Texas Catholic Herald - Jan. 27, 2026

JANUARY 27, 2026

FREEDOM IN FAITH Applications for Texas Education Freedom Accounts open Feb. 4

Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964

‘IN

THE ONE, WE ARE ONE’

BY COLTON MORRIS Special to the Herald

HOUSTON — In a world seemingly spinning off its axis, torn by war, polarized by shouting screens and shadowed by uncertainty, the Catholic Church stands as an enduring home.

Surrounded by familiar images of the saints and Gospel stories and the smell of incense, the faithful find refuge. In the breaking of the bread at every Mass, Christ draws them into true unity.

Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez launches the 2026 Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) campaign by inviting the faithful to embrace Pope Leo XIV’s profound motto: “In Illo Uno Unum,” which is Latin for “In the One, We are One.”

This theme pulses with urgency. “Through the One who is Christ, we are united as members of Christ’s Mystical

Jubilee Year of St. Francis

began Jan. 10

St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Kashmere Gardens named Archdiocesan pilgrim site

HOUSTON (OSV News) — Just four days after closing the final Jubilee holy door at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed a special Jubilee Year coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis of Assisi. The Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience, issued a decree published by the Franciscan Friars Jan. 10, declaring a yearlong celebration in honor of the Poverello, or the Little Poor One.

According to the decree, Pope Leo established that starting Jan. 10, following the closing of the church’s Jubilee Year, until Jan. 10, 2027, a special Year of St. Francis may be proclaimed, in which every Christian, “following the example of the saint of Assisi, may himself become See FRANCIS, page 4

Roz Hill’s legacy lives on through Steps

for Students

BY KERRY MCGUIRE Herald Correspondent

HOUSTON — Faith is most clearly revealed not in words, but in how it is lived, through service, generosity and a willingness to stand with others. That kind of faith-filled witness defined the life of Roslyn “Roz” Hill (Castrogiovanni), 78, who passed away on Oct. 28, 2025, and whose deep commitment to Catholic education in the Archdiocese helped give rise to Steps for Students 5K Run/Walk more than two decades ago.

As director of the Development Office for the Archdiocese in 2005, Roz helped See LEGACY, page 6

A Shepherd’s Message

By Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez

As we begin Ordinary Time, the Church invites us to enter a season rich with meaning yet often overlooked. Ordinary Time is an essential part of the liturgical year. It offers us a sustained opportunity to deepen our relationship with Christ by encountering Him in the quiet and familiar patterns of daily life.

Between the beautiful intensity of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter, this season allows us to steady our pace and return to the foundational rhythm of discipleship.

Ordinary Time allows us to explore carefully one of the synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark or Luke. Listening to these Gospels Sunday after Sunday, we follow Jesus Christ as He moves among His people — preaching, teaching, healing, forgiving and restoring. We witness the way He meets people where they are by the shores of Galilee, in synagogues, and in homes. Jesus is willing to meet with people, from different walks of life, from the religious leaders to the poor and sick, and those on the margins. In all the Gospels, Jesus is accused of spending too much time with sinners, but He responds quickly: The sick need a physician, not the healthy.

His ministry shows us that holiness is not reserved for extraordinary moments. Instead, Christ reveals that God often works most powerfully in the ordinary and familiar. He is willing to enter the messiness of daily lives in order to bring God’s grace, healing, forgiveness and peace.

Ordinary Time is a season of formation in which Christ challenges each of us to follow Him more closely and to grow in holiness. In ordinary events, holiness takes shape through the daily responsibilities and small acts of love that define our lives. Parents caring for children, spouses being faithful to one another, workers fulfilling their responsibilities with integrity, neighbors offering help and encouragement, families praying together, and communities serving those in need.

These steady, faithful actions shape us into disciples. Holiness is simply living our vocation with love, patience, prayer and generosity.

Arzobispo Vásquez comparte su mensaje en línea en español. Visite www.archgh.org para leer su artículo en línea.

Earlier this month, I was reminded of this rhythm while gathering with the bishops of Region X for our annual retreat. For more than two decades, the bishops of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas have come together at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio to pray, reflect and strengthen one another. The grounds are beautiful and draw us into prayer to listen to the Lord. During this retreat, I was reminded of how essential it is for shepherds to pause, to renew our hearts and to offer fraternal support. Our region is blessed with a vibrant and growing Catholic population, and the retreat helps us return to our dioceses renewed for the mission entrusted to us to care for our people.

This month also brings the opportunity to reflect on the dignity of human life through prayer and intercession, especially on the Jan. 22 Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Even after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the life of the unborn continues to be threatened. The Church’s duty is to accompany and walk with expectant mothers in need so that every child is welcomed with love.

Protecting life means honoring each person’s dignity at every stage, from the unborn, who are the most vulnerable, to the elderly. It also means opposing violence and abuse in all its forms and working to end the death penalty and euthanasia. We must create a culture of life where the sanctity of human life is valued, and we must defend it from conception to natural death.

In all these efforts, I am encouraged by Pope Leo XIV’s unwavering call for peace in a world filled with strife and unrest in many regions of the world. Our Holy Father’s consistent message of peace reminds us that the path toward healing begins with honest dialogue, genuine respect and the courage to encounter one another despite our differences. His stalwart witness to peace inspires many throughout the world, including myself, to persevere in the work of reconciliation. The pope’s message is simple, and it reaches the heart: he wants people to find Christ.

As we journey through Ordinary Time, may we allow Christ to accompany us in every moment. May we recognize His presence in daily life, respond to His invitation to holiness, and become instruments of His peace and love in our communities. †

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Editorial

THE FIRST WORD

‘BE SEALED WITH THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT’

At eight separate Masses at seven different parishes, Archbishop Joe

DiNardo confirmed 1,156 adults from 81 parishes around the Archdiocese in January.

1,156 adults confirmed in faith in January

HOUSTON — Two by two, they stepped forward.

Bearing the name of a confirmation saint — Augustine, Mary, Bartholomew, Jude and hundreds more — 1,156 adults presented themselves to God as they reverently bowed slightly before Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo and Auxiliary Bishop Italo Dell’Oro, CRS, and received the blessing of the Holy Spirit and the holy chrism in the Sacrament of Confirmation.

LIVING IN FAITH

Just a step behind them in presence and prayer, their sponsor witnessed the moment as they placed their hand on the shoulder of the candidate they had walked with on their faith journey. Then, as they walked past the filled pews, the head-turning scent of chrism slowly filled the air.

Catholics from at least 81 parishes across the Archdiocese received the Sacrament of Confirmation at eight separate Masses.

They celebrated English, Spanish and bilingual Masses on Jan. 10, Jan. 13 and Jan. 15, at seven different parishes, including St. Maximilian Kolbe in west Houston, St. Bartholomew the Apostle in Katy, St. Ignatius of Loyola in Spring, Christ the Redeemer and Prince of Peace in Houston, St. Angela Merici in Missouri City and the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston.

In their homilies, Archbishop Vásquez, Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop Dell’Oro each encouraged the newly confirmed to fully embrace their new spiritual gifts.

Citing St. Paul’s words, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me,” Archbishop Vásquez emphasized that once baptized, a person belongs to Christ and cannot undo that identity. He added that Baptism must be lived daily, not just remembered as a one-time event. †

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Effective Jan. 2

Father Paul Hoang, C.S.Sp. Director - Office of Correctional Ministries

Effective Feb. 1

Café Catholica Lite returns Jan. 29

GALVESTON — The Office for Young Adult and Campus Ministry will host the next Café Catholica Lite at Holy Family’s Parish Life Center in Galveston, located at 1525 25th St. in Galveston, on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 7 to 8:45 p.m.

Judge Stacy Allen Barrow of Harris County’s 487th Criminal District Court will speak on “Speak Truth, Judge Well, Make Peace: The Call to True Solidarity in Times of Division,” reflecting on unity, solidarity and Catholic social teaching. The evening includes snacks, a presentation, Q&A and prayer.

Café Catholica helps young adults ages 18 to 39 encounter Christ and His Church. For more information, call 713-741-8778 or visit www.archgh.org/cafecatholica. †

Archdiocesan Mass to honor Consecrated Life on Feb. 1

HOUSTON — On Sunday, Feb. 1, women and men in consecrated life will gather in celebration with Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez at an 11 a.m. Mass at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston. The public is invited to attend. In Galveston-Houston, there are 370 women and at least 200 men in religious life. †

POPE’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY FOR PRAYER WITH THE WORD OF GOD

Father Jude Alih, M.S.P. Pastor - St. Philip Neri, Houston SCAN TO PRAY WITH POPE LEO XIV

“Lord Jesus, living Word of the Father, in You we find the light that guides our steps. We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning, and only Your Gospel can give it peace and fullness. Teach us to listen to You each day in the Scriptures, to let ourselves be challenged by Your voice, and to discern our decisions from the closeness to Your Heart. May Your Word be nourishment in weariness, hope in darkness, and strength in our communities.

Lord, may Your Word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts — the Word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, disciples and missionaries of Your Kingdom.

Make us a Church that prays with the Word, that is built upon it and shares it with joy, so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again. May our faith grow in the encounter with You through Your Word, moving us from the heart to reach out to others, to serve the most vulnerable, to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life. Amen.” – Pope Leo XIV –

LOCAL

‘One

Nation Under God’

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is back in 2026 with a patriotic twist. ▪ SEE PAGE 16

Year of St. Francis inspires ‘authentic Christian charity’

from page 1

a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace.”

Noting previous jubilee celebrations related to the works of St. Francis — such as the eighth centenary commemorations of the first Nativity scene, as well as his composition of the “Canticle of the Creatures” and his receiving of the stigmata — the decree stated that “2026 will mark the culmination and fulfillment of all previous celebrations.”

In its decree, the Apostolic Penitentiary also announced that plenary indulgences will be granted to Catholics “under the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father), which can also be applied in the form of suffrage for the souls in Purgatory.”

The indulgence will be granted to those who participate in a pilgrimage “to any Franciscan conventual church, or place of worship in any part of the world named after St. Francis or connected to him for any reason,” it stated.

A PILGRIM CHURCH IN HOUSTON

In the Archdiocese of GalvestonHouston, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Kashmere Gardens has been named the Archdiocesan pilgrim site for the Year of

St. Francis. Led by Pastor Father Martin Eke, MSP, the parish recently marked its 75th anniversary of its founding in 1950 at 5102 Dabney St. near Lockwood Drive and the 610 North Loop.

Despite flooding twice, in 2001 during Tropical Storm Alison and 2017 in Hurricane Harvey, the parish is home to a vibrant African American Catholic

community of more than 360 families, including members from the Hispanic, Asian and other communities living and working nearby.

Pilgrims visiting the parish will see the church’s steeple that is fashioned to resemble a cowl, or capuche, which is the pointed hood worn by monks like those of the Franciscan Friars.

The sick, the elderly and caretakers unable to leave their homes can also obtain a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions “if they join spiritually in the Jubilee celebrations of the Year of St. Francis, offering their prayers to the merciful God, the pains or sufferings of one’s life.”

