1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

HOLY ROSARY
PARISH
The Dominican Friars
serving the Archdiocese
of Galveston -Houston
3617 Milam St. G Houston, Texas
77002 H www.
holyrosaryparish.org
WEEKLY
SCHEDULE
Pastoral Message
May 31, 2015
Our deepest thanks to all who attended the Solemn Profession Mass
of Brother Thomas More Barba, OP, on Wednesday, May 20. It was a
wonderful celebration with many Dominican friars present from different US provinces. For us Dominicans, the day of our Solemn Profession
is quite important since we promise to God that we will be Dominican
Friars until death. No wonder the reception lasted so long. In brother
Thomas More, OP, we had great reason to celebrate our brotherhood! As
you know, only after a Dominican Friar is Solemnly Professed are we
then ordained deacons and priests. So, we hope that soon Brother Thomas
More will be ordained a deacon.
The invitation is still open to those wishing to travel to Memphis, TN,
where Brother Mariano Véliz, OP, and Brother Francis Orozco, OP, who
after a year of diaconate, will be ordained priests at Saint Peter’s Church
on Saturday, June 20. Please call the parish office if you are planning to
attend.
As a Dominican friar, the ceremonies of Solemn Profession and ordination (to the diaconate and priesthood) always fill me with joy. In them,
as a Province, we concretely see our young friars going forward in their
vocation. They are our hope for the future, as we add new ministers for
our Church. Furthermore, those liturgies also fill us with a deep sense of
gratitude to our benefactors, for only with their prayerful and financial
support can our formation program exist. Thank you so much!
As mendicant friars, we continue to ask you to pray for vocations and
for your spiritual and financial generosity. Do you know a young man
who is thinking about becoming a Dominican Friar? Please, give me his
name and I will put him in touch with our Vocation Director. Would
you like to contribute to our formation program? Please, send us a check
(payable to: Dominican Gala, attention: fr. Juan) or call the parish office
to give your tax deductible contribution. Blessings!
In St. Dominic, the mendicant preacher of Grace,
—fr. Juan, O.P.
O ur Par ish M ission S tatement
We, Holy Rosary Church, established in 1913, are led by the Dominican Friars and are dedicated to
Our Lady’s honor. Coming from different backgrounds and from across the area, we gather to worship
and glorify God with the reverent celebration of the Mass, the sacraments, and the venerable traditions
of our Catholic faith. Faithful to the Magisterium and our love of God and neighbor, we strive to live
and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We gratefully return to God all that He has given us by using our
gifts and talents to build up His Church, support our parish family, and welcome all who yearn for Christ.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
MASSES
Saturday 5:00 p.m. (Sunday Vigil)
Sunday
STAFF DI R ECTORY
English: 8:00, 11:00 a.m., 12:30, 5:00 p.m.
Vietnamese: 3:15 and 6:30 p.m.
Latin: 9:30 a.m.
STAFF DI R ECTORY
Weekdays
12:05 p.m. Mon.– Sat., 5:15 p.m. Mon.–Fri.
CONFESSION
WEEKLY
SCHEDULE
LITURGICAL
CALENDAR
Saturday
11:30 a.m.–
noon,
4:00–5:00 p.m.
Weekdays 11:30 a.m.– noon
and 4:40–5:10 p.m. Mon.–Fri.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
ROSARY
Mon.–Fri. 4:50 p.m., Sat.–Sun. 4:35 p.m.
