Volume 6, Issue 5

Serving More Than A Million Catholics in the Diocese of Brownsville

NOVEMBER 2014

Men of the Gospel Two new permanent deacons ordained The Valley Catholic

Month of the

Holy Souls Photos by Ric Vásquez/Ric Vásquez Photography, San Antonio

Catholics have always believed in the importance of praying for those who have died. We call this a spiritual work of mercy. Aside from the time of mourning, the month of November, especially All Saints Day and All Souls Day, is a traditional time for visiting grave sites to offer prayers and to place flowers. “These traditions remind us of our obligation to Christ to ask God to forgive those who have died, especially our loved ones,” Bishop Daniel E. Flores said. “I ask that you keep remembering your loved ones during Mass and while praying your Rosary. Do not let death break the bonds of love and friendship that were cultivated in life. “With God’s mercy and forgiveness, may the souls of all our faithful departed rest in peace.”

ADVENT BEGINS

CONSECRATED LIFE

THOSE WHO SERVE

BROWNSVILLE — Two men were ordained to the Sacred Order of Permanent Deacon by Bishop Daniel E. Flores on Oct. 11 at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville. Michael Myers of San Benito and Sergio Gonzalez of Weslaco received the sacrament of holy orders, becoming members of the clergy. Deacon Myers, 72, was assigned to his home parish of Our Lady Queen of the Universe Church in San Benito while Deacon Gonzalez, 64, was assigned to St. Pius X Church in Weslaco, his home parish. During the rite of ordination, the men promised respect and obedience to the bishop and his successors to show loyalty to the bishop as the shepherd of the diocese. The men prostrated themselves on the floor as the faithful chanted the Litany of the Saints to signify humble submission before God. After the bishop lay hands on each man, the new deacons received a stole and dalmatic, which are signs of the office of deacon and the role the deacon plays in the celebration of the Eucharist. Among the many functions deacons perform in parishes, they may preside at baptisms, weddings, quinceañerasrites of Christian burial, assist the priest at Mass, proclaim the Gospel and deliver homilies. A deacon may also preside at Eucharistic exposition and benediction, the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical rites. Many deacons are also active in ministry outside of the parish, ministering in places such as hospitals and detention centers. Married men can be ordained permanent deacons and in the United States, 90 percent of them are married, according to statistics from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

EN ESPAÑOL Artículos sobre la fiesta de Cristo Rey, el Adviento y la violenta persecución de cristianos en el Medio Oriente.

“VERBUM MITTITUR SPIRANS AMOREM”

(“The WORD is sent breathing love.”)

The season of Advent begins Nov. 30 Page 3

Pope dedicates year to religious priests, brothers and sisters Page 8

Deacon Robert Ledesma Page 9

Páginas 11-13

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La indiferencia moderna y la alegría del Evangelio

E

l Santo Padre habla a menudo sobre el tema de la cultura de indiferencia. Es una cultura que ni oye el llanto de los pobres ni ve sus sufrimientos. ¿Qué es este fenómeno de la indiferencia? Claro, en la base de la indiferencia existe la actitud que dice “si no me afecta, no me importa”. El famoso Chesterton compuso un verso aplicable al fenómeno: Mientras tanto “la reina fría del norte mira, atenta, el cristal; la sombra del Valois bosteza, pasando páginas de su misal”. Es una actitud tan antigua como la de Caín preguntando si a caso soy yo el guardián de mi hermano. Y es tan calculada como la actitud del doctor de la ley preguntándole a Jesús: ¿y quién es mi prójimo? Sin embargo, vale la pena buscar las raíces más profundas del fenómeno así como se manifiesta hoy en día. De hecho, pienso que existen elementos nuevos en la indiferencia actual. Recientemente, leí una novela del autor español Arturo Pérez-Reverte, titulado El pintor de batallas. Es la historia de un reportero de guerras, un fotógrafo, que había pasado su vida adulta viajando a las zonas más violentas del mundo, tomando fotos para que el publico pudiera ver las imágenes de guerra y conflicto. Es un libro dificultoso para leer. El esfuerzo narrativo arrastra el lector por los senderos de los conflictos sangrientos de las últimas décadas del siglo 20: Somalia, Bosnia, Croacia, Beirut, Gaza, y muchos otros. Al culmen de su carrera el fotógrafo se retira del público; compra un faro abandonado en una playa aislada, y empieza a pintar sobre sus paredes una escena dramática de la última batalla apocalíptica del mundo. Lo dramático del cuento surge del dialogo entre el fotógrafo vuelto pintor y un hombre mal-afeitado quien al principio de la novela aparece y anuncia que tal vez termine su visita con matar al pintor. El visitante es alguien reconocido por el pintor, pero que jamás había

The Valley Catholic -

On the poverty of indifference and the joy of the Gospel T

he Holy Father speaks often of the culture of indifference. It is a culture that neither hears the cry of the poor, nor sees their suffering. What is this phenomenon of indifference? Surely, at the bottom of indifference is an attitude that says: If it does not affect me, I don’t really care. There is a Chesterton verse that has some applicability here: meanwhile the cold queen of the north is looking in the glass; the shadow of the Valois is yawning at the Mass. It is an attitude as old as Cain who asks if I am my brother’s keeper. And it is as calculating as the doctor of the law who asks Jesus who is my neighbor. Still, it would be worthwhile to dig a little deeper in search of the roots of modern indifference, because I think that there are new elements operating within much of the indifference we see today. Recently, I read a novel by the noted Spanish author Arturo Perez-Reverte, entitled El pintor de batallas, (The Painter of Battles). It is the story of a war-correspondent, photographer, who spent his adult life traveling to places of violence and conflict across the globe taking pictures, so the general population could see images of war. It is a difficult book to read. The narrative pulls the reader through paths that pass through the bloody conflicts of the last decades of the 20th Century: Somalia, Bosnia, Croatia, Beirut, Gaza, and countless others. At his prime as a photographer he retires from the public eye, he buys an abandoned light-house on a secluded beach and begins to paint upon its interior walls a dramatic scene of the final apocalyptic battle of the world. The drama of the story is in the dialogue between the photographer turned painter and a man who at the beginning of the novel appears and announces that more than likely he will conclude his visit by killing the painter. The man is someone the painter recognizes but had never met; he is a veteran of the conflict between Croatia and Serbia whom the painter had once photographed. The photo made the man’s features famous on magazine covers around the world. The visitor intends to kill the painter, but not before explaining to him how the photograph altered the course of encontrado; es un veterano del conflicto entre Croacia y Serbia quien el pintor había fotografiado. Por medio de las portadas de las revistas mundiales, la foto hizo famosa la cara del visitante. El croata tiene intenciones de matar al pintor, pero no antes de contarle

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his life. The novel is a brutal narrative of how this modern man had insulated himself from pain. Our photographer could not make sense out of the suffering he chronicled, so he cut himself off interiorly from the possibility of any relation to those affected, and from the possibility of assuming any responsibility for what they were suffering. Without giving you the ending, you should know that the dialogue between the painter and the man he photographed engenders in him a more profound self-awareness. He realizes that a life cut off from the suffering of others produces a pain as cruel as the cruelty he photographed from his objective, impersonal and comfortable distance. I (not the author of the novel) would call this effort to prevent personal connections with people bearing intense suffering an attitude of “relational contraception.” Human encounters and the relations between persons they generate open up a space for compassion and a kind of response; but we know that to open ourselves to compassion implies a willingness to accept in some way to suffer also, with another person. In order to prevent this possibility in life, a human being can hold himself at a distance from the suffering of others. In fact, this mentality prevents the generation of authentic societal life. Such perhaps is a way to understand the individualism and indifference of many in contemporary society. It is the disciplined indifference of those who would rather avoid the pain of hearing and seeing and thus relating to those who suffer. The painter of battles lives a self-imposed exile from relationships in

como la foto había cambiado el curso de su vida. La novela propone al lector una narración brutal sobre como este hombre de nuestra época actual se había protegido del dolor. Había impedido que el sufrimiento que observaba de cerca le causara formar una relación real con las personas sufriendo. Nuestro fotógrafo no hallaba sentido en el sufrimiento que encontraba, y por eso se había separado interiormente de la posibilidad de relacionarse con los afectados, y de la posibilidad de sentir alguna responsabilidad por lo que ellos estaban padeciendo. Sin revelar la conclusión de la novela, sepa Ud. que el dialogo entre el pintor y el hombre que había fotografiado sí engendró dentro del pintor un autoconocimiento profundizado. Se da cuenta que una vida separada del sufrimiento que viven otras personas produce un dolor tan cruel como la crueldad que el señor había fotografiado desde su distancia objetiva, impersonal y cómoda. Yo (no, el autor de la novela) llamaría este esfuerzo para preve-

a futile attempt to build a private space where the pain he witnessed could not touch him. He lives within the reduced horizon of the modern windswept world, where he is alone with absurdity. He sees this private space as not much, but in the end all he could hope for. It is a pitiable stance, and in some way ought to generate compassion. He too suffers. The novel reminds me of Cardinal Ratzinger’s remarks in Dogma and Preaching that modern atheism is largely an armchair and television phenomenon. Looking at a television or computer screen, people say look at all that suffering, how could a good God exist and let such things happen? Let us make sure it never comes here. But, as the future Benedict XVI emphasizes in that essay, the people who actually work with others to alleviate suffering are usually the ones with deepest faith. And often the people living in the poorest regions of the world are the ones who maintain the liveliest faith in God, and they are often the most generous to others in need. A world hiding behind objective indifference needs the joy of the Gospel. We can be credible evangelizers if we first open ourselves to human encounters, seeking to embrace other persons and to alleviate the suffering they experience. The Lord is present with those who suffer; we believe this. But, it is somewhat difficult for the modern world to believe in the Good God; it needs help. Out of compassion, we have to show with the work of the Gospel that God is not found on a screen while one sits on a sofa. He is present in the poor, and in those who offer themselves for the good of others. But the world will not believe us when we say God is to be found there, in that place where a brother or sister suffers, unless they see the Church in that place where the human encounter and the helping of one another to carry the Cross prevail. To announce the Gospel is equivalent to saying to the indifferent: Come with us to meet the Christ present among those who suffer. I think this is what Pope Francis means in Evangelium Gaudium when he speaks of evangelization and says he wants a Church which is poor and for the poor.

nir lazos personales con personas viviendo el sufrimiento intenso una actitud de “anticonceptivo social”. El encuentro personal y las relaciones entre personas que engendran abren espacio para la compasión y un tipo de respuesta; pero sabemos que abrirse uno a la compasión implica aceptar sufrir de alguna manera con la otra persona. Para evitar esta posibilidad en la vida el ser humano puede mantenerse a distancia del sufrimiento de los demás. Realmente, esta mentalidad previene la generación de una autentica vida social. Quizás la novela nos ayude a entender algo del individualismo y la indiferencia en nuestros tiempos. Es una disciplinada indiferencia que prefiere evitar el sufrimiento que surge cuando uno toma la opción de relacionarse con los que sufren. Es un exilio autoimpuesto con el fin de construir un espacio privado donde el sufrimiento no nos puede tocar. El pintor vive dentro del horizonte reducido del mundo moderno y azotado por el viento, donde se encuentra sólo con lo absurdo. Él

reconoce que este espacio privado no ofrece mucho consuelo, pero al fin de cuentas piensa que no hay mucho más que esperar. Es una postura de vida lastimosa, y debe engendrar compasión. También él sufre. La novela me recuerda de algo que dijo el Cardenal Ratzinger en su libro Dogma y Predicación. Observa que el ateísmo moderno es en gran parte un fenómeno de sillones y pantallas. El hombre moderno, sentado y mirando la pantalla, dice: Mire todo el sufrimiento en el mundo. ¿Cómo puede existir un Dios bueno que permite tales cosas tan horribles”? Hay que prevenir que tal sufrimiento venga para acá. Pero como enfatiza el que eventualmente tomaría le nombre de Benedicto XVI, los que actualmente salen a trabajar para aliviar el sufrimiento de otros suelen ser los que tienen una fe profunda. Además, las personas que viven en regiones de pobreza y sufrimiento son los que con más frecuencia mantienen una fe viva en Dios, y suelen ser » Please see La Indiferencia p.12

