Fifth Week of Ordinary Time

February 5, 2019

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

In the life of faith, we are called to persistence and perseverance. We all know that it is hard to try and try again to repair relationships or conquer a bad habit, but we are call to not give up. Jesus tells Peter in the Gospel this Sunday to put out his nets into the deep for a catch, and even though he have been fishing all night and caught nothing, he acquiesces to Jesus’ request. Peter’s success is beyond his imagining. He catches such an abundance of fish and now he has to call others for help with his abundance. God brings us to places in our lives in which we simply have to listen and move forward. It is in this test, where we receive our abundance.

DSF 2019 starts in a next week with “DSF Commitment Sunday.” Cardinal DiNardo is sending everyone an appeal letter and pledge card and he wants to encourage each and every one to become involved with DSF 2019. I know that we are in difficult economic times, yet each of us has been blessed in so many ways, and we are called to share those blessings with others.
The Bible is at the heart of our Catholic Faith, and our relationship with God. STHY will be offering a Bible study called The Bible Timeline, which will take everyone on a 24 week journey through the entire Bible. Classes are being held on Tuesdays with the morning session at 9:00 am - 11:00 am and evening sessions at 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm. Go to Sthaycinth.org for more information on the program.

I send out my sincere thanks to all who made a pledge for our Building Faith, Family and Future … our Sanctuary, our Home… Capital Campaign. I truly appreciate your generosity and support. To make a donation, Envelopes are in the Narthex along with our collection box for our Capital campaign or you can do so online through the parish website.

There is a new Safe environment program that is offered by the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston. The CMG Safe Haven online training is replacing the VIRTUS training. The training consists training videos that is approximately 60 minutes and will include a criminal background check that must be completed. All Safe Environment trainings will only be available online. All individuals must complete the training and complete a background check prior to the start of employment and/or volunteer service in the Church.
Go to: https://GalvestonHouston.CMGConnect.org/ or click the Safe Environment banner at St. Hyacinth.org.

Now that the list of clergy accused of sexual misconduct is published, what do we do? First of all, pray for those — especially our precious children — who have been hurt by the evil actions of those in the Church. There is no excuse for such depravity, and clergy should be held to the highest standard. We should help those abused with counseling, love and respect for bringing these grave offenses into the light, at times at great cost to their hearts and souls.

    At the same time, we must not allow the sins of a few to discourage our faith in the Church. Our eyes need to be fixed on Christ alone!   Please do not let the sins of a few drive you away from the graces of our sacraments. Doing so only hurts our own hearts.

The work of the Church must continue even in the midst of crisis. The Mystical Body of Christ is called to love even in the midst of sin and failure. Let us not give any more power to evil than it already has. We cannot change what was, but we can bring a renewed vigor to our Church.

We are in the process of organizing a Pilgrimage to Italy for October 2019. We plan to visit the cities of Venice, Padua, Siena Macerata, Florence, Assisi and Rome. From the dates of October 7th -18th, 2019, we will be visiting historical religious sites and museums along with celebrating Mass throughout the tour. Tour information flyers are in the Narthex near the monitor, or go to our parish website, Sthyacinth.org and click Parish Pilgrimage 2019 under the Parish Life tab, and or you can contact the parish office at 281-479-4298.

Finally, I want everyone to keep Permanent Deacon Candidate Mr. Charles Pitman in your prayers. Deacon candidate Charles, along with 40 men will be ordained to the Permanent Deaconate later this month on February 22^nd at the Co Cathedral downtown. Please keep Mr. Charles Pitman in your prayers and wish him the best as he is ordained for the service of the Church.

God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels