A Reflection by Pope Francis

Transcription

1 July 29, th Sunday in Ordinary Time p

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, Maria Laiseca, Dan Stamps, Mary Tran Religious Education LouAnn Svoboda, Director Dave Clark, Charlotte Fulton, Misha Gabriel, Becca Hammock 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 A Reflection by Pope Francis F orgiveness. It is not easy to forgive. We always retain a dram of bitterness or resentment, and whenever those we have forgiven annoy us, it rises to the surface once again. Yet the Lord wants our forgiveness to be gift. It is significant that the only really original commentary on the Our Father is Jesus own. He tells us simply: If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Mt 6:14-15). Forgiveness is the catch phrase of the Our Father. God frees our hearts of all sin, he forgives every last thing. Yet he asks only one thing of us: that we in turn never tire of forgiving. He wants us to issue a general amnesty for the sins of others. We should take a good x -ray of our heart, to find out if there are blockages within us, obstacles to forgiveness, stones needing to be removed. Then we can say to the Father: You see this stone? I hand it over to you and I pray for this person, for that situation; even if I struggle to forgive, I ask you for the strength to do it. Forgiveness renews, it works miracles. Peter experienced Jesus forgiveness and became the shepherd of his flock. Saul became Paul after the forgiveness he received from Stephen, the first martyr. Forgiven by our Father, each of us is born again as a new creation when we love our brothers and sisters. Only then do we bring true newness to our world, for there is no greater novelty than forgiveness, which turns evil into good. We see it in the history of Christianity. Forgiving one another, rediscovering after centuries of disagreements and conflicts that we are brothers and sisters, how much good this has done us and continues to do! The Father is pleased when we love one another and we forgive each other from the heart. Then, he gives us his Spirit. Let us ask for the grace not to be entrenched and hard of heart, constantly demanding things of others. Instead, let us take the first step, in prayer, in fraternal encounter, in concrete charity. In this way, we will be more like the Father, who loves without counting the cost. And he will pour out upon us the Spirit of unity. 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 2

3 Events Liturgy & Meetings & Prayer This Week SUNDAY, JULY 29 9:45 & 11:30 AM, Nursery: 2 5 years; PAC MONDAY, JULY 30 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 1:00 PM, Rummikub: Outreach Center 7:00 PM, Job Networking: Rec Room TUESDAY, JULY 31 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 9:30 AM, Quilting Group: Room 412 9:40 AM 7:00 PM, Adoration: Chapel 10:00 AM, Holy Hour Rosary for Respect Life: Chapel 3:00 PM, Divine Mercy Chaplet: Chapel 4:00 PM, Holy Hour Rosary for Vocations: Chapel 7:00 PM, Scout Troop 1288: Rec Room 7:00 PM, Rosary, Vespers & Benediction: Chapel WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 12:30 PM, ELC Knitting Group: Room 404 5:30 PM, Contemporary Music Rehearsal: Church 7:00 PM, Adult Choir Practice: Church THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 6:00 PM, Women s ACTS: Den 6:30 PM, Men s Food & Faith: Room 412 7:00 PM, Line Dancing: Great Room FRIDAY, AUGUST 3 9:00 AM, Daily Mass: Chapel 7:30 PM, Bingo: Family Center SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 10:00 AM, Mass and Dedication of Epiphany of the Lord Catholic School: Church, School Reception lunch following in Family Center SUNDAY, AUGUST 5 Food Drive 9:45 & 11:30 AM, Nursery: 2 5 years; PAC Your family can always give regularly through Visit to sign up or learn more about Faith Direct on our parish website: Use Epiphany s church code: TX613 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 Oscar Gendrop, 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, July 28 Vigil 17 th Ordinary Sunday 5:30 PM John Straniero Sunday, July th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 AM Vera Berckenhoff 9:45 AM For the People 11:30 AM The Perone Family 5:30 PM John McGlew Monday, July 30 Weekday 9:00 AM Dorothy Freedman Tuesday, July 31 St. Ignatius of Loyola 9:00 AM Bob Farr Wednesday, August 1 St. Alphonsus Liguori 9:00 AM Eloy Gonzalez Thursday, August 2 Weekday 9:00 AM Anton Benedict Friday, August 3 Weekday 9:00 AM Graciela Sanchez Saturday, August 4 Vigil 18 th Ordinary Sunday 5:30 PM Gerard St. Martin, Sr. Sunday, August 5 18 th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8:00 AM Edward Egras 9:45 AM For the People 11:30 AM Tina Catsos 5:30 PM Christine Robertson READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Jer 13:1-11; Dt 32:18-21; Mt 13:31-35 Tuesday: Jer 14:17-22; Ps 79:8, 9, 11, 13; Mt 13:36-43 Wednesday: Jer 15:10, 16-21; Ps 59:2-4, 10-11, 17-18; Mt 13:44-46 Thursday: Jer 18:1-6; Ps 146:1b-6ab; Mt 13:47-53 Friday: Jer 26:1-9; Ps 69:5, 8-10, 14; Mt 13:54-58 Saturday: Jer 26:11-16, 24; Ps 69:15-16, 30-31, 33-34; Mt 14:1-12 Sunday: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15; Ps 78:3-4, 23-25, 54; Eph 4:17, 20-24; Jn 6:24-35 Please pray for our military men and women. ANOINTING OF THE SICK AND ELDERLY: The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick will be celebrated on Thursday, August 2 and every First Thursday of the month during the 9:00 AM Mass. The Sacrament of Anointing is for the strengthening of those who are ill, or who are aging. We celebrate the sacrament best in the community setting so that we can support you with prayer. 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, Steve Chambers, Jackie Alfonso, Colette Johnecheck, Lauro Garza, Amapola Garza, Mary Laverock, Lionel Rivas, Diane Estay, Karen Janak Calderon, Tim Elliott, Guadalupe Lopez-Monreal, Herlinda Kilcullen, Joseph Miciotto, Linda Hudak, Carmen Ramos, Al Baker, Joe Toman, Jason Klander, Carol Laufenberg. 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. KSHJ 1430 AM English Catholic radio in Houston, TX. Tune in for intelligent talk, catechesis, apologetics, a Catholic perspective on news and current events, great fun, and lots of advice on living the faith in our relationships and sharing the faith with our friends and family. Listen on air at AM 1430, online at GRNonline.com, or on your mobile device both IOS and Android. 4

