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January 18, 2024Dear friends in Christ,
Sometimes the best approach is the most direct approach. St. Mark, from whom we hear on this 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, certainly believed in that philosophy. He doesn’t beat around the bush in Chapter 1 when he quotes Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
What more is there to say than that? Anything else is just window dressing. Repent and believe in the gospel was the mandate of the Lord long ago and it still applies today. We’ll hear those words on Ash Wednesday in a few weeks when Lent begins but there is nothing stopping us from putting it into action today. Let’s take a cue from St. Mark and get to work on it sooner rather than later.
Next weekend, we kick off our annual celebration of National Catholic Schools Week. Our own CtR Catholic School has a host of activities planned to mark the week for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, we will focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our Church, our community and our nation. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: United in Faith and Community,” and that is certainly true and at the heart of our mission for CtR Catholic School.
We invite you to come see how that mission is lived out here at our Open House for the community on Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. It’s a great chance to tour the school and see up close and personal what the kids are doing. That’s not only a good time for prospective parents to see what is happening, but it’s also a fine time for any parishioner to come and see. Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren who are school-age, you are invited to see how Catholic schools have an impact on our lives.
You don’t have to wait until then to apply for the 2024-25 school year, as registration is now open for both returning and new families. Please visit www.ctrschool.com/admissions for all the details on how to join us as we embark on our second decade CtR School. Hard to believe we’ve reached that milestone, but what a blessing it is. We expect to approach capacity in the fall as we welcome more than 475 students next year in grades Pre-K3 through 8, so don’t delay. While we have openings in every grade level, we will likely max out at some point and have a waiting list, so get your applications in soon. The deadline for new families to apply is Feb. 4. We have financial aid available as well for families in need, so I especially encourage families new to Catholic education to apply. We’d love to have your children be part of the great things happening at CtR School.
In addition to welcoming new students and families to CtR Catholic School, we also want to invite prospective teachers to come discover the joy of working in Catholic education by possibly joining our faculty. If you are a certified teacher who would like to learn more about what teaching in a Catholic school is all about, join us on Sunday, Feb. 4 after the 11 a.m. Mass (about 12:15 p.m.) in the school lobby. Our administration team will be here to give you a tour of the campus and then answer questions about our educational philosophy and approach, potential openings, pay and benefits, and everything you’d want to know about what we offer and what we are seeking in our faculty and staff. We have the most dedicated and professional educators you could hope to work with, and we’d love to share with you all that CtR School has to offer to teachers who might want to join us. Come see!
Another way to discover and celebrate our CtR Catholic School is through the annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk. It’s set for Saturday, Feb. 10 and it provides much needed funds for scholarships and programs in Catholic education. It’s a great family event and always a lot of fun. All are invited to join our CtR team and in the process, all proceeds will come back to our school – 100 percent! It’s a well-organized fun run through downtown Houston with a great party afterwards. I’ve done it for a number of years and find it to be a great way to spend the morning with about 5,000 Catholics pounding their way in and around downtown, while helping a great cause at the same time. Registration is fast and easy and we always have a big team from CtR and we’d love to have you join us this year. Go to www.ctrschool.com/steps4students for information and to register. Even if you don’t want to come downtown that morning in person, I encourage you to sign up as a team member and then select the “Snooze” button option. That way you can sleep in, but your donation to CtR School still counts. That’s a win-win!
If you don’t want to run yourself, you can sponsor me and all proceeds will come right back to benefit our own CtR School. You can make an online pledge, and I’ll do all the work while you get the satisfaction of knowing you supported Catholic education. To pledge to my team, visit my official race webpage and click on the Donate button. It only takes a few minutes to make your pledge safely and securely online. Or if you like, you can give me a check or cash in person at Mass or in the office and I’ll see that it is credited to our CtR team.
Remember that the 2024 discernment for new members of our Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) will take place on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 111 of the office building. The PPC is an advisory board to me as pastor of the parish and is one of the chief ways that the parishioners participate in the life and mission of the Church.
If you would like to join us for the discernment meeting, please contact me in the office by phone or email. If you would like to nominate someone, please let me know so that I might invite them to attend. (I’ll keep your nomination of them confidential if you like.)
To be a member of the PPC, one must be an active registered parishioner with a demonstrated commitment to the life of the parish. You must be fully initiated in the sacraments, and if married, be in a Catholic marriage. A PPC member must also be willing to engage in spiritual growth and skills development to best serve on the council, and I think it goes without saying that you must be willing to commit to working collaboratively with others. The PPC meets once a month, but there are often other responsibilities associated with the council that require time and preparation.
Lastly, after the hard freeze earlier this week it’s appropriate that our Winter Blood Drive is taking place this Sunday from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Parish Hall. There is always a need for blood in the Houston area, especially at this time of year, so if you are able to donate, please do so. Walk-ins are welcome.
Peace, Fr. Sean