Bishop Flores’ Schedule November 2014 Nov. 1 9 a.m. San Juan Amor Conference Nov. 1 6 p.m. Mission Juan Diego Academy Gala Nov. 2 1 p.m. San Juan Memorial Mass at Nursing Home Nov. 15 4 p.m. McAllen Mass to Conclude Walking Pilgrimage 2014 at OLPH

Nov 16 9 a.m. Peñitas Mass & Reception for Lumen Christi Award at St. Anne Church Nov 23 8 a.m. Monte Alto Mass at Christ the King Church Nov. 24 9 a.m. Brownsville Mass for Diocesan Teacher In-Service St. Joseph Academy

- The Valley Catholic

years 40 of faith

NOVEMBER 2014

St. Luke Parish in Brownsville celebrates milestone

Parish in Brownsville.” Msgr. Doherty was also the first pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish. “The rectory at St. Mary’s was the last thing that we built and we moved into it on Dec. 15, 1973,” Msgr. Doherty said. “I moved out a month later to be the pastor of St. Luke’s.” Msgr. Doherty said a population boom in the area was the reason for establishing St. Luke Parish. “It was at that time a very new community,” he said. “There were a lot of young families and upand-coming professionals in the neighborhood. A lot of people came from the north and east The Valley Catholic to work in various projects that Msgr. Patrick Doherty, the first pastor were going on in Brownsville.” of St. Luke Parish in Brownsville, Without a church building along with several parishoners, to call their own, the commubreak ground on the church on June nity of faith gathered at Hanna 29, 1975. Pictured below is Father High School, where the first Fernando Gonzalez, the current pastor Mass was celebrated on Jan. 19, 1974. Sunday Masses were held at of St. Luke Parish. the school until a sanctuary was dedicated more than two years later. Saturday Vigil Masses were celebrated at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Old Alice Rd. The parish community broke ground on the new church on June 29, 1975. Msgr. Doherty said many living within the parish boundaries continued to attend Mass at the other churches in town so while the new church was under construction, he went door to door, visiting families and handing out a schedule of the Masses and confession times. Both Msgr. Doherty and Father Gonzalez said the parish’s sense of family was established in those days.

By ROSE YBARRA The Valley Catholic BROWNSVILLE — “When I arrived at this parish, everything was in place – a beautiful temple, a thriving school, wonderful parishioners, great programs, you name it, “ said Father Fernando Gonzalez, pastor of St. Luke Church for the last three years. As St. Luke Church celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2014, Father Gonzalez reflects on how much the parish has evolved since 1974 and prays for those who have come before him, for the pastors and parishioners who labored to make the parish what it is today. “Somebody else worked so hard for what we have and it is the same for us,” he said. “We are called to work hard so that future generations will receive the benefits of our actions today.” The parish community of St. Luke Church was born on Jan. 15, 1974, formed from the northern part of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. Msgr. Patrick Doherty, a familiar face in Brownsville, was selected as the parish’s first pastor and served the community for six years. “I was chosen to be the pastor of the new parish mainly because I knew many of the parishioners,” said Msgr. Doherty, who is now retired. “I had been in Brownsville since 1964 having served as pastor of Christ the King Parish and Mary, Mother of the Church

» Please see St. Luke Parish p.15

The season of Advent begins

How Christians should celebrate Advent and Christmas By JOHN FEISTER Special to The Valley Catholic

Did you ever notice that dessert is the first dish in line at many buffet restaurants? Yes, you could eat dinner backwards—starting with dessert, then moving on to the appetizer and main course. In the end you eat all the food, but it’s nowhere near as fulfilling as enjoying each part of the meal in its proper place. Or worse, dessert could fill you up before you eat a balanced meal. Sometimes we suffer the same temptation with Christmas. Our culture tends to skip Advent and start celebrating Christmas after Thanksgiving—if we’re lucky to make it that far! Then it’s all packed up and stored away by New Year’s. This year, consider returning to the ancient practice of seeing the whole Christmas “cycle”—the period that embraces both the Advent and Christmas seasons—as one unit of joyous celebration. Preparation comes first, then comes celebration extending a few weeks after Christmas Day. The focal point of the Christmas cycle is obvious: God becoming one of us in Jesus, the Incar-

Catholic News Service

The Advent season, which begins on Sunday, Nov. 30 and ends on Dec. 24, is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas.

nation. All three phases of the cycle—Advent, Christmas and Epiphany—hinge on and celebrate that point. These celebrations help us to name the ways our lives are caught up in the “big story” of

Christ. And these feasts tie our lives to Christians throughout history. The tradition of the Church, the living gospel, is the real-life experience of Christians like you and like me, and those who have gone

before us. During Advent, which begins in 2014 on Nov. 30, we emphasize the joy that some would compare to the months before a child is born: excitement, wonder, joy, expectation, even exhilaration at the life that is in our midst right now, yet also a hope and longing, and a carefulness to get things into order. During the Christmas season we celebrate the wonder of the Incarnation. How wondrously we are made that the Word of God would become one of us! God shows us how to live fully: by pouring out our lives for others. That is what the days of Christmas are all about. Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord celebrate Christ becoming manifest—that is, present—to all peoples. On Epiphany we focus on the three Wise Men symbolizing the many races for whom Christ was born. The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of his public ministry. God’s “Christmas gift” of the Incarnation is a gift for everyone! — Copyrighted material used with permission of Franciscan Media.

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»News Briefs Lumen Christi Award to be presented Nov. 16 PEÑITAS — Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension Service and Bishop Daniel E. Flores will officially present Sister Carolyn Kosub, Sister Emily Jocson and Sister Fatima Santiago of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with the national 2014 Lumen Christi Award on Sunday, Nov. 16. Bishop Flores will celebrate Mass at 9 a.m. at St. Anne Church in Peñitas. The Mass will be followed by a community celebration. In 2004, the Sisters created Proyecto Desarrollo Humano (The Project for Human Development), an outreach center dedicated to health, social services, education and evangelization. Catholic Extension is a national organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening the Catholic Church in the poorest regions of the United States. For the past 37 years, through its Lumen Christi Award, Catholic Extension has recognized a priest, woman religious or layperson whose work is transforming the hearts and lives of the people they serve. As the 2014 recipients, the sisters will receive a grant of $25,000 in support of their ministry; in addition, the Diocese of Brownsville, which nominated the sisters, also will receive a grant of $25,000.

Sharing Basket project to provide meals for 5,000 families Volunteers are needed to help feed more than 5,000 families in time for Thanksgiving through the annual Sharing Basket project, which is sponsored by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, Channel 5 and Peter Piper Pizza. The baskets will be assembled by volunteers between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at the Basilica Auditorium in San Juan and at the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley offices, 955 W. Price Rd., in Brownsville from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Civic, school and church groups are welcome and encouraged to volunteer. The baskets, which also include either a chicken or turkey, are distributed to parishes throughout the diocese. Please call your parish to inquire about receiving a basket. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are needed. Call (956) 702-4088 for more information.

Bishop’s Annual Dinner set for Dec. 5 The Bishop’s Annual Dinner is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5 at La Sierra Event Center, 3742 U.S. Highway 77, Harlingen. Please contact the Stewardship and Development Office at (956)7845092 to reserve a table for this event. Money raised will fund Bishop Flores’ charitable giving throughout the Diocese of Brownsville. The silent auction, drinks and hors d’oeuvres begin at 6 p.m. and the dinner and dance begin at 8 p.m.

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The Valley Catholic -

November 2014

»Women speak for themselves en la Frontera

Remembering who came before us

I

don’t always celebrate Mother’s Day in May. I prefer to celebrate it in November. This Nov. 9 marks the 22-year anniversary of my mother’s death. She was 50 years old at the time. I was in my mid-twenties balancing a new career and motherhood. My two-year-old son demanded all my attention. I was not prepared for her passing or for what it meant to lose a mother. Her death has helped me look at life differently; it helped me understand that we must honor each day on this pilgrimage walk. At the same time, I want to honor her memory, and to acknowledge the gift of her life. I was drawn to Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrated on All Souls’ Day Nov. 2. The practice of setting up an altar in memory of family and friends and placing ofrendas before their image, items our loved ones liked while alive, served as a way to celebrate my mother, a woman who devoted her life to her children. The tradition has helped me understand our transient walk on this earth, and to celebrate those who came before us. In this month dedicated to remembering the dead and praying for the souls in purgatory, I find comfort in knowing that death does not mean the end. “Life is changed, not ended,” says Father Gregory Labus, coordinator of the

Memory in the Glow of a Candle

Brenda Nettles Riojas Editor of The Valley Catholic

Office of Liturgy and Worship for the Diocese of Brownsville says. Father Jorge Gomez, Chancellor of the Diocese of Brownsville and pastor of Holy Family Church in Brownsville, reminds us, “For God no one is dead, everyone is alive, and we celebrate their lives.” The Feast of All Souls he said, is a way to commemorate and remember people we love. “As long as we remember, they’re still alive in our hearts and minds.” I particularly like the festive tone of the tradition and the bright colors used – the vivid orange of the cempazuchitl (marigolds) and the primary colors of the papel picado. “The colors are alive,” says Father Ignacio Luna, pastor of St. Benedict Church in San Benito. “They manifest the joy because there is no sadness, no mourning, no use of black. There is simply joy and happiness because their souls are already in God’s hands.” “Es una fiesta no para llorar, sino » Please see Women p.12

My mother’s green eyes, their vigilant watch over her legacies, show no fear of the dark, show no signs of the enemy that left her bedridden before her goodbye. Her youth restored on this altar. Here a great grandmother, rifle in hand, keeps guard, una soldadera in my rendering of a catrina, her breasts crisscrossed by artillery, whose legend holds mystery in a face I’ve never seen, next to her frail frame daughter in black and white and our Virgencita Morena on the side. On this altar, we choose our narrative, the memories we keep. Speak not of rape, bruises or burns. Three generations joined together in the glow of a candle; women whose voices echo beyond the beatings, beyond kidnappings, droughts, famine, cancer. Here, an echo fused in new life. The molcajete, the chile piquin, the game of loteria, memory keepers posed next to the red hibiscus flowers, reminders of spiced dishes, laughter, gardens in bloom. We come to the altar, layout our ofrendas, bring history forward, as skeletons, our transience signifiers, dance in the candlelight held by calaveras. Our memento mori. Our temporal selves not afraid, convinced that “all is vanity and a chase after wind.” She escaped the confines of a cave, died after giving birth; she swept a dirtpacked floor, made coronas for los difuntos; she baked cakes for strangers, cleaned other people’s homes on foreign land; she takes chances across continents, writes about other people’s lives. By Brenda Nettles Riojas

»Family Life

Thanking God for marriage

T

he Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws… God himself is the author of marriage. God who created man out of love also calls him to love- the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Holy Scripture affirms that man and woman were created for one another: “It is not good that the man should be alone.” The woman, “flesh of his flesh,” his equal, his nearest in all things, is given to him by God as a “helpmate”’ she thus represents God from whom comes our help.” (1603 -1605) These beautiful words remind me of how grateful I am for The Sacrament of Matrimony and for my own marriage. Mauri and I celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary on Aug. 31, 2014. We received a blessing after Sunday Mass followed by a Covered Dish Anniversary luncheon. More than anything, it was a wonderful opportunity to express gratitude: to God and to the family, friends, and colleagues in ministry that accompanied us for their love and support through these forty wonder-filled years of matrimony. It gave us a chance to publicly thank God for our daughter Liana (the greatest gift God has given us in our marriage), our grandson, Elian, my mother, siblings, extended family, Pastoral Center colleagues and in a special way to our Marriage Preparation Retreat Presenters who collaborate with our Family Life Office in presenting

Lydia Pesina

Director, Family Life Office

22 Marriage Preparation Retreats yearly. These presenters work tirelessly in building up God’s kingdom through their ministry to marriage and family life and are a great witness to Mauri and me and to the 800 couples who attend these retreats annually. During our luncheon, Mauri and I shared a little about our life together. We pulled out several meaningful items from a suitcase including: (1) my high school diary: I read the entry from May 28, 1969 in which noted that I met Mauri on the last day of school my 9th grade year at a Going Out of School Dance at the Pharr Community Center. The entry read: “I met a very nice boy named Mauricio Pesina; I think he likes me”. (2) The size one yellow dress I was wearing when we met along with the yellow shirt Mauri wore; which I take out of our closet every year on May 28th. (3) My wedding dress. I noted that Father Jack O’Malley who witnessed our vows at St. Anne’s Church mentioned in his homily that he never noticed brides’ wedding dresses but he noticed mine because he knew I had made it. He said that he knew Mauri and I would never go without clothes or food because I could sew and we both worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken! (4) My honeymoon shorts which I try on every year. (5) My “Las Rancheritas” mariachi outfit (our

honeymoon was a mariachi trip to Florida). I am so grateful to God for Mauri: a man of few words but big action. He teaches me about “unconditional love” …… he will do anything I, Liana, or Elian ask or he sees we need. Whether he is sick or tired, he never says no; anytime of day or night, he will do it. For me it is an example of what Jesus teaches us about “self-emptying love”. One of the things I love about marriage is that we have fun together: in my work/ my family life ministry I go to parishes all across the diocese and whenever Mauri and I are in the car together, I feel like we are on vacation. We enjoy our car time together; I read to him or we listen to audio books and we make sure to have weekly dates. The vows that we made on our wedding day are still so important to us: “I promise to be true to you, in good times and in bad. In sickness and in health, I will love you and honor you, all the days of my life”. We have had good times and bad/ health and sickness. Those times are growing times when we recall that God is with us at every single moment of our lives to give us the wisdom and strength to keep working on being the person He has created us to be with the help of our spouse (with whom we can trust, learn from, grow with, laugh with, cry with, and talk with in regards to just about anything). Last year at the World Marriage Day Celebration there were 4 couples married more than 70 years. I don’t know what the Lord has in store for us, none of us do, but I can say unequivocally that I am grateful for these first 40 years!!!

