Weekly Letter: Feb. 18, 2024 Bulletin

Dear friends in Christ,

    Our journey of 40 days is officially underway as we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent this weekend. As always, at the outset of Lent, we hear about the temptation of Jesus in the reading from St. Mark. It’s short and sweet, too, at only four verses: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel."

     Recall that the three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The first two are fairly individual pursuits, but for the almsgiving aspect, I think it is good for us to consider how we might approach that as a collective body of the Church. To that end, we are once again inviting you to participate in a parish-wide Lenten Almsgiving initiative with our friends from Catholic Extension. You will recall that last year we gave our collected alms to support the children of migrant workers in the Diocese of Yakima. This year, we turn our attention closer to home and invite you to give alms to help Sacred Heart Church in the Diocese of El Paso.

     We welcome to CtR this weekend Father Rafael Garcia, the pastor of Sacred Heart in El Paso’s “Segundo Barrio, to share with us about the good work his parish is doing to serve the hundreds and hundreds of migrants who arrive on their doorstep each week. They see Christ in them, and serve them with love and compassion. Where they need our assistance is helping them to help themselves – Sacred Heart Church is 108 years old and in need of much repair and maintenance. Over the years, we’ve done quite a bit of that on our own campus, and so here is a chance for us to extend help to others in need. Your gifts of Lenten alms will help rebuild the physical structure of the body of Christ, the church building, so that the mystical body of Christ, the people of God, may be served now and for generations to come.

     In the pew this week you’ll find a card with a QR code that will allow you to make a gift of alms to help Sacred Heart Church. You may choose to give one-time, or do so repeatedly over the course of the Lenten season. When the 40 days are over, we’ll send 100 percent of the collected alms to Sacred Heart in El Paso so that they may do the necessary work to repair and rebuild the church while continuing to serve the neediest of our brothers and sisters. You can also click here to make your gift now. There you will also find an excellent and informative 4-minute video that details the needs of Sacred Heart and overview of the people and community that it serves. Check it out and join us in this most important work of almsgiving during Lent.

     Almsgiving is more than just giving a financial donation, of course. It also involves giving of ourselves and we have an opportunity for you and your family to do so this year with our Lenten Family Day of Service on Saturday, March 2. We have a number of projects and initiatives that day, both here on campus and in the greater community, for individuals and families of all sizes to partake in. This is one of the most frequent requests I hear, “We want to be able to do something as a family.” Here’s your chance!

    Please keep foremost in your prayers our Catechumens and Candidates who are in the “home stretch” for their entrance into full communion with the Church. We will celebrate the Rite of Sending for 11 of these Catechumens at the 9 a.m. Mass this weekend and later on Sunday afternoon they will be received at the Rite of Election in one of the ceremonies in the Archdiocese. Our 11 from CtR, along with upwards of 1,800 others from throughout Galveston-Houston, will make up the largest group of Catechumens from any one diocese in the country.

     Over the course of Lent we’ll celebrate the three Scrutinies (minor rites) for our Catechumens (the unbaptized). Meanwhile, those baptized Christians who seek full communion in the faith (the candidates) are also preparing for their entry into the Church, and we have nearly 30 this year at CtR, praise be to God. As they all journey to the table of the Lord, let us dare to walk with them and ask the Lord guide us all into a more perfect union with the Father.

    Tomorrow, Monday, Feb. 19, we begin our monthly Holy Hour with Adoration and Benediction following the 9 a.m. daily Mass. Previously we’ve done so on the 3rd Wednesday evening of every month, but we’re moving it now to the 3rd Monday in the hopes of attracting a few more to join us for it. We will close the small daily Adoration chapel at 8:50 a.m. and repose the Eucharist to the main chapel tabernacle. Then, during the morning Mass a new host will be consecrated.

     When Mass ends, typically around 9:30 a.m., the newly consecrated host will be exposed on the altar in the monstrance for all who wish to spend time in Adoration. That will continue until approximately 10:20 a.m. when Benediction will begin. Following Benediction when we are blessed with the consecrated host in the monstrance, the Eucharist will be returned to the small Adoration chapel where it will continue for the rest of the week. We invite you to join us for a Holy Hour on any 3rd Monday of the month.

    Finally, make plans to join us next week for our parish Lenten Mission with Deacon Greg Kandra leading us under the theme “Giving Up Dessert, and Entering into the Desert.” Deacon Greg writes a popular blog on church life at www.thedeaconsbench.com. He’s an engaging preacher who will challenge us to live our faith with a renewed vigor these 40 days. Following the weekend masses, the mission will take place over three nights, Monday-Wednesday, Feb. 26-28, at 7 p.m. in the church. Hope to see you here!

Peace, Fr. Sean