Texas Catholic Herald - Dec. 27, 2022

How do Uvalde’s and Ukraine’s children see the Nativity scene? With nearness, love

UVALDE (CNS) — The cover of the winter issue of Catholic Extension’s magazine is a colorful patchwork of Christmas drawings by children from Ukraine and Uvalde, Texas.

A poignant message printed by one of the children also has a place on the cover: “Dear Pope Francis, I need advice on how to make the world more safe for others.”

Extension’s cover story is about Christmas through the eyes of these children who “come from different cultures and parts of the world, but what they share in common is faith - faith in the midst of terror, violence and war,” the story said.

The “violence” refers to the mass shooting at a Uvalde public school

in May and the Russian war against Ukraine, which began in February.

“In the midst of the brutality that they have witnessed, these children of Uvalde and Ukraine give witness to their faith in a tender God, born in a manger, who is capable of bringing them heavenly peace,” it said.

The first group featured is from Sacred Heart Catholic School in Uvalde, which Catholic Extension has supported with scholarships and healing ministries.

Many of these children were directly impacted by the mass shooting that took the lives of 19 children and two teachers

at Robb Elementary School May 24 in the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.

In addition to facilitating a project in which the Texas children wrote letters to Pope Francis in the fall, Catholic Extension asked the children to draw a picture of the Nativity answering the question: “If Jesus came today, where would he be born?”

In one drawing, a Uvalde student imagines Jesus coming not to a faraway land but “being born next to me.” In another, the artist “envisions baby Jesus’ manger in our

Welcoming the Infant Jesus

The Gospel which will be proclaimed frequently this year, Year A of the Roman Lectionary, is that of St. Matthew. This Gospel is particularly sensitive to the presentation of Christ as the “Fulfiller” of numerous passages and oracles which speak of the Messiah. This is more obviously true in the case of the prophets, but St. Matthew also finds allusions in the historical and wisdom books of the Old Testament. It is not so much of a prediction but of an anticipation of the full meaning of the God-inspired biblical word.

appearance of the Magi in chapter two of the Gospel is a wonderful narrative

See SHEPHERD, page 2

MINISTRIES

What’s your favorite Christmas memory?

HOUSTON — As the holidays wind down with the coming of the new year, take some time to look back and recall cherished Christmas memories.

If you haven’t had your fill of Christmas movies — maybe there really is a limit to how many times we can watch “A Christmas Story” or “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” — consider sharing some of your favorite Christmas memories with loved ones at your next meal or over a favorite warm drink.

Sometimes these old family stories, memories that make up the bricks of the past, are funnier, livelier and even more entertaining when others help you remember exactly just how that night really happened. So, what are some of your favorite Christmas memories?

We asked this question to several See MEMORIES, page 5

A Shepherd’s Message

of a journey of faith. Creation and nature join together as a backdrop to the three king’s journey: A star rises in the east, and these perceptive “stargazers” recognize a peculiar constellation of cosmic realities. They do not watch and study alone but together move to action.

This action takes them to Jerusalem and the seat of Jewish faith, kingship and prophecy, to biblical scholars of the Law of Israel.

Something important has taken place. The Magi move from natural curiosity to initial human faith to the biblical word… and then to their final journey. They arrive at the place of the Child and his Mother, worship and offer their gifts. They have now come by grace to faith in the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us. They are Christian believers!

The narrative of the journey of the Magi is as beautiful as it is instructive, for it is filled with joy and foreboding! They return home another way and avoid King Herod a second time, the murderous monarch!

The Gospels speak even today. They show us a faith that grows from natural human wonder to the joy of discovering Christian faith, the face of Jesus Christ.

The Gospels also speak to us of “visitors” who come into our presence. They speak of immigrants, refugees and wayfarers. They remind us how serious our responsibility is to use our minds, illumined by the star of

faith, to meet such persons, such situations, and such realities that are now confronting us in our society and asking us for our beautiful and true responsibility to help.

The Child Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is calling us to meet Him in many strangers and migrants. Let us answer with the intelligence of faith, study, contemplation and action! Merry Christmas! †

PRAYER INTENTION: FOR VOLUNTEER NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

In his intention for December, the Holy Father encourages them to continue their labor, working “not just for the people, but with the people,” being close to them, being “artisans of mercy” and always listening to other people’s needs. Aware of the need to “multiply hope” in communities, he asks us to pray “that volunteer non-profit and human development organizations may find people willing to commit themselves to the common good and ceaselessly seek out new paths of international cooperation.”

This appeal the Holy Father is making highlights the work of millions of volunteer organizations and associations throughout the world, the majority of which are often without visibility or without recognition as legal entities. †

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Issue date: January 10, 2023

Deadline: Noon on December 27

Issue date: January 27, 2023

Deadline: Noon on January 10, 2023

St. Mary’s Seminary

9845 Memorial Dr. Houston, TX 77024

Nearly 50 men are currently in formation to become the next generations of priests at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. These men spend anywhere from 5 to 7 years preparing for their Ordination to the Priesthood.

To read more about our seminarians and how you can support them, scan the QR code, at left, with your phone’s camera or visit www.archgh.org/smseminary.

THE FIRST WORD

Born of the Spirit: Sisters of the Holy Family of New Orleans

A charism is a creative gift given by God to bring a human situation closer to His loving plan for humanity. Thus He inspired Henriette Delille to witness to God’s love in the service and promotion of the dignity of African Americans. She founded the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1836 in New Orleans.

The sisters are the second-oldest surviving congregation of African-American sisters. The congregation was a pioneer among pioneers. As innovators promoting education and equality for African Americans, Sister Delille and her sisters suffered the same persecution and prejudice as the people they served.

Yet they clung to the vision for greater dignity and equality of the poor and needy African Americans, especially the children and elderly. The sisters instructed free and enslaved children and adults. They took into their own home some of the older women who needed nursing care. In this way, they founded the first Catholic home for the elderly.

The sisters cared for the sick and dying during the yellow fever epidemics that struck New Orleans in 1853 and 1897.

These valiant sisters brought their commitment to serve and educate American African children to the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. They took over the administration of Holy Rosary School in Galveston in

1898, and St. Nicholas School in Houston in 1905. They continued to serve in diocesan schools for over 100 years, serving also at Our Mother of Mercy and St. Philip Neri schools.

The Sisters of the Holy Family were also the first African American congregation to serve as overseas missionaries. In 1898, they opened schools in Belize, then British Honduras. They served there until 2008, bringing many improvements to the whole school system.

The gift of love that Sister Delille received from God she fanned into a great flame of service for the poor. The Church formally recognized her depth of love and fidelity to human service.

In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI declared Mother Delille to be Venerable. A miracle attributed to her intercession was approved by a medical board in 2013. Today her congregation and the Church actively promote her cause for sainthood.

Last September, Peter Cardinal Turkson met with the Holy Family Sisters in New Orleans to discuss the sainthood cause for Mother Delille.

The light of the love of Venerable Delille continues to attract young African American women to serve their brothers and sisters for the love of God. This year two sisters made their Perpetual Profession, and others continue to follow them in the initial stages of formation for religious life. †

Ushers and altar servers collect gifts from parishioners during the homily at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Houston on Gaudete Sunday.

West Houston parish hosts annual Christmas giving

HOUSTON — Parishioners at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Houston hosted their annual Christmas gift giving weekend on Gaudete Sunday, Dec. 10 to 11. The event collected at least 7,000 gifts for children, as parishioners were invited to bring up to the altar new, wrapped, gifts for teens and children.

Gifts like new bikes and large stuffed animals are also shared with young children. Volunteers then sort and distribute the gifts to charitable groups and parishes with families in need. †

BRIEFS

Archdiocesan Mass celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

HOUSTON — The Archdiocese will honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and remember his call to achieve peace through service to one another at its annual Mass at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., in Houston.

Catholics from all 10 counties of the Archdiocese will celebrate King’s legacy at the 36th annual Archdiocesan Mass honoring his birthday, which will be celebrated by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo as principal celebrant and Bishop Curtis J. Guillory, S.V.D., D.D., Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Beaumont, as homilist. †

Overnight Holy Hour for Life to be held at St. Mary’s Seminary on Jan. 19

HOUSTON — All are welcome for an overnight Eucharistic Adoration vigil at St. Mary’s Seminary on Jan. 19 to 20, 2023, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., to unite with the U.S. bishops and Catholics across the nation on the vigil of the National March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, will open and close this time of prayer.

Pre-registration is required to ensure all-night Adoration coverage and parking at the seminary. Register at https://archgh.cventevents.com/HolyHourforLife no later than Jan. 16, 2023. For more information, call the Office of Pro-Life Activities at 713-440-3443. †

Café Catholica Lite set for Jan. 19, 2023

HOUSTON — The Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry will host the next Café Catholica Lite at Christ the Redeemer, located at 11507 Huffmeister Rd. in Houston, on Jan. 19, 2023 from 7 to 8:45 p.m.

