July 31 update from Fr. Sean

Parish Update – Friday, July 31

Happy last day of July, people! How is that even possible? Let me repeat what I said a month ago at the end of June – how about we all agree to forgo the rest of 2020 and just make tomorrow January 1 instead of August 1? Can I get an “Amen?”

And, as I said last month, since I don’t suppose that is going to happen, we will press on and get through it the only way we can – by faith and hope in the Lord, by loving God and serving our neighbor, and by trusting that the Spirit is leading us to wherever it wills. Our task is to echo the young prophet Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

This Sunday we celebrate the  18^th week in Ordinary Time and in the Gospel from St. Matthew we hear the familiar account of the Multiplication of the Loaves, one of the most enduring of all of Jesus’ miracles. He takes what is offered – five loaves and two fish – and feeds the multitude that is gathered. But notice what he does before he feeds them: Matthew tells us his “heart was moved with pity, and he cured their sick.” He has compassion toward them (in Spanish we say  “con pasión” or “with passion”) and he heals their physical (and spiritual) needs. Only then does he feed them, and teaches his disciples to do the same. There’s a lot going on in this miracle story!

We would do well to check our hearts to see that they are filled “with passion” toward those hunger, and not only physical hunger, but those who hunger for justice, who hunger for an end to oppression and racism, and for those who hunger for a place at the table. May we, like the disciples, learn the lesson from the master teacher and work to bring the “bread of life” to others.

On to a few updates:

• First, we again invite you to please join us for Mass via our livestream on Sunday at 9 a.m. on both our Facebook and YouTube pages. You can find the link to the livestream at  www.ctrcc.com/live-stream, and in addition, you’ll find there both a worship aid and a link to the Scripture readings to follow along with Mass. And you can make your weekly offertory contribution online at  www.ctrcc.com/donate. If you’d like to join us in person for Mass, we welcome you on Saturday at 5 p.m., or Sunday at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

• This weekend is also the first weekend of the month and that’s the time we focus on stocking the  Cypress Assistance Ministry Food Pantry. If you are coming to Mass, bring your donations and drop them in the baskets in the narthex, or if you are watching online, we encourage you to drop by donations anytime during the week at the parish office. There’s a red wagon by the door to the parish office and you can simply drop your items there and go and not have to come in contact with anyone. We’ll make sure it all gets to CAM, who in turn will get it to the families in need in our area. As you might suspect there has been a big jump in families requesting assistance in these days. The Food Pantry has already matched the total amount it distributed all of last year in the first seven months of 2020, and that’s expected to only increase in the coming months. Let’s work on multiplying our own loaves (and beans, rice, ramen noodles, cereal, mac and cheese, et al!) in helping to feed those who are hungry in our community.

• As I mentioned last week, our  2020 Parish Census is now underway. Postcards announcing it have been mailed to all registered parishioners (have you received yours as of yet?), and today we sent an email to all those households for whom we have an address. (We suspect many of our email addresses on file are out of date, hence that’s one of the reasons we are doing the census in the first place.)

We ask you to please take about five minutes of your day and complete the census. That’s all it really will take. There are just a handful of questions, but they are vital to us being able to keep you connected to CtR. We can’t communicate unless we know how to get in touch with you and what type of information you seek from us. That’s our chief aim. To know you and to meet your needs and hungers, just as the Lord did on the mountainside.

There are multiple ways to complete the census. Using the camera on your phone, scan the QR code on the postcard you receive and it will take you to the website to enter your information. Or in the email you receive, click the link provided and it too will take you directly to the form to complete. Or you can simply head directly to our parish website using this link right here:  www.ctrcc.com/census and presto, you’ll be able to complete it immediately. So those are three “high tech” ways to do it, but we also believe in “low tech” methods so if you prefer, call the parish office at 281-469-5533 and we’ll help you complete it person-to-person – and you get to talk to one of our nice staff members at CtR and receive a big, warm “Thank you and God bless you!” in return delivered over Alexander Graham Bell’s greatest invention.

If you are currently registered at CtR, the census form will ask you for your parish ID number. You can find that on the postcard or in the email, but if you don’t know it, simply call the office and we’ll look it up for you. That will help make sure we get the correct information from the census into our soon-to-be new and improved database. Thank you for your help in completing the  2020 CtR Parish Census!

•  Religious Education registration re-opens tomorrow, Aug. 1. As we announced last week, all RE instruction for grades Pre-K–6 ^th will be home-based. We feel it’s the best way for us to safely and effectively conduct our catechesis for the 2020-21 RE year. And though we won’t be meeting on campus, our RE team will be actively involved in getting you the needed materials so that parents can educate the children in the ways of the faith. We’ll be there every step along the way, and we’re excited about bringing several new initiatives to you throughout the year. Please see the RE page at  www.ctrcc.com/re for more information. Of course, we still need you to register so we can get you the books and related materials. We’ve reduced the fees for RE this year, too, but please know that we are ready to assist any family that may need financial assistance to cover the cost. You can register directly beginning tomorrow at  www.ctrcc.com/re-registration.

• Lastly, allow me to give a very special shout-out and thank you to  Fr. Vincent, who ably covered for me this week while I am/was on vacation. (I’ll do the same for him when he takes off in a few weeks.) Thank you, brother! I told him before I left to only call me if the church was on fire, and so far, he hasn’t called so I’ll take that as a good sign! I’ll be back in time for the 9 a.m. Mass on Sunday. Hope to see you all there or online.

St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, whose feast day is today, pray for us!

Peace, Fr. Sean