A Homily by Pope Francis

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2 PARISH CLERGY Rev. Tom Lam Pastor Rev. Martins Emeh, J.C.L. Parochial Vicar Deacon John Evanoff Pastoral Associate Deacon Don Kish PARISH STAFF Business Manager Lars Gustafson Administration Gerry Broussard, Misha Gabriel, Dan Stamps, Mary Tran Religious Education LouAnn Svoboda, Director Dave Clark, Charlotte Fulton, Becca Hammock, Maria Laiseca Youth Ministry Joey Harvey, Director Matt Kiernan Parish Life Ministry Dave Clark, Director Music Ministry Christian Mondragon, Director Adrienne Copeland Liturgy Ministry Dominick Aquila, Director Outreach Ministry Schottsie Hill, Director Lisa Gilkeson Facilities Manager Vince DeBonis Christian Cholico, Young Kim, Alex Trejo COMMUNITY LIFE Nursery Coordinator: Anne Salazar Bingo: Friday at 7:30 p.m Welcome Newcomers For more information about our parish please go to our website A Homily by Pope Francis Dwelling in the current of the love of God, taking up a stable residence there, is the condi on for ensuring that our love does not lose its ardor or audacity, the Pope said. Like Jesus, and in Him, we must welcome the Father s love, without separa ng ourselves from it through selfishness and sin. This is a challenging program, the Pope said, but not an impossible one. In order to do so, Pope Francis con nued, we must first recognize that the love of Christ is not a superficial feeling, but rather, a fundamental a tude of the heart, which is shown by observing Jesus commandments. This love, he said, must be realized in everyday life, in our a tudes and ac ons, or else it will prove illusory. How to love one another. The commandments of Jesus are summed up in the command to love one another as Jesus has loved us. The Pope said that the other we are called to love is the one I encounter along the way, those who challenge us, those who await our readiness to listen, to take a part of the journey together. We must be open, he said, to every one of our brothers and sisters, whoever they might be, and in whatever situa on they might find themselves. This love, he con nued, must be a part of our everyday lives. We are called to care for the elderly as a precious treasure ; to provide every assistance possible to those who are sick, even when they are approaching the end of their lives; to always welcome the unborn. This, Pope Francis said, is why life must always be defended and loved, from concep on to its natural end. Forming the Heart of Jesus within us But we cannot love one another as Christ loved us unless we have His own Heart within us. The Eucharist, in which we are called to par cipate each Sunday, is intended to form within us the Heart of Christ, the Pope said, so that our whole life might be guided by His generous a tude. 2

3 Events & Meetings This Week SUNDAY, MAY 13 Mother s Day Baby Bottle Distribution after all Masses 9:45 & 11:30 AM, Children s Liturgy of the Word Grades 3 & 4 MONDAY, MAY 14 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 1:00 PM, Rummikub: Outreach Center 7:00 PM, Scout Troop 1146: Great Room 7:00 PM, Job Networking: Rec Room 7:00 PM, Handbell Choir: Church TUESDAY, MAY 15 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 9:00 AM, ESL Class: Outreach Center 9:00 AM, Ladies Club End of Year Social: Epiphany Room 9:30 AM, Quilters: Room 411 9:40 AM 7:30 PM, Adoration: Chapel 10:00 AM, Holy Hour Rosary for Respect Life: Chapel 10:00 AM, Scripture Study: Den 3:00 PM, Divine Mercy Chaplet: Chapel 4:00 PM, Holy Hour for Vocations: Chapel 7:00 PM, Youth Advisory Committee: 408 7:00 PM, Scout Troop 1288: Rec Room 7:00 PM, Rosary, Solemn Evening Prayer and Benediction: Chapel WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 5:30 PM, Contemporary Music: Church 7:00 PM, Choir Rehearsal: Church 7:00 PM, LOFT: High School Youth Group: Upper Room 8:05 PM, Young Adult Bible Study: Rm.404 THURSDAY, MAY 17 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 9:00 AM, ESL Class: Outreach Center 12:30 PM, ELC Knitting Group: Room 404 6:30 PM, Men s Food & Faith: Room 412 7:00 PM, Line Dancing: Great Room 7:00 PM, Noah s Ark Mtg.: Epiphany Room 7:00 PM, Adult Confirmation Class: Den FRIDAY, MAY 18 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 11:30 AM, Forever Young: Family Center 7:30 PM, Bingo: Family Center SATURDAY, MAY 19 9:00 AM, Adult Confirmation Morning of Reflection: Epiphany Room SUNDAY, MAY 20 Coffee & Donuts 9:45 & 11:30 AM, Nursery: 2 5 years; PAC 9:45 & 11:30 AM, Children s Liturgy of the Word Grades 1 & 2 1:30 PM, Baptism Service: Narthex 3:30 PM, Marriage Support Group: Outreach Our Truest Friend A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us just as trouble thickens around us, still will mother cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. - Washington Irving Baptisms Please contact parish office for preparation classes. Baptism Session for Parents 2 nd Saturday of February, May, August, November 10:00 AM Noon To register call LouAnn Svoboda ( ) Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) For information call LouAnn Svoboda ( ) Sacrament of Marriage Must be a registered, active member of the parish at least six months. Contact parish office eight months before wedding to begin preparation. Finance Council Chair Denny Dellinger Pastoral Council Chair Tom McGeehan Knights of Columbus C.J. Hattier, Grand Knight St. Vincent de Paul Society Rebel LeBoeuf Ladies Club Sharon Yohe Forever Young Norma Lopez, Mary Davis Bulletin Deadline The deadline for article submission is Thursday at noon (ten days before publication). Your article can be sent to gerry@epiphanycatholic.org. Check our website for Liturgical & Faith Formation Schedules. epiphany@epiphanycatholic.org Child s Play Learning Center, Alyce Gabrysch, Director, ; Fax; childsplaykaty.com 3

