Texas Catholic Herald - Sept. 26, 2023

Serving the Church in Guatemala

Father Joseph Perez reflects on 50-plus years of priestly mission

HOUSTON — Father Joseph Perez, a Houston native, left the city in 1971 as a fresh-faced, newly ordained young diocesan priest for mission work in Guatemala, helping the poor build better lives.

He followed a line of Houston priests and religious sisters working there as well. But now 81 years old and still with a full head of dark hair only slightly peppered with gray, Father Perez is the last remaining Houston Archdiocesan

See GUATEMALA, page 5

VOCATIONS

Nearly 40 priests, religious to celebrate Jubilee anniversaries

HOUSTON — With heavy responsibilities at times weighing on priests as pastors and vicars, they have turned to Father Phil “Skip” Negley, M.S., as spiritual director and retreat organizer for many of them.

At the time, then-Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza selected Father Negley to be the first director for the Office of Ministry to Priests when it was founded in 1998. Now, the 77-year-old priest is officially retired from the office as of Sept. 1, but has been reassigned by his order, the Missionaries of La Salette, to a parish in the Diocese of Orlando starting Nov. 1.

“The plan of retirement is sometimes as elusive or mysterious as the inspiration and invitation from the Holy

WORLD YOUTH DAY

WYD pilgrims reunite to remember Lisbon’s ‘miracles’

HOUSTON — In an effort to ensure the experience that young pilgrims had at World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon in August didn’t stay in Portugal, Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, hosted a reunion for some 40 pilgrims on Sept. 16 at St. Dominic Center in Houston.

Across two sessions of reflection, prayer and discussion, as well as Mass and lunch, Bishop Dell’Oro encouraged the pilgrims to remember what happened in Lisbon at WYD.

For Cecilia Dao, a pilgrim from Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church, it was challenging to return to her routine life after WYD. After two weeks on pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal, going back to work and her post-baccalaureate studies was an adjustment. Even so, “I cannot thank God enough for the graces and blessings that I’ve received from WYD,” she said. “It’s continuing

to be unpacked as I’m still continuing to process everything that happened in Lisbon and all the things that God is calling me to.”

This journey of unpacking all that happened in Lisbon is exactly what

Bishop Dell’Oro hoped to help the pilgrims explore and deepen, especially as the time since those experiences in Lisbon continues to expand.

See LISBON, page 6

Pope to global leaders: Save children, the

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Kicking off a global meeting of leaders, Pope Francis told former U.S. President Bill Clinton and the global community to take action to ensure peace for future generations and stop climate change “before it’s too late.”

Opening the 2023 Clinton Global Initiative meeting of leaders in New York City on Sept. 18, Clinton asked the pope, connected by video call, what ordinary people can do to address society’s towering problems.

“We are in need of a great and shared assumption of responsibility,” the pope said, adding that“no challenge is too great if we each meet it with personal conversion and the personal contribution that each of us can make to solve it from an awareness of what makes us part of one destiny.”

“Difficulties can bring out the best or the worst in us,” he said. “Therein lies our challenge: fighting selfishness, narcissism, division with generosity and humility.”

Started in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative aims to bring leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Participants for 2023 included U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The topics were to include climate change, implementing artificial intelligence, health care accessibility, migration and economic justice.

In his opening talk, Pope Francis elaborated on the need to confront together the principal challenges facing society, particularly the “winds of war that blow across the world”and the climate crisis.

“It is time for the weapons to cease, for us to return to dialogue, to diplomacy. For the plans of conquest and military aggression to cease,” he said. “That is why I repeat: No to war, no to war.”

The pope also urged the leaders to “work together to stop ecological catastrophe before it’s too late,” again sharing that he decided to write another document on the subject eight years after the publication of his encyclical “Laudato Si’, On Care for

Our Common Home.” The document, which Pope Francis has said will be an apostolic exhortation, is expected to be released Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

The pope said that when people speak about migration, it is important to remember that they are not talking about numbers but people.

“When we think of migration, let’s think of the eyes of the children we find in refugee camps,” he said.

He also recalled the work of the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital, where children from around the world are given free medical care — including more than 2,000 Ukrainian children who fled their country with parents or relatives.

“It’s evident that our great little hospital cannot solve the problems of sick children in the whole world,” he said.“However, it wants to be a sign. A testimony of how it is possible, in the midst of so many efforts, to combine great scientific research aimed at curing children and the free welcome of those in need.”

Clinton thanked the pope for his remarks and told him, “You make us all feel empowered, and perhaps that is your greatest power as the pope, that you make everybody — even people who aren’t members of the Roman Catholic Church — feel that they have power and therefore responsibility.”

Pope Francis closed by saying he

was concerned about the situation of children worldwide and the fight against climate change. “Let us take action before it is too late,” he repeated.

PRAYING FOR VOCATIONS MEANS UNDERSTANDING CHURCH’S NEEDS, POPE SAYS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While vocations to the Catholic priesthood and religious life are declining in developed countries around the world, prayers for vocations should not try to “convince” God to send more workers for the Church but seek to better understand the needs of its people, Pope Francis said.

Meeting with a group of Rogationists and Daughters of Divine Zeal at the Vatican on Sept. 18, the pope praised the example of their founder, St. Hannibal di Francia, who made praying for vocations central to the charisms of the congregations he began. St. Hannibal, he said, “understood that the first thing to do was pray, certainly not to convince God to send shepherds, as if He did not care for His people, but to let himself be overwhelmed by the deep passion of His paternal and maternal love, to learn — by praying — to be sensitive to the needs of His children.”

“This is your mission,” he told them, “for even today, the Lord is calling, and so many young people need credible witnesses and guides who, by showing them the beauty of a life spent in love, will help them to say ‘yes.’” †

Publishing since 1964 (USPS 936-480)

ARCHDIOCESE OF GALVESTON-HOUSTON

NEWSDESK 713-652-8215 • Fax: 713-659-3444 tch@archgh.org • archgh.org/tch

CIRCULATION tdieli@archgh.org • 713-652-4444

ADVERTISING ads@archgh.org • 713-652-4407

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

Archbishop, President & Publisher

Jonah Dycus

Communications Director & Executive Editor

Rebecca Torrellas

Managing Editor

James Ramos

Designer & Photo-Journalist

Catherine Viola

Advertising Manager

Kerry McGuire and Jo Ann Zuñiga

Contributors

To read more about our seminarians and how you can support them, visit www.smseminary.com.

The Texas Catholic Herald, an awardwinning member of The Catholic Media Association, is published semi-monthly on Tuesdays, with one issue in June, July and August, by The Texas Catholic Herald Publishing Co., Inc., 1700 San Jacinto St., Houston, TX 77002. Periodical postage paid at Houston, TX and other distribution points.

Postmaster: Send address changes to P.O. Box 907, Houston, TX 77001

Subscription rate: $15 per year; $20 outside Texas; $35 out of U.S.

TCH publishing schedule

Issue date: October 10

Deadline: Noon on September 19

Issue date: October 24

Deadline: Noon on October 3

planet ‘before it’s too late’

THE FIRST WORD

TURNING TO OUR LADY OF COROMOTO

PASTORAL APPOINTMENTS

Effective August 21

Father John Boles Chaplain – Western Academy

Effective September 1

Father (Joseph) Duy Le, CSsR

Provincial Secretary – St. Clement Parish

Father Bao Quoc Nguyen, SSS

Parochial Vicar – Corpus Christi Parish

Effective September 20

Father Binu Johnson, C.P.

In Residence – Holy Name Passionist Community

Effective September 30

Father Paul Raj Gnanasekar, SSS

Parochial Vicar – Corpus Christi Parish

Effective October 1

Father Michael L. Thompson, S.S.J.

Pastor – St. Francis Xavier Parish

Father George A. Liwhuliwhe, S.S.J.

Parochial Vicar – Our Mother of Mercy Parish

Father Thomas Vellappallil, M.S.

Pastor – Mary Queen Parish, Friendswood

Effective October 4

Bishop Dell’Oro celebrates Our Lady of Coromoto with Venezuelan Catholics

SUGAR LAND — More than 800 Catholics from Houston’s Venezuelan community turned out to honor Our Lady of Coromoto at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land on Sept. 9.

The Mass, celebrated in Spanish, included traditional Venezuelan music, a shrine of Marian statues, and a special, lively procession of a statue of Our Lady of Coromoto.

The annual Mass gathers Venezuelans from around the region to unite in prayer with other Venezuelans away from their Latin American home country and honor the Sept. 8 Solemnity of Our Lady of Coromoto. Attendees also collected funds and donations to support charities in Venezuela.

Our Lady of Coromoto is celebrated as the patroness of Venezuela. She appeared twice with the Christ Child to the chief of the local Coromoto tribe in the 17th century, urging him to be baptized.

During the apparitions, Our Lady left a small image of herself with the Christ Child, which is seen in many images of Our Lady of Coromoto. †

Father Evaristus Chukwu, MSP

Pastor – St. Martin de Porres Church, Barrett Station

Father Henry Osuagwu, MSP

Pastor – St. Peter the Apostle Parish

BRIEFS

Mass for the Care of Creation, Oct. 3

HOUSTON — A Mass for the Care of Creation will be held at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 6622 Haskell St., at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, the day before the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The Mass is sponsored by the Archdiocesan Secretariat for Social Concerns, the Sisters of Charity of Incarnate Word and the Houston Dominican Sisters.

Organizers encourage participants to watch “The Letter: A Message for Our Earth” before attending the Oct. 3 event. See the Around the Archdiocese section (pgs. 18-19) or visit www.archgh.org/socialconcernevents for screening times and locations. For more information, email bcruz@archgh.org or call 713-741-8769. †

Registration open for Silver Anniversary Mass

HOUSTON — The 2023 Wedding Anniversary Jubilee Mass honoring couples celebrating their Silver (25th) Anniversary of marriage in the Catholic Church is open for registration.