The speaker is Sister Bernadette Mota, FMA, vocations director for the Salesian Sisters, and her talk will be “New Year Resolutions: Be who you are and be that Well.” The night will include light snacks, the talk, a Q&A and communal prayer. The talk will be available to view online as well at www.archgh.org/cafecatholica.

The Café Catholica program seeks to help young adults ages 18 to 39 encounter Christ and His Church. All young adults are invited to Café Catholica Lite throughout the year. For more, contact the Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry at yacm@archgh.org or 713-741-8778. †

Registration for Steps for Students underway

HOUSTON — More than 12,000 participants are expected to gather downtown on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the 17th Annual Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk. The event raises funds and awareness for the network of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

The day starts with Mass at 6:30 a.m. followed by the presentation of the David Guite Spirit Award. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo will bless everyone present just before the 5K race begins at 8 a.m.; a post-race party will follow the event. To register, visit www.steps4students.org. †

DSF annual appeal to support Archdiocesan ministries continues

HOUSTON — This year, the theme of the annual Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) appeal is “All For the Glory of God.” The annual campaign to support 64 Archdiocesewide ministries is under way and the local Church is asking parishioners to continue their generous giving to DSF.

The fund supports a variety of ministries, such as those forming youth in Catholic faith; providing support and preparation for clergy; teaching, evangelizing, worshipping and outreach to the incarcerated, aging, poor and sick; and programming to strengthen Christian families, among many others.

A full list of the ministries supported can be found at www.archgh.org/dsf. The Archdiocese counts on DSF funds to help meet the needs of people in our region. To pledge online, visit www.archgh.org/dsf.

For more information about DSF and the ministries it supports, call 713-652-4417. †

LOCAL

hearts,” and still another shows baby Jesus cradled in his mother’s arms.

“In almost all the renderings, the doctor tells Mary, ‘Your baby is healthy,’” the story said, adding that many of the children “clearly spent too much time in hospital rooms” after the shooting.

The first order of business for the Uvalde children “would be to take the baby Jesus to see Pope Francis,” it said. “One child would ask the baby Jesus to come and bless Uvalde.”

The Extension story noted these children are “big fans of the pope and feel that Jesus and Pope Francis would get along just fine.”

In October, a Catholic Extension news release announced that the Vatican responded to letters the Uvalde children wrote to Pope Francis after the mass shooting.

Some of the students were wounded during the shooting; others lost loved ones. All were harmed by the violence and they shared their “sorrows and hopes,” asking the pope to pray for their friends, family and community.

As chancellor of Catholic Extension, Chicago’s Blase Cardinal Cupich personally delivered the letters to the pontiff.

“His Holiness will remember the students, their families and all of those suffering from the recent act of violence in Uvalde,”the Vatican said.“Commending each of them to the protection of Mary, Mother of the Church, His Holiness imparts his blessing.”

The second group of children featured in Extension’s winter issue were displaced by war in Ukraine and found shelter in the convent of the Basilian sisters in Lviv. Among those contributing drawings and letters were Vlada-Maria Hohlochova, 11, and Khrystyna Hohlochova, 8.

Vlada-Maria drew a Christmas angel guarding a manger and her sister drew a Nativity scene with Mary, the baby Jesus and Joseph.

They also wrote a letter thanking Catholic Extension and its donors for “your generous and open heart, that you allow God to act through your actions. Thank you for helping us in this difficult time for Ukraine and difficult time for us.”

“P.S. Ukraine will prevail!” they added.

Another child’s drawing shows the baby Jesus protected by his parents, angels and a sturdy roof over his head.

Catholic Extension has supported the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States since 1979.

“This relationship provided us an immediate and effective pathway to help the Catholic Church in Ukraine as it cares for vulnerable people in the wartorn nation,” the Extension said.

Since its founding, Catholic Extension’s mission has been to build up Catholic faith communities in underserved regions by raising funds to help these communities, like Uvalde.

It helps construct churches in U.S. mission dioceses, many of which are rural and cover a large geographic area. Many have limited personnel and pastoral resources.

To learn more about the Catholic Extension, visit www.catholicextension. org. †

Archdiocesan Choir members sing carols at prisons

Merry Christmas

Catholics around the Archdiocese, including priests, sisters and lay people, and their answers took us all over the globe with Christmas cheer.

A FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

Sister Maria Goretti Thuy Nguyen, OP, an associate director with Archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, fondly looked back at her youth, growing up in Vietnam.

Her parish, Giáo Xu Tân Mai in Biên Hòa City in Vietnam, would hold a big contest, inviting ministries and organizations to create Nativity scenes on the parish campus.

“It was a festival of lights and Nativity,” she said. “Each organization and ministry would come up with their own unique idea to decorate a Nativity scene with Christmas lights, with every one trying their best. Each one was so creative in their own decoration, and we would walk around and see each special Nativity scene.”

She remembered how the church would sparkle with Christmas lights, as more than 20 Nativity scenes had a different design with materials, such as bamboo, plants and grass – many having an Oriental influence.

“It’s such a special festival; I wish we had it in America so people could walk around their own parish and see so many Nativity scenes,” she said.

But one thing that hasn’t changed is how busy she becomes during the Christmas season with preparing for liturgies and music with her congregation at the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province, which has three convents in Houston.

Since first joining a children’s choir at age 12, Sister Nguyen said she studied music and is now leading her community with music at the convent.

“My whole life, Christmas time has always been busy,” she said, chuckling.

But this year, Sister Nguyen looked towards a different busyness: she was set to travel to the Holy Land and visit Jerusalem and Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, in anticipation of her 25th anniversary of religious life. There, she’d join her classmates for a“holy pilgrimage” for a different experience of Christmas.

“I have had a Vietnamese experience of Christmas, the U.S. experience, and now this will be my first time to experience Christmas in Bethlehem in the Holy Land,” she said.

Sister Nguyen also recalled how difficult it was to spend her first Christmas away from home during her novitiate. It would be more than two years before she could go back to her family and that home sparkling parish for Christmas.

“I still remember, after the Christmas program at the convent, I just burst out crying so loud in the restroom. In that first year of my novitiate, I cried so much at Christmas,” she said. But 27 years later, she said the convent has become her second home and second family.

“I have my sisters around and [they] feel like home, so I don’t miss my family as much, but I do call home on the holidays,” she said. “So now it’s not as bad as that first year away from home.”

NO POWER, JUST FUN

Father Eduardo Rivera, CSB, remembered how his family didn’t need electricity to make Christmas memorable. On a trip to his grandparents’ house

for Christmas, an ice storm knocked out power for several days.

“I remember using flashlights and candles when we were opening our Christmas presents,” he said. “Every Christmas, we would go to Mass, play lotería, eat tamales, open presents and watch movies. Although we did not have electricity, we still had a wonderful Christmas because we were together as a family.”

Those tamales, iconic of many Latino Christmas meals, and buñuelos are Father Rivera’s favorite meal, he said.

He remembered watching his grandmother and mother spread masa on corn husks, part of a whole day-long process to cook tamales.

“My family would have so many tamales at this time of the year that we would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” and by midJanuary, they’d have eaten every form of tamale possible: fried, baked, steamed, with eggs, with refried beans and on tostadas.

“I did not help make the tamales, but I definitely helped to eat them,” he said.

Now a new parochial vicar at St. Anne Catholic Church in Houston, Father Rivera said his first Christmas as a priest was challenging.

Ordained in 2020 during the pandemic, Father Rivera wasn’t sure how many people to expect at Christmas Mass, but he was surprised at how many people eagerly came, especially after time in quarantine and isolation.

“My first Christmas as a priest was a glimmer of hope during a tough year,” he said.

TRADITIONS FROM THE ISLANDS

For Sally Reyes, program assistant for Prince of Peace Catholic Church’s Mercy Ministry in northwest Houston, Christmas memories bring sounds of traditional Filipino songs and smells of Filipino cuisine.

Her family would be woken up by the band playing in her church’s plaza in

Quezon City, where she’d later hear the choir singing Christmas songs during the Simbang Gabi liturgies at Our Lady of Lourdes Church. These novena Masses anticipated the Christmas celebration, each held in the early morning hours.

After Mass, she’d join her family in that same plaza for snacks and sweet ginger tea, followed by a short five-minute walk back home in the cool morning breeze, giving her and her siblings the chance to enjoy the neighborhood’s “colorful blinking lights” and different shapes of parols, or handmade lanterns, hanging in every house, she said.

For Reyes, she looked forward to the Noche Buena dinner, usually held after Midnight Mass, when all her uncles, aunties, cousins and grandparents visited her house for a delicious feast of ham; pancit palabok, a rice noodle dish; lechon (roast pig); queso de bola, a Filipino yellow cheese staple; pan de sal; fresh lumpia, a kind of crepe with stir-fried vegetable fillings; chicken macaroni salad; and leche flan.

She’d help her mom prepare the leche flan, a kind of Filipino custard, with its painstaking process of preparing condensed milk and egg yolks, straining them and pouring them over molds lined with caramelized sugar, which are then steamed, a time-honored recipe that results in an incredibly silky-smooth flan.