EUCHARISTIC
STAFF DI RADORATION
ECTORY
Friday 12:45–5:00 p.m. (5:05 Benediction)
STAFF DI R ECTORY
Telephone 713-529-4854, enter an extension:
Br. Ian G. Bordenave, O.P. (Pastor) 101
[email protected]
Fr.LITURGICAL
Juan M. Torres, O.P. CALENDAR
(Parochial Vicar) 103
j t o r re s @ h o l y ro s a r y p a r i s h . o rg
Fr. Isidore V. Vicente, O.P. (Parochial Vicar) 104
Fr. Anthony Hung Tran, O.P. (Chaplain)
Ava Voissem (Parish Secretary) 101
o f f i c e @ h o l y ro s a r y p a r i s h . o rg
Geoff Green (Business Administrator) 109
businessadmin@holyrosaryparish . org
Valerie Chase (Special Projects) 102
Juan Maldonado (Bookkeeper) 108
Laura Chase (Wedding Coordinator) 110
David Paxton (Music Director) 105
Baptism scheduling 101
Anointing of the sick (visitations) 101
Religious Education Center (3535 Louisiana)
Janet Hafernik, C.R.E., 713-526-4389
Michelle Scenna (Religious Education Secretary)
re c s e c re t a r y @ h o l y ro s a r y p a r i s h . o rg
Priory (Friars in residence, 713-526-6322)
Fr. Martin Iott, O.P. (Prior); Fr. Bryan Fontenot, O.P.;
Fr. Richard Patrick, O.P.
Assistance for those in need
St.Vincent de Paul Society, 713-529-2156
LITURGICAL CALENDAR
DECEMBER
21–27,
2014
MAY 31–JUNE
6, 2015
Sun. Deuteronomy 4:32–34, 39–40
Romans 8:14–17
Matthew 28:16–20
We pray especially for those
named at this week’s Masses:
8:00 † James St. Julian and
† Robert Fretz Sr.
9:30 † Joyce L. Husband
11:00 † Alicia Woodruff
12:30 For the people of the parish
5:00 † Charlotte McCrate
Mon. St. Justin, martyr
Tb 1:3, 2:1b-8; Mk 12:1-12
12:05 Elizabeth and Christian Groff
5:15 Lena and John Alexander family
Tue. Sts. Marcellinus and Peter,
martyrs
Tb 2:9-14; Mk 12:13-17
12:05 Robert Webster Jr.
5:15 † Lawrence M. Hermes
Wed. St. Charles Lwanga and
companions, martyrs
Tb 3:1-11a, 16-17a; Mk 12:18-27
12:05 Paul Tran
5:15 † Phyllis Fisher
Thu. St. Peter of Verona, O.P.,
priest and martyr
Tb 6:10-11, 7:1, 9-17, 8:4-9a;
Mk 12:28-34
12:05 The Outreach Ministry
members and their families
5:15 Sean McCrate
Fri. St. Boniface,
bishop and martyr
Tb 11:5-17; Mk 12:35-37
12:05 Maria B. Morales
5:15 † Charlotte McCrate
Sat. St. Norbert, bishop
Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20; Mk 12:38-44
12:05 Ted Groff
5:00 Sunday Vigil
† Ligia Gomez de Da Castro
Parents:
Please use the Time-Out Room
to quiet crying infants.
Reflection on the Sunday Scriptures
One of the most profound questions we can ask ourselves is: “Who
is God? And Who is God for me?” I was asked that question by a university professor once, at a restaurant, and I almost choked to death. That is
quite a question while having dinner. But it was very real for him. So I answered the best I could and since he was a philosopher I responded with
the proofs of the existence of God in pure Thomistic philosophy: God as
the First Mover; God as the First Cause; God as the Supreme Perfection;
God as the Intelligent Designer of the Universe…. I thought I had scored a
technical knockout. But he wanted more. He then asked: But WHO is God
for YOU? It was then that I realized he wanted to hear of my experience of
this God. So that could be the question I could pose for you today on The
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: What is your experience of God?
Our life as believers in God is to deepen our faith and love for this God
who is the source of everything we are and everything we do. We make
these attempts daily, through a life of prayer and fidelity, trying to connect
through prayer and fidelity with this Supreme Being, who has been revealed
to us by Jesus as a Trinitarian God, FATHER as Creator, SON as Redeemer,
and HOLY SPIRIT as Sanctifier. It is only through Faith that we are able to
give assent to the content of this mystery: One God in Three Persons. This
is an assent of our finite minds, in Faith, of the infinite God. Again, in Jesus,
and through Faith, we are able to give our assent to the mystery.