4 Liturgy & Prayer LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK SPECIAL REMEMBRANCES Saturday, May 12 Vigil The Ascension of the Lord 5:30 PM Ulric LeLeux Sunday, May 13 The Ascension of the Lord 8:00 AM Jerry Toomey 9:45 AM For the People 11:30 AM Dorothy Freedman 5:30 PM Italo Camacho Monday, May 14 St. Matthias 9:00 AM Anna Marie Mercaldi Tuesday, May 15 Easter Weekday 9:00 AM Alois Brosch Wednesday, May 16 Easter Weekday 9:00 AM James Richard Thursday, May 17 Easter Weekday 9:00 AM Evelyn Victoria Comet Friday, May 18 Easter Weekday 9:00 AM S. B. Onubogu Family Saturday, May 19 Vigil Pentecost 5:30 PM Edith Migues Sunday, May 20 Pentecost Sunday 8:00 AM Laiseca Family 9:45 AM For the People 11:30 AM Jennel Oleyres 5:30 PM James Richard READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; Ps 113:1-8; Jn 15:9-17 Tuesday: Acts 20:17-27; Ps 68:10-11, 20-21; Jn 17:1-11a Wednesday: Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30, 33-36ab; Jn 17:11b-19 Thursday: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11; Ps 16:1-2a, 5, 7-11; Jn 17:20-26 Friday: Acts 25:13b-21; Ps 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab; Jn 21:15-19 Saturday: Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; Ps 11:4, 5, 7; Jn 21:20-25 Sunday: Vigil: Gn 11:1-9 or Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b or Ez 37:1-14 or Jl 3:1-5; Ps 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-30; Rom 8:22-27; Jn 7:37-39 Day: Acts 2:1-11; Ps 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, or Gal 5:16-25; Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15 Through the waters of Baptism the following infants now have begun their journey of faith in the Christian Community: Giovanni Enzo Campbell, Peyton Nicole Cornelison, Sila Paquio De Schrijver, Saliho Grace-Raphaella Kouame, Cole Duc Le, Leonardo Anselmo Rolim. PRAYER LIST FOR THE SICK Please keep the following people in your thoughts and prayers this week as we wish them a return to good health: Jason Sides, Theresa McCluskey, Steve Chambers, Jackie Alfonso, Colette Johnecheck, Lauro Garza, Amapola Garza, Mary Laverock, Maria Concepcion Espinosa, Donna Johnson, Linda Hudak, Lionel Rivas, Jason Klander, Karen Janak Calderon, Tim Elliott. To make a request for someone to be on our prayer list, please call the parish office at Your loved one s name will appear on our prayer list for six consecutive Sundays. If a longer period of time is needed, please call the parish office to renew your request. Please Remember In Prayer Our Deceased Jarvis Gambrell, husband of Carolyn Sikora Maynard McDonald, husband of Marleen Please pray for our military men and women. 4

