On this 3rd Sunday of Easter we hear today from St. Luke a continuation of the Road to Emmaus story from the day of the resurrection. You will recall how Jesus walked alongside the two disciples as they were leaving Jerusalem. They were heartbroken and fearful, not knowing where to turn, when the Lord appeared to them and opened the Scriptures. They recognized who it was when He broke bread with them.
In today’s Gospel, He does the same thing – He appears to the disciples, offers them peace, and then eats with them. The good news of our salvation is that Jesus still does the same thing with us at Mass. He offers us peace, and He invites us to the table. And just as He did to the disciples, so too does He give us the great commissioning to go and bear witness to Him on all the roads of our life.
Speaking of being a witness, we’re hosting a meeting at 1 p.m. next Sunday, April 22 in Room 111 of the Parish Office for those interested in a mission trip to Guatemala with Sending Out Servants, a non-profit organization in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Several CtR parishioners have made S.O.S. missions in the past and we’d like to expand its reach in our community. It’s a great opportunity to help bring the faith to our Catholic brothers and sisters in the impoverished Maya communities of Guatemala. See www.sendingoutservants.org for more information.
We are just two weeks away from our
33rd annual Spring Festival, April 28-29. We heard from Mike and Camille Havelka, our general chairpersons, at Mass last weekend and had a good first weekend of ticket sales, T-shirt sales, and most importantly, sign-ups for the various booths at the Festival. The Havelkas and core team will again be in the Parish Hall after Masses this weekend where you can get discounted ride and game tickets, and purchase your barbecue dinner tickets, raffle tickets for a new Honda, and all manner of items associated with the Festival.
I would especially encourage you to get one of the sharp-looking Spring Festival T-shirts early (like this weekend). Those are always a popular item and we sell out of some of the more popular sizes quickly. Get one to wear now and not only will you be the envy of all the fashionistas in Cypress, but you’ll also help us promote the Festival by wearing it wherever you go. I know some of you who have ties to a certain university in Austin are a bit miffed with the maroon color, but I have been told that the color is a way of honoring the 2017 Cy-Fair Bobcats state championship football team, and not a nod to that other school in College Station. At least that’s what I’ve been told. Don’t shoot the messenger. The pastor had no say in the matter!
We are still in need of booth and game chairpersons (consider sharing the staffing of a booth with another family if you like). We also need people to help before Festival weekend. Beginning Monday, April 23 and continuing each night at around 5 p.m. we need a team of folks to assist with the set-up. There are lots of little odd jobs that an extra pair of hands would be most appreciated. Even if you can stop by for an hour or two after you get off work, we would welcome the help.
Then, don’t forget that we need assistance starting at 7:01 p.m. on Sunday when we begin to disassemble the booths. Mike Havelka has an excellent system to get it all stored neatly and efficiently but we need manpower to make it happen. Talk with Mike in the Parish Hall after Mass this weekend and he can give you all the details on how to help. The sign-up for both the set-up and take-down crew is easily found on the festival website, and remember we are using SignUp Genius for our database so it’s even easier to use than ever before.
There are plenty of opportunities for volunteering at the Festival for all ages and at all times. This is truly a community event where all ages can participate. I highly encourage families to not only come to the Festival, but to make it a family event by volunteering for a shift or two in one of the many rides or games. It’s a great way to teach the concept of Stewardship to the younger generation (and to the older one too).
Both the silent and live auctions are in need of quality items to be donated. This has become one of the biggest parts of the Festival over the years and we are looking for items that will generate multiple bids for the benefit of the parish. We’ve got some nice items already donated and welcome more. And our very popular ministry baskets will be back for bid in the silent auction. We’ve asked the various ministries of the parish to each create a basket of goodies to be donated. They get very creative with these so be on the lookout. I’ve also got a very special treat lined up for you wine lovers that I’ll tell you more about next week in advance of the Festival.
We’ll have all the details and information for you in next week’s bulletin, including the shuttle schedule for the weekend (make plans to park and ride to and from the church). As a reminder, there will be no 5 p.m. Mass on Sunday, April 29. For now, clean out your garage for items for the flea market and clear your calendar to join us for a great weekend, April 28-29, both Saturday night and all day Sunday. For details,
see our website or stop by and talk to a team member in the Parish Hall this weekend.
In other news, we’ve been so busy with Easter and getting ready for the Festival that I need to give you a recap from our Lenten Fish Fry dinners. My thanks to our terrific Knights of Columbus Council 8771 for their hard work. A more dedicated group of brothers you will never meet in your life. They really outdid themselves this year. It will come as no surprise to anyone that they set a new record this year with 9,610 meals served. That’s more than 1,600 fish dinners every Friday for six consecutive weeks. Thank you, brother Knights! The teamwork and enthusiasm the Knights demonstrated was just a joy to watch every week, and the fish, shrimp and all the sides were better than ever. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and our very full bellies! My thanks to the Ladies Auxiliary and Youth Ministry clean-up crew who assisted each week, too, and of course, to all of you who came out in support of it every Friday.