The Silver Anniversary Mass is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be the celebrant.

Couples can receive a special recognition whether they attend the ceremony or not.

Registration for the Silver Anniversary Mass is $40 per couple. The price includes an Archdiocesan certificate, a special issue worship aid and a commemorative pin.

For more information and to register, visit www.archgh. org/flmevents. †

Annual Firefighter Mass honors firefighters lost in the line of duty

HOUSTON — The annual Firefighter Mass honoring and blessing firefighters will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will be the celebrant.

In addition, during the Mass, a special tribute will be given to firefighters who have died during the previous year.

It is open to active and retired firefighters, their families and the general public. †

LOCAL

Around the Archdiocese

Father Phil ‘Skip’ Negley, minister to priests, among those celebrating 50-year Jubilee

Spirit,” he said. “Ministry to Priests is one of the most rewarding, supportive and fraternal ministries in our local Church of Galveston-Houston. Being a priest for priests is a profound privilege.”

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, speaking on Aug. 12 at Father Negley’s 50th anniversary of his ordination, told the crowd of priests, bishops and parishioners, “In the beginning, Father Skip was the foundation, the origin of the Ministry for Priests.”

“If a vicar calls priests, they are nervous. If the cardinal calls a priest, they are scared to death. But when he (Father Negley) calls you, you’re relieved,” he joked as the congregation chuckled.

The Mass was held at Mary Queen Church in Friendswood, where Father Negley served as pastor from 2004 through 2012 before being elected as the provincial superior of his order, from 2012 to 2015.

He served the three-year term as head of the North American Province, including working trips to Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, India and throughout Europe to help open new

Celebrating their 50-year Jubilees of their ordination this year are Father Jim Kuczynski, M.S., pastor of Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood, Father Robert Ippolito, M.S., who is also a La Salette priest and priest in residence at Mary Queen, and Father Skip Negley, M.S., retiring director of the Archdiocesan Office of Ministry to Priests.

seminaries and support the nearly 1,000 priests in the order worldwide, Father Negley said.

He then returned to Houston to begin his second term as director for the Office of Ministry to Priests from 2016 through 2023, providing one-on-one spiritual direction, sacramental reconciliation, support groups, and activities that strengthen the priestly life and the mentoring of the new/early ordained.

Now, Father Tom Rafferty is succeeding Father Negley in the pastoral care role for more than 400 clergy throughout 10 counties.

Two other priests of Father Negley’s same order are also celebrating their 50th Jubilees. Father Jim Kuczynski, M.S., is retiring as pastor of Mary Queen Catholic Church in Friendswood, and Father Robert Ippolito, M.S., is helping pro bono at St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance as a certified immigration specialist.

A retired Air Force colonel and chaplain, 77-year-old Father Ippolito, whose grandfather immigrated from Sicily, said, “My advocacy ministry is certainly expressive of our La Salette ministry of reconciliation. I hope I can make a difference in the lives of immigrants with whatever time God gives me on this earth.”

Father Kuczynski said of the milestone, “We certainly do things in different ways at different points in our time, but it’s still about how to live the Gospel in the world we know.”

The Jubilee Mass for priests, religious brothers and sisters celebrating their anniversaries of 60, 50 and 25 years of service is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston.

Others to be celebrated include Father Richard Wahl, C.S.B., JCL, with 50 years as part of the Congregation of St. Basil, also known as the Basilian Fathers. He serves as adjutant judicial vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese.

His Basilian order is celebrating 200 years of its founding in 1822 when 10 diocesan priests defied anticlerical laws passed during the French Revolution

WANT TO GO?

JUBILEE MASS

Sunday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m.

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston

JUBILARIANS 2023

DIAMOND – 60 YEARS

Monsignor Jack M. Dinkins

Father Donald S. Nesti, C.S.Sp.

Father Richard E. Paulissen, M.M.

Father Joseph Tuynh Van Pham, O.P.

Sister Theresa Thu Mai, O.P.

Sister Patricia Casey, OP

Sister Anna Marie Flusche, OP

Sister Ann Huffstetter, OP

Sister Lavergne Schwender, OP

GOLDEN – 50 YEARS

Father Kenneth Heberlein

Father John H. Kappe

Father Stephen J. Payne

Father Chacko Puthumayil

Father Richard A. Wahl, C.S.B.

Father Robert F. Ippolito, M.S.

Father Edward C. Kucera Jr.

Father James H. Kuczynski, M.S.

Father Terence P. Brinkman

Father Joseph Phiet The Nguyen

Father William Andrew Wood

Father Jamie M. Abercrombie, C.S.B.

Father Phil “Skip” Negley, M.S.

Sister Theresa Hoa Trinh, O.P.

Sister Mary Francis, CCVI

SILVER – 25 YEARS

Father Ramon J. Arechua

Father Thomas V. Ponzini

Father Gary A Rickles

Father Charles J. Samperi

Father John K. Taosan

Father Dominic Quang T. Nguyen, O.P.

Father Ralph 0. Roberts

Father Thuy Quang Nguyen

Father Sean P. Horrigan

Sister Theresa Marie Chau Nguyen, O.P.

Sister Maria Goretti Thuy Nguyen, O.P.

to bring balanced Christian education to a small village in southern France by operating a seminary that grew worldwide from there.

The local Vietnamese Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province have several members celebrating their 60, 50 and 25 years. Sister Maria Goretti Thuy Nguyen, OP, who works as associate director in the Archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, is a 25-year Jubilarian this year.

Sister Francesca Kearns, CCVI, vicar for Religious, said of the annual Jubilee celebration, “Jubilees are ‘Magnificat’ moments when we joyfully declare with Mary, God has done great things for us in calling us to extend His love in our communities, parishes and Church.” †

Work with the poor is not a ‘sacrifice’, but is done together

in Guatemala needed help even more during such violence.

priest in Guatemala as others have retired or died.

He revisited his hometown recently, which he tries to do annually, except for the pandemic years. He reconnects with the Archdiocese and its Mission Office, as well as personally visits his siblings. But Father Perez said he is not ready to retire from his mission work in Guatemala and returned to Central America in September.

“When you’re working with the poor, you don’t see it as a sacrifice,” he said humbly. “You feel incompetent because you are not able to help as much as you want.”

Yet Father Perez has been able to help the community groups of 200,000 residents on the outskirts of Guatemala City to build a school and a nonprofit clinic still in operation. When he first arrived, he worked as a priest at the church of Jesus Nipalakin (Jesus Walks with Us), named from the Kaqchikel Mayan parishioners, who comprise about half of that church’s population.

Father Perez worked with fellow Archdiocesan priest Monsignor William Pickard, who first went to Guatemala in 1967 and returned to Houston five years later, dying in 2015.

Father Perez said, “The community wanted to award me a medal for all the work over the past 50 years, but I thanked them and declined. I told them that all of this is something the community and I did together. I walk with them, and we work together.”

He credits groups like the women parishioners who call themselves “Las Margaritas” as they do pastoral work like visiting homes, offering food and water or other needed supplies.

“We as a community raised money to help put in roads and potable water and trash pick-up since the government had not been able to do it.The work is not done yet,” he said. “I am there representing the people of Galveston-Houston.”

With World Mission Sunday this October, Father Perez is the epitome of dedicating one’s life. After spending most of his life as a missionary, he serves as an inspiration to all those he

meets, said Hilda Ochoa, director of the Archdiocese’s Mission Office.

Working with Father Perez for the past 30 years, Ochoa said, “We support Father Joe through our Mission Office. Archbishop (Joseph) Fiorenza was a big supporter of the missionary work and went to visit there a couple of times.”

“But now Father Joe is the only one from our Archdiocese there. All our priests are needed here since we’ve grown so large. We do not have enough priests for other missions,” she said.

Although Father Perez is no longer a pastor at the church, he remains busy teaching along with 18 teachers who instruct about 200 students from first grade to ninth grade.

“This is the first day of school for them in three years because of the pandemic,” he said. “During the pandemic, there were 1.7 million young people who had to drop out of school in Guatemala.”

About two-thirds of the overall 17 million of the population live on less than two dollars a day, with 46.5% of children under 5 suffering stunted growth because of malnourishment, human rights groups report.

But living conditions were even worse

during the Guatemalan Civil War that lasted for 36 years, from 1960 through 1996, as guerrillas rebelled against government oppression, Father Perez said. More than 200,000 were killed or forcibly disappeared, mostly indigenous Mayans, during the war.

The then-Diocese tried to recall Father Perez back to Houston during that time, but he pled his case that the poor people

“Priests and nuns were also killed during that time,” he said. “But I could not leave the people. They have a great faith that God will protect us. If I, as a priest, left them, that would question the faith they have.”

Others who worked there during that time also included Archdiocesan priest Father John Francis Ulm, who worked in Guatemala in the Dominican mission from 1967 through 1973 before returning to Houston as a local pastor. Father Ulm recently died on Aug. 15.

Sister Theresa Macey, OP, also answered an appeal from then-Pope John XXIII for religious communities to minister in Latin America, dedicating over 40 years of her life to ministering in Guatemala, only recently dying last May.

She worked as a pastoral minister in Zacapa, Guatemala, and co-founded Colegio Parroquial San Vicente de Paul Bethania, a Catholic school in Guatemala City. Sister Macey was instrumental in fundraising for the school, serving children from one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. She brought education and religion programs to many impoverished young people in Guatemala, empowering them to become future leaders. She also served as a spiritual counselor, translator and aide.

