishop Vásquez, who was joined by seven other U.S. archbishops at the Mass, “Dear brothers, this sign of the pastoral responsibility entrusted to you also expresses your communion with the Bishop of Rome, so that in the unity of the Catholic faith, each of you may build up that communion in your local churches,” he said in his homily during Mass.
He urged them to“learn to experience
PHOTO BY LOLA GOMEZ/CNS
Pope Leo XIV presents the pallium to Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. The pallium symbolizes the archbishop’s authority and unity with the pope. Below, the statue of St. Peter is adorned with papal vestments for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
A Shepherd’s Message
By Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez
In this message, Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez reflects on his encounter with Pope Leo XIV when he received his pallium and experiencing the Jubilee Year in Rome.
You are among the eight U.S. Archbishops appointed by Pope Francis who received their palliums from Pope Leo XIV, who previously led the Dicastery for Bishops that helped Pope Francis make those appointments such as yours. When Pope Leo imposed the pallium upon you, what did it mean?
To me, the significance of receiving the pallium is important because it shows my communion and unity with the Holy Father as a sign of loyalty and fidelity to him as the successor of Peter. The pallium also emphasizes my responsibility as an archbishop. It signifies being a shepherd to the sheep that have been entrusted to my care. That’s a great responsibility that I take seriously. But it’s not only about me, but it’s also about the people whom I shepherd.
Part of the pallium has the marks (the nails) of Christ’s suffering as part of the vestment that’s placed upon you. This signifies the suffering that one has to undergo to be able to serve the people of God. As a bishop, I am to serve the people of God, even to the point of suffering for them, for their good, remembering Christ who suffered for us, out of love for the world. That’s my commitment to care for the flock entrusted to my care.
I’m grateful that I had this opportunity to be with Pope Leo XIV. I wanted to be part of this because it is such an important part of who I am now as an archbishop.
Had you met Pope Leo XIV before? How do you see the start of his pontificate and his messages of peace and unity?
No, I had not had the opportunity to meet him before, nor did I know him from his time serving as the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. Obviously, the Holy Father had some influence on the late Pope Francis appointing me to Galveston-Houston.
The two themes of peace and unity that the Holy Father has highlighted are critical for our time. Why? There are many wars throughout the world, and these are critical events in our history. On June 25, the Holy Father mentioned, once again, that we cannot close our eyes to the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are experiencing war right now. He knows the suffering and pain that they’re experiencing; therefore, he wants us to be part of that and to say, “How do we help?” All of us should at least be praying for peace and continue to dialogue and build relationships with other people to bring about Christ’s peace.
These themes of peace and unity are central because we find ourselves in a country that is polarized, fractured and divided. The pope wants us to enter into dialogue with people, even those with whom we have differences, so that we can listen to one another. He seems to be a man who understands very clearly what it means to listen.
Were you able to join any Jubilee Year activities in Rome?
What a blessing! I was able to visit the Major Basilicas and walk through the Holy Doors. That was very emotional and touching for me. Not only going through the Holy Doors
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Arzobispo Vásquez comparte su mensaje en línea en español. Visite www.archgh.org para leer su artículo en línea.
Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez, at center, met with Texas diocesan seminarians from Galveston-Houston and Austin studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome alongside Father John Rooney, pastor of St. Mary of the Expectation in League City, and Father Joseph White, who serves as Archbishop’s priest-secretary.
myself, but seeing all the pilgrims go through those doors and touching them in moments of prayer.
This was moving for me because the pilgrims have their own situations, coming from all parts of the world, and here they are in this beautiful city, the heart of the Church, united in their faith as Catholics. It’s wonderful to see young people, the elderly, couples, families and single people. We’re all on this journey of faith, and we’re all moving forward, and Christ is the one who keeps calling us forward. We are pilgrims of hope. †
Archbishop Vásquez welcomes appointment of Bishop Daniel Garcia to the Diocese of Austin
Following the July 2 appointment of Bishop Daniel Garcia as the sixth Bishop of the Austin Diocese by Pope Leo XIV, Archbishop Vásquez said he was “honored to serve with Bishop Garcia in Austin for many years, both while he was a priest and an auxiliary bishop. I know him to be a man of prayer. He has a heart for the Church and a love for the people. I am pleased that he will return to the Diocese of Austin and serve as their shepherd. Bishop Garcia has many years of experience in pastoral leadership, and his skills will serve the people of Central Texas well.”
Bishop Garcia attended St. Mary’s Seminary and the University of St. Thomas in Houston before his 1988 priestly ordination in Austin by Bishop John E. McCarthy. He then served in the Archdiocese at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Humble from 1992 to 1995. He returned to Austin, where he was named an auxiliary bishop for the Austin Diocese by Pope Francis in 2015. He was appointed bishop for the Diocese of Monterey in California in 2018. †
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PHOTO COURTESY OF FATHER JOHN ROONEY
THE FIRST WORD
Notre Dame arrives in Houston
New library exhibit features schematics, tools used in Paris cathedral’s restoration
BY NICHOLAS SAWICKI
Special to the Herald
HOUSTON — The world looked on in horror as the iconic spire of Notre Dame de Paris collapsed into the engulfing flames that raged below. Since that day in 2019, the French government, with significant aid from around the world, has meticulously rebuilt Notre Dame, which was reconsecrated by the Archbishop of Paris in December 2024.
Now, the skill and care that went into rebuilding the famed cathedral are on display at the Houston Public Library’s (HPL) historic Julia Ideson Building in downtown Houston.
In partnership with Archaeology Now, which has sponsored a year of French-related activities in Houston celebrating the reopening of Notre Dame, HPL presents a special exhibit, titled “The Great Restoration Adventure: Celebrating the Craftsmen of Notre Dame de Paris,” which highlights tools used by the artisans who recrafted the cathedral; schematics and photos used to carefully restore the cathedral to its prior glory; and video to show the work of the craftsmen in real-time.
“It was really quite important to us to highlight those who made this restoration possible,” said Becky Lao, executive director of Archaeology Now. “Their work speaks for itself,” continued Lao, “Notre Dame de Paris stands as a testament not only to their skill and brilliance in exercising their craft but as a global symbol of cherishing our past for future generations.”
WANT TO GO?
THE GREAT RESTORATION ADVENTURE: CELEBRATING THE CRAFTSMEN OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS
When: Now through Aug. 2
Where: The Julia Ideson Building - Exhibit Hall 550 McKinney St., Houston Cost: Free Info: 832-393-1662
Lao, who has spearheaded the year of celebrations, also said, “And it means so much to be able to do this with Houston Public Library as we showcase and convene the Houston community to learn about this work.”
Christina Grubitz, HPL curator of exhibitions, said this showcase was particularly unique.
“We have many exhibits come through the Houston Public Library and we always strive for quality,” said Grubitz. “This exhibition is so international in character and has such a global meaning. We hope that the Houston community will take advantage of this rare opportunity to learn not just about one of the iconic structures of Western civilization, but the traditional crafts and skills and devotion necessary to make such an icon possible.”
Entrance and admission to the exhibit, which is found on the second floor exhibition hall, is free and open to the public during the regular hours of the Julia Ideson Building, located at 550 McKinney St. in Houston. More details are available online at www.houstonlibrary.org/blogs/exhibits/exhibits/notre-dame or by calling 832-393-1662. †
PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS
Effective June 1
Father George “Jerzy” Mordalski, S.C.J.
Pastor – Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston
Effective June 11
Father Tom Rafferty
Temporary Administrator – St. Michael the Archangel, Lake Jackson
Effective July 1
Father Lucio Castillo, O.M.I.
Administrator – Immaculate Heart of Mary, Houston
Father Justin Cormie
Formation Faculty – St. Mary Seminary
Father John Clark
Parochial Vicar – St. Faustina, Fulshear
Father Ronnie Dela Cruz
Parochial Vicar – Sacred Heart of Jesus, Manvel
Father Hubert Hai Dao
Parochial Vicar – St. Vincent de Paul, Houston
Father Aloysius Fernandez
Parochial Vicar – Notre Dame, Houston
Father Luis Garcia
Administrator – Our Lady of Fatima, Galena Park
Father Richard Hinkley
Division Dean – University of St. Thomas, School of Theology
Father Hoang “Wayne” Ly
Parochial Vicar – St. Laurence, Sugar Land
Father Luke Manuel
Parochial Vicar – St. Helen, Pearland
Father David Michael Moses
Administrator – Christ Our Light, Navasota and St. Stanislaus, Anderson
Father Zachary Muldrow
Further Studies – Catholic University of America
Father Duy Nguyen, S.C.J.
Parochial Vicar – St. Charles Borromeo, Houston
Father Giovanni Nguyen
Hospital Chaplain – Catholic Chaplain Corps
Father Joseph Nguyen
Parochial Vicar – Christ the Good Shepherd, Spring
Father Linh Nguyen
Parochial Vicar – St. Justin Martyr, Houston
Father Houston Okonma
Administrator – St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, La Porte
Father Timothy Paulsen, O.M.I.
Parochial Vicar – Immaculate Heart of Mary, Houston
Father Jaison Thomas Pezhathinal, M.S.F.S.
Pastor – St. Thomas Aquinas, Sugar Land
Father Paolo Puccini, C.S.P.
Parochial Vicar – St. John Vianney, Houston
Father Jacob Ramirez
Administrator – St. Rose of Lima, Houston
Father J Serrato
Parochial Vicar – Holy Family Parish of Galveston and Bolivar
Father Carlos Velero Mendoza
Parochial Vicar – St. Martha, Kingwood
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
In partnership with Archaeology Now, the Houston Public Library is able to present an exhibit featuring tools used by the artisans who recrafted the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris. The exhibit, located at the Julia Ideson Building downtown, is open until Aug. 2.
LOCAL
marked the official end of the three-year revival. ▪ SEE PAGE 15
Archbishop Vásquez: Listening leads to unity in diversity
communion in this way — as unity within diversity — so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel.”