After the meal, Christmas gifts would

be opened, and children would be sent to bed while the older folks would enjoy hot chocolate and reminisce about the past.

Then a few hours later, her mother would wake her up and dress her in their finest Christmas clothes and take them to visit their godparents’ houses to ask for “Mano, po” (Tagalog for ‘hand, please’) and kiss their hand or take the back of the godparent or elders’ hand and touch it to their foreheads, a significant sign of respect from children to elders in Filipino culture. In return, their godparents would share their aguinaldo, or Christmas gift.

A NIGHT OF REVELRY AND PRAYER

In Lagos, Nigeria, where Father Ekenedilichkwu “Jude” Ezuma grew up, located on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa, Christmas revelry and celebrations also started before Christmas Day.

In Nigeria’s largest city, Father Ezuma recalled his younger years, when he’d join his family for Midnight Mass, usually called the Christmas Vigil, then also meet his friends after for a large street party that would happen nearby.

He remembered the music, dancing and fireworks, and how it’s the one night a year that kids could stay up all night, but with a catch: they still had to go to Mass the next day on Christmas Day.

He and his friends would light firecrackers around the neighborhood, some on the ground, others on wires in the air, sometimes dangerously close to catching the neighborhood on fire, he recalled with a laugh.

On Christmas Day, his friends and family would also gather for a big meal that’s not too different than a Thanksgiving meal in the U.S.; there’d be turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and such, he said. But there’s also a special Nigerian Christmas meal, boiled rice with tomato sauce with chicken or beef.

“We’d call it Christmas chicken,” he said. “As kids, you can go visit neighbors and uncles, and everywhere they’d give you food.”

He also remembered how he’d debut his new Christmas clothes gifted to him by his parents, like other children.

Years later, as a newly ordained priest in 2011, Father Ezuma found himself far away from his family for the holidays, like many other clergy and consecrated men and women.

While it was difficult at the start of his priesthood, “that has long changed” as he now finds his home and second family in his parish at Holy Family Parish in Galveston and Bolivar, where he is pastor.

Celebrating Christmas with his parishioners and their unique traditions brings him closer to them, he said.

“It all gives me joy,” he said. “In a way, as they call [me] Father, as a pastor, as a priest, I feel like I’m with my family my Church family.”†

Galveston and Houston Seafarers Centers thank supporters for Christmas gifts

HOUSTON — Both Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria thanked supporters for their donations and Christmas box gifts to seafarers away from home for months, including holidays.

Bishop Cahill, who also serves as Bishop Promoter for the Apostleship of the Sea in the United States, celebrated Mass Dec. 7 for those supporting the Galveston Seafarers Center, including the Bay Area Deanery Council of Catholic Women. They then enjoyed a catered luncheon.

On Dec. 9, Cardinal DiNardo celebrated Mass and attended a luncheon at the Houston International Seafarers Center at the Port of Houston. He and Father Jan Kubisa, port chaplain, thanked the crowd from various churches and ministries, including the GalvestonHouston Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women.

The groups donated thousands of Christmas boxes of gifts, including toiletries, socks, headphones, caps, Bibles and other useful items for seafarers away from home.

Father Kubisa told those in attendance, “Your gifts and donations are critical to our program and, in many cases, one of the few ways to brighten lives and provide a tangible presence to the seafarers calling on the Port of Houston in December. Many seafarers are still not able to leave their vessels for months.”

The Seafarers Centers have remained vigilant in their mission to be there for the seafarers throughout the year, both with the remains of the pandemic as well as many dealing with war strife in their countries and their families being displaced from their homes, Father Kubisa said.

The Christmas boxes are personally carried to each ship by Seafarers Centers’ staff, port chaplains, and ship visitors

with an ecumenical ministry funded by all denominations.

“We begin delivering boxes to the ships after Thanksgiving and continue gifting seafarers until all the gifts have been distributed,” Father Kubisa said. “We are gratefully prepared to receive your gift boxes anytime — you cannot be too early or too late in bringing your gifts to one of our Seafarers Centers.”

In 2021, the centers distributed 8,561 gifts on board 404 ships which represented seafarers from more than 60 different countries, from Russia, Germany and Ukraine to Thailand, the Philippines and India. Ship crew sizes average 22 seafarers to gift per vessel. These gifts have been donated by more than 150 churches, organizations, and individuals.

For more information, call the center at 713-672-0511 in Houston or 409-762-0026 for the Galveston Seafarers Center. †

IN BRIEF

San José Clinic welcomes new staffer from Workforce Solutions, through WorkTexas at Gallery Furniture

HOUSTON — San José Clinic has hired Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Hugo Sanchez. The newly acquired CNA will be helping uninsured and underserved patients with direct healthcare needs.

With a nursing background in high school, Sanchez did many clinical rotations in his junior and senior years, volunteered with hospice and is EKG (electrocardiogram) certified.

Sanchez was awarded with a scholarship by WorkTexas, a program supported by Jim “Mack” McIngvale and Gallery Furniture to enroll in the Dotson Healthcare Institute’s Certified Nursing Assistant program. With his nursing background and volunteering experience, he was also referred to intern at San José Clinic by WorkForce Solutions while pursuing his nursing assistant certification. After completing the CNA program, Hugo was qualified for full-time employment at San José Clinic as a result of his studies and training at Dotson Healthcare Institute.

“I am very relieved and grateful to continue my medical journey thanks to WorkTexas at Gallery Furniture. Since I was young, I always wanted to work for a nonprofit like San José Clinic and give back to my community,” Sanchez said.

WorkTexas at Gallery Furniture seeks to advance and cultivate the skills of the youth in the community. McIngvale and Gallery Furniture are providing many programs for Houstonians to succeed by earning diplomas and certificates that will help in career advancements. Because of WorkTexas at Gallery Furniture’s tremendous support to the Houston community, many individuals like Sanchez can excel and advance in their organization.

For more information on San José Clinic, visit www.sanjoseclinic.org. †

The mercy of Jesus is found in the heart, Cardinal DiNardo tells catechetical conference attendees

HOUSTON — Drawing from the Parable of the Good Samaritan,

Cardinal DiNardo encouraged attendees of the 2022 Proclaim Conference at St. Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Church in Spring to look to the face of Jesus in all things and find mercy.

“The Church is beset by a lot of difficulties, but it doesn’t mean that Jesus is not active. He’s more active today than He’s ever been,” Cardinal DiNardo said in his Nov. 11 keynote address. “I see it when I look at what’s happening in parishes in the things that are done: teaching, responses of mercy to God’s love, enacting programs that help, enacting programs of prayer, getting better at the Liturgy every week.”

He continued: “I hope and pray that the Lord Jesus will help you this weekend to find a variety of ways to see and love mercy, and to bring this to bear on this local Church. God’s weariness is for human beings. And human beings need to turn to God, and He’s always weary and waiting until we choose to turn to Him.”

The two-day conference, which featured dozens of workshops focused on a variety of topics and ministries, was held in early November and also included a keynote address by Mike Patin. The next Proclaim Conference is scheduled for November 2024 with a theme that draws from the Gospel of Luke: “Rejoice in the Holy Spirit!”

For more information, visit www.archgh.org/proclaim. †

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Opening the eyes, hearts of at-risk youth to the

‘just be kids’

HOUSTON — Bringing Jesus’s message of love, forgiveness and hope to at-risk youth who are hurting, in despair and living in juvenile detention centers has been the mission of Special Youth Services (SYS) for over five decades. Approximately 3,000 youth and their families are currently served annually by SYS staff and volunteers -reminding them of God’s unconditional love and mercy and that it is ok to “just be kids.”

“Ministering to these at-risk youth means opening their eyes to the Lord, which is the most apparent calling we have,” said Franchelle Lee, director of SYS. “Equally as important is providing a listening ear, a caring heart and an empathetic friend, all the while reminding and allowing them to just be kids.”

Lee said SYS staff and volunteers model the embrace of Christ through pastoral care, advocacy and faith-sharing in Harris County, Fort Bend County, Galveston County, Brazoria County and Walker County to remind these youth that they are children of God. They also promote and coordinate restorative services to at-risk youth and their families.

Since the pandemic, achieving its mission has been a challenge for SYS. Alejandra Maya Garza, SYS associate director, said the ministry has worked to fill in where more volunteers, clergy and seminarians are needed to provide for all the spiritual needs of at-risk youth in the Archdiocese.

Deacon Fernando Garcia, SYS pastoral minister, said during the pandemic, the detention facilities were closed to in-person visits, which required the staff and volunteers to get creative with ways to reach the youth inside. He said volunteers at each facility began to create their own Bible study hand-out that included the Sunday readings and

reflections that they wrote themselves, as well as Bible-related word searches and other games for entertainment. As the only outside people allowed to visit, both Deacon Garcia and Sister Symphonie Ngo, SYS pastoral minister, distributed the hand-outs to eager youth.

“Since our in-person return to the facilities, these compositions have been combined into one hand-out with the Mass readings and games, and the reflections that continue to be written by our own volunteers,” said Deacon Garcia. “What a way for the youth at all seven facilities served to experience the universal Church together. Each in their own place, yet united with other youth in other areas and with us.”

As one of the 64 ministries supported by the Diocesan Services Fund (DSF), Lee said the faithful that support the annual appeal contribute directly to the efforts of SYS staff and volunteers as they spread God’s message of love and mercy to at-risk youth.

“Whether we are purchasing a stapleless stapler because staples are not allowed in a facility, or if we are spending money to provide a physical need, such as school uniforms, supplies and groceries to our youth or their families, every penny counts, every purchase makes a difference,” said Lee. “SYS strives to be responsible and caring stewards of DSF funds. We always keep in mind the intention of which it was given and the impact it will have on our youth to receive these gifts.”

Deacon Garcia said while the most direct impact DSF makes on the ministry is financial support, an additional benefit is being able to show how the universal Church comes together throughout the Archdiocese.

“Being able to share how many other people from around the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston freely give of their treasure to support ministries like Special Youth Services shows the unconditional love which we are called to share,” said Deacon Garcia.

Tyree Roberts, a unit supervisor at Harris County Leadership Academy who has served with SYS since 2013, said he has benefited from the ministry in multiple ways and feels blessed by the support of the faithful that give to the DSF.

“While SYS has provided services to our youth for years, my greatest benefit is the valuable conversation I have with the deacon and volunteers,” said Roberts. “I feel it’s important to give to the DSF that supports ministries like SYS, because of 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.’ Each of you

The 2022 Diocesan Services Fund theme draws from 1 Corinthians: “All For the Glory of God.” 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 60-plus ministries.

should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Lee said if additional DSF monies were available, SYS staff and volunteers have an extensive “wish list” to enhance the programs and services currently offered by SYS, such as having a fullservice building space for trainings, classes, meetings, activities, and storage space for food, clothing, school supplies and other items for the youth and their families. The facility would be crucial in maintaining confidentiality and preserving their dignity as young people.

“We also would hire more SYS staff,” said Lee.“We currently serve youth in five counties, but we are only halfway there since the Archdiocese covers 10 counties. We hope to service all, but we need more staff and volunteers to make it happen.”

Lee said with more funding and manpower available, another initiative would be the creation of an after-care program positively impacting reducing recidivism, which accompanies youth leaving facilities with the hope of reducing the risk of returning.

Lee also would use additional funding to coordinate events and workshops that provide support for families in the home. This would include a website and/or app that can serve as a resource for youth transiting back to their homes and communities, as well as “Take-Home Kits” with spiritual materials, lists of resources in each of the youth’s respective counties, and other useful information. Additional funding would also help provide scholarships or reduced tuition rates for the youth to attend the newly announced Archdiocesan technical school.

To learn more about SYS and its offerings for at-risk youth in the Archdiocese and to learn how to volunteer, go to archgh.org/sys.

To donate to DSF and support SYS and 63 other ministries, go to archgh. org/dsf. DSF supports 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

IN MEMORIA

Jan. 1, 1945 Msgr. J.S. Murphy

Jan. 1, 1959 Rev. Joseph L. Willett, CSB

Jan. 1, 1973 Rev. C. Laumer Schoppe

Jan. 1, 1976 Rev. Wilfred C. Sharpe, CSB

Jan. 1, 2019 Rav. Serafin Cejudo

Jan. 1, 2022 Rev. John McGinnis

Jan. 2, 2013 Rev. Joseph Shannon, CSB

Jan. 3, 2006 Rev. Charles E. Burns

Jan. 3, 2012 Rev. John Broussard, CSB

Jan. 4, 1999 Rev. Marvin A. Hebert

Jan. 5, 1955 Msgr. E.A. Kelly

Jan. 5, 1955 Rev. Bertrand Abell, CP

Jan. 5, 1994 Rev. Charles V. Patronella

Jan. 5, 2019 Rev. Frank Fabj

Jan. 6, 2020 Rev. Jose Mandadan

Jan. 7, 1975 Rev. Hugh J. Haffey, CSB

Jan. 7, 1997 Rev. Sylvester Posluszny

Jan. 12, 1878 Rev. Rudolph Krc

Jan. 12, 1969 Rev. Carl M. Allnoch, CSB

Jan. 16, 1976 Rev. T.W. Kappe

Jan. 16, 1981 Msgr. Francis H. Connor

Jan. 16, 2003 Rev. Donald McNally, OMI

Jan. 16, 2015 Rev. Msgr. P. Le-Xuan-Thuong

Jan. 16, 2005 Rev. William P. Somerville

Jan. 17, 2004 Rev. Gerard Joubert, OP

Jan. 17, 2011 Msgr. Eugene Cargill

Jan. 17, 2021 Most Rev. Vincent Rizzotto

Jan. 18, 1975 Rev. David Max

Jan. 18, 2005 Rev. Walter Kaelin,cp

Jan. 19, 1955 Rev. Cornelius P. Sullivan

Jan. 19, 1996 Msgr. Edward S. Missenda

Jan. 19, 1997 Rev. Mark That Tran

Jan. 19, 1997 Rev. James F. Wilson, CSB

Jan. 21, 1918 Bishop Nicholas A. Gallagher

Jan. 22, 2006 Rev. Charles A. Christopher, CSB

Jan. 24, 1926 Msgr. James M. Kirwin

Jan. 25, 1967 Rev. John D. Sheehy, CSB

Jan. 25, 1976 Msgr. Timothy T. Cronin

Jan. 25, 1978 Rev. Harold C. Perry, CSB

Jan. 25, 2002 Rev. Gary F. Wanzong

Jan. 26, 1882 Rev. James Miller

Jan. 28, 1917 Rev. Clement Lowrey

Jan. 29, 2000 Rev. Robert E. Lamb, CSB

Jan. 30, 1929 Rev. M. Heintzelmann

Jan. 30, 1993 Rev. J. Jesus Medrano, OSA

Jan. 31, 1969 Rev. Finan Glynn, OCARM

IN BRIEF

Sister Mary McCluskey, CCVI

HOUSTON — Sister Mary McCluskey, CCVI, died at St. Anne Convent, Villa de Matel on Nov. 17. She was 93 years old.

Sister Mary entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, Houston, on June 25, 1949, at St. Michael Convent, Co. Clare, Ireland. She ministered at various Congregation-sponsored hospitals and healthcare centers, including St. Anthony Center and St. Joseph in Houston.

The funeral Mass was held Nov. 26 at the Immaculate Conception Chapel. Interment is in the Villa de Matel Cemetery. †

Full descriptions for each open position are available online: www.archgh.org/ employment

St. Dominic Chancery | 2403 Holcombe Blvd. | Houston, TX 77021

Office of Worship: Director

Hospital Catholic Chaplain Corps: Priest Chaplain

Catholic Schools Office: Director of Educational Technology and Resources Stewardship

Hospital Catholic Chaplain Corps: Office Assistant (MacGregor House Office)

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.

PASTORAL SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS OF CLERGY 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.

2022 was a year of tragedy, changes and milestones

HOUSTON — As 2022 began, many in the Archdiocese returned to their prepandemic lives — going back to church, their workplaces and their regular routines.

The Archdiocese was anticipating the start of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese, the 100th anniversary of the founding of San José Clinic, and the 50th anniversary of the diocesan Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration and the first permanent diaconate class ordained in Galveston-Houston.

The focus of celebrations soon had to turn when war began as Russia invaded Ukraine. While still praying for the wartorn country, tragedy hit home when elementary school students from Uvalde, Texas became the latest victims of gun violence.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark legislation that made access to an abortion a federal right in the United States. This fall marked the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, the long-time bishop of Galveston-Houston and a tireless social justice advocate throughout his priesthood, episcopacy and in retirement.

The intense year ended on a high note when the Houston Astros won their second World Series title. †

Archdiocese loses beloved archbishop, social justice pioneer

Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza, the long-time bishop of Galveston-Houston and a tireless social justice advocate throughout his priesthood, episcopacy and in retirement, died Sept. 19. He was 91.

The Beaumont native served as bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston from 1985 to 2006 and was made Archbishop in 2004 when the diocese was elevated to the status of Archdiocese by then-pope, St. John Paul II.

“Archbishop Fiorenza was known to be a champion of civil rights and a tireless worker in overcoming the presence of racism in our community. He was also known as a great promoter of genuine renewal in the Church and in making the teachings of the Second Vatican Council known,” said Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of GalvestonHouston. Cardinal DiNardo succeeded Archbishop Fiorenza as Archbishop of Galveston-Houston in 2006.

Ever committed to serving the people of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Fiorenza was a steadfast advocate for social justice issues and a supporter of interfaith collaboration for positive social change across all social and economic borders.

As a young priest, he had marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma; in 2020, he spoke at a panel discussion regarding race relations hosted by Interfaith Ministries. He was joined by

fellow Houston faith and civil rights leaders Rev. William Lawson, Pastor Emeritus of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in Houston, and the late Rabbi Emeritus Samuel Karff of Congregation Beth Israel — the “Three Amigos.”