Missionaries impact the lives of people for generations, Ochoa said. †

WYD inspires pilgrims to be ‘missionaries of joy’ in Houston

LISBON, from page 1

Echoing Pope Francis’ WYD message to youth to “Be not afraid,” Bishop Dell’Oro told the pilgrims that they are at an age when they should not be afraid.

“Transforming our memory will help inspire us to not be afraid,” he said. “Our life is a pilgrimage to go where Jesus is, to the Father. We are prophets of the world, and we must do something that indicates that we are on that path.”

Bishop Dell’Oro implored the youth to be like the Good Samaritan and always be close to the poor.

“Always have a meaningful connection to the poor. If you have that, you will encounter the One you cannot see,” he said. He reminded them to continue to stay close to other pilgrims who made the same journey and to “continue on our own path together with Jesus.”

The day began with a reflection and a decade of the Rosary led by Father Miguel Cabrera, CC, who served as a chaplain for the group.

Angie Pometto, director of the Archdiocesan Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministries, said she was thrilled at how open and joyful the delegation from Galveston-Houston was, even in the face of challenges and difficulty.

One of the most difficult parts of WYD is the vigil night, which consists of a long walking journey to the vigil site, often in the outer parts of the city, which in Lisbon saw some 1.5 million pilgrims attend Eucharistic Adoration with the pope and hear a special address under Lisbon’s

night sky. The trek to the vigil site was full of soaring temperatures, discomfort and pain, as well as crowds.

Pometto recognized St. John Paul II’s purpose of including this as a key point of the WYD experience. The process helped pilgrims draw parallels of their walking journey to that of the Holy Family in flight to Bethlehem, of refugees and migrants, of the unhoused in Houston and others, inspiring them to live “in solidarity with others,” she said.

During the trip, “as time went on, you could see [the pilgrims’] hearts growing in love with Christ, more open to sharing about Christ and more willing to talk about Christ,” she said. “You could just see their desire grow day by day. It was beautiful.”

She said, with Bishop Dell’Oro, she’s

helping to ensure that pilgrims realize that WYD wasn’t an event that ended when they left Lisbon but that it was a lifelong experience where they can realize how they are like Mary, and they can each “arise and go with haste,” when called.

Father Rodrigo Ulloa, a Maryknoll priest who accompanied the pilgrims as a chaplain in Lisbon, closed the day with prayer and asked God to inspire the pilgrims to “help us live the miracles we saw in WYD and in our hearts. Help us to be missionaries of joy in Houston and in the world.”

Thinking of her time in Lisbon, Dao knew God was with her, especially at the vigil site during Adoration.

“I just was moved to tears. It was so many things, encountering God

in meeting people from all over the world, the beautiful sacred architecture in Europe, the Fado singing, going to confession at the vigil site, being with millions in Adoration with Pope Francis,” she said. “I knelt down and gave God thanks for His blessings and everything that He’s given me.”

Since WYD, Dao said she’s seen that God has kept reminding her about being “a missionary people for the whole Church.”

“I have no idea what that means yet for me, I don’t know what God’s calling me to yet, but I just know there’s a great nudge for me to use the gifts and talents that He’s gifted me to help serve His people, to help build up His kingdom,” she said. †

Nurturing the ministry of ‘brother priests’ to live happy, healthy and holy lives

HOUSTON — In the heart of the Archdiocese, a strong foundation of unwavering support and commitment to its priests exists, guiding them through the intricacies of their calling while ensuring they remain in good spiritual, mental and physical health along the journey.

The ministry that is focused on strengthening the spiritual, fraternal and pastoral well-being of all diocesan and religious priests within the Archdiocese is the Ministry to Priests.

“If our priests are happy, healthy and leading holy lives, they are better prepared to support and care for the people in the pews,” said Father Thomas “Tom” Rafferty, the ministry’s new director. “My number one priority is to support them as a fellow priest as they navigate through life’s daily challenges and issues, very much like those faced by the people they serve every day.”

Father Rafferty said the Ministry to Priests offers regular opportunities for confession, spiritual direction and retreats to help priests deepen their faith and maintain their spiritual health, including a bi-annual Convocation Week event held in May in Galveston.

The ministry also organizes workshops, seminars, and provides additional resources to enhance the priests’ pastoral skills and address everyday challenges or complex issues faced in their roles. This includes helping newly ordained and international priests become better acquainted with each other and assimilated into the presbyterium of the Archdiocese. Additionally, the ministry creates a supportive community where priests can connect, share experiences and find encouragement through hospitality and fraternity with one another.

This past July, Father Rafferty was chosen as the new director of the Ministry to Priests by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo upon the retirement of Father Phil “Skip” Negley, M.S. He was chosen because of his four decades of devoted service to six parishes across the Archdiocese, including 14 years as pastor at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands before becoming director of the Secretariat for Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services in 2021. He also was the dean of the San Jacinto Deanery and episcopal vicar for Clergy, all of which underline his dedication and commitment to priestly well-being.

“In my role as director of the Ministry to Priests, it’s important to be mindful of the priests’ needs, to inspire them, to lend an ear, and to reach out to those in need, either with a phone call or inperson visit,” Father Rafferty said. “I want my brother priests to know they have someone in their corner to look after their overall spiritual health and pastoral care. I will even come to their parish to celebrate Mass for them if they are sick, need a vacation or just have to be away from the parish for personal or work reasons.”

Some have said that because Father Rafferty grew up in the Greater Heights neighborhood and has lived here his entire life, he knows Houston — and Houston knows him.

To name a few, his vast network of resources available for priests includes medical professionals that he personally knows and can recommend if a priest gets sick or requires a medical specialist. He also has experience with many resources, offering assistance with accounting, bookkeeping and other administrative tasks to successfully operate a parish.

Despite geographical distance, Father Rafferty said he makes a point to visit with priests in parishes located in rural areas and on the outskirts of the Archdiocese to check on their needs and to get to know them better.

“Staying connected with each other is paramount for all priests in the Archdiocese, especially those outside of Harris County,” Father Rafferty said. “We priests are a support network, always watching out for one another. If a priest comes across another priest in need, I want them to know they can reach out to me anytime and I will contact them.”

Father Rafferty also likes to remind the priests of the importance of self-care, with the understanding that taking a day for themselves is acceptable. During COVID-19related shutdowns, although challenging in many ways, he said priests and deacons alike found a silver lining: They had time to reassess priorities in both their personal lives and work in parishes to find some balance moving forward.

In his role as director, Father Rafferty said while keeping strict confidentiality on what he is told by the priests as if in a confessional, he maintains an open line of communication with Cardinal DiNardo to provide a general report on

how well the priests are doing across the Archdiocese. This gives him the opportunity to discuss emerging or evolving situations that require attention, as well as offer suggestions for instances where direct outreach from the cardinal to a priest may be warranted.

“It’s reassuring for priests to know that the cardinal and Ministry to Priests are deeply invested and supportive of them, that they don’t carry their burdens alone,” Father Rafferty said. “We care about them as individuals, about their spiritual and mental health and satisfaction in living out their lifelong vocation to serve the people of God.”

As one of 64 ministries funded by the DSF, Father Rafferty encourages the faithful to give to the annual appeal, which directly supports the approximate 400 diocesan and religious priests in the Galveston-Houston area.

“The why you give to the DSF is important,” Father Rafferty said. “The faithful are essentially supporting over 60 ministries in the Archdiocese that would otherwise have to go without, and the faithful would ultimately be impacted. Because the Ministry to Priests receives funding for all the services and programs mentioned, the faithful have the opportunity to directly support and care for their priests.”

archgh.org/dsf

The 2023 Diocesan Services Fund theme is “God is the Strength of My Heart.” DSF operates in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston each year to help the Church carry out the ministries of teaching and sanctifying. DSF brings the needed financial resources to carry out 64 ministries.

To support the work of the Ministry to Priests, visit www.archgh.org/ ministrytopriests. To donate and support this ministry and 63 others, go to www. archgh.org/DSF.

The DSF supports each of these ministries, whether direct service or education, which require this critical funding to remain in operation. Out of each gift given to DSF, 100% of every dollar goes directly to supporting these ministries. †

Czech deacons tour Archdiocese and find the ‘openness’ of Texas faith, support for vocations

HOUSTON — Three transitional deacons from the Czech Republic visited Texas, taking in both the local culture and Liturgies during the summer season.

Deacons Daniel Martinek of the Diocese of Brno, Jan Pechácek of the Diocese of Hradec Králové and Vojtech Razima of the Diocese of Ceské Budeovice came to visit the Archdiocese.

Every year, Father Stephen Nesrsta, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church of Corn Hill in the Diocese of Austin, invites new deacons from the Czech Republic to come to Texas. They visit different places and experience Texas hospitality in local families with Czech ancestors. They also spent part of the trip with father Paul Chovanec, pastor of St. Justin Martyr Church, who helped facilitate their visit to Galveston-Houston.

While in the Archdiocese, the deacons visited Space Center Houston and the newly restored St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. They also took a short walk on the beach in Galveston, where Deacon Martinek said, “The big surprise was that when we got our feet wet, the water was much warmer than on the other side of the ocean!”

As is tradition, the Czech deacons

received chalices from the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus from GalvestonHouston on Saturday, Aug. 26, at St. Justin Martyr.

The deacons said the Archdiocese and the Czech Republic are similar in the way they celebrate and experience the Liturgy.

“We were pleasantly surprised that the local churches always fill up several times for Sunday Masses,” Deacon Pechácek said. “We experienced several pilgrimage festivals — whether on weekdays or Sundays — and we must say that you know how to celebrate nicely! It was also evident that you remember more to pray for vocations and generously support your seminarians.”