5 Parish Life A C T S Ladies, have you ever a ended an ACTS retreat? Would you like to serve on the team at Epiphany s first Women s ACTS retreat November 1-4, 2018? For more informa on please contact Terri Bray at Registra on and informa on for retreatants will be in a future bulle n, also see actshouston.org. EPIPHANY BINGO - As a result of the dedicated work of all the Bingo volunteers and the tremendous support of the players in 2017, net proceeds from the year of just under $60,000 have and will be distributed between local charitable organizations, Epiphany outreach, and the catholic school capital campaign. We invite all parishioners to come join us again for Bingo in As always MAXIMUM CASH PRIZES of $2500, allowed by state law, are given away at EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT BINGO. This includes a $750 final game jackpot prize each night. The bingo window and concessions open at 7:00 and the games begin at 7:30 with 4 earlybird games and 8:00 for the regular games. Due to a number of recent relocations and retirements, the Bingo volunteer group has a very serious need for more volunteer members on each team, including for the concession area. The time obligation is only about once every 4 weeks. This is a great opportunity to make new friends and help continue this ministry. Please check out the Bingo link on the Epiphany website for the bingo calendar, and more information on games and how to join our volunteer team. 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. 5

6 Our Stewardship Stewardship July 21/22 (Includes Faith Direct) Sunday Offering $50, St. Vincent de Paul Society $4, Registered Households 6,723 There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many? (JOHN 6:9) The miracle of the Loaves and Fishes is the only miracle which is recorded six times in the Gospel. It carries two important messages. First, no matter how little we have, we always have enough to share. Second, Christ can take our humble gifts and do great things with them if we are just willing to let Him. No gift is too small or insignificant! DSF REPORT Parish Goal $398, Amount Pledged $274, Amount Paid $220, Number of Pledges 568 egiving to Epiphany of the Lord is easy with Faith Direct Text-to-Give! To give via text, follow these steps: 1. Text $ amount to Register your credit/debit card (you will only need to do this once). 3. Save the number as a contact in your phone to make future giving faster and easier. Around the Archdiocese The 2018 Wedding Anniversary Jubilee Mass honoring couples celebrating their Silver (25th) Anniversary of marriage in the Catholic Church will be held on Sunday, September 16, 2018 at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 3 pm. Whether or not a couple attends the ceremony, they are eligible to receive a special recognition. Registration will close on August 24, 2018 at midnight. Reserved seating will be limited. Should you arrive when the reserved space is taken, please sit anywhere else in the Church. Each couple will be able to bring a maximum of 6 family members or friends to the Mass. Couples that register after August 24th will not receive a prepared WAJ packet, or a signed recognition. The packet and recognition will be mailed to your home after verification of your sacramental marriage is confirmed. The 2018 Wedding Anniversary Jubilee Mass honoring couples celebrating their Golden (50th) Anniversary of marriage in The Catholic Church will be held on Sunday, October 21 st, 2018 at The Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart at 3 pm. Whether or not a couple attends the ceremony, they are eligible to receive a special recognition. Registration for this celebration will be closed on September 30 th 2018 at midnight. Reserved seating will be limited for couples celebrating their anniversary, so please register soon to be able to reserve your space and also to make sure you will receive your acknowledgment on that day. Couples that register after September 30 th will not receive a prepared WAJ packet, or a signed recognition. The packet and recognition will be mailed to your home after verification of your sacramental marriage is confirmed. Register online: -ministry/marriage-enrichment/wedding-anniversary -jubilee/ 6