5 We welcome into our community: Nicholas & Katie Baumann, Peter & Joy DeNicola, Brendan & Anna Fleming, Victor & Alisha Johnson, Mario & Alejandra Lira, Patrick & Deanna Mulcahy, Kyle & Andria Olsen, Leonardo & Samantha Rodriguez, Jesus & Allison Trejo, Nahiroby Virguez, Gerald & Leslie William. Parish Life FOREVER YOUNG Welcome all 55+ age parishioners to the Forever Young Group. Our last gathering for the year will be on May 18, 2018, at 11:30 a.m. at the Family Center. Please bring a dish, casserole, salad or dessert to enjoy with your fellow friends. Come early (11 a.m.) to sign up or pay for trips, buy the 50/50 raffle tickets, and mingle with your friends. Our speaker will be Carol Meyer. See you there and see you back in September! Fr. Jack will be presiding at the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 20 to celebrate the 55 th anniversary of his ordina on to the priesthood. A recep on will follow in the Family Center. Make me for family fun this summer. Join us for Family Fun Nights every Wednesday in June from 6:30pm-8:30pm in the PAC. Each week will feature a movie on our big screen, a smorgasbord of games and tummy ckling snacks. Dinner will also be served each week for $15 per family! Date June 6 June 13 June 20 June 27 Menu Build your own pizzas Hot dogs Nachos Movie Ferdinand Cocoa Moana Young Adult Bible Study Pot-Luck No Cost This Week Incredibles 2 Bible Study will be on Wednesday, May 16 th, at 7:47pm, in Room 404 of the PAC Building. We will be reading and reflecting on How to be Happy. We will meet for dinner beforehand at 6:30pm, at Cane s, off of S. Mason Rd. 5

6 Parish Life continued Do you want to become a Knight of Columbus member of our Epiphany Council? The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Are you a practicing Catholic man? Then you should join us. We will be having an Admission degree in our parish on May 22 th at 7:00PM at the PAC. Dinner will be provided that night. If you are interested please contact Oscar Gendrop our membership director via at oscargendrop@hotmail.com or by phone (305) Walk ins are also available if you arrive 30 minutes ahead of time. We ll be honored to have you. Men s Faith & Food Please consider joining other men of the parish every Thursday evening for Pizza and DVD-Based Faith Formation/Discussion. Topics will be relevant to issues faced by Catholic men. We meet in Room 412 of the PAC, at 6:45 p.m. each Thursday. MOTHER Mother is the name for God on the lips and in the hearts of little children. William Makepeace Thackeray Support Our Advertisers Thank you to our advertisers for making our bulletins possible. We encourage you to patronize these businesses. Please tell them you saw their ad in our bulletin. 6

7 Our Stewardship Stewardship May 5/6 Sunday Offering $57, (Includes Faith Direct) St. Vincent de Paul Society $6, Registered Households 6,711 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 J 4:15 How strong is your faith? When you have an opportunity to either defend or clarify a ques on about our Catholic faith, do you do it? Or, do you remain silent so that others don t think you are weird? Pray for the courage to be strong in all circumstances and to share your witness with others. Intercession: May our generous response to the Diocesan Services Fund touch the lives of all as we serve our brothers and sisters in faith and love, We pray to the Lord... If you are busy and have a long to do list, then let Epiphany s on-line giving program make your life easier! Faith Direct is our parish s e-giving program. Just enroll and your regular offerings to Epiphany are automatically deducted from your checking account or billed to your credit card. It s secure and easy to use! You can also use Faith Direct for second collections and donations to our new Catholic school. Visit or find their link on Epiphanycatholic.org. Remember Epiphany s parish code is: TX 613 Faith Direct also has a free App for your phone! It is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android users. The App allows parishioners to access their account anytime, anywhere! Thank you for your continued support of our parish family! Epiphany Catholic School DSF REPORT Parish Goal $398, Amount Pledged $232, Amount Paid $150, Number of Pledges 476 7

