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March 10, 2020
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
In today’s Gospel reading we accompany Jesus as he meets the woman at the well. The setting is the Samaritan town of Sychar, noteworthy because this town is associated with the Patriarch Jacob from the Old Testament. Samaritans at that time were not considered by the Jewish people of that time to be truly Jewish. Soo for Jesus to even speak to someone of another faith and culture in ancient times would be a cultural taboo. Yet Jesus acknowledges through his actions that he is here for everyone.
In this Gospel, we witness a gradual coming of faith in the encounter at the well. The woman recognizes Jesus as a prophet and senses he could even be the Christs. The woman at the well immediately evangelizes, and spreads the good news to her townspeople. Some come to believe on her word alone, but others come to believe upon hearing Jesus for themselves. Today, we should come to understand that God’s words are necessary nourishment, and we are called to acknowledge that Jesus himself is the source of life giving water.
The IGNITE campaign has been going on for a few months here in our parish. Everyone in our parish has been asked to consider in one way or another to contribute to this archdiocese campaign to improve the ministry of our archdiocese. Our Goal Archdiocese IGNITE capital campaign is $750,000 over 3 ½ to 4 years with some $253,000 to be returned to the STHY earmarked for new lighting and flooring in Guyot Hall. Soo far for this quarter, we have received $13,681.50 as our first rebate from the IGNITE campaign.
For 2020, Cardinal DiNardo has assessed our parish DSF goal at $84,000. DSF supports more than 60 ministries and programs that serve the faithful of the Archdiocese and us here at St. Hyacinth. From Catholic 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.
My Job as Pastor is to encourage you to enter a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ. For the season of Lent, I want to encourage you to use FORMED.org in which we have provided the password to every parishioner.
There are two studies on FORMED.org for Lent, that I am challenging everyone to be a part of:
The first study is called: Into the Desert: A Lenten Study On Prayer: Our Lord teaches that prayer is a relationship and a vital necessity. Follow Jesus into the desert this Lent and discover intimacy with God in this video-based study with daily meditations in the participants guide. This series captures the secret to opening our hearts and minds to Scripture as the means to hear from God and then respond in conversation, basking in his presence and resolving to live in and through his love.
The next offering is: A Lent to Remember, a Lenten encounter with Mercy. This series explores the ways God reaches out to each of us with his mercy. Through Christ’s suffering on the cross in the Paschal Mystery and his perpetual reception of his people in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God makes his love, his very self, present to us in the world. Our parish Password to FORMED.org is 77GVZ3.
Mark your calendars for the May 3rd, for our annual Parish Spring Festival. This will be our eighth festival for our parish in close to 20 years. The Springs Festival Raffle ticket packets are available and are on sale now. I highly encourage you to make your commitment to helping our parish at the festival and pick of a ticket packet to sell.
In response to the concerns expressed by the faithful regarding the COVID19 Virus, Cardinal DiNardo has directed all priests of the Archdiocese to suspend the distribution of Holy Communion from the Chalice until further notice and recommends that those receiving the Sacred Host to consider receiving it in the hand , rather than on the tongue. In addition , Cardinal DiNardo has asked the priests to remind all persons who are ill that they are under no obligation to be present for Sunday Mass and those attending Liturgical celebrations to be respectful that some may be uncomfortable with physical contact during time of the Mass, such as the Lord’s Prayer or the Sign of Peace.
God Bless,
Fr. Reginald Samuels