In a statement announcing the decree’s promulgation, the Franciscan Friars invited Catholics to take part in the Jubilee celebrations and hope that St. Francis’ example would inspire participants “to live with authentic Christian charity towards our neighbor and with sincere longings for concord and peace among peoples.”

May this year of St. Francis “be for each one of us a providential occasion for sanctification and evangelical witness in the contemporary world, for the glory of God and the good of the whole Church,” the statement read.

In a Jan. 10 letter to the ministers general of the Conference of the Franciscan Family, Pope Leo said St. Francis’ message of peace was needed now more than ever. “In this age, marked by so many seemingly interminable wars, by internal and social divisions that create mistrust and fear, he continues to speak. Not because he offers technical solutions, but because his life points to the authentic source of peace,” the pope wrote.

That peace, the pope added, “is not limited to the relations between human beings,” but extends to “the entire family of Creation.”

“This insight resonates with particular urgency in our time, when our common home is threatened and cries out under exploitation,” he wrote. “Peace with God, peace among human beings, and with creation are inseparable dimensions of a single call to universal reconciliation.”

Pope Leo concluded his letter with a prayer to St. Francis, asking the saint’s

Who is St. Francis of Assisi?

The son of a wealthy Italian merchant, Francis was a playboy who experienced a profound conversion after going to war for Assisi, being imprisoned and enduring a debilitating illness. He renounced his family and riches, and lived a life of radical poverty and service because he believed Christ had asked him to. He founded the new mendicant Order of Friars Minor, or Franciscans, and helped found the Poor Clares and Franciscan Third Order. Pope Pius XII said Francis could be called “a second Christ,” and in 2013, Argentine Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio took this medieval saint’s name when he was elected pope. St. Francis is the patron of animals, environmentalists, merchants and also a patron of Italy. †

What is a plenary indulgence?

For a plenary indulgence (that is, an indulgence which effects the complete remission of the “temporal punishment” or necessary purification due one’s sins, as opposed to a partial indulgence), there are some other standard conditions which must also be fulfilled. These are typically: making a good sacramental confession and receiving holy Communion sometime shortly before or after completing the indulgenced act; being free from a personal sense of attachment to sin; and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. For the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, a pilgrimage to a St. Francis pilgrim site must also be made.

Archdiocesan Pilgrim Site

St. Francis of Assisi Parish 5102 Dabney St. Houston, TX 77026 713-672-7773 www.stfrancishouston.org

intercession “to give us the courage to build bridges where the world raises up boundaries.”

“In this time afflicted by conflict and division, intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers: unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ,” the pope wrote.

The pope’s letter was read during a celebration marking the start of the Franciscan Jubilee Year at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi, which houses the Chapel of the Transit, marking the site where St. Francis died.

Among the notable events taking place in Assisi during the Franciscan Jubilee Year will be the first public display of St. Francis’ body. In October, the Basilica of St. Francis announced that Pope Leo had granted permission to display the saint’s body from Feb. 22 to March 26. †

64 Archdiocesan ministries bring hope to thousands

UNITY, from page 1

Body,”

Archbishop Vásquez said. “We experience this unity most profoundly in the Eucharist, where the Body and Blood of Christ become truly present to us on every altar in every church of our Archdiocese.”

The Eucharist joins together a single mom on Galveston Island to the retiree in The Woodlands, a factory worker in Baytown to the nurse in the Texas Medical Center – Christ is the unifier, the steady anchor in the storm.

“It is from this unity that the mission of the DSF flows,” he said. “No single parish could meet all the needs of our local Church. Yet together we sustain 64 ministries that form disciples, care for families and bring hope to those in need.”

From discerning vocations, to honoring priests’ lifetimes of serving the Church and its faithful, to forming youth and young adults in the faith and feeding the hungry, these ministries touch hundreds of thousands across the Archdiocese’s 10 counties. Yet through the chaos and trials of this world, the Church’s future gleams excitingly bright. People of all ages are being drawn back to Catholicism in droves — captivated by Liturgies, historically rooted faith and authentic accompaniment.

DSF empowers this renewal, nurturing tomorrow’s leaders through campus ministries, retreats and youth programs that echo Christ’s call to “listen, teach, send.”

Generous hearts fuel this work. The 2025 campaign, themed “Cry Out with Joy to the Lord,” soared past its $14.96 million goal, raising over $16.8 million from 35,200+ donors, building on 2024’s

“Through the One who is Christ, we are united as members of Christ’s Mystical Body. We experience this unity most profoundly in the Eucharist, where the Body and Blood of Christ become truly present to us on every altar in every church of our Archdiocese.”

ARCHBISHOP JOE S. VÁSQUEZ Archbishop of Galveston-Houston

$16.5 million raised. For 2026, the goal is $16 million, ambitious yet within reach.

DSF isn’t mere fundraising — it’s family, a tangible “yes” to Christ’s prayer: “That they may all be one.”

In a culture of cancellation, choose communion. In the face of economic pressures, give like the widow’s mite — multiplied in heaven.

Visit archgh.org/dsf to give or learn more. Every dollar donated to the DSF directly supports vital ministries that provide education and formation opportunities or deliver much-needed direct service to those in the Archdiocese.

The faithful are invited to pray for the success of the DSF appeal and for those engaging with the ministries of the Archdiocese. †

The many ministries supported by the Diocesan Services Fund include:

TEACHING, EVANGELIZING AND WORSHIP

Apostleship of the Sea

Catholic Schools Office

Chapels (Holy Cross and Warren)

Communications Office

Ecumenism Commission

Office of Evangelization and Catechesis

Office of Worship

Pastoral and Educational Ministry

MINISTERING TO THE POOR, THE SICK AND THE INCARCERATED

Angela House

Catholic Chaplain Corps

Catholic Charities

Correctional Ministries

Foreign Missions

Office of Justice and Peace/Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Our Daily Bread

San José Clinic

St. Dominic Center for the Deaf

PROMOTING, PREPARING AND SUPPORTING THE CLERGY

Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza

Priest Retirement Residence

Clergy Formation and Chaplaincy Services

Clergy Pastoral Outreach

Department of Seminarians

Good Leaders, Good Shepherds

Ministry to Priests

Office of Permanent Diaconate Ministry

Office of Vocations for Priesthood and Religious Life

NURTURING AND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES

Aging Ministry

Camp Kappe

Ethnic Ministries

Family Life Ministry

Family Retreat Center at Circle Lake

Office of Adolescent Catechesis and Evangelization

Office of Hispanic Ministry

Pro-Life Activities

Special Youth Services

St. Dominic Village

Vicar for Judicial Affairs

(Metropolitan Tribunal)

Young Adult and Campus Ministry

To donate and learn more, visit dsf.archgh.org

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Roz Hill’s values ‘will continue for generations’

establish Steps for Students as a way to unite Catholic schools, families and supporters in sustaining faith-based education. The legacy continues today as the event enters its 21st year on Feb. 14 in downtown Houston, supporting Catholic school programs and tuition assistance across the Archdiocese.

COMPASSION AND JUSTICE

Throughout her life, Roz immersed herself in work that placed compassion and justice at the center. She played a key role in the early development of the Children’s Assessment Center, which provides treatment and advocacy for sexually abused children, by helping secure land and funding for its construction. She later served as executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and in her role at the Archdiocese, helped lead major initiatives, including the capital campaign for the construction of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Among those who knew Roz well and worked alongside her since the mid-1990s was Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP, former director of the Secretariat for Social Concerns of the Archdiocese. Sister Maureen witnessed firsthand how Roz’s Catholic faith was lived through compassionate action, marked by generosity, advocacy and a deep commitment to justice. Whether serving the Church, supporting Catholic education or responding to the needs of the vulnerable, Roz brought the same spirit of leadership and compassionate care to every call to serve.

HERALD FILE PHOTOS

Roz Hill, second from right, is seen with her family at the third annual Steps for Students event in 2008 at All Saints Church in the Heights. Hill, who died Oct. 28, 2025, built the foundations for the annual event, which has grown into the largest Catholic schools fundraiser 5K run hosted by a diocese in the nation.

mission of Steps for Students reflects who Roz was, someone always looking beyond a single effort to grow the community and expand resources, a legacy of faith and generosity that continues to support Catholic students and families.

“Roz was the consummate connector and energizer, who carried her passion for people, particularly children, throughout her life,” said Sister Maureen. “She was a woman of the Gospel who never lost sight of who she was and her responsibility to serve the least and the vulnerable among us.”

Sister Maureen said the continued

“Roz came from a family who never lost sight of their Italian roots, their strong Catholic faith, or their willingness to work hard and share the fruits of their labor with family, friends, and the least of their sisters and brothers,” Sister Maureen said. “My prayer is that those values which she embodied will continue for generations to come.”

FAMILY TIES

For Roz’s family, those same values were lived out not only in her work

within the Archdiocese, but in the way she approached Catholic education and justice in everyday life. Her sons, Tony and Jeff Hill, said their mother’s faith shaped how she saw the role of Catholic schools, community and advocacy, grounding everything she did in a desire to form good people who cared for others.

Tony said his mother believed Catholic schools played an essential role in forming young people, not only academically, but also in faith and community. He said she saw Catholic education as a place where lifelong friendships are formed and values take root, shaping students into compassionate adults grounded in faith and service.

Tony said Steps for Students reflects those same convictions for Roz, providing a way to help keep Catholic education affordable while bringing families, schools and supporters together. For his mother, he said, the event united the community in a joyful effort that directly

“Roz was the consummate connector and energizer, who carried her passion for people, particularly children, throughout her life. She was a woman of the Gospel who never lost sight of who she was and her responsibility to serve the least and the vulnerable among us.”

SISTER MAUREEN O’CONNELL, OP Former Director

Archdiocesan Secretariat for Social Concerns

benefited students and reinforced the importance of faith-based education.

“My mom was an incredible woman whose impact reached far beyond our family, through her work with the Archdiocese, child advocacy and founding efforts like Steps for Students,” said Tony. “She touched countless lives with her energy, conviction and love.”

DOING WHAT WAS RIGHT

Jeff also believes Roz’s Catholic faith was rooted in social justice and shaped the way she approached both Catholic education and care for those in need. He said she believed deeply in formation, focusing not only on academics but on helping young people grow into good, faith-filled adults through her quiet generosity and lifelong commitment to others.

Jeff recalled the early days of Steps for Students as some of the most joyful moments of his mother’s work. He said watching his mom and her team bring the first race to life, despite the uncertainty and even on a rainy day,

was unforgettable. For Jeff, seeing the excitement from the school community and witnessing how much his mother enjoyed the day made clear how deeply the event reflected her love for collaboration and Catholic education.

“I hope people remember that at her core she simply was a supporter of schools for what they did for her, her family and the multitude of people that they touched,” Jeff said. “She was never interested in telling people how to run the schools over the years of change. She just wanted to support and do what was right for the students and teachers.”

COMPASSION AND JUSTICE

Danny and Suzanne Grant, longtime supporters and sponsors of Steps for Students, have been closely connected to the event since its earliest days, when Danny first worked with Roz in the early 2000s. He said she invited him to serve on the Archdiocesan Development Board, where they collaborated on several fundraising initiatives.

