News - July 2023

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has released a statement in response to recent media reports.

On May 27, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo confirmed 10 men at the TDCJ Ramsey prison unit in Rosharon. Three others were baptized.

The Eucharist is the summit of our faith, in which the entire story of our salvation is made real in a miraculous and powerful way. The Roman Missal calls Holy Eucharist the “Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received; the memory of His passion is renewed; the mind is filled with grace; and a pledge of future glory is given unto us.”

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have a special opportunity to embrace and welcome the 2024 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage the weekend after Memorial Day in 2024.

With the feast of Corpus Christi last month in early June, the National Eucharistic Revival enters its second year and shifts its focus to parish renewal — a year organizers expect will inspire more parishes to increase the Eucharist’s visibility in their communities through Eucharistic processions.

Leaders and volunteers at Loving Choice, a Catholic organization providing women and their families withneeded assistance and support during an unplanned pregnancy, say the Holy Spirit and the teachings of the Catholic Church help guide their efforts in supporting parents through this often-challenging process.

The empowerment of youth ministry leaders plays a crucial role in fostering adolescents’ faith and spiritual growth, ultimately guiding the young Church into a full, active and conscious participation in Christ’s mission.

A hand-painted icon of Sts. Anne and Joachim accompanied nearly 100 marriage formation leaders during a June 26-28 conference, where they explored new ways, namely a catechumenal model, to form men and women for their vocation to marriage.

Father William “Bill” Bueche, C.Ss.R., vested for Mass, started dancing to Spanish music playing as he prepared to process in with other priests and bishops during the 2018 National Encuentro conference of 3,000 Hispanic leaders and delegates.

Each summer, Catholic parishes in the United States participate in the Missionary Cooperative Plan. In this program, missionaries from around the world are invited by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo to speak during the Mass, sharing stories of their work and asking for support. There is a mutual benefit. The missionary receives prayer and financial assistance to continue, and the parish community gains a connection to the universal Church.

I invite you to reflect on your adolescent years and recall your intermediate years or “middle school” era. Some of our experiences might not look as pretty as others, but I am more than positive we wouldn’t have it any other way. Despite our experiences, adolescence is a beautiful development stage filled with growth and zeal for belonging and learning.

Pope Francis will have nine events with young people, including hearing their confessions and eating lunch with them, during his Aug. 2 to 6 trip to Portugal. He will arrive in Lisbon on Aug. 2, where he will be welcomed by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, president of Portugal, and meet with government officials, including Prime Minister António Costa. The pope will then pray vespers with local bishops, priests, religious, seminarians and pastoral workers.

Meeting in Orlando for their spring assembly, the U.S. bishops moved ahead on some efforts to advance the Church’s mission in the U.S., including new pastoral initiatives aimed at activating Catholics as missionary disciples. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, was joined by Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, attended the gathering, whose June 15 to 16 plenary sessions proved relatively smooth but featured moments of vigorous discussion at a few points, particularly around the formation of priests.

At its recent Children’s Charities Grant Presentation, the Charity Guild of Catholic Women awarded a record $657,500 to 56 nonprofit charities benefiting children in need in the Greater Houston area, including a $100,000 gift to San José Clinic.

Everyone is a participant in the Eucharist and thus should be conscious of what is happening; everyone is active in a very distinctive way and should be joyful that the Lord is “working” in the midst of the assembly.