Archbishop Fiorenza dedicated himself to building the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, a sacred space in the heart of downtown Houston where all were welcome to worship. Through his commitment and support of the campaign, the Co-Cathedral opened its doors on April 2, 2008.

Throughout his tenure as shepherd of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Fiorenza also served the Church on a national level as the president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (19982001). In this responsibility, he served as the chief spokesman for 300 active Catholic bishops in the United States.

Archdiocese marks 175 years of history, faith

The then-diocese of Galveston was established May 4, 1847, when the official declaration came from the Vatican.

The first bishop in Texas, Bishop Jean Marie Odin, along with the Ursuline Sisters, made it their mission to form the area Catholics in their faith and to educate Catholic children. Together they built upon the foundation laid by

Franciscan missionaries ministering in Texas since the 17th century.

Today, the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston, led by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, has more than 1.7 million faithful in 10 counties, served by its 146 parishes, seven missions, 57 Catholic schools and multiple ministries providing healthcare and other services for those in need.

On May 3, 175 years later, Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston City Council marked the anniversary with

a proclamation. Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro accepted the honor on behalf of the Archdiocese at the City Hall Chamber.

Cardinal DiNardo celebrated a special Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Galveston on May 23 to signal an official opening of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese. Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, also concelebrated the Mass.

priests during the creation of the diocese.

“I don’t think that anyone who lives in Texas in 1847 would have imagined what would happen to the Catholic Church,” Cardinal DiNardo said.

He lauded the “farsightedness” of Bishop Nicolas Gallagher, the third bishop of Galveston who brought many religious congregations to the diocese and opened parishes and schools for the region’s underserved and underrepresented communities during a time of tremendous growth and devastation from the 1900 hurricane that destroyed Galveston.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo received a City of Galveston proclamation on May 26. †

Galveston-Houston participates in Synod process

Last spring, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo shared a video message to the faithful encouraging participation in the local Synod process. More than 700 facilitators were trained to host listening sessions at parishes and other venues around Galveston-Houston.

“We want to learn about your experiences in your family, in your parish and in your community,” Cardinal DiNardo said in the video message. “We want to know more about what matters most to you, about your joys and about the difficulties you may be encountering. Finally, we want to share and reflect on the many ways the Holy Spirit has been present to us — guiding us and our Church.”

For the Synod on Synodality (2021-2023), Pope Francis invited the faithful and those in the peripheries to engage with the process. In the video message, Cardinal DiNardo

said a synod session is “an opportunity to reflect and recollect with others in small groups … to be renewed in your participation in the life of the Church.”

The Synod report was published in the Dec. 13 issue of the Texas Catholic Herald and online at www. archgh.org/synod. †

Astros’ World Series win brings championship trophy home

The walk-off. That loss. The no-hitter. The heart. The catch. That other catch. And then that moonshot seen around the world.

Each moment helped the Houston Astros make it a habit of reaching the World Series, and in their fifth World Series appearance, the Astros topped the Philadelphia Phillies in a roller coaster ride of a Fall Classic.

Both Catholic and Astros faithful were right there alongside the hometown team the whole time, together with a group of iconic religious sisters, among many others who crowded the stands at Minute Maid Park or jumped from their couches at home.

Students at Incarnate Word Academy, a little more than a third- to first-base throw away from Minute Maid Park, embraced the Astros postseason fever during their annual “Chalk the Block” effort that surrounds their downtown Houston campus in chalk art that supports their MLB neighbor. Further away from the ballpark, students at other schools like St. Jerome, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Rose of Lima also turned orange for the Astros. Young students donned their favorite Astros gear, sporting bright hats, shirts and even baseball gloves, in support of the World Series rally. †

SAN JOSÉ CLINIC

For 100 years, the San José Clinic has proudly upheld the legacy of its founders by providing quality healthcare for those in need. The Clinic offers this care while respecting the dignity of each person served.

THE OFFICE OF FAMILY LIFE

The mission of this office is to accompany spouses and ministry leaders in forming, revealing, enjoying and protecting our families.

YOUNG ADULT AND CAMPUS MINISTRY

The Office of Young Adult and Campus Ministry seeks to help all young adults find a spiritual home within the Catholic Church.

The Diocesan Services Fund is a way in which the Archdiocese, as one family, as the Body of Christ, comes together. Your gift to the DSF is a rich contribution to spreading the Good News.

EDUCATION

Catholic schools and parishes celebrate the season, Our Lady

HOUSTON — Many Catholics school communities across the Archdiocese marked the Advent and Christmas season with special events and celebrations, including processions, prayer vigils, service projects and living nativities and more. Students at Our Lady of Fatima School in Galena Park held a celebration to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe and a Posada to celebrate the Holy Family. Other schools marked the season with family gatherings, like at St. Agnes Academy, which held its annual Sisters with Santa event. St. Rose of Lima School caroled in the community and also collected items for the St. Rose of Lima’s Gabriel Project, and St. Mary of the Purification students collected toys for Catholic Charities. †

For more about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese, visit www. choosecatholicschools.org.

opportunities for newness

As we approach the calendar new year, I am reminded of how New Year’s Eve 2021 was filled with so much hope that our community, state, nation and world would rebound from the pandemic and become healthy and prosperous again. With 2023 approaching, one may be asking oneself: What will the new year bring? What do I want for the new year? What new year’s resolution will bring a positive change for myself and for my family?

Making a good resolution might profit from a good thought process.

Perhaps I might recall what my experience of life was over that past year and consider what I did that was good or how do I want to improve or grow in the coming year. Will my resolution make a positive impact on my family or others?

Choosing a realistic resolution and having someone to help with accountability on this journey can help one keep faithful to the resolution. Calling on God’s help through prayer will certainly strengthen one’s ability to keep this resolution. “13 I have the strength for everything through him who

empowers me.” (Phil 4:13 NABRE).

Sharing resolutions with family members might excite everyone to take on a challenge or resolution of growth. Resolutions will likely vary for each individual in the family, i.e., parent, child, grandparent, etc. A common resolution is to work toward good health with diet and exercise. Others may resolve to manage their finances more efficiently. A young person might resolve to work harder at school or to sharpen a skill or talent they may have. I have heard young people say their new year’s resolution is to be more faithful or to find more time for prayer. This is exciting because it brings hope to families and the community when young people exude goodness.

more time to sit and talk together, would be simple but prove very rich for family life. Whether we make individual or family resolutions, whether we keep the resolution for a month or for a year, we would do well to celebrate our successes, individually and in family. Let us not forget to celebrate those successes with God and give him the glory for giving us His grace to continue our journey of growth.

This is an exciting time of year, a chance for newness. It is an opportunity to share our desire to seek good with family and community. A resolution to better oneself is essentially an offering to God, a step into the call to holiness. Accordingly, Christ will make us new in ways we cannot fathom.

A family might opt to choose one resolution for the whole family. A family resolution would certainly bring grace and gift to familial relationships. Some resolutions, such as having meals together, praying together or making

Let us rejoice in Christ’s light shining the way for us into 2023. Happy New Year! †

Norma Torok is a retired associate director of the Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization.

COLUMNISTS

Praying for vocations makes a difference

In Northern Italy, the rural Village of Lu had a population of about 1,200 people. The Sacraments were scarce as there was little accessibility to priests. A group of mothers decided to take action. Under the direction of their parish priests, mothers gathered together once a week to pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament with their intentions, imploring the Lord for more priestly and religious vocations from their own families.

Over 300 vocations came from this small town in the years following. The fruits of their persistence and dedication to praying for vocations were extremely evident.

In our own Archdiocese, it is no coincidence certain parishes that prioritize praying for vocations (among other things) have more vocations

coming from those parishes. The parish that says a prayer for vocations after every daily Mass has the highest number of priests per capita from that parish.

At another church in our Archdiocese, a parishioner was persistent in asking her pastor and prayed that one hour of Adoration a month would be dedicated to praying for vocations. Ever since the pastor agreed, parishioners gather once a month in the Adoration chapel to pray a Rosary for vocations and other prayers imploring our Lord for an increase in vocations.

During the adoration hour, a volunteer reads aloud all the names of the young men and women from that parish who are in formation for the priesthood or religious life. I recently attended the hour of Adoration for vocations at that parish and had chills

ASL interpreted Sensory Friendly Mass to be held Jan. 14

All are invited to an “American Sign Language Sensory Friendly Mass” conducted in collaboration with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministry and the Ministry for Persons with Disabilities. The two offices are excited to partner and provide an opportunity for community and fellowship. The event is set for 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at the Warren Chapel in St. Dominic Village, located at 2401 Holcombe Blvd. in Houston.

The Directory for Catechesis the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization states: “The Church’s solicitude for persons with disabilities springs from God’s way of acting. Following the principle of the incarnation, the Church recognizes in persons with disabilities the call to faith and to a life that is good and full of meaning” (DC #269).

We are called to take care of the most fragile and to also see the presence of Jesus in them. Some of us may be drawn to a particular ministry, for example, the elderly or those incarcerated or simply caring for infants, but we are all called to the mission of welcoming and including persons with disabilities.

