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December 4, 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we enter the second week of the season of Advent, we are called to wait joyfully for the Lord. We know Christmas is near. We know it’s always a stressful time. Why not make a “liturgical new year resolution” to wait patiently free from distractions? While everyone else is speeding up, try slowing down and listening for the voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Advent season is a season of preparation in the Church. We have been given a time to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, John and the Desert Fathers and Mothers to listen to God in a unique way through the scriptures and tradition. Now we are called upon to cultivate areas of stillness and quiet in our lives this season to put us back on a path that will lead us to celebrate the Lord coming again.
Next, I want to thank all those who have contributed to the various donation drives that have been going on here at STHY in the last few weeks. We have our 2018 STHY Christmas Gift List out which gives everyone the opportunity to make a special contribution of needed items to the parish during the Christmas season. Thank you for your generosity.
Everyone’s gift of a weekly tithe in the offertory is a great act of Stewardship. And remember, you can do in two ways, through your parish envelopes that are mailed to you or electronically through www.faithdirect.net by entering parish code TX 526. It’s fast, easy and, yes, very secure, and a great way to support the work of your parish.
The Archdiocese annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious is this weekend. Cardinal DiNardo is encouraging all of the faithful to give what they can in support of the 34,000 senior sisters, brothers and religious order priests who have served throughout our Archdiocese and the United States. The retirement fund for Religious offers vital financial assistance to help meet the day to day needs for medications, nursing care and more. The U.S. bishops initiated the collection in 1988 to address the significant lack of retirement funding among U.S. religious communities. Proceeds are distributed to eligible communities to help underwrite retirement and health-care expenses. Thank you for your generosity.
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 under the monitor, or go to our website, Sthyacinth.org and click Parish Pilgrimage 2019 under the Parish Life tab, and you can contact the parish office at 281-479-4298.
Next, 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. We ask every family, this holiday season, to consider an equal sacrifice, not an equal size gift. As we enter the Christmas season and the time for giving, we can all do our part, and every pledge, of every size, is most needed and welcomed. Thank you for doing your part to help us reach our goal.
With Christmas day 2018 on December 25th falling on a Tuesday it’s going to be a busy time for us in the church as we transition from our Advent season environment to the Christmas season. Due to the tight schedule, we need lots of hands in decorating the church, Guyot Hall, the Religious Education building and the parish grounds. Please check the bulletin and or Call the parish office for details on how to help.
Let’s take a look ahead to the Christmas schedule. Our Christmas Mass schedule is as follows: Monday, December. 24th, Christmas Eve: 4:00 pm (Overflow Mass in Guyot Hall 4:30 pm) 7:00 pm and 12 midnight; Monday, December. 25th, Christmas Day: 8:00 am and 10:00 am.
With all those masses we will be stretched thin on ministers to help cover the many needs of the Christmas Liturgy. In particular I am asking our Eucharistic Ministers of Holy Communion to please sign up to assist at one (or two) masses if at all possible. Same goes for our Sacristans, Acolytes, Altar Servers, Ushers and Greeters. We will have a lot of visitors with us this Christmas season and we need your presence, please.
For 2018, Cardinal DiNardo has assessed our parish DSF goal at $84,000. We are currently $8,755 below goal for 2018. DSF supports more than 60 ministries that serve the faithful of the Archdiocese and us here at St. Hyacinth. From chaplains at the hospitals and the Port of Houston, to religious education training for our teachers (who pass on their faith to our children), to outreach to seniors, to youth ministry, to soup kitchens, to Catholic Charities ministry to the poor and disenfranchised, and to training for seminarians, deacons and priests, the DSF provides funding for people and program that serve us all. It’s truly our baptism calling for generosity when we are all called to be “Instruments of Mercy.” Thank you for your generosity toward DSF.
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels