Search
-
August 10, 2023Dear friends in Christ,
Wind plays a central role in two of our readings this 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In the story of Elijah in the 1st reading from 1 Kings, the prophet is seeking to hear the voice of the Lord, and though there is a mighty storm with a “strong and heavy wind,” the voice of God is not detected. Likewise in the Gospel from St. Matthew, a violent wind tosses the disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, causing them to panic until Jesus himself comes walking to them on the water and calms the seas. So taken by the sight of him, Peter tries his hand (or feet!) at walking on water, too, but again he notices the wind and his fear gets the best of him.
How about us? Do we notice the wind? These days in Houston and much of the world, if there is any wind (as in weather) at all, it’s a hot, dusty breeze at best. But the wind that is the Spirit of God? That’s always active in our midst. We need to learn from Elijah and listen for the tiny whisper that the Lord speaks to us, and from Peter’s folly, too, and so keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. The storms of life will come, we can count on that, but when we invite Jesus into the boat of our lives, all will be well.
This Tuesday, Aug. 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is a holy day of obligation. We will celebrate a vigil Mass on Monday, Aug. 14 at 5 p.m., and masses on the holy day itself, Tuesday, Aug. 15, at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Please join us for this beautiful celebration of the Assumption of Our Lady into the Heavenly realm. Please note our parish offices will be closed on Tuesday in honor of the holy day.
Tuesday, Aug. 15 is also the deadline for registration for the coming Religious Education and Youth Ministry Faith Formation year. We had a wonderful response from many of your last weekend after Mass, but if you have not registered your children – and signed up yourself, too, to assist as a catechist or aide – now is the time to do so. Don’t delay any further! It’s quick and easy at www.ctrcc.com/re (for 3 years – 6th grade) or www.ctryouth.com (for 7th-12th grade).
Hallelujah! Construction on the first phase of the expansion of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayer Garden has officially begun! I knew it was getting serious when I saw that porta potties for the construction workers had been delivered. If you walk around the east side of the church, you will see fencing in place where the work is being done.
I’m sure you know this, but let me remind you to please use caution in that area. We will need to block the southeast door from the church (the one closest to the choir area by the St. Matthew window), but that should be the extent of the interior disruption. All else will take place in and around the existing prayer garden outside. If you are walking from the main entrance of the church to the Community Center, you will need to go around to the west sidewalk to reach the other side of campus for the next few months. Please don’t walk through the parking lot as that is dangerous for you and those who are driving or parking. While the south driveway adjacent to the Community Center and parish offices will remain open, I ask you to slow down and use caution when in that area.
It’s a little inconvenience that we’ll need to endure for the next four months or so, but I promise it will all be worth it once we see our new prayer garden. It’s going to look great! Thank you to all who have donated to our Ignite Capital Campaign to make it possible, and we welcome others to join us in doing so. Megan Dillingham, our Director of Advancement, would be happy to discuss options for those who wish to make a donation (we have a variety of giving levels and every gift is important) or those who may wish to memorialize a portion of the project. Contact her in the parish office or at megan.dillingham@ctrcc.com.
As has been our custom in past construction projects, if you have old, broken or otherwise no longer needed rosaries, blessed medals, or small religious devotional items that have been blessed, we will collect and bury them under the foundation of the new prayer garden. We don’t have much time to do so, however, so please get your items to us no later than Monday, Aug. 28. That’s just two weeks from now. We will have a collection box in the narthex of the church and also in the front office. Small items only, please, and no books or bibles (those that have been blessed should be burned and the ashes buried)
Lastly, we welcome back our CtR Catholic School students who will begin the 2023-24 academic year this Wednesday, Aug, 16. We are expecting a record-high enrollment of 466 students in this our 10th anniversary year of the founding of our school. What a blessing it is for our community to have a vibrant Catholic school to educate our students in the heart, mind, and soul. We’ll offer a blessing this week at all masses for students and teachers, not only for our CtR kids but everyone in the community as Tomball and Cy-Fair schools will be beginning soon, too. May God bless and protect all students, teachers and staff members, and may Holy Wisdom accompany them throughout this coming school year.
Peace,
Fr. Sean