Two years ago, my neighborhood experienced an unexpected crisis. Our homes shook at the impact of a nearby deadly explosion. I remember all my neighbors coming out to checking on each other immediately after and then first responders evacuating us from our homes. In that moment, I was that person in need, and to see the flocks of support from people and family was amazing. I know we have all been in a place of need in the past years with the

SUNDAY MASS READINGS

JANUARY 1, 2023

JANUARY 8, 2023

pandemic. We have all been impacted in some way, and one thing that we can affirm is that we have all experienced a helping hand, whether that was a well check from someone or a random stranger set by our guardian angel at the perfect time.

Either way, it’s time to lend that charity back to those in need. Not just because the holidays are here but because we should be exercising charity year-round. Hold the door for someone who is using a walker or a wheelchair next time at Mass. Or maybe going out of your way to wave and smile at a person with a disability and letting them go in front of you in line to check out at the grocery store.

Jesus knew who needed His healing and presence, so He cleansed the leper, healed the paralytic, cured the epileptic, helped the lame, maimed, blind, mute and many others.

Jesus did just that; He went out of His way and took notice of the needy. “And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, what do you want me to do for you? He said, Lord let me receive my sight. And Jesus said to him, receive your sight; your faith has made you well” (Lk 18:40-42).

Who is the leper of today? Are we eager to help them, or do we pass them off? Every day is an opportunity to help others know Jesus and, like Our Mother Mary, show them where Jesus is. †

Melissa Alvarez is an assistant associate director in the Ministry with Persons with Disabilities in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.

hearing the wonderful amount of young men and women from that one parish being prayed for during their formational years.

It is not by chance that the Village of Lu and certain parishes in our Archdiocese have had several men and women respond to God’s call. The harvest is abundant. There is not a shortage of men and women being called in the world. There is, however, a shortage of laborers responding to that call. “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few.” (Mt 9:37)

I challenge you to take action at your parish. Do we care about having accessibility to the Sacraments? The time is now. Consider asking those whom you pray with to add a vocations prayer at the beginning or end of your Rosary. Be bold.

Ask your pastor to host an hour of Adoration specifically to pray for more people to respond to God’s call.

1.7 million Catholics in the Archdiocese are relying on you to take action within your parish to intentionally pray for more vocations. Will you gather a group together to pray that the youth may respond to God’s call? Please reach out to the Office of Vocations for support with your efforts. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Mt 22:14)

Let us help the next generation more freely and easily choose priesthood and religious life. †

Johanna Kloesel is the vocations parish programs manager at the Office of Vocations.

The scandal of particularity

One of the unique liturgical aspects of the Feast of the Nativity that we just celebrated is the fact that the Church has four distinct Masses for Christmas: The Vigil Mass, the Mass during the Night, the Mass at Dawn, and the Mass during the Day. Each of these four has its own set of readings and prayers.

The Church seems to be saying to us that this feast has such depth that she needs a larger collection of readings and prayers to begin to communicate its meaning. Lately, I have been particularly intrigued by the choice of Gospel text for the Vigil Mass.

The Gospel for the Christmas Vigil Mass is taken from the Gospel of Matthew and has both a long and a short version. In most parishes, they usually take the short version.

It is highly recognizable, focused on Joseph’s participation, and begins, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about…”There are very good pastoral reasons to choose this shorter version when the Church is packed to the rafters with families with very young children. I don’t second guess pastors in the least for exercising this option.

Still, I find myself drawn to the long version that contains Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, going from Abraham to Jesus in three sets of 14 generations each. For parishes that do take the long version, the deacon or priest who proclaims the Gospel has his work cut out for him with a great number of hard-to-pronounce names.

Great heroes like David and Solomon are part of the list, but also surprising characters like Tamar (who dresses as a prostitute and seduces her father-in-law), Ruth (a foreigner), and

some very questionable kings like Rehoboam and Manasseh. The genealogy flows to Joseph before introducing his wife Mary and noting, “Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.”

If one takes this part of the Gospel seriously, then it becomes impossible to avoid what theologians often call “the scandal of particularity.” It becomes impossible to separate this Jesus who is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One of God, from the tangled history of these particular people of Israel whom God has elected as his own.

And this Jesus is a very particular person born at a particular place in a particular time within a particular culture and religious tradition. The Savior of all humanity, indeed the Savior of the entire universe, is not generic or general at all. His person and his history are unabashedly particular.

This is called the “scandal” of particularity because it runs so counter to so many aspects of our contemporary culture. It seems so counter-intuitive to us that God would work this universal salvation in one very particular way.

Would it not have made more sense (to us at least) for God to have worked out this universal salvation in a generic way, or at least by working through many different cultures and many different revelations?

But our Christian faith, our celebration of Christmas, says something very different. It says that all of history and all of humanity turns on this one person. Yes, salvation is

First Reading: Num 6:22-27

First Reading: Is 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 67:2-3, 5-6, 8

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13

Second Reading: Gal 4:4-7 Gospel: Lk 2:16-21

Second Reading: Eph 3:2-3, 5-6 Gospel: Mt 2:1-12

Pope reveals he prepared resignation letter in case of impairment

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said he wrote a resignation letter in 2013, his first year in office, to be used in case he became physically or mentally impaired and unable to fulfill the duties of the papacy.

In an interview published on Dec. 18, the day after his 86th birthday, Pope Francis said that during the time that Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone was Vatican secretary of state, a position he left in October 2013, he gave a resignation letter to the cardinal.

“I signed it and said, ‘If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my renunciation. Here you have it,’” the pope told the Spanish newspaper ABC.

Pope Francis joked that now that the letter’s existence has been made public, someone will go after Cardinal Bertone and say, “Give me that piece of paper!”

But he also said he was certain Cardinal Bertone gave it to Pietro Cardinal Parolin, who succeeded him as secretary of state.

The interviewer also noted that Pope Francis had named several women as secretaries or undersecretaries of Vatican offices but that he had not appointed a woman to lead a Vatican dicastery, although his reform of the Roman Curia says it is possible for a layperson to head a dicastery.

Pope Francis responded that he has been thinking of appointing a woman to lead “a dicastery where there will be a vacancy in two years.” He did not say what office that was.

“There is nothing to prevent a woman

from guiding a dicastery in which a layperson can be a prefect,” the pope said.

However, “if it is a dicastery of a sacramental nature,” presumably like the dicasteries for the Doctrine of the Faith, for Bishops, for Clergy or for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, “it has to be presided over by a priest or a bishop,” the pope said.

Asked if he worries about active

Catholics who may feel neglected by the pope paying so much attention to people who feel far from the Church, Pope Francis responded, “If they are good, they will not feel neglected.”

But if they do feel shunned, he said, they may share the fault of the elder son in the biblical parable of the prodigal son, echoing his complaint to his father, “I’ve served you for years, and now you take care of him and don’t pay any attention to me.”

That attitude, the pope said, is “an ugly sin, one of hidden ambition, of wishing to stand out and be considered.”

Also Dec. 18, Italy’s Canale 5 television station aired an interview with Pope Francis in which he was asked about Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, when he began a prayer asking Mary to intercede for Ukraine and had to pause because he was crying.

War is “madness,” the pope said. “I tell people, please, don’t be afraid, but let’s cry a little bit. We should be crying today about these cruelties” that always go with war.

Pope Francis said he has met many children from Ukraine in the 10 months since Russia began the war. “None of them smile. Not one. They greet you, but they cannot smile. Who knows what they have seen.” †

IN BRIEF

Kids help pope celebrate 86th birthday with cake, circus performers

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The day after he turned 86, Pope Francis met with volunteers, family members and children receiving care from a Vatican pediatric clinic.

The group of children receiving assistance from the Vatican’s St. Martha Dispensary, a maternal and pediatric clinic, were treated to a show by circus performers in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall on Dec. 18 and to a large white sheet cake adorned with one tall candle.

The pope thanked his guests for their visit and for a “day of joy that helps us prepare for Christmas.”

He also reminded everyone to not forget to pray for the children of Ukraine — “so many children who suffer because of war, and they also suffer in other places because of injustice.” †

Uruguayan bishop’s path to sainthood reflects the country’s history

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (CNS) — Uruguay, South America’s most secular country, is poised to get its first homegrown saint.

Bishop Jacinto Vera, the first bishop of Montevideo, was declared venerable in 2015, and on Dec. 17, the Vatican announced that he would be beatified after Pope Francis formally signed off on a miracle attributed to the future saint.

Bishop Vera’s path to sainthood not only reflects the country’s history, but also the new path for the Church in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay under the stewardship of Pope Francis, an Argentine.

“The image of a saint like Jacinto Vera, someone with such important meaning for our country and our history, is of great benefit for Catholics. He walked our country. There is not a place you go where he has not been,” said Father Gabriel González, a professor at the Catholic University of Uruguay who has written extensively about the life and work of Bishop Vera.

Jacinto Vera was born at sea in 1813 to parents who set sail from Spain’s Canary Islands with the goal of reaching farmland in Uruguay, which was still a Spanish colony. He gravitated to the Church early in life and studied with the Jesuits in neighboring Argentina until his ordination in 1841 as a diocesan priest.