Their major takeaway from this trip was to have an openness to everyone and have the ability to “spend” a lot of time with others.

“It’s no problem for most of them (Texas priests) to spend a whole day with you to show you everything, even if they have enough work of their own to do,” Deacon Razima said. “Really, any visit to a foreign country is very rewarding. You learn that things can be done differently and maybe even better. And this openness to do things differently — in a good way — is something we would like to bring home.” †

“Lord, teach us to contemplate you in the beauty of creation and reawaken our gratitude

responsibility.”

Houston Catholics in mission

YAKIMA, Washington — During the summer, three Christ The Redeemer (CtR) parishioners from Houston attended a Mission Immersion trip to the Diocese of Yakima, Washington, hosted by Catholic Extension.

Megan Dillingham, director of Stewardship and Development at CtR; Carrie Taylor, director of Communications at CtR; and Carol Hall, an active parishioner at CtR and member of the Stewardship Council, joined the mission this year after hearing about CtR’s pastor, Father Sean Horrigan’s Yakima trip in 2022.

This program, funded through the Lilly Endowment Inc., aims to broaden Church leaders' horizons through enriching learning experiences of the Church's missionary activities. The Diocese of Yakima is home to an ever-growing population, mainly of migrant workers (both temporary and permanent), who are attracted to the Yakima region for agricultural opportunities. Some migrant workers arrive in June for cherry picking, which is extremely labor intensive — beginning at 4 a.m. — and others stay year-round to pick apples and pears.

When Father Horrigan returned home, he asked his parish community to help, and for their 2023 Lenten almsgiving, they supported the Literacy Wagon program and Migrant Ministry in Yakima, which raised roughly $95,000.

Father Horrigan said, "My description of it to people when I returned home was that it formed both my mind and my heart. It put a 'face' on a part of the Church that I had previously only read or heard about but never experienced. You need that 'boots on the ground' experience to understand it at a level where it takes root and, hopefully, becomes transformative for the individual." †

Questions about subscription, circulation or need to change an address? Call 713-652-4444 or email TDIELI@ARCHGH.ORG for assistance. Visit ARCHGH.ORG/TCH for more information.

Pray for the following priests whose anniversaries of death are during the month of October.

Oct. 1, 1853 Mr. Jean Pierre Bajard

Oct. 1, 1853 Rev. Jean-Marie Baudrand, OMI

Oct. 1, 1981 Bishop Wendelin J. Nold, STD

Oct. 2, 2014 Rev. Edward W. Abell

Oct. 3, 2012 Rev. Christopher A. Billac, SJ

Oct. 5, 1866 Rev. Jean Bigat

Oct. 5, 1962 Rev. Max E. Budnik

Oct. 5, 1970 Rev. John J. Brady, MS

Oct. 9, 1993 Bishop Bernard J. Ganter, DD

Oct. 10, 1972 Msgr. Joseph C. Kunc

Oct. 10, 1993 Rev. Cornelius Ryan, OMI

Oct. 12, 1847 Rev. Bartholomew Rollando,CM

Oct. 12, 1993 Msgr. John C. Perusina

Oct. 14, 1928 Rev. A. DeSimone

Oct. 14, 1996 Rev. Ernest Perhach

Oct. 14, 2020 Rev. Carl Tenhunfeld

Oct. 15, 1884 Rev. Claude Martinierre

Oct. 15, 2001 Rev. George S. Silvester, CSB

Oct. 15, 2009 Rev. Jose Maria Fernandez

Oct. 16, 1967 Rev. Leslie J. Vasek, CSB

Oct. 16, 1983 Rev. Eugene Lynch, MS

Oct. 16, 2002 Rev. A.J. Chandonnet, CSSR

Oct. 16, 2007 Rev. Alcuin E. Greenburg

Oct. 17, 1953 Rev. Michael Leahy

Oct. 17, 2014 Rev. Peter Thien Hoang, OP

Oct. 19, 1903 Rev. Odilo Schorer

Oct. 19, 1966 Rev. George Black

Oct. 19, 1969 Rev. John F. Collins, CSB

Oct. 19, 1969 Rev. Dennis Kennedy

Oct. 20, 2003 Msgr. Frank A. Lagana

Oct. 20, 2004 Rev. Joseph T, O’Malley

Oct. 21, 1929 Rev. Emile L.J. Fluery

Oct. 21, 2004 Msgr. Sylvester J. Fuchs

Oct. 24, 1867 Rev. Alex Renoux

Oct. 24, 1896 Rev. Joseph N. Jacquet

Oct. 25, 2005 Msgr. George V. Rhein

Oct. 25, 2009 Rev. John Chinh Chan Tran

Oct. 26, 1970 Rev. Wilfrid J. Murphy, CSB

Oct. 27, 1853 Rev. Edward Hug

Oct. 27, 1953 Rev. J.P. Dillon, CSB

Oct. 30, 1888 Rev. Francis Derue

Oct. 30, 1946 Rev. Alfred G. Grattan

Oct. 30, 1977 Rev. Anselm Townsend, OP

Oct. 30, 1988 Rev. Joseph R. Plummer

Oct. 30, 1990 Rev. Ludon Angelle

Oct. 30, 2013 Rev. Joseph L.Phung. CSsR

Oct. 31, 2016 Rev. Rawlin Enette

Expand and deepen our hearts . . .

October 10: Jedidiah Murphy

October 26: William Speer

OBITUARIES

Sister Perpetua Daly, CCVI

HOUSTON — Sister Perpetua Daly, CCVI, a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word, died Sept. 6.

During the course of her life, Sister Daly ministered as a nurse at many hospitals and nursing homes, including St. Joseph Hospital, St. Anthony Center and St. Mary’s Hospital in Galveston. In later years, Sister Daly served in pastoral care ministry. After many years of service, she dedicated her life to prayer at Villa de Matel.

A funeral Mass was held in the Immaculate Conception Chapel on Sept. 12. Interment is in Villa de Matel Cemetery. †

Elizabeth Joseph

INDIA — Elizabeth Joseph, the mother of Father Thomas Joseph, OSH, parochial vicar of St. Edward Church in Spring, died Sept. 13 after an extended illness. She was 93 years old.

A funeral Mass is planned for a later date in India. †

Severita Maldonado Villegas

NUEVO LEON, Mexico — Severita Maldonado Villegas, the mother of Ricardo Maldonado, manager of Archdiocese parish and schools facility maintenance with the Office of Construction and Preventative Maintenance, died Aug. 25 after a battle with cancer. She was 58.

A funeral Mass was held at Holy Name Catholic Church in Houston on Sept. 2. Interment is in General Treviño, Nuevo Leon in Mexico. †

Sister Mary Grace O’Brien, C.V.I.

HOUSTON — Sister Mary Grace O’Brien, C.V.I., died Sept. 4. She was 93 years old.

In her ministry as a teacher or principal, Sister O’Brien served in elementary and high schools in the Archdiocese.

She served as a leader of the Congregation of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, first, as a counselor and then as the general superior. As superior, she was instrumental in relocating the Motherhouse and spearheading major renovations at Incarnate Word Academy. In 1986, the late Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza invited Sister O’Brien to be secretariat and director of Christian Formation for the Archdiocese.

A funeral Mass was held at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament on Sept. 7. Interment is in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. †

Huyen Thi Phan

HOUSTON — Huyen Thi Phan, the mother of Father Anthony Hung Tran, O.P., died Aug. 13. She was 86 years old.

A funeral Mass was held Aug. 19 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church. Interment is in Memorial Oaks Cemetery. †

Father John Ulm

ORANGE, Texas — Father John Ulm, who retired from active ministry in 2014, died Aug. 15. He was 89 years old.

He was ordained in 1958 and served as an assistant at St. Cecilia, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, St. Frances Cabrini, and St. Juan Diego. He also served as administrator at St. Juan Diego. He then served as pastor at St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Texas City, St. James the Apostle in Spring and St. Maximilian Kolbe.

A funeral Mass was held Aug. 19 at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church. Interment is in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Orange, Texas. †

EDUCATION

IN ACADEMICS

16 seniors named National Merit semifinalists

HOUSTON — Sixteen seniors at three Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese were named semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship program (NMSC) based on scores on last year’s preliminary SAT college entrance tests.

As semifinalists, these teens have the chance to compete for 7,140 National Merit scholarships worth more than $31 million offered next spring.

The students recognized are Abigail Christensen, Melinda Dae, Ella Huang, Kathryn McCarthy, Laila Scott and Emma Sjodin of St. Agnes Academy; Campbell Brown and William Wittman of St. Thomas High School; and Alan Belloso, Noah Chang, Jonathan Daniel, Ian Elfman, Zachary Jones, Vincent Jumalon, Brendan Lyon and William Patel of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory.

THE COMPETITION

These students are among a select 16,000 students from across the country. The nationwide pool of semifinalists includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. Less than 1% of high school students achieve this honor. More than 1.3 million juniors from 21,000 high schools took the test. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to

ST.

SCHOOL

the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors. These students continue in the scholarship competition and are set to be among the 2,500 high school students who will earn $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. About 95% are expected to be named finalists, and roughly half of all finalists will be earn scholarships.

To become a finalist, students submit a scholarship application reflecting their academic merit, school and community activities, and be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. The NMSC estimates that 15,000 students will advance to the finalist level.

National Merit Scholars will be named in the spring of 2024 according to their skills, accomplishments and potential for success in college.

