Bulletin for Oct. 28

Dear friends in Christ,

As we close out October this week we come to one of my favorite days of the year, Oct. 31, and, no it’s not because I am a fan of Halloween. In fact, it’s one of my least favorite holidays. I freely admit to being one of those “old grumps” who thinks no one over the age of 12 should ever wear a costume. It boggles my mind how big Halloween has become, but such is life. It just strikes me as being much ado about nothing.

No, the real reason I love Oct. 31 is because, for me at least, there is much ado about something for me to celebrate on that day. It’s the day I was baptized! Yes, 17 days after I was born, my parents brought me to Mt. Carmel Church in southeast Houston and there, original sin was washed away and I became a Christian. Now that’s something to be excited about – and no costume was needed (though, looking at old pictures, I surely would have won a cutest baby contest).

Do you know the day you were baptized? If not, look it up! A gentleman in the parish heard me say that once before and he recently stopped me before Mass to proudly show me his baptismal certificate that he had obtained from his home church back East. It was 60+ years ago but he was happy to discover when he became Catholic. Pope Francis often speaks of the importance of knowing your baptismal date. Think of it as a second birthday, he likes to say. Outside of the day we were born, the day we became one of Christ’s own is a really important day in our life. So find it and celebrate!

Following my baptismal anniversary we move into November and encounter the twin celebrations of All Saints on Thursday, Nov. 1 and All Souls on Friday, Nov. 2. Recall that All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation so let’s review our Mass schedule that day. Our vigil Mass will be on, yes, my baptismal day, of Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m. On the holy day itself, Thursday, Nov. 1, we have an early morning Mass at 6:30 a.m. for those of you who are on your way to work or school. We’re aiming to conclude this Mass no later than 7:10 a.m. It will be similar to a regular daily Mass in that we’ll not have music and we’ll keep it moving so as to get you on your way in a timely manner. The other Mass times on the holy day will be at 9 a.m. (the school will join us for this Mass), 5 p.m., and 7 p.m. Note that afternoon Mass time – 5 p.m. That’s 30 minutes later than we’ve previously done on holy days so as to provide some continuity with our other Masses that all start at 5 p.m.

So, to recap, our schedule of Masses for All Saints Day will be Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 5 p.m., and Thursday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m.

The following day, Friday, Nov. 2, is All Souls Day, and while not a Holy Day of Obligation, we will have two Masses at 9 a.m. and again at 5 p.m. We invite you to bring a small picture (no bigger than 5x7, please) of deceased loved ones on All Souls Day and we’ll have a Table of Remembrance to display them during Mass. As we do each year, we’ll also have a Book of the Dead available in the church by the baptismal font where you can inscribe the name of those who have died and we’ll remember them at Masses throughout the month.

Together these two days invite us in the beginning of the month of November to remember that we are all, both the living and dead, counted among God’s chosen people. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that praying for the saints came out of the early Church. Martyrs, those who were persecuted and died for the faith in the early years of Christianity, were remembered in the liturgy as a way of keeping their story alive and encouraging the faithful in times of difficulty. It later expanded to include “all the saints,” i.e., not just those who were martyred, so that the faithful would be encouraged by all the holy men and women who led heroic and virtuous lives.

It’s important to be clear why we hold the saints in such esteem. All Saints Day is an opportunity for us to thank God for the life and witness of those holy people and it also is an opportunity to beg the saints for their intercession that we may imitate their holiness in our lives. In communion with us as members of the Church, the saints are actively concerned for our growth in holiness and we benefit from their intercession before God.

All Souls Day is closely linked to All Saints. Early Christians included in their prayer for deceased relatives and friends a plea for God’s mercy and faith in the personal resurrection with the Lord. It was common for them to pray during Mass for the dead. The practice had become widespread by the ninth century and it always followed All Saints Day. It became part of the Church’s calendar approved at the Council of Trent in 1570.

One of the most beautiful responsibilities we have as Catholics is to pray for our dead. Through prayer, fasting and good works, we offer on behalf of the deceased that God’s purification will be granted to all of the faithful departed so that they can obtain their soul’s desire, eternal life in heaven. In communion with the faithful departed as members of the Church, it is our responsibility and privilege to assist them with our prayers and holy works.

This year I’m also pleased to announce that during this month of remembrance we will offer a special Mass at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 7 for families that have lost a child in the womb or at birth. I’ll have more details next week, but if you or someone you know has suffered the loss of a child through death, stillbirth or miscarriage, I invite you to join us as we remember them to the Lord at this special Mass.

I’m away this weekend at the International Catholic Stewardship Conference in Nashville, an important gathering of those involved in the work of promoting the gift of Stewardship in our parishes throughout the U.S. and the world. We have a fine history of being good stewards of God’s gifts at CtR, but I’ve always wanted to take part in this conference to hear from others how we might engage our community more deeply in the practice. It promises to be an informative and engaging three days of study. I’ll be sure and report back to you on what I learn. We welcome Fr. Richard McNeillie, the new Director of Vocations in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, as our presider at the 11 a.m. Mass this weekend.

Finally, remember we are two weeks out from our 5th annual Chili Cook-Off from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10. Get your tickets today for this great event to support Catholic education at CtR. And we’re three weeks away from our 10th anniversary celebration of the dedication of our new church on Nov. 16-18. Get all the details at www.ctrcc.com and make plans to join us for these two parish-wide events for all ages. Both are great opportunities to celebrate our faith and community.
   
Peace, Fr. Sean