One of those efforts was the launch of Steps for Students, and Danny recalls the surprise and joy he felt when participation exceeded expectations during the inaugural event, helping establish it as an annual tradition. Through their continued generosity, the Grants have helped ensure the mission Roz helped shape continues to support students and families across the Archdiocese.

“As Catholic school graduates, we have seen the benefits of a faith-based Catholic education, and we want to pass our faith-based education forward,” Danny said. “Roz was a leader, a mentor, an advisor, and she will live on in our hearts, especially through Steps for Students. She was instrumental in getting this program off the ground, one that will ensure her legacy lives in perpetuity.”

A DEEP LOVE FOR

CATHOLIC EDUCATION

That lasting impact is also evident across Catholic schools, said Sister Kevina Keating, CCVI, who served Archdiocesan superintendent of Catholic schools from 2007 to 2013, who worked closely with Roz during the early years of Steps for Students. She said the very mention of the event brings Roz immediately to mind, recalling her deep love for Catholic education, her strong leadership in securing resources, and her ability to engage others in collaborative and effective ways.

Sister Kevina said the annual event has provided vital financial support that directly strengthens the operational needs of Catholic schools across the Archdiocese. The funds raised have helped schools remain strong and sustainable, particularly those serving communities with limited resources, while also reinforcing a shared sense of

At left, runners dash through the starting line at the 2025 Steps for Students Race near the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and the Archdiocesan Downtown Chancery in Houston. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the Archdiocese’s annual Catholic school fundraiser, which was spearheaded by Roslyn “Roz” Hill, former Archdiocesan director of development, who died in 2025. At right, runners charge down Kane Street at the 2006 Steps for Students race, the inaugural year of the event, first held at St. Joseph Church near downtown Houston. The event changed venues through the years, from St. Joseph near downtown, to All Saints Church in the Heights and to the University of Houston before its present-day location at the co-cathedral.

unity and commitment to Catholic school education among students, families and school communities.

“This event is important because it reflects the heart of Catholic education — community, service and faith in action,” Sister Kevina said. “By bringing students together to support one another, Steps for Students reinforces the idea that Catholic schools are not just institutions, but a shared ministry that addresses the whole child. For families seeking a faith-based education, the event demonstrates that the Archdiocese is committed to walking alongside them, supporting both their spiritual and educational needs.”

GENEROSITY THAT INSPIRES

As Steps for Students continues today, the event remains rooted in the values Roz lived so faithfully: service, generosity and a commitment to forming young people grounded in faith and community. Roz’s legacy lives on not only in the miles walked or run each February, but in the lives strengthened through Catholic schools and the generosity inspired by a woman whose faith was always put into compassionate action.

To continue that legacy, the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament have established an endowed scholarship fund at Incarnate Word Academy in memory of Roz to honor

“Roz embodied the values we all aspire to embrace: deep faith, conviction, generosity and a genuine desire to help others. She exemplified these qualities with authenticity, integrity, skill and a sense of humor. We strive to instill these same values in our students at the academy, and we are honored that Roz’s legacy will continue in such a meaningful way.”

For more information and to participate in Steps for Students, visit www.steps4students.org. †

SEE YOU AT THE STARTING LINE STEPS FOR STUDENTS 5K RACE/WALK When: Saturday, Feb. 14

7 a.m. - Sunrise Mass 8:30 a.m. - Race start Where: Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. Downtown Houston

BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald

CLEAR LAKE CITY — Forty years after the space shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, the nation continues to honor the seven astronauts whose lives and missions shaped a generation of explorers.

The tragedy halted classrooms, stunned viewers across the country and brought millions into shared grief for a crew remembered for their courage, curiosity and commitment to discovery.

Three days after the accident, on Jan. 31, 1986, President Ronald Reagan addressed a mourning nation at Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake City. More than 10,000 people gathered at the famed campus, including Bob Giles, longtime Texas Catholic Herald reporter.

According to Giles, President Reagan called the fallen “seven brave Americans.” His remarks were broadcast nationwide as he recited the stories of Commander Dick Scobee, Pilot Michael Smith, Mission Specialists Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair and Ellison Onizuka, Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis and teacher Christa McAuliffe, altogether known as the Challenger Seven. Giles reported that President Reagan urged the country not to abandon its sense of wonder.

PHOTO BY NASA

Above, NASA’s STS-51L crew members (front row, from left) Mike Smith, pilot; Francis “Dick” Scobee, mission commander; Ronald McNair, mission specialist; (back row, from left) Ellison Onizuka, mission specialist and astronaut; Teacher-in-Space payload specialist Christa McAuliffe; payload specialist Gregory Jarvis; and astronaut Judith Resnik, mission specialist. The crew died 40 years ago this year when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986. At right, the crew’s mission patch bore their names, with an apple following McCauliffe’s.

“Sometimes things go wrong,” President Reagan said at the memorial, “but we must pick ourselves up and press on again.” He added that the Challenger crew “awakened us to the fact that we are still pioneers” and vowed that “man will

continue his conquest of space.”

President Reagan’s words still anchor anniversary observances: “We will always remember them — these artists and teachers and scientists and adventurers.”

In the wake of their loss, he said, “The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we will continue to follow them.” Forty years later, that memory continues to shape national conversations about exploration, sacrifice and the courage required to push beyond the known.

A TEACHER OF FAITH, SCIENCE

McAuliffe, the first teacher selected to fly in space, was also a practicing Catholic.

The 37-year-old was an active member of St. Peter Parish in Concord, New Hampshire, where she taught religious education in addition to her work as a high school social studies teacher. Her commitment to service, both in her classroom and in her parish, was woven deeply into her identity as an educator.

McAuliffe saw the Challenger mission as a chance to bring space exploration directly to students nationwide.

“I want students to see and understand the special personal side of space,” she said in her application materials.

Her planned lessons, “The Ultimate Field Trip” and “Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going,” would have reached millions of schoolchildren watching from their classrooms.

Her dual calling as a teacher and a Catholic parish catechist continues to resonate with educators today, especially at Catholic schools around the Archdiocese, who see science and faith not as at odds, but as complementary pursuits rooted in awe, curiosity and service.

Educators across the country continue to use the Challenger story not only as a lesson in scientific risk and engineering reform, but also as a portrait of resilience. The shuttle program resumed flights in 1988 and continued until its retirement in 2011, carrying forward many of the safety improvements born out of the tragedy.

The space shuttle Challenger launch, the one that more than 40 million

viewers watched on television, left its heartbreaking mark on classrooms across the country, many of whose school children saw the explosion, according to Giles. The Challenger tragedy was felt deeply in Houston, where NASA’s astronauts lived and trained. Memorial Liturgies were held in parishes across the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

Then-Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza offered prayers and comfort, calling the loss “a great sadness for our citizens.” Across the region, headlights burned in daylight, flags were lowered nationwide and along NASA Road 1, and the Johnson Space Center filled with flowers, cards and messages of condolence. The response showed how closely the nation held its spacefarers: not as distant adventurers, but as neighbors, teachers, parents and heroes.

Then-pope St. John Paul II sent words of “heartfelt solidarity,” calling the Challenger Seven a group of “courageous pioneers in progress of science and man.” The U.S. bishops’ conference offered prayers for the families and for the future of America’s space program.

Today, four decades after the accident, the memory of the Challenger crew remains a defining touchstone in the story of American exploration. Their legacy lives on in classrooms, science fair projects, space camps, museums, scholarship programs and the countless people who were inspired to pursue space science because of them.

IN MEMORIA 40 YEARS LATER

For years, NASA has observed an annual Day of Remembrance that commemorates the crews of Apollo 1 and the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, among other members who have died. Always held on the fourth Thursday of January, as all three astronaut accidents happened around the end or first day of the month, the annual day was celebrated on Jan. 22 this year. At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, a commemoration was held that morning at the Astronaut Memorial Grove, which is seen by more than a million visitors every year.

The event featured a moment of silence, a NASA T-38 flyover, Taps performed by the Texas A&M Squadron 17 and a procession placing flowers at Apollo I, Challenger and Columbia memorial trees.

LOOKING FORWARD: ARTEMIS II PREPARES THE NEXT CHAPTER

Forty years later, as new generations look toward the moon, Mars and

IN MEMORIA

We pray for the following clergy whose anniversaries of death are during the month of February.

Feb. 1, 1904 Rev. Vaclav Chlapik

Feb. 1, 1915 Rev. Martin Huhn

Feb. 2, 1930 Rev. Francis Nona

Feb. 2, 1995 Rev. Abraham Sy Thuyen Ho,OP

Feb. 2, 2004 Msgr. Jack B. Jones

Feb. 3, 1968 Rev. Joseph C. Morrell

Feb. 3, 1968 Rev. Thomas A. Ryan

Feb. 5, 2015 Rev. Robert Ritz, CSB

Feb. 6, 1955 Rev. Nicodemus Domanski

Feb. 7, 1889 Rev. John Baptist Quinlan, SJ

Feb. 7, 1935 Rev. Christopher Prekar

Feb. 8, 1995 Rev. A. Wayne Elkins

Feb. 8, 2025 Rev. James Gaunt, CSB

Feb. 9, 1996 Msgr. Cornelius P. Flynn

Feb. 10, 1936 Rev. John Baptist O’Leary

Feb. 10, 1991 Msgr. Frank D. Urbanovsky

Feb. 10, 1997 Rev. John Prill

Feb. 11, 1957 Rev. Fabian Stindle

Feb. 11, 1957 Rev. Joseph Kloboulk

Feb. 11, 1978 Rev. John Zimmer, CSsR

Feb. 12, 1906 Rev. John Costello, CSB

Feb. 12, 1923 Rev. Peter J. Clancy

Feb. 13, 1988 Rev. Richard Johnson, CSsR

Feb. 13, 2001 Rev. L. Carlos Ferguson

Feb. 13, 2011 Msgr. Joseph H. Crosthwait

Feb. 13, 2024 Rev. Francis Frankovich, CC

Feb. 14, 1916 Rev. D.F. Berberich

Feb. 14, 1951 Rev. Emil Landry

Feb. 14, 1978 Msgr. Jerome J. Tydlacka

Feb. 14, 1979 Rev. C. Eugene Fowler

Feb. 15, 2018 Rev. Aureliano Santa-Olaya

Feb. 15, 2022 Rev. William Frankenberger, CSB

Feb. 16, 1951 Rev. Walter Fraher, MS

Feb. 17, 1879 Rev. Theodore Greyenbuhl

Feb. 17, 2017 Rev. Bruce H. Noble

Feb. 17, 2022 Rev. Al Sinasic, CSB

Feb. 18, 1933 Rev. Otto Niekamp

Feb. 19, 1883 Rev. Joseph Mosiewiez

Feb. 19, 1960 Msgr. George A. Wilhelm

Feb. 19, 1965 Rev. Henry V. Parmentier

Feb. 20, 1968 Rev. Florimond B. Vanholme, SSC

Feb. 20, 1984 Msgr. William D. Steele

Feb. 21, 1983 Rev. Leonard C. Quinlan, CSB

Feb. 21, 2005 Rev. Robert A. Ordenkircher, OP

Feb. 21, 2012 Rev. T. Patrick Warden, CSB

Feb. 21, 2022 Rev. Jose Maria Sanchez

Feb. 22, 1879 Rev. Martin Weinzaepflen

Feb. 23, 1984 Bishop Louis Reicher

Feb. 24, 1974 Rev. Henry J. Saxon

Feb. 24, 2011 Rev. David H. Noble

Feb. 25, 1973 Rev. Vincent J. Guinan, CSB

Feb. 28, 1913 Rev. Pierre C. Saint-Onge

Catholic Charities’ food distributions continue in Galveston, Houston and Fort Bend counties

HOUSTON — Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston continues offering food assistance at three locations.

