Having culminated the great season of Easter with the Feast of Pentecost last Sunday, the Church now turns her attention to Ordinary Time, weeks so named not because of their “ordinariness” but because they are numbered. Today is the beginning of the 8th week of Ordinary Time, and we’ll continue in Ordinary Time all the way to the end of November and the beginning of Advent. The first two Sundays following Pentecost are given special recognition with today being the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, or as it is most often called, Trinity Sunday. Next week is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi Sunday.
Today we don’t just celebrate a rule or teaching of the Church, but rather the very mystery of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is a belief that there is one God, yet Three Persons. How can that be? Three doesn’t equal one. Don’t think of “persons” as we normally do, i.e., I’m a “person,” you are a “person,” the guy next to me is a “person.” In God, the Three Persons are one being with a single, divine nature. The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action and will. It is one of the most complex theological doctrines of the Church and not easily explained or understood. But think of it this way: The Trinity is not a math problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived. We are invited into the love that flows in and between the Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To be caught up in that active, dynamic Trinitarian love is our great hope and destiny.
If you missed the announcement last weekend I’m happy to report that our recent CtR Spring Festival was our second biggest ever in our 33 years and netted more than $247,000 for the parish. Thank you one and all who made it possible.
Leading the way was once again the live and silent auctions which brought in a whopping $120,266. Thank you to Tony and Beckie Croes, our auction chairs, and Dan Block and Briz Garcia, our auctioneering team, and especially all of our bidders and buyers. The raffle ticket sales for the new vehicle, along with the tickets and the great looking T-shirts, netted a $39,335, and the flea market also brought in just under $14,000 items sold, the second highest total in our history. Thank you Claire Westlake, Cecila Gomez and team. I’m delighted as well that the wine pull from my cellar brought in $14,500 (and I think we’ll eventually get more than $15,000 sold as I still have some bottles remaining – if you’d like one, come see me in the office). I hope everyone who bought a bottle has made plans to enjoy it soon!
As Mike Havelka said last weekend, we enjoyed picture perfect weather and smooth operations all Festival weekend long. Every booth, ride and game did well, but beyond that I think that everyone who attended had a great time. All of that was made possible to you, the parishioners of CtR, who gave of your time. Thank you again to everyone who volunteered in a booth, bought a ticket, or lent a hand in any way. We couldn’t have done it without you. As for what the parish does with the funds generated by the Spring Festival, it always goes to a variety of areas and ministries. We certainly will use it to help pay down our debt obligations on our construction loans, but we’ll also use some of it on capital improvements and updates to our physical plant.
Let me again express my sincere thanks to our dedicated core committee, led by Camille and Mike Havelka, our general chairpersons. My sincere thanks to them and all of their great team. What a blessing they all are to our parish. And remember they are parishioners just like you and me. They give of their time and talent to make this possible, so be sure and thank them when you see them at church, and better yet, join them next year by getting involved and doing your part. It’s a community event and when we all participate as joyful stewards we are blessed beyond measure. We’re already looking forward to Spring Festival 2019!
In other news, next Friday, June 1, is the last day of school for our students at CtR Catholic School. They’ll join the community for Mass one final time before the summer break at 9 a.m. that day in the church. This has been the fourth year our school has been opened, and having graduated our first class of 8th graders this past week, it feels like we have fully arrived. It was a great year under our new principal, Dan Courtney, and while the students (and faculty, especially) are looking forward to their summer break, they are already anticipating next year when the new Redeemer Activity Center will be opened. We expect an enrollment next fall of around 450 students, and we’re still taking applications for new students. I encourage all parents of school-age children to take a tour of our facilities and discover all the wonderful aspects of a Catholic education for your children. Contact our Director of Admissions, Tamara Freeman, for more information or to schedule a tour at 281-469-8440, or visit the school website at ctrschool.com.
The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will be blessed with four new priests who will be ordained next Saturday, June 2. These men will be ordained by Cardinal DiNardo at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 10 a.m. in a service that is open to the pubic. If you’ve never attended an ordination, I invite you to attend if your schedule permits. It’s a beautiful and powerful rite of the Church. We send our congratulations to these new priests and look forward to their service in our Archdiocese. Please note that we will not hold confessions next Saturday so that Fr. Ralph and I might attend the ordination to welcome them to our presbyterate. Keep them in your prayers as they begin their ministry.
Our Parish Offices and school are closed Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day. Please join us in remembering all those who died while serving in the military for our great country. May God grant them eternal peace and bring comfort to their families. Our offices re-open 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 29.
Peace,
Fr. Sean
P.S.: Remember our Cypress Assistance Ministry food drive next weekend. It’s always the first weekend of the month, and with summer approaching, there is a need for breakfast cereals and staples such as peanut butter and jelly, mac and cheese, and canned foods. Drop off donations in the baskets in the narthex at any time and we’ll make sure they get to CAM food pantry and in the hands of those who need it. Thank you for your support of this vital ministry in our Cypress community.