The Valley Catholic

Proceeds from the walking pilgrimage provide two new pairs of shoes for local children in need.

Walk by faith

Youth to take spiritual pilgrimage to streets of McAllen The Valley Catholic

McALLEN — The young people and their families of many McAllen parishes are preparing to take their faith to the streets of the city. On Nov. 15, dozens of middle school and high school youth and their families will make a spiritual pilgrimage. The walking pilgrimage, or “caminata”, will begin at 9 a.m. at St Joseph the Worker Church, continue to Sacred Heart Church, then Our Lady of Sorrows Church, and conclude at 5 p.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. The pilgrims will pray the Holy Rosary, adore the Blessed Sacrament in Exposition, experience the Stations of the Cross, and celebrate the Holy Mass with Bishop Daniel E. Flores. Pilgrimages are part of the long tradition of the Church and the faith expression of the faithful. The annual celebrations of the Via Crucis and posadas are important faith and cultural expressions of what we believe and how we experience God in our midst. St. John Paul II wrote, “To

go in a spirit of prayer from one place to another, from one city to another, in the area marked especially by God’s intervention, helps us not only to live our life as a journey, but also gives us a vivid sense of a God who has gone before us and leads us on, who himself set out on man’s path, a God who does not look down on us from on high, but who became our travelling companion.” “There is a palpable sense of solidarity of the pilgrim church in events such as these,” said Angel Barrera, the director of the Diocesan Office of Youth Ministry. “Walking down the streets of McAllen is a powerful experience of faith that unites our young people with one another and with God. I would invite young people and their families to come out and join us on this very special experience.” The $25 registration fee includes the event, meals and a tshirt. The proceeds of this event afford two new pairs of shoes to local young people in need. CARITAS, a service organization of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, is partnering with the Office of Youth Ministry in this event. The shoe distribution is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22 at Palmer Pavilion in McAllen. For more information, visit www.CDOBYM.org or call Angel Barrera at [email protected].

The Valley Catholic

The Jail Ministry of the diocese facilitates retreats for those in detention centers.

Prison ACTS Retreat By FATHER ALFONSO GUEVARA The Valley Catholic

EDINBURG — God is blessing our diocese in many ways and is leading us to carry out the mandate of Pope Francis to reach out to those most in need. On Oct. 4-6 a wonderful demonstration of God’s grace took place in the Segovia Prison Unit in Edinburg when members of ACTS gave an ACTS retreat to 40 inmates. The retreat was led by director

Jaime Hinojosa and assisting him were J. M. Casas and Eric Garcia. The experience was powerful for both the team and for the inmates. On a scale of 1 to 10 we could say that it was a 14. Half of the men are Catholic and the other half are from other denominations. (This was a requirement of prison system). The men who lived the weekend felt as if they were not in jail but rather that they were someplace else where understanding, acceptance and brotherhood were deeply experienced.

NOvember 2014

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- The Valley Catholic

»Sunday Readings The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church NOV. 2 (The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)) Reading1 WIS 3:1-9 Responsorial Psalm PS 23:1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6 Reading 2 ROM 5:5-11 or ROM 6:3-9 Gospel JN 6:37-40 NOV. 9

(Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome)

Reading 1 EZ 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 Responsorial Psalm PS 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 Reading 2 1 COR 3:9C-11, 16-17 Gospel JN 2:13-22 NOV. 16

(Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Reading 1 PRV 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 Responsorial Psalm PS 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 Reading 2 1 THES 5:1-6 Gospel MT 25:14-30 NOV. 23

(The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe)

»Making Sense of Bioethics

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Reading 2 1 COR 15:20-26, 28 Gospel MT 25:31-46 NOV. 30

(First Sunday of Advent)

Reading 1 IS 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7 Responsorial Psalm PS 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 Reading 2 1 COR 1:3-9 Alleluia PS 85:8 R. Alleluia, alleluia. Show us Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MK 13:33-37 The word of the Lord abides for ever. This word is the Gospel which was preached to you” (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is 40:8). With this assertion from the First Letter of Saint Peter, which takes up the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we find ourselves before the mystery of God, who has made himself known through the gift of his word. This word, which abides for ever, entered into time. God spoke his eternal Word humanly; his Word “became flesh” (Jn 1:14). This is the good news. This is the proclamation which has come down the centuries to us today.

‘Redefining’ marriage?

n the current debate over gay marriage, people sometimes ask: Who should define marriage? Democrats or Republicans in Congress? The Supreme Court? Should it be put to a referendum, allowing the majority to choose a definition? We can identify two kinds of “definitions” when it comes to marriage. The first touches on the essence, the objective reality, or the truth about marriage. The second involves a legal or political position, advanced through the media, judicial decisions, or other legislative means. While these secondary definitions of marriage can be of interest, their true level of importance is properly gauged only in reference to the first and objective definition. Notable errors are sometimes made in these secondary definitions of marriage. In the mid-1960’s, to consider but one example, prohibitions existed in more than a dozen states which outlawed persons of different races from marrying one another. A white man and a black woman could fall in love in those states, but could not legally tie the knot. The Supreme Court overturned those restrictions in 1967, recognizing that the ability to enter into marriage doesn’t depend on the skin color of the man and woman getting married. Gay marriage advocates today sometimes attempt to draw a parallel between such mixed-race marriage laws and state laws that would prevent two men (or two women) from getting married to each other. They suggest that legally forbidding two men from getting married stigmatizes those

Reading 1 EZ 34:11-12, 15-17 Responsorial Psalm PS 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

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Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk Priest of the Diocese of Fall River

men in much the same way that preventing a black man from marrying a white woman stigmatized both of them. Yet there is really no parallel at all between the two cases. While marriage as an objective reality is certainly color-blind to the racial configuration of the spouses, it can never be “genitalblind,” because male-female sexual complementarity stands squarely at the heart and center of marriage itself. To see this fundamental point about marriage, however, we have to step beyond the cultural clichés that suggest that marriage is merely an outgrowth of emotional and erotic companionship. The institution of marriage does not arise merely out of loving sentiment. It is born, rather, from the depths of the commitment assumed by a man and a woman as they enter into the total communion of life implied in the procreation and education of children flowing from their union. To put it another way, marriage arises organically and spontaneously from the radical complementarity of a man and a woman. Sexual intimacy between men and women involves the possibility of children. No other form of sexual or erotic interaction encompasses this basic, organic, and complementary possibility. Without parsing words, Profes-

sor Jacques LeClercq put it this way more than 50 years ago: “The human race is divided into two sexes whose reason for existence is physical union with a view to continuing the species.” More recently, Professor Robert P. George similarly described marriage as “a union that takes its distinctive character from being founded, unlike other friendships, on bodily unity of the kind that sometimes generates new life.” There are many kinds of love, ranging from maternal love to brotherly love to love of friends to love of neighbor to romantic love, but only one that is proper and integral to marriage, namely, spousal love with its inscribed complementarity and potential for human fruitfulness. Marriage teaches us that men need women and women need men and that children need both mothers and fathers. In this sense, marriage and the family represent foundational realities, not constructs that can be invented, defined, legislated, or determined by popular vote or culture. Marriage, in fact, is the “primordial first institution,” flowing out of the intimate and creative union of male and female. It precedes other societal institutions and conventions, and is essentially ordered towards creating and caring for the future in the form of the next generation. Marriage is a given reality that we come to discover in its authentic design, not a concept for us to“define” according to our own agenda or desires. Gay marriage proponents deny these foundational truths about marriage. Through vigorous legislative efforts, they are striving to » Please see Marriage, p.15

All Saints, All Souls and Sinners

very year during the month of November the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1(Church triumphant) and commemorates the faithful departed - All Souls day, Nov. 2 (Church Suffering). On All Saints day, which is a holy day of obligation, the Church honors all those who have achieved “beatific vision” and are enjoying life with God in heaven: “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1022). All Saints day is a solemnity which is the highest rank of a feast day in the liturgical calendar year of the Church and commemorates all those saints and martyrs (those who suffered for the faith) who don’t have an official declared feast day. It gives all Catholics an opportunity to venerate all the saints, to pray to them and ask for their assistance (intercession) and to imitate their Christian lives of witness to the gospel as well as their prayer life. There is a saying that “every saint has a past and every sinner has a future” because none of us are perfect. However, we too are called to holiness aided by the grace of our own baptism. Saints are those who made their will and

Deacon Luis Zuniga Director, Office for Pastoral Planning & San Juan Diego Ministry Institute.

the will of God one; therefore, they serve as examples for those of us still struggling with sin and that is why we imitate their relationship with God. The feast of All Saints gives us hope that those who were baptized, marked with the sign of faith and lived on earth and have gone before us are now enjoying eternal life in heaven. On All Souls day the Church recalls and prays for the dead in purgatory as they await the day when they too will join the company of the saints. Catholic tradition holds the belief that souls in purgatory do benefit from and need our prayers and works of charity and mercy as spiritual help to overcome their spiritual separation from God. This is the main reason why we offer Masses for our faithful departed as we pray for their eternal rest. In the Apostles Creed, we profess our belief in the Communion of Saints. As Catholics we believe that the saints (both canonized and beatified) in heaven compose the Church triumphant, because they have gained the crown of victory, heaven. The souls in pur-

gatory (being purified) compose the Church suffering, because they still have to expiate for their sins before they can enter heaven. The faithful on earth compose the Church militant, because we have to struggle against the enemies of our souls, which is sin and evil. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Communion of the Church of heaven and earth: “When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating ‘in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is”’(CCC, 954). The Catechism then describes our Communion with the dead. “In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and ‘because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins’ she offers her suffrages for them.” Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective. (CCC, 958). During Mass at the second » Please see Saints, p.15

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An icon of St. Leo the Great in Rome.

»Feast Day - Nov. 10

Spotlight on St. Leo the Great Catholic News Agency/EWTN Nov. 10 is the Roman Catholic Church’s liturgical memorial of the fifth-century Pope Saint Leo I, known as “St. Leo the Great,” whose involvement in the fourth ecumenical council helped prevent the spread of error on Christ’s divine and human natures. St. Leo intervened for the safety of the Church in the West as well, persuading Attila the Hun to turn back from Rome. Pope Benedict XVI said in a 2008 general audience on the saint, “he was truly one of the greatest pontiffs to have honoured the Roman See and made a very important contribution to strengthening its authority and prestige.” Central authority was beginning to decline in the Western portion of the Roman Empire. At some point between 432 and 440, during the reign of Pope St. Celestine’s successor Pope Sixtus III, the Roman Emperor Valentinian III commissioned Leo to travel to the region of Gaul and settle a dispute between military and civil officials. As early as 445, Leo had intervened in this dispute in the East, which threatened to split the churches of Alexandria and Constantinople. Its eventual resolution was, in fact, rejected in some quarters – leading to the present-day split between Eastern Orthodoxy and the so-called “non-Chalcedonian churches” which accept only three ecumenical councils. As the fifth-century Christological controversy continued, the Pope urged the gathering of an ecumenical council to resolve the matter. At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the Pope’s teaching was received as authoritative by the Eastern bishops, who proclaimed: “Peter has spoken through the mouth of Leo.” Pope St. Leo the Great died on Nov. 10, 461. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754. A large collection of his writings and sermons survives, and can be read in translation today. Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians also maintain a devotion to the memory of Pope St. Leo the Great. Churches of the Byzantine tradition celebrate his feast day on Feb. 18.

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Catechetical Convocation Highlights

Buscadores Retreat Nov. 21-23 The Valley Catholic

Campus & Young Adult Ministry (CYAM) is hosting a Buscadores Retreat Nov. 21-23 at Casa de Oracion Rosa Mistica in Brownsville. Buscadores is a retreat in Spanish for young adults ages 25-39 which provides

Photos by Mobile Journalists, St. Joseph Church in Donna/The Valley Catholic

Hundreds of catechists from throughout the Rio Grande Valley gathered for an afternoon of prayer and fellowship at the annual Catechetical Convocation on Sept. 27 at the McAllen Convention Center. Bishop Daniel E. Flores served as the keynote speaker and commissioned the catechists for their ministry.

November 2014

young adults with an opportunity to pause and reflect on their faith journey with other people their age. To register online visit charisministries.org. For more information please contact Raul Cabrera at [email protected] or call (956) 784-5093.

November 2014

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- The Valley Catholic

Catechists Honored

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Photos by Mobile Journalists, St. Joseph Church in Donna/The Valley Catholic

Catechists from throughout the Rio Grande Valley were awarded service pins by Bishop Daniel E. Flores at the Catechetical Convocation on Sept. 27.

40 Years Brownsville Deanery Christ the King – Brownsville Josefina G. Hernandez St. Luke – Brownsville Rosa Gamez

Weslaco Deanery Holy Spirit – Weslaco Mary Latigo

McAllen-Edinburg Deanery Our Lady of Perpetual Help – McAllen Pura Reyna

30 Years

Brownsville Deanery Christ the King – Brownsville Norma Garcia and Marisela Garcia Villarreal Holy Family – Brownsville Esiquia Deanda

Harlingen Deanery St. Mary – Santa Rosa Rene C. Rangel

Weslaco Deanery

St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus – Edcouch Suzanne Espericueta

25 Years

Brownsville Deanery Christ the King – Brownsville Miceala Cantu, Patricia Rivera and Martha Rosenbaum Our Lady, Star of the Sea – Port Isabel Petra M. Orta

Pharr Deanery

St. Margaret Mary – Pharr Manuela Cabrera

McAllen-Edinburg Deanery

1Mary, Mother of the Church – Brownsville Joe M. Di Grazia

Sacred Heart – Edinburg Minerva Alvarado and Maria Teresa De Jesus

St. Luke – Brownsville Tabitha Coronado, Eduardo Garza, Carlos Paul Sanchez, Lynette Marie Sanchez

Our Lady of Sorrows – McAllen Olga Ramirez

20 Years

Brownsville Deanery Christ the King – Brownsville Anita Zepeda Holy Family – Brownsville Maribel Quiroz Mary, Mother of the Church – Brownsville Betty C. Bonnet

San Benito Deanery St. Cecilia – Los Fresnos Francisco Guerrero Jr.

Pharr Deanery

St. Margaret Mary – Pharr Marisa G. Vela

McAllen-Edinburg Deanery Our Lady of Perpetual Help – McAllen Esperanza Romero and Elodia Villarreal

St. Joseph the Worker – McAllen Maria M. Guzman Sacred Heart – Edinburg Julie Ann Alderette, Gilbert Garza and Reynaldo Garza

Mission Deanery

St. Mary – Santa Rosa Gloria Castillo, Maria Elena Flores, Bertha Mireles, Maria Criselda Prado and Cynthia Rodriguez

Weslaco Deanery

St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus – Edcouch Mary Cazares and Noelia Martinez

Pharr Deanery

Sacred Heart – Hidalgo Gertrudis Garza Maria De Jesus Garza St. Margaret Mary – Pharr Rosario Francis St. John the Baptist – San Juan Nora Casas Carmen Donaji Herrera

McAllen-Edinburg Deanery Our Lady of Perpetual Help – McAllen Cynthia Gonzalez

Our Lady of Sorrows – McAllen Denia De Los Reyes, Melida G. Lopez, Waltar A. Miramontez and Belen Teran Sacred Heart – McAllen Jesse Cruz and Pablo Oliva Sacred Heart – Edinburg Ruben De Jesus Blanca L. Garza

10 Years

St. Joseph – Edinburg Marisela A. Pardo

Christ the King – Brownsville Gloria Medina Gonzales, Ruben E. Lopez and Rosalinda Medina

Rio Grande Deanery

Our Lady of Refuge – Roma Dora Canales

»Hope in Action:

A Spotlight on Youth Our Lady of Mercy senior is a role model to the community Special to The Valley Catholic I’ve attended Our Lady of Mercy since early childhood. I was a part of the church choir before I became an Altar Server at the age of 10. I’m currently a senior at Weslaco East High School and I’ve done countless community service projects with National Honor Society and the Law Dawgs Criminal Justice Club. Some of the projects I’ve participated in include: Walkathon for the Aurora House, Beach clean-ups, H-E-B’s feast of sharing, Brighter Christmas projects and other benefits to help the people in our community and school. My parish involvement includes Altar Serving, helping set up and organize festivities throughout the year, helping with our food pantry, teaching first grade catechism for two years now, helping organize the majority of our plays and staring as “Mary” in most of

them, participating in the Youth Group, and helping teach Summer Bible School. Name: Cassandra Trevino School/Grade: Weslaco East High School; Senior What I do: Altar Server, Youth Group, 1st grade Catechist, summer softball program, “Mary”, Posadas. Talents/Gifts: Dancing, Cheering, Color guard, Studying. Best Movie Ever: God’s not Dead Most Listened to Song on my iPod: I just want to dance with you- George Strait TV Show I Never Miss: Once Upon A Time Book I’d Read Again (and Again): The Twilight Saga Future Plans: I plan on attending Baylor University next fall to study Psychology Meaningful Quote: “We have the potential to be Monumental” Influential people: My parents have definitely made the biggest impact in my life. They molded me into the young lady I am today & I don’t know what I’d do without them. They are my rock; they’ve

St. Anthony Parish

Harlingen Deanery

Our Lady of Holy Rosary – Mission Guadalupe Rodriguez

Brownsville Deanery

Ground Breaking at

Courtesy Photo

Cassandra Trevino, a senior at Weslaco East High School, serves her community and Church.

supported me in anything I’ve chosen to do and push me to test my limits. They’ve showed me what I can accomplish with hard work and dedication and taught me to always put God first in my life. My parents are strong in their faith, and it’s by their example that I’ve learned about the power of prayer, the true meaning of being a Catholic, and most importantly that God is the main focus in our lives. — If you would like to nominate a student to be featured in “Hope in Action: A Spotlight on Youth,” please email Angel Barrera, director of Youth Ministry, at abarrera@cdob. org.

Courtesy Photo by Michael Swartz/The Valley Catholic

Father Lawrence Klein, left, and Bishop Daniel E. Flores break ground on a new multipurpose facility at St. Anthony Parish in Harlingen on Sept. 27. The old St. Anthony Church which was located at the corner of 10th St. and E. Harrison Ave., was demolished to make way for the new facility that will feature a gymnasium/banquet space, kitchen facilities, classrooms and smaller meeting rooms.

»Birthday & Anniversary Wishes The list of birthdays and ordination anniversaries is provided so that parishioners may remember the priests, deacons and religious in their prayers and send them a note or a card.

November

» Birthdays 5 9 10 16 17 20 22 23 28

Rev. Mario Castro Rev. Eduardo Gomez Rev. Raju Antonisamy, OMI Rev. Ruben Delgado Rev. Jose J. Ortiz, CO Rev. Lawrence Klein Rev. Luis Fernando Sanchez Msgr. Agostinho Pacheco Rev. Esteban Hernandez

7 10 11 12 14 15 20 20 24 28 29 30

Deacon Genaro Ibarra Deacon Catarino Villanueva Deacon Israel Sagredo Deacon Juan F. Gonzalez Deacon Inocencio Diaz Deacon Alberto X. Chapa Deacon Jesus Reyes Deacon Benito Saenz Deacon Juan Barbosa Deacon Heriberto Solis Deacon Francisco Garza Deacon Graciano Rodriguez

5 7 13 13

Sister Patricia McGraw, ISM Sister Rosalia Vadala, OSF Sister Luella Walsh, OSB Sister Cynthia A. Mello, SSD

» Anniversaries

27 Rev. Jose Rene Angel, JCL 28 Rev. Samuel Arispe 4 Deacon George Terrazas 11 Deacon Jose Luis Mendoza 30 Deacon Reynaldo Q. Merino

»

1 1 9 10 11 15

December Birthdays

Rev. Oliver Angel, JCL Rev. Andres Gutierrez Rev. Emmanuel Kwofie Rev. Simon Brzozowski, MSF Rev. Msgr. Gustavo Barrera Rev. Arturo Castillo

25 Rev. Ignacio Luna 29 Rev. Jerzy E. Maika 30 Rev. Gregory Labus 24 Sister Margarita Ortiz, OP 9 17 22 31

Deacon Jose G. Gonzalez Deacon Gilberto Lopez Deacon Roberto Cano Deacon Crawford A. Higgins

3 8 13 13 13 17 19 19 30

Rev. Gustavo Obando Rev. Alejandro G. Fajardo Rev. Genaro Hernriquez Rev. Joel Grissom, SM Rev. Rodolfo Franco Rev. Msgr. Juan Nicolau, Ph.D Rev. Francisco Acosta Rev. Thomas Pincelli Rev. Robert DeLong, MSF

2 9 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Deacon Hector Garcia Deacon John F. Schwarz Deacon Gerardo Aguilar Deacon Antonio M. Arteaga Deacon Ramiro Davila Jr. Deacon Paulo Escobar Deacon David Espinoza Deacon Francisco R. Flores Deacon Reynaldo I. Flores Deacon Javier A. Garcia Deacon Oscar Garcia Deacon Silvestre J. Garcia Deacon Jose G. Gonzalez Deacon Gilberto Guardiola Jr. Deacon Crawford A. Higgins Deacon Amando Peña Jr. Deacon Graciano Rodriguez Deacon Gerardo J. Rosa Deacon Rodolfo Sepulveda Jr. Deacon Raymond Thomas Jr. Deacon Nicolas E. Trujillo Deacon Catarino Villanueva Deacon Armandin Villarreal Deacon Luis Zuñiga

» Anniversaries

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November 2014

Year of Consecrated Life

Vatican highlights religious priests, brothers and sisters

Religious communities serving in our diocese

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

By CAROL ZIMMERMAN Catholic News Service WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an effort to help lay Catholics gain a deeper understanding of religious life, priests, brothers and women religious intend to open their convents, monasteries, abbeys and religious houses to the public one day next February. “If you’ve ever wondered what a brother or religious sister does all day, you will find out,” said Dominican Sister Marie Bernadette Thompson, council coordinator for the Conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious. The open house is just one of the events for the upcoming Year of Consecrated Life, which begins the weekend of Nov. 29-30 — the first Sunday of Advent is Nov. 30. It will end Feb. 2, 2016, the World Day of Consecrated life. The special year dedicated to consecrated life was announced by Pope Francis and is similar to previous themed years announced by popes such as Year of the Priest (2009-2010) or Year of St. Paul. (2008-2009). The year also marks the 50th anniversary of “Perfectae Caritatis,” a decree on religious life, and “Lumen Gentium,” the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church. The purpose of the yearlong celebration, according to a Vatican statement, is to “make a grateful remembrance of the recent past” while embracing “the future with hope.” Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh, North Carolina, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, announced the Year of Consecrated Life events at an Oct. 1 news conference at the USCCB headquarters in Washington. He said the scheduled events will provide an opportunity, especially for young people, to see how men and women religious live. He also urged heads of religious orders to let his committee know of activities they are planning so they can be publicized. Sister Thompson said the pur-

pose of the open house gatherings will be to provide people with an encounter with men and women religious and also an encounter with Christ. Sister Marcia Allen, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas, and president-elect of Leadership Conference of Women Religious, said another initiative for the upcoming year is called “Days with Religious,” during which laypeople will have opportunities to join men and women religious in works of service throughout the summer of 2015. She said these opportunities, to be announced locally, will not only give laypeople the chance to “work with us side by side” but will also enable them to become aware of the charisms of different orders. Sister Allen said she hoped the experience would be a “coming together for the sake of the church’s presence” in the modern world. The third major initiative for the year is a day of prayer scheduled Sept. 13, 2015. “We will join hands and hearts with you that day,” said Father James Greenfield, president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, who noted that throughout that day people will be invited to join religious men and women for vespers, rosary or holy hours. The priest, who is a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales of the Wilmington, Delaware-Philadelphia province, said he hoped the year would not only encourage new vocations but also would allow people to “see our commitment with fresh eyes and open their hearts to support us with a renewed energy that stirs us all to embrace our pope’s ongoing call for the new evangelization.” Although the year’s events are intended to give laypeople a deeper understanding of consecrated life, the men and women religious also said they will most likely benefit. “Whenever you think you are giving something you always end up receiving more,” she said.