In Houston, the Guadalupe Center Market (326 S. Jensen St.) hosts its next drive-through food distribution on Saturday, Feb. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. Pre-qualified clients may visit by appointment only on Tuesdays, by drive-through only from 9 a.m. to noon; Wednesdays, by walk-up only from 9 a.m. to noon; Fridays, from 11 a.m. to noon for people without homes. The next distribution for pre-registered seniors, held on the third Tuesday of every month, is on Feb. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. Call 713-251-6919 for more information.

The Beacon of Hope Isle Market in Galveston (4700 Broadway, Suite B-101) is open for appointments only Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make an appointment, which is required, call 409-762-2064. Drive-through distributions, held in partnership with the Galveston County Food Bank, are on the fourth Wednesday of every month, starting at 9 a.m. Call 409-7622064 for more information.

In Fort Bend County, the Mamie George Community Center (1111 Collins Rd., Richmond) hosts client-choice food distributions by appointment only on Mondays, from noon to 2:30 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. To make an appointment or for more information, call 281-202-6200. Drive-through distributions are held on Tuesdays, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and Thursdays, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. The next monthly Saturday community food fairs are set for Jan. 31 and Feb. 28, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. For general information, visit www.catholiccharities.org/food or call 713-526-4611. †

Annual Co-Cathedral Caritas Day set for Feb. 21

HOUSTON — The annual day of Lenten service, Caritas Day, will be held Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, located at 1111 St. Joseph Pkwy. in downtown Houston. Beginning at 8 a.m., the parish will partner with other agencies in our community to serve others in their time of need.

This year, the event already has nine different projects available and can accommodate all ages. Projects include assembling birthday celebration kits for children in need, creating a dual-purpose Boo Boo Bunny that brings comfort to children in times of crisis and also holds ice for boo boos, making Breakfast-On-the-Go kits for cancer patients and their families at Ronald McDonald House and assembling welcome bags for men leaving prison and heading to transitional housing.

The event begins with Mass at the co-cathedral and ends with Mass at 5 p.m.

To register, visit www.sacredhearthouston.org/caritasday. For more information, email caritas@sacredhearthouston.org or call 713-659-1561. †

CHALLENGER, from previous page

beyond, that promise still holds. The Challenger Seven are remembered not for the moment the world lost them, but for the lives they lived, the dreams they carried and the courage that continues to lift human exploration forward.

NASA is preparing for its next major step in human space exploration: Artemis II, the first crewed mission to travel around the moon in more than 50 years.

NASA is working on planning missions that will test life support systems and confirm that Orion and the Space Launch System are ready for future lunar landings. The agency was

OBITUARIES

Rosa Adelina Castro

HOUSTON — Rosa Adelina Castro, mother of Diana Galeas, administrative assistant of the Office of Hispanic Ministry in the Archdiocese, died Jan. 8. She was 58 years old.

targeting possible launches in February 2026. The flight will send astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a lunar flyby intended to pave the way for Artemis III.

Recent preparations include a full rocket rollout to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a dress rehearsal. This test is one of the final steps before NASA can commit to a launch date.

If successful, Artemis II will mark a significant milestone toward the longterm goal of establishing a human presence on the lunar surface and, eventually, preparing for missions to Mars. †

A funeral Liturgy was held Jan. 17 at South Park Funeral Home and Cemetery in Pearland. †

Carla Dycus

SEALY — Carla Dycus, mother of Jonah Dycus, director of the Secretariat of Communications of the Archdiocese and executive editor of the Texas Catholic Herald, died Jan. 11. She was 81 years old.

A memorial Mass was held Jan. 15 at Immaculate Conception Church in Sealy. †

Michael Nnabueze Ezuma

NIGERIA — Michael Nnabueze Ezuma, father of Father Ekenedilichkwu “Jude” Ezuma, pastor of Holy Family parish in Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, died Jan. 11. He was 83 years old.

A memorial Mass will be held Jan. 31 at St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston. A funeral Mass will be held Feb. 6 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Isingwu, Oraifite, Anambra State, Nigeria. †

Texas Education Freedom Accounts offer options

This is an exciting time for Catholic families in the state of Texas! The passage of the new Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) grants families the freedom to select a school that best meets their child’s needs. Recognizing parents as the primary educators of their children, TEFA permits families the opportunity to choose an environment that reflects their beliefs and values. Families are free to choose a learning environment where children can grow in their faith and knowledge, becoming the people God created them to be.

Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston have a long tradition of promoting excellence in academics, encouraging spiritual growth and assisting in the formation of students in mind, heart and spirit.

Our Catholic schools prepare students to be productive citizens and future leaders. TEFA provides an avenue for parents to partner with Catholic schools to continue this tradition in their families.

Students in the TEFA program can receive $10,474, and a student with a disability can receive up to $30,000. Eligible families who are granted a freedom account may use their funding on eligible expenses such as private school tuition, fees, uniforms, lunch and tutoring.

This program will enable our schools

by MAZIE MCCOY, ED.D.

to advance the mission of Catholic education by forming disciples of Christ in faith and intellect, reaching many more students who may otherwise have been unable to afford a Catholic education.

When parents choose a Catholic school, they choose a community where their child is known and cared for by dedicated teachers and staff. Parents choose an environment where their child is challenged to think critically, to problem-solve and to empathize with others, thus forming leaders of tomorrow.

TEFA applications will be available starting Feb. 4 to March 17. All parents who desire a Catholic education for their child are encouraged to apply. The Archdiocese looks forward to partnering with more parents who want a Catholic education for their child to form disciples of Christ who will one day transform the world! Visit choosecatholicschools.org/ TEFA for more information. †

Mazie McCoy, Ed.D., is superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese.

Your child deserves an exceptional Catholic education – one that opens doors of opportunity. Texas Education Freedom Accounts can make that a reality, providing funds for tuition, uniforms and more.

Catholic Schools nurture the whole child: mind, body and spirit, offering an education that is academically excellent, rooted in Gospel values and dedicated to helping children become who God created them to be.

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FEBRUARY 4 - MARCH 17

Never Give Up: The transforming power of Catholic teaching and the Rosary

One bright but sorrowful afternoon, I sat in the school cafeteria with a heavy heart. A few of our students had not been following directions that day, but one child in particular had made a deeply distressing comment during religion class. He had shown overt resistance to our discussion on the Ten Commandments and even went so far as to express disdain for God Himself.

As I tried to hold back tears, overwhelmed by discouragement, I glanced across the room and noticed a teacher’s tote bag with the words, “Teachers change the world one child at a time.” That simple phrase struck me deeply. I was reminded of my calling, not just as a teacher of academics, but as a formator of souls, a servant of Christ entrusted with the spiritual care of His children.

Rather than give in to frustration or despair, I turned to prayer. That day, I resolved to continue teaching religion with deeper compassion, joy and consistency. I also began leading my students to the chapel every Friday. We prayed the Rosary, and sometimes we prayed for just a decade of the Rosary due to time constraints, but every visit before the Blessed Sacrament was intentional. I asked the students to offer their prayers for the souls in purgatory, the sick and suffering, and for one another.

To my surprise, over time, that same defiant student began to change. First, he quietly reminded me not to forget our Friday chapel visits. Then, he began singing “Immaculate Mary” with joy. We usually sing “Immaculate Mary” after

IN BRIEF

by

praying the Rosary in class. He slowly began participating in religion class and, more importantly, he improved drastically both in academics and behavior. His entire demeanor shifted from resistance to openness. He became an active member in the classroom and even started encouraging others to pray with him.

Then came the moment that solidified the lesson God was teaching me. One Friday, as our Rosary Club was heading to the church, I heard someone call out, “Sister! Sister!” I turned to see the once-resistant boy running toward me with another student by his side. His face lit up with joy. He exclaimed, “Sister, we saved so many souls today!”

I asked what he meant, and he replied, “We prayed 20 decades of the Rosary during recess!”

I stood there speechless, overcome with emotion. The child who once rejected prayer had become a joyful apostle of intercession and virtue. Religion became his best subject, and he even began encouraging classmates to pray, asking them to join him in offering prayers for souls on earth and in purgatory. The transformation was not just academic; it was deeply spiritual and emotional. He began to flourish in all areas of his development: more confident, more respectful, and more at peace.

The Archdiocese has open positions in our Schools, Parishes and the Chancery.

FORMATION OF THE WHOLE CHILD

This experience is a powerful testament to how Catholic education truly forms the whole person. In a world where children are often inundated with distractions, anxiety and confusion about their identity, our schools stand as beacons of truth, virtue and emotional stability. By incorporating regular prayer, opportunities for reflection and the Sacraments into the school day, we offer our students a sense of grounding and clarity that the secular world cannot give.

The spiritual development of students is not separate from their emotional well-being; it is deeply intertwined. When students feel secure in God’s love, supported by a caring community and respected for their inherent dignity, they are more resilient, more motivated and more likely to develop positive relationships with others.

This child’s transformation is just one example among many. Catholic schools, when they remain faithful to their mission, cultivate not only academic achievement but emotional maturity, spiritual growth and moral courage. We are forming future saints, not just scholars.

LEADERSHIP, CULTURE AND BELONGING

As educators, we are spiritual leaders. Our role is not simply to manage behavior but to shepherd hearts. This testimony also sheds light on the leadership model that Catholic schools need, one of quiet persistence, witness and humility. It is not enough to create rules and policies; we must form a culture

where each child feels they belong, are seen, are known and are loved.

Even in the face of rejection or misbehavior, we are called to respond with patience and prayer. Our leadership must mirror Christ’s love, which is both truthful and tender. That student did not just improve because of classroom rules; he was transformed because someone saw him through God’s eyes and never stopped praying for him.

FORMING SAINTS

In Catholic education, we are not just teaching subjects; we are forming saints. Every lesson, every chapel visit, every Rosary prayer is a seed planted in the hearts of children. We may not see fruit immediately, but when those seeds take root, the results can be miraculous.

This experience is a living witness to the power of faith-based education to support emotional wellness and foster virtue. When students feel spiritually grounded and emotionally safe, they are free to flourish. Even when we feel disheartened or unseen, the Holy Spirit is at work. We must never give up, never stop loving and never stop praying. For sometimes the smallest seed, planted in love, blooms into the most powerful testimony of God’s grace. †

Sister Maureen Nwajiobi, DMMM, is the principal at St. Joseph Regional Catholic School in Baytown. Reprinted with permission from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). To learn more on Catholic education, visit www.nceatalk.org.

Catholic Schools Week unites schools, parishes

BY ELIZABETH MORALES Texas Catholic Herald

HOUSTON — Around the Archdiocese, Catholic schools are currently celebrating Catholic Schools Week, which began last Sunday, Jan. 25, and will end Saturday, Jan. 31. This year’s theme is “United in Faith and Community.”

The annual initiative, organized by the National Catholic Educational Association and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, lets Catholic schools highlight their best attributes, ranging from student accomplishments, faith-based communities, curriculum programs, faculty and more.

The week’s activities intend to showcase how a Catholic education positively impacts not only the families who have children enrolled at Catholic schools, but also the associated parish and the Galveston-Houston community at large.

“When parents enroll their children in a Catholic school, the family becomes part of a community where everyone is welcome. Students are challenged to problem solve, think critically, collaborate and serve others,” Mazie McCoy, Ed.D., secretariat director and superintendent of Catholic Schools, said. “They are inspired to use their God-given gifts to make the world a better place. Catholic schools prepare students not only for college and career, but most importantly, heaven.”

Many schools organize events that exhibit their achievements in science, technology, religion, engineering, art and mathematics (STREAM), with activities

ranging from science fairs, math nights, service projects, virtue awards and career days.

Kicking off the week last Sunday, Resurrection Catholic School, in Denver Harbor, had students participating in the 11 a.m. English Mass at the Church of the Resurrection, serving as altar servers, lectors, choir and greeters. This opportunity directly connected students with the parish life outside of their normal school week. Following Mass, the school hosted an open house for prospective families and community members to visit the campus, further bringing the school and church together.

and all grades joined a school-wide classroom door decorating contest, Monday, Jan. 26, SarahTurner, principal at Resurrection Catholic School, said

that 6th and 7th-grade students visited the nearby Denver Harbor Multipurpose Center, where a senior citizen group gathers regularly. “Students hosted a Bingo game by announcing the numbers, sitting at the tables to play alongside them, and distributing prizes,” Turner said. “We created genuine moments of connection, joy and companionship across generations.”

Also, that day, the entire student body held a toiletries drive benefiting Casa Juan Diego. “We have done this activity before and found it to be a meaningful way to raise awareness of the basic needs within our surrounding community, needs that can be easy to take for granted,” Turner said. “Each homeroom is assigned a specific item, such as shampoo, deodorant or toothbrushes, so that every student can contribute in a tangible way.”

St. John Paul II Catholic School, near the Energy Corridor, will have a homeroom competition through a trivia game each day of the week.

“Since introducing morning trivia a few years ago, students have grown in their knowledge of the faith and take pride in what they have learned,”

Rebecca Bogard, St. John Paul II Catholic School principal, said. “Each event during Catholic Schools Week at St. John Paul II Catholic School is thoughtfully designed to celebrate the gift of Catholic education and the strong community built through our school. Together, we honor our mission to prepare students both spiritually and academically to do God’s will and succeed in life.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Rosenberg’s Holy Rosary School “students will step into the role of teacher for a day. Students will plan and lead engaging STREAM lessons to teach their classmates and peers,” Adrienne Rodriguez, principal at Holy Rosary Catholic School in Rosenberg, said. “We hope this activity empowers students by building leadership, responsibility and confidence. Teaching highlights the unique gifts each child brings to our school community.”

Rodriguez also said she loves Catholic Schools Week because the school gets to celebrate the amazing sacrifices parents make to choose Holy Rosary Catholic School for their children.

Wednesday, Jan. 28, officials at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School, near Garden Oaks, said they proudly continue the tradition of Operation Valentine in partnership with American Legion Post 560.

“Every student takes part in creating Valentine cards for veterans, and one fortunate class is selected to walk to Post 560 to personally deliver them,” Stefanie Tellier, principal at St. Rose of Lima

Catholic School, said. “We have been blessed to meet distinguished veterans from all branches of the military, along with service animals, and to hear powerful stories from those who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.”

Tellier said that by supporting veterans, she hopes students will gain a deeper understanding of the many individuals who work each day to protect and serve our nation, in seen and unseen ways, and to more deeply appreciate the freedoms that allow them to receive a Catholic education.

Thursday, Jan. 29, students at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School in The Woodlands will be invited into a living encounter with the communion of saints and with the Eucharist by participating in a school-wide Eucharistic procession through the school hallways, followed by veneration of the relics of the saints.

Students are divided into small school families across multiple grade levels called “Paduan Pods,” which meet regularly to grow together in community and faith. Each group is named after a saint, and the parish is home to approximately 170 saint relics at Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, including a relic for each of the saints honored by the groups, said Veronica Tucker, principal at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic School.

“Our hope is that this sacred time will help students recognize how God may be calling them to live out their gifts in service to others. We believe this experience has the potential to be a truly life-changing moment for our students and staff,” she said.

Friday, Jan. 30, St. Mary of the Purification Catholic School in central Houston is awarding students for their displays of virtue and kindness.

“Two students from each grade are chosen by their teachers for living a virtue in an evident way, and they are recognized with awards at the school Mass on the last Friday of each month,” Deena Wolf, principal at St. Mary of the Purification Catholic School, said. “The Kindness Chain is part of our Virtue of the Month program. This is the first year we have implemented this program, and it has been inspiring to see our students so determined to grow in virtue.”

Later that day, Father Jaison Mangalath, SVD, the school pastor, will bless the campus’ new Marian Prayer Garden, which is a gift from the Catholic Women’s Charity Guild and the parish community. “This will be a very special and prayerful moment for our students’ families and parish as we dedicate this sacred space to Our Blessed Mother.”

Students said they hope the new space will allow students to have religion class outdoors to pray the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, she said. “Catholic Schools Week is a very meaningful time for our school community. It allows us to celebrate faith, academic excellence and service while strengthening the partnership between our school parish and families.”

As Catholic schools celebrate Catholic Schools Week, many schools share their activities on social media using #CSW26. The following week, Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA) applications open on Feb. 4, which may be accepted by Catholic schools in the Archdiocese. To learn more about Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and how to enroll for TEFA, visit www. choosecatholicschools.org. †

COLUMNISTS

My forever yes

When I was a young adult, nearing the end of my college degree, I wrote a letter to Chiara Lubich, founder of the Work of Mary (Focolare Movement), and I asked her for a “Word of Life” as was customary at the time for all those striving to put the Focolare spirituality into practice.

A Word of Life is a Scripture verse to live by, and Lubich would suggest a verse from Scripture to each person who asked her. She responded with a letter encouraging me to live by this verse from the Gospel of Luke: “I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word” (Lk 1:38).

At the time, I did not yet know what God was calling me to do, but I was beginning to ask the question, deep within me: What does God want for my life?

While I had dreams of getting married and having a family, I felt a longing for something more: to give my life for something great, and to make a real difference in the world. Above all, I longed for happiness and fulfillment. I slowly began to understand that God was calling me to devote my life to Him with the vocation of consecrated life, within the Work of Mary, and that God

by CLAIRE SEIBERT

wants my happiness, too.

When, several years later, I gave my joyful yes to God, with that first leap into the unknown, I was already sure that I wanted to adhere to God’s plan for my life, even without knowing exactly where it would take me.

Since then, I have lived in community with women from all over the world, for several years in Florence, Rome, and in Chicago, before moving to Houston last year. There is joy and excitement in the first “yes,” but it is also a “yes” that needs to be renewed day by day. Each day, I need to choose as Mary did, to say my “yes” to God and to cooperate with him in bringing Jesus into the world.

We consecrated men and women of the Work of Mary/Focolare Movement are called to be “carriers of fire,” the fire of God’s love and the spirituality of unity, and to bring this flame for the whole community.

But I cannot carry the fire for others if I do not first guard and protect the flame

within me. The vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, motivated by love for God and love for others, allow me to put my energies at the service of others and to magnify God’s presence among all of us.

This “yes” that I said in the beginning is now a fuller, more conscious “yes.” Knowing the difficulty of putting God first in my life, the pain of losing a family member and the challenges of life in community, brings me into a closer, deeper relationship with Jesus in His suffering and purifies my love for God, allowing me to experience the joy of His resurrection as well. And the vows are what close the circle: motivated by love, they increase the love that circulates.

The vow of poverty leads me to put in common my spiritual and physical goods and needs, and to experience God’s richness, which in turn is shared with those around me. The vow of chastity leads me to try to love each person with the measure of God’s love — pure and selfless — and to bring them to God. The vow of obedience leads me to strive to bring Jesus into my interactions and to take responsibility for the well-being of those around me, so that we can together discern God’s will for us. These vows

Faith over fear

Did you know that many things we worry about don’t come about? When we worry or are in fear of something that is not actually happening, we end up cultivating a sense of fear. Unfortunately, fear is sometimes transmitted and may spread to others. However, we have the choice of refuting fear and believing in the power of Christ. Reinstating our trust in the risen Lord and exercising compassion to our fellow brothers and sisters. There are saints like Padre Pio whose directives were to pray and not to worry.

It’s quite easy to fall into the trap of discouragement or lukewarmness in this day and age. Fortunately, as Christians, we are called to practice faith and follow through with our actions as we care for one another. What does that look like? Well, some steps could reflect our involvement in the Sacraments and holy worship.

For example, are we building unity or division? Do we seek Christ in every situation, or do we see catastrophic possibilities in everything? Do our thoughts, words and actions point to

FEBRUARY 1

First Reading: Zeph 2:3; 3:12-13

FEBRUARY 8

First

allow my gift of self to God to bear fruit. Therefore, these vows I have pronounced are for the whole community; for those in my Focolare household, and for each person in the wider community. I’m grateful to have many people to celebrate with me.

This past December, I traveled to Rome to the international center of the Focolare Movement/Work of Mary. During the Mass of the Vows, when I said my “yes” forever, I experienced the joy of being part of one big family, with the 25 others who made their final vows, as well as the 600 consecrated men and women who were present that day for the annual retreat. With Margaret Karram, the president of the Focolare Movement/Work of Mary, we prayed together that, with these vows and our dedication to living mutual and constant love, we could receive God’s peace in our hearts and in our communities. We also prayed that our love for one another would help us to bring God into the world, and to bring the world to God. †

Claire Seibert is a consecrated woman with the Work of Mary (Focolare Movement).

by MELISSA ALVAREZ

Christ? As we reflect and ponder these questions, we take into account our brokenness and need for Christ’s salvific grace.

We are broken humans who are in need of Christ; we know that, right?  However, do we believe it and respond? As adults, we might be very aware of how much of Jesus we need, so that our actions reflect a Christ-like Christian. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He clearly saw hearts in need of redemption. His approach was one of mercy and shared God’s grace through a loving action. He came to save us, sinners; thank God for His grace.

Here’s the thing: we frequently forget about the action part that comes after mercy and Jesus’ sanctifying grace. The part where we must respond to Him and take action towards holiness. In the holy Gospel according to John, we witness, “And Jesus said, neither do I condemn

you; go and do not sin again” (Jn 8: 11).

The good news is that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to teach you and me, as His children, the road map back to our creator.

Do we sometimes get lost along the way to holiness? Absolutely, and it takes humility to see our faults and to ask for forgiveness. “Forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Col 3:13).

I find that when we are exercising this principle and are in communion with the

holy Sacraments of the Church, our hearts are much at peace. The challenge is learning how not to repeat our mistakes and strive for holiness. The great part is that we can make the choice to start anew today and persevere with our Savior, Jesus. †

Melissa Alvarez is an associate director with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis - Ministry for Persons with Disabilities.

Algeria, Angola, Spain among 2026 papal trips, with invitation to Mexico on the table

(OSV News) — A series of recent announcements by bishops in Angola, Algeria and Spain have indicated that Pope Leo XIV will embark on trips to their respective countries this year.

The Holy See typically announces papal visits months or even just weeks in advance, and it has not yet issued formal announcements about the pope’s 2026 travel destinations. Nevertheless, the bishops’ statements confirm what the pope said during a press conference aboard a papal flight to Rome Dec. 2.

“I hope to make a trip to Africa. That would possibly be the next journey,” the pope told journalists. “I hope to go to Algeria to visit the places of St. Augustine, but also in order to continue the conversation of dialogue, of building bridges between the Christian world and the Muslim world.”

Jean-Paul Cardinal Vesco of Algiers told journalists outside the Paul VI audience hall Jan. 8 that he discussed the possibility of a trip with the pope during the extraordinary consistory and that the visit was “on track.”

Citing the pope’s own words aboard the papal flight, Cardinal Vesco said northern Africa’s Algeria will most likely be Pope Leo’s “next trip,” and that it

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would take place in “the first part of 2026.” However, he noted, the pope did not “give a date.”

On Jan. 13, Angola was announced as another destination that Pope Leo intends to visit this year. At a press conference in Luanda, Polish Archbishop Kryspin Witold Dubiel, apostolic nuncio to Angola, announced that the pope had accepted the invitation from Church and government officials to visit.

“I wish to inform you that the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, intends to visit the African continent, and Angola is also included in the itinerary of this trip,” Archbishop Dubiel said.

“I hope that the Holy Father’s visit will be an opportunity to rediscover the values that have shaped the Angolan people, and that these values can be shared with the various communities that live and work around the world,” he said.

Angolan Archbishop Filomeno Vieira Dias of Luanda expressed his joy and noted that the visit to the southwestern part of the African continent would coincide with the capital city’s jubilee, celebrating the 450th anniversary of its founding.

“It is a celebration of a life path that has marked our history for more than five centuries,” the Angolan archbishop said.

In November, while answering questions from journalists gathered outside the papal residence in Castel

IN

Gandolfo, Pope Leo expressed his hope to visit several other destinations, including the Marian sites of Fatima and Guadalupe.

While there is no word about a visit to Portugal, the Archdiocese of Mexico City issued a statement Jan. 14 following a meeting between the pope and Carlos Cardinal Retes of Mexico City.

According to the statement, Cardinal Aguiar invited the pope to visit Mexico, “which he had originally extended a few days after the conclave.”

“In response, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude and stated his desire and interest in being in our country soon to entrust his pontificate to the Virgin of Guadalupe,” the statement read.

Mexico City is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the site of Mary’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in 1531.

Unlike the announcements for Africa, it is unclear if the pope will visit Mexico this year. Nevertheless, the pope’s travel schedule for 2026 is seemingly taking shape, with a trip to Spain in June recently confirmed by José Cardinal Cobo of Madrid. While the trip is likely to include stops in Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, it may also include the city of Guadalupe in southwestern Spain, OSV News learned. The city is home to an important Medieval monastery that today is a UNESCO World Heritage site and pilgrimage destination. †

‘We do not care for life by giving death,’ French bishops say ahead of ‘assisted dying’ bill move

PARIS (OSV News) — Ahead of a key Senate debate on France’s proposed “assisted dying” law, the country’s Catholic bishops are renewing their strong opposition, insisting that, in their words, “we do not care for life by giving death.”

In a Jan. 15 statement, bishops said current French law already offers a humane path at the end of life, allowing patients to refuse futile treatment and receive palliative care, including deep sedation in extreme cases. They argued this approach respects both human dignity and the duty to accompany life until its natural end. The bishops warned that legalizing assisted dying would undermine that balance, especially when access to palliative care remains uneven. Nearly a quarter of needs go unmet nationwide, they noted, with some regions lacking adequate services. Catholic hospitals and care homes have also voiced concern about being forced to comply with the law against their conscience.

President Emmanuel Macron has called the bill “law of fraternity,” but the bishops said that “fraternity, a core value of our Republic, does not consist of hastening the death of those who suffer or forcing caregivers to cause it,” but means “never abandoning those who are living through these incredibly difficult and painful moments.” The Senate is to vote Jan. 28. †

Pope warns against chasing approval, calls for deeper spiritual focus

VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV warned against the modern obsession with approval, public consensus and visibility during his Jan. 18 Angelus address, saying those pursuits often replace authentic happiness and leave people divided, disappointed and spiritually restless.

Speaking to the faithful, the pope said the constant search for success or recognition can shape how people think and live — but ultimately leads to fragile relationships and personal suffering. True fulfillment, he said, comes not from fame or achievements but from knowing each person is loved and wanted by God.

Pointing to Jesus and St. John the Baptist, Pope Leo emphasized a God who does not seek attention through spectacle, but instead enters human struggles and shares people’s burdens, revealing every person’s dignity. The pope urged believers to resist superficial goals and cultivate simplicity, sincerity and prayerful silence, making time each day to “withdraw into the desert” to encounter the Lord. After the Angelus, he marked the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and called for peace and justice worldwide, offering prayers for those displaced by violence in Congo and the region. †

NATION

Catholic school’s sensory room a calming space that supports students’ learning, well-being

KINGSTON, Pa. (OSV News) — An LED bubble tube and a musical touch wall are just two of many items that students can interact with while visiting a new sensory room at Good Shepherd Academy in Kingston.

The calming space is designed to help children relax, refocus and build coping skills so they can return to class ready to learn.

The new space — the first sensory room in the Diocese of Scranton’s Catholic school system — was made possible through a generous grant from the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund.

After celebrating an all-school Mass Nov. 25, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton visited the room, prayed a special blessing and sprinkled the space with holy water.

“Allow me to offer my words of thanks to all of you, the McGowan Foundation and all of you who had a hand in making this space possible,” Bishop Bambera said. “It’s incredible. We read more and more about opportunities like this in many schools. I’m so proud that we have one here at Good Shepherd Academy. It’s an incredible space, and it is a calming space, isn’t it?”

For Good Shepherd Academy principal Jim Jones, the sensory room represents the fulfillment of a long-held hope for his school, the largest Catholic elementary school in the Diocese of Scranton.

“It has been a dream of mine,” Jones told The Catholic Light, Scranton’s diocesan news outlet. “After COVID-19, many of our children were having a heightened sense of anxiety and tension, so we needed a place where our students could decompress.”

The room officially opened Oct. 1, 2025, and it has been busy ever since.

“We have multiple children in there every day,” Jones noted. “Our II (Individualized Instruction) students are in there continuously. We’re so grateful for the McGowan Foundation for their support of Catholic education.”

The foundation funded the

approximately $50,000 in structural and electrical elements of the project in full.

“If it was not for the McGowan Foundation, this would not be possible,” Jones added. “They were gracious that they got behind our project 100%. They were on board from the get-go. They have been a blessing to Good Shepherd Academy.”

Installed in a quiet, second-floor area of the school, the new sensory room is filled with specialized visual, auditory and tactile equipment designed to help students self-regulate, manage anxiety and build coping skills.

“The bubble tower is one of the highlights,” Jones said with a laugh. “Everything is controlled by a cube. When you roll the cube, whatever color comes up, the lights change in the sensory room based on that.”

In addition to the technology, the school also incorporated special seating from a local vendor in Hanover Township, giving students comfortable, flexible options while they relax and engage with the equipment.

“Having the students be able to go to a space where they can self-regulate and learn the necessary coping skills for both an academic setting and a real-life setting is going to have immeasurable effects on both their personal development as well as their academic development,” said Mary Siejak, who has taught Individualized Instruction at Good Shepherd Academy for 10 years. Siejak, who primarily teaches mathematics to students who need an adapted curriculum, said she already sees the impact when she brings students into the new room.

“When I take them to the room, maybe in about 10 minutes, I notice a measurable difference in their ability to stay focused, not only on content, but then also to perform to their potential in the classroom,” she explained.

What makes the difference?

“It’s a nice, quiet space. It is the resources that the McGowan Foundation put into the sensory room. Just having those elements,” she added. †

Bishop Burbidge outlines Christian approach to mental health amid ‘staggering’ crisis

ARLINGTON, Va. (OSV News) — A U.S. bishop is highlighting the nation’s growing mental health crisis, while pointing to the “divine medicine” offered by Christ through the work of the Church.

On Jan. 19, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, released “The Divine Physician and a Christian Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing,” a pastoral letter surveying the state of mental health in the U.S. and offering both “encouragement and guidance” in addressing mental health challenges “in light of the teachings of Christ and the Gospel.”

Bishop Burbidge said the letter was prompted by his “increasing pastoral concern” over “the emergence of a broad crisis concerning mental health that is negatively impacting Americans, and especially young people, in terms of their spiritual, mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.”

Grounding mental health and healing in the context of Christian anthropology and God’s plan for humanity is central, Bishop Burbidge said. He highlighted both the mystery of suffering, which can be redemptive when united with Christ’s, and the practical consequences, such as loneliness and isolation, of familial breakdown that exacerbate mental health issues. He also stressed the need for Christian counseling and affirmed hope in the healing love of Christ, radiated through the Church’s sacramental life and through the faithful. †

water after celebrating an all-school Mass. The calming space, which the bishop called “incredible,” is designed to help children relax, refocus and build coping skills so they can return to class ready to learn.

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is back in 2026 with a patriotic twist

(OSV News) — The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is back for 2026 with a special route that will travel the East Coast from St. Augustine, Florida, to Portland, Maine, ending in Philadelphia, organizers announced Jan. 8.

The pilgrimage — the third of its kind — will begin in May on Memorial Day weekend and end July 5. This year’s pilgrimage celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with the theme “One Nation Under God,” and its route incorporates key sites in the history of the country and its Catholics. Organizers described the pilgrimage as “a nationwide call to renewal, unity and mission rooted in the Eucharist.”

In a Jan. 8 media release announcing the route, organizers noted that 2026 marked the 75th anniversary of the lobbying campaign, led by the Knights of Columbus, to add the phrase “One nation under God” to the nation’s Pledge of Allegiance.

“One Nation Under God is not a borrowed slogan; rather, it is an invitation to realign our lives, our communities and our country under the sovereignty of Jesus Christ,” said Jason Shanks, president of the National Eucharistic Congress.

The National Eucharistic Congress nonprofit organizes the pilgrimage, which first took place as four routes in 2024 ahead of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis as part of the National Eucharistic Revival, and which returned last summer with a route from Indianapolis to Los Angeles.