‘A POWERFUL FEAST’
Father Orrin Halepeska, pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Rosenberg and St. Wenceslaus Mission in Beasley, was in Rome for an ecumenical and interreligious seminar with the Centro Pro Unione as part of his role as Archdiocesan officer for ecumenical and interreligious affairs.
Father Halepeska had a front row seat at St. Peter’s Basilica to the June 29 Mass, witnessing Archbishop Vásquez receive his pallium from the Holy Father.
Accompanying others on their faith journey
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Seeing the special moment firsthand gave Father Halepeska time to reflect on the way the local Church and clergy can also pray for and support the Archdiocese’s newest ordinary.
“It makes me feel or realize that our call to be Church and to support Archbishop Vásquez is so much bigger
Others from the Archdiocese who attended the Mass and met with Archbishop Vásquez to share their congratulations included Father John Rooney, pastor of St. Mary of the Expectation Parish in League City, as well as Ethan Sicking, an Archdiocesan seminarian studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
FOSTERING PEACE AND UNITY
Catholic News Service in Rome, Archbishop Vásquez was joined by other archbishops in reflecting on their role in helping foster peace and
For Archbishop Vásquez, unity and diversity come down to taking the time to listen to and engage with one another in a way that is respectful and civil.
All dialogue and discussion about things of great importance can be done without “having to be so critical of one another as to demean one another, disrespect one another, or not appreciate
Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, Kansas, said that ever since Pope Leo was elected and spoke about peace and unity, he has taken that message “to heart” and has been thinking, “What does that mean for us back home?”
“How do we tend to the unity of the Church, such that we can be an oasis of peace in our own communities, in a climate sometimes that is very chaotic, adversarial, polarized,” he said. “I think we have to consider the ways in which the Church can be a better sanctuary of
Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit said, “Historically, parishes were places where you bond together as
a people in a community, and you know each other, and you support each other, and you help each other, and when my faith is weak, I lean on you. When your faith is weak, you lean on me.”
“That sense of unity on the local level, I think, is suffering, and so I really think one of the ways we Americans, and especially we in the Archdiocese of Detroit, I begin with myself at home, we need to really look at how we’re building those local communities and that creates unity,” he said.
Archbishop Michael G. McGovern of Omaha, Nebraska, said, “I’m everybody’s bishop. I’m not just the bishop for some people.”
What that looks like, he said, is “one Sunday I’m going to go to the traditional Latin Mass community and I’ll wear my choir robes and I’ll sit on the side. I don’t say the Latin Mass, but I just, I’m there to be present to the people because they’re part of the Church.”
Another day, he said, he will go to the Vietnamese community in Omaha, where they recently celebrated a Confirmation in a church that had been built by Polish immigrants.
“We’re Catholics together. We’re Christians together,” he said.“I have to buy into your world before you buy into my world,” which really speaks to people.
“I’m in a unique position to put a new face on the Church as a bishop if I’m willing to get to know what’s interesting to people, what are they concerned about, and when I’m able to do that, I think then I’m able to build unity,” Archbishop McGovern said.
Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston said, “that sense of oneness or communion is critical in the Scriptures. It’s one of the things Jesus prays for that they may all be one.”
“We should have our own opinions and even different opinions, but there should also be a sense in which we are a single family, that there is a unity between us, that there is a peace between us, a charity between us,” he said.
Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of
PHOTOS BY LOLA GOMEZ/CNS
Above, Pope Leo XIV preaches the homily during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican June 29, when Archbishop Vásquez received his pallium from Pope Leo. The pope wore red vestments to recall the martyrdom of the two saints. At right, Archbishop Vásquez greets Pope Leo after receiving his pallium.
Milwaukee said, “We have to be unified. We have to work for peace and solidarity. We have to care for the marginalized.”
“That’s nothing new. You can walk it right back to the Gospels and Jesus Christ, but maybe we need to put a new face on it, we need to speak to this moment,” he said.
Archbishop Robert G. Casey of Cincinnati said that, “as a bishop, I’m entrusted with a flock. I don’t choose that flock. It’s handed over to me, and it’s a very diverse flock.”
“How can I tend the sheep of my flock? All of them, not some of them, but all of them. I think the pope, in being a representative of Christ who calls us to peace and unity, really invites us as Church to seek out that care and concern of all God’s children, of all those that make up this flock we shepherd,” he said.
The Church has to adapt to an everchanging world, he said. “That can be challenging because we hold fast to our truths. We are a Catholic Church that has its practices, its customs, but we’re also a Church that has to learn to live in the present age, as we’ve done throughout all of history.” †
– James Ramos contributed to this story.
WATCH AND LISTEN
Watch Archbishop Vásquez receive his pallium and see other photos at www.archgh.org/ vasquez-pallium.
Pope Leo: Living in the Spirit allows for harmony in diversity
ARCHBISHOPS, from page 1
archbishop’s unity with the pope and his authority and responsibility to care for the flock the pope entrusted to him.
Pope Leo revived a tradition begun by St. John Paul II in 1983 by personally placing the pallium around the shoulders of the recently named archbishops.
Pope Francis had changed the ceremony starting in 2015. The late pope had invited new archbishops to concelebrate Mass with him and be present for the blessing of the palliums as a way of underlining their bond of unity and communion with him, but the actual imposition of the pallium was done by the nuncio and took place in the archbishop’s archdiocese in the presence of his faithful and bishops from neighboring dioceses.
“Fraternity is also needed in pastoral care, ecumenical dialogue and the friendly relations that the Church desires to maintain with the world,” the pope said.
“Let us make an effort, then, to turn our differences into a workshop of unity and communion, of fraternity and reconciliation, so that everyone in the Church, each with his or her personal history, may learn to walk side by side,” he said.
The feast day celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica included the traditional blessing of the pallium, the woolen band that the heads of archdioceses wear around their shoulders over their Mass vestments and symbolizes an archbishop’s unity with the pope and his authority and responsibility to care for the flock the pope entrusted to him.
“Our patron saints followed different paths, had different ideas, and at times argued with one another with evangelical frankness. Yet
WHAT IS A PALLIUM?
According to Vatican News, the pallium, made of lamb’s wool, is a white band measuring about two inches wide. Two equally wide bands, about a foot long, containing small silk-covered lead pieces, extend one in front and one on the back.
Six black crosses adorn the pallium and are placed in the front and back, on each shoulder, and on the ends of the pieces hanging in front and back. The crosses on the front, on the back, and on the left shoulder also feature a gold pin, called a spinula (a Latin word meaning a small spine or thorn), symbolizing the three nails of Christ’s crucifixion.
In addition, each of the pendants that hang in front and back is tipped with black satin, resembling the hoof of a lamb.
Worn over the chasuble, the pallium is
this did not prevent them from living the ‘concordia apostolorum,’ that is, a living communion in the Spirit, a fruitful harmony in diversity,” he said.
“It is important that we learn to experience communion in this way — as unity within diversity — so that the various gifts, united in the one confession of faith, may advance the preaching of the Gospel,” Pope Leo said.
In his homily, the pope reflected on Sts. Peter and Paul — two saints who were martyred on different days, yet share the same feast day. Sts. Peter and Paul were two very different people with different backgrounds, faith journeys and ways of evangelizing, Pope Leo said. They were at odds over “the proper way to deal with gentile converts” and would
the insignia of the office of a metropolitan archbishop.
Vatican News reports that every year, on the feast of St. Agnes, two lambs are brought from Tre Fontane, the site of St. Paul’s martyrdom in Rome, to the Basilica of St. Agnes on the Via Nomentana, also in Rome. After they are blessed, they presented to the pope and remain in the care of the sisters who reside at the Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere.
Just before Easter, these lambs are shorn and their wool is used to make the pallia for newly appointed Archbishops.
Once entirely handmade by the sisters, the sheer number of archbishops in need of a pallia each year has prompted the sisters to use a company to produce them.
Each pallium contains a portion of the wool shorn from the two lambs. †
debate the issue.
And yet, they were brothers in the Holy Spirit, and they both shared “a single fate, that of martyrdom, which united them definitively to Christ,” he said.
Their stories have “much to say to us, the community of the Lord’s disciples,” he said, especially regarding the importance of “ecclesial communion and the vitality of faith.”
Sts. Peter and Paul challenge Catholics to follow their example of fraternity and to think about “the vitality of our faith,” Pope Leo said. “As disciples, we can always risk falling into a rut, a routine, a tendency to follow the same old pastoral plans without experiencing interior renewal and a willingness to respond to new challenges.” †
NFP celebrates God’s vision of human sexuality
Upcoming Natural Family Planning Week explores God’s gifts of love, life in marriage
BY ELIZABETH MORALES Texas Catholic Herald
HOUSTON — From July 20 to 26, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes Natural Family Planning Awareness Week as a time to reflect on various methods that help married couples naturally achieve or avoid pregnancy and live healthy, happy and holy marriages.
Set in July each year, the week highlights the anniversary of St. John Paul II’s papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae, published on July 25, 1968, which addressed the Church’s teachings on matters of married life and responsible parenthood.
Also, the week includes the feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne on July 26, who were parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus’ grandparents — a feast day which Pope Francis declared as World Grandparents Day in the Catholic
July 20 - 26
for Catholics to learn more about the teaching. The ministry serves individuals interested in practicing the method and guides engaged and married couples in facilitating their discussion of the practicalities and advantages of natural
more about the methods. The courses are taught by locally certified instructors, who help answer any questions a couple may have.
“Natural family planning is every week at the Family Life Ministry because we want it to be part of the couple’s lives since there are positive aspects everywhere,” Ricardo Medina, director of the Family Life Ministry, said.“Sometimes couples don’t want to learn about it because of their own health issues, but it helps couples with intimate dialogues and to have a more grounded balance of our sexual nature that is part of our lives, and what our Lord invites us to properly do with it.”
