St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Office: 1603 Avenue N * Huntsville, TX 77340 Church: 1323 16th St. * Huntsville, TX 77340 Ph. 936.295.8159 * Fax 936.295.3543 www.sainhomashuntsville.org

"...there is no inequality of significance amongst us except holiness..." “No hay desigualdad de importancia entre nosotros excepto la santidad…”

Thirty-Second Sunday In Ordinary Time November 8, 2020

STAFF

Rev. Fred Valone…..Pastor Felix Ramos………..Permanent Deacon Kathy Boscarino…….DRE / Y M Maria Delgado……… Elem. CCE Rick Reed…………...Music Coordinator Jill Baker………..Nursery Coordinator Pat Norfleet…………..Bookkeeper Sylvia Vitela…………..Secretary Laura Puente………...Custodian

Mass Schedules

Saturday/ Sabado 5:30 pm English

Sunday/ Domingo 7:45 am English 10:30 am English 12:30 pm Spanish 5:30 pm English

Monday/ Lunes No Mass Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the Tuesday – Friday/ 8:30 am Martes - Viernes hour. — Matthew 25:13

Reconciliation / Reconciliación

Tues/Martes 4:30-5:30 pm The flowers besides the Blessed Thurs/Jueves 4:30-5:30 pm Sacrament are offered in thanksgiving2 For No Adoration at this time St. Thomas 50th Anniversary No hay Adoración en este tiempo By A St. Thomas Angel

Mass Intentions Our gratefulness to God Of The Week weekly offering

$

Sat. 11/07 5:30 pm Parishioner November 1, 2020

Richard & Norma Sun. 11/08 7:45 am Almendarez (For their Donations (Basket or office): $10,783.03 Anniversary) Online: $2,105.00 St. Thomas Mission: $1,202.00 Larry & Mary Alice 10:30 am Gorman Online: $290.00

Thank you 12:30 pm Maria Isabel Delgado for your continued support!

5:30 pm CSC

NO Mass Mon. 11/09 BRING YOUR Tues. 11/10 NO Mass GREATEST GIFTS TO THE LORD

Wed. 11/11 8:30 am Chad Wagamon DSF Report as of September 23, 2020 Parish Goal $37,000.00 Thurs 11/12 8:30 am Donna Hebert Total Amount Pledged $39,430.00 Deceased members of Total Amount Paid $37,478.75 Fri. 11/13 8:30 am The Legion of Mary Number of Participants 116 Paid over goal: $478.75 Sat. 11/14 5:30 pm Mary Sewaa

Sun. 11/15 7:45 am Parishioners

Let us pray for the sick Gus & Tyler Gustafson

10:30 am (Birthday) Janice Andrews, Veronica Antwi, James Aubey, Irma Av- alos, Gene Barrett, Jordan Bergeron, Chelsea Brown, 12:30 pm Jose Pablo Martinez Phillip Caito, Janet Caywood, Wren Colligan, Beckham Collins, Sunni Cook, Terry Corral, Melanie Davis,

5:30 pm CSC Julie Delgado, Kathy Delouche, Colin Dufour, David Duesing, Joe Duffy, Sergio Duran, James Elliott, Floyd Gruppa, Melba & Leroy Hall, Dave Hebert, Betty Hodg- es, Viola Kretzschmar, Edwin Laake, Corrina Lawrence, READINGS FOR THE WEEK Paul Legler, Daphne Levey, Al Losack, Katy Losack, A.J. McGee, Sheri McPike, Don Marcotte, Lisa Miller,