“Our hope is that Catholics will come together on this significant anniversary

to give thanks for our country and to pray for our future,” said Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, who serves as chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress, in the statement.

“We want all Catholics to be inspired with missionary zeal to bring revival through the light and love of Jesus Christ.”

The pilgrimage has been placed under the patronage of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian-American immigrant and the first U.S. citizen to be canonized a saint. It will also take place in solidarity with the U.S. bishops’ call to consecrate the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Like previous National Eucharistic

Pilgrimages, the route will be traveled by “perpetual pilgrims,” eight young adults selected among a group of applicants (plus a “media missionary”) who will attend Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, other devotions and community-building events along the way.

The pilgrimage will launch Memorial Day weekend with Mass at Our Lady of La Leche Shrine in St. Augustine, the site of the first Mass celebrated on American soil in 1565. It will also include commemorations of the Georgia Martyrs, five Franciscan missionaries who were killed for their faith in 1597, whose path for beatification Pope Francis cleared in January 2025; the celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi in the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia; and stops in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, the nation’s

IN BRIEF

In a continuing effort to provide pastoral care to victims of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel, Archbishop Joe Vásquez would like to remind the faithful of the Archdiocese of the availability of the Victims Assistance Coordinator. Anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or Church personnel is encouraged to call Diane Vines at 713-654-5799. Please keep in daily prayers the healing of victims of abuse and all who suffer in any way.

first Catholic diocese.

The pilgrimage will pass through most of the original 13 colonies, with stops in 18 dioceses and archdioceses: St. Augustine; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Arlington, Virginia; Washington; Baltimore; Wilmington, Delaware; Camden, New Jersey; Paterson, New Jersey; Springfield, Massachusetts; Manchester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; Boston; Fall River, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Philadelphia.

The pilgrims will also make a private, mid-point retreat at the St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in New York City.

The pilgrimage will end in Philadelphia with events planned July 4 to 5, Independence Day weekend, to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in the Pennsylvania State House, now the city’s Independence Hall, on July 4, 1776. That weekend will include special outreach for Catholic youth and all-day Eucharistic Adoration July 4. The pilgrimage’s closing Mass will take place July 5 at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, followed by a Eucharistic procession to the National Shrine of St. John Neumann.

Organizers said in the media release that “the pilgrimage seeks to extend the fruits of the threeyear National Eucharistic Revival that began in 2022 and culminated in the 2024 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and subsequent Congress in Indianapolis. The fruits of the 2025 Drexel Pilgrimage carry forward into the 2026 Cabrini Route.”

The pilgrimage will also connect with a national prayer campaign and digital lecture series. †

Pew: Catholicism down in Latin America, but belief in God ‘remains high’

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Catholicism has waned in Latin America over the past decade, with more individuals foregoing religious affiliation — although belief in God remains “high across the region,” according to a new report.

The findings were released Jan. 21 by Pew Research Center, based on survey data gathered in spring 2024 from more than 6,200 Latin American adults in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, the region’s most populous countries. Catholicism remains Latin America’s largest religion, with Catholics in the study’s six focus nations ranging from 46% to 67% of the respective general populations. However, Pew noted, “Catholic numbers have dropped by 9 percentage points or more in all six countries over the past decade.”

Since 1900, when “the vast majority of Latin Americans were Catholic,” said Pew, Catholicism has declined significantly in the region. Pew said that “religious switching” — where adults raised in a faith tradition no longer identify with it — is “one reason for the decline of Catholicism and growth of religiously unaffiliated populations in Latin America.”

In the six focus countries, approximately two in 10 or more adults have switched out of Catholicism, with many becoming religiously unaffiliated, and smaller shares in some nations “now identifying as Protestant,” said Pew. Still, it said, “Latin Americans remain quite religious, on average.” †

Please pray for all victims of violence everywhere and their families. Pray for those being executed in Texas and their families: January 28: Charles Thompson

MUNDO CATÓLICO

Fe sobre el miedo

¡Saludos! ¿Sabías que las muchas cosas que nos preocupan en realidad no se dan a producir? Cuando nos preocupamos o tememos algo que en realidad no está ocurriendo, acabamos cultivando un sentido de miedo. Desafortunadamente, el miedo a veces se transmite y puede extenderse a otros. Sin embargo, tenemos la opción de refutar el miedo y creer en el poder de Cristo. Restableciendo nuestra confianza en el Señor resucitado y mostrando compasión hacia nuestros hermanos y hermanas. Hay santos como el Padre Pío cuyas directrices eran rezar y no preocuparse.

Sin ignorar que, en estos tiempos, es bastante fácil caer en la trampa del desánimo o la tibieza. Afortunadamente, como cristianos estamos llamados a practicar la fe y a cumplir nuestras acciones mientras cuidamos unos a

por MELISSA ALVAREZ

otros. ¿Cómo es eso?

Bueno, algunos pasos podrían reflejar nuestra implicación en los Sacramentos y el culto sagrado. Por ejemplo, ¿estamos construyendo unidad o división?

¿Buscamos a Cristo en cada situación o vemos posibilidades catastróficas en todo?

¿Acaso nuestros pensamientos, palabras y acciones apuntan a Cristo? Al reflexionar sobre estas preguntas, tenemos en cuenta nuestra necesidad de la gracia salvífica de Cristo. Somos humanos, que necesitamos a Cristo, lo sabemos, ¿cierto? ¿Pero acaso lo creemos y actuamos en consecuencia? Como adultos, podríamos ser muy

conscientes de cuánto necesitamos de Jesús, para que nuestras acciones reflejen a un cristiano similar a Cristo. Durante el ministerio terrenal de Jesús, vio claramente corazones necesitados de redención; su enfoque fue de misericordia y compartió la gracia de Dios mediante una acción amorosa. Vino a salvarnos, y gracias a Dios por su gracia. Mira, a menudo olvidamos la parte de acción que viene después de la misericordia y la gracia santificadora de Jesús. La parte en la que tenemos que responderle y actuar hacia la santidad. En el santo evangelio según Juan somos testigos: “Yo tampoco te condeno, le dijo Jesús. Vete, no peques más en Adelante” (Juan 8:11) . La buena noticia es que Dios nos ama tanto que envió a su único hijo, Jesús, para enseñaros a vosotros y a mí, como sus hijos, el mapa de vuelta a nuestro creador. ¿A veces nos perdemos en el camino hacia

la santidad? Claro que sí, y hace falta humildad para ver nuestros errores y pedir perdón. “Sopórtense los unos a los otros, y perdónense mutuamente siempre que alguien tenga motivo de queja contra otro. El Señor los ha perdonado: hagan ustedes lo mismo” (Colosenses 3:13). Encuentro que cuando ejercemos este principio y estamos en comunión con los santos Sacramentos de la iglesia, nuestros corazones reflejan esa paz. El reto es aprender a no repetir nuestros errores y a aspirar a la santidad. Lo mejor es que podemos elegir empezar de nuevo hoy y perseverar junto con nuestro Salvador, Jesús. †

Melissa Alvarez es directora asociada de la Oficina de Evangelización y Catequesis - Ministerio para Personas con Discapacidad.

La Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional vuelve en 2026, con un toque patriótico

(OSV News) — La Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional vuelve en 2026 con una ruta especial que recorrerá la costa este desde St. Augustine, Florida, hasta Portland, Maine, y terminará en Filadelfia, según anunciaron los organizadores el 8 de enero.

La peregrinación, la tercera de este tipo, comenzará en mayo, durante el fin de semana del Día de los Caídos (Memorial Day), y terminará el 5 de julio.

La peregrinación de este año celebra el 250 aniversario de Estados Unidos con el lema “Una nación bajo Dios” (One Nation Under God) —una frase del Juramento de Lealtad de Estados Unidos— y su ruta incluye lugares clave en la historia del país y de sus católicos.

Los organizadores describieron la peregrinación como “un llamado nacional a la renovación, la unidad y la misión arraigadas en la Eucaristía”.

En un comunicado de prensa del 8 de enero en el que se anunciaba la ruta, los organizadores señalaron que 2026 marca el 75 aniversario de la campaña de lobby, liderada por los Caballeros de Colón, para añadir la frase “Una nación bajo Dios” al juramento de lealtad a la bandera.

“Una nación bajo Dios no es un eslogan prestado, sino una invitación a realinear nuestras vidas, nuestras comunidades y nuestro país bajo la soberanía de Jesucristo”, afirmó Jason Shanks,

presidente del Congreso Eucarístico Nacional, en el comunicado de prensa.

La organización sin fines de lucro Congreso Eucarístico Nacional organiza la peregrinación, que se llevó a cabo por primera vez en cuatro rutas en 2024, antes del X Congreso Eucarístico Nacional en Indianápolis, como parte del Avivamiento Eucarístico Nacional, y que regresó el verano pasado con una ruta desde Indianápolis a Los Ángeles.

APOYO PASTORAL A VÍCTIMAS DE

ABUSO SEXUAL DEL CLERO

En un continuo esfuerzo por facilitar atención pastoral a las victimas de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, el Arzobispo Joe Vásquez gustaría recordar a los fieles de la Arquidiócesis la disponibilidad del Coordinador de Ayuda a Víctimas. Si alguien ha sido victim de abuso sexual del clero o del personal de la Iglesia, se les anima llamar a la Diane Vines al 713-654-5799. Por favor rece por la sanación de las víctimas del abuso y por todos los que sufren de alguna manera.

FOTO POR JAMES RAMOS/HERALD

El diácono

Charles Plant porta el Santísimo Sacramento durante la visita de la Peregrinación Eucarística Nacional a la parroquia de St. Laurence en Sugar Land en 2024. La nueva ruta de 2025 honrará el 250 aniversario de los Estados Unidos de América y recorrerá la mayoría de las 13 colonias originales este verano.

seleccionados entre un grupo de solicitantes (más un “misionero de los medios de comunicación”) que asistirán a Misa, adoración eucarística, otras devociones y eventos de construcción de comunidad a lo largo del camino.

La peregrinación comenzará el fin de semana del Día de los Caídos con una Misa en el Santuario de Nuestra Señora de La Leche en San Agustín, lugar donde se celebró la primera Misa en suelo estadounidense en 1565. También incluirá conmemoraciones de los mártires de Georgia, cinco misioneros franciscanos que fueron asesinados por su fe en 1597, cuyo camino hacia la beatificación fue despejado por el Papa Francisco en enero de 2025; la celebración de la fiesta del Corpus Christi en la Arquidiócesis de Washington y la Diócesis de Arlington, Virginia; y paradas en la Arquidiócesis de Baltimore, la primera diócesis católica del país.

“Nuestra esperanza es que los católicos se reúnan en este importante aniversario para dar gracias por nuestro país y rezar por nuestro futuro”, afirmó en el comunicado el obispo Andrew H. Cozzens, de Crookston, Minnesota, que ejerce como presidente del Congreso Eucarístico Nacional. “Queremos que todos los católicos se sientan inspirados por el celo misionero para traer el avivamiento a través de la luz y el amor de Jesucristo”.