Couples can register for the classes that are offered throughout the year in English and Spanish and learn about the several natural family planning methods, including: SymptoThermal Method, Billings Ovulation Method, Creighton Model FertilityCare System and Marquette Model.
Rachel Interiano, a registered nurse and Marquette Model instructor, said natural family planning was the last part of her return to Catholicism, thinking the practice seemed archaic and having adopted an agnostic, pro-choice and contraceptive mentality throughout her life.
LEARN MORE
Interested in natural family planning or want to connect to a local instructor? To learn more about NFP and other Family Life Ministry resources, scan the QR code or visit the website at www. archgh.org/natural-family-planning.
Interiano said. “Natural family planning is a mentality and a lifestyle, not just a way to avoid or achieve pregnancy. Both parties in a marriage need to be on board and working together as a team.”
Mary Caprio, who is a Creighton Model instructor, registered nurse and adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas, said the Church teaching natural family planning is an important dimension to discuss, noting several realities that God joined together and man must never separate, which are related to the foundational theology of the method.
“God brought together our body and our souls from the very first instant of our lives. This is why our teaching on life is so consistent and clear: We don’t accept abortion, euthanasia or capital punishment as acceptable. God decides,” Caprio said.
“He also brought together man and woman from the very beginning in marriage,” she said. “God hates divorce. He has said ‘I do’ to the couple’s ‘I do,’ and He seals their ‘I do’ with His own. This makes marriage indissoluble.”
“He has also brought together the meaning of the sexual embrace from the very beginning in his command to Adam and Eve to become one flesh and to order that union to the gift of life: Be fruitful and multiply,” Caprio said. “So sex has a meaning, and it is both unitive and procreative. To separate those meanings through contraception of any kind is to remove God from the equation: the Lord and Giver of life.” Natural family planning consists of two components, including the deposit of faith and human development, and together, those aspects offer a profound dialogue on the teaching, she said.
“It is my belief that a lot of Catholics do not pay attention to natural family planning or just automatically think it is not effective or too difficult,” Interiano said. “Many Catholics believe that natural family planning is simply the ‘rhythm method’ or a ‘calendar method.’ They do not realize that there are several methods that fit different personalities and lifestyles.”
The Marquette Model, developed at Marquette University, offers 98 to 99.4% efficacy at avoiding pregnancy and almost 100% efficacy in achieving pregnancy with women who have no underlying medical complications, said Interiano.
“I focus a lot on women’s health as well as the spiritual component. What I find is that both husband and wife need to be educated about the method they choose and on board with practicing natural family planning in general,”
Bayard Linbeck, a Creighton Model instructor and parishioner at the Ordinariate Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, said natural family planning is not simply using contraception.
“Natural Family Planning is choosing a particular method, receiving good instruction, then closely following the instructions,” Linbeck said.
Linbeck also said that natural family planning is not “Catholic contraception,” but that it is meant to help understand a woman’s body and a couple’s fertility through natural means and to discern God’s will in prayer.
“It is life-changing,”she said.“It teaches the sanctity of marriage and helps the couple to understand chastity and the woman’s body and health.” Linbeck said that she enjoys teaching natural family planning and lets God do the rest of the work with people’s responses.
To learn more about natural family planning, visit www.archgh.org/naturalfamily-planning. †
RICARDO MEDINA
WATCH MORE
Hear from the three new priests themselves and watch a recap of the Ordination Mass.
Archbishop Vásquez ordains three new priests for the Archdiocese HOUSTON — On June 7, Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez ordained Father John Clark, Father Hubert Hai Dao and Father Carlos Velero Mendoza to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston.
In his homily, Archbishop Vásquez encouraged the newly ordained priests and said, “Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve and save what was lost.” He also asked them to stay close to the Blessed Mary, the Mother of God, because “she is not only the mother of the Savior, but also the mother of priests,” as she desires to draw them ever closer to her son Jesus Christ, the High Priest.
“She still has the best words for a priest: ‘Do whatever He tells you,’” he said. Concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, the Mass also saw Daniel Cardinal DiNardo attend in choir.
In July, they began their priestly ministry: Father Clark now serves as parochial vicar at St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear; Father Dao is assigned to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church as parochial vicar; and Father Mendoza is now parochial vicar at St. Martha Catholic Church in Kingwood. †
Sing a New Song: New director invites singers from all parishes to join Archdiocesan Choir
BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald
HOUSTON — The Archdiocesan Choir is preparing for a new season of liturgical music under the leadership of its new director, Dan Girardot, D.Min. With a wealth of experience as a conductor, liturgist and pastoral musician, Girardot is inviting choir members from all parishes to consider joining the chorus of over 60 voices.
Girardot, who previously served as associate director for Liturgical Formation in the Office of Worship, brings decades of music ministry experience, including 25 years directing the Austin’s diocesan choir. He holds degrees in music and Liturgy, as well as a doctorate in ministry.
“We’re not just making music — we’re building a spiritual community,” he said.
Interested singers are asked to sign up for a voice check — a brief and informal meeting that includes a conversation and a simple vocal assessment, which Girardot prefers over “auditions,” because they are more relaxed and encouraging.
Voice checks will take place on Sunday afternoons, Aug. 3 and 10, at the St. Dominic Chancery. To reserve a time, visit the choir’s website at www. archgh.org/voice-check or call 713-7418761. Details about what to prepare are provided upon registration.
“The Archdiocesan Choir (ADC) is a ministry that inspires the faithful
and enriches the liturgical life of the Archdiocese,” Girardot said. “Our rehearsals and prayerful ministry bring us together in faith and fellowship as we grow musically and spiritually.”
Choir member Jeffrey Phillips, who also serves as assistant to the director and music librarian, added, “The ADC brings like-minded folks together in the joy of lifting up the Liturgy through music.”
Organist Phyllis Harris noted the group’s welcoming spirit and diversity: “It’s the friendliest and most diverse set of people I know. From newlyweds to long-married couples, naturally talented singers to classically trained vocalists — from small parishes to large ones — we
all make music together.”
Gonzalo Ramos, section leader, cantor and guest conductor, emphasized the significance of the choir’s mission.
“Membership in ADC allows you to contribute to the Church’s most solemn celebrations, such as ordinations, the Chrism Mass and other Liturgies led by our Archbishop at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.”
Reflecting on a special moment, Girardot recalled both the installation of Bishop Joe S. Vásquez as bishop of Austin 15 years ago and his installation as Archbishop in Galveston-Houston.
Girardot said, “It was a joy to see him again during his installation in Galveston-
STAND UP AND SING
Want to join the Archdiocesan Choir? Learn more about the process and requirements online at WWW. ARCHGH.ORG/VOICE-CHECK
Houston and hear him say, ‘Hi Dan! Here we go again!’”
The new Archdiocesan choir season officially begins Aug. 23 with a day of musical preparation for upcoming liturgies and the annual In Memoriam Concert. Rehearsals take place twice a month on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 p.m. at the St. Dominic Chancery near the Texas Medical Center.
This year’s In Memoria concert, set for Nov. 23, will feature selections from the Church’s ancient Requiem tradition in honor of Pope Francis and deceased priests and religious of the Archdiocese.
Girardot, whose parents were both parish musicians, carries on a family legacy of sacred music. His wife, Ann Marie, and their three children — Michael, Marie and Michelle — have all followed musical paths. Michael is a professional musician, Marie is a singer and Michelle is an opera singer and general manager of community arts programs and the Texas Music Festival at the University of Houston.
For Girardot, the choir’s mission extends far beyond performance.
“Our goal is more than beautiful singing,” he said. “We are called to inspire the faithful to a deeper encounter with the mystery of Christ in the Eucharist. So with all the angels and saints, we join the heavenly choirs in the unending hymn of God’s praise!” †
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
At left, Dan Girardot, D.Min., conducts the Archdiocesan Choir and the Co-Cathedral Choir during a recent Liturgy at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. Under Girardot’s direction as associate director of music for the Archdiocesan Office of Worship, the Archdiocesan choir is welcoming new voices.
DAN GIRARDOT
Empowering parish youth ministers from volunteer to vocational leaders
BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent
HOUSTON — Ministering to the young Church is more than just guiding teens. While many parish youth ministers begin with a passion to connect with these young people and nurture their faith, they soon realize the role demands far more. These ministers become key ministry partners, working closely with pastors, parish staff and parents, often bridging the gap between generations and ministries.
To meet these challenges, youth ministers require more comprehensive formation to serve the youth and the broader Church community effectively.
The Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization (OACE) provides that formation, offering leadership, resources and training that help youth ministers grow as faith leaders and guide the next generation of disciples.
“It’s not just youth ministry, the calling, but youth ministry, the vocation,” said Brian Henritze, associate director of OACE. “Watching some of these younger ministers make the connections that take them from just volunteering to becoming one who is deeply impacting the parish has been really fruitful,” Henritze said.
He said the training is enhanced by retreats, Confirmation formation sessions, curriculum workshops, and EXPLORE, a fourpart foundational program designed for youth ministry leaders in their first two years. It’s part of the Youth Ministry Essentials Certificate, which includes 12 packaged programs totaling around 50 hours of learning and features one-on-one mentorship from OACE staff to build confidence and competence as parish leaders.
balancing what it means to be a minister in the parish and serve young people and their families,” Henritze said. “There’s an intentionality about the program, which lets them know that they are not on an island or alone, but part of a broader community here to support them.”
Henritze said the formation model implemented by OACE has been effective in parish settings. For example, in one southern deanery, a cohort led by youth leaders who took the leadership training courses now organizes an annual youth camp that has attracted 300 to 400 teens.
DIOCESAN SERVICES FUND
“Much of their success is due to the foundational skills they were able to learn through the OACE leadership training,” said Henritze. “They also formed strong relationships, making connections that allow them to serve not just their own parish, but the wider Church of Galveston-Houston.”