Founded by: St. Eugene de Mazenod in Aix-enProvence, France in 1826 How long has your community served our diocese? The Oblates arrived in 1849 to serve as Texas missionaries. Wearing long black cassocks, cowboy boots and an Oblate cross around their necks, the priests evangelized the area on horseback, traveling from ranch to ranch to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments. Charism:The Oblates are not specialized, except in facing urgent needs. We are essentially missionaries who work in 67 countries and are available for every kind of apostolic work. The Oblate constitution states, “We are men set apart for the Gospel, men ready to leave everything to be disciples of Jesus.” Apostolate: We provide pastoral care at Our Lady of Refuge Parish in Roma and its four missions Holy Family Church in Los Saenz, Holy Trinity Church in Falcon Heights, Lamb of God Church in Fronton and St. Joseph Church in Salineño; Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Mission; St. Eugene de Mazenod Parish in Brownsville and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville. Contact information: Call Father Charles Banks, vocation director in San Antonio at 1-800-358-4394 or contact any Oblate priest to learn more about our community; Website: www.omiusa.org

Courtesy photo

The Oblate priests of the Southwest Area gather regularly for prayer and fellowship. The priests are pictured at La Lomita Chapel in Mission, which was first built in 1865 and rebuilt in 1899 after a flood caused major damage to the structure. There are more than 4,000 Oblate priests and brothers throughout the world.

The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament

Courtesy photo

Pictured, from left, Sister Marilyn Springs, Sister Irma Gonzalez, Sister Evelyn Morales, Sister Vianney Uyeno, Sister Theresa Nguyen of Brownsville. Not pictured, Sister Therese Ann Ridge and Sister Emma Marie Stillman of Edinburg.

Founded by: Venerable Jeanne Chézard de Matel in Lyon, France in 1625 How long has your community served our diocese? The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament came to Brownsville on March 2, 1853. The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament were the first Sisters to serve in this area. Last year we celebrated 160 years of service in Texas. Charism(s): Our charism in the Church is to live and proclaim the incarnation of the Word. Centered in the Person of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, and inspired by the vision of our foundress, we live life differently, in a manner that is contemplative, communitarian and apostolic. Apostolate(s): We proclaim the truth of God’s unconditional love with many voices. You can recognize us as teachers or administrators in Catholic schools. You will find us in parishes as directors of religious education or as leaders of adult spirituality programs. You will notice us in diocesan departments and as hospital chaplains. You may also meet us at retreats, on college campuses, in counseling, and in spiritual direction. Contact information: Brownsville –Sister Irma Gonzalez, Vocation Contact, (956) 546-1685, [email protected] Corpus Christi – Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, Vocation Director, (361) 882-5413, [email protected]; Website: www.iwbscc. org; Facebook: IWBSCC (Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament of Corpus Christi)

We will feature religious communities serving in our diocese every month throughout the Year of Consecrated Life.

November 2014

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Those Who Serve:

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Deacon Robert Ledesma

Ministering to soldiers a lesson in sacrificial love

Deacon provides Holy Communion for Army Reservists By ROSE YBARRA The Valley Catholic

MISSION — Deacon Robert Ledesma’s mother was pregnant with his older sister when his father was called to serve in World War II. “My father didn’t meet my sister until she was three-yearsold,” Deacon Ledesma said. “Our service men and women give up their homes and potentially their lives for us. The price of freedom is sacrificial love.” Deacon Ledesma, 68, sees parallels in serving God and country. “Sacrificial love is what we are called to give as Catholics,” he pointed out. “Jesus said, ‘if you want to be my disciple, take up your cross and follow me.’” Deacon Ledesma, who is assigned to St. Paul Church in Mission, is one of six clergy in our diocese who volunteered to serve our troops. These deacons and priests have been trained and vetted to offer Catholic services to Army Reservists at their weekend training events in Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen and Rio Grande City. A reservist is a service member who serves in a part-time capacity (one weekend a month, two full weeks a year) or in a time of war, when they become “active duty.”

The Army Reserve has more than 2,000 units in the United States, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Germany, each one trained in a specialized skill and ready to support Army missions around the world, according to the U.S. Army web site. Once the reservists report for weekend drills, they cannot leave the reserve centers until they are released. They are allotted one hour for worship on Sunday. Non-denomination worship services were offered to the soldiers in the Rio Grande Valley, but the chaplain, who is Baptist, wanted to better serve the reservists and reached out to the diocese for help. “He saw the need for Catholic services because the majority of the soldiers from the Valley are Catholic,” Deacon Ledesma said. “The chaplain wanted to provide them the opportunity to worship in their faith tradition.” The son and son-in-law of military veterans, Deacon Ledesma said he has a tremendous respect

Courtesy photo

Deacon Robert Ledesma of St. Paul Church in Mission officiates a Communion Service at the Army Reserve Center in McAllen.

for the hard work and sacrifice of our nation’s military and is honored to minister to them. “When Deacon Ledesma found out that there was a need for Catholic services for the reservists, he ran with it,” said Gary Van Ness, a parishioner of St. Paul Church. “It was a cause that touched his heart. He is the reason it’s going.” The Catholic services began in July at the Army Reserve weekend drills. Deacon Ledesma is serving the McAllen unit; Deacon Francisco Flores, a military veteran, is serving in Rio Grande City; Deacon Javier Garcia, a military veteran, serves in Brownsville and Deacon Francisco D. Pon serves the Harlingen unit. Father Daniel Omaya and Father Francois Tsanga also volunteered

to help and have been trained to serve as needed. The second of six children, Deacon Ledesma was born and raised in Harlingen. He believes his vocation to the permanent diaconate was inspired by his mother, “a very strong Catholic,” who hosted an intercessory prayer group at her home for more than 15 years and his childhood pastor at Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Harlingen, Father Clemente Grzenia, a Polish priest from the Missionaries of the Holy Family. “Father Clemente was quite an influence on my life because he was so dedicated,” Deacon Ledesma said. “He used to walk around the neighborhood, dressed from head to toe in black, reading his Breviary.

He would visit the families who didn’t attend Mass that Sunday and ask why. “He was very pastoral, very compassionate and prayerful.” Deacon Ledesma and his wife, Rosa Lila, have been married for 45 years and have two sons, a daughter and nine grandchildren. The couple works in ministry together preparing parents and godparents for baptism. Deacon Ledesma, who works as an independent insurance adjuster, is also an advocate for the diocesan tribunal. “He can be depended on to serve wherever there is a need and serve well,” said Father Gregory M. Kuczmanski, who has served as pastor of St. Paul Church in Mission for more than seven years. “He was ordained almost 25 years ago. He knows what he’s doing.” Deacon Ledesma, who also plays the bass guitar in God’s service, is accompanied to the reserve center every month by one of the choirs from his parish in order to enhance the celebration for the soldiers. The communion services are held in the dusty, un-air conditioned gymnasium where the soldiers train. “The hem of my alb is filthy by the time I leave and the heat is often unbearable, but it is a small sacrifice to make for those who put their lives on the line for us,” Deacon Ledesma said. “In ministry, sometimes you get more out of it than the people you serve. This is one of those instances. It’s quite a deal.”

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IN THE NEWS

The Valley Catholic -

November 2014

Supreme Court blocks law that had closed most Texas abortion clinics

12 clinics reopen, local prayer warriors needed By PATRICIA ZAPOR Catholic News Service Catholic News Agency

During the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, synod priests acknowledged the importance of improving marriage formation and in helping couples prepare for the role of being faithful and Catholic parents.

Formation for marriage can’t end at wedding

More resources needed for married couples, parents By ANN SCHNEIBLE Catholic News Agency

ROME — As the Church continues to reflect on the pastoral needs of the family following the recent Synod of Bishops, there has emerged the need for marriage formation lasting well beyond the day a husband and wife take their vows. Marriage preparation was one of many topics on the agenda for the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which concluded Oct. 19, with the synod fathers acknowledging the importance of improving marriage formation. “There is a real need for the creation of a standard for the preparation and formation for marriage,” said John Noronha, a PhD candidate in bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, in an email interview with CNA Oct. 2. John and his wife Ashley, both known for having hosted the EWTN series “Vatican Report’s Art & Faith,” moved to Rome shortly after their marriage in 2008. He noted how the marriage preparation which is currently available “can range from non-ex-

istent to substantially formative,” depending on one’s diocese or parish. “Since the Church is universal there needs to be uniformity,” he said, “but also using the wisdom of subsidiarity and solidarity, certain fundamental norms and guidelines ought to be developed and followed to ensure that the couple is in fact ready, informed and fully prepared for the important and sacred sacrament of marriage.” “The Church has the spiritual and practical wisdom, but just needs to find ways to reach out to families to share it.” “Married couples and those considering marriage,” Ashley Noronha said in the same interview, “need support from the local church to offer guidance in how to form strong families that are built on sharing the love of the Lord with each other and their local communities.” While acknowledging that some churches offer instruction to couples in the lead up to their marriage, she stressed that this “support should continue on after a man and woman take their vows.” “The Church can nurture family life by teaching a Catholic family how to tie in their domestic culture with that of their local parish and the universal Church,” Ashley Noronha said. “Stronger families mean that more people feel the love of Christ every day in their homes, neighborhoods, cities and countries.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court Oct. 14 blocked a Texas law that had meant all but seven of the state’s abortion clinics were closed because they failed to meet new standards. The block will remain in effect while the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers a legal challenge to the law itself. It will allow at least 12 clinics that were closed to reopen. In a brief order posted after normal business hours, the Supreme Court granted requests by some of the affected abortion clinics to block parts of the law. It blocked statewide the requirement that abortion clinics meet standards of an ambulatory surgical center, which a majority of the Texas abortion providers could not meet. For clinics in McAllen and El Paso only, the order also blocked a provision requiring abortion clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the clinic. The order noted that three justices “would deny the application in its entirety.” Those were Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Emily Horne, legislative associate at Texas Right to Life, told Catholic News Service that the Supreme Court stay is a “discouraging decision, but of course it’s not the final one.” The 5th Circuit has not yet scheduled arguments on the lawsuit challenging the provisions, and Horne said the court typically gives

The Valley Catholic

Pro-life advocates have started gathering to pray on the public sidewalk in front of the abortion clinic in McAllen. To volunteer or for more information, call the McAllen Pregnancy Center at (956) 631-4585.

several weeks’ notice before argument dates. On Oct. 2, the 5th Circuit lifted a lower court’s injunction blocking the provisions from taking effect, saying there was a strong likelihood the legal challenge of the provisions would be successful. Horne said she’s also encouraged that other parts of the 2013 law have been allowed to take effect without challenge, including the admitting privileges requirement for clinics in all but two cities and a ban on abortions when a woman is five months pregnant, based on studies showing fetuses can feel pain at that stage. She said the latter provision has gone unchallenged and has been in place for a year. Since the abortion clinic in McAllen reopened, there has been a steady stream of traffic, said Yolanda Chapa, founder of the McAllen Pregnancy Center, a prolife pregnancy center located two blocks from the abortion clinic. Chapa serves as a sidewalk counselor and prayer warrior. She

and other pro-life advocates stand on the public sidewalk outside of the abortion clinic praying and advising women and couples on their way inside. It is one final attempt to save the mothers and unborn babies from abortion. “Well over 20 women walked into the abortion clinic today,” Chapa said on Oct. 17. “It is alarming.” Chapa said the clinic “reopened with a vengeance,” most strikingly with the use of escorts who provide a buffer between the clients from the pro-life advocates. Chapa appeals to all pro-life advocates to give of their prayers and time to the sidewalk. “We need your prayers and presence at the foot of the Cross,” she said. For more information on how to help the pro-life cause, please call the McAllen Pregnancy Center at (956) 631-4585. — With inforamtion from The Valley Catholic.