Our understanding of God requires a formula to which we must all assent. The Councils of the Church throughout the centuries have purified
that UNITY of doctrine which enables all to adhere to the same belief. The
Council of Nicaea, in present day Turkey, in the year 325 AD, resulted in an
ecumenical consensus about the NATURE of God and that Jesus is TRUE
GOD AND TRUE MAN. The Nicene Creed that we recite every Sunday is
the product of that theological and ecumenical tradition. Other Ecumenical
Councils dealt with the same formulation about THE HOLY SPIRIT, who
proceeds from the Father and the Son. What we recite so simply and clearly was the product of blood, sweat, and tears.
And so the question remains the same for us today: Who is God for
you? Perhaps the response may depend on your own formation and certainly your own spirituality. Some are more able to focus on the concept
of the FATHERHOOD of God. St. Therese of the Child Jesus, her contemporaries tell us, was not able to say The Lord’s Prayer, because at the first
words “Our Father who are in Heaven ... “ she burst into tears, overwhelmed by the privilege of being a child of God. Others are more CHRIST
oriented in their prayer life. Others are more able to be filled with the
HOLY SPIRIT for everything they do. God respects our own spirituality,
even our own idiosyncrasies, adapting Himself to us. And so, in that respect everyone is unique.
How about you? Whatever our spirituality is, we know that by our
Baptism we are called to HOLINESS of LIFE. Like St. Dominic, our Founder, who according to his contemporaries “only talked with God or about God,”
could be a good model for our lives as we try to live in His Presence, in
good times and in bad, in the joys and sorrows of life, from the beginning
of the day to the end, in everything we do we wish to be with God, act in
God’s name, talk to God and about God. That may be the best way of honoring the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.
We are blessed IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON,
AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Amen
May the peace of Christ be with you always.
—Fr. Vicente
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Religious Education News
Please go to the web site, or contact
Janet Hafernik at 713-526-4389 or
[email protected].
Young Adult News
Mondays in July: Join us at St. Michael Catholic Church for Cafe Catholica. The following events schedule is
as follows: confession at 5:15, Mass at
6:15, dinner at 7:15 and ending with a
guest speaker at 8:15.
July 6: Sr. Miriam James Heidland,
SOLT, True Love: More than a #Snap.
July 13: Sr. Mary Guido, r.c., Path to
#Happiness: Decisions in the modern
world.
July 20: Daniel Cardinal Dinardo, Follow Me, #Invite to Service.
July 27: Christopher Kaczor, Ph.D,
Commit to Truth, #Myths of the Church.
For info, go to the web site www.CafeCatholica.com or visit us at [email protected] or on Facebook.
Welcoming Committee
The Pastoral Council is moving forward
with plans to build a Welcoming Committee. If you are interested in becom-
ing a part of this ministry or are already in this ministry, please contact
Malcolm Granberry at wmalcolmg@
gmail.com or Tuyen Tran at [email protected].
Weekday Lay Readers
Please consider giving of your time to
help with the 5:15 p.m. weekday Mass.
Holy Rosary is in need of voluneers
who can substitute when the regular
readers are taking vacations. Call Ava
in the parish office at 713-529-4854 or
email at [email protected].
Ongoing Ministry
Adopt-a-Family is an active ministry
as there are needs throughout the year.
Maria Correa and the Youth Group are
looking for donations of non-perishable food, bottled water, gently used
clothing, paper products, and those
generous with their time to deliver
these items. Please contact Maria Correa at [email protected] or at
713-724-5262 to learn more. Please pray!
New Members Needed
Our Holy Rosary Knights of Columbus
council wants to offer our parish assistance with the many programs that are
offered throughout the year. To do this,
we need new members willing to offer
a few hours each month to assist our
parish and the Knights of Columbus
organization. Feel free to talk to any of
the Knights in our parish about what
the Knights have to offer and how to
become a Knight. Contact Don Payne
at [email protected] or at 713254-4396 if you are interested.
2015 Summer Workshop on
John Paul II’s Gospel of Life
The John Paul II Forum for the Church
in the Modern World sponsors a workshop each summer. This year we are
excited that Rolland Millare and Dr.
John Hittinger will lead our sessions
on Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of
Life) at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston June 8 to 11 with a special session
at University of St. Thomas the morning of June 12.
A $100 donation is suggested for study
materials and daily lunches but no one
will be turned away. Registration and
more information is available at www.
jp2forum.org.
Project Rachel
This is the Church’s outreach to women who have had an abortion or been
involved in an abortion decision. Project Rachel offers Christ’s loving mercy, reconciliation, and healing through
counseling and Sacramental Reconciliation. For more information, please call
713-741-8728.
Worldwide Marriage
Encounter
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is the most precious gift
that God has given to each one of us.
God feeds us, nourishes us and gives
us the grace that transforms us to live
the holy life He has called each of us
to live. Allow God to give you grace
in abundance and transform your marriage relationship. Sign up today to attend one of the upcoming Worldwide
Marriage Encounter Weekends on June
19-21, or July 17-19. Register early to
reserve a spot. Contact Brian & Tina
Little at 281-773-4014 for more information, or go online to houstonme.org.
Loving Embrace
This infertility support group meets
the third Thursday each month, 7:30-9
p.m., monthly meeting rotation: Couples Dinner, Ladies Dinner, and Couples Discussion. Loving Embrace is a
Catholic educational support group for
couples who have endured or are enduring the pain and suffering of infertility. The group provides support for
coping with infertility and explores resources, methods, and options that are
morally faithful to the teachings of the
Catholic Church. For info contact Shannon Lassen at 832-978-6716 or [email protected].
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SICK: Kevin G. Gardner II, Gloria Guerrero, Kevin Gardner Sr., Bob Reeder, William Beaver,
Alex Jimenez, Wayne Andrews, Vivian Hubart, Bernardo Perugache, Frank Mustachia, Mary Jo Spurr, James Nowlin,
Richard Galvan, Kathy Housel, Charles Zimmerman, Angel Davis, Dr. Hubert Ried, Jean Ried, Bob Akeroyd, Bob Rogers, and
Norma McLellan Pribyl
COLLECTIONS for May 24: This fiscal year, the weekly parish offertory goal is $24,000.
Last week’s total giving was $17,112.69. For the fiscal year, we are $63,397.49 below our goal.
The parish’s 2015 Diocesan Services Fund goal is $130,000. As of this week, we have received $103,134.30 in pledges
towards that goal, and $87,180.81 has been paid.
For all who give sacrificially to support Holy Rosary Parish and its ministries, and who support the Archdiocese
through the DSF as it ministers in ways a single parish cannot, we offer our heartfelt thanks.
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Br. Ian Visiting Family
From June 4 to 8 Br. Ian will be out of town attending
various family functions. Please pray for safe summer
travels for all.
Plans for the Summer?
G.K. Chesterton foresaw and wrote about the issues we
struggle with today: social injustice, the culture of death,
the decline of the arts, assaults on religion, and attacks on
the family and on the dignity of the human person. Come
discover the great Catholic writer Pope Pius XI described
as “Defender of the Faith.” Join us in San Antonio at the
Menger Hotel, August 6-8, for the 34th Annual Chesterton Conference. Speakers include Dale Ahlquist, host of
EWTN’s The Apostle of Common Sense, Joseph Pearce,
EWTN’s Kevin O’Brien, Dr. Peter Howard, and many
more. Register today by calling toll-free 800-343-2425 or
at https://www.chesterton.org/2015conference/.
1734 West Alabama St.
Do you have doubts?
In today’s gospel we read “…When they all saw him, they
worshiped, but they doubted.” We all have doubts from time
to time but we learn to overcome them. The apostles learned
the truth. Many times the people who seek the help of the
St. Vincent de Paul Society come to us seeking our help but
in anguish and full of doubt. They are doubtful anyone cares about them
and their plight. They are doubtful they will ever see the light of day from
their problems. Through your contributions to the Black Bag collection
and the Poor Box, we offer them help and solace to overcome their doubts.
We can’t solve all their problems, but we help them with their immediate
need and offer them the hope that with God’s help there are avenues to
the solutions they can take. They leave us in a positive frame of mind and
give us the joy of knowing that we have shown them God’s kindness.
