Bulletin Column for Feb. 12

Dear friends in Christ,

    This weekend we welcome back an old friend of Christ the Redeemer, Fr. John Gibbons. I say “old” with a great deal of affection. Fr. John is a priest of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in Pennsylvania, but he is no stranger to us at CtR. In fact, he got his start here at the parish. He was one of the first parishioners I met when I became pastor in 2004. A successful businessman, he was active in several ministries and could always be counted upon to help out in a pinch. We played golf together a few times and I enjoyed getting to know him. But as I did, I began to understand that there was something more that was calling him. Though well into his 50s by that time, he desired to serve the Church in a more profound way. He wanted to be a priest.

    Most men who talk to me about the priesthood are younger, maybe in their late teens or early 20s, somewhere in the high school or college or early post-college years. In fact, I had lunch this past week with a young adult, 20-something who is seriously discerning God’s call in his life. (Please keep him, and all our young men discerning the priesthood, in your prayers.) But John was different. He was much older, with a lot of life behind him, but still much ahead of him. And it was that future he was discerning. He was hearing God’s call to serve the Church as a priest. We talked multiple times, and it was clear that he was sincere in his desire and that it was truly the Lord at work within his heart. As such, I helped him get the paperwork together to apply to the seminary.

    It took a bit of time, but thanks be to God, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown accepted him as a candidate. He had grown up in Pennsylvania and attended Penn State so it was a natural fit. He left Houston to attend the seminary in Hales Corner, Wis., as it has a program dedicated to second-career vocations. Incidentally, the seminary there is run by the Priests of the Sacred Heart, the same order that used to serve here at CtR. After five years of formation, he was ordained a priest in 2010 and has been serving faithfully in Altoona-Johnstown ever since.

    He’s visiting Houston to escape the cold of winter in Pennsylvania (hope he brought his shorts and sunscreen!), and we welcome him back to CtR to celebrate the 5 p.m. vigil and 9 a.m. Mass this weekend. He’s also going to visit with our Men’s Fellowship Group that meets on Saturday mornings. It’s one of the ministries he was most involved in during his time here so in a sense, it’s a real homecoming. We are proud of the priest that Fr. John has become. It’s not easy for an older man to leave his home and community and return to academics and spiritual formation after a life in the business world. We are thankful for Fr. John’s vocation, and take pride that it began here at CtR. We wish him well in his priestly ministry and I hope his story will be an inspiration to us all to listen to however God might be calling us. It may not be to ordained ministry, but do not doubt for a second that God is calling you in some unique way. Let us pray that we might respond with a joyful heart and follow Him wherever He might lead us.

    In other news, next Saturday, Feb. 18 is the annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk benefitting Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Thanks to everyone who has signed up to join us (I think our CtR team is more than 400 persons strong). Extra special thanks to everyone who has made a donation to our team, and please know that it is not too late to do so. If you’d like to make a donation to my team go to this link. Or if you like, you can give me a check or cash in person at Mass or in the office and I’ll see that it is credited to my team. And remember, all donations –100 percent – are returned to us to support scholarships and programs at our CtR Catholic School.

    Please note as well, as both Fr. Ralph and I will be participating in the Steps for Students, there will be no confessions next Saturday, Feb. 18. They will resume the following week.

    A few weeks ago I wrote about the transition with the barbecue team at our Spring Festival, which will take place April 29-30. We heard from a few folks and are following up with them, but I also want to repeat the request here again this week as I know not everyone sees the bulletin each week. I suspect there might be a few more folks out there who would like to assist us. We are in need of a new barbecue team to carry on the tradition from the Holub family who are retiring after 30 years of cooking for the Festival. Fortunately they kept meticulous notes and are ready to assist the next cook team in taking on the task. We are looking for those who love to cook and serve barbecue for a large number of people to step forward. Clearly this is a job larger than one person, and I would encourage those parishioners who might have an interest in preparing barbecue (I know there are a lot of “smokers” out there) to contact us. We want to identify a team early on that can help in this important part of the Spring Festival.

    Likewise, we are seeking a Food Booth coordinator. Believe it or not, Debbie Ellison and Rose Gorney, part of the Holub family, did that for us in addition to the barbecue. We’d like to split those two tasks, and are seeking an individual to coordinate the purchasing and oversight of our various food booths. Again, they left us detailed instructions of what needs to be done and when, but we are in need of someone to take over this task and see it to completion. Finally, our dear, sweet Helen Rae, who coordinated the Flea Market tent, suffered a stroke last year and will not be able to return to coordinate that for us. We are seeking someone who loves flea markets and garage sales to coordinate that popular tent for Spring Festival weekend. If you would like to help with any of these tasks, please contact me. We’ve got a big parish and I pray that we can join together and carry on these fine traditions. 

    Lastly I send my thanks to the Piece Makers who recently donated more than $5,500 to our Capital Campaign from the proceeds of their annual Fall Sale. They are a wonderful group of parishioners who have a knack for craft making. They are some of the most creative people you will ever meet. They meet the first and third Monday of every month in the Parish Office, and on the second and fourth Thursday at a member’s home. They welcome all women (and men!) of the parish who have a talent and desire to create with sewing, needlework, painting, woodworking, jewelry making, and all other “crafty” things. It’s a great group of parishioners who enjoy wonderful fellowship and use their talents to give back to the community. If you are looking for a new ministry to join and have an artistic side of you (or just want to learn), contact Cathy Morehouse at 281-256-8439. Thanks, Piece Makers, for all you do for Christ the Redeemer!

Peace, Fr. Sean