Humanitarian Outreach

Responding to the call

Why do you volunteer at the immigrant respite center? “From a very young age, I have been called to serve. I started volunteering with the Red Cross as a young girl. When Sister Norma (Pimentel) informed me that this need was here, I agreed to volunteer out of curiosity, to see what was happening. Day by day, I have fallen in love with this ministry. We see the face of Jesus in every person who walks through those doors and to be able to feed, clothe and assist them is extremely fulfilling. “I have a lot of work to do around the house, but as I try to complete my tasks, my mind is here at the center. Nothing I have to do at home compares to the work that is needed here and that’s what motivates me to come here every single day.” - Alma Revesz, 68, parishioner Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, McAllen

“I had read about the influx of immigrants and the need that there was for volunteers and I felt very much called to be here. The people who walk through those doors have been through long, very difficult harrowing journeys and they tell stories that are just heartbreaking. They come here after that long journey and they find human warmth. You can sense the relief. When they leave, they are so optimistic and they are so grateful. They want to hug us and they are so appreciative. They leave here believing in their futures and in what they can achieve. ” - Jeffrey Crafts, 59, McAllen resident

Meet some of the volunteers who help refugees from Central America at the respite center at Sacred Heart Church in McAllen. The center opened June 10 and hundreds of volunteers have served more than 10,000 people. To volunteer call (956) 292-5852.

Noviembre 2014

- The Valley Catholic

NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 11 Amber Donaldson, Mobile Journalist, Juan Diego Academy/ The Valley Catholic

Una estatua en la Iglesia Cristo Rey en Bluetown. La fiesta de Cristo Rey, el 23 de noviembre, es una de las fiestas más importantes del calendario litúrgico, porque celebramos que Cristo es el Rey del universo. Su Reino es el Reino de la verdad y la vida, de la santidad y la gracia, de la justicia, del amor y la paz.

¡Viva Cristo Rey! ACI Prensa/EWTN Noticias La celebración de la Solemnidad de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Rey del Universo, cierra el Año Litúrgico en el que se ha meditado sobre todo el misterio de su vida, su predicación y el anuncio del Reino de Dios. La fiesta de Cristo Rey fue instaurada por el Papa Pío XI el 11 de diciembre de 1925. El Papa quiso motivar a los católicos a reconocer en público que el mandatario de la Iglesia es Cristo Rey. Durante el anuncio del Reino, Jesús nos muestra lo que éste significa para nosotros como Salvación, Revelación y Reconciliación ante la mentira mortal del pecado que existe en el mundo. Jesús responde a Pilatos cuan-

do le pregunta si en verdad Él es el Rey de los judíos: “Mi Reino no es de este mundo. Si mi Reino fuese de este mundo mi gente habría combatido para que no fuese entregado a los judíos; pero mi Reino no es de aquí” (Jn 18, 36). Jesús no es el Rey de un mundo de miedo, mentira y pecado, Él es el Rey del Reino de Dios que trae y al que nos conduce. Al cerrar el año litúrgico con esta fiesta se quiso resaltar la importancia de Cristo como centro de toda la historia universal. Es el alfa y el omega, el principio y el fin. Cristo reina en las personas con su mensaje de amor, justicia y servicio. El Reino de Cristo es eterno y universal, es decir, para siempre y para todos los hombres.

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NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL

The Valley Catholic -

» La Alegría de Vivir

»Vida Familiar

A

l catequismo de la Iglesia Católica nos recuerda en los párrafos 1603 al 0605 que “La íntima comunión de vida y amor que constituye el estado matrimonial ha sido establecido por el Creador y dotado por Él con sus propias reglas apropiadas… Dios mismo es el autor del matrimonio. Dios quien creó al hombre por amor también lo llama a amar la vocación fundamental e innata de cada ser humano. Ya que el hombre es creado en la imagen y semejanza de Dios quien es amor. Las Sagrada Escritura afirma que hombre y mujer fueron creados el uno para el otro: “No es bueno que el hombre esté solo.” La mujer, “carne de su carne,” su igual, su más cercano en todo, es dada a él por Dios como su “ayudante” así ella representa a Dios de quien viene nuestra ayuda.” Estas hermosas palabras me recuerdan que tan agradecida estoy por el Sacramento del Matrimonio y por mi propio matrimonio. Mauri y yo celebramos nuestro cuarenta aniversario el 31 de agosto del 2014. Recibimos la bendición después de la Misa del Domingo, seguida por una comida cooperativa de aniversario. Más que nada, fue una maravillosa oportunidad para expresar gratitud: a Dios y a la familia, amigos y colegas en el ministerio que nos acompañaron por su amor y apoyo a través de estos cuarenta maravillosos años de matrimonio. Nos dio la oportunidad de agradecer públicamente a Dios por nuestra hija Liana (el regalo más grande que Dios nos ha dado en nuestro matrimonio), nuestro nieto Elian, mi madre, hermanos y familia extendida, colegas del Centro Pastoral y de forma especial a nuestros presentadores del Retiro de Preparación

Noviembre 2014

El cigarro y la muerta Agradeciendo a Dios por el Matrimonio

caban de dar un veredicto de billones de dólares para una viuda que perdió a su esposo debido a que era fumador desde los 12 años. Pero entre las apelaciones que meterán los abogados de las tabacaleras seguramente lograran que esa cantidad se reduzca substancialmente. En los Estados Unidos casi un tercio de la población fuma, aunque el ochenta por ciento de esos fumadores desearía poder dejar de hacerlo, o eso dicen cuando se le cuestiona, la verdad es que la adicción a la nicotina tarde o temprano pasara factura acortando el tiempo de vida o la calidad de vida en los últimos años del fumador. Se ha publicado un estudio que relaciona el fumar con el incremento en el número de suicidios, pues se observa que en los estados donde hacen hincapié en lo dañino del cigarrillo se registra un menor número de suicidios. Ahora que las campañas para decir la verdad sobre los daños del cigarro son más agresiva y se sabe de las practicas de las compañías tabacaleras para instar a los jóvenes a probar su producto, el estado ha tratado de concientizar a la población sobre lo costoso que es para el estado el tratar a pacientes con enfermedades crónicas por no haber dejado el cigarrillo a tiempo. Se calcula que solo un dos o tres por ciento de la gente tiene éxito en dejar de fumar, pues el recaer y volver a fumar es una de las conductas mas observadas en quienes tratan de dejar el cigarrillo. Ahora se ha comprobado científicamente que el fumar es más que un mal habito, pues la fuerza adictiva de la nicotina se compara a la que puede tener la cocaína o el alcohol por ejemplo. Pero a diferencia de las otras drogas, la nicotina es legal y hasta socialmente aceptada, por lo que es mucho mas difícil romper la cadena que nos ata a ella. El cigarrillo forma parte de los rituales sociales (fiestas, reuniones de negocios, velorios y hasta algo obligado después de una buena comida) en donde todo el mundo te ofrece un cigarrillo, y cuando no lo aceptas te ves obligado a inhalar el humo del cigarrillo del fumador que esta a tu lado, cosa que no ayuda para nada a quienes están

Msgr. Juan Nicolau Sacerdote jubilado de la Diócesis de Brownsville

tratando de romper con el habito de fumar. Como no se pueden pasar leyes prohibiendo a las personas el dejar de fumar el estado a comenzado a regular las áreas donde los fumadores no pueden fumar, y se le da difusión a estudios sociales que nos indiquen el porqué algunas personas se esclavizan a un habito que los llevara hasta la muerte. De hecho si tomamos en cuenta las muertes causadas por el alcohol, las drogas, accidentes automovilísticos, homicidios y suicidios, incluso también si contamos las muertes causadas por el SIDA; no llegarían ni a la mitad del numero de muertes causadas por el fumar. Y todo esto lo sabemos desde hace muchos años, los fumadores lo saben, todos hemos visto los devastadores efectos del cigarrillo en algún familiar o amistad cercana: enfisema pulmonar, bronquitis crónica, cáncer en la garganta o la lengua, etc. Sin embargo la gente sigue fumando, lo que refuerza la idea que el fumar no es una conducta racional y que el poder de la nicotina sobre algunos individuos es más fuerte que su voluntad. Si te has decido a dejar el cigarro, disminuye también el consumo de cafeína, pues no solo es un detonante para volver a fumar, sino que el cuerpo estará más sensible a este compuesto y la necesidad que siente por la nicotina se combinara con la ingestión de cafeína y sus efectos. Haz un esfuerzo e intenta reducir o eliminar el cigarro de tu vida, veras como disfrutas mas los alimentos y la convivencia con los demás al ya no tener que aislarte para fumar. — Mons. Juan Nicolau, Ph.D. STL es un sacerdote jubilado de la Diócesis de Brownsville. Es psicoterapeuta familiar y consejero profesional con licencias.

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La Indiferencia, continua de la pág. 2

los más generosos con otras personas pasando por dificultades. Un mundo buscando esconderse detrás una indiferencia objetiva e impersonal necesita la alegría del Evangelio. Sólo podemos evangelizar con credibilidad si primero nos abrimos a los encuentros humanos, buscando como abrazar a las personas y como aliviar el sufrimiento que

Women

continued from pg. 4

para gozar,” he said. Octavio Paz once wrote that, “In the United States the word death burns the lips, but the Mexican lives close to it, jokes about it, caresses it, celebrates it, sleeps with it, it is his favorite toy.” Hence some of the customs, such as decorating the altars with skeletons and skulls, poke fun at death and serve as reminders about our mortality. Father Gomez said, “It’s a cultural way of looking at death… La muerte no triunfa. We celebrate life, not death. We are not afraid of death because death does not have the final word in this life.” So this November, I honor the woman who influenced me

Lydia Pesina

Directora, Oficina de Vida Familiar

Matrimonial quienes colaboraron con nuestra oficina de Family Life al presentar 22 Retiros de Preparación Matrimonial cada año. Durante nuestra comida, Mauri y yo compartimos un poco sobre nuestra vida juntos. Sacamos varios objetos significativos de una maleta incluyendo: (1) mi diario de la preparatoria: leí un apunte del 28 de mayo de 1969 en el que anotaba que había conocido a Mauri el último día de escuela en el 9o grado en un baile de fin de curso en el Centro Comunitario de Pharr. El apunte decía: “Conocí a un muchacho muy lindo llamado Mauricio Pesina; creo que le gusto”. (2) El vestido amarillo talla uno que estaba usando cuando nos conocimos junto con la camisa amarilla que Mauri usó; la cual saco de nuestro closet cada año el 28 de mayo (3) Mi vestido de novia. Señalé que el Fr. Jack O’Malley, quien presenció nuestros votos en la Iglesia Santa Anna mencionó en su homilía que nunca notaba los vestidos de las novias, pero que había notado el mío porque sabía que yo lo había hecho. ¡Él dijo que sabía que Mauri y yo jamás estaríamos sin ropa o comida porque yo sabía coser y ambos trabajábamos en Kentucky Fried Chicken! (4) Mis shorts de la luna de miel, que me pruebo cada año (5) Mi traje de mariachi “Las Rancheritas” (nuestra luna de miel fue un viaje de mariachis a la Florida). Estoy tan agradecida con

