Fourth Week of Easter

May 7, 2019

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

          In this week’s readings from The Gospel of John gives us an image of Jesus the Good Shepherd who calls his sheep by name. While living the spiritual life, we are called to attune our ears to the voice of our Good Shepherd. Only after we have listened to His voice and heard His call can we then follow him. Now is the time to really consider how Jesus is calling you.

          May 30^th marks the 10th Anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood. On Sunday June 2^nd, for the noon Mass, I will celebrate a special Mass of thanksgiving and afterwards there will be reception in Guyot Hall. I invite everyone to come out and celebrate my ordination anniversary to the priesthood.

There is an opportunity for the Young men in our parish to participate in a retreat. Explore retreat is for high school boys ages 15-18, will be held June 4^th – 6^th , who want to experience Christ and grow in relationship with Him. It is an opportunity to set time aside to explore seminary life and learn about the call to holiness and priesthood. This retreat will consist of music, games, faith sharing, fellowship, outdoor activities, creative prayer experiences and much more. Explore will be facilitated by seminarians studying for the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Forms and promotional material at:www.houstonvocations.com/explore-retreat

Summer is almost here and that means Vacation Bible School. Registration has begun for this yearly event which will be held July 8^TH-12^TH in Guyot Hall. This year’s theme will be “Roar: Life is Wild - God is good.” This VBS event is a wonderful time for our young people to explore their relationship with Christ and the Church. Last year VBS had over 170 kids participating along with over 50 teen and adult volunteers helping our young people grow in their relationship with Christ and the Church. Go to the STHY Facebook page or website to review VBS 2018. If you have time to volunteer this summer, the Vacation Bible School would be a great place for you to help. Please continue to pray for the young people of our parish.

          As we gear up for the summer, I want to make you all aware of the 2019 Annual Archdiocesan Youth Conference which takes place this year on July 26^th -28^th at the Hilton Americas Hotel/ George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston under the theme “Surrender to God” The primary focus for A.Y.C. is to rejuvenate the faith life of our youth, to help them get serious about life in Christ and His Church, and to learn the truth of the Gospel. All who participate will be blessed with powerful witness and messages from major presenters including our own Cardinal DiNardo. The A.Y.C. 2018 was a major success with a record number 2500 young people participating in the event from throughout our Archdiocese. For A.Y.C. 2019, we are hoping to send a number of our young people to this event so that we can help them grow in their faith.

          Registration for A.Y.C. 2019 is currently underway. If you would like to sponsor a young person for this event, contact our Faith Formation office.

          There will be an opportunity for the young men of STHY to listen to the call of God to the priesthood. A Men’s Discernment Retreat – will be held on July 19^th – 21^st for men ages 18-35 who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood. This is an opportunity to set aside some time of silence to listen to the voice of God in your life, listen to inspiring talks and guidance for your discernment process, learn the tools of discernment, sharpen your discerning skills, and have a one-on-one visit with a priest and seminarian. Advance telephone interview required for registration; and scholarships are available. More info found on http://www.houstonvocations.com/retreats/mens-discernment-retreat/

          STHY is a wonderful parish and has a strong faith community and I assure you that I am very fortunate to be your Pastor. I know that you will do whatever you can to make this Capital campaign a success. We entrust this campaign to the intercession of Our Blessed Mother and our patron St Hyacinth. Thanking you in advance for your response in faith. As your pastor, I invite you to discern how best you are able to support this capital campaign to build Family, Faith and Future… our Sanctuary…. Our Home.
Finally, on Behalf of STHY, I want to wish all the Mothers of our Church community a happy and blessed Mothers’ day.

God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels
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