8 Outreach Ministry Outreach Events in May Regular Meetings: Mon. Epiphany Job Networking at 7 p.m. in the PAC; Tues. Respect Life Rosary at 10 a.m. in the Chapel. May 12& 13: Distribution of Baby Bottles May 15: ESL Class May 17: ESL Class May 17: Noah s Ark May 20: Marriage Support Group May 22: ESL Class May 22: Second Family Meeting See for details. Call the Outreach Center at for more information on the various ministries. Noah s Ark An informal support group for parishioners that were flooded during Harvey. Join us on Thursday evenings starting at 7 pm in the Epiphany room of the PAC. For more information call Outreach at BABY BOTTLE BLESSING Begins Today! Share the joy of giving by supporting the Gift of Life. Please put gifts of coins, bills or checks made payable to Epiphany of the Lord in the Baby Bottles. Funds raised will be given to the Archdiocese Gabriele Project, Catholic Charities Adolescent Pregnancy Program and West Houston Pregnancy Help Center. Please pick up a baby bottle today Mother s Day, filling it with change, and return the filled bottle on Father s Day! Thank you for your participation and your gift of Love! JOB SEEKERS NETWORK Meetings are held Mondays from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the Parish Activity Center. Facilitators provide assistance primarily to degreed, professional job seekers or those with substantial prior work experience. All meetings are open to the public and are free. An approach for job searching that has proven successful for hundreds of people is listed: Treat your endeavor as a full time job Plan your week and execute the plan be organized Utilize all available sources newspapers, internet, job boards, search firms etc. Attend various weekly networking meetings Make at least 5 cold calls every day Attempt to send out 5-10 cover letters & resumes daily Follow up on job leads and bring them to closure 8

9 VIRTUS REFRESHER Adult Faith Formation Keeping the Promise Alive (Virtus Refresher) will be held on Thursday, May 24 from 7:00 8:30 p.m. in the PAC. A valid ID must be presented at check-in. No Walk-ins! Preregistration is required at Contact louann@epiphanycatholic.org for username, password and registration instructions or call LouAnn at No late admittance! KPA is required for all volunteers who attended the original VIRTUS: Protecting God s Children five years ago. VIRTUS: Protecting God s Children Saturday, June 2 9:00 a.m.- Noon Epiphany of the Lord Parish Activity Center (PAC). Pre-registration is mandatory at for this original VIRTUS workshop. A valid identification must be presented at check-in. No late admittance is allowed. If you are over 18 and active in ministry at Epiphany, you must be VIRTUS trained. All adult parishioners, ESPECIALLY PARENTS, are encouraged to be VIRTUS trained! Questions? Need assistance with the registration process? Call the Faith Formation Office at No walk-ins, pre-registration is required! Please Note: This the final VIRTUS:PGC at Epiphany prior to VBS In Ireland and the United Kingdom, Mother s Day is over. Mothering Sunday was on the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Long ago, people were freed from work to travel on this day to the parish where they were baptized, their Mother Church. Often, people were reunited with their mothers on this day. Employers would release their workers and servants for this visit. The American celebration, while based on this custom, really has to do with an anti-war movement of mothers in Civil War times. They crusaded for better sanitary conditions for their sons. When President Wilson instituted the first Mother s Day in 1912, it was a day to fly the flag in honor of mothers whose children had died in battle. Knowing the tradition is a good balance to our celebration today. We can enfold in prayer the mothers who have suffered the loss of their children in war. Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Co. DEEP DEBT All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. Attributed to Abraham Lincoln Attention to those who use the nursery: Please take the time to complete the yellow tags. Include first and last name, age or birth date and a cell phone number. This is the best way to contact you in case of an emergency. 9

10 Elementary Faith Formation Epiphany Youth Ministry There are still a few spots left for VBS. Register soon so your child won t miss out. Adult volunteers will need to have taken a Virtus class or be current in their training updates. The faith formation staff can help you with any questions and how to find a session. Student volunteers who will be in High School in the fall and under the age of 18 will need to take the Jeremiah 1:7 training. Our next one is scheduled for June 2 from 9-11am. Class of 2018: Join us for Sunday Mass on June 3rd at 5:30 p.m. Knights of Columbus will present the recipients of the 2018 KOC Scholarships. A reception will follow in the Family Center. Faith Formation registration packets are being prepared and should be in the mail soon. Watch your mail box. When the letter sized envelope arrives, please read through everything. There are a few changes that are detailed for you. Most notable is our Tuesday session. We begin taking registration forms on June 1st. June 30th is the deadline to register without incurring a late fee. It s never too early to think about teaching a class. We d love to share with you more about how to volunteer. Just call LouAnn, Dave, or Charlotte in the Faith Formation office. June 5th (Even classrooms) June 7th (Odd classrooms) 7:00 p.m. We are looking for parents and students to help with the receptions immediately following the celebrations in the Family Center. Please Maria@EpiphanyCatholic.org for more information. 10