Dios por Mauri: un hombre de pocas palabras pero grandes acciones. Él me enseña sobre el “amor incondicional” …. él haría cualquier cosa que yo, Liana, o Elian le pidiéramos o el viera que necesitemos. Aunque esté enfermo o cansado, él nunca dice no; a cualquier hora día o noche, él lo hará. Para mí es un ejemplo de lo que Jesús nos enseña sobre el “amor entregado”. Una de las cosas que amo del matrimonio es que nos divertimos juntos; en mi trabajo/ mi ministerio de vida familiar voy a las parroquias alrededor de la diócesis y cuando Mauri y yo estamos en el carro juntos, siento que estamos de vacaciones. Disfrutamos nuestro tiempo juntos en el carro; le leo o escuchamos audiolibros y nos aseguramos de tener citas semanales. Los votos que hicimos el día de nuestra boda aún son importantes: “Prometo serte fiel en lo próspero y lo adverso. En la salud y la enfermedad, amarte y honrarte todos los días de mi vida”. Hemos tenido buenos tiempos y malos/ salud y enfermedad. Esos tiempos son tiempos para crecer en los que podemos recordar que Dios está con nosotros a cada momento de nuestras vidas para darnos la sabiduría y fuerza para seguir esforzándonos en ser la persona que Él nos ha creado para ser la ayuda de nuestro conyugue (en quien podemos confiar, de quien aprender, con quien crecer, reír, llorar, y hablar sobre cualquier cosa). El año pasado en el Día de Celebración Mundial del Matrimonio hubo 4 parejas casadas por más de 70 años. No sé lo que el Señor tiene preparado para nosotros, nadie lo sabe, pero puedo decir sin duda que estoy agradecida por estos primeros 40 años!

viven. El Señor está presente con los que sufren; esto sí creemos. Pero es algo difícil para el mundo moderno creer en el Dios bueno; necesita ayuda. Por compasión, tenemos que enseñar con la obra del evangelio que Dios no se encuentra en una pantalla mientras esté uno sentado en el sillón. Está presente en los pobres, y en los que se entregan para el bien de los demás. Pero el mundo no nos creerá cuando digamos que Dios está entre los pobres, en ese espacio donde sufren nuestros hermanos

y hermanas, si no ve a la Iglesia presente en ese espacio donde domina el encuentro humano y el ayudar unos a otros con cargar la Cruz. Anunciar el Evangelio equivale decirles a los indiferentes: Vengan con nosotros a encontrar al Cristo entre los que sufren. Pienso que esto tiene mucho que ver con lo que piensa el Papa Francisco en Evangelium Gaudium cuando habla de la evangelización y dice que “quiero una Iglesia pobre, y para los pobres”.

most – Marina Camila Trejo Ruiz, la primera voz que oí. An immigrant from Mexico, my mother’s choice to cross el Rio Bravo, to cross her life into the United States, changed our destiny. She never graduated high school or went to college, but I have shared before how the most important lessons I learned didn’t come from books or school, I gained them from my mother’s humble ways. Growing up, we never left home without her blessing. With the sign of the cross on our foreheads she was commending us, her three daughters and a son, to God’s protection. She taught us daily to place our trust in God. She also taught us to care for family. On her only day off, she crossed the border into Matamoros each week to visit her mother and to take her groceries or clothes and supplies for her younger brothers

and sisters. Through her actions, she taught me the importance of caring for those in our midst, family, friends, strangers. She also taught me to care for the earth, the joy of gardening, and the joy of drinking tea with the comadres and telling stories. My mother’s death influences my daily pilgrimage. La primera voz nunca se olvida. I live in God’s grace-filled moments, knowing I must honor the gift of each day. My daughter never got to meet her grandmother, but I make sure she meets her in the stories I share. How fortunate that we have 30 days in this November devotion to the Holy Souls in Purgatory to pray for the dead, and to consider how we are living our lives now. Does it honor God’s will? Does it honor those who came before us?

Noviembre 2014

NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL 13

- The Valley Catholic

¿Cómo debemos celebrar el Adviento y Navidad?

Prepararemos nuestros espíritus para la llegada de Díos Por PADRE JOHN FEISTER Especial para The Valley Catholic ¿Te has dado cuenta que el postre es el primer plato en la línea de muchos restaurantes buffet? Sí, puedes comer la cena al revés – empezar con el postre, después continuar con el aperitivo y el plato principal. Al final habrás comido todo, pero no es tan satisfactorio como disfrutar cada parte de la comida en su momento. O peor, el postre te llena antes de que comas una comida balanceada. Algunas veces sufrimos la misma tentación en Navidad. Nuestra cultura suele saltarse el Adviento y empezar a celebrar la Navidad después del día de acción de gracias – ¡si tenemos suerte de llegar tan lejos! Después se empaca todo y se guarda para el Año Nuevo. Este año, considera regresar a la an-

tigua practica de ver todo el “ciclo” Navideño – el periodo que abarca ambas temporadas de Adviento y de Navidad – como una unidad de celebración jubilosa. La preparación viene primero, después viene la celebración extendiéndose un par de semanas después del día de Navidad. El punto principal del ciclo Navideño es obvio: Dios se convierte en uno de nosotros por medio de Jesús, la Encarnación. Todas las tres fases del ciclo – Adviento, Navidad y Epifanía – dependen de y celebran ese momento. Estas celebraciones nos ayudan a nombrar las formas en las que nuestras vidas se encuentran en la “gran historia” de Cristo. Y estas ferias unen nuestras vidas a Cristianos a través de la historia. La tradición de la Iglesia, el evangelio vivo, es la experiencia de la vida real de Cristianos como tú y como yo, y aquellos que se han ido antes de nosotros. Durante el Adviento, el cual en el 2014 empieza el 30 de noviembre, enfatizamos la alegría que algunos compararían con los meses previos al nacimiento de un niño: emoción,

maravilla, alegría, expectativa, incluso euforia por la vida que está en nuestro entorno, pero también una esperanza y anhelo, y un esmero por poner todo en orden. Durante la temporada Navideña celebramos la maravilla de la Encarnación. ¡Qué tan maravillosamente estamos hechos que la Palabra de Dios se convertiría en uno de nosotros! Dios nos muestra cómo vivir plenamente: derramando nuestra vida por otros. De eso se tratan los días de Navidad. La Epifanía y la Fiesta del Bautismo del Señor celebran que Cristo se manifiesta – es decir, presente – a todas las personas. En la Epifanía nosotros nos enfocamos en tres Hombres Sabios que simbolizan las muchas razas de las cuales nace Cristo. El bautismo de Jesús marca el comienzo de su ministro público. ¡El “regalo de Navidad” de Dios en la Encarnación es un regalo para todos! – Material registrado usado con el permiso de Franciscan Media www.FranciscanMedia.org.

Terry De Leon/The Valley Catholic

Una corona de Adviento en la Basilica de Nuestra Señora de San Juan del Valle. El Adviento es el período de preparación para celebrar la Navidad y comienza cuatro domingos antes de esta fiesta. Además se encuentra en el comienzo del Año Litúrgico católico. Este año 2014, Adviento inicia el 30 de noviembre.

El Papa pide evitar que Medio Oriente se quede sin cristianos Familias huyen la violencia en Irak y Syria ACI Prensa/EWTN Noticias VATICANO – El Papa Francisco pidió el 20 de octubre no resignarse a la existencia de un Medio Oriente sin cristianos, especialmente en Irak y Siria, donde el Estado Islámico (ISIS) está aplicando “un terrorismo de dimensiones antes inimaginables” y frente al cual la comunidad internacional debe intervenir de manera adecuada. El Papa hizo este llamado durante el Consistorio de Medio Oriente, donde también se presentaron las causas de canonización del Beato José Vaz y de la religiosa María Cristina de la Inmaculada Concepción. A este evento asisten 86 representantes, entre cardenales, patriarcas y los Superiores de la Secretaría de Estado. El Santo Padre recordó que “nos une el deseo de paz y de estabilidad en Oriente Medio y la voluntad de favorecer la resolución de los conflictos a través del diálogo, la reconciliación y el empeño político”, así como “brindar la mayor ayuda posible a las comunidades cristianas para sostener su permanencia en la región”. “Como he tenido la ocasión de reafirmar varias veces, no podemos resignarnos a pensar en Oriente Medio sin los cristianos, que desde hace dos mil años confiesan el nombre de Jesús”, expresó el Papa. Sin embargo, denunció, “los últimos acontecimientos, sobre todo en Irak y en Siria, son muy preocupantes. Asistimos a un fenómeno de terrorismo de dimensiones antes inimaginables. Tantos hermanos nuestros son perseguidos y han tenido que dejar sus casas, incluso de manera brutal. Parece que se ha perdido la conciencia del valor de la vida humana, parece que la per-

Rodi Said/Catholic News Service, Reuters

Los cristianos de Irak huyen de la violencia, temiendo el final de su historia.

sona no cuenta y se la puede sacrificar por otros intereses Y todo esto, lamentablemente, ante la indiferencia de tantos”. “Esta situación injusta requiere, además de nuestra constante oración, una respuesta adecuada también de parte de la Comunidad Internacional”, señaló el Papa. En ese sentido, manifestó a los asistentes su deseo de que con la ayuda del Señor, en el encuentro de hoy broten “reflexiones y sugerencias válidas para poder ayudar a nuestros hermanos que sufren y también para salir al encuentro del drama de la reducción de la presencia cristiana en la tierra donde ha nacido y desde la cual se ha difundido el cristianismo”. La Santa Sede informó que en el Consistorio han intervenido aproximadamente 30 personas, entre patriarcas y cardenales, donde se describió la situación y los problemas principales de las Iglesias en Irak, Siria, Egipto, Tierra Santa, Jordania, Líbano y otros países de la región. Los representantes señalaron que Oriente Medio necesita urgentemente replantearse su futuro. “Se resaltó la importancia de Jerusalén, como ‘capital de la fe’ para las tres grandes religiones monoteístas y se puso en evidencia la necesidad de llegar a una solu-

ción del conflicto israelí-palestino y sirio. Ante las violencias perpetradas por el ISIS se ha reiterado que no se puede matar en nombre de Dios”. En ese sentido se pidió a la comunidad internacional garantizar a los refugiados cristianos “la posibilidad de regresar cuanto antes a sus hogares, estableciendo ‘zonas de seguridad’, por ejemplo en la llanura de Nínive”. Además se exhortó a no olvidarse de los secuestrados en Oriente Medio. También se defendió el derecho fundamental a la libertad religiosa, de culto y conciencia. En ese sentido, se exigió “que se reconozcan a los cristianos todos los derechos civiles de los demás ciudadanos, sobre todo en los países donde actualmente la religión no está separada del Estado”. Indicaron que “un Oriente Medio sin cristianos sería una grave pérdida para todos, ya que juegan un papel fundamental para mantener el equilibrio en esa zona y por su gran compromiso en el ámbito de la educación”. “Es esencial alentar a los cristianos para que permanezcan en Oriente Medio y perseveren en su misión, también porque han contribuido al bienestar de los países en que viven”.

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The Valley Catholic -

November 2014

Humanitarian Outreach

We serve together, we pray togther “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19:33-34 The Valley Catholic

Bishop Daniel E. Flores and religious leaders of many faiths gathered to pray for immigrant families from Central America and for comprehensive immigration reform at a vigil on Sept. 30 at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine. The religious leaders are united in their belief that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God and in their prayers for immigration reform as a way to protect workers and family unity. Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley said the prayer vigil brought together all the faith communities that have responded to helping refugee families from Central America. “During this humanitarian crisis we came together to serve, now we come together to pray.” Pictured, from left, Father Amador Garza, rector of the basilica; Rev. Julio Guarneri, lead pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen; Rabbi Claudio Kogan of Temple Emanuel in McAllen; Bishop Daniel E. Flores; Rev. Javier Leyva of the United Methodist Church and Rev. Sylvia De La Garza, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in San Juan.

Mass for the Elderly

Courtesy photo

A Mass for the Elderly is celebrated on the last Tuesday of every month at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine. Bishop Daniel E. Flores celebrated the Mass on Sept. 30. Adult day care centers, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers are invited to bring groups to the monthly Mass. For more information, call the Basilica at (956) 787-0033.

