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March 13, 2025Dear friends in Christ,
On this 2nd Sunday of Lent we are invited up the mountain with Peter, James, and John as we hear the stirring account from St. Luke of the Transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of Moses and Elijah. This is always one of my favorite biblical passages, and you can see it depicted in one of the stained-glass windows in the church. It shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), yet fear strikes the disciples and they don’t quite grasp what is happening. What fear is keeping us from recognizing the Lord in our own lives? Do we hear God’s voice? What might we need to let go of in this Lenten season to be able to recognize Jesus at work in our lives?
For those of you who might have missed my announcement last week at all the masses, after 21 years here at Christ the Redeemer, my time as Pastor is drawing to a close. Cardinal DiNardo has appointed me as Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Houston effective July 1, 2025. SVdP, as it is known, is on the corner of Buffalo Speedway and Holcombe Blvd. and serves the people and community in and around West U., Rice University, and the Texas Medical Center, so I’m not going too far.
While not totally unexpected (21 years is a long time, after all), the timing is a bit unusual. Most personnel moves are announced in June, but given the recent appointment of Bishop Joe S. Vasquez as the new Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, who takes office on March 25, Cardinal DiNardo wanted to make this move while he is still the local Ordinary, and in obedience, I have accepted. Ironically, my appointment as pastor of CtR in 2004 was one of the final moves of Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza’s tenure, and now my departure is the final move of Cardinal DiNardo’s tenure, so there is some symmetry in that regard.
It has been my great joy to serve you as pastor and to minister to (and be ministered by) you in this local Church. What a blessing it has been! Together we have done great things for the Lord. I take away nothing but fond memories, and I will leave with a grateful and full heart. You are the best parish and people a pastor could ever hope for, and I mean that sincerely. Thank you!
But I’m not leaving yet! Praise be to God, we still have work to do. We still have a little more than three months together, and I look forward to the prayerful and grace-filled season of Lent, and to a beautiful Easter. We still have the blessing of many liturgies to celebrate, including First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, Confirmation, 8th grade graduation, and the end of the school year. And, of course, above all, our wonderful 40th anniversary of the Spring Festival on May 3-4. I look forward to it all. It’s God’s Church, and the Holy Spirit will lead us. I’m not sure of much at the moment, but of that, I’m definitely sure.
As I also mentioned, I’m happy to announce that my successor has already been named. Fr. Mark Hebert will be the new Pastor of CtR beginning on July 1. He has served as the Cardinal’s priest-secretary for the past three years, and this will be his first assignment as a Pastor. He’s a great young priest with much energy and love for the Lord, and I know he will do great things in leading CtR. You are blessed to have him, and I can’t wait for you to meet him. For now, please pray for him. I know he’s already praying for you.
If I might ask, please pray for Msgr. Bill Young, the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul, who is retiring after more than 55 years of service to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. He turns 81 next month and has more than earned his retirement. I’ve known him for years, and it’s an honor for me to follow in his footsteps. And, finally, if I might also ask, please pray for me. May God bless Christ the Redeemer, now and forever!
Now, back to our regular programming: Let me call your attention to next Sunday, March 23, and our annual St. Joseph’s Altar pasta luncheon and bake sale in the Parish Hall. We’ll start with the blessing of the altar, which will be beautifully decorated with all manner of baked goods and treats, at 10:30 a.m. (following the 9 a.m. Mass), and then the serving line will be open continuously until 1:30 p.m. so those attending the 11 a.m. Mass can join us as well. Dinners are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-10, and trust me, you will not go hungry! All proceeds from the luncheon and bake sale go to benefit Cypress Assistance Ministries. It’s become a beloved tradition here at CtR each March and the ladies of the parish do a great job of making it a wonderful event for the whole parish.
What is a St. Joseph Altar? It’s a traditional way that Catholics of Italian descent honor their patron saint, the beloved husband of Mary, St. Joseph, whose annual feast day is March 19. It involves two things that are at the heart of what it means to be an Italian Catholic, namely family and food! There is a big pasta meal that is served, but the real centerpiece is the elaborate altar that is built. It’s usually several levels and includes all manner of Italian homemade cookies and sweets, bread and wine.
Tradition dictates that you offer a prayer at the altar for your family (it’ll also be open on Saturday evening after Mass for viewing and praying, but with no meal served), and then on Sunday, after you enjoy your pasta (the sauce, or sugo in Italian, is the stuff of legend), you are encouraged to visit the nearby tables for a bake sale of traditional Italian cookies and other assorted sweet goodies to either enjoy here or to take home. I know for a fact the ladies have been baking nearly non-stop the past several weeks and you are in for a real treat as it promises to be a feast for the eyes and stomach. Regardless of your heritage, on this day, everyone is Italian! Please plan on joining us next Sunday. Mangia bene!
Peace, Fr. Sean