Next Sunday is Black Bag Sunday. Please be generous. Won’t you join us
in this ministry? Call 713-529-2156 if in need of assistance or if you would like
more information about the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
• Houston, Texas 77098
• 713-521-0066
Please join us
in the parish hall for
Wednesday
Lunch
An Outreach Ministry
of Holy Rosary
Lunch is served
after the 12:05 Mass, and a
$5 donation is requested.
June 3 menu:
Beef patty
with demiglaze
Reinforcing Family Unity
Prayer for Consecrated Persons
Holy Rosary’s St. Valentine’s Marriage Guild invites
married couples of all ages to the following events:
God our Father, we thank you for calling men and
women to serve in your Son’s Kingdom as sisters,
brothers, religious priests, consecrated virgins, and
hermits, as well as members of secular institutes.
Renew their knowledge and love of you, and send
your Holy Spirit to help them respond generously
and courageously to your will. We ask this through
our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
June 27, Saturday: Parish family Picnic Event is still
in the planning stages. Ideas, help, suggestions are all
welcome. Come be a part of the community of Holy
Rosary!
August 22, Saturday: Family Vacation Bible School at
Holy Rosary. It’s a family treat and retreat!
August 29, Saturday: Couple’s Night Out, restaurant to
be determined. Any ideas? Please let us know!
For more info, please contact Christian Hinkie at chinkie@
gmail.com or Catherine O’Brien at [email protected].
Pope Francis has proclaimed 2015
the Year of Consecrated Life
Stewardship Series
The Underlying Values of Stewardship
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay
tithes of mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the
weightier things of the law; judgment and mercy and fidelity.
These you should have done, without neglecting the others.”
- Matthew 23:23
The meaning of the term “stewardship” is often misconstrued among many Catholics to mean “give more money to
the Church”. In truth, stewardship is a spirituality based on the
underlying values of our Christian identity, trusting God, being
thankful, and love. In the passage above, Jesus makes it clear
to the Pharisees that although they tithe, they have neglected
greater aspects of their faith. What we give is important, but
it does not make us stewards. We can only become stewards
through how we practice our faith.
It may be helpful to think of the well-known aspects of
stewardship – time, talent, and treasure – as though they are
legs on a stool. The presence of each leg is necessary to support
the stool itself; if one leg is missing, the stool collapses. Are we
complete if we give generously to the Church but fail to pray?
What about if we serve in a parish ministry but fail to regularly
attend Mass? No, of course not – we must be willing to give
our time, talent, and treasure to be stewards.
It’s the willingness to give that’s often tough for us. Our
culture and the things we observe in the world teach us to be
individualistic and selfish. These values are not Catholic; they
erode our willingness to give and keep us from building up
Christ’s church. Most of us probably inwardly believe that we
don’t want to be individualistic or selfish, regardless of how we
outwardly act. We want to be good people… Godly people.
In order to do that, there are core values that we, as
Catholics, need to subscribe to in our faith journeys. These
values are described below, and most of you reading this will
probably think to yourselves “These are all things that I believe
to be true.” However, almost all of us find it challenging to live
out some aspects of what we believe. Maybe it’s difficult, or
maybe sometimes we just don’t know how.
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The three legged stool of time, talent, and treasure shows us how to live out our beliefs – but that
will be the subject of our next column. For now, let’s introduce identity, trust, gratitude, and love – the four
core values of stewardship.
Identity
Our Christian identity has its basis in the idea that God is our creator. It is the belief that we belong
to God and so does the world. He made it all; we own nothing for ourselves. Everything that we have been
given is a gift from God– not just resources, but our time on earth and the talents we are born with - and
we have been asked to be stewards of those gifts. Accepting that we belong to God means accepting that we
are not here to satisfy our own needs and wants with the gifts He gives us. We are here to serve God. As
Christians, this forms our identity.
We know that our identity is who we are as people. Identity is not who we say we are, but who we
actually are. It’s not something we can fake. Most of us can probably point out someone who says they’re
someone that they’re not at least some of the time. God knows who we are all of the time; you can’t fool
Him. It’s not enough to say we’re Christians, or to say we’re servants of God. We must actually serve.
Trust
If we can accept that we belong to God it follows that we should also trust God, accepting that He is
in charge of our lives. Extending our Christian identity to trusting in God can be difficult. We see what is
happening in the world, and can become hard to imagine that everything going on has a place in His plan,
but it does. Even in the most difficult of times, and even when evil is present in the world, God has a way
of making good things spring forth. All we have to do is trust.
The core value of trust extends to us being trustworthy. We must believe and trust that God will provide for us, but we must also be trustworthy to God, to each other, to our parish, and to our diocese. When
difficult decisions present themselves, it is important to not cheat. We must trust God and be trustworthy
for God. Again, this is not something we can express only in words; we must express it in our actions.
Gratitude
If we accept that we are made by God for God, and that we must trust God and be trustworthy, then
it is natural to develop gratitude for God. Everything we have is a gift! In our culture, we tend to envy
what others have and to always want more for ourselves, yet most of us would not want to be described
as greedy or envious. Whether we realize it or not, the vast majority of us have received blessings beyond
measure.
Imagine if we did not have enough to eat, didn’t have air conditioning to keep us cool during the
summer, lacked hot water to bathe in, or didn’t have flush toilets. That sounds deplorable, right? Yet, this
describes how more than half of the world’s population lives their daily lives. Imagine also if our parish
of 1,000 families represented the entire world. Only 70 of those families would own a car – the rest would
either be walking or riding a bicycle to Mass.
Given our relative wealth, true gratitude should be an easy value for us to accept. Yet, how many
people ever say “I have all that I need”? Given the material things our culture tends to value, it can be a
challenge. In order to become stewards, though, this is a challenge we must accept. Just like with trust,
gratitude is not something we can express only in words. We must express it in our actions.
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Love
Accepting our Christian identity, trusting in God, and being gracious for what God has given us
naturally lead us to love God. Indeed, love is a requirement of being Christian – it is not optional. It is helpful to think of the term “love” as being interchangeable with the term “charity”; indeed, in the context of
theological virtue, they are the same. The catechism defines charity as the theological virtue by which we
love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
This concept of love and charity going hand in hand is readily illustrated in the sacrament of marriage. If we saw a marriage in which one spouse constantly gives and gives, and the other only receives, we
likely wouldn’t call that love. In a marriage in which both spouses give and receive out of appreciation for
each other, we would probably be more likely to say love exists. This can be extended to our relationship
with God. If we constantly receive and rarely give anything back, do we really love God? No – we have to
give back. We can’t just say we love God – we have to show it in our actions.
We cannot allow pride – a false love of one’s self – to get in the way of our love for God. When we
start to believe that our accomplishments are our own or that we have gotten where we are all by ourselves,
we lose sight of the fact that nothing is possible without God. Just as God gives us everything, there comes
a moment for all of us when He takes it all back.
Takeaway
One of the most ongoing and heated debates in Christianity is whether we are saved by faith alone
as Paul teaches, or whether we are saved by faith and works as James teaches. In truth, the teachings of
Paul and James do not contradict each other. If we love God, accept Him as our creator, trust in Him, and
are truly thankful for His blessings – in other words, if we have faith - it is evident in our actions. It’s not
a conscious thought process – we act naturally out of love, and our actions are a gift to God. Our faith and
our works essentially become the same.
In our next column, we will revisit the ways we can give – time, talent, and treasure. Before we get
there, try to think about the values of identity, trust, gratitude, and love. If we accept these values, and our
actions show that we accept these values, then giving won’t seem so difficult after all – it becomes natural.
Have a blessed week!
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VIRTUS FACILITATORS NEEDED
The Safe Environment Office for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is seeking
individuals to become certified VIRTUS facilitators. Final candidates will be trained
to present Protecting God’s Children and Keeping the Promise Alive VIRTUS workshops
throughout the Archdiocese. Suitable candidates are asked to attend the 2-day
training on June 27-28, 2015, commit to facilitate at least four workshops per year and
agree to present workshops at various parishes or schools within the Archdiocese.
Experience and comfort speaking before large audiences is essential. We would like to
ask that Pastors and Principals recommend reliable and faithful individuals who you
think might be interested in volunteering for this important ministry. Please submit
the names and phone numbers of your recommendations to [email protected].
For more information, please feel free to contact Isabel Guerra at 713-652-8294.
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