OACE is one of 60-plus ministries that receive funding from the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF). Henritze said OACE owes its very existence to DSF, as every ministry and service it provides relies on this essential annual funding.
sustain its mission and uphold a flexible, forward-thinking mindset, essential for effectively reaching and evangelizing today’s youth.
“The culture of our young people and their families is constantly changing,” said Henritze. “Every year, our staff researches new ideas and engages in professional development so we can create new programs that meet the needs of those serving in the parish.”
To learn more about OACE, visit www. archgh.org/OACE. To donate to the DSF annual appeal, which supports over 60 ministries, visit www.archgh.org/DSF. Every dollar donated to DSF directly funds ministries that provide essential services, education and outreach throughout the Archdiocese. †
The 2025 Diocesan
is “Cry Out with Joy to the Lord.” 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.
DSF IN ACTION
This video series brings to life the ministry featured in this story. Hear from people personally impacted by God’s grace through these DSF ministries.
Henritze believes the one-on-one mentorship sets OACE’s leadership program apart on a national level. This personalized guidance helps youth ministers become confident in their roles and responsibilities while providing ongoing support and spiritual accountability.
“The leadership program helps them navigate the ins and outs of parish life,
“DSF has helped us purchase equipment and find the support to develop these new programs,” Henritze said. “This gives us time to do more than just check off boxes behind a computer. DSF enables our staff to engage in the mentorship of parish leaders, which has become crucial.”
Henritze said OACE is always exploring new ideas and strategies to
Services Fund theme
FILE PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
A panel of youth ministry leaders and a priest speak during a panel on the impacts of Vietnamese youth ministries in the Archdiocese at the 2022 Archdiocesan Youth Conference in Houston.
Galveston Juneteenth Mass marks holiday’s 160th anniversary with faith and courage
BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald
GALVESTON — As a Gospel choir raised their voices to the heavens, some 260-plus Catholics centered their eyes on the Eucharist during a Mass celebrated on Juneteenth at St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. The Mass was part of the Region X Unity Explosion conference held in mid-June in the Bay Area primarily for Catholics of African Descent.
Presided over by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, the June 19 Mass marked a watershed moment for the conference, one that brought a public witness of faith to Galveston, just three city blocks from where U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, and issued General Order No. 3 that declared “all slaves are free,” according to the Texas Historical Commission.
For Doris Barrow III, who serves as a campus minister of the Newman Center at Texas Southern University, a historically Black university in Houston, said it was challenging but meaningful and emotional day to celebrate in Galveston on Juneteenth. He said it meant a great deal to know the history of Juneteenth and see its impact that flowed through Galveston.
Barrow recalled Bishop Edward Braxton, one of a number of African-American prelates
IN MEMORIA
to lead a diocese, who referred to the slave, the freeing of the enslaved and free human beings as being “a gift.”
“It reminded me of even people within my own family, my ancestors,” Barrow said. “It made me think about my grandparents, great-grandparents. I’m tremendously grateful in the moment that an opportunity for me to exist, [and] for me to even do what I do [as a campus minister]. I attribute it to my ancestors helping to pave the way to ensure that those opportunities were made available.”
Attendees took a panoramic tour of Galveston, visiting Holy Rosary Church, the longtime spiritual home for Black Catholics on the island. They also viewed the “Absolute Equality” mural that marks the location where Gen. Granger proclaimed that emancipation had arrived in Texas on June 19, 1865, almost three years after the 1862 issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth would become a state holiday in 1979 and a national holiday in 2021. Since 1865, across the island, block parties, walking parades and other celebrations have marked the holiday, now joined by the conference.
As the vicar for Catholics of African Descent, Father Reginald Samuels has the unique perspective and ministry of serving Catholics who come from a long lineage of diasporic African cultures, either by forced
Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of August.
Aug. 1, 1993 Rev. John B. Mullins, CSB
Aug. 3, 1999 Rev. John A. Weihrer
Aug. 4, 1995 Rev. John A. Burke, CSB
Aug. 7, 2001 Rev. Msgr. George A. Beck
Aug. 8, 1943 Rev. Thomas F. Hogan
Aug. 8, 1969 Rev. John M. Cody
Aug. 8, 2006 Rev. William J. Young, CSB
Aug. 9. 1895 Rev. Joseph Querat
Aug. 9, 2014 Rev. Franklin Simmons
Aug. 10, 1856 Rev. Jean-Maurice Verdet, OMI
Aug. 10, 1979 Rev. Joseph P. Walsh
Aug. 11, 1997 Rev. Ernest P. Magee, CSB
Aug. 12, 2013 Msgr. David W. Kennedy
Aug. 12, 2022 Rev. Joseph Thanh Vu
Aug. 13, 1844 Rev. J.M. Paquin, CM
Aug. 15, 1931 Rev. Thomas J. Finn
Aug. 15, 1970 Rev. Francis J. Klass
Aug. 15, 1990 Rev. Timothy Curry, OP
Aug. 15, 2023 Rev. John Ulm
Aug. 16, 2012 Rev. Anselm Walker
OBITUARIES
Espiridion Alcantar-Vences
Aug. 17, 2013 Rev. Joseph A. Gietl
Aug. 17, 2013 Msgr. Charles C. Domec
Aug. 17, 2014 Rev. Jacques Weber, S.J.
Aug. 18, 2018 Bishop John McCarthy
Aug. 18, 2020 Rev. Elias Dorion
Aug. 19, 2017 Rev. Donald Bahlinger, SJ
Aug. 20, 1970 Rev. George F. Laurenson
Aug. 21, 1998 Rev. Stanley Guzik, OMI
Aug. 21, 2001 Rev. John J. Connolly
Aug. 23, 1857 Rev. John Bottet
Aug. 23, 1947 Rev. George Berberich
Aug. 25, 2007 Rev. A. Peter Whitney
Aug. 25, 2015 Rev. William M. Pickard
Aug. 26, 1980 Rev. Michael Biondi, CSB
Aug. 26, 2003 Msgr. Elmer T. Quinters
Aug. 27, 2002 Rev. Norbert N. Clemens, CSB
Aug. 28, 1989 Msgr. Jack J. Davis
Aug. 30, 1986 Rev. Arthur Nichols
Aug. 30, 2003 Rev. Feliciano del Val
Aug. 31, 1867 Rev. A.M. Micouleau
MEXICO — Espiridion Alcantar-Vences, father of Office of Evangelization and Catechesis Associate Director Miguel Vences, died June 13. He was 95 years old. †
Barnard Ladet II
HOUSTON — Barnard Ladet II, son of Deborah Ladet, administrative assistant at the Archdiocese, died June 13. He was 46 years old.
A funeral service was celebrated June 28 at McCoy and Harrison Funeral Home. Interment was private. †
Julian Muñoz Jr.
HOUSTON — Julian Muñoz Jr., the father of Michelle Muñoz in Development Records, died June 15. He was 83 years old.
A funeral service was celebrated June 19 at Peevey Funeral & Cremation. Interment is in Grand View Memorial Park. †
Pietje Marie Van Vliet
ONTARIO, Canada — Pietje Marie Van Vliet, mother of Father Charles Van Vliet, FSSP, pastor of Regina Caeli Catholic Church, died June 26. She was 91 years old.
Services were celebrated in Canada. †
“God is so faithful that He has never abandoned us. He never left us. God never saw us the way the world saw us.”
AMY AUZENNE
Director, Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
dispersion such as the slave trade or by chosen migration in recent decades.
After concelebrating the Mass, Father Samuels said the day was a difficult but enriching day.
“We are celebrating the 160th anniversary of the proclamation, the start of us. Our humanity was restored back to us here; we are no longer slaves here. Juneteenth started here,” he said. “The proclamation went out to all of these people who were still enslaved.”
God has brought us and this community so far, Father Samuels said.
“From being enslaved to having a voice. For 150 years, our humanity was denied,” he said.
“Now God has helped us get back our humanity, to bring us whole and to make this nation on the road, making it whole. We’re still not there, but we’re on our way. We’re on our way.”
Amy Auzenne, director of the Archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, saw a connection between Juneteenth and the newly
elected Pope Leo XIV, whose maternal ancestry was Creole free people of color from Louisiana. The future pope was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982, in Rome.
At Mass, Auzenne said she was fighting back tears as she joined the choir in singing “We’ve Come This Far By Faith,” the popular African American hymn.
“It is so powerful to see how God is alive and moving in this community, knowing how hard we had to fight for our dignity, inside and outside the Church, to know that the Spirit of God is so faithful that He has never abandoned us. He never left us,” she said. “God never saw us the way the world saw us.”
She also found solace and courage in the unity of the group: “When we sing these words... we tell ourselves that story, but we also proclaim it to the Universal Church, because it’s a gift that this community carries and that we share, and that, frankly, the universal Church needs. The universal Church needs the witness of this community to be the whole and complete Body of Christ.”
In his homily, Cardinal DiNardo lauded those gifts of the African American Catholic experience, calling them “very significant” and “marvelous” for the Church and its ministry, life of Sacraments and celebration.
He said the remarkable Catholic experience has produced great saints, great people of witness and a good number of priests, also encouraging the faithful to nurture vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
“Always listen to God’s word,” he said. “It’s powerful, it’s potent, it’s God’s word working in you. The whole Church will benefit.” †
Lone Star Flight Museum 11511 Aerospace Ave. Houston, TX 77034
EDUCATION
LEADERSHIP
School leaders focus on serving Latino families
Anastasia Dementyev is the St. John XXIII College Preparatory Class of 2025 Salutatorian. She will attend Hillsdale College in Michigan on a full-tuition scholarship, majoring in chemistry with possible plans for a music minor, then pursue graduate studies in neuroscience.
During her time at the school, Dementyev served as Key Club secretary and senior representative for Loreto House, a position she also held during her freshman and junior years.
