SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
REVIVAL STARTS HERE
texas catholic herald 1
RINGING FAITH
Reflections from the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Congress ▪ SEE PAGE 9
Olympic bell to ring inside newly rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral at every Mass ▪ SEE PAGE 14
Little Tex says A relic encounter St. John Paul II relic to visit parishes and schools in Houston in late September ▪ SEE PAGE 3
Celebrating 60 years of The Texas Catholic Herald
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
SEPTEMBER 10, 2024
VOL. 61, NO. 6
EDUCATION
Opening Mass marks back to school for thousands of Catholic students, teachers BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA AND REBECCA TORRELLAS Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — Daniel Cardinal DiNardo blessed a crowd of about 1,000 Catholic school teachers, principals and administrators when he celebrated Mass on Aug. 9 to kick off the start of back to school. The Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston drew together many from the largest private primary school system in Texas with an award ceremony afterward. New superintendent of Catholic Schools Mazie McCoy, Ed.D., with more than 20 years in Catholic education, including as principal and assistant superintendent, succeeded Debra Haney, Ed.D., who retired at the end of June. “I am truly humbled by this responsibility
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
Two young students watch Snappy the Turtle look out a classroom window during a recent Friday school day at St. Theresa Catholic School in Memorial Park. More than 17,000 students, with their teachers and staff, returned to the classroom at the 56 Catholic schools around the Archdiocese in August.
See SCHOOLS, page 4
FAITH AND RESILIENCE
Ukrainian people resonate with Bishop Dell’Oro during summer visit to war-torn nation BY FATHER ROMAN OLIINYK AND HERALD STAFF
UKRAINE — Russian forces began their full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Today the war continues, and since then, at least 30,000 civilians have been killed, 3.7 million are internally displaced, and 6.5 million have fled Ukraine, and according to reports, the country has sustained nearly $500 billion in damages. For Palm Sunday 2022 and 2024, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo requested that a second collection be held at parishes throughout the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston to support the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) amid the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Collecting more than $803,000, the Archdiocese was the largest donor to the Metropolitan Humanitarian
THE FIRST WORD † 3
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Aid Fund of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, established by Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Archeparchy of Philadelphia of the UGCC. With the funds raised, the UGCC created a vast network of shelters, programs and chaplaincy programs throughout the Ukraine to assist in providing supplies and caring for spiritual needs to those impacted by the war. Archbishop Gudziak invited Galveston-Houston Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, to visit Ukraine from June 26 to July 2. He was joined by Sister Donna Markham, OP, past president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Charles Walsh, a close collaborator of Sister Markham, and Deacon Ed Shoener, president of PHOTO BY THE UKRAINIAN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministries. Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, second from right, visits a cemetery near a KyivThey were hosted at the Ukrainian Catholic area parish, where he prayed with families who lost loved ones during the University (UCU) in Lviv, which is located less than war. He also met with women from the parish and the parish’s priests, who
HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WAR
COLUMNISTS † 13
spoke about how they support each other and other widows and mothers of
See UKRAINE, page 10 soldiers who died in conflict, as well as dealing with the related trauma.
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ESPAÑOL † 16
| AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE † 18 - 19