The program was expected to award nearly $28 million to students nationwide next spring. Students also compete for two other scholarships: 84 awards are sponsored by some 160 corporations and businesses and the other 3,800 awards are sponsored by roughly 160 colleges and universities in the U.S. †

FIFTH GRADERS CELEBRATE MARY’S BIRTHDAY

Students

Fifth-grade

celebration in Meris Bridger’s religion class on Sept. 8, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Wearing party hats during Bridger’s class, students gathered around a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (also wearing a party hat) to sing her “Happy Birthday” with a candle and a small treat. Activities included a cake walk with Marian hymns playing and also a special game called “Pin the Crown on Our Lady.”

Eucharistic Revival: What the kids of today urgently need

Editor’s Note: This part two of a two-part series. Part one was featured in the Sept. 12 issue.

This gift which we receive personally also makes us one with others. We become truly unique and diverse and play a part in the body of Christ. We also live in a world of such division based on language, race and other factors. The Eucharist makes us one body with Christ. We are truly part of the same family, and God is our Father. In the Mass, all are welcome, no matter their age or race, social economic status or brokenness. All are one; we share one faith, one Lord and one Baptism. The Eucharist helps us see Christ in the poor. As St. Teresa of Calcutta witnessed, the more they adored Jesus in the Eucharist, the more they became able to see Him in the poor.

We must teach kids that the Eucharist enables them to live Christ’s life and that Christ lives in them. By receiving the Eucharist, we remember our own identity as children of God as anointed in Christ, called to love as He loves. Mass helps us remember our true identity when the world wants to make

us reduce our humanity, take on a superficial identity and judge ourselves from the outside looking in. We need to show young people to find strength in communion with the One who loves them and is with them in Holy Communion. He truly reveals the human person to Himself (cf. Gaudium et Spes #22) and gives us meaning to love as He loves and not only to focus on ourselves in a vain way but instead become a gift to others.

We pray young people can fall in love with Christ the Bridegroom, and remember we are in a covenant. “This is my blood of the new covenant” (Mt 26:28). He has given everything. He is calling us to give ourselves back to Him. Following Jesus is not easy. We easily want to impress others or follow the world. But we remember our goal is Heaven.

As we walk through this life, if we are authentic and follow Jesus’ teaching, we

will need the Eucharist; we will long for this heavenly food in the desert. His love will strengthen us to be able to bear the cross for Him and follow Him when it is not popular. The Eucharist strengthens us with the hope of Heaven.

Lastly, our world is in such need of mercy. People see a lot of division and fighting, people being rude and treating each other so rudely online. The Eucharist will help us go to the source of mercy and become merciful. This is because the Eucharist makes present Christ’s sacrifice offered to the Father. His sacrifice is truly present for us now to bring healing and forgiveness of sins. It is the most powerful prayer.

Our hurting world needs the Eucharist so much. Young people need to see the Mass as a fountain of mercy. It is a place to pray for our world and unite our sufferings to the sufferings of Christ at every Mass. Mercy is poured out, and we are blessed, consecrated, united to Christ, and sent out to bring Christ’s love, which we experience in the

Eucharist to others who are in need. The Mass is how to be plugged into God’s great mercy and love in the Eucharist.

So, in conclusion, this year of the Eucharistic Revival, let’s experience being touched by Jesus in the Eucharist and share this treasure with our youth in catechesis and parents teaching their children. I encourage you to go to Eucharisticrevival.org to see the resources and how to be a leader in your parish of the revival and possibly start a small group.

Now is the time to spread the Good News and invite people to Adoration, to Mass, to experience that Jesus is truly here for us and He is our friend who longs to hear the cries of our hearts and speak to us. †

Father Victor Perez is pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church and St. Stephen Catholic Church in Houston. He is also one of two Eucharistic Preachers from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

For full descriptions of each position, visit www.archgh.org/ employment

Catholic Schools Office:

Superintendent of Catholic Schools

Internal Audit:

Senior Internal Auditor

Staff Internal Auditor I

Finance Department: Staff Accountant

Legal Department: Legal Assistant

Archives and Records: Digitization Technician

Development Department: Development Coordinator

Office of Aging: Director

Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization: Associate Director

Special Youth Services: Pastoral Minister

St. Dominic Village: Support Specialist to Retired Priests

Circle Lake Retreat Center: Facility Coordinator

Interested candidates may send a cover letter, with salary requirement, and resume to resume@archgh.org with the job title on the subject line.

*Submissions that do not include the salary requirement will not be moved forward for consideration.

COLUMNISTS

What’s your attitude at Mass?

Common to all Catholics is the act of attending Mass. In today’s hectic world with a myriad of family and work responsibilities, this weekend routine too often becomes mundane, causing some to resent taking the time — only one hour a week — when God has given us all so many blessings during the previous six days.

Still, others go to church and allow their minds to wander, thinking of things they wish they were doing instead.

Many Catholics go to fulfill an obligation learned well in catechism class merely out of fear, not out of love for Jesus. We know that deliberately missing Sunday Mass is a mortal sin, and so dragging ourselves to church becomes a burden that only escalates bitterness toward a stern God. While our physical bodies are present, our minds and hearts are not.

To this concern, St. Francis de Sales advises us to bring our mind back and refocus on the gift of the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Christ, even “though it went away every time you brought it back, your hour [at Mass] would be very well employed.”

Remember: Mass is a meeting place between the divine and human. Every time there is an earthly Liturgy or Mass,

we share in a foretaste of the heavenly Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 8). In the Old Testament (Ex 33:7), Moses pitched a tent some distance away outside the camp for anyone who wanted to consult the Lord. This “tent of meeting” foreshadowed our current Liturgy. How great it is to know that Jesus Christ is always available and wants to be with us every single time we go to Mass!

Being conscious of this fact — especially during the Eucharistic Revival — should revive our attitude that going to Mass is going to meet God through the person of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Surely, the way we anticipate, dress and participate in the Mass will improve.

“Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.” Sound familiar? Recently, the phrase “Christ will come again” has been a special prompt for me, at least before Mass is over, to help me refocus my wandering thoughts back to

the Mass where I should be in conversation with Jesus in the Eucharist rather than with others in my thoughts.

Every time I enter the Warren Chapel at St. Dominic Chancery, the engraving of the Memorial Acclamation on the sanctuary walls, from left to right: “Christ has died” with the image of Christ crucified; “Christ is risen” with the image of the risen Christ on center wall of the sanctuary; and “Christ will come again” next to the tabernacle, is a great reminder for me that Christ is coming to meet me personally at every Mass that I attend, particularly and intimately through Holy Communion.

Certainly, Christ will come again on the last day, the Second Coming of Christ, as New Testament writers refer to the “Parousia.”

But in Greek, Parousia is also transliterated as “coming” or “presence.” Indeed, the risen Christ has come through the Mystery of Incarnation to be present with us yet hidden under the sign of bread and wine.

Written to priests in the sacristy of every convent in Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s congregation is “Priest of

Jesus Christ, celebrate this Holy Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass.”

Let us embrace the truth that Christ is coming to meet us each individually at Mass like a lover anticipates a date with the beloved so that our next Mass attendance will not be tedious and ordinary; rather, let us rejoice with hearts full of fervent love and enthusiasm to go meet Jesus in the Eucharist, who is the true source of everything that we need. †

Sister Maria Goretti Thuy Nguyen, OP, is an associate director with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.

Altar Serving: The Vocations ‘Farm System’

Altar serving has a critical role to play in vocations to the priesthood. For decades, studies have shown that around 70% of priests were once altar servers. It’s the one pre-seminary activity that they have most in common.

The “Farm System” in baseball refers to a series of levels that players progress through. As they improve, they rise to higher and higher levels (A, A Advanced, AA, etc.), and eventually, some “graduate” to play on the major league team itself. This system changed Major League Baseball, and it helped teams like the Astros win year after year. A “strong” farm system, full of recruited talent and top draft picks, makes for a “strong” team since the most talented and driven players rise to the top.

This is a great analogy for what altar serving can be for the priesthood. In the past, altar servers rose through the ranks, gradually taking on more responsibility and tasks in the Mass. Servers were integral to the Liturgy, working alongside the priest and, in some cases, saying prayers (dialogues) with the priest that even the congregation didn’t do. Moreover, servers dressed like the priest, wearing the familiar clerical cassock and surplice. It would not have been difficult

for a boy in this system to see the priesthood as the “major league” level of altar serving.

desires and love for the Mass.

And while the farm system in baseball helps the most talented and driven individuals rise to the top, altar serving may have helped those men who were the most engaged in the Liturgy to rise to the top. Boys who loved the Mass loved altar serving, and they learned the Mass in a way that made them great servers.

As a former altar server, I became familiar with the Mass at an early age. I remember having to learn all the names of liturgical items, like “cruet,” “thurible” and “aspergillum.” While I didn’t develop a love for the Mass until college, serving as a young boy made returning to altar serving as a young man easy. After a conversion of heart in college, I began serving again. This time, I could easily see how serving put me closer to the altar. I could see how altar serving put me closer to the priesthood. And I began to see how priesthood could be a fulfillment of my

As your vocations director, I think about the potential altar serving has in helping young men draw closer to the Liturgy. As they continue to get more involved, we pray that many of them will hear that call from the Lord to love the Mass so much that they, with a small sacrifice, will enter into Christ’s priestly sacrifice in a complete and total way.

In some way, altar serving still seems to be doing that today since most newly

ordained priests were once altar servers. However, given the lower number of ordained priests in recent decades, I also pray that the connection between altar serving and vocations to the priesthood — the “farm system of altar serving” — isn’t lost amidst all the other parish concerns. †

“Let us rejoice with hearts full of fervent love and enthusiasm to go meet Jesus in the Eucharist.”

As entire Ulma family is beatified in Poland, pope hails them as ‘ray of light in the darkness’

MARKOWA, Poland (OSV News) — In one of the most significant moments in Polish post-war history, the Ulma family was beatified in Markowa on Sept. 10.

“I think it will only get me at night when I come back home because now I still can’t believe it,” Jerzy Ulma, nephew of Blessed Józef Ulma, told OSV News

His uncle Józef, along with his wife Wiktoria and seven children: Stanislawa, Barbara, Wladyslaw, Franciszek, Antoni, Maria and a child without a name born during the martyrdom of their mother were declared blessed by papal envoy Marcello Cardinal Semeraro in Markowa, where the Ulma family lived and died March 24, 1944. They were killed by German occupants of Poland for giving shelter to eight Jews in their house.

“It would be a mistake if the day of the Ulma beatification would be used only to remember the terror and atrocities committed by the perpetrators,” Cardinal Semeraro said in a homily. “We would like this day to be a day of joy.”

In 1942, Wiktoria and Józef accepted a Jewish family into their home. “Today, along with the new blessed, we would like to remember their names,” Cardinal Semeraro said. They were Saul Goldman with sons Baruch, Mechel, Joachim, Moses as well as Golda Grünfeld and Lea Didner with little daughter Reshla,” he listed.

“The gesture of Józef and Wiktoria was a sign of obedience to God’s commandment,” the cardinal said. “It was a ‘yes’ to God’s will,” he said, emphasizing that a man “despised, rejected and mortally wounded” was welcomed to their home.

During the Angelus prayer on Sept. 10, Pope Francis praised the new blesseds, “an entire family exterminated by the Nazis on March 24, 1944, for having given shelter to some persecuted Jews.”

“They opposed the hatred and violence that characterized that time with evangelical love,” the pontiff said. “May

this Polish family, which represents a ray of light in the darkness of the Second World War, be for all of us a model to imitate in the zeal for goodness and service to those in need,” he said before asking the faithful to applaud for the newly blessed.

In Markowa, the families of Wiktoria and Józef accompanied Father Roman Chowaniec, parish priest at Markowa’s St. Dorothy Church when he carried relics of the Ulma family. The project of reliquary includes a tree from which “the family grew,” as beatification organizers explained, and now will be part of the parish church where they proclaimed their faith and their house where they sheltered their Jewish neighbors.

The beatification altar included

multimedia elements. Pictures taken by Józef Ulma were displayed throughout the beatification Mass to illustrate who was being beatified — “saints from the neighborhood.” Before and after the Liturgy, the images could be seen as a slideshow.

“This beatification is an emphasis on the importance of married and family life in unity and fidelity in everyday life,” Archbishop Wojciech Polak of Gniezno, primate of Poland, told OSV News The Ulmas “took up their vocation very concretely, being faithful to the end to what is the basic reality of man, which is love of life, fidelity to life and also love towards other people. This is something amazing that we can pass on from this beatification to the whole world,” he said.

For U.S. priest Father Michal Niemczak, being in Markowa for the beatification of his family members was something he was “very grateful for.”

The priest of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who is now forming seminarians at Mount Angel Seminary in St. Benedict, Oregon, came to Poland carrying his tablet with 1,156 intentions

The

Serving

IN BRIEF

‘They

lived together like family’: The Ulmas and the Jews they hid

MARKOWA, Poland (OSV News) Eight hundred unique photographs of the Ulmas are precious memorabilia in family and state archives.

They tell a story of the joys and hardships of their everyday life. But they also tell the story of those they tried to save. “Their house was very modest, it was a wooden cottage,” Sister Maria Szulikowska, told Polish Television, or TVP.

The house seen in several pictures is neither big nor very solid, made from modest wooden materials.

“One can’t understand the Ulma house without faith and without love,” Sister Maria said. “The amazing thing about Józef and sheltering Jews was that he wanted to bring those people dignity,” Bugala said.

People of Markowa say that the couple would prepare dishes that the Jews were allowed to eat by their religion. Some family members recalled that “they lived with the Ulmas like the family,” saying that both families — Catholic and Jewish — would pray together. †

shared with him through a Google doc by his parishioners in New Mexico, family and friends, but also people from around the U.S. and Poland.

“So far, I got 423 of them,” he told OSV News at 7 a.m., three hours before the beatification, about how many intentions he had already gotten through. “I wish that our family in heaven grows because now we have an example.”

“Many families are going through difficulties in their lives, but there is so much hope I see in these intentions that the Ulma family will intercede,” he said.

Along with Cardinal Semeraro, Gerhard Cardinal Müller and Robert Cardinal Sarah arrived from the Vatican, accompanied by Stanislaw Cardinal Dziwisz, longtime personal secretary of St. John Paul II, Kazimierz Cardinal Nycz of Warsaw and Cardinal-designate Grzegorz Rys of Lódz. Over 70 bishops and 1,000 priests concelebrated Mass. †

PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF

SEXUAL ABUSE

In a continuing effort to provide pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo would like to remind the faithful of the Archdiocese of the availability of the Victims Assistance Coordinator. Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel is encouraged to call Diane Vines at 713-654-5799. Please keep in daily prayers the healing of victims of abuse and all who suffer in any way.

NATION

‘Safe Haven for Newborns’ founder honored for Catholic faith, legacy saving infants

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (OSV News)

— A beautiful, 22-year-old woman approached the podium on stage at the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables Aug. 24 as she was being introduced as “Carol Gloria — the very first A Safe Haven for Newborns baby.”

Her appearance was the culminating surprise of an evening dedicated to honoring Nicholas “Nick” Silverio, founder of A Safe Haven for Newborns.

Standing arm-in-arm with Silverio before hundreds of civic leaders, firefighters, hospital administrators, media moguls, volunteers and major benefactors — Carol’s appearance was a living tribute to Silverio’s mission, and the gathered community erupted in a prolonged standing ovation.

Silverio had founded the Gloria M. Silverio Foundation and the nonprofit’s program, A Safe Haven for Newborns, in memory of his wife of 32 years, who was killed in a car accident on Dec. 7, 1999. Silverio was a successful businessman, the owner of a data processing and internet firm. According to Silverio, he and his wife were soulmates who longed for children but had experienced two devastating miscarriages.

Losing Gloria, however, plunged him into darkness. As Silverio tells it, one sleepless night while flipping through a magazine, he saw a story about infant abandonment and realized God was calling him to this new purpose.

In 2000, Florida enacted its first Safe Haven law. Silverio contacted René Garcia, a state lawmaker in the state Legislature at the time who is now a District 13 Miami-Dade County commissioner. Garcia, who is committed to “helping those most in need,” also worked to improve the law, which allows parents to surrender their unharmed newborn not more than a week old into the custody of personnel at any safe haven facility recognized by the state laws without fear of prosecution. Garcia also assisted Silverio in his campaign to get “A Safe Haven for Newborns” signage on every 24/7 staffed fire station and medical facility in Florida’s 67 counties.

To date, Safe Haven for Newborns says through its assistance, 381 babies have been saved from the tragedy of infant abandonment, and more than 6,000 women have been helped through a staffed 24/7 multi-language hotline, and in person with medical services, counseling, referral services and resources to assist the mother and baby in need.

Garcia was instrumental in organizing this event to honor Silverio and stood in the vestibule of the theater greeting guests as they arrived for the world premiere of the documentary “Uncle Nick” produced by Accord Productions, whose founders and producers had also been with Silverio from the beginning of his mission.

“It is amazing that we are here for the documentary of our work that started in 2001 and the 381 little souls we have saved,” Garcia told OSV News. “It is a testament to the work from our hearts.

Silverio considers it a huge blessing that he attended Catholic elementary and high school, where they continued to teach the values his parents and family already modeled — to be kind and caring with humility and compassion and help people.

“It was a good part of my life, an excellent education,” he said. “Our teachers believed in us, encouraged and complimented us. They loved God for sure, and they passed that on to us. We were taught to strive for excellence for the right reasons, that the measure of a person’s character is by what they do when no one is looking.”

Silverio’s education and formation prepared him for the purpose God planned for his life. But it was Silverio’s wife — the gift of her life and the subsequent loss — that provided the motivation.

“Gloria was an awesome human being — always kind and caring, never a bad word about anyone, and with a particular love for children and the elderly,” Silverio explained. “And every night, we got down on our knees beside the bed together to pray.”

Silverio said that after Gloria’s accident, he asked for a priest to come and was waiting for his father to arrive. The doctor told him there was nothing more they could do to save her life. “We prayed, and I heard her say, ‘I’m OK, honey, I’m OK,’” he said.

Carol Gloria was born Sept. 14, 2001, brought to a Carol City fire station and placed by her mother into the arms of firefighters Janice Matos and Felicia McNair.

“I was so nervous for the mom; scared for her,” Matos told OSV News. “We just kept saying she was making the right decision.”

McNair added, “We named the baby Carol Gloria because we were in Carol City and Gloria (meaning) ‘to God be the glory.’”

Carol Gloria was then adopted by her parents — her mother is a University of South Florida sociology professor, and her father is a cytogeneticist — who gave her the name “Leah.” Today,

she is a college senior completing two bachelor’s degrees in public health and health science and a master’s in public health through the University of Miami’s 4+1 program and hopes to enter medical school following graduation.

“It was particularly important to me

to meet Felicia and Janice,” she told OSV News, “and especially to learn that the woman who gave birth to me brought me to the fire station and placed me in the loving arms of Janice and Felicia because she loved me and cared about my wellbeing and future.”

As Silverio reflects on his life’s work, a quote from Mark Twain comes to mind.

“’The two most important days of your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out why,’” he said. “I found out why.” †

When we put God first, this is what we can accomplish.”