Dementyev was a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the Science Bowl and Quiz Bowl teams. She also showcased her talents in the school play during the spring semester. She was also a member of the varsity swim team for all four years, qualifying for the TAPPS State Meet each year. She earned recognition as a Commended National Merit Scholar, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and was a CLT10 National Award recipient. She was also honored as a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate.
In the community, Dementyev sings with the choir at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Memorial Park. She has served for two years as a core team leader for St. Theresa’s youth group, where she leads weekly faith formation sessions. †
Administrators from Holy Ghost, St. Augustine, St. Christopher and St. Jerome Catholic Schools, along with Assistant Superintendent
The University of Notre
Latino
The team spent the week learning strategies to transform their schools to attract and serve Latino families.
Editor’s Note: In the June 10, 2025 edition, Anastasia Dementyev’s photo was misprinted and we regret the error. The correct photo appears above alongside her accomplishments.
HOUSTON – Select rising third through sixth graders from local Catholic schools spent three summer weeks in an academic enrichment program at The DeBusk Enrichment Center for Academically Talented Scholars (DECATS Houston). The program is centered in Catholic teachings and follows the example of Christ.
Core courses focus on manners, self-organization, time management, wellness or values and morals, according to grade level. Students, called scholars, choose from a variety of course electives.
The program operates at three host campuses: Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, St. Anne Catholic School in Tomball and Incarnate Word Academy in downtown Houston.
The DeBusk Foundation was created in 1979 in the Dallas area by Manuel and Edith DeBusk with the goal to enrich gifted and talented scholars. From there, the program has grown and spread across Texas.
For more information, visit www.debuskfoundation.org or www.decats.org. †
Far left, scholars in the “Game of Kings” course hone strategies and critical thinking while practicing their skills on the chess board.
Left and above, scholars learn about slopes, angles and other mathematical concepts in the “A-maze-ing” course.
IN ACADEMICS
Mark awards
Berlin Pickney presented the Niguel’s Scholarship at St. Mark Evangelist Catholic Church to (left) Farrah Manners of Ridge Point High School in Missouri City, (third from left) Theresa Elias of KIPP East End High School and Micah Breaker of Manvel High School. (Second from left) Bailey Maxine Davis of Presbyterian Academy received a scholarship in memory of James PickneyKnights of Columbus.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OFFICE
Maribel Mendoza-Rojas, attended
Dame’s
Enrollment Institute.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DECATS
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEMITRI PICKNEY
ANASTASIA DEMENTYEV
YOUTH
ARCHDIOCESAN YOUTH COUNCIL 2025
The Archdiocesan Youth Council is composed of over 100 high school youth from across the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. These young people were nominated by their parish or Catholic school and go through a discernment process before being commissioned. Youth Council members serve for a one-year term during which they assist with the planning and implementation of various programs sponsored by the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization. The members of this year’s council are listed below. For more information, visit ARCHGH.ORG/OACE
Christ Our Light, Navasota
Edgar Ascencio
Celeste Coronilla
Christ the Incarnate Word, Houston
Trina Tang
Tony Tran
Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory, Houston
Justin Martinez
Laylah Martinez
Epiphany of the Lord, Katy
Ana Paula Sangiorgio Colina
Holy Family, Missouri City
Fatima Diaz
Elijah Mitchell
Holy Family, Galveston
Jonathan Morán
Holy Rosary, Houston
Madelyn Dinh
Holy Rosary, Rosenberg
Juliet Sulak
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Houston
Christian Carbajal
Incarnate Word Academy, Houston
Paloma Aleman
Rinelle Pauline Aliboso
Victoria Taboada-Palau
Lucia Lindstrom
Mary Queen, Friendswood
Isabella Hernandez
Simon Kinsworthy
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Houston
Christopher Gonzalez
Sacred Heart, Conroe
Dawson Andrews
Irene Mendez Orizaba
Nicolas Rincon
Sacred Heart, Richmond
Taylor Adams
Mazie Hinojosa
Marcella Sicking
Shrine of the True Cross, Dickinson
Veronica Clements
Joanna Perez
St. Agnes Academy, Houston
Carylina Black
Paulina Karaszewski
St. Anthony of Padua, The Woodlands
Evan Filley
Rebecca Lafleur
St. Bartholomew the Apostle, Katy
Aidan Cronin
Carly Starr
St. Benedict the Abbot, Houston
Brianna Cruz
Royce Estrada
St. Catherine’s Montessori, Houston
Olivia Harth
Rafa Onofre
St. Cecilia, Houston
Marie Graham
St. Clare of Assisi, Houston
Lauren Barrera
Diego Barrera
Madelyn Rodriguez
St. Cyril of Alexandria, Houston
Jackie Gaytan
Diego Pajarito
St. Edith Stein, Katy
Ava Gonzalez
Nicolas Negron
St. Edward, Spring
Preston Tran
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Houston
Korina Andrade
Colton Rue
St. Faustina, Fulshear
Ruth Hanzik
Bridget Hughes
Arthur Whittle
St. Helen, Pearland
Daniel Pascarella
Adrian Eduardo Ontiveros
Kirk Roberts
Eddie Yannul
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Spring
Darek Aguirre
Maria Fernanda
Bolivar Prince
Christina Dao
Eva Cuellar
Abby Cunningham
St. Jerome, Clute
Sydney McIntire
Bhrianna Montes de Oca
St. Jerome, Houston
John Torres
St. John of the Cross, New Caney
Joselyn Fuentes
Johnny Solis
St. John the Evangelist, Baytown
Matthieu Salom
Julissa Zuniga
St. Laurence, Sugar Land
Katie Kerwin
Diego Salinas
St. Luke the Evangelist, Houston
Benjamín Guajardo
Joseph Oviedo
Kathleen Luu
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, LaPorte
Victor Velasquez
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Sealy
Megan Ondruch
Madison Ondruch
St. Mary, Frydek
Anabella Kennedy
Annabelle Weber
St. Mary of the Purification, Houston
Zora Gabriel
Braylon McMorris
St. Matthew the Evangelist, Houston
Didier Bonilla
Valerie Garcia
St. Matthias the Apostle, Magnolia
Betsy Chavez
Francesca Fly
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Houston
Michael Zendejo-Melchor
St. Michael, Needville Gissel Correa
St. Monica, Houston
Curtis Davis
Jesus Perez
St. Nicholas, Houston
Alexis Awa
Joel Fomukong
Ivana Nyambi
St. Philip the Apostle, Huffman
Elijah Blanchard
McKenna Grindle
St. Peter Catholic, Houston
Logan Whitley
St. Rose of Lima, Houston Mason Collette
Cecilia D’Souza
St. Theresa, Houston Lorenzo Villamayor
St. Theresa, Sugar Land
Josef Castillo
Maria Jesko
St. Thomas Aquinas, Sugar Land
Joshua Bulan
Annika Trevino
St. Thomas High School, Houston
Sebastian Aguilar
Manrique Campos
Marc Martinez
St. Thomas More, Houston
Kimberly Fortanel
Michael Hayes
Sts. Peter and Paul, Bellville
Sophia Broz
Ethan Wright
Sts. Simon and Jude, The Woodlands
Mia Bryant
Patrick O’Donohue
COLUMNIST
Religious liberty and the Corporal Works of Mercy
For nearly a year, the Texas Office of the Attorney General, led by Ken Paxton, has been attempting to shut down Annunciation House, a Catholic charity in El Paso, that has worked with federal agencies for over 50 years to provide humanitarian aid to migrants. In one filing, the attorney general argued that Annunciation House staff are not motivated by a Christian obligation to care for the poor but by a “more Bohemian set of ‘seven commandments,’” that include things like “visiting the imprisoned” and “caring for the sick.” Apparently, the attorney general, who is not Catholic, is unfamiliar with the Corporal Works of Mercy from Matthew’s Gospel and mistook them for a revised version of the Ten Commandments (“Annunciation House lawyer says Texas’ lawsuit attacks Catholic religious liberty,” OSV News, 06/18/2024; “Texas Supreme Court permits Paxton’s Annunciation House probe to proceed,” OSV News, 06/04/2025).
El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, called such actions a “real risk” to the Church’s ability to enact the Works of Mercy: “We do have concerns when the state says that there are certain people who are hungry that we can give food to and certain people who are hungry that we may not; certain people we can give a ride to the hospital, and certain people we cannot. These kinds of issues are of
by AMY AUZENNE
concern in terms of our ability to live our life as Catholic Christians.”
Ministry to, with, and for immigrants is a cherished part of our Catholic American heritage. Catholics from Europe, Africa, Asia, and South and Central America arrived in this country and, over generations, built vibrant Catholic schools, fraternal organizations, hospitals and charitable ministries that made it possible for them to flourish in their new homeland.
faith are incompatible with faithful citizenship. This argument is directly contrary to our heritage and experiences as American Catholics and as the descendants of immigrants.