Monday: Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Michele Miller, Angel Moncada, Donna Moore, Mary Ann 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17; Jn 2:13-22 Moore, Martin Moreno, Patricia Morrison, Lourdes Mosqueda, Frank O’Donnell, Dawn & Odell Rachal, Vir- Tuesday: Ti 2:1-8, 11-14; Ps 37:3-4, 18, 23, 27, 29; ginia Reed, Nina Rozell, Audra Rumfield, Andrea Lk 17:7-10 Scheel, Marie Santos, Jerry Seaton, Kayden Bryn Shipley, Cheryl Smith, Glenn Stewart, Kathy Stoltz, Shirley Wednesday: Ti 3:1-7; Ps 23:1b-6; Lk 17:11-19 Strubing, Rose Stuber, Betty Thompson, Ray & Christi Thursday: Phlm 7-20; Ps 146:7-10; Lk 17:20-25 Townley, Gordan Travis, Lois Ubanoski, Gilbert Uran- go, Enrique Valadez, Maria Elena Valencia, Kathy Friday: 2 Jn 4-9; Ps 119:1-2, 10-11, 17-18; Vanecek, Matthew Varnum, Kirt Villareal, Rusty Wal- Lk 17:26-37 lace, Bill & Gaitha Walton, Alma Williams

Saturday: 3 Jn 5-8; Ps 112:1-6; Lk 18:1-8

Sunday: Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; Ps 128:1-5; GOD’S WILL 1 Thes 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30 [14-15, 19-21] Lord, if your people need me, I will not refuse the work. Your will be done. —St. Martin of Tours

CHRISTMAS PROJECT 2020

“Be an angel to someone else whenever you can, as a way of thank- ing God for the help your Angel has given you.” - Eileen Elias Freeman

We have already begun identifying families for our Christmas project this year. This year is going to look different from previous years. We need everyone’s help to make this year’s project a success. New this year, you will have options for participating: 1. The traditional format – pick a card, purchase item, return to church 2. Purchase a gift card from Academy, Amazon, Target or Walmart. 3. Request to purchase for a family group. If this is your preference, please email jose- [email protected] by November 16. 4. Utilize an online registry at Amazon, Target (tgt.gifts/StThomasHuntsvilleChristmas) or Walmart. Registries are listed as “St Thomas Huntsville Christmas Project”. Registries will be live on November 20. 5. Make a monetary donation with “Christmas Project” in memo line of check. 6. Help the week of deliveries by sorting, wrapping, organizing, and delivering gifts. If interested in this, email [email protected]. Deliveries to families will be Saturday, December 19.

ALL GIFTS NEED TO BE AT THE CHURCH BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 *************************************************************** PROYECTO DE NAVIDAD 2020

“Sed un ángel para otra persona donde sea que puedas, hazlo como agradecimiento a Dios por la ayuda que tu ángel te dio” - Eileen Elias Freeman

¿Deseas ser un ángel de navidad para una familia? Tenemos la lista de familias que pueden beneficiarse de (su/nuestra) ayuda durante esta navidad. El año 2020 ha sido diferente y con muchos desafíos. Para superar los obstáculos, tendremos oportunidades de servir en variedad de maneras (formas).

Hay varias maneras en la cual usted puede ser un ángel de navidad para las familias. Seleccione de la siguiente lista:

1. Elige una etiqueta con el deseo, compra el artículo escrito en la etiqueta, regresa los artículos a la iglesia.

2. Compra una tarjeta de regalo en una de las siguientes tiendas: Academy, Amazon, Target o Wal-Mart.

3. Desea comprar para toda una familia en particular. Si está interesado, por favor envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected] antes del 16 de noviembre.

4. Utilizar un registro en el internet en una de las siguientes tiendas: Amazon, Target (tgt.gifts/StThomasHuntsville Christmas) o Wal-Mart. Las listas están registradas bajo el nombre de “St Thomas Huntsville Christmas Project”. Las listas de registros se abrirán en el internet el 20 de noviembre.

5. Haz una donación monetaria utilizando un cheque, por favor escribir “Ángeles de Navidad” en la línea de notas del cheque

6. Ayudar durante la semana de entregas con: separar regalos, envolver regalos, organizar, y entregar regalos a las familias. Si está interesado envié un correo electrónico a [email protected]. Haremos las entregas de los regalos a las familias el sábado, 19 de diciembre.