Nuncio dice que la polarización se produce cuando se defienden ideas y no personas

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) — La polarización que el Papa Francisco ve en la Iglesia Católica de Estados Unidos no es sólo un problema estadounidense, dijo a Vatican News el cardenal designado Christophe Pierre, nuncio del Vaticano en Estados Unidos.

“La polarización existe hoy en todo el mundo, y la vemos especialmente en la política”, dijo el prelado, de 77 años y nacido en Francia, en la entrevista publicada el 7 de septiembre.

Las divisiones y el endurecimiento de las posturas se producen “cuando uno se cierra o se olvida de las personas, de las situaciones concretas, y va hacia las ideas”, dijo, añadiendo que en Estados Unidos se habla a menudo de una “guerra cultural”.

El cardenal designado respondía así a una pregunta sobre las declaraciones del Papa Francisco a los jesuitas en Lisboa, Portugal, en agosto, de que en la Iglesia Católica en Estados Unidos “hay una actitud reaccionaria muy fuerte” que está bien organizada y se niega a ver cómo la doctrina Católica puede y debe crecer y madurar.

Como ejemplo de cómo se produce la polarización, el cardenal designado señaló la cuestión de la migración, que es “un gran problema en nuestra sociedad y no sólo en Estados Unidos. Es un problema concreto del que no hay otra

salida que resolverlo. Pero la sociedad se muestra — sobre todo en Estados Unidos — incapaz de resolverlo y (en su lugar) se polariza en torno a soluciones que nunca se ponen en práctica”.

La Iglesia Católica de Estados Unidos, en cambio, “ha hecho un trabajo extraordinario en los últimos 50 años en la defensa de los valores reales: el valor de la vida y la lucha contra el aborto, la defensa de los más pobres”, dijo. “La Iglesia americana es extraordinaria en la defensa de los más pobres”.

Pero el Papa Francisco ve un riesgo

FOTO DE CNS

El Papa Francisco saluda al arzobispo Christophe Pierre, nuncio en Estados Unidos, durante una reunión privada el 12 de septiembre de 2022, en la biblioteca papal del Palacio Apostólico en el Vaticano. El Papa elevará al cardenal designado Pierre al Colegio Cardenalicio durante un consistorio especial en el Vaticano el 30 de septiembre.

en que la gente se centre sólo en el “valor” a defender y no en las personas implicadas, dijo. “Hay que defender siempre la vida de las personas concretas. Y esto lo hace la Iglesia”.

Cuando las personas son el centro de atención, la Iglesia busca socios en la sociedad con los que pueda cooperar para promover iniciativas prácticas inspiradas en esos valores, dijo, señalando el “magnífico movimiento” entre los Católicos estadounidenses para apoyar y acompañar a las madres en dificultades.

“Esto es lo que nos pide el Papa”, dijo el cardenal designado Pierre. “Para que no

seamos sólo defensores de ideas, porque si sólo defiendo una idea, quien discrepa conmigo se convierte en mi enemigo”.

Preguntado sobre la oposición o los temores en relación con el próximo “sínodo sobre la sinodalidad”, el nuncio dijo que “algunas personas tienen miedo, mucha gente ha demonizado la idea de la sinodalidad, por falta de comprensión de lo que quiere el Santo Padre”.

“Creo que el Papa lo lanzó porque ve que la sociedad ha cambiado” y que todos los miembros de la Iglesia deben trabajar y rezar juntos para encontrar nuevas formas de compartir el Evangelio en una nueva situación, dijo.

La idea, dijo, es “caminar juntos, como Iglesia, a través del método del encuentro y del diálogo”, pero “mucha gente tiene un poco de miedo al diálogo porque para dialogar hay que abrirse y hay que ser un poco pobres y buscar soluciones juntos”.

“El reto hoy es superar este miedo y empezar a caminar de nuevo”, dijo el cardenal designado Pierre. “Debemos hacerlo con mucha modestia, escucharnos unos a otros, ver lo que ya hemos hecho para evangelizar el nuevo mundo, intercambiar ideas y luego sacar algunas conclusiones para la evangelización, no cambiar todas las estructuras o sacar conclusiones que quizá formen parte de la agenda de algunos grupos”. †

APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DEL CLERO

En un continuo esfuerzo por facilitar atención pastoral a las victimas de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, el Cardenal DiNardo gustaría recordar a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis la disponibilidad del Coordinador de Ayuda a Víctimas. Si alguien ha sido victim de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, se les anima llamar a la Diane Vines al 713-654-5799. Por favor rece por la sanación de las víctimas del abuso y por todos los que sufren de alguna manera.

WITHIN THE ARTS

Priest says ‘seeds’ of faith ‘were planted’ during filming of Flannery O’Connor movie

NEW HOPE, Kentucky (OSV News) — A new movie in which Father Matthew Hardesty, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Culvertown, Kentucky, served as an unofficial consultant presented him with a rare opportunity to share the Gospel message with a group of Hollywood moviemakers and to see his ministry with fresh eyes.

“Wildcat” — directed by actor Ethan Hawke and starring his daughter Maya Hawke — takes a look at the life of Catholic author Flannery O’Connor as she tried to publish her first book in the 1950s. The film was screened at a premiere event on Sept. 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival after it was shown on Sept. 1 at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.

It was filmed over a four-month period in various locations in Kentucky, including St. Vincent de Paul Church in New Hope and St. Catherine Church in New Haven, parishes where Father Hardesty serves as pastor. Some scenes were also filmed at St. Boniface Church in Louisville.

“I take it as a sign God wanted to refresh me by helping me see more concretely the fruits of priestly ministry,”

Father Hardesty said during a recent interview with The Record, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

Father Hardesty and St. Vincent de Paul’s choir were filmed in scenes for the movie. His main contribution, however, was guiding the actors and crew members in understanding aspects of the Catholic faith that would give authenticity to the film, he said.

He was sent a draft of the film’s script and, after reading it, wrote 20 pages of notes in response to references to O’Connor’s life and the Catholic faith. The movie was set in the ‘50s, so Father Hardesty wrote in detail how to depict the Latin Mass as authentically as possible, he said. He wasn’t specifically asked to critique the script, but Ethan Hawke was very receptive to his input, he said.

Over the next few weeks, he collaborated with the crew members and actors, including Maya Hawke, who portrays O’Connor — and whom, the

MOVIE RATINGS By OSV News

A-I – SUITABLE FOR ALL

• The Little Mermaid (PG)

A-II – SUITABLE FOR OLDER CHILDREN

• Blue Beetle (PG-13)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (PG)

• The Hill (PG)

A-III – ADULTS AND ADOLESCENTS

• A Haunting in Venice (PG-13)

• Meg 2: The Trench (PG-13)

• My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (PG-13)

OSV NEWS

priest noted, asked for his guidance in learning how to genuflect, how to use the beads on the rosary and how to position her hands while praying.

“I was so moved as a priest by how much they were on board to get it right,” he said.

Last October, producers Eric Groth and Cory Pyke knocked on his office door at St. Catherine, he said. They were interested in seeing the church as they searched for locations to film.

Father Hardesty said he was stunned when Groth told him the movie’s director was Ethan Hawke and that Hawke was waiting outside and was wondering if he could see the inside of the church.

Father Hardesty said he was

L – LIMITED MATURE AUDIENCE

• Talk to Me (R)

• The Last Voyage of the Demeter (R)

• The Nun II (R)

O – MORALLY OFFENSIVE

• Strays (R)

• The Equalizer 3 (R)

“starstruck” as he met Ethan Hawke standing in front of St. Catherine on Main Street. He’s long been a fan of the actor who’s starred in various movies, including “Dead Poets Society” and “Gattaca,” one of Father Hardesty’s favorite films. The cast and crew’s desire to make sure the Catholic faith was represented authentically — down to the small details — conveyed an openness to the faith, Father Hardesty noted.

They were “walking around with eyes wide open and taking in the beauty (of the church’s interior),” he said. “It led me to believe they were seeking for answers and for beauty. I could tell they were nourished by it.”

Father Hardesty’s parishes collaborated with the movie producers to give each member of the cast and crew a copy of O’Connor’s book “A Prayer Journal,” he said.

T

He’d had short conversations with members of the cast and crew during the weeks the movie was filmed, but the most “profound experience” of evangelization happened during two parties to celebrate the end of filming, Father Hardesty said.

“They opened up about their wounds, hopes, questions, joys they’d carried with them for years,” he said. They told him about family members they’d lost and how they regretted falling away from the Church. Others were interested in what the Church believes and teaches, he said.

Father Hardesty said he felt like “seeds were planted” during filming.

Working on the movie gave the cast and crew the opportunity to learn about the “life of a faithful and devout Catholic. … Her life and work was down to earth and realistic, not fluffy or romantic,” and this allowed seeds to be planted, he said. †

For more reviews, visit osvnews.com/category/reviews

Oficina de Vida Familiar Arquidiócesis Galveston-Houston

Director del Programa Dr. Ricardo Medina

7, 14, y 28

R A N S F R M A D O S A m o r A m o r E N E L Para más información contacta a Lucero Sotelo al 281-446-8211/sotelo@st-mm.com

ADVERTISING

AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE

► FOR SUBMISSION DETAILS AND MORE LISTINGS, VISIT WWW.ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

SEPT. 26

MOVIE SCREENING, 6:30 p.m., St. Theresa (6622 Haskell St., Houston). “The Letter Movie - A Message For Our Earth” screening joins a global movement for the Season of Creation, an annual month-long season when Christian communities pray and act to protect creation. archgh.org/SocialConcernEvents.

