In the Gospel for Sunday, we are all reminded of the holiness for families is not dependent upon perfection. As Mary and Joseph show us, holiness is dependent upon faithful obedience to God. This feast today calls us all to be this kind of Holy family. A Holy Family that is right with God through our actions within our own families, workplace and daily interactions with others. In light of our relationship with Jesus, lets allow our hearts to be moved this Christmas season and bring joy to the world.
As we continue our Christmas celebration, please join us for a wonderful evening of celebration with the Christmas Cantata ‘Night of the Fathers Love’ this afternoon at 3:00 pm in the Church. Please come to the concert and support the music program here at STHY.
I want to thank our entire ministry team who help bring to St. Hyacinth a wonderful Christmas liturgy. Without the Sacristans, Ushers, Greeters, Altar servers, Readers, Acolytes, Musicians, and Choirs; we could not have a Christmas celebration in the Church. Thank you all and your efforts are appreciated by everyone.
I want to thank all the wonderful people who were responsible for decorating the church, Guyot Hall, the Religious Education building and the church grounds this Christmas season. There is a whole host of people who have given of their time and talent to come and make sure that our Christmas environment would glorify God here at STHY. I want to say a special thank you to Margie Gulledge, the Liturgical Environment Team, Floral Ministry team, and volunteers who worked on a wonderful vision of Christmas for our parish. On behalf of us all here at St. Hyacinth, Thank you soo very much.
As we enter a new year, let us all think of ways in which we can make life easier for ourselves and the parish. Recall that our electronic payment system, Faith Direct, is an easy and secure way to see that your offertory contributions to the church are made on a timely basis. It is an easy and wonderful way to contribute to the church. You can register in less than five minutes by logging on to www.faithdirect.net and entering our parish code of TX526. From there a few short steps will have you set up as you wish: weekly, monthly, special collections, etc. You can pay by credit card or bank draft. It’s convenient, fast and secure. Writing checks has become almost obsolete for so many of us, so please add the church to your list of those you contribute to online. It helps us tremendously with less bank fees on our end, too. Thank you for your generosity and support of STHY.
I send out my sincere thanks to all who made a pledge for our Building Faith, Family and Future Capital Campaign. I truly appreciate your generosity and support. Please consider making a year-end pledge. Envelopes are in the Narthex along with our collection box specifically designed for our Capital campaign or you can do so online through the parish website. The Christmas season is the time for giving, and we can all do our part, pledge. Thank you for doing your part to help us reach our goal.
Let’s take a look ahead to the New Year’s Day schedule. Mass schedule is as follows: Monday January 1st, New Year’s Day: 8:00 am and 10:00 am.
Finally, I need to announce that Ms. Barbara Mackie has decided to officially retire from ministry starting at the beginning of the New Year. Ms. Mackie has served the STHY family for over five years; moreover, she has served in various capacities throughout the Archdiocese for several decades. Please wish Ms. Mackie a happy retirement and thank for her service to STHY and to the Church of Galveston- Houston.
The parish office will be closed January 1st , 2nd for celebration the New Year. On behalf of the staff here at St. Hyacinth, we wish you all a Merry Christmas and a joy filled New Year!
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! God Bless, Fr. Reginald Samuels