Agradecemos a todos quienes desean ser un ángel de navidad durante esta temporada navideña en lo cual el espíritu de Cristo abunda en nuestros corazo- nes. El escuchar el susurro …(write a special message of Christ and giving).

TODOS LOS REGALOS DEBEN ESTA EN LA IGLESIA EL VIERNES, 11 DE DICIEMBRE

7th grade—12th grade [email protected] (936)295-8159 office (936)520-6524 cell Website: https://saintthomashuntsville.org

Confirmation 2021 DON”T MISS OUT !

Immediate preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation has begun. Meetings will be onsite When: Wednesday nights as much as possible. Where: Online When: Sunday’s at 3:30 p.m. (2x a month) When: 6:30-8:30 Where: Parish Hall NO ONE left behind! Lifeteen is also availa- Cost: $40 donation ble on Google Classroom or lessonscan be The last day to register is: picked up each week on Thursdays. Thursday November 5, 2020 Youth must be registered to participate

October 18, 2020 : STAY Youth assisted with the set-up and delivery of Fall Festival Dinners October 25, 2020 : STAY Youth Barnabas Githinji and Julia De Leon Ponce celebrated the RCIA Rites of Acceptance and Welcoming. Congratulations. October 31/November 01, 2020 STAY Youth will begin their annual food drive that supports the ST. Thomas Thanksgiving and Christmas projects.

1Thessaloni- ans 5:11

Raffle a Huge Success!!

I want to thank our parishioners for their support of the 2020 Fall Festival Raffle. Because of your generosity, we raised $18,932 in Raffle income. For your information, over half of the raffle prizes were won by St. Thomas Parishioners. Thanks again for your help!

Craig Hibbison, Raffle Chairman

Baptism Preparation

English Baptism Sessions . . . Tuesday, November 17th, 6:30 p.m. in the Adult Education Bldg. (1613 Ave N) Pre-register in the parish office is required prior to attending sessions. If your name is not on the list from the office persons will not be allowed to participate. A copy of the child’s birth certificate should be presented at time of registration. Facemasks are required and no children are allowed.

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Preparación para Bautizmo

Sesiones de preparación para el Bautizmo en Español el miercoles 18 y jueves19 de noviembre a las 7:00 p.m. en la iglesia. La preinscripción es requerida. Si su nombre no esta en la lista de la oficina no se permitira participar en las sesiones. El acta de nacimiento debe presentarse al tiempo que se registre en la oficna. No se permiiten niños.

Catholic Daughters of the Americas (CDA) will have their annual Thanksgiving bake sale November 21-22. Due to Covid19 guidelines, our bake sale will have a slightly different look this year. This year we will take pre-orders and will also have a very limited number of items available in the hall. If you are interested in purchasing a home-baked item for your Thanksgiving, our pre-order menu is:

Breads, $6 per Loaf Cookies, $6 per Dozen Pecans, $12 Banana Oatmeal Raisin Halves, 1# bag Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pieces, 1# bag Zucchini Brownies

Pies, $8 Misc. Pumpkin Fudge, $6 per ½ Dozen Sweet Potato Peanut Clusters, $5 per ½ Dozen Buttermilk Apple

Guidelines: * Deadline for pre-orders: November 16, 2020. *Pick up hours: Saturday, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm; Sunday, 8:00am – 12:00pm *Pre-order customers: pick up in hall or drive thru to end of hall, we will deliver to your vehicle *Inside hall customers: masks & social distancing guidelines will be followed *Special circumstances?:no problem, we will deliver, (must be pre-arranged at time of order) *Cash or check accept- ed

Pre-order contacts: (please leave message if no answer) Paula Culak: 936-295-7310 Kalyn Yates: 903-907-1995 Sable Losack: 936-295-8003 Angela Perry: 936-439-9669