SEPT. 27

WORKSHOP, 1 to 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday until Nov. 15, Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). Eight-week book study on “The Gift of Years” by Joan Chittister. Cost: $10 per week. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

SEPT. 28

GOLF TOURNAMENT , 7 a.m., Tour 18 Golf Club (3102 FM 1960E, Humble). Tournament benefits Journey to Damascus retreats. Team of Four Scramble. Cost: $150 per person. 713-8345669; shawn@houstonpermitservice.com; houstonjtd.com.

SEPT. 30

WORKSHOP, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston).

“Spiritual Biography” explores recording spiritual events and how to preserve and pass them on to children, grandchildren and others. Cost: $40. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

RETREAT, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston).

Catholic Literary Arts hosts a “A Catholic Writer’s Retreat: Writing as a Vocation” with priest/ author Father John Bullock, L.C., and author Sarah Cortez exploring the artist’s role from the writings of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. catholicliteraryarts.org; 713-331-9342.

CONFERENCE , 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., St. Dominic Auditorium (2403 Holcombe Blvd., Houston). Archdiocesan Hispanic Ministry Conference, themed “The Eucharist, source of Synodality,” is inspired by the National

Eucharistic Revival and the Synod on a Synodal Church. Keynote speakers include Father Edgardo Jara, OFM, and Alejandro Aguilera-Titus. Register: archgh.swoogo.com/ HispanicMinistryConference2023.

OCT. 1

FESTIVAL, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Queen of Peace (626 Laurel, LaMarque). Features games, music, food, raffle, live and silent auctions. 409-938-7000 or 409-938-4594; queenofpeacelamarque.org.

FESTIVAL , 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., St. Matthew the Evangelist (9915 Hollister Rd., Houston). Features food, games, rides, a flea market, Bingo, raffles and entertainers. cindyhilborn@hilborngrp.com.

stmatthewhou.org/fall-festival.

OCT. 3

MASS FOR THE CARE OF CREATION, 6:30 p.m., St. Theresa (6622 Haskell St., Houston). Mass celebrated as part of the global movement for the Season of Creation, an annual monthlong season when Christian communities pray and act to protect creation. archgh.org/ SocialConcernEvents.

OCT. 5

BOOK DISCUSSION, 7 to 9 p.m., Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). Tea and book club reading on “Borders of the Heart” by Connie Longsworth, an ESC spiritual director. Cost: $40. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

OCT. 6-8

MARRIAGE WEEKEND, 7 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Sunday, Holy Name Passionate Retreat Center (430 Bunker Hill Rd., Houston). Marriage Encounter Weekend offers time away from the

distractions of daily life for a married couple to reconnect and revitalize their marriage by focusing on each other and learning new ways to communicate more effectively in a private, positive atmosphere. $200 application fee. houstonme.org; artgingerotto@comcast.net.

OCT. 7

CRAFT MARKET, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish Hall (6723 Whitefriars Dr., Houston). Third “Christmas in October” sale includes crafts, food and more.

MEMORIAL SERVICE, 11 a.m., Ursuline Chapel at Holy Family Catholic School (2601 Ave. N, Galveston). Ursuline Alumni Association host annual memorial service for alumnae, teachers and classmates who died in the past year. 409762-0834; martorellces@yahoo.com.

OCT. 7-8

FESTIVAL, St. Faustina (28102 FM 1093, Fulshear). Saturday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., includes fajita dinner (tickets required), live music, dancing. Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., includes barbecue, live music, games, inflatables, rockwall, train, petting zoo, live and silent auction and raffle. saintfaustinachurch.org.

FESTIVAL, St. Ignatius of Loyola (7810 Cypresswood Dr., Spring). Saturday, noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Event features food, games, Bingo, shopping, live and silent auction and raffle. silcc.org/fall-festival.

FESTIVAL, St. Edith Stein (3311 North Fry Rd., Katy). Saturday, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Founder’s Day event includes live music, games, inflatables, folk dancing, silent auction, sweet shop, a raffle and more. stedithstein.org/festival.

BAZAAR, St. Albert of Trapani (11027 S. Gessner Rd., Houston). Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Features soccer tournament Saturday (finals on Sunday), international food, Bingo, kids’ games, inflatables, live entertainment, DJ and raffle. fstovall13718@outlook.com; stalbertoftrapani. org/bazaar.

OCT. 8

BAZAAR, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., St. Stanislaus Kostka (1511 Hwy. 90 South, Anderson). 10 a.m. Mass

SAVE THE DATE:

Red Mass & dINNeR

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Red Mass

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart – 6:15 p.m.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

Main Celebrant & Homilist

Optional Red Mass Dinner Following Mass Cathedral Centre – 7:30 p.m.

To purchase dinner tickets, visit

archgh.org/redmass

followed by barbecue dinner at 11 a.m., games, booths, kids’ area, homemade country store, live auction, free 150-year history books, 1917 church open for viewing, live Polish music and dancing. 936-873-2291; saintstans.org.

FESTIVAL, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Notre Dame (7720 Boone Rd., Houston). Oktoberfest features food, drinks, music and kids’ games. ndgh.org.

TURKEY DINNER & BAZAAR, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sacred Heart (507 South Fourth St., Richmond). Event features a turkey dinner served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dine-in/take out/drive thru, game and food booths, live music, homemade crafts and desserts, a children’s midway, live and silent auctions and a raffle. sacredhrt.com.

MASS AND LUNCH, 10:30 a.m., The Italian Cultural and Community Center (1101 Milford St., Houston). Father Leon Strieder celebrates a bilingual (Italian/English) Mass. Lunch with pasta, meatballs, salad, dessert and iced tea or coffee follows. Cost: $10 per person. 713-7742628; jcoles8433@sbcglobal.net. Register: iccchouston.com.

BAZAAR, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sacred Heart of Jesus (6502 CR 48, Manvel). Features kids’ games, pulled pork sandwiches, food and craft booths, silent auction, raffle prizes, live music, dancing and more. egraham@sacredheartmanvel.org.

OCT. 9

BUS TRIP, 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., St. Bernadette (15500 El Camino Real, Houston). Bay Area Deanery Council of Catholic Women host a bus trip to Our Lady of Walsingham and Bering’s Hardware. Adults 50 years or older

are welcome. Cost: $15 per person. RSVP by Oct. 4. Food not included. 832-605-8360; gretchenmitchell@gmail.com.

OCT. 11

WORKSHOP, 9:30 to noon, Emmaus Spirituality Center (12211 Memorial Dr., Houston). “Deeper Wisdom of the Enneagram” explores selfawareness and self-knowledge. Cost: $40. emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

OCT. 13

SUPER BINGO, 7 to 11 p.m., St. Monica - Church Hall Bldg. #5 (8421 West Montgomery Rd., Houston). Event features food and 10 Bingo games. Bring your daubers. Admission: $20 Presale/$25 at the door. 281-447-5837.

OCT. 14

BENEFIT DINNER, 6 p.m., The Revaire (7122 Old Katy Rd., Houston). “Wine & Dine Dinner” benefits Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and includes a fourcourse dinner, welcome reception, wine pull, mystery wine game and live auction. nrivera@ catholiccharities.org; 713-874-6629.

BAZAAR , 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Holy Rosary (1416 George St., Rosenberg). Event includes food booths, pastries, silent auction, kids’ games, cake spin, plant booth and more. 832278-9403.

OCT. 14-15

BAZAAR, St. Laurence (3100 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land). Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Event includes ethnic and carnival food, live music, Bingo, kids’ games, inflatables, a rockwall, a raffle and more.

stlaurence.org/parish-bazaar.

OCT. 15

BAZAAR, noon to 8 p.m., St. Monica (8421 West Montgomery Rd., Houston). Event features foods, sweets, DJ, music, games and raffle. Vendor booths available. Free admission and parking. 713-419-7239; 281-447-5837.

BAZAAR, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Resurrection (915 Zoe St., Houston). Live music, kids’ games, Folklorico dancers, dance, games, pumpkin patch, food, drinks and raffle. Free admission.

BAZAAR, 10:30 a.m., Guardian Angel (5610

Having an Event?

Demel St., Wallis). Thanksgiving Masses at 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Barbecue plates with homemade dressing and trimmings. Event includes rides, games, booths, drawing and 1 p.m. auction. 979-478-6532; gacwallis@gmail. com; guardianangelwallis.org.

MILESTONES

PHOTO

Mission of Love Gala honored steadfast supporters Mark and Cathy Hotze, left. At center is Gladys Brumfield-James, executive director of Catholic Charities’ Mamie George Community Center; Event chair Heather Reichert is second from right; and co-chair Ammie Blahuta is far right.

10th annual Mission of Love Gala honors Cathy and Mark Hotze

RICHMOND — The 10th annual Mission of Love Gala, benefiting Catholic Charities’ Mamie George Community Center, honored Cathy and Mark Hotze, a couple with a long history of compassionate, inspired leadership in Fort Bend County and around the Archdiocese.

Themed “Faith, Hope, and Love Boat,” the event was held at Safari Texas Ranch in Richmond on Sept. 7.

The Hotzes were recognized for their service through the Order of Malta, St. Laurence Catholic Church, St. Thomas High School, the Equestrian Order of the Sepulchre and more.

Mamie George Community Center is the hub for Catholic Charities services in Fort Bend. Located in a ZIP code with the highest level of poverty, the center provides nutritious meals, gatherings and classes to keep seniors engaged and active. †

Do you have a photo you’d like to share? To submit a photo of a place, group or event that you would like to see in the Herald, email it to tch@archgh.org

► AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

God is in control as St. Hyacinth parish recovers from tornado, pastor says

Father Reginald Samuels, pastor of St. Hyacinth Catholic Church in Deer Park and vicar for Catholics of African Descent, gives an update on the progress of the repairs to the St. Hyacinth campus since it was destroyed by a tornado Jan. 24.