Thanksgiving Prayer O Gracious God, we give you thanks for your overflowing generosity to us. Thank you for the blessings of the food we eat and especially for this feast today. Thank you for our home and family and friends, especially for the presence of those gathered here. Thank you for our health, our work and our play. Please send help to those who are hungry, alone, sick and suffering war and violence. Open our hearts to your love. We ask your blessing through Christ your son. Amen.

November 2014

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- The Valley Catholic

»Media Resource Center

Viva Cristo Rey

Recommended by SISTER MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD Coordinator of the Media Resource Center - Diocese of Brownsville

Feast instituted in a time of war, deep secularism

»Worth Watching

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Mother Theresa

Format: DVD Length: 177 minutes Audience: High School/Adults Production: Ignatius Press (2014) The original, uncut, full length movie. Her heart found the forgotten, her faith found a way.

William Bradford, First Thanksgiving

Format: VHS Length: 30 minutes Audience: Adults Production: Living History (1992) William Bradford sought to worship God according to his own conscience, but found it impossible with the Church and government as the same entity. As peacemaker, he befriended the Native Americans who taught the struggling pilgrims how to survive. The rest is history.

»From the Bookshelf

Great Bibilical Stories

Format: Audiobook Length: 5 CDs Audience: Adults Narration: Howard Gray, S.J, Ph.D Publication: Now you Know (2012) Includes the following stories: The Book of Ruth as a Love Story, Elisha and Being a Magician for Peace, Jacob and God’s Pedagogy, Jesus and His Call, Jesus and the Compassion of God, Jesus and Women, Jesus and Prayer, Creating the Church, God as Narrator and Becoming God’s Partner.

Sisters of the Last Straw Book 1 – The Case of the Haunted Chapel Format: Paperback book Length: 82 pages Audience: Children, ages 6-12 Author: Karen Kelly Boyce Illustrator: Sue Anderson Publication: Catholic Word (2011) A Scary Mystery! Are there ghosts in the Sisters’ chapel? If not, where are the scary voices coming from?

In 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in his encyclical letter Quas Primas, in response to growing nationalism and secularism around the world. He had the foresight to realize that secularism could soon wage awful wars against the Church. During the early 20th century, in Mexico, Russia, and in many parts of Europe, atheistic regimes threatened not just the Catholic Church and its faithful but civilization itself. Pope Pius XI’s encyclical gave Catholics hope and — while governments of men around them crumbled — the assurance that Christ the King shall reign forever. Pope Pius XI said that Christ “reign[s] ‘in the hearts of men,’ both by reason of the keenness of his intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very truth, and it is from him that

St. Luke Parish continued from pg. 3

“Our parishioners, including many who have been here since the beginning, learned the importance of community during those early days,” Father Gonzalez said. “If we have community, we have church. It’s not the building that makes the church, but the people. “I believe we are a stronger community because of those days

Marriage

continued from pg. 5

impose a profoundly false redesign for marriage upon society so that, in the words of Professor George, marriage becomes “an emotional union for the sake of adult satisfaction that is served by

Saints

continued from pg. 5

part of the Eucharistic prayer we always pray for our faithful departed: “Welcome into your kingdom our departed brothers and sisters, and all who have left this world in your friendship. We hope to enjoy forever the vision of your glory, through Christ our Lord, from whom all

» Calendar of Events Amber Donaldson, Mobile Journalist, Juan Diego Academy/ The Valley Catholic

An image from Cristo Rey Church in Monte Alto. The feast of Christ the King, Nov. 23, establishes Christ’s royalty over men, that is, Christ is God who wields supreme power over all things, and that he is our Redeemer and head of the Church.

All Day All day 6:30 p.m.

1

All Saints Day

1

Juan Diego Academy Annual Gala (Mission)

2

All Souls Day

2

St. Anthony Church Fall Festival (Harlingen)

2

Mass for children with special needs and their families (Holy Family Church, Brownsville)

6

Advisory Team (Catechesis)

7-9 Catholic Engaged Encounter (Family Life Office) 8-9 Sacred Heart Church Fall Festival (McAllen)

truth must be obediently received by all mankind.” While we hope and pray that the dark times of almost a century ago remain in the past, a troubling recent Pew Forum report shows that religious intolerance is on the rise worldwide, including in the United States. Therefore, we must remain vigilant when our first American freedom protected under the First

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is threatened. Religious liberty gives us the ability not just to worship at Mass but the freedom to feed the hungry, serve the needy, and tend to the sick. During this time when we come together as a nation in thanksgiving for our many blessings, let us thank God for the gift of religious liberty and ask that it not be taken for granted.

13 Professional Day (Catechesis) 15 Walking by Faith Pilgrimage (Youth Minsitry) 15 Matachines Festival (St. Frances Cabrini Church, Pharr) 15 St. Theresa Church Festival (Faysville) 15 Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Fall Festival (Raymondville) 15-16 Retiro PreMatrionial (Family Life Office)

without a church home. Our parishioners worked very, very hard to build this church and they will never take it for granted.” The new sanctuary, rectory, church offices and parish hall were blessed and dedicated by Bishop John J. Fitzpatrick on April 4, 1976. Msgr. Doherty said the parish really began to blossom when the community moved into the church and the number of parishioners and ministries increased

steadily. In response to the needs of the growing parish, St. Luke School was established in 1992. The school serves students in grades Pre-K3 to eight and has an enrollment of 190. Other pastors of St. Luke Parish include Father Armando Escobedo; Father Gregory Kuczmanski; Msgr. Juan Nicolau; Father Terance Fowler; Father Juan Victor Heredia; Father Esteban Hernandez and Msgr. Heberto Diaz.

mutually agreeable sexual play,” thereby undermining its intrinsic connection to complementary bodily union between men and women. This forced reconfiguration of marriage is no more defensible than the efforts of those who socially or legislatively attempted to impose a notion of “racial purity” upon marriage or society in former times.

— Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D. earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did postdoctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, MA, and serves as the Director of Education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www.ncbcenter.org for more information.

27 Happy Thanksgiving Diocesan Offices Closed

good things come.” (Eucharistic Prayer, III). This is a special moment for us during Mass to bring to mind and pray for all our loved ones who have gone before us. As we celebrate and venerate all of our saints and we remember the souls of our beloved departed brothers and sisters let us be mindful that we live in the hope that we will see them again. Meanwhile we ask the

Lord Jesus to give us strength and peace as we grieve for if we cry, for them it is because we have loved them and miss them. We are also mindful that as Catholics death doesn’t exist, there is no such thing as “la santisima muerte” porque la muerte no existe ni es santa. For when Christ died on the cross for us he destroyed our death and when he rose from the dead he has restored our lives.

5

Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s Calendar November 5 November 10-13 November 26

November

Priests’ Assembly USCCB General Meeting Evins Ministry

San Juan Baltimore Edinburg

On going: 8 a.m. Mass Monday - Saturday at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo

2nd: Vocations to the Permanent Diaconate the deacons (permanent and transitional) of the diocese and their families

3 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo

3rd : Vocation to Married Life: for the welfare and sanctification of all the families in the diocese and for building up the Kingdom in our domestic churches

7 p.m. Holy Hour Weekly every Thursday at 727 Bowie St., Alamo 1st: Vocations to the Consecrated Life (active and contemplative) and for the Sisters and Brothers in our diocese and the success of their mission

4th: Vocations to the priesthood and the priests of the diocese for the success of their ministry 5th: Vocations to the Pro-Life Intentions

16 Mass and Reception for Lumen Christi Award (St. Anne Church, Peñitas) 17 Theology Class (Office of Catechesis) 18 Clase de Teologia (Office of Catechesis) 21-23 RCYC Oklahoma (Youth Ministry) 22 Convalidation Conference (Family Life Office)

28 Thanksgiving Holiday Diocesan Offices Closed 30 First Sunday of Advent

December 4-7 NCCYM in San Antonio (Office of YM) Advent Day of Reflection (Office of Catechesis)

6-7 For Better Forever (Family Life Office) 7

Mass for children with special needs and their families (Holy Family, Brownville)

8

Immaculate Conception

12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 12 Incarnate Word Academy Truck Raffle (Brownsville) 15 Bishop’s Annual Dinner 24 Christmas Eve Diocesan Offices Closed 25 Christmas Day 26 Christmas Holiday Diocesan Offices Closed Please submit your schedule to be published in The Valley Catholic by the first Friday of each month by email at [email protected] or fax: (956) 784-5082.

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Our Catholic Family

The Valley Catholic -

November 2014

‘The youth of today want a faith journey’

Director of religious education promotes service, ministry By ROSE YBARRA The Valley Catholic

BROWNSVILLE — Betty Bonnet has been a catechist at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Brownsville for more than 20 years and the director of religious education since 1999. She received a pin for 20 years of service to the Diocese of Brownsville from Bishop Daniel E. Flores at the annual Catechetical Convocation on Sept. 27. “For her, being the director of religious education is a ministry more than a job,” said Msgr. Heberto Diaz, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church Parish. “She is very dedicated to catechesis and to making sure that the students and the parents learn about their faith.” In her time as a catechist, Bonnet, 61, has seen many patterns and themes with the students, most of them positive, but what she is witnessing in the youth these days, is particularly inspiring. “I’m finding that our youth are hungry for something, especially for God,” she said. “Most of them have everything, materially speaking. They are lacking

nothing, they don’t have to work to make money for the family like generations past, but there is still a void there. They are looking for God.” And these youth are not only Catholic in name. They are Catholic and can tell you why. “In the past, if you asked a young person why they were attending religious education classes, many would have said because it is a tradition in my family to be Catholic or because my parents are making me,” Bonnet said. “Today, they ask a lot of questions. They want to know why we do what we do as Catholics and they want the truth.” Bonnet said the catechists at her parish are teaching scripture to those preparing for confirmation. “You cannot understand the Mass or have a love for the Mass unless you know scripture,” she said. “It’s the same thing with the sacraments. You can’t understand why we do what we do as Catholics until you read scripture.” Bonnet said it was her own children who brought her back to the Catholic Church. Like many young adults, she and her husband both fell away from the faith in their 20s. “My children were asking me things about our Catholic faith that I didn’t know and I felt bad,” she said. “I asked myself, ‘what is the best way to learn about your faith?’

That is when I began volunteering as a catechist. “I didn’t know then what ‘catechist’ meant, but that’s given me the opportunity to learn more about my faith and that is where it really began for our family.” Bonnet and her husband, David, have been married for almost 35 years and have four children, four grandchildren and another grandchild on the way. David Bonnet is the head of the religion program at St. Joseph Academy, a Catholic high school in Brownsville, and also volunteers as a catechist at their parish. He gave up a lucrative career in engineering to serve God and his Church. Bonnet credits her family’s faith for keeping them united. “If it wasn’t for the Church and our faith, I think our marriage would have broken up a long time ago,” she said. “Our children brought us back to our faith and our faith has kept us going. Now, we’re both passionate about our faith. We both eat and sleep Church. We’re here all the time. We can’t say no. “Whenever we have financial problems, somehow, the money comes. The Lord takes care of you when you work for him.” Bonnet is energized by the youth in her parish and their drive to serve. She noted that of the 100-plus students who were confirmed last

Eric Sánchez/The Valley Catholic

Betty Bonnet, director of religious education at Mary, Mother of the Church Parish in Brownsville, leads a program of 521 students. She was honored for 20 years of service as a catechist at the annual Catechetical Convocation in September.

year, more than half have come back, wanting to volunteer at the parish in some way. “In the past, maybe 10 or so wanted to help,” she said. “The youth of today want a faith journey and they want to put their faith into action.” “Betty has a great heart for ministry and for young people,” said Angel Barrera, director of youth ministry for the diocese. “She is willing to accompany the youth on their faith journeys and encourages them to explore their faith in greater depth.” Bonnet believes this generation may finally reverse the trend of

baptized Catholics falling away from their faith as young adults. “They are going to marry sometime soon and their children are going to grow up right,” she said. “They are going to be Catholic, not because I told you so or because it’s a tradition, but because God loves you, therefore we are going to be part of this Church because we are all one in Christ Jesus. “This generation, when they reach their 20s or 30s, they are not going to leave their faith. I think they are the strongest group that we have had in years. I believe they are going to bring the Catholic Church out of its lukewarmness.”