The ongoing legal battles against organizations like Annunciation House are not merely administrative disputes; they are direct challenges to the core tenets of the Catholic faith and our long-standing tradition of compassionate service.
vulnerable, transcends political rhetoric and discriminatory narratives. It is through an unwavering commitment to the Gospel values expressed in the Corporal Works of Mercy that we truly fulfill our mission and uphold both our faith and the foundational values of this nation, just as our immigrant ancestors
As Catholics, our moral imperative to care for all people, especially the
St. Frances Cabrini, pray for us. †
Jubilee Year 2025 Pilgrimage to Italy
Rome / Monte Cassino / Pietrelcina / San Giovanni Rotondo /Monte Sant"Angelo / Lanciano /Loreto / Padua / Venice / Florence / Siena / Assisi / Cascia
In the face of anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic prejudice, Catholic institutions stepped in to provide safe housing, decent jobs, and medical care for those who were otherwise excluded. In addition to developing a school system from scratch, American Catholics also planted the seeds for social safety nets such as labor unions, charity hospitals and nursing homes. Catholic ministries are now being scrutinized in a coordinated effort to shut down their humanitarian aid to migrants; and in the case of Annunciation House, to close them altogether. Those who bring this scrutiny want us to believe that offering such assistance is unpatriotic; further, they imply that the teachings of our Catholic
13-Day Jubilee Year 2025 Pilgrimage to Italy
13-Day Jubilee Year 2025 Pilgrimage to Italy
13-Day Jubilee Year 2025 Pilgrimage to Italy
Rome / Monte Cassino / Pietrelcina / San Giovanni Rotondo /Monte Sant"Angelo / Lanciano /Loreto / Padua / Venice / Florence / Siena / Assisi / Cascia
Rome / Monte Cassino / Pietrelcina / San Giovanni Rotondo /Monte Sant"Angelo / Lanciano /Loreto / Padua / Venice / Florence / Siena / Assisi / Cascia
October 27 - November 8, 2025
Rome / Monte Cassino / Pietrelcina / San Giovanni Rotondo /Monte Sant"Angelo Lanciano /Loreto / Padua / Venice / Florence / Siena / Assisi / Cascia
13-Day Jubilee Year 2025 Pilgrimage to Italy
$4,150 per person based on double occupancy
October 27 - November 8, 2025
October 27 - November 8, 2025
Rome / Monte Cassino / Pietrelcina / San Giovanni Rotondo /Monte Sant"Angelo / Lanciano /Loreto / Padua / Venice / Florence / Siena / Assisi / Cascia
$4,150 per person based on double occupancy
$4,150 per person based on double occupancy
Inclusions: R/T Air from Houston IAH, First class hotels, Hotel breakfasts, Dinner daily, English and Catholic Tour Director, Entrance fees, Tips to the driver and Tour director, Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (subject to change), Holy Mass as specified in the itinerary, Holy Doors Access in Rome
October 27 - November 8, 2025
October 27 - November 8, 2025
$4,150 per person based on double occupancy
Spiritual Director: Rev. Ronnie Dela Cruz - Parochial Vicar, Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, Manvel, TX
$4,150 per person based on double occupancy
Inclusions: R/T Air from Houston IAH, First class hotels, Hotel breakfasts, Dinner daily, English and Catholic Tour Director, Entrance fees, Tips to the driver and Tour director, Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (subject to change), Holy Mass as specified in the itinerary, Holy Doors Access in Rome
Inclusions: R/T Air from Houston IAH, First class hotels, Hotel breakfasts, Dinner daily, English and Catholic Tour Director, Entrance fees, Tips to the driver and Tour director, Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (subject to change), Holy Mass as specified in the itinerary, Holy Doors Access in Rome
Inclusions: R/T Air from Houston IAH, First class hotels, Hotel breakfasts, Dinner daily, English and Catholic Tour Director, Entrance fees, Tips to the driver and Tour director, Airport Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (subject to change), Holy Mass as specified in the itinerary, Holy Doors Access in Rome
Inclusions: R/T Air from Houston IAH, first class hotels, hotel breakfasts, dinner daily, deluxe motorcoach, English and Catholic tour director, entrance fees, tips to the driver and tour director, airport taxes and fuel surcharges (subject to change), Holy Mass as specified in the itenerary, Holy Doors access in Rome
Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Ronnie Dela Cruz
Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Ronnie Dela Cruz
Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Ronnie Dela Cruz
Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Ronnie Dela Cruz
Inclusions: R/T Air from Houston IAH, First class hotels, Hotel breakfasts, Dinner English and Catholic Tour Director, Entrance fees, Tips to the driver and Tour director, Taxes and Fuel Surcharges (subject to change), Holy Mass as specified in the itinerary, Doors Access in Rome
For more information, please contact: Dory Agustin - Tour Coordinator (832)788-5586 (direct) aagustin@dreamvacations.com
For more information, please contact: Dory Agustin - Tour Coordinator (832)788-5586 (direct) aagustin@dreamvacations.com
For more information, please contact: Dory Agustin - Tour Coordinator (832)788-5586 (direct) aagustin@dreamvacations.com
For more information, please contact: Dory Agustin - Tour Coordinator (832)788-5586 (direct) aagustin@dreamvacations.com
Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. Ronnie Dela Cruz
For more information, please contact: Dory Agustin - Tour Coordinator (832)788-5586 (direct) aagustin@dreamvacations.com
First Reading: Ecc 1:2; 2:21-23
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 90:3-6, 12-14, 17
Second Reading: Col 3:1-5, 9-11 Gospel: Lk 12:13-21
AUGUST 10
First Reading: Wis 18:6-9
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 33:1, 12, 18-22
Second Reading: Heb 11:1-2, 8-19 or 11:1-2, 8-12 Gospel: Lk 12:32-48 or Lk 12:35-40
AUGUST 17
First Reading: Jer 38:4-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 40:2-4, 18
Second Reading: Heb 12:1-4 Gospel: Lk 12:49-53
Amy Auzenne is the director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.
Jesus’ call is a call to joy
tells priests
and friendship, pope
ROME (CNS) — When a priest has experienced the joy of truly believing in Jesus Christ and embracing Him as a friend, it shows, Pope Leo XIV told priests.
“The priest’s happiness reflects his encounter with Christ, sustaining him in mission and service,” he said during a meeting that was part of the Jubilee of Priests.
Hundreds of priests and people involved in priestly formation and vocations took part in a gathering at the Conciliazione Auditorium in Rome June 26, titled, “Happy Priests: ‘I have called you friends,’” referring to Jesus’ union with His disciples in the Gospel of St. John (15:15).
Lazarus Cardinal Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, welcomed the pope, saying, “We are here because we know that a happy priest is the best proclamation of the Gospel.”
“In the heart of the Holy Year, we want to testify together that it is possible to be happy priests,” the pope said to applause. Their joy is rooted in Christ calling them and making them His friends: “a grace we want to welcome with gratitude and responsibility.”
Jesus’ words, “I have called you friends,” are the key to understanding priestly ministry, Pope Leo said.
“The priest is a friend of the Lord, called to live with Him in a personal and trusting relationship, nourished by the Word, the celebration of the Sacraments and daily prayer,” he said.
“This friendship with Christ is the spiritual foundation of ordained ministry, the meaning of our celibacy and the energy of the ecclesial service to which we dedicate our lives,” he said. “It sustains us in times of trial and enables us to renew each day the ‘yes’ uttered at the beginning of our vocation.”
Pope Leo underlined the importance of Pope Francis’ 2024 encyclical, “’Dilexit Nos’ (‘He Loved Us’): on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ” for the whole Church and for their vocation.
It is from this “burning” heart that “our
IN BRIEF
vocation takes its origin; it is from this source of grace that we want to allow ourselves to be transformed,” he said.
“Many seem to have drifted away from faith, yet deep inside many people, especially young people, there is a thirst for the infinite and for salvation,” he said.
“Therefore, we want to rediscover missionary momentum together,” he said, in a mission that “boldly and lovingly proposes the Gospel of Jesus.”
“Through our pastoral action, it is the Lord Himself who cares for His flock, gathers those who are scattered, kneels before those who are wounded and supports those who are discouraged,” the pope said. “Imitating the master’s example, we grow in faith and thus become credible witnesses to the vocation we have received.”
“When one believes, it shows,” he said. The pope thanked them “for who you are! For you remind everyone that it is good to be priests and that every call from the Lord is first and foremost a call to his joy.”
“We are not perfect, but we are Christ’s friends, brothers to one another, and sons of His gentle Mother Mary, and that is enough for us,” he said.
Speaking off-the-cuff before giving his final blessing, Pope Leo encouraged priests to know they are never alone, even if they are ministering in remote places. Their spiritual life needs nurturing, so “when we need help, look for a good ‘companion,’ a spiritual director, a good confessor,” he said.
“Try to live what Pope Francis so many times called ‘closeness’: closeness with the Lord, closeness with your bishop or religious superior, and closeness among yourselves, too, because you really have to be friends, brothers,” he said.
“Live this beautiful experience of walking together, knowing that we are called to be disciples of the Lord. We have a great mission, and together we can all do it. Let us always count on God’s grace, closeness from me as well, and together, we can really be this voice in the world,” he said. †
Despite secularization trends, a Catholic revival is seen on the horizon in France
PARIS (OSV News) — In Paris, a new initiative is taking a data-driven look at Catholicism in France. The “Observatory of Catholicism” officially launched this June, aiming to provide reliable, science-based insights into the Church’s evolving role in French society.
Founded by lay Catholics with support from private investors and the French bishops’ conference, the observatory will conduct regular surveys in partnership with the respected IFOP polling institute. Its first study, released June 2, highlights major shifts: Only 41% of French people today say they believe in God, whereas this figure was over 50% until 2021; weekly Sunday Mass attendance among Catholics sits at just 2%; and parents are much less likely to have their young children baptized. Yet researchers also point to a possible Catholic revival — particularly among youth seeking meaning and deeper faith commitment and society at large looking for meditation and clarity.
Veteran journalist and co-founder Samuel Pruvot says the goal is indeed clarity, not ideology: “We need structured, scientific, up-to-date data to understand these changes.” †
CNS PHOTO
Pope Leo XIV speaks during a meeting with priests at a Rome auditorium near the Vatican June 26. Seated next to him is Lazarus Cardinal Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy.
NATION
‘Be bold for Jesus’: Los Angeles closes out the National Eucharistic Revival
LOS ANGELES (OSV News) — The three-year National Eucharistic Revival closed in Los Angeles on Corpus Christi Sunday with a call to “become Eucharistic missionaries” and lead others back to the Catholic faith at a celebration scaled back due to unrest caused by recent immigration raids.
“The Eucharistic revival does not end today but continues in each one of us, you and me,” said Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez in his homily at the June 22 Mass, which drew more than 3,000 people to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on a day of picture-perfect, balmy Southern California summer weather.
