News - September 2023

This gift which we receive personally also makes us one with others. We become truly unique and diverse and play a part in the body of Christ. We also live in a world of such division based on language, race and other factors.

Three transitional deacons from the Czech Republic visited Texas, taking in both the local culture and Liturgies during the summer season.

In the heart of the Archdiocese, a strong foundation of unwavering support and commitment to its priests exists, guiding them through the intricacies of their calling while ensuring they remain in good spiritual, mental and physical health along the journey.

Father Joseph Perez, a Houston native, left the city in 1971 as a fresh-faced, newly ordained young diocesan priest for mission work in Guatemala, helping the poor build better lives.

With heavy responsibilities at times weighing on priests as pastors and vicars, they have turned to Father Phil “Skip” Negley, M.S., as spiritual director and retreat organizer for many of them. At the time, then-Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza selected Father Negley to be the first director for the Office of Ministry to Priests when it was founded in 1998.

More than 800 Catholics from Houston’s Venezuelan community turned out to honor Our Lady of Coromoto at St. Laurence Catholic Church in Sugar Land on Sept. 9. The Mass, celebrated in Spanish, included traditional Venezuelan music, a shrine of Marian statues, and a special, lively procession of a statue of Our Lady of Coromoto.

In one of the most significant moments in Polish post-war history, the Ulma family was beatified in Markowa on Sept. 10. I think it will only get me at night when I come back home because now I still can’t believe it,” Jerzy Ulma, nephew of Blessed Józef Ulma, told OSV News.

Altar serving has a critical role to play in vocations to the priesthood. For decades, studies have shown that around 70% of priests were once altar servers. It’s the one pre-seminary activity that they have most in common.

Common to all Catholics is the act of attending Mass. In today’s hectic world with a myriad of family and work responsibilities, this weekend routine too often becomes mundane, causing some to resent taking the time — only one hour a week — when God has given us all so many blessings during the previous six days.

In an effort to ensure the experience that young pilgrims had at World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon in August didn’t stay in Portugal, Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, hosted a reunion for some 40 pilgrims on Sept. 16 at St. Dominic Center in Houston. Across two sessions of reflection, prayer and discussion, as well as Mass and lunch, Bishop Dell’Oro encouraged the pilgrims to remember what happened in Lisbon at WYD.

The Church teaches that its mission rests upon the faithful who are called as Apostles to mirror Christ’s teachings found in the Gospels, spreading His message of love and redemption to all. The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC) embraces this mission to ensure the 146 Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese remain committed to spreading Christ’s love to meet the evolving and unique needs of the local Church.

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, traveled to Beaumont to celebrate several milestones for Bishop-Emeritus Curtis J. Guillory, SVD, DD.

When I heard the word “stewardship” for the first time, I did not find a Spanish translation that satisfied me or was easy to understand. Stewardship in Spanish means “administration,” so it was difficult for me to translate it into action within the Church since I was wondering: How can I be an administrator or have co-responsibility in the administration of the church?

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, speaking to more than 300 deacons at their annual convocation Aug. 5, urged them to accept changes in future formation that could reassign them to serve other parishes in need rather than just their “home” parish.

To welcome the new school year in prayer, about 1,000 teachers and staff filled the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Aug. 11 to celebrate a back-to-school Mass with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS.

At a quick glance, a Texas flag flapping in the wind sure does look a lot like the flag of the South American country of Chile. This common mistake often united eager Chileans with friendly Texans at World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, Portugal, eliciting laughs and Spanish (though sometimes broken) conversation and a happy exchange.

As we look forward to the upcoming months, our Archdiocese is preparing to celebrate a series of “Color Masses” that hold deep significance within the Roman Catholic tradition. These Masses not only honor specific vocations and professions but also serve as reminders of our shared commitment to faith, service and community. In this column, I would like to shed light on the meaning and importance of these Color Masses that will grace our congregations in the coming months.

In September, we celebrated a holiday here in the U.S. called “Labor Day.” For many of us, despite the ongoing heat we experience here in Houston, this holiday marks, if not the end of summer, at least a return to more regular school and work schedules.

I am honored to be one of the Eucharistic preachers of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). I had the honor to preach a Eucharistic Revival preaching series in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.