Thank you for your continued support of our Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

The Fire of Your Love: The—other—Four Crowned Martyrs

By Will Oliver

Back in early August, I wrote an article about the Four Crowned Martyrs. I discussed how there are two sets of mar- tyrs, and that their Feast Day is celebrated on both August 8 and November 8. The first set (discovered after the second set) of martyrs were the four soldiers, while the second set consisted of five (not four) sculptors. It is about these five stone- carvers for which I address this column. The second set of Four Crowned Martyrs, according to Catholic tradition, were sculptors from Sirmium, located in Northern Serbia today, which, in its heyday, was one of the largest cities in the world (today it only exists in preserved ruins). Their names, recorded in several ancient documents associated with the Roman catacombs, are given as Claudius, Nicostratus, Simpronianus, Castorius, and Simplicitus. While working in Pannonia, another Ancient Roman city at the time (located today in the northern reaches of Italy and into Austria), they were ordered by Emperor Diocletian to sculpt a pagan statue for a temple. Diocletian reigned from 284 to 305 A.D., and these events are believed to have transpired in 287 A.D. As the five sculptors were all Christians who believed in their faith, they refused the Emperor’s order. Diocletian then presented them with an offer for them to atone for their transgressions by allowing them to offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. This the sculptors also refused. Angered over their refusal, the Emperor condemned the five men to death, having them placed in heavy lead coffins, while still alive, and thrown into the Sava River where they ultimately drowned. The bodies of the men, in time, were recovered, and future Saint Sebastian and future Pope Miltiades had them interred in a sandpit, a location where rested the bodies of other Christians executed by the emperor. Sebastian became a martyr the following year when Diocletian ordered him executed, but after being shot full of arrows and remaining very much alive, he was ordered clubbed to death. Miltiades became Pope in 311 A.D., the first to serve as Pope under the reign of the pro-Christian Constantine, but he had a short papacy, dying in 314 A.D. After the end of Diocletian’s reign, when Constantine became Emperor, the persecution of Christians stopped. Pope Miltiades had the sculptors bodies recovered, along with those of the first group. The names of the sculptors became known first, but again, there was some confusion over whether they were four or five in number. Nevertheless, the Pope ordered a church built in Rome, located between the Coliseum and Saint John in Lateran, which became the Basilica Santi Quattro Coronati (The Four Crowned Saints). Their bodies, placed in sarcophagi located in the basilica’s crypt, remain there to this day. Pope Miltiades’ successor, Pope Sylvester, decreed that the two groups would be commemorated together. Due to the continued confusion over the actual number, they were still named the Four Crowned Martyrs and not the five. Still, eventually all five stone-carvers were recognized, and they serve as the patron saints of stonemasons. Over time, the four soldiers came to be venerated on August 8, and the four sculptors venerated on today’s date, November 8. Despite later efforts to return both sets of martyrs to the November 8 date, the two dates still appear on calendars and in the written record.

ESPERAR LO INESPERADO . . . .Si alguna vez se te pasó por la mente que a Jesús le faltaba un poco del sentido del humor, el Evangelio de hoy destierra esa noción. La parábola de Jesús sobre las cinco jóvenes precavidas y las cinco jóvenes descuida- das es sumamente chistosa. Las circunstancias de la parábola sin duda resultaban familiares a los que escuchaban a Jesús, como lo son para nosotros. Las bodas nunca, nunca comienzan a la hora. Siempre hay un retraso. Botones que se caen al último minuto. Flores que se marchitan. Vehículos llenos de invitados atascados en el tráfico. Solistas que contraen laringitis. ¡Novias, novios o sacerdotes que llegan tarde! Así que la única manera razonable de encarar una boda es con buen sentido del humor, conscientes de que algo va a salir mal, y, cuando eso suceda, sonreír. Jesús cuenta esta historia chistosa para alentarnos a que seamos vigilantes, sí; a estar preparados, sí. Pero no nos la cuenta para que nos amarguemos y nos ensombrezcamos. Los apesadumbrados tiemblan, titubean, pierden de vista su lugar y propósito, y se quedan dormidos. Los festivos saben que sucederá lo inesperado –más que seguro —así que están despiertos en su puesto y listos para cumplir su propósito en el acto. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

