Bulletin Column for June 17

Dear friends in Christ,

Happy Father’s Day to all our dads this weekend. I pray that your family will celebrate your presence in their life by giving you the greatest gift a dad could ever want –complete control of the TV remote for one day! Seriously, we honor all of our fathers, both the living and deceased, today and thank them for the gift of life they provide. Let us call upon the patron saint of all husbands and fathers, St. Joseph, to watch over and intercede on behalf of all of them. And let us not forget the wonderful gift of life that grandfathers, adopted fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers and godfathers offer their children. May God bless them all!

With summer in full swing – it officially starts this week on Thursday, June 21, but we’ve been experiencing summer-like temperatures for several weeks already – I am guessing that many of us are planning various trips and vacations. As I always do at this time of year, let me remind you not to take a vacation from Mass. While it’s understandable that we take a break from work or school, we are reminded in the Scriptures to bless the Lord always without ceasing. Sunday Mass is not an option. Failure to attend is considered sinful. If we’re sick, that’s another matter, but if we miss because we’re goofing off that’s another matter.

It’s understandable that our Mass attendance naturally drops in June and July with people out of town on vacation. But wherever you go, I encourage you to find a local church in the area to attend Mass. I always find it to be a great experience to celebrate the Sunday liturgy in a different city or country. You’ll see the catholicity (universality) of the Church, where even if the language is different, you’ll still feel right at home. Bring me back a bulletin from wherever you go as I always like to see what different churches have going on in their corner of the world. The website masstimes.org is a great help in finding parishes in the area where you will be staying.

Let me also make a request that you not forget your home parish while you are gone. Our expenses don’t stop over the summer, and the air conditioning bill is always highest in these months. One great way to support the parish in the summer is by tithing through Faith Direct, our online offertory contribution partner. Simply sign up at faithdirect.net, and enter our parish code of TX150. It only takes a minute or two to set-up and it’s a fast, easy, and most importantly a secure way of making your contribution to the parish. By embracing this practice, you will simplify your giving and help provide our parish with consistent support. This is especially important in the summer, when many families may be out of town some weekends and CtR does not receive their envelopes. It’s easy for people to forget to catch up once they’re back, and our weekly offertory can fluctuate as a result – making it harder to predict how much we will have to sustain our year-round ministries.

In fact, given that the first day of summer is this week, Faith Direct has declared this Thursday, June 21, as National e-Giving Day. If you haven’t done so already, take time on that day to get started with online giving through Faith Direct. I use it myself for my tithe and I find it a great convenience not to have to write a check. When I was away on the parish pilgrimage last week, my Faith Direct account made sure that I was able to support the parish in my absence. Again, it couldn’t be easier or more convenient. Let’s face it – we pay a great number of our financial obligations and bills electronically in this day and age. Why not handle your church tithe in the same way? You can use Faith Direct not only for the weekly collection, but also for your Capital Campaign pledge for the Redeemer Activity Center, too. Visit the Faith Direct website to get started this summer, and give your envelopes a permanent vacation! As always, I thank you for your continued support of CtR.

Another summer reminder is to please pay attention to our attire when we attend Mass. It’s a way we show our respect to the Lord and to one another when attending church. I wear shorts in the summer as much as anyone. They are almost a necessity for surviving Houston heat and humidity. But for an hour or so every Sunday we should strive for something more. Shorts, flip flops, athletic clothes, immodest or revealing attire is not inappropriate for church. You wouldn’t wear a tuxedo or gown to a pool party, right? Let’s not wear clothes that are “too” casual to church. Proper attire is a sign of dignity, respect and good manners.

Every time I write or talk about proper dress at Mass I always hear from a handful of people who think I’m being too strict. “God doesn’t care what I wear” or “At least I’m here so what does it matter what I’m wearing” are the most common refrains. I understand, and yes, I’m happy you are at Mass. No one is going to ask you to leave if you come to church in shorts. I’m simply encouraging us to reach for something more and not sink to the most basic level of civil dress. Think of it this way – we’re coming to a banquet for a King, and the King’s Son is the sacrificial offering. It’s done in remembrance of Him, and we are the beneficiaries of that offering. Let’s use that great gift as an occasion to raise our standards, at least in our dress for an hour or so on Sunday. Then we can race home, change into our swim suits, jump in the pool, and give thanks to God who has blessed us in so many ways. That to me sounds like a great Sunday. I will now get off my soapbox!

A final reminder that our annual Vacation Bible School starts this week, June 18-22. Our morning session is full, but we do have openings for our evening session that runs from 5:30-8:30 p.m. each night. Don’t delay in signing up, however, so that we can have an accurate head count of who is attending. Get your registration taken care of today by visiting our website at ctrcc.com/vbs. It’s open for children from age 3 (who are potty trained) through those who are entering 5th grade. The cost is just $30 which includes a T-shirt, snacks and crafts. That’s a heck of a deal for just $6 a day! We look forward to a spirit-filled week for all of our children. My thanks in advance to our great team of adult and teen leaders, as well. And if you can’t make VBS, or just want another opportunity for your children to dive deeper into the faith, we also offer Catholic Faith Camp (CFC) for children entering 2nd grade through entering 6th grade. That will be July 16-20. Registration is open for CFC now on our website, too. There is always something going on for all ages at CtR. Come join us!

Peace,
Fr. Sean