St. Thomas More Catholic Church July 11, 2021

Saint Thomas More Catholic Church

10330 Hillcroft St. | Houston, TX 77096 | (713) 729-0221

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Saint Thomas More Catholic Church A r c h d i o c e s e o f G a l v e s t o n — H o u s t o n

10330 Hillcroft St. | Houston, TX 77096 | (713) 729-0221

www.stmhouston.org

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St. Thomas More Catholic Church July 11, 2021

Saint Thomas More Catholic Church

10330 Hillcroft St.

Houston, TX 77096

(713) 729-0221 (713) 729-3294 fax

www.stmhouston.org

Parish Office Hours (Closed from 12-1 PM for lunch) Monday to Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Saint Thomas More Catholic School

5927 Wigton Drive

Houston, TX 77096

(713) 729-3434 (713) 721-5644 fax

www.stthomasmore-school.org

School Office Hours (Summer) Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

SACRAMENTS

Infant Baptism Preparation & Registration

You must be registered in the parish, or live in either of

the following zip codes: 77096 or 77035

Infant Baptism is for children under 7 years of age.

Children 7 years and older must attend RCIA for chil-

dren.

The preparation is personalized to the family and we

hope that you will use www.formed.org and Zoom.

Attendance is required for parents and is highly recom-

mended for Godparents.

Please call the Faith Formation Office for access to our

registration, 713-729-3435.

Please visit our website for details about our

Sacramental preparation:

https://stmhouston.org/sacraments

ANOINTING OF THE SICK/

COMMUNION TO THE HOMEBOUND

If you or a loved one is suffering from a

serious illness and needs to be anointed or is

unable to make it to Mass and would like to

receive Holy Communion, please contact the

Parish Office, 713-729-0221.

PARISH OFFICE STM PARISH SCHOOL

Our summer office hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Mon-day through Thursday. We are here to give prospective families a tour of our school and to answer any questions you may have. In Christ, Carolina Bowman, Principal

Clean up, clean up….

The Parish Offices will be closed to the pub-

lic on Friday, July 16 for a staff “sparkle

day”. The staff will be busy catching up on

some much needed cleaning and organizing

in the offices around campus. Summer is the

best time of year for us to do this and we are

grateful for your patience and understanding.

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St. Thomas More Catholic Church July 11, 2021

MASS

SCHEDULE

Monday-Friday

6:30 AM & 5:30 PM

Saturday

9:00 AM

Saturday Vigil

5:00 PM

Sunday

7:30, 9:00, 11:00 AM

1:00 PM (español)

CONFESSION

SCHEDULE

Tuesday &

Wednesday

6:15-7:00 PM

Saturday

3:30-4:45 PM

From the Pastor’s Desk

On the cover:

“The Vocation of the

Apostles”

Domenico Ghirlandaio

1481

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

July 14

Dear Friends in Christ, Each week I see more and more familiar faces that I haven’t seen in quite some time due to the pandemic, and it’s so nice seeing so many of you! With more people coming back, I thought I would answer some frequently asked questions. Why is there a dumpster in the parking lot by the school? We had pipes burst in the preschool during the ice storm back in February, and water damaged much of the interior of the building. We decided to use this as an opportunity to give the building a much-needed facelift. We will have new paint, new floors, new cabi-nets, new doors and new lights. It will look brand new! We hope that the new building will help attract many young families to consider joining our great community. Why are there no holy water fonts in the church? Cardinal DiNardo recently updated the COVID-19 protocols to allow us to return to a sense of normalcy, but he did not remove all of the restrictions. Having no holy water fonts is one of the restrictions that remain in force. The sign of peace is always optional, and we have decided not to bring it back at the current time. When it returns, please re-member that we should be done exchanging the sign of peace to our neighbors when the music begins for the Agnus Dei. Will the 5pm and 7pm Sunday Masses return? I have thought about this question ever since we were able to celebrate Mass publicly over a year ago. After speaking with the Pastoral Council and other pastors around the Archdiocese, we have decided not to bring these Masses back yet. A major reason for this decision is that we are comfortably accommodating our parish community at the other five Sunday Masses (including the Saturday anticipatory Mass). Of course, I would love it if we had so many people coming to Mass that we needed to offer additional Masses, but that is not the case right now. We will continue to observe and evaluate the situation. When will the Sunday Mass obligation return? Cardinal DiNardo made the decision to dispense Catholics in the Archdiocese from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. This was obviously done out of the concern for every-one’s health. I have not heard anything about when it might return. As a reminder, this is what the Church teaches about the Sunday Obligation: The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin (CCC 2181). On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord's Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health (CCC 2185). Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Clark

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St. Thomas More Catholic Church July 11, 2021

Stewardship for March 28, 2021

Thank you for your generous donations.

