Prayer: the Faith Prayed Catechetical Sunday 2016
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Prayer: The Faith Prayed Catechetical Sunday 2016 Copyright © 2016, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved. 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time September 18, 2016 “Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD. Blessed be the name of the LORD both now and forever.” Psalm 113 This year, as the Church celebrates Catechetical Sunday, we reflect on the theme, "Prayer: The Faith Prayed." Those who the Community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. Catechetical Sunday is an opportunity for all to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith. This year’s theme invites all the baptized—especially catechists and Catholic school teachers—to devote themselves to a deeper study and practice of prayer, for their own spiritual good and for the good of those they serve. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, our own patron, says of prayer “…prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.” St. Francis de Sales says “every one of us needs half an hour of prayer each day, except when we’re busy—then we need an hour.” Our Lord’s disciples frequently observed him interrupting his journeys in order to spend long hours alone in prayer to his heavenly Father. They were moved to ask him to teach them how to pray. May we be moved this year to do the same as an essential element of our discipleship. May we all draw closer to the Lord and to one another through a deeper and more faithful commitment to prayer, in private and with others, in communion with the sacramental life of the Church. Let us continue to pray each day for all school teachers and catechists as they guide our children in the ways of faith. Scan this QR code with your smartphone for easy online giving! Statement in Response to Catholics for Choice Campaign On Monday, full-page advertisements ran in the San Antonio Express-News, the Houston Chronicle, and the Dallas Morning News from a Washington D.C.- based entity called Catholics for Choice. Despite what is implied by its name, Catholics for Choice is not a member- oriented organization and has no affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, it is financed by grants from a few secular organizations pushing a pro-abortion agenda. It seldom ventures beyond Washington to Texas, unless it is to buy expensive, full-page ads when it serves their pro-abortion agenda. It is not clear why Catholics for Choice chose a handful of individuals identifying themselves as Catholics as ambassadors for the false premise that refusal to pay for someone’s abortion is an assault on anyone’s God-given dignity. The only assault on dignity in this discussion is the abortion, which ends one life and irrevocably diminishes countless other lives. The misguided campaign of the so-called “Catholics for Choice” organization misrepresents the moral guidance of our Church. The Bishops of the United States, in accord with our Holy Father, Pope Francis, have been unequivocal in proclaiming the dignity of unborn human life. Millions of Catholics in Texas actively live out this teaching in our pro-life ministries and advocacy. Nor is it clear why this small activist group insists on describing itself as “Catholic” when it apparently declines to embrace and live the principles of the Catholic faith. Catholic social teaching is based on and inseparable from our understanding of human life and human dignity. Every person, from the moment of conception to natural death, has inherent dignity and a right to life consistent with that dignity. Catholics, by definition, are in accord with the essential teachings of the Church and embrace the faith that has been handed down to us through Jesus Christ and the apostles. Someone cannot call themselves a Catholic, yet reject the sanctity of life by active support of abortion. Sept. 12, 2016 Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Most Rev. Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S, Archdiocese of San Antonio Most Rev. Steven J. Lopes, STD, Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Most Rev. Kevin J. Farrell, Diocese of Dallas Faithful Citizenship and the Catholic Vote We are all called to Faithful Citizenship If you are struggling to make a decision about who to vote for in the 2016 election, or even if your mind is made up, consider joining Deacon Larry Vaclavik for a presentation and discussion of the US Bishops’ document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” Deacon Larry will help us to consider how our faith should shape and challenge our political participation and voting. This will be a fully non-partisan evening and yet will allow us to see how our faith lives and our political lives do intersect and, in fact, should be in alignment even in this challenging year. Whether you already have your decision, or whether you have lots of questions, mark your calendar for Thursday evening, September 29, 7:30 – 8:30, in the Fellowship Hall. All are welcome. Journey of Hope Divorced or separated, and Catholic, can be a challenge. We invite you to come and meet with others on Sunday, September 18, in the Brides Room at St Theresa’s from 3:00—5:30 pm. We gather, share, fellowship and pray together. Our goal is that you will feel welcome . More info , email: [email protected] Our altar flowers this weekend were donated by Patricia and Norman Chersky in memory of Dorothy Hilligiest and Leona Cichersky If you would like to submit an announcement for our bulletin, please send it to: [email protected]. St. Theresa Women’s Club The St. Theresa Women's Club is responsible for helping purchase altar breads and wines, maintaining the altar, sacristy, and sanctuary of the church, and other projects. Won't you join this worthwhile group to support our events? If you are able to help, please fill out the form below and place it in the box in the Narthex. This will allow us to keep you informed of all our events. We meet the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall. A small fee to join is used to fund supplies for the altar. We thank you in advance for your assistance in this very important ministry. Name:__________________________ Home phone:___________________ Cell phone:______________________ Email address:___________________ I prefer to be contacted at my _____home number ____cell number ______email I am most interested in helping with: __ altar care ___baking for fundraising or church events ___membership drive ___helping serve at fundraising events ___any events as needed Questions? Contact Cristela Flores at [email protected] or 713-560-7863. Donut Ministry To build community and encourage fellowship, are hoping to be able to offer donuts and coffee after the 8 am and 10 am Mass each Sunday. In order to do this, we need your help! If you are able to give a few hours of your time once every one or two months to help in this ministry, please contact Cristela Flores at [email protected]. Black Box Collection Next weekend’s Black Box Collection will be and emergency collection for the 2016 Louisiana Flood. As many as 60,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, and many lives have been drastically changed. This emergency collection will provide humanitarian aid through Catholic Charities and will also assist the pastoral and rebuilding needs of the affected dioceses. Please give generously. St. Theresa Early Childhood Center We are keeping up with the times! As you know, St. Theresa Early Childhood Center is committed to providing high quality childcare while encouraging the physical, social, and cognitive development of each child in a safe, healthy environment. Part of the commitment to our families is daily communication about their child’s activities. We have found a program that allows safe and secure sharing from our caregivers to parents. Photos and videos of the child give parents a view of their day. Daily reports keep them informed of the daily activities and learning experiences that happen while parents are at work. The system requires the use of iPad or iPad minis; however, two of our iPads are no longer working. If you might be able to contribute monetarily to the purchase of new ones, or if you have one that you’d like to put to good use, please contact Cindy Clements, STECC Director, at [email protected]. Thank you! Middle School Youth THE QUEST MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH LEADERSHIP FORMATION Saturday, October 22, 10 am—4 pm (lunch included) St. Dominic’s Pastoral Center Auditorium The Quest is a leadership program designed for youth in grades 6th-8th. The program introduces youth to the Servant-Leadership model in a three year cycle by providing them with the building blocks needed for peer ministry. Through skits, community building games, activities, workshops, and prayer, each year youth will focus on a different skill of leadership while discovering and enriching their own gifts. Cycle A covers: What is Servant Leadership?, Exploring Your Gifts, Vocations, Small Group Facilitation as well as Brainstorming and Program Ideas section. This will help youth to create and implement program ideas for the coming year. If your middle school child would like to attend this one-day program, please contact Adrian Leal at [email protected] for more info and to register.