Pope Francis Establishes 'Word of God' Sunday
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NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN JUAN, TX PERMIT NO. 40 Volume 11, Issue 8 Serving More Than A Million Catholics in the Diocese of Brownsville JANUARY 2020 Listen to the Word of God Paul Haring / Catholic News Service Pope Francis establishes ‘Word of God’ Sunday By CAROL GLATZ proprio,” on the pope’s own initiative. Its title, Catholic News Service Aperuit Illis, is based on a verse from the Gospel of St. Luke, “Then he opened their minds to VATICAN CITY — To help the church understand the Scriptures.” grow in love and faithful witness to God, Pope “The relationship between the risen Lord, the Francis has declared Jan. 26, the third Sunday in community of believers and sacred Scripture is Ordinary Time, to be dedicated to the word of essential to our identity as Christians,” the pope God. said in the apostolic letter, released by the Vatican Salvation, faith, unity and mercy all depend Sept. 30, the feast of St. Jerome, patron saint of on knowing Christ and sacred Scripture, the biblical scholars. pontiff said in a document issued last fall. “The Bible cannot be just the heritage of Devoting this special day “to the celebration, some, much less a collection of books for the study and dissemination of the word of God” will benefit of a privileged few. It belongs above all to help the church “experience anew how the risen those called to hear its message and to recognize Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and themselves in its words,” the pope wrote. enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches “The Bible is the book of the Lord’s people, Catholic News Service before the world,” the pope said. who, in listening to it, move from dispersion “Sunday of the Word of God will be observed and division toward unity” as well as come to In the top photo, Pope Francis holds up a Bible as he promotes reading of the Bible at Mass Jan. 26 in every parish of every diocese understand God’s love and become inspired to during his Angelus delivered from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s around the world,” said Luis Espinoza, Director share it with others, he added. Square at the Vatican in 2014. In the photo above, Pope Francis holds up the Book of of Liturgy & Worship for the Diocese of Without the Lord who opens people’s minds Gospels during Mass. To help the Church grow in love and faithful witness to God, the Brownsville. to his word, it is impossible to understand the Pontiff has declared Jan. 26, the third Sunday in ordinary time, to be dedicated to the The declaration to have Sunday of the Word Scriptures in depth, yet “without the Scriptures, Word of God. of God was made in a document, given “motu » Please see Word of God p.2 Pro-Life EN ESPAÑOL Spirit Awards ...Page 7-10 Páginas 10-12 ...Page 14 Artículos sobre resoluciones que todo cristiano How to become Catholic puede hacer en Año Nuevo y el retiro y estudio involved in Schools de “Teología del Cuerpo: Curso de Inmersión de the Pro-Life Week, Mente y Corazón”, que se presenta en español movement Jan. 27-31, por primera vez. as the Feb. 8 begins with March for Life Spirit Awards. approaches. For video and more photos Visit the Diocese of Brownsville on its social media pages. 2 DIOCESE The Valley Catholic - January 2020 Blessings at Sacred Heart Parish Paul Binz / The Valley Catholic Bishop Daniel E. Flores blessed the church and consecrated the new altar at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Mercedes on Dec. 17 as part of the parish’s 50th anniversary celebration. Sacred Heart Church started as a mission chapel of Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church. The first building used as the church was located on Missouri Street in Mercedes. The chapel was moved to the present Sacred Heart Church location when the parish was erected in 1969 by Bishop Humberto Medeiros. Please pray for our bishops La Posada Providencia celebrates on their journey to Rome Please offer your prayers at this time for Bishop Daniel E. 30 years of ‘welcoming’ Flores and Auxiliary Bishop Mario A. Avilés as they travel to Rome later this month for their ad limina meeting with Pope Francis. On this quinquennial (every five years) visit, our bishops will give an account of the condition of the diocese and receive the Pontiff’s admonitions and counsels. Courtesy photo More than a hundred people gathered at San Benito’s Community Center on Dec. 8 to celebrate La Posada Providencia’s 30th anniversary with a dinner honoring those who have been and remain connected to its ministry of “welcoming the stranger.” Cameron County Commissioner Gus Ruiz and County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. present Program Director Sister Zita Telkamp, CDP, with a proclamation from Cameron County marking La Posada Providencia’s 30 years of welcoming the stranger in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. shut, struck as we are by so many the beauty of God’s word and to Word of God forms of blindness,” he wrote. see it applied to their daily lives,” continued from pg. 1 Sacred Scripture and the he wrote. 