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8 Outreach Ministry Outreach Events in August Regular Meetings: Mondays Epiphany Job Networking at 7 p.m. in the PAC Tuesdays Respect Life Rosary at 10 a.m. in the Chapel. August 5th: Food Drive August 9th: Gathering Place August 9th: Caregiver Support Group See for details. Call the Outreach Center at for more information on the various ministries. Food Drive Next Weekend! Our monthly Food Drive is scheduled for next weekend, August 5th. We appreciate all of your help in keeping our food closet well stocked. You may bring items such as Mac and Cheese, Peanut Butter and Pasta Sauce. Also, we are in need of brown grocery paper bags. THE GATHERING PLACE The Gathering Place provides social time for persons with Alzheimer s, Dementia, and Parkinson s. Our next event will be on Thursday, August 9th from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. If you can help once a month OR are a primary caretaker and need some respite, please call Outreach or outreach@epiphanycatholic.org. Caregiver s Support Group Aug. 9th, 10 am If you are feeling overwhelmed by the demands of caring for someone with an illness or disability you are not alone. Come join us as. For more information please call Outreach at Coming up in August: Day of Prayer for Caregivers Peace be with You Day of Prayer for Caregivers: Saturday, August 11, from 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. at the Dominican Center, 6501 Almeda, Houston, $35 registration before August 3; includes lunch. Presented by Pat Kerlin. Register at or call Rachel' s Vineyard Rachel s Vineyard is a Catholic, Scripturebased retreat for women, men and their families suffering after abortion. The Rachel s Vineyard retreat combines opportunities for prayer, reflection, counseling and sacramental Reconciliation to peace and healing for retreatants. Aug Sep. 2 For more information call Cindy Renaudo at or cindy@rvhouston.org. Epiphany s St. Vincent de Paul June Update During the month of June we helped 77 families in need and assisted them with $22,698 of financial assistance to help with mortgages or utilities. We also were able to get ten Harvey flooded families furniture. All were offered a bag of food as well. Thank you for supporting this ministry! Clinic Care Kits Through the generous donations of our parishioners and Lathrop Dental Center, we were able to assemble and deliver 474 Clinic Care Kits. We would like to say thank you to all who donated and to our tireless volunteers that assembled the kits to be given to Christ Clinic and our own St. Vincent de Paul. 8

9 Adult Faith Formation INFANT BAPTISM PREPARATION A Baptism Preparation Session for parents and godparents will be held on Saturday, August 11, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until Noon in the Family Center. Parents must attend a baptism preparation session before scheduling their child s baptism. Call to register for this preparation session. The next opportunity to attend a baptism class at Epiphany will be on Saturday, November 10, Take a Deeper Look at the Catholic Faith People are drawn to explore the Catholic faith for many different reasons. Perhaps they experienced a Catholic Mass at the time of a wedding or funeral and were attracted and comforted by the prayer and ritual. Or, you may have witnessed the source of hope and comfort a Catholic relative, friend or co-worker found in their faith at a time of difficulty or crisis. Any one of these experiences - or a thousand more like them - might have started you thinking about what it would be like to become Catholic. How do you find out more? What s the first step? Contact louann@epiphanycatholic.org to take the first step in a life changing journey. CATECHIST MODULES Gain confidence as a catechist and work toward Archdiocesan certification! Thursday, August 2: Vocation of the Catechist Monday August 6: Liturgical Catechesis Additional Module dates on our website p.m. in the PAC RSVP to louann@epiphanycatholic.org VIRTUS: Protecting God s Children Saturday, August 25 1:00-4:00 p.m. Epiphany s Parish Activity Center If you are over 18 and active in parish ministry or a parent volunteer for Epiphany Catholic School, 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. Pre-registration is mandatory at for the VIRTUS workshop. A valid identification must be presented at check-in. No late admittance is allowed. Growing in our Faith Summer lecture series at St. Bartholomew August 8: Retaining Souls for Christ August 22: Assumption & Queenship of Mary August 29: Homosexuality & Transgenderism September 4: Informed Voting St. Bartholomew the Apostle Church, Katy 7:00 p.m. FLC Auditorium, Contact joan@st-bart.org for information Becoming the Best Fathers on Earth! Expand your understanding of your most important job on earth: Being a father. This workshop is directed to fathers but mothers are welcome to attend as well. A combination of the teachings of the church, philosophy, economics, common sense and practical teachings will help attendees become better husbands and fathers. St. Bartholomew Catholic Church Saturday, August 4 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Lunch and snacks are included. Cost $20. To register call the Office of Family Life

10 Elementary Faith Formation Epiphany Youth Ministry Faith Formation registration is still open and we are accepting new and returning students. We ve heard from several families who have lost their materials. Please stop by the parish office and pick-up new materials. If you have questions, please contact anyone in the Faith Formation office. We are looking forward to a fantastic year. Volunteers of all ages are needed to help grow young disciples. You are never too old or even too young. Empty nesters and grandparents are some of our best volunteers. High school and college students bring a youthfulness that is infectious. If you have a few hours a week and live your faith, then you are the right person for a role in our program. Please call us at to hear more about the different ways you can help out. You can us too. Send an to: dave@epiphanycatholic.org. Young Adult Ministry We are looking for VIRTUS trained adults to join us. Please contact Matt Kiernan for more information. YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY Wednesday, August 1 at 8pm Bible Study Room 304-PAC Join us for dinner beforehand at 6:45pm at Cowboy Chicken-Katy Freeway 10