Bulletin for Jan. 14

Dear friends in Christ,

Having celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany last weekend we now return to Ordinary Time in the liturgical life of the Church. You will see the familiar green vestments for the next five weeks in this interim period between the end of the season of Christmas and the season of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14. Let’s resolve to use this time wise and effectively to grow in our faith.

One great way to do this is through the Catholic website called Formed. We began offering this two years ago and I’ve heard from a number of parishioners who have thoroughly enjoyed the many programs it has to offer. With the start of the new year they have added even more programming, so if you haven’t checked it out previously or in a while, it’s a good time to dive into it. Some call Formed “the Netflix for the Catholic faith,” which sounds like a fair description. With Formed, you’ll find a host of video programs that explain the Catholic faith, explore the deepest meaning of marriage and other sacraments, offer Bible studies on a variety of topics, and have access to inspiring audio talks. New programs and offerings are added on a regular basis. You’ll also find top-notch Catholic presenters like Bishop Robert Barron, Dr. Edward Sri, Chris Stefanick, Dr. Scott Hahn and many more. Best of all, it’s absolutely free. Yes, that’s right. We have a parish subscription and that means everyone at CtR can assess the programs at any time on their own device for no charge. Simply go to the website and enter our parish code of 3JZDRJ and see all that it has to offer.

The beginning of the year is also a good time to look at how we are supporting the mission of the parish. We place an emphasis on Stewardship at CtR, that is returning to God what we have received through our time, talent and treasure. At the start of the year we might look to commit our time through personal prayer and devotion, and we might consider increasing our gift of talent by assisting with a particular ministry or organization in the parish that is in need of assistance. We should also resolve to take a renewed look at how we are responding with our treasure. How might I help further the mission of the Church through a gift of the financial resources that I have received? The size of the gift will differ with each one of us, but we all have a responsibility to the good of the community to give back in proportion to what we have received.

There are three main financial obligations we have as parishioners. One is the weekly offertory, the second is the Capital Campaign, and the third is the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF). Let me address them in reverse order. The DSF is the annual appeal by Cardinal DiNardo to support the more than 60 ministries of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. We are familiar with it as it helps fund the many ministries that no one parish could do on its own. We have a goal assigned by the Cardinal, and I’m happy to say we have met and exceeded it the past 14 years. You’ll be hearing more about the 2018 DSF in the coming weeks.

Second is the “Living Our Mission” Capital Campaign for our new Redeemer Activity Center which is currently under construction. We began this two years ago and to date we have pledges from nearly 1,000 families. Thank you to all who have made a gift. If you have not yet made your pledge, I ask that you make it a priority in the beginning of this new year to do so. Our website has all the information and forms are available in the narthex as well. It is imperative that we all do our part, no matter how great or small, to help us reach our goal. To date we have pledges of $2 million toward our goal of $6 million. Your pledge, payable over three years, will go a long way in helping us meet our obligations and provide room for our parish to grow. We are looking to dedicating the RAC and opening its doors later this summer. It’s an exciting time for all of us at CtR.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is our weekly offertory. I thank all who make it a point to support the parish every Sunday. It’s how we are able to pay our bills, compensate our hard-working staff, and continue the ministry and mission of the Church. If you have not reviewed your weekly tithe to the Church in some time, might I ask that you take a renewed look at it in the beginning of the year? I know I have done so in my own personal giving (yes, your pastor gives to all three areas of Stewardship – DSF, Capital Campaign, and weekly offertory), and I have found that I can “bump up” my contribution. If you can as well, I invite you to do so. Let’s all make a conscious decision to give proportionally and prayerfully in this new year.

One easy way to do so is through our automated giving program called Faith Direct. I highly encourage you to consider making this your mode to support the weekly offering (you can also give to the Capital Campaign through it). Most of us are accustomed to paying for items online on a regular basis. It’s fast, easy and secure. To enroll in Faith Direct simply go to the website and enter our parish code of TX150. Every gift is a blessing, and every gift is important.

Automated offertory giving is a great benefit to the giver since you can control how often, and how much, you’d like to offer each week, and how you want it to be collected (bank debit or credit card). It also makes it easier on you in that you need not worry about finding your checkbook and scribbling out a check weekly or hoping that you have an extra $20 in your wallet when the basket comes around. It also helps the parish have a consistent offertory each week when people are gone on vacation or miss Sunday Mass. We can budget more properly and meet our obligations more easily.

As always, I am grateful for your generous support to CtR. It’s truly humbling to me, and as your pastor, I pledge that we will use everything you entrust to us for the benefit of our parish and the furthering of the mission and ministry of the Church. Thank you very much.

Please keep our CtR youth in your prayers this weekend. We have a group of 210 of them at Camp Cho-Yeh for their confirmation retreat. The retreat is an important part of their journey toward the Sacrament of Confirmation the students will receive later in May. I want to thank the 50 adult chaperones and Core Team members who will be with them for their dedication to our young people. They are offering their time and talent to mentor and guide our youth closer to Christ. They have been together for two years and it makes a great difference in the life of our youth to experience a retreat with their peers and adults who they trust. You can be proud of the fine teens of our Youth Ministry Program. It’s just one example of how your gifts of Stewardship mentioned above help us provide opportunities and support for our youth to grow in their relationship with Christ, to encounter Him in the Church, and to go forth to make Him known through service and love. 

Peace,
Fr. Sean