SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
BIBLICAL SUMMER
texas catholic herald
UKRAINE BACK TO CLASS
Vacation Bible schools around the Archdiocese host hundreds of youth
Ukrainian bishops praise efforts to restart schooling disrupted by war ▪ SEE PAGE 15
▪ SEE PAGE 11
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
1
‘WALKING ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH OF THE LORD’
VOL. 59, NO. 6
EDUCATION
Catholic high schools welcome Class of 2026 BY REBECCA TORRELLAS Texas Catholic Herald
PHOTO BY ARCHDIOCESAN ARCHIVES
Deacons ordained for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from the first diaconate class of 1972 had 38 members, including George Sheltz Sr., the father of the late Auxiliary Bishop George A. Sheltz.
Deacons celebrate 50 years of serving God and His people in Houston BY JO ANN ZUÑIGA Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — A group of deacons, now mostly in their 80s, recently celebrated being among the first diaconate class of 1972 ordained in the Archdiocese, sharing Jesus throughout their lives for the past 50 years. They came from all walks of life and education, from a printing press manager to an engineer. They thought themselves unworthy of being ministers who could preside over Sacraments to “baptize, marry and bury” their families and fellow parishioners. But they followed God’s call. Only seven of the original class of 38 ordained remain living — Deacons Emiliano Gonzales, Paul Hunsucker, Alvin Matthys, John Pistone, Thomas Richards, Phil Wiles and Dale Steffes. Now the diaconate program these past 50 years has blossomed into almost 400 deacons serving among the 146 parishes and other ministries,
“Churches get a twofer with deacons because usually, their wives are just as active in church ministry, and we work as a team.” Part of the first class of Permanent Deacons ordained in 1972
See DIACONATE, page 6
THE FIRST WORD † 3
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See HIGH SCHOOLS, page 4
5 YEARS SINCE HARVEY
In Dickinson, back to school and back to normal BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald
DEACON DALE STEFFES
including prisons and hospitals within the Archdiocese. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo celebrated with the deacons at their Aug. 13 annual convocation at St. Mary Seminary off Memorial Drive, where most ministry classes are
HOUSTON — With the 2022-2023 school year on the way, the 12 high schools in the Archdiocese are in different stages as they welcome the Class of 2026. This year, Frassati Catholic High School is celebrating its 10th anniversary with their largest student body to date, with an enrollment of 286 students, including 85 freshmen and 14 new students. On Aug. 22, Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro joined the Frassati community to celebrate its 10th anniversary Mass. The school also plans to host 10th anniversarythemed gatherings throughout the year, including Homecoming, the annual Blue and Gray Gala, and the Charles Maguire
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, at left, greets a deacon during a Mass of Ordination to the Permanent Diaconate in 2021. Nearly 400 permanent deacons currently serve in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in many roles from parishes to ministries.
COLUMNISTS † 13 - 14
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ESPAÑOL † 17 |
DICKINSON — Perhaps it’s everyone’s favorite part of the school day: the end. The school bell rang, and quickly students at True Cross Catholic School in Dickinson took a seat at tables in the school cafeteria. Or at least several of them tried to. The students hung every surprisingly possible way on their chairs, with water bottles clattering on tabletops and backpacks swinging around chairbacks. One by one, their names were called by a teacher running the end-of-school show, with several more inside helping keep the students in line and on time. “You’re heading to practice? Alright, take a seat there. We’ll get you there soon,” one teacher tells a buzzing group of junior high students with duffle bags
MILESTONES † 20
See DICKINSON, page 5