700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, TX 78589-3042 sacraments are inseparable, he Pope Francis also encouraged Telephone: (956) 781-5323 • Fax: (956) 784-5082 wrote. Jesus speaks to everyone people to read the Second Vatican the events of the mission with his word in sacred Council’s dogmatic constitution, Bishop Daniel E. Flores South Texas Circulation of Jesus and of his church Scripture, and if people “hear his Dei Verbum, and Pope Benedict Publisher Circulation in this world would remain voice and open the doors of our XVI’s apostolic exhortation, Brenda Nettles Riojas The Valley Catholic email: incomprehensible,” he wrote. minds and hearts, then he will Verbum Domini, whose teaching Editor [email protected] Pope Francis said in the enter our lives and remain ever remains “fundamental for our Paul Binz letter, “A day devoted to the Bible with us,” he said. communities.” Follow us on Facebook Assistant Editor should not be seen as a yearly Pope Francis urged priests The third Sunday in Ester Salas Catholic Diocese of Brownsville www.cdob.org event but rather a yearlong to be extra attentive to creating Ordinary Time falls during that Graphic Artist event, for we urgently need to a homily throughout the year part of the year when the church Subscription rate Ricardo Treviño grow in our knowledge and love that “speaks from the heart” and is encouraged to strengthen its Content Developer $15 per year • $17 outside of Texas $25 out of U.S. of the Scriptures and of the risen really helps people understand bonds with the Jewish people Lord, who continues to speak his Scripture “through simple and and to pray for Christian unity. Member of The Valley Catholic, a publication of the word and to break bread in the suitable” language. That means the celebration of the Catholic Press Association Diocese of Brownsville, is published monthly community of believers.” The homily “is a pastoral the Sunday of the Word of God Advertising “We need to develop a opportunity that should not “has ecumenical value, since the Gustavo Morales Gilbert Saenz Paul Binz closer relationship with sacred be wasted. For many of our Scriptures point out, for those (956) 266-1527 (956) 451-5416 (956) 784-5055 Scripture; otherwise, our hearts faithful, in fact, this is the only who listen, the path to authentic Parishes and missions please call Paul Binz at (956) 784-5055 for church rates. will remain cold and our eyes opportunity they have to grasp and firm unity.” January 2020 - The Valley Catholic DIOCESE 3 Knights of Columbus cross border to help stranded immigrants Flores told the immigrants Program has gathered. “You have an identity that God has given you as sons made stops in and daughters of God.” It is that sort of respect and recognition for immigrants 3 Mexico cities that has shone through in the By R. DANIEL CAVAZOS distributions the Knights of The Valley Catholic Columbus have made in three Mexican border cities in the last BROWNSVILLE — The few months of 2019. The Knights’ doors of the truck trailer swung border initiative started in El open, and three bishops peered Paso, as council and parishes inside for a look. there started efforts in early 2019 The trailer was filled with to raise funds to cover expenses food, shoes, socks and personal to provide basic necessities for hygiene items. This was a immigrants that had gathered in mission of mercy, a way-stop in Juárez. Brownsville before the supplies The needs were ongoing and crossed over to Matamoros to grew increasingly urgent, so help immigrants marooned in Knights in El Paso reached out the Mexican border city. to Simonton for help. The Texas Knights of Columbus from Supreme Director reached out Texas and Mexico gathered to the national organization and around Bishop Daniel E. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson Flores and Auxiliary Bishop to make him aware of the Mario Avilés of the Diocese of situation. Those discussions led Knights of Columbus / Special to The Valley Catholic Anderson to create the Southern Brownsville, and Bishop Eugenio Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Bishop Eugenio Lira of Matamoros and Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés join Knights of Columbus and Lira of Matamoros. Bishop Flores Border Initiative, which to date Caballeros de Colón, their counterparts in Mexico, on Dec. 13 for a distribution of essentials to refugees in Matamoros as part has provided more than $200,000 led a prayer and a blessing of the of the Knights’ Southern Border Initiative.