The Mass, together with the procession that followed, marked the official end of the month-long 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which traveled more than 3,000 miles across 10 U.S. states from Indianapolis to Los Angeles and served as the national revival’s final act. In June, the pilgrimage made stops in the Dioceses of Dallas, Fort Worth, San Angelo and El Paso.
The pilgrimage’s closing weekend in Los Angeles included stops in two communities ravaged by the January 2025 wildfires, Altadena and Pacific Palisades, as well as two missions founded by St. Junípero Serra, San Buenaventura and San Gabriel.
Plans for a post-Mass festival and a procession through downtown Los Angeles on Sunday were shelved days earlier due to the unrest caused by mass raids targeting immigrants without legal permission to live and work in the U.S. But at the end of a shortened procession held inside the cathedral plaza, Archbishop Gomez briefly stepped out onto Temple Street carrying a monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament and blessed the city of Los Angeles.
said Archbishop Gomez. “We can never approach the altar without wanting to bring others with us to know the love that we know. So, let’s be bold for Jesus!”
The Mass was presided by the papal ambassador to the U.S., Christophe Cardinal Pierre, and concelebrated by 10 bishops and more than 30 priests. In his opening remarks, Cardinal Pierre reported that while in Rome earlier this month, he told Pope Leo XIV that he would be visiting Los Angeles for the occasion.
“The Holy Father told me to greet you in a very special way, and I do,” said Cardinal Pierre, who added that Pope Leo told him he was aware of the many pilgrimages held over the course of the National Eucharistic Revival.
The moment was a fitting climax to an event marked by moments of silent prayer and rousing song and attended by everyone from young families to cheery nuns and pilgrims — all expressing the kind of missionary enthusiasm that Archbishop Gomez had called for in his homily.
“Jesus is counting on us to bring people back to the Church, back to Mass,”
Cardinal Pierre said the purpose of the feast of Corpus Christi was to celebrate the power of the Eucharist to transform people into “God’s presence,” including in their homes, schools and even in politics.
“The Church is ourselves because we receive the body of Christ,” said Cardinal Pierre. “This is the good news of our faith, that we are the Church, that the Church is the presence of God in America.”
The celebration’s hopeful tone was a contrast to the troubling news headlines,
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, Archbishop Joe Vásquez 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.
among them the bombing of three nuclear facilities in Iran by U.S. bombers and the continued raids by U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents in Southern California targeting Latinos suspected of lacking legal status.
An intention read during the prayers of the faithful at the Mass asked “for healing and restoration, especially for all persons and communities impacted by wildfires, and those who live in fear of unrest and the separation of families.”
During the procession, before Archbishop Gomez and his fellow bishops finally reached Temple Street to bless the city, the procession paused at three prayer altars in the plaza, where the crowd kneeled to pray and sing before the monstrance. Afterwards, the crowd gathered back inside the cathedral for one more moment of Eucharistic adoration and Benediction. At the conclusion of the gathering, the last word belonged to Archbishop Gomez.
“This has been a wonderful three years, a wonderful day today, but it is not over,” he said with a grin, prompting some laughs. “We are the continuation of this beautiful gift of the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.” †
The host is placed in a monstrance during a Mass for the feast of Corpus Christi at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on June 22 during the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.
MUNDO CATÓLICO
Permanezcan
unidos, cuiden a los que están perdidos, los que sufren, dice el Papa a los sacerdotes del mundo
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS)
— Los sacerdotes están llamados a ser acogidos y modelados por el amor sin límites de Dios, y a darse cuenta de que no hay lugar para la división y el odio de ningún tipo, dijo el Papa León XIV.
“Reconciliados, unidos y transformados por el amor que brota abundantemente del Corazón de Cristo, caminemos juntos tras sus huellas, humildes y decididos, firmes en la fe y abiertos a todos en la caridad”, dijo a los sacerdotes de todo el mundo.
“Llevemos al mundo la paz del Resucitado, con esa libertad que nace de sabernos amados, elegidos y enviados por el Padre”, dijo en su homilía durante la Misa celebrada en la Basílica de San Pedro el 27 de junio, fiesta del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús y Jornada Mundial de Oración por la Santificación de los Sacerdotes.
El Papa León XIV eleva el Libro de los Evangelios durante la Misa en la fiesta del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús en la Basílica de San Pedro en el Vati cano el 27 de junio.
“Amen a Dios y a los hermanos, sean generosos, fervorosos en la celebración de los sacramentos, en la oración — especialmente en la adoración (ante la Eucaristía) — y en el ministerio”, les dijo. “Sean cercanos a su grey, donen su tiempo y sus energías a todos, sin escatimarse, sin hacer diferencias, como nos enseñan el costado abierto del Crucificado y el ejemplo de los santos”.
Les animó a buscar entre los muchos ejemplos de sacerdotes santos en la
en primer lugar, imitando al Buen Pastor que vela por su rebaño, busca a los perdidos, ayuda a los heridos y fortalece a los débiles y enfermos.
“En un tiempo de grandes y terribles conflictos”, dijo, esto nos recuerda que en “ el amor del Señor, del cual estamos llamados a dejarnos abrazar y moldear, es universal, y que a sus ojos — y por tanto también a los nuestros — no hay lugar para divisiones ni odios de ningún tipo”.
Dios también exhorta a sus sacerdotes a “a abandonarnos a la acción transformadora de su Espíritu que habita en nosotros, en un camino diario de conversión”, dijo.
La Misa marcó la conclusión de una semana de celebraciones jubilares para seminaristas, obispos y sacerdotes, en las que el Papa León reiteró la necesidad de fundamentar la propia vocación en el amor de Dios, la amistad de Jesús y el poder transformador del Espíritu Santo, así como la necesidad de estar unidos y ser misioneros en un mundo sediento de sentido y esperanza.
también a 32 sacerdotes de Asia, África, las Américas, Europa y Oceanía. los ordenandos: “Les digo algunas cosas simples, pero que considero importantes para su futuro y para el de las almas que les serán confiadas”.
Conferencia principal celebrada en inglés con opciones de talleres en español o bilingües. para adultos jóvenes
“Es una invitación a vivir la caridad pastoral con el mismo espíritu generoso del Padre, cultivando en nosotros su deseo: que nadie se pierda, sino que todos, también a través de nosotros, conozcan a Cristo y tengan en Él la vida eterna”, dijo el Papa.
“Es una invitación a unirnos íntimamente a Jesús, semilla de concordia entre los hermanos”, dijo. “Cargando sobre nuestros hombros a los que se han perdido, perdonando a los que
Escanea el código QR para inscribirte Para más información contáctenos al 13-741-8710 | lvades@archgh.org
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 Arzobispo Joe Vásquez 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.
WITHIN THE ARTS
Two popes who built St. Peter’s Basilica face
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Two popes who played instrumental roles in building the world’s largest church now gaze at one another with renewed clarity in the apse of St. Peter’s Basilica.
After decades of accumulating dirt, dust and grime, the funerary statues of Popes Paul III and Urban VIII were returned to their original luster as part of a broader springtime restoration campaign inside the basilica, which included conservation work on sculpture surfaces and new lighting installation in the Vatican necropolis below the basilica.
And for the first time since their restoration, the two statues also gazed over the basilica, packed for the June 29 Pallium Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, when Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez received his pallium from the pope.
Pope Paul III, who died in 1549, summoned Michelangelo to take over the basilica’s design after its construction was stalled — a move that redirected and accelerated its completion. More than a century later, Pope UrbanVIII consecrated the completed church in 1626, dedicating it exactly 120 years after the first stone was laid for the new basilica on April 18, 1506, by Pope Julius II.
The restored tombs in dark bronze and shimmering gold stand opposite one another in the apse, framing Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s monumental sculpture of the chair of St. Peter.
“These works concern not only safety and hospitality but also conservation, restoration and enhancement,” said Pietro Zander, head of upkeep for the artistic heritage of St. Peter’s Basilica, during a press conference presenting the restored works. “They were all completed in record time for the Jubilee of Hope.”
The monument to Pope Paul, sculpted by Guglielmo della Porta between 1549 and 1577, was the first papal tomb constructed in the new basilica. Originally freestanding and towering nearly 33 feet, it was reduced in scale and moved multiple times before Bernini repositioned it in 1629 to face his monument of Pope Urban VIII.
The bronze statue of the elderly Pope Paul sits above marble allegories of justice and prudence. Archival accounts as early as the late 1500s identified the figures as portraits of the pope’s mother, Giovannella Caetani, and his sister, Giulia Farnese — a symbolic merging of his personal and spiritual legacy.
The Pope Urban monument, designed by Bernini and completed between 1627 and 1647, features the pope in bronze, right hand extended, eyes fixed on the massive canopy over the central altar which he commissioned. At its base, a gilded skeletal figure representing death inscribes his name into a dark marble book.
Below the pope stand two women representing justice, who is holding a longsword, and charity, who is nursing
Above, at left, the tomb of Pope Paul III is seen inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican after undergoing restoration work, and seen are two statues who depict the allegories of Justice and Prudence are thought to reflect the likeness of Pope Paul III’s mother and sister. Above, at right, a detailed close-up of Pope Urban VII’s tomb shows the delicate restoration the statue received. At right, a close-up of Pope Paul III’s statue found above his tomb is seen.
a child. In 1850, the nursing woman’s breast was veiled, only to be revealed again during the recently completed renovation works. The veil “compromised the correct interpretation of the statue,” Zander said. “Charity is shown as a mother who has just nursed one child and is turning to feed another — a tender, theologically rich image.”
Both monuments required precise cleaning of marble and bronze surfaces, removing waxes and oily residues that had darkened the materials. Specialists used manual and chemical methods and applied noninvasive techniques to examine the metal alloys and understand how the materials had aged over time.
Lighting and environmental factors were also a concern in the necropolis, where the humidity levels reach 98%.
New dimmable LED fixtures were developed and designed to minimize thermal impact and inhibit microbial growth. The light system extends from the descent into the excavations to the area beneath the papal altar, where the tomb of St. Peter lies.