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EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED . . . .If it ever crossed your mind that Jesus was somewhat lacking in a sense of humor, to- day’s Gospel should belie any such notion. Jesus’ story of the five wise and five foolish bridesmaids is downright hilarious. The circumstances of the story were surely familiar to Jesus’ listeners, just as they are—if we think about it—to us. Weddings never, ever start on time. There’s always a delay. Buttons pop off at the last minute. Flowers wilt. Cars full of wedding guests get caught in traffic. Soloists contract laryngitis. Brides or grooms or priests show up late! So the only reasonable way to approach a wedding is with a sense of humor, to realize that something probably will go awry, and, when that happens, to smile about it. Jesus tells this funny story to encourage us to be watchful, yes; to be ready, yes. But he doesn’t tell it to make us dour and somber. The heavy-hearted tremble, waver, lose sight of their place and purpose, and fall asleep. The lighthearted know that the unexpected will happen—is bound to happen—so they are awake in their place and ready in their purpose when it comes. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church . . . 2020 Fall Festival Raffle Prize Winners

1. $500 - Ward Furniture Gift Certificate ...... ……………… ………..Les Thompson 2. $500 - Buckner’s Jewelry Gift Certificate ...... Patrick Antwi 3. $500 - Messina Hof Winery Get-Away ...... Craig Hibbison 4. $500 - Home Depot Gift Card ...... Jamie Rodgers 5. $500 - Amazon Gift Card ...... Berta Ramirez 6. $500 - Best Buy Gift Card ...... Chris Coker 7. $500 - Brookshire Brothers Gift Card………………………………………….Janice Andrews 8. $500 - H-E-B Gift Card ...... Sean Oltman 9. $500 - Wal-Mart Gift Card ...... Vince Zinnante 10. $500 - Golf Package ...... Ann Dorn 11. $500 - Walker County Hardware Gift Card ...... David & Sherri Seals 12 $500 - Nike Gift Card …………………………………………………….…….. Cutty Gilbert 13. $500 - Two Stationary Egg Chairs…………………………………………….Charley Sanders 14. $500 - Margaritaville Lake Resort Get-Away ...... Samantha Davis 15. $300 - Target Gift Card ...... Dion McInnis 16. $300 - Kroger Gift Card...... Joe Malleske 17. $300 - Home Depot Gift Card ...... Johnny Willis 18. $300 - Academy Sports Outdoors Gift Card ...... Michael Carter 19. $300 - McCoy’s Gift Card ...... Judith MacDonald 20. $300 - Brookshire Brothers Gift Card ...... Judy Ogden 21. $300 - H-E-B Gift Card ...... Fr. Fred Valone 22. $300 - Wal-Mart Gift Card ...... Frank Cremer 23. $300 - Marshall’s ...... Betty Thompson 24. $300 - Aldi’s Gift Card ...... Kathy Price 25. $300 – West Sandy Creek Winery Package ...... Cristina Woods

CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS St. Thomas the Apostle Church #921900 1323 16th Street Huntsville, TX 77340

TELEPHONE 936 295-8159

CONTACT PERSON Sylvia Vitela Kathy Boscarino Cell #936 520-6524

EMAIL: [email protected]

SOFTWARE MSPublisher 2010 Adobe Acrobat XI Windows 7

PRINTER OneNote 2010

TRANSMISSION TIME Tuesday 12:00

SUNDAY DATE OF PUBLICATION October 1, 2017

NUMBER OF PAGES SENT 1 through 8

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS Please print only 300 copies.