Collection $14,410.00

Online Giving $13,354.31

$27,764.31

Stewardship for July 4, 2021

Thank you for your generous donations!

2021 Goal $150,000.00

Collected 72,843.00

Remaining $ 77,157.00

Contributing Parishioners: 227

Online Giving

The parish website has instructions

on how to register for convenient

on-line giving. You will have full

control of your contribution ac-

count and scheduling your donations.

You can scan the QR code here

or visit our parish homepage

at STMHOUSTON.ORG for details and registration.

MASS INTENTIONS

Sunday, July 11

7:30 am †Peter Vincent Lomonte, Jr.

9:00 am †Joe Fogarty

11:00 am *Missa Pro Populo

1:00 pm †Georgia Jacob

Monday, July 12

6:30 am *Michelle Kanu

5:30 pm *Ennie Hickman

Tuesday, July 13

6:30 am †Corazon Angulo

5:30 pm †John D. Staben

Wednesday, July 14

6:30 am *Ozzy Cepeda Family

5:30 pm †Robert Schwartz

Thursday, July 15

6:30 am †Martin J. Gleeson, O.P.

5:30 pm *Katie Warner

Friday, July 16

6:30 am †Nnamdi Nwachukwo

5:30 pm *Alan Diaz

Saturday, July 17

9:00 am †Cruz Jose Barelas

5:00 pm †Anastasia Louis

Sunday, July 18

7:30 am †Stanford Dupaty

9:00 am *Missa Pro Populo

11:00 am †Chris Watson

1:00 pm †Bertha Mata Guardado

† (Deceased)

* (Special Intention)

STM ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY

ANNUAL BLACK BAG COLLECTION

This year the Society of St. Vincent de

Paul will turn 150 years old and we want

YOU to be a part of it by supporting our

Annual Black Bag Collection this weekend, July 10-

11, 2021. If there is anything we have learned in a cen-

tury and half is that with the grace of God and commu-

nity support, we can do extraordinary things. Last

year, with your help, we helped over 85,000 people!

Help us increase the number of people we serve by

supporting the Black Bag Collection. Learn more

about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at

www.svdphouston.org/blackbagcollection.

Amateur Men’s Pickup Basketball Night

All skill levels welcome!

Come play some ball, meet other men of the parish, and enjoy some fellowship afterwards in the parking lot.

Every Wednesday this Summer, 8 pm in the Gym.

Bring your own water and fill out the waiver online

prior to coming at: Stmhouston.org/pickup

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St. Thomas More Catholic Church July 11, 2021

PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC

EXPOSITION & ADORATION

Please pray for the souls of our parishioners who have

recently died.

Robert Willis Manuel de Jesus Lara

Rosa Cotoc Pum Henry Krason

Filiberto C. Cerezo Bill Gorton

Salvador Rodriguez Stanford Dupaty

The Adoration Chapel is OPEN. This is the cur-

rent Adoration Chapel schedule:

Monday 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Tuesday 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Wednesday 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM

Thursday 7:00 AM – Sunday 11:00 PM (the chap-

el is open around the clock during these days.)

We hope this schedule is temporary. As soon as all

of our hours are filled we will start Perpetual Expo-

sition and Adoration. Please pray that more people

volunteer to be adorers.

Following are the hours that need to be filled in

order for our chapel to be open all the time

(Perpetual Eucharistic Exposition & Adoration):

Sunday: 5:00 PM

Monday: 2:00 AM, 3:00 AM, 6:00 PM,

11:00 PM

Tuesday: 1:00 AM, 3:00 AM

Wednesday: 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM

Thursday: 2:00 AM, 3:00 AM

ALL WE NEED ARE 11 PEOPLE TO

COMMIT TO TAKE ONE OF THESE

HOURS ON A WEEKLY BASIS.

IS JESUS CALLING YOU TO BE

ONE OF THE ELEVEN?

Go here to create an account and sign up for a Holy Hour or as a substitute. stmhouston.weadorehim.com Questions? Text Bob Brill, 713-598-4838 or Edna Valdez, 713-425-9506.

SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMS

Registration for all summer activities for both middle and high school students is available on our website along with the calendar of events we are offering throughout the summer. Be sure to check it out online under https://stmhouston.org/summer. Email lrodriguez@stmhouston.org if you have any ques-

The Youth Group will be hav-ing a bake sale after all Mass-es next weekend, July 17 & 18. Please consider buying some delicious baked goods or mak-ing a donation to help subsi-dize costs for youth ministry activities such as retreats like

AYC, youth nights, etc. throughout the year! If you are interested in learning more or interested in donating to the youth ministry program please contact lrodri-guez@stmhouston.org

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St. Thomas More Catholic Church July 11, 2021

Del escritorio del P. Clark

Bienaventurada

Virgen María

del Carmen

16 de Julio

Oh Dios, que muestra la

luz de tu verdad

a los que se descarrían,

para que vuelvan al

camino correcto,

dar a todos los que por la

fe que profesan

son contados cristianos

la gracia de rechazar todo

lo que sea contrario al

nombre de Cristo

y esforzarse por todo lo

que honra.

Por nuestro Señor Jesu-

cristo, tu Hijo,

que vive y reina contigo

en la unidad del Espíritu

Santo,

un solo Dios, por los sig-

los de los siglos.

Queridos amigos en Cristo, Cada semana veo más y más caras conocidas que no he visto en bastante tiempo debido a la pandemia, ¡y es tan agradable ver a tantos de ustedes! Con más gente regresando, pensé que respondería algunas preguntas frecuentes. ¿Por qué hay un contenedor de basura en el estacionamiento de la escuela? Se rompieron tuberías en el preescolar durante la tormenta de hielo en febrero y el agua dañó gran parte del interior del edificio. Decidimos usar esto como una oportunidad pa-ra darle al edificio una renovación muy necesaria. Tendremos pintura nueva, pisos nue-vos, gabinetes nuevos, puertas nuevas y luces nuevas. ¡Se verá como nuevo! Esperamos que el nuevo edificio ayude a atraer a muchas familias jóvenes para que consideren unirse a nuestra gran comunidad. ¿Por qué no hay pilas de agua bendita en la iglesia? El cardenal DiNardo actualizó recientemente los protocolos COVID-19 para permitirnos volver a la normalidad, pero no eliminó todas las restricciones. No tener fuentes de agua bendita es una de las restricciones que siguen vigentes. El signo de la paz es siempre opcional y hemos decidido no traerlo de vuelta en el momento actual. Cuando vuelva, recuerde que deberíamos terminar de intercambiar el signo de la paz con nuestros veci-nos cuando comience la música del Agnus Dei. ¿Volverán las misas dominicales de las 5pm y las 7pm? He pensado en esta pregunta desde que pudimos celebrar la misa públicamente hace más de un año. Después de hablar con el Consejo Pastoral y otros pastores de la Arqui-diócesis, hemos decidido no traer estas misas todavía. Una de las principales razones de esta decisión es que estamos acomodando cómodamente a nuestra comunidad parro-quial en las otras cinco misas dominicales (incluida la misa anticipatoria del sábado). Por supuesto, me encantaría que tuviéramos tanta gente viniendo a misa que necesitára-mos ofrecer misas adicionales, pero ese no es el caso en este momento. Continuaremos observando y evaluando la situación. ¿Cuándo volverá la obligación de la misa dominical? El cardenal DiNardo tomó la decisión de dispensar a los católicos de la Arquidiócesis de la obligación de asistir a la misa dominical. Obviamente, esto se hizo por la preocupa-ción de la salud de todos. No he escuchado nada sobre cuándo podría regresar. Como recordatorio, esto es lo que la Iglesia enseña sobre la obligación dominical: La Eucaristía dominical es el fundamento y la confirmación de toda práctica cristiana. Por este motivo, los fieles están obligados a participar en la Eucaristía en los días de precepto, salvo que sean excusados por una causa grave (por ejemplo, enfermedad, cui-dado de infantes) o dispensados por su propio párroco. Aquellos que deliberadamente fallan en esta obligación cometen un pecado grave (CIC 2181). Los domingos y otros días de precepto, los fieles deben abstenerse de realizar trabajos o actividades que obstaculicen el culto que se le debe a Dios, el gozo propio del día del Señor, la realización de las obras de misericordia y la apropiada relajación de la mente. y el cuerpo. Las necesidades familiares o un servicio social importante pueden excusar legítimamente la obligación del descanso dominical. Los fieles deben procurar que las excusas legítimas no conduzcan a hábitos perjudiciales para la religión, la vida familiar y la salud (CIC 2185). Sinceramente suyo en Cristo,

P. Clark