Second Week in Ordinary Time

January 10, 2017

by Fr. Reginald Samuels

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

January 18-25 of each year is designated as a “Week of Prayer for Christin Unity, concluding on January 25^th, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. The 2017 theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been selected. On the occasion of the 500th anniversary year of the beginnings of the Reformation, the theme: "Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us" (2 Corinthians 5:14-20) has been chosen.
The Graymoor Ecumenical &Interreligious Institute which is an Religious institute ran by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement which founded the week of Christian Unity in the United States writes: “The relationship between baptism and proclamation, and the calling shared by all the baptized to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord was inspired by two verses from the First Letter of St Peter. This calling forms the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for 2016. St Peter tells the early Church that in their search for meaning prior to encountering the Gospel they were not a people. But through hearing the call to be God’s chosen race and receiving the power of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ, they have become God’s people. Baptism opens up an exciting new journey of faith, uniting each new Christian with God’s people throughout the ages. In the shared sacred texts of the Bible, we hear of God’s saving acts in salvation history: leading his people out of slavery in Egypt, and the great mighty act of God: the raising of Jesus from the dead, which opened new life to all of us. As Christians seeking the unity of the Body of Christ we are all called to recognize the mighty acts of God in our own lives and the life of the Church.”

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites the whole Christian community throughout the world to pray in communion with the prayer of Jesus “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). On Wednesday January 18^th starting at 7:00 pm at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston, Please join leaders of the Catholic Church including Cardinal DiNardo, along with other Houston Judicatory Church leaders for an evening of music and prayer for Christian unity.
To celebrate Christian unity in our own part of town, there will be a joint prayer service and breakfast on February 25^th with our parish and Peace Lutheran Church on Fairmont. Add this to your calendar and there will be more details to follow.

Next, our fourth Annual Chili Cook Off and Banana Pudding Contest will be held next Sunday, January 22^nd immediately following the Noon Mass in Guyot Hall. This will be a fun filled event, which Chili teams will prepare their particular recipe for chili con carne and submit it for our taste testing. The proceeds raised will go to benefit our STHY Youth ministry programs. Please come out and support the young people of our parish. Thank you all for coming out and supporting the young people of our parish.

Please keep in prayer throughout the next few weeks for our 50 high school youth who will be having their Confirmation Retreat on January 27^th – 29^th. Our Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Lauren Koath along with our Faith Formation team consisting of Ms. Barbara Mackie and Mrs. Pamella Johnson and the Confirmation team have all been working very hard over the past few months to make sure that all the details for the retreat ready for our Confirmandi. Axillary Bishop George Sheltz will be the Celebrant for the Confirmation Mass which is scheduled for June 2017. Thanks to Ms. Koath and the Faith Formation and Confirmation Team for all of your hard work with the young people for Confirmation 2017.

Finally, the STHY Chapel of Perpetual Adoration is in need of your help. We have more than several adorers and coordinators that are ill and or can no longer continue with their hours. There are several hours each week in which there is no one scheduled for adoration and we have a desperate need for more adorers and coordinators. If we do not get the people to be scheduled for these hours, we will have to adjust the Adoration Chapel schedule in the near future. Please help us continue the tradition Perpetual Adoration here at St. Hyacinth. For 36 years now, we have enjoyed the history of having one of the first Perpetual Adoration Chapels in our area. Let’s continue to pray and adore our Lord in Sacrament, and take the time to continue the grand tradition in our parish.

The parish offices will be closed Monday January 16^th as we celebrate the National observance of Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels