ST. THOMAS MORE CHURCH HOUSTON, TEXAS March 9, 2014 From Fr. T. J. First of all, I’d like to thank all of your from the boom of my heart for all that you have given and sacriﬁced to ﬁnally help the parish of St. Thomas More be debt free! I know that many of you that have thought that you might not see the parish be debt free. Thanks to your generosity and the sacriﬁce of so many parishioners over the last several years, we are ﬁnally able to put the Jubilee Drive to rest!!! We will have a parish debt-free party during the Easter season, so we will have plenty of (me to celebrate. Thanks again to everyone who helped us reach our goal!!! This is the ﬁrst Sunday of Lent and we know that things are changing. Catholics mark this (me by giving something up or making sacriﬁces. We need to remember that Lent is not the (me to go on a diet, but to turn our hearts back to the Lord. This can be a frui+ul (me for us as we reﬂect on our need for God in our lives. I would hope that your Lenten Sacriﬁces are going well and that through them, you are drawing closer to the Lord’s love. Let us keep each other in prayer as we make this journey together. We pray that God make strong the hearts of the faithful of St. Thomas More, that we all grow closer to the Lord during this Lenten season! May God pour out His blessings upon you, Fr. T.J. Lord, Teach Me How to Pray Parish Lenten Mission ~March, 31 to April 3 Given by the Priests and Deacons of STM 1. The Theology of Prayer 2. Menu of Prayer 3. Praying the Psalms 4. Reconcilation, a guided examination of conscience followed by individual confessions. Eucharistic Adoration: Stations of the Cross Fridays During Lent 7:30 p.m. in the Church Bilingual Service “Warning! – STM’s upcoming Men’s Retreat may treat you to a new way of living.” Men of the parish, make this your retreat on the weekend of March 28-30, 2014 at the Holy Name Retreat Center with 15-20 of your fellow parishioners. Retreatant’s comments include: “This was a wonderful experience for me and I highly recommend it to everyone I meet.” Contact Hiett Ives at 832-372-6900 or [email protected] for registration information or call the Retreat Center at 713-464-0211 http://www.passionist.org/holyname/weekendretreats Women’s Silent Lenten Retreat Just a reminder, the unfilled spaces will be released after March 7, call to make sure you can get on the list. The retreat is 2 weeks away. The retreat will be held on March 21-23, 2014. Rev. Richard Buhler, S.J. will tell us “Why Jesus Christ Wants To Be With Us!” For reservations, please call Dolores Bush, 713-729-4566 or 713-906-6376. OVER THE TOP, STM! WE DID IT... THANK YOU! DEBT FREE!!! Financial Stewardship ( 02/23/14) Weekend Collection EFT Online Giving Total Collection $ 34,077.17 $ 00.00 $ 2,965.00 $ 37,042.17 Additional Collections: Sunday, 12-1 a.m., 1-2 a.m. Tuesday, 5-6 a.m. & 4-5 p.m. Friday, 8-9 a.m. Our chapel remains open 24 hours a day because of the commitment made by those who take a weekly Holy Hour. Please commit!! Can you take one of these hours or any hour? Just call and volunteer! Call Suzie Hamilton 713-729-0221 or 713-557-3036 Children’s (SVdP) God’s First $ $ 6.00 00.00 Building Fund Building Fund-EFT Building Fund-online Total Building Fund $ $ $ $ 143.00 00.00 20.00 163.00 Thank you for your continued generosity! FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT Readings for the Week of March 9, 2014 First Sunday of Lent Sunday Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Ps 51; Rom 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19; Mt 4:1-11 Monday Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19; Mt 25:31-46 Tuesday Is 55:10-11; Ps 34; Mt 6:7-15 Wednesday Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51; Lk 11:29-32 Thursday Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138; Mt 7:7-12 Friday Ez 18:21-28; Ps 130; Mt 5:20-26 Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119; Mt 5:43-48 Saturday Sunday Second Sunday of Lent Gn 12:1-4a; Ps 33; 2 Tm 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9 MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 9... Monday, March 10 6:30 a.m. †Angie Toth 5:30 p.m. †Souls in Purgatory / Thnks. Tuesday, March 11 6:30 a.m. Michele Yap Thanksgiving 5:30 p.m. Eduardo Ferris / Lottie Hines Wednesday, March 12 6:30 a.m. †Richard Kane 5:30 p.m. Freddy Perez Thursday, March 13 6:30 a.m. †Horatio Farach 8:15 a.m. Eileen Kelly 5:30 p.m †Lucille Trappey Friday, March 14 6:30 a.m. Patrick Carson 5:30 p.m. Ana Abaya Birthday Saturday, March 15 9:00 a.m. †Donald B. Hanks 5:00 p.m. Mildred & Leroy Lilie Thnks. Sunday, March 16 7:30 a.m. Fr. Bill Oliver 9:00 a.m. Thanksgiving for Baby Noah 11:00 a.m. †James & †Bernadetta Costa 1:00 p.m. Rosario Sanchez 5:00 p.m. Sr. Marietta Hajdik, IWBS 7:00 p.m. For the Parish KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS ST. THOMAS MORE SOUTHWEST COUNCIL 3910 Award Winning Fish Dinners are on Fridays of Lent...March 7th. Serving time is 5:00—8:00 p.m. (or until the food is gone!) in Prinster Hall...delicious fish, fried or Baked, plus your choice of sides. ADULTS $8 CHILDREN $4 THIS WEEK AROUND STM… Sunday, March 9 9:00 a.m. CCE Students & Parents, School & PPC 9:30 a.m. RCIA, Adult Ed Bldg. 10:00 a.m. Sacrament of the Sick, Church 11:00 a.m. CCE Students & Parents, School & PPC 6:15 p.m. Sp. Choir, AE-St. Mary 6:30 p.m. Sr. High Youth, Youth Center Monday, March 10 6:30 p.m. Sp. Legion of Mary, Room F 7:00 p.m. Sp. Lenten Mission, Church New Evangelization, Servant Hall ACTS Discernment, Prinster Hall 7:30 p.m. Apostleship of the Cross (Sp.), AE-St. Paul Tuesday, March 11 9:30 a.m. Sr. Citizen Bingo, Scout House 11:30 a.m. Centering Prayer, AE-St. Paul 7:00 p.m. Sp. Lenten Mission, Church High School Girls Group, Youth Center ESL, School Wednesday, March 12 8:30 a.m. Familia Book Study, AE-St. Paul 10:00 a.m. New Evangelization, Servant Hall 6:15 p.m. Confession, Church 7:00 p.m. Sp. Lenten Mission, Church Confirmation Class, School OMOPH Prayer Group, Chapel 8:00 p.m. K of C Council 3910, Prinster Hall Thursday, March 13 6:15 p.m. Sp. Choir, AE-St. Mary 7:00 p.m. New Evangelization, Servant Hall ESL, School High School Guys Group, Youth Center 7:30 p.m. Apostleship of the Cross, AE-St. Paul Combined Choir, Church Word of Truth Bible Study, AE-St. Peter Friday, March 14 9:00 a.m. Altar Society, Church 5:00 p.m. K of C Fish Dinner, Prinster Hall 7:00 p.m. Jr. High Youth, Youth Center Saturday, March 15 7:00 a.m. ACTS/Craft Guild Garage Sale, Rehkopf Gym 9:00 a.m. English Baptism Class, AE-St. Peter 10:00 a.m. Spanish Baptism Class, Prinster Hall 11:00 a.m. Spanish Baptisms, Church 3:30 p.m. Confession, Church 6:15 p.m. Confession, Church Sunday, March 16-NO CCE CLASSES 9:30 a.m. RCIA, Adult Ed Bldg. 10:00 a.m. Sacrament of the Sick, Church 6:15 p.m. Sp. Choir, AE-St. Mary 6:30 p.m. Sr. High Youth, Youth Center GARAGE SALE in the Old Gym, March 15, 7a.m. until 12 noon! Please drop off your donations on Friday, March 14 from 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the Old Gym. Thank you for your continued generosity. Proceeds go to the Women’s ACTS Team & the Sewing Guild. Contact: Margaret Schueler 713-666-1311, [email protected] or Isabel Lay 713-729-0221, [email protected], or Lillie Vega 713-271-0750 or [email protected] ST. THOMAS MORE CHURCH HOUSTON, TEXAS March 9, 2014 CCE INFORMATION IMPORTANT DATES: March 9, CCE class March 23, NO Classes March 16, NO Classes Spring Break Spring Break Home Based CatechesisCatechesis- Children s Interviews at Religious Education Office from 10:45 am to 12:30 pm. March 9, 2014 April 13, 2014 FIRST EUCHARIST – IMPORTANT DATES • English First Eucharist – Saturday, May 3th – 10:30am. Rehearsal, Thursday, May 1st at 6:30pm.—church Child MUST attend the rehearsal • Spanish First Eucharist – Saturday, May 10th – 10:30am – Rehearsal, Thursday, May 8th at 6:30pm. - church Child MUST attend the rehearsal. TUITION UPDATE Thank you to all the families who have paid their tuition for the 2013-2014 CCE year. However, we still have a fair amount of tuition that is outstanding. We are dedicated to providing the best possible religious education program at St. Thomas More; however, this can only be done with your support. If at all possible, please pay your outstanding balance at your earliest convenience, payment plans are available. Thank you for your co-operation. Program for Parents Sunday Mornings Join us each week as we learn more about our Catholic Faith .9:00 9:00 am to 10:30 am in Prinster Hall CONFIRMATION HIGH SCHOOL March 5, NO Classes –Ash Wednesday March 19, NO Classes – Spring Break March 12, Classes Adult Confirmation, 18 years of age or older. For registration please contact Ana Luisa Garcia: [email protected] Office Phone: 713-729-3435 CLASSES WILL BEGIN ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 12, 2014, TIME: 7:00PM - 9:00PM The purpose of our fasting during Lent is to lead us, like Jesus, to hunger only for God and to choose to serve only God. The Parish Vocation Committee STreaMliners (Adults over 50 only)- MARCH, 2014 IT’S RODEO TIME! $15 pp dues for the year—Adults over 50 only. ************************************************************************** Wednesday, Mar. 13-County Bus Trip, Hill Country Tour I, lunch on your own, call Myrleen, 832-465-7297 Thursday, Mar. 20-Coushatta Casino Day Trip, $15pp, coffee, donuts, hot kolaches at 6:30, bus leaves at 7:00 a.m. All trips leave from the back parking area near Prinster Hall. Please leave at least 5 spaces open around the dumpsters and recycle bins. STreaMliner trips are open to all STM families and friends! For info, call Ed’s Tours 713-723-2035. ACTS RETREAT….SAVE THE DATE! We have set the date for our 4th Women's ACTS retreat: July 24-27, 2014. Women of the parish are encouraged to prayerfully consider joining us for this weekend of spiritual growth and immersion in the Catholic faith. April 26, 2014, we will have our Second Annual Pig Roast dinner. Our first one was wonderful. We hope the next one will be bigger and better! We have ACTS information on the parish website! Log onto stmhouston.org and look under the Spirituality tab, then Retreats/Mission. Check it out! 2013 Tax Statements have been mailed out. donated $650 or more you will receive a statement in the mail. If you donated under $650 and would like a statement please call the parish office and we will be happy to mail or email you a copy. C ENTERING P RAYER G ROUP T UESDAYS AT 11:30 AM A DULT E DUCATION B UILDING S T . P AUL R OOM G UESTS OPERATION RICE BOWL.” Operation Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services program for Lent. Operation Rice Bowl calls Catholics in the United States to promote human dignity and maintain solidarity with the poor around the world through prayer, fasting and alms education during the Lenten season. CCE students will bring home a box from Operation Rice Bowl. You as parents can teach them the value of almsgiving by asking them to put money in these boxes as a sacrifice made for our poorer brethren around the world, then they will return them at the end of Lent. If you ARE W ELCOME Centering Prayer is a method designed to facilitate the development of Contemplative Prayer by preparing our faculties to receive this gift. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather, it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. It is at the same time a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. This method of prayer is a movement beyond conversation with Christ to communion with Him. For information call: Magda Garcia at 281-793-2510 No experience necessary FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT STM YOUTH GROUP Youth Office:713-729-2111 For more info: stmhouston.org STM high school girls, the next installment of Girls Group is coming up on March 11th! Come join Emily Blasdell from 78:30pm in the youth room for cookies, girl talk, and saints! Steubenville is right around the corner! All graduating 8th graders and graduating seniors are able to attend. If you are interested please contact Matthew Hughey at 713-729-2111 or at [email protected] for details. Also go the STM website and look under the “YOUTH” section for the link to the Steubenville website. For more information on any events [email protected] or call 713-729-2111. please email mat- The Choirs of STM would like to thank everyone that came out and attended Gala VII. The show was a great success and many, many volunteers made it happen this year. We would especially like to thank the Knights of Columbus for the wonderful food they prepared for us. The choirs would also like to thank all the parish staff, clergy, parish family members, choir family members and all volunteers for all of their help this year. God Bless! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO TEACH ESL CLASSES (REGULAR AND SUBSTITUTE ) Our parish provides ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to the community on Tuesday & Thursday evenings, 7-9 pm. If you can Volunteer at least one evening a week to this worthwhile endeavor, or be a Substitute, please contact Norman Palms at 713-726-0513 or [email protected]. You do not need to speak Spanish! A training session will be provided for new teachers at no cost. The food drive is this weekend. We are willing to accept donations from the list provided or if you prefer to offer monetary assistance, envelopes are available stapled to the bag. The St. Vincent DePaul food pantry was able to offer blankets to everyone who received food in January due to generous parishioners. Our organization cares for our clients needs and are offering food and utility/rental assistance to many parishioners and members of our served zip codes. We Need Your Help! A new coordinator or co-coordinator of the Altar Society is being sought. Duties will vary depending on if you want to take over the group leadership or assist the current leader. Help to keep our church a beautiful, clean place to worship. If interested, please call Jana Livermore ~ 713-728-8686. Alice Fahy, longtime parishioner of STM, is currently in Kindred Hospital in the Medical Center, 6441 Main St. She would love to see you if you have the time. Houston’s best kept secret… CHARITY GUILD OF CATHOLIC WOMEN RESALE & CONSIGNMENT SHOP Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. 1203 Lovett Blvd. 713-529-0995 Charityguildshop.org St. Thomas More Catholic Church St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference Quarterly Donor and Parishioner Appreciation Report Fourth Quarter (October, November, December) 2013 Your monetary contributions and donations of goods to our St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference continue to touch the lives of so many families in our community During our final quarter of 2013 you helped us accomplished the following goals: • Helped feed 727 families (2,667 family members) through our pantry • Made 56 home visits (helping 280 family members) Flocknote is a way for the parish to communicate with you! If you don’t have time to read the bulletin but want to know what’s going on, sign up for this new service. There are 2 easy ways to register for Flocknote (pick one): Visit our network at flocknote.com/stmhouston or Text “Hillcroft” to 84576 Paid $8,898.00 in rental assistance and $400.42 in utility payments We especially want to thank the organizations that continuously support our efforts: Troop 99 Boy Scouts of America, especially Eagle Scout Sam Rabalais Your selfless giving helps us continue to do God’s work serving our community… Thank You! ST. THOMAS MORE CHURCH HOUSTON, TEXAS From Fr. T. J. Primero que nada, me gustaría agradecerles a todos ustedes desde el fondo de mi corazón por todo lo que han donado y sacriﬁcado para ﬁnalmente ayudar a la Iglesia de San Tomas More estar libre de deudas! Se que muchos de ustedes han pensado que nunca verían a la Parroquia libre de deudas. Gracias por su generosidad y al sacriﬁcio de muchos feligreses en los úl(mos años , que ﬁnalmente podremos poner a la campaña del jubileo a descansar!!! Tendremos una ﬁesta para celebrar que estamos libres de deudas durante la temporada de pascua , para tener (empo suﬁciente para celebrar . Muchas gracias nuevamente a todos aquellos que ayudaron a alcanzar nuestra meta!!! Este es el primer domingo de cuaresma y sabemos que las cosas están cambiado. Los católicos marcan esta época para dejar de hacer algo o para hacer sacriﬁcios. Necesitamos recordar que la cuaresma no es el (empo para ponerse a dieta , pero para conver(r nuestros corazones nuevamente a Dios. Este puede ser un (empo fructuoso para nosotros al reﬂexionar en nuestras necesidades de Dios en nuestras vidas. Espero que sus sacriﬁcios de cuaresma vayan bien y que a través de ellos, se acerquen mas al amor de Dios. Mantengámonos mutuamente en oración al hacer esta jornada juntos. Oremos para que Dios haga fuerte los corazones de los ﬁeles de San Tomas More, para que nos acerquemos mas al Señor en este (empo de cuaresma! Que el Señor derrame sus bendiciones sobre ustedes, Fr. T.J. APARTEN LAS FECHAS PARA LAS CHARLAS ESPIRITUALES CUARESMALES Lunes 10 de marzo 2014- Juan 1,38-39 “¿Qué buscan?... ¿dónde te quedas? Jesús les dijo: Vengan y lo verán.” Martes 