As bishop of Montevideo, he invited the Jesuits to return to Uruguay and brought in several congregations of women religious to reestablish order to a church on the fringes of the continent. González said the local Church was in disarray, but that changed with Bishop Vera. †

NATION & STATE

Churches called to ‘national reckoning of soul’ amid antisemitism crisis

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Scholars of Jewish-Christian relations are urging churches in the U.S. to “a national reckoning of the soul” amid what they are describing as “the greatest crisis of public antisemitism in a century” in the U.S.

The Council of Centers on JewishChristian Relations issued a Dec. 14 statement calling on churches “to take concrete actions at this critical moment” and “redouble efforts to denounce antisemitism publicly.”

The statement, “A National Reckoning of the Soul: A Call to the Churches of the United States to Confront the Crisis of Antisemitism” was unanimously endorsed by 30 of the group’s member organizations, most of which are based at colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Multiple data sources confirm a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years throughout the nation. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism reported a 34% increase from 2020 to 2021, which saw the highest number on record since the group began its monitoring in 1979.

FBI director Christopher Wray said in a Nov. 10 address to the Anti-Defamation League that “a full 63% of religious hate crimes (in the U.S.) are motivated by antisemitism,” targeting “a group that makes up just 2.4%” of the U.S. population.

On Nov. 28, the U.S. bishops issued a statement deploring the “reemergence of antisemitism in new forms” while affirming the “shared spiritual patrimony” between Catholics and Jews emphasized in the Second Vatican Council’s declaration “Nostra Aetate.”

Yet “we are living in a strange time when there is both a blessed and growing friendship between Christians and Jews alongside a resurgence of antisemitism and neo-Nazism,” said the statement by the Council of Centers on Jewish-

IN BRIEF

Christian Relations, noting “so-called ‘Christian’ nationalists openly declare that true Christians hate Jews.”

In addition, “entertainers, athletes, media personalities (and) politicians ... are using 21st-century technologies to spread antisemitic lies and conspiracies to millions of people,” it said.

Recognizing “the Jewishness of Jesus (as) a historical fact ... invalidates claims that Christians must oppose Jews and Judaism,” said Philip Cunningham, professor of theology and co-director of the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. The university group is a member of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations.

Advocates displeased with U.S. vote against global death penalty ban

WASHINGTON (CNS) — When the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution Dec. 15 to establish a worldwide “moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty,” the United States continued its practice of voting against it.

The U.S. was joined by 36 other countries in opposing a resolution that comes up every two years. This year, 125 countries voted in favor of it and 22 countries did not vote.

“It is past time that the U.S. join the supermajority of countries who vote in favor of a universal death penalty moratorium,” said Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, noting that overall support for this action has “grown consistently over the years.”

“Disappointingly, the U.S. retained its historical vote of ‘no,’” she told Catholic News Service.

“We have work to do in the United States,” she said, regarding the continued use of the death penalty amid calls to end capital punishment that reflect “a growing consensus — not just among Catholics, but among all people of goodwill — who recognize that capital punishment is irreparably broken.”

Vaillancourt Murphy pointed out that the Vatican “has long supported a U.N. death penalty moratorium resolution.”

She said Pope Francis has consistently spoken about it and in September, he announced the global abolition of the death penalty as his official prayer intention for the month.

Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, told Newsweek magazine that the U.S. vote against the resolution “put us in the same league, with Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China, North Korea and Vietnam.” †

In a 1975 statement on Catholic-Jewish Relations, the U.S. bishops lamented that “Christians have not fully appreciated their Jewish roots” due to a “de-Judaizing process” in early Christian history that “dulled our awareness of our Jewish beginnings.”

“The fact that Jesus’ own spirituality was thoroughly Jewish contradicts the idea that the Old Testament is obsolete,” said Cunningham. “That is why it is part

of the Christian Bible.”

As part of the ongoing implementation of “Nostra Aetate,” the U.S. bishops in 1988 issued the document “God’s Mercy Endures Forever,” which provided specific guidelines on the presentation of Jews and Judaism in Catholic preaching.

Cunningham said scriptural readings and lessons should not be “framed in such a way as to either reduce the Old Testament to a mere preparation for Christianity, without any subsequent value for either Jews or Christians.”

He pointed to St. John Paul II’s 1997 address to the Pontifical Biblical Commission, where the pope said Jesus was “an authentic son of Israel” who “nourished his mind and heart” with the Hebrew Scriptures.

The relationship between Jews and Christians “has progressed to the point where many ... are able to see the holiness and richness of each other’s traditions,” said Adam Gregerman, an associate professor at St. Joseph’s University and co-director of the school’s Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations.

“There no longer needs to be an adversarial relationship, where one side has to be right, and the other side has to be wrong,” he said.

“We can learn from each other’s ways of reading sacred texts, even if they differ from our own, and even with historically divisive texts such as the writings of the prophets.”

“We also can learn from each other’s teachings about ethical living, above all, how we treat all people as made in the image of God,” he added. †

MUNDO CATÓLICO

CIUDAD DELVATICANO (CNS) — Las “crisis morales, sociales, políticas, y económicas” interconectadas que enfrenta el mundo no pueden resolverse si las personas y las naciones continúan enfocándose solo en sus propios intereses inmediatos, expresó el papa Francisco en su mensaje para la Jornada Mundial de la Paz 2023.

“Ha llegado el momento de que todos nos esforcemos por sanar nuestra sociedad y nuestro planeta, para sentar las bases de un mundo más justo y pacífico, y para comprometernos seriamente en la búsqueda de un bien que sea verdaderamente común”, escribió el Santo Padre en el mensaje, que fue publicado por el Vaticano el 16 de diciembre.

La Iglesia Católica celebra la Jornada Mundial de la Paz el 1 de enero y distribuye el mensaje del Sumo Pontífice a los jefes de estado y de gobierno de todo el mundo. El papa Francisco entrega personalmente copias firmadas a los líderes visitantes durante dicho año.

El tema del mensaje del papa para 2023 es “Nadie puede salvarse solo”, y el texto insta a las personas aprender de la experiencia del esfuerzo global para

combatir el COVID-19 y a reconocer la pobreza y las desigualdades que la pandemia puso al descubierto, especialmente en cuanto al acceso a alimentos, medicinas, salud, educación, y tecnología.

El papa Francisco pidió a la gente que reflexionara sobre una serie de preguntas: “¿Qué aprendimos de la pandemia? ¿Qué nuevos caminos debemos seguir para deshacernos de las cadenas de nuestros viejos hábitos, para estar mejor preparados, para atrevernos a cosas nuevas? ¿Qué signos de vida y esperanza podemos ver, para ayudarnos a seguir adelante y tratar de hacer de nuestro mundo un lugar mejor?”

Cuando la pandemia parecía que estaba a punto de terminar, el papa escribió: “un nuevo y terrible desastre sobrevino a la humanidad. Fuimos testigos del ataque de otro flagelo: otra guerra”.

El Santo Padre señaló que la guerra de Rusia contra Ucrania “está cosechando víctimas inocentes y sembrando la inseguridad, no sólo entre los directamente afectados, sino de forma generalizada e indiscriminada para todos, también para quienes, incluso a

miles de kilómetros de distancia, sufren sus efectos colaterales”, incluyendo el aumento de los precios del combustible y la escasez de cereales.

“Esta guerra, junto con todos los demás conflictos en el mundo, representa un revés para toda la humanidad y no solo para las partes directamente involucradas”, acotó el papa.

Los esfuerzos cooperativos masivos llevaron a la creación de vacunas para el COVID-19, dijo, pero “todavía no se han encontrado soluciones adecuadas para la guerra”, aunque es cierto que “el virus de la guerra es más difícil de vencer que los virus que comprometen nuestros cuerpos”, porque este no viene del exterior, sino del corazón humano corrompido por el pecado”.

El cardenal canadiense Michael Czerny, prefecto del Dicasterio para la Promoción del Desarrollo Humano Integral, presentó el mensaje en una conferencia de prensa y luego habló con Catholic News Service.

“El mensaje me da esperanza porque señala no lo que debe hacer una persona importante, sino lo que cada uno de nosotros debe hacer, que es simplemente tomarse el tiempo para preguntarnos: ‘¿Qué aprendí o no aprendí?Y ¿Cómo va a cambiar mi vida a partir de ahí?” sostuvo el cardenal. “Con suerte, las lecciones serán para el bien de todos”.

La experiencia de la gente con la pandemia, la cuarentena, la posibilidad de seguir trabajando, y la lucha por las vacunas fue diferente en todo el mundo, dijo, pero esa experiencia pierde su poder si la gente no la reflexiona y la comparte.

El mensaje del papa Francisco,

expresó, es un recordatorio “que somos demasiado rápidos para olvidar” y luego la humanidad se ve obligada a pasar al próximo desastre sin haber hecho cambios para aliviar el sufrimiento.

