St. Thomas More Catholic Church September 12, 2021

Saint Thomas More Catholic Church

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

TWENTY-FOURTH 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

2

St. Thomas More Catholic Church September 12, 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 M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Closed from 12-1 PM for lunch)

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, M-F 8:00 AM - 3:30 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

PARISH OFFICE STM PARISH SCHOOL

Our school year is underway and we are excited to see

our campus buzzing. We are also excited about Oktober-

fest (October 17) this year and we are looking for volun-

teers to help us with this fun festival. You can help us by

coordinating a booth, being a corporate sponsor, or ren-

dering services. We are currently needing an electrician

to help us with setting up. If you are interested in collab-

orating with us, please contact Kathy Prado at kpra-

do@stmorenews.com or call the main office at 713-729-

3434.

Yours in Christ,

Carolina Bowman, School Principal

That Man is You! is an interactive men’s program that combines the latest findings of modern science with the teachings of the Church and the wisdom of the saints to develop authentic male leaders capable of transforming themselves, their families and greater society. Join us for food, fellowship and faith on Tuesday mornings starting September 14th from 6am to 7am in Servant Hall. All men 18 + are welcome. There is no cost for the program and coffee and light refreshments will be served. Learn more at tmiy.org or email Nick LaRocca (Laroccacounseling@gmail.com) for questions and to get added to the email list.

SOURCE SUMMIT THE MASS

Four Part Lecture Series

on the Spirituality, Beauty,

and Rituals of the

Holy Mass.

Presented By

Fr. Clark Sample

7:00 p.m. | Servant Hall

October 4

October 11

October 17

October 25

No RSVP Required

3

St. Thomas More Catholic Church September 12, 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:

Christ Carrying

the Cross

Sebastiano del

Piombo

1485-1547

St. John Chrysostom

September 13

Dear Friends in Christ, “Liturgy” comes from a Greek word that means “work for the people.” In a Catholic context, the liturgy is the work of Christ and his Church through which the work of our redemption is accom-plished. In other words, Christ continues to sanctify us through the Church’s liturgical celebrations, especially the Mass, and we receive his grace through the liturgy so that we can go forth and sanctify the world. We say that the liturgy is “sacred,” which means it is “set apart.” The things we say and do and use during the liturgy should be “set apart” from the regular things of the world. We have sacred vest-ments (e.g., the garments the priest wears). We have sacred vessels (e.g., the chalice the priest uses). We have sacred space (e.g., the church building, especially the area where the altar is, which is known as the sanctuary). We have sacred music (e.g., music that exists solely for use within the Church and the liturgy). We also have sacred language, that is, language that is “set apart” for liturgical use. Generally speaking, a religion’s sacred language comes from the language of the time when that religion’s sacred texts or sacred liturgies were first formed. Oftentimes these sacred languages are not in common use today. Pontius Pilate had an inscription written and put on Jesus’ cross, which read “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews,” and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek (John 19:19-20). These three languages are our sacred languages... they are “set apart” from the vernacular language (e.g. English and Spanish) that we use in our daily lives. These languages are used in our liturgical services and help us enter more deeply into the mysteries of our faith. Here are some of the sacred words and expressions we use at Sunday Mass: Amen is a Hebrew word that means “verily” or “it is so.” We say it during the liturgy to essentially say, “I agree.” Alleluia (halleluyah) is a Hebrew word that means “praise the Lord.” Kyrie, eleison is a Greek expression that means “Lord, have mercy.” Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis is a Latin expression that means, “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Mysterium fidei... Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine, et tuam resurrectionem confitemur, donec venias is a Latin expression that means, “The mystery of faith... We proclaim your death, O Lord, and profess your resurrection until you come again. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem is a Latin expression that means, “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.” Recently, Pope Francis said that he “is saddened” by the abuses in the celebration of the liturgy, and he has asked the bishops around the world “to be vigilant in ensuring that every liturgy be celebrated with decorum and fidelity to the liturgical books promulgated after Vatican Council II.” What do the liturgical books of Vatican II say about the use of sacred language, especially Latin? “The use of the Latin language is to be preserved,” and “steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.” Unfor-tunately, the failure to heed the directives of Vatican II has contributed to a loss of the sense of the sacred during Mass... but there is great hope for our future! By simply doing what the Church asks of us and by following the directives of the liturgical books, we can help bring that sense of the sacred to Mass. By entering more deeply into the sacred liturgy, we will experience what we all desire more than anything: an encounter with Jesus Christ. Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Clark

4

St. Thomas More Catholic Church September 12, 2021

Stewardship for March 28, 2021

Thank you for your generous donations.

