News - June 2023

What began in Galveston ended in Houston. Often leaning on a golden crosier that belonged to Bishop Nicholas Gallagher, the third bishop of Galveston, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo celebrated the 175th anniversary closing Mass on May 3 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston. The Mass drew the year-long anniversary celebration to a prayerful end.

“We haven’t completed the walk yet. The journey is still going on, but we’ve made progress... we can’t stop now; we have to keep going.” These words from the late-Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza serve as the basis for the new capital campaign for the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.

On a elaborate stitched rug, a grouping of orange chrysanthemums proclaimed a special message in Polish: "Boże Ciało," or "Corpus Christi" in English, reflected the day's celebration, one that reflected dozens of prayers and events around the Archdiocese for the feast of Corpus Christi.

Tom O’Driscoll was running when a thought came to mind. “Why do I spend so much time keeping my body fit?” he questioned. “And the first answer that came into my head was, “Because I want to look good. That was not a good answer and was vanity.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is shepherding people to move from crisis to sustainability in its “Getting Ahead” program that held a recent graduation ceremony. So far, 49 people — mostly women, four men and minorities — have graduated from the 16-week program that helps participants gain resources and networks to pull themselves out of poverty.

Dressed mostly in white with colorful scarves as accents, hundreds of Hispanic women celebrated Mass on May 16 with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and more than a dozen pastors and deacons.

Not even a fire could stop their journey. Father Zachary Muldrow, Father Matthew Krusleski and Father J Serrato were ordained to the priesthood by Daniel Cardinal Dinardo at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston on June 3.

Hace unos meses atrás les compartía que la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de los Estados Unidos había anunciado un Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional con un proceso de tres años. Este Avivamiento Eucarístico busca renovar la Iglesia católica de los Estados Unidos a través de una mayor apreciación del misterio Eucarístico, de la presencia sacrificial de Jesucristo que es la razón misma de la existencia de la Iglesia en primer lugar.

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. This stark judgment of St. Jerome highlights the importance of having direct and personal knowledge of the inspired books of the Holy Bible. The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful... to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ,’ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures” (

On June 19, 1865, in Galveston, General Gordon Granger announced to all the slaves of Texas that they were free. Even though President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, the word of that “freedom” took almost 2½ years to reach Texas. General Robert E. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865, and that word would still be unknown to my people for two more months.

The flag of Vatican City, yellow and white with crossed keys under the papal tiara, is incorrect in many emojis, flying outside the United Nations and often even on Vatican buildings.

Empowering women released from incarceration to identify their strengths, set their own agenda, and make constructive changes is an effective way to help them transition back into their communities and lead productive lives.

Graduation is upon us, and for high school seniors, this is the twilight of their childhood education. This summer, the seniors will pack their bags and see a new dawn on the horizon — college.

Actor Shia LaBeouf, known for starring in movies like Transformers and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, plays a new role of revered Catholic saint Padre Pio released in theaters and streaming June 2.

A colorful mural with swirls of red pouring from Christ on the cross into a chalice for all to partake is the latest to join Houston’s vibrant street art scene. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo blessed the painting on May 31, located at the downtown intersection of Fannin and Jefferson, across from the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

We are in a year of Eucharistic Revival, a time of careful thinking and consideration about our love of the Eucharist, the summit and center of worship, and the backbone of our mutual charity. Let us remember our heritage, our history, our recent joys of adding new members, and our well-founded hope: Christ!