La hermana salesiana Alessandra Smerilli, secretaria del dicasterio, dijo a los periodistas que el papa estaba pidiendo a la gente “regresar por un momento a esos momentos aterradores, difíciles, y dolorosos” al comienzo de la pandemia a principios de 2020. “Este es el momento de preguntarnos si, como individuos y como comunidad, ¿estamos mejor o peor tres años después?”

La reflexión, escribió el papa Francisco, debe alentar a las personas a cambiar de un enfoque egocéntrico a un compromiso real con el bien común y promover la solidaridad y un mayor sentido de fraternidad.

Se necesitan esfuerzos cooperativos para garantizar la atención médica para todos y “poner fin a los conflictos y guerras que continúan generando pobreza y muerte”, dijo. Las personas deben trabajar juntas para combatir el cambio climático, superar la desigualdad, acabar con el hambre, y crear un trabajo digno para todos.

“También necesitamos desarrollar políticas adecuadas para acoger e integrar a los migrantes y a aquellos que nuestras sociedades descartan”, dijo el papa. “Solo respondiendo con generosidad a estas situaciones, con un altruismo inspirado en el amor infinito y misericordioso de Dios, podremos construir un mundo nuevo y contribuir a la extensión de su reino, que es un reino de amor, de justicia, y de paz”. †

PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE ABUSO SEXUAL DEL

‘Sacred Art Live’ viewers can meet artists including Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate

HOUSTON — The public is invited to a free but ticketed art exhibit,“Sacred Art Live,” on Jan. 28 at St. Mary’s Seminary featuring both local and national artists creating God-inspired work.

One of the artists highlighted is Emily Fonseca, who was born deaf and uses her creativity to evangelize. A Dickinson resident, Fonseca focuses on the countenances of saints, bringing St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe, St. Pope John Paul II and young girl St. Jacinta Marto alive in their facial expressions.

Fonseca said she prays that her art “is an echo of fidelity of the Divine artist and His masterpieces, Heaven and Earth.”

A well-known group of religious Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate, also known as the Rally Nuns for their appearances at the Astros baseball games, will be showing their art at the exhibit.

The sisters discovered their hidden talents as artists after participating in recent sacred art workshops Dominican Sacred Art through the style of Fra Angelico and the Byzantine Iconography Retreat held at the convent. The workshops were led by Father Dominic Bump, O.P., of Philadelphia, who is also one of the featured artists in the exhibit.

Al Sauls, an artist and iconographer, was raised in Houston’s Third Ward. He reconnected with his Catholic roots and began creating vivid icons and

AROUND HOUSTON

‘POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II’

inspirational paintings that can be found housed in fine art collections around the world.

What is sacred art? The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2502, describes it as the spiritual beauty of God reflected in Jesus, the most holy Virgin Mary, saints, angels and other iconic art that “draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God.”

To reserve free tickets and for more information, www.sacredartlive.org. †

-

Archdiocesan Choir members sing carols at prisons

Jo Ann Zuñiga

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston announces partnership with Sarofim Foundation with 125 new artworks

HOUSTON — A total of 125 masterworks from the distinguished collection of the late Houston philanthropist Fayez S. Sarofim will be placed on extended loan to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, (MFAH) beginning in early 2023, in a collaboration between the museum and the Sarofim Foundation.

Fayez S. Sarofim, who died on May 27, assembled over nearly 60 years one of the most significant collections of American art in private hands, as well as important works of European painting and antiquities, officials said. The loan will enhance the museum’s presentations of American and European art in those newly reinstalled galleries, and of modern and contemporary art in the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, dedicated to the permanent collection and opened in 2020.

“All of us at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston are deeply indebted to the Sarofim family for the extraordinary privilege of sharing

these remarkable works with the community to which Fayez Sarofim has shown such devotion and generosity,” said Gary Tinterow, director, the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, MFAH.

“My father wanted nothing more than to share his collection with the public after he could no longer enjoy it,” said Christopher Sarofim.

The American paintings and sculptures in this remarkable collection reflect key passages in the evolution of American art: 19th- and early-20th-century paintings that chronicle the emergence of a distinctly American sensibility in portraiture and landscape from the earliest years of American independence through American Impressionism and the Ashcan School, including works by John Singleton Copley, Frederic Edwin Church, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, and eleven works by John Singer Sargent. †

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HOUSTON — A group of Archdiocesan Choir members visited some of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice prisons on Dec. 3.

As in the past before the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the choir members directed by Dr. Rick Lopez gathered at St. Dominic Chancery and boarded a bus bound for three prisons on the south side of Houston.

“We try to visit and bring some Christmas spirit through song to as many units and people inside the prison as we can,” Deacon Alvin Lovelady, director of the Office of Correctional Ministries, said. This year, the group was able to visit the Stringfellow unit, the Terrell unit and the

Carole Young unit, a female prison with a co-ed hospital in Texas City.

“It was a wonderful time for the choir members to give back to the community that cannot give, but only receive what we have to offer,” Deacon Lovelady said. “It was a very large amount of love offered to those who may not receive much of that through the year.”

He said it’s always a joy for him to help coordinate this day of song and prayer for the people his office ministers to.

“Hard work between all the other events on his plate, Dr. Rick Lopez always manages to pull off this event to bring joy to the men and women incarcerated in some of our prisons,” Deacon Lovelady said. †

MILESTONES

AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE

Editor’s Note: Contact event organizers for the latest updates. For deadline details and more listings, visit WWW. ARCHGH.ORG/ATA.

DEC. 26 - 30

MEN’S IGNATIAN SILENT RETREAT, at St. Mary’s Seminary (9845 Memorial Dr., Houston). Retreat for single young adult men, 18-35, who really want to listen to God. Discover what God has planned for you while you dive deeper into your prayer life with the Lord. Cost: $150. Limited space. Register: houstonvocations.com/events.

DEC. 27 - 31

WOMEN’S IGNATIAN SILENT RETREAT, at Dominican Sisters of Houston Genesis House in Houston. Ignatian silent retreat for women ages 18-40 looking to take a break from their hectic schedules and rest with God as they also deepen their relationship with Him. Cost: $150. Limited space. Register: houstonvocations.com/events.

JAN. 14, 2023

SENSORY FRIENDLY MASS, 5 p.m. at Warren Chapel at St. Dominic Center (2401 Holcombe Blvd., Houston). Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministry, with Ministry for Persons with Disability, is hosting an ASL interpreted Sensory Friendly Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, followed by a social after Mass. 713-741-8798.

JAN. 19, 2023

CAFÉ CATHOLICA LITE, 7 p.m. Christ the Redeemer (11507 Huffmeister Rd., Houston). Young adult speaker series with Sister Bernadette Mota, FMA, Vocations Director for the Salesian Sisters, speaking on “New Year Resolutions: Be who you are and be that Well.” Includes light snacks, talk, Q&A, and prayer. Free, open to young adults 18-39. yacm@ archgh.org; 713-741-8778.

HOLY HOUR FOR LIFE, 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. at St. Mary’s Seminary (9845 Memorial Dr., Houston. Join the U.S. bishops and Catholics around the country for an overnight Eucharistic Adoration on the vigil of the National March for Life in Washington.

Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, will open and close the vigil. Pre-register to ensure allnight Adoration coverage and parking at the seminary at https://archgh.cventevents.com/ HolyHourforLife no later than Jan. 16. Info: Office of Pro-Life Activities at 713-440-3443.

JAN. 22, 2023

LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION, 12:15 p.m. at Ascension Chinese Mission - Activity Center (4605 Jetty Ln., Houston). A lion dance, other performances, red envelopes for kids and door prizes celebrate the Lunar New Year. Purchase tickets after Saturday/Sunday Masses starting Dec. 25 or by calling 713822-8985 or emailing hsu8985@gmail.com or by Venmo to @Eugene-Ng-5 with a note including the purchaser’s name and number of tickets.

JAN. 25, 2023

MEMORIAL MASS, 7 p.m. at St. Jerome (2749 Hollister Rd., Houston). Diapers, pull-ups, wipes and formula donation drive benefits Mercy Ministry. A reception follows in the Community Center. Sponsored by Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court of the Holy Family. maryjalbert@sbcglobal.net or 281381-0309.

JAN. 28, 2023

CASINO NIGHT, 6:30 p.m. at St. Jerome Parish Activity Center (2749 Hollister Rd., Houston). “A Night of Purpose - Mardi Gras Casino Night” features casino tables, slot machines, poker tables and auctions to benefit St. Jerome Catholic School. Cost: $50 per person, includes $500 in casino chips, hors d’oeuvres and one drink ticket. For ticket purchase and/ or sponsorship information: 713-468-7946; lvinasco@stjeromecs.org.

SACRED ART LIVE, 6 to 9 p.m., St. Mary’s Seminary (9845 Memorial Dr., Borski Center). A celebration of living artists, both local and national, creating inspired works including the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate. Free. www.sacredartlive.org.

•••

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Around the Archdiocese

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SPIRITUALITY

Cardinal DiNardo dedicates new chapel at St. Anthony of Padua in The Woodlands

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