Collection $ 14,809.00

Online Giving $ 14,617.62

$ 29,426.62

Stewardship for September 5, 2021

Thank you for your generous donations!

2021 Goal $150,000.00

Collected 107,154.80

Remaining $ 42,845.20

Contributing Parishioners: 296

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, September 12

7:30 am †Julie Ovalle

9:00 am *Missa Pro Populo

11:00 am †Ted & Herlinda Mendoza

1:00 pm †Juana Garcia

Monday, September 13

6:30 am *Joseph Kahlich

5:30 pm †Maurice Hendrix

Tuesday, September 14

6:30 am *Donald Kanu

5:30 pm †Ted Mendoza

Wednesday, September 15

6:30 am †Christopher Cuyegkeng

5:30 pm †Cruz Jose Barelas

Thursday, September 16

6:30 am †Binh Cao

5:30 pm †Steven Hurd

Friday, September 17

6:30 am †Fr. Ryan Stawaisz

5:30 pm †Francisco Aponte

Saturday, September 18

9:00 am †Apollonia Nwachukwu

5:00 pm *Mary & Charlie Welch & Family

Sunday, September 19

7:30 am †Dominic Hoa

9:00 am †M/M Lee Sittig

11:00 am *Missa Pro Populo

1:00 pm †Doroteo Macias

† (Deceased)

* (Special Intention)

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, 8 pm in the Gym.

Bring your own water and fill out the waiver online prior to coming at: Stmhouston.org/pickup

DSF Spotlight: Office of Worship – Sandy Higgins The Office of Worship supports the Church’s mission to make liturgy the source of spiritual growth and development of the Church. The Office of Worship serves as a resource center for liturgical ministry materials, ministry formation and consultation.

Please pray for the souls of our parishioners who have

recently died.

Filiberto C. Cerezo Bill Gorton

Salvador Rodriguez Stanford Dupaty

Margaret Leger William Cummings

Bill Simpson Sophia Riojas

5

St. Thomas More Catholic Church September 12, 2021

PERPETUAL EUCHARISTIC

EXPOSITION & ADORATION

Our goal is to have at least 2 people at each hour.

We currently need people to commit to the

following hours:

MONDAY: 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 6:00 PM

FRIDAY: 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM

SATURDAY: 10:00 AM, 7:00 PM, 8:00 PM

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.

Our Adoration Chapel is now open 24 hours a day. (No exposition dur-

ing Mass times.)

(The contact email was printed incorrectly in last week’s

bulletin...the correct one is listed below.)

St. Helen’s Ministry at STM….

….is a new ministry serving

those who are divorced or di-

vorcing. Please join us for

Mass at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday,

September 18, 2021; we’ll be

near the choir. Afterwards,

meet us at El Ranchero, 5300 N.

Braeswood Blvd. for dinner

(individual expense) to get to

know each other and discuss

your ideas for this ministry.

For more information contact

Valeria Brock, she can be

reached at

sthelenministry@stmhouston.org

Didn’t sign

up at the

Ministry

Fair? No

problem!

Come out

and join

us...green

thumb not

required!

GUILD OF ST. MARY

For all girls or the parish,

3rd grade through high

school. The main require-

ment is that a girl must

have received her First

Holy Communion to join.

Why the Guild? The world needs women saints more

than ever and the guild will help make women saints.

How the Guild will do this:

Sanctify the young women of the parish through op-

portunities to pray and to learn more about their faith

and the beauty of Catholic femininity.

Enter more deeply into the Sacred Liturgy and ac-

tively participate.

Form young women to be courageous leaders in the

Church and help them develop the skills to lead

What the Guild will do:

Help organize and plan processions and other devo-

tions around the parish.

Monthly meetings where mothers and daughters

come together for fellowship, prayer and education.

Prayers of Thanksgiving after Mass at the Marian

Shrine

Interested? Signups after Mass this weekend. For

more information contact Suzie Hamilton,

shamilton@stmhouston.org

6

St. Thomas More Catholic Church September 12, 2021

Del escritorio del P. Clark

Santos Cornelio

y Cipriano 16 de Septiembre

Queridos amigos en Cristo, "Liturgia" proviene de una palabra griega que significa "trabajo para el pueblo". En un contexto católi-co, la liturgia es la obra de Cristo y su Iglesia a través de la cual se realiza la obra de nuestra redención. En otras palabras, Cristo continúa santificándonos a través de las celebraciones litúrgicas de la Iglesia, especialmente la Misa, y recibimos su gracia a través de la liturgia para que podamos salir y santificar el mundo. Decimos que la liturgia es "sagrada", lo que significa que está "apartada". Las cosas que decimos, ha-cemos y usamos durante la liturgia deben ser “apartadas” de las cosas normales del mundo. Tenemos vestimentas sagradas (por ejemplo, las vestimentas que usa el sacerdote). Tenemos vasos sagrados (por ejemplo, el cáliz que usa el sacerdote). Tenemos un espacio sagrado (por ejemplo, el edificio de la igle-sia, especialmente el área donde está el altar, que se conoce como el santuario). Tenemos música sacra (por ejemplo, música que existe únicamente para su uso dentro de la Iglesia y la liturgia). También tene-mos lenguaje sagrado, es decir, lenguaje que está “apartado” para uso litúrgico. En términos generales, el idioma sagrado de una religión proviene del idioma de la época en que se formaron por primera vez los textos sagrados o las liturgias sagradas de esa religión. A menudo, estos lenguajes sagrados no son de uso común en la actualidad. Poncio Pilato tenía una inscripción escrita y puesta en la cruz de Jesús, que decía "Jesús el Nazareno, el Rey de los Judíos", y estaba escrita en he-breo, latín y griego (Juan 19: 19-20). Estos tres idiomas son nuestros idiomas sagrados ... están "separados" del idioma vernáculo (por ejemplo, inglés y español) que usamos en nuestra vida diaria. Es-tos lenguajes se utilizan en nuestros servicios litúrgicos y nos ayudan a adentrarnos más en los misterios de nuestra fe. Estas son algunas de las palabras y expresiones sagradas que usamos en la misa dominical: Amén es una palabra hebrea que significa "en verdad" o "así es". Lo decimos durante la liturgia para esencialmente decir: "Estoy de acuerdo". Aleluya (aleluya) es una palabra hebrea que significa "alabado sea el Señor". Kyrie, eleison es una expresión griega que significa "Señor, ten piedad". Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua. Hosanna in excelsis. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini. Hosanna in excelsis es una expresión latina que sig-nifica, “Santo, Santo, Santo Señor Dios de los ejércitos. El cielo y la tierra están llenos de tu gloria. Ho-sanna en lo más alto. Bienaventurado el que viene en nombre del Señor. Hosanna en lo más alto. Mysterium fidei ... Mortem tuam annuntiamus, Domine, et tuam resurrectionem confitemur, do-nec venias es una expresión latina que significa, “El misterio de la fe ... Proclamamos tu muerte, oh Se-ñor, y profesamos tu resurrección hasta que vuelvas. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem es una expresión latina que significa: “Cordero de Dios, que quitas los pecados del mundo, ten piedad de nosotros. Cordero de Dios, que quitas los pecados del mundo, ten piedad de nosotros. Cordero de Dios, que quitas los pecados del mundo, con-cédenos la paz ". Recientemente, el Papa Francisco dijo que está "entristecido" por los abusos en la celebración de la liturgia, y ha pedido a los obispos de todo el mundo "que estén atentos para que cada liturgia se celebre con decoro y fidelidad a los libros litúrgicos promulgados". después del Concilio Vaticano II ". ¿Qué dicen los libros litúrgicos del Vaticano II sobre el uso de la lengua sagrada, especialmente el latín? “Se debe preservar el uso de la lengua latina” y “se deben tomar las medidas necesarias para que los fieles también puedan decir o cantar juntos en latín las partes del Ordinario de la Misa que les corresponden”. Desafortunadamente, la falta de atención a las directivas del Vaticano II ha contribuido a la pérdida del sentido de lo sagrado durante la Misa ... ¡pero hay una gran esperanza para nuestro futuro! Simplemente haciendo lo que la Iglesia nos pide y siguiendo las directrices de los libros litúrgicos, podemos ayudar a llevar ese sentido de lo sagrado a la Misa. Al entrar más profundamente en la sagrada liturgia, experi-mentaremos lo que todos deseamos más que nada: un encuentro con Jesucristo. Sinceramente suyo en Cristo,

Padre Clark

Míranos, oh Dios,

Creador y gobernante

de todas las cosas,

y que podamos sentir

la obra de tu miseri-

cordia,

concédenos que po-

damos servirte con

todo nuestro corazón.

Por nuestro Señor

Jesucristo, tu Hijo,

que vive y reina con-

tigo en la unidad del

Espíritu Santo,

un solo Dios, por los

siglos de los siglos.