11 de marzo 2014- Juan 15,13 “No hay amor más grande que dar la vida por sus amigos” Miércoles 12 de marzo 2014- Juan 6,68 “Señor, ¿a quién iríamos? Tú tienes palabra de vida eterna” Ven a rezar el viacrucis los Viernes durante la cuaresma Marzo 7, 14, 21, 28 Abril 4 & 11 7:30 p.m. en la Iglesia Servicio Bilingüe March 9, 2014 El propósito de nuestro ayuno durante la cuaresma es para llevarnos, como Jesús, a tener hambre solamente de Dios y escoger servirlo solo a El. El Comité de Vocaciones de la Parroquia 2013-2014 CCE YEAR FECHAS IMPORTANTES DE CCE 16 De Marzo NO hay Clases - Vacaciones de Primavera 23 De Marzo NO hay Clases - Vacaciones de Primavera Catequesis en el Hogar: Hogar entrevistas en la Oficina de educación religiosa de 10:45 am a 12:30 pm. Días de Reunión Domingos Abril 13, 2014 PRIMERA COMUNIÓN -Primera Comunión (Inglés) – sábado, 3 de mayo – 10:30am – Ensayo, el jueves, 1 de mayo a las 6:30pm. El niño debe asistir al ensayo -Primera Comunión (Español) – sábado, 10 de mayo – 10:30am – Ensayo, jueves, 8 de mayo a las 6:30pm. El niño debe asistir al ensayo. – en la Iglesia Actualización de MatriculaMatricula- ¡Gracias a todas las familias que han pagado su cuota para el año de la doctrina 2013-2014. Aun tenemos un gran numero de familias con la matrícula todavía pendiente. Estamos dedicados a proveer el programa de educación religiosa lo mejor posible en Santo Tomas More, sin embargo, esto sólo se puede hacer con su apoyo. Por favor pague el saldo pendiente lo antes posible, tenemos planes de pago disponibles. Gracias por su cooperación. CONFIRMACION PREPARATORIANOS 12 De marzo Clases 19 De marzo NO hay Clases - Vacaciones de Primavera Confirmación Para Adultos (mayores de18 años) Para inscribirse para la preparación llame a Ana Luisa al 713-729 -3435 o [email protected] INICIO DE LAS CLASES MIERCOLES 12 DE MARZO DEL 2014 HORARIO: 7:00PM a 9:00PM CONVALIDACIÓN DE MATRIMONIOS. Las parejas que deseen convalidar su matrimonio, es decir que están casadas civilmente, o en unión libre, y quieren casarse por la Iglesia, por favor llame a 713729Ana Luisa al 713 -729 -3435. Las Clases darán comienzo el martes 18 de marzo a las 7:00pm en el Prinster Hall. La Ceremonia en grupo será el 5 de julio o el 6 de diciembre del 2014. FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT PRAYERS FOR THE SICK / ORACION POR LOS ENFERMOS John Amato, Pedro Apigo, Bobby Baker, Elisa Baker, Lisa Bivins, Julia Brown, Bernice Condon, Ellen Cooper, Alice Fahy, Daniel Garcia, John Gorman, Barbara Graham, David Graham, Rose Kimball, Bob Lee, Margaret Martin, Mary Marshall, Joyce Mercurio, Mary Jane Morgan, Margaret Morris, Fr. Bill Oliver, Freddie Perez, Clyde Perrere, Madelyn Ressman, Carmen Robichaux, Al Suhor, Beverly Thomas, Patricia Trejo, Rich Vachris, Celina Wager We have removed all the names from the Prayers for the Sick list, except for those names which were added in the last 2 months. If you wish to have someone’s name added to the list, please contact the office. We are happy to add back the name(s) of your loved one, even if we just removed their name. Some of the names had been on our list for over 2 years, so this is a fresh start! PRAY FOR ALL SERVING IN THE MILITARY, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN OUR PARISH FAMILY SFC Paul Bergman, Col. David Eskelund, Megan Godsey, Traci Godsey, Sgt. Billy Janca, SSgt Bradley Louis, Mike McIntosh, Ebenezer E. Ohaegbulem, Charles U. Oparnozie, LCDR Russell Thiem, PFC Cristina Teresa Villegas Ausn Benne Tice is a home schooled, Eagle Scout, Naonal Merit Finalist, graduate of Georgetown University, former Captain in the United States Marine Corps and recipient of the 2012 George Polk Award for War Reporng. He is the eldest of seven children, and was born and raised in Texas. In May of 2012, the summer before his ﬁnal year at Georgetown Law School, he chose to go to Syria as a Freelance Journalist to report on the conﬂict there. Two days a5er his 31st birthday, on August 13, 2012, his editors, family and friends lost contact with Ausn, as he was preparing to travel from Daraya, near Damascus, to Beirut, Lebanon. Please connue to pray for the safe return of Ausn to his family. Please patronize our advertisers. It is through their support that our bulletin is provided at no cost to the parish. Thank you!