“The light had to be not just technical but emotional,” said Alberto Capitanucci, the head engineer of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, which is the office responsible for the upkeep of the basilica. “It should accompany visitors and offer a space of reflection.”
The restoration campaign also prompted a rethinking of visitor safety and accessibility. A new emergency evacuation plan was developed in coordination with the Italian fire department, based on 3D modeling and crowd simulation software. Stefano Marsella, head of innovation and logistics for the Italian fire department, said the simulations showed that the basilica’s original entrance steps posed a safety
risk in the event of mass evacuation. As a result, ramps were installed at the main entrances to ensure a smoother and safer exit for all visitors.
“We realized those three steps, in the case of heavy crowding, could be a problem for everyone,” Marsella said. “By improving accessibility, we improve the safety of everyone.”
During the Holy Year, Mauro Cardinal Gambetti, archpriest of the basilica, said the number of visitors to St. Peter’s — typically around 12 million annually — is expected to double. That surge, he said, demands not only logistical planning but renewed attention to the spiritual and aesthetic experience the basilica offers.
The church, he said, aims “to return the faith and love of the pilgrims and tourists who come to the basilica, and we want to do this by increasingly giving back what we are given and what has been handed down to us as an inheritance in this spiritual place — especially in the Jubilee Year.” †
MOVIE RATINGS By OSV News
A-I – SUITABLE FOR ALL
• Elio (PG)
A-II – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN
• How To Train Your Dragon (PG)
• Lilo and Stitch (PG)
• Mission: Impossible
- The Final Reckoning (PG-13)
• The Legend of Ochi (PG)
A-III – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS
• Drop (PG-13)
• F1 the Movie (PG-13)
• M3GAN 2.0 (PG-13)
L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE
• Mickey 17 (R)
O – MORALLY OFFENSIVE
• 28 Years Later (R)
• Final Destination Bloodlines (R)
• Sinners (R)
• The Phoenician Scheme (PG-13)
▶ For full movie reviews, visit www.osvnews.com/category/reviews
CNS PHOTOS BY LOLA GOMEZ AND FABBRICA DI SAN PIETRO
AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE
For the latest updates about listings in the Around the Archdiocese, contact event organizers and visit www.archgh.org/ata.
JULY 17-19
GARAGE SALE, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (6646 Addicks Satsuma Rd., Houston). July 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $20 entry; 5 to 8 p.m., $10 entry; July 18, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., free entry; July 19, 8 to 11 a.m., is 50% off; and noon to 3 p.m. is fill a bag/ box. seascatholic.org.
(6800 Buffalo Speedway, Houston). The Secular branch of Discalced Carmelites for lay men and women 18+ years old, who are called to the Carmelite spirituality, host a study group every third Saturday of the month. sttheresa.cc/ carmelites; 832-758-0186; Therese.Lisieux111@ gmail.com.
PRO-LIFE MASS/WALK, 8:30 a.m., Catholic Charismatic Center (1949 Cullen Blvd., Houston). Helpers of God’s Precious Infants will
Having an Event?
Share your event with thousands of print and digital readers. Scan the QR code to fill out the form and send your event to Around the Archdiocese. Learn more at ARCHGH.ORG/ATA .
the Annunciation Rosary Center for Mass, Divine
The Risk Management and Legal Departments of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston are offering trainings for those hosting a festival, bazaar or gala event at a parish or school. Trainings are from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Dates and locations of the training sessions are:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19
St. Francis Cabrini 10727 Hartsook St., Houston
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20
TUESDAY, AUGUST 26
St. Bartholomew the Apostle 5356 11th St., Katy
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27
(2140 Westheimer Rd., Houston). Celebration commemorates 100 years with a Mass concelebrated with visiting Basilian Fathers followed by an ice cream social in the parish center. 713-526-3276; saintanne.org/newsevents/680-centennial-anniversary.
AUG. 16
JULY 31-AUG. 2
GARAGE SALE, St. Theresa (705 St. Theresa Blvd., Sugar Land). July 31, 6 to 9 p.m.; Aug. 1, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Aug. 2, 9 a.m. to noon. Items for sale include adult’s and children’s clothing, shoes,
FÉ CATHOLICA 2025 CATHOLICA 2025
Christ the Good Shepherd 18511 Klein Church Rd., Spring
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception 816 Park Dr., La Porte
FRIENDS | FAITH | FELLOWSHIP
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23
Our Lady of Guadalupe 2405 Navigation Blvd., Houston
SCAN QR CODE TO REGISTER OR VISIT ARCHGH.SWOOGO.COM/2025SPRINGTRAINING
STUDY GROUP, 9 a.m. to noon, St. Theresa in Memorial Park Library (6622 Haskell St., Houston). The Secular branch of Discalced Carmelites for lay men and women 18+ years old, who are called to Carmelite spirituality, host a study group every third Saturday of the month. sttheresa.cc/carmelites; 832-758-0186; therese.lisieux111@gmail.com.
DINNER AND DANCE, 6 p.m., Helena Hall at St. Helen (2209 Old Alvin Rd., Pearland). “Denim & Diamonds” dinner and dance benefits Simbang Gabi events. Cost: $40 per person. 832-6606213; 713-705-2483.
SEPT. 3
ADORATION HOUR, 7 to 8 p.m., Sacred Heart (507 S 4th St., Richmond). Adoration Hour on the first Wednesday of the month to pray for vocations. Confession and Anointing of the Sick available.
MILESTONES
YEARS OF FAITH, SERVICE
CCVI sisters mark milestone anniversaries
BY MONICA HATCHER
Special to the Herald
HOUSTON — The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word (CCVI), Houston, celebrated the commitment of 13 of its sisters to their religious vows on May 31, with a Mass and reception at the Villa de Matel.
Four CCVI sisters marked diamond jubilees of 75 years, including Sister Kathleen Daly, Sister Maureen Kossbiel, Sister Elizabeth Teresa Cahill and Sister Michele Curtin.
Sister Sarah Marie Hanley and Sister Margaret Christina Collins celebrated 70 and 65 years of vowed religious life, respectively. Six sisters marked 60 years — Sister Brenda Williams, Sister Christina Murphy, Sister Elizabeth Ann Hayes, Sister Maura Theriot, Sister Rose Scanlan and Sister Ursula O’Keeffe. Sister Benigna Mejía Arévalo celebrated her silver jubilee of 25 years.
“I think the first thing that comes to mind for me is the goodness and graciousness of God’s love for me as I made my journey in religious life,” said Sister Daly, 96, upon reflecting on the grand milestone. “It’s
NEW SERRA OFFICERS INSTALLED
gratitude because I walk with Jesus every day. I thank Him, especially for the fact that He guided me with wisdom and led me along straight paths, and He kept me as a joyful servant, faithful against all odds.”
Giving thanks to God for sustaining them in life and ministry, the community witnessed the sisters’ renewal of vows during the Eucharistic celebration. Father Dat Hoang, pastor of St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear, presided with Father William Bartniski concelebrating. Sister Celeste Trahan, CCVI congregational leader, received the sisters’ vows on behalf of the congregation.
“We celebrate diamond, platinum and silver,” Father Hoang said in his homily. “And it is a beautiful, beautiful witness of faithfulness and the influence of God’s grace in your lives, for the Almighty has done great things for you. And that is what we celebrate today,” he said. “Sisters, I’m so grateful because your fidelity, your years of service, reassure and strengthen my own hope and joy to go on and keep serving the Lord.”
The sisters’ vowed lives represented 820 years of service. †
PARISH
St. Faustina breaks ground on church
FULSHEAR — On June 8, St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the parish’s new church building, which included a special Mass presided over by Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez. Those participating in the ceremony included Father Dat Hoang, pastor; Father Chris Meyer, parochial vicar; and Monsignor Chester Borski, a priest in residence at the parish.
The parish, which used to hold Mass at a nearby elementary school, has grown to more than 7,000 registered families and continues to grow. The new church is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2027.
To find Mass times and to learn more, visit saintfaustinachurch.org. †
PHOTO COURTESY OF SERRA CLUB OF NORTH HOUSTON
Father Matthew Suniga, vice-rector of St. Mary’s Seminary, presided over an Officer Installation Mass on May 17 at the Houston seminary, formally installing the Serra Club’s new officers. A dinner, with 140 in attendance, followed. Eileen Benvegnu of the Northeast of Houston Serra Club received the Frank and Kurt Metyko Award and recognition from Kurt Metyko, past Serra International president. Pictured are Father Suniga, Benvegnu, Metyko, Candice Tyrrell (Serra Governor), and the newly installed Serra officers, along with the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF THE INCARNATE WORD
Jubilarians pictured front row, left to right, Sister Elizabeth Teresa Cahill, Sister Margaret Christina Collins, Sister Michele Curtin and Sister Benigna Mejía Arévalo. Back row, left to right, are Sister Maureen Kossbiel, Sister Elizabeth Ann Hayes, Sister Kathleen Daly and Sister Ursula O’Keeffe.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. FAUSTINA PARISH, FULSHEAR
TCH KIDS!
A GOOD SHEPHERD
Heading on a road trip this month? Have the little ones over? Take this TCH Kids! page on the road or leave it on the coffee table for an easy summer spiritual lesson and activity for kids of all ages.
Jesus loves us like a shepherd loves his sheep. He always wants us to be near to Him, and He will come and find us when we aren’t. The sheep below have lost their way. Follow the paths that Jesus will take to find each sheep!
SCRIPTURE SCRAMBLE
To find the scrambled words, read the Gospel from July 8, the Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 9:32-38, which can be found online at bible.usccb.org.
The words are listed in order as they appear in the the Gospel reading.
*Find the answers at the bottom of the page!
WORD FIND
The words are from July 8 First Reading, Genesis 32:23-33. Words are forward, backward, horizontal, vertical and diagonal. Bible version used is from bible.usccb.org.