La peregrinación ha sido puesta bajo la protección de Santa Francisca Javier Cabrini, una inmigrante italoamericana y la primera ciudadana estadounidense en ser canonizada. También se llevará a cabo en solidaridad con el llamado de los obispos estadounidenses a consagrar a los Estados Unidos al Sagrado Corazón de Jesús.

La peregrinación pasará por la mayoría de las 13 colonias originales, con paradas en 18 diócesis y arquidiócesis: San Agustín; Savannah, Georgia; Charleston, Carolina del Sur; Charlotte, Carolina del Norte; Richmond, Virginia; Arlington, Virginia; Washington; Baltimore; Wilmington, Delaware; Camden, Nueva Jersey; Paterson, Nueva Jersey; Springfield, Massachusetts; Manchester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; Boston; Fall River, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; y Filadelfia.

Eucarística Peregrinación N ACIONAL

Al igual que en anteriores peregrinaciones eucarísticas nacionales, la ruta será recorrida por “peregrinos perpetuos”, ocho jóvenes adultos

Los peregrinos también realizarán un retiro privado a mitad de camino en el Santuario de Santa Francisca Cabrini en la ciudad de Nueva York. La peregrinación terminará en Filadelfia con eventos programados para el 4 y 5 de julio, fin de semana del Día de la Independencia de EE.UU., para conmemorar la adopción de la Declaración de Independencia en la Casa del Estado de Pensilvania, ahora el Salón de la Independencia (Independence Hall) de la ciudad, el 4 de julio de 1776. †

WITHIN THE ARTS

Historic

altar at St. Mark’s monastery in Jerusalem unveiled for first time in 350 years

JERUSALEM (OSV News) — The historic altar of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem has been unveiled for the first time in nearly 350 years, following an extensive restoration.

The Jan. 11 reveal showcased intricate gold-leaf details and baroque decorations long hidden beneath layers of damage and past repairs.

It was unveiled in front of members of the community and diplomats after two years of work by a team of Mexican restoration experts from the María Visión Mexican Catholic TV channel.

Archbishop Mor Anthimos Jack Yakoub, the Syriac Orthodox patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem, Jordan and the Holy Land, said the completion of the work by the five-man team was nothing short of a miracle and included an eight-month break following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities and the ensuing two-year war.

According to Syriac Orthodox tradition, the monastery is the site of the house of Mark, where Jesus instructed Peter and John to prepare the Passover meal, and

OSV NEWS PHOTO/DEBBIE HILL

A view of a section of the restored ancient altar in the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem Jan. 11 after an intensive twoyear restoration process.

is believed to be the location of the Upper Room where the Last Supper, washing of the disciples’ feet, post-resurrection appearances, and Pentecost occurred, strengthening the first Church, he noted.

“From here, the first Church was strengthened, and the Gospel went forth to all peoples by the power of the Spirit. Today, we inaugurate a historical wooden structure that is far more than an artistic masterpiece,” Archbishop Yakoub said.

The community had long wanted to restore the altarpiece, whose vibrant color had unwittingly been muted by chemical gold spray long ago by unknown work. An inscription at the top of the altar attests to the last official restoration having taken place in 1733, and Archbishop Yakoub said that studies of the altar have shown that it may be 400 years old.

The unique work is distinguished by gilded wooden intricate eastern floral

decorations, slender columns with small arches and capitals. Its carvings are like “silent prayers,” the archbishop said. Tests by an Italian restoration team working on the restoration at the Church of Nativity revealed the original gold leaf, silver leaf and the beautiful colors beneath. Crucially, however, the altarpiece was also found to be infested with termites and predicted to collapse within a year without intervention.

The price tag for the restoration work — almost $600,000 — was, however, too steep for the small community.

A “providential encounter” with Emilio Burillo, director general and founder of María Visión television, during a Christian unity prayer event streamed from St. Mark, opened the doors to a “miracle of providence,” Archbishop Yakoub said, and Burillo committed the restoration team of María Visión to the work needed free of charge.

María Visión supports a workshop in Mexico that restores sculptures and paintings for churches for free. Beyond the altarpiece, the project included the church’s holy altar, its decorations and

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domes, all church icons and their frames, the episcopal throne, the baptistery and its dome, and two wooden cabinets added in 1851, as well as the restoration of the Miraculous Icon of the Virgin Mary, which according to the Syriac Orthodox tradition was painted by St. Luke.

The restoration required “devotion and precision,” said Archbishop Yakoub, and the structure was meticulously dismantled, documented, treated, restored and reassembled piece by piece.

While no written information or documentation exists about the origin or craftsmen who created the original altarpiece, restorer Carlos Lozoya said they believe the baroque-style altar was designed and made by European craftsmen because of its unique style, which combines a Catholic-style altarpiece together with a Middle Eastern-style “Iconostasio.”

All the restoration was conducted on site, and a unique gold-leaf frame was especially created in Mexico for the Miraculous Icon of the Virgin Mary, which depicts the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus, and was brought to Jerusalem.

Prior to that, the icon was displayed in the chapel underneath the church with no glass covering and was damaged by years of dust and smoke from candles placed next to the icon, which had never been restored before, he said.

Though the community’s tradition holds that the icon was painted by St. Luke in the first century, the restoration team has sent samples to experts in Madrid for a better sense of the icon’s age — and results should be coming later in January, said Lozoya, who, as an expert in painting restoration, worked alone on the icon’s two-month-long restoration process. A devout Catholic, Lozoya said he felt the hand of Mary guiding him as he restored the revered icon.

“Imagine the responsibility I (felt) to do this. I was very nervous when I started, but I believe truly the Virgin Mary guided my hands to do it,” he said. “When I started the cleaning, I discovered the face and the real colors of the Virgin; it was amazing. I felt like the Virgin Mary was helping me.” †

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AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE

For the latest updates about listings in the Around the Archdiocese, contact event organizers and visit www.archgh.org/ata.

JAN. 28

MEMORIAL MASS FOR MISCARRIAGE AND INFANT

LOSS, 7 p.m., Prince of Peace (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston). Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court of the Holy Family #2597 hosts a Memorial Mass for Miscarriage and Infant Loss and a reception with cookies and hot chocolate. A baby supply drive will collect diapers, pullups, wipes and formula, benefiting the Mercy Ministry. 281-381-0309; maryjalbert@sbcglobal. net.

JAN. 28-31

GARAGE SALE, St. Ignatius of Loyola (7810 Cypresswood Dr., Spring). Jan. 28: pre-sale 1 to 7 p.m. ($25 admission); Jan. 29 to 30: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (free entry); and Jan 31: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (free entry). Sales of household items and décor, clothing, jewelry, baby items, toys, books, tools and more benefit the St. Ignatius Outreach Ministry. Rain or shine. garagesale@silcc.org.

JAN. 31

MARDI GRAS DANCE, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi (5102 Dabney St., Houston). Houston Inter-City Council & Courts hosts annual dance with live music by Next Level Brothers. Cost: $35/person. phledet64@aol.com.

FEB. 1

CONSECRATED LIFE MASS, 11 a.m., Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston). Archbishop Joe S. Vásquez presides over a Mass honoring men and women religious in the consecrated life living and serving in the Archdiocese. All are welcome.

SPAGHETTI DINNER, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Guardian Angel (5610 Demel St., Wallis). Dinner, featuring spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, salad, green beans and garlic bread, includes homemade desserts for donation, raffle, cake live auction and silent auction. Cost: $12/dinner. 281-224-0477.

FEB. 4

ADORATION HOUR, 7 to 8 p.m., Sacred Heart (507 S Fourth St., Richmond). Adoration Hour on the first Wednesday of the month to pray for

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vocations, with Confession and Anointing of the Sick available. sacredhrt.com/adoration.

FEB. 6-7

PRESENTATIONS, Friday, 7 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon, St. Cecilia (11720 Joan of Arc Dr., Houston). On Friday, Bobby and Jackie Francois Angel will present “Catholic Dating 101” to young and single adults. Cost: $45/person. On Saturday, they will present “Forgiveness: The Heart of the Sacrament of Matrimony,” a seminar for married couples. Cost: $75/couple. 713-465-3414; saintcecilia.org/nationalmarriage-week-events.

FEB. 7

MARDI GRAS DINNER & DANCE, 7 to 11 p.m., Prince of Peace (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston). The Knights of Columbus host a Mardi Gras Party with gumbo, music and dancing ahead of the Lenten season. Open to all adults in the parish and community over age 18. Cost: $25/person. knights@pophouston.org; givebutter.com/ kofcmardigras.

RETREAT, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. Jerome Parish Activity Center Room D (2749 Hollister Rd., Houston). Marriage retreat, through talks, prayer, renewal of marriage vows, discussion and

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Catholic Charities

Food, clothing, emergency financial assistance, counseling, immigration assistance, veterans assistance, disaster recovery, refugees services, senior services and more. catholiccharities.org/need-help or 713-526-4611

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Home visits, food network, disaster relief, clothing and furniture. svdphouston.org/get-help or 713-741-8234

San José Clinic

Primary and specialty health care services, counseling and mental health services, dental and vision. sanjoseclinic.org or 713-228-9411

reflections, draws from Scripture and Ignatian spirituality to help couples deepen unity, strengthen communication and rediscover the sacred gift of their covenant. Cost: $40/ couple (includes materials and lunch). info@ emmausspiritualitycenter.com; 281-241-9678; emmausspiritualitycenter.com.

HEART OF WORSHIP, 12:30 to 7:30 p.m., St. Laurence (3100 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land). Event includes inspiring talks, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, prayer and communal worship. Cost: $30/person. jgarcia@stlaurence.org; www. stlaurence.org/how.

FEB. 11

MEETING, 9:30 a.m. to noon, St. Mary of the Expectation (1612 E Walker St., League City). Bay Area Deanery Catholic Council of Women’s monthly social with refreshments, announcements and presentation. Speaker is Kat Bruysschaard, “Seven Sisters Apostolatepraying for priests.” 713-412-8559; YodaInOz@ comcast.net.

FEB. 13

CHOCOHOLIC FEAST & GAME NIGHT, 7 p.m., St. Rose of Lima (3600 Brinkman, Houston ). St. Rose of Lima’s Altar Guild event includes a light dinner, dessert, games and silent auction. Cost: $15/ pre-sale, $20/door. stroselima.org/scheduleand-events.

FEB. 14

STEPS FOR STUDENTS 5K RUN AND WALK, 7 a.m., Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1111 St. Joseph Pkwy., Houston). Annual charity 5K run/ walk supporting 55 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, begins with a 7 a.m. sunrise Mass followed by 8:30 a.m. race start. Registration options ($17 - $20, includes shirts, race medal and post-race party) for timed, untimed, Family 1K and “Hit the Snooze.” steps4students.org.

VOCATION DINNER AND DANCE, 6 to 9:30 p.m., St. Anne Catholic School Gymnasium (1111 S Cherry St., Tomball). Knights of ColumbusCouncil 11472 hosts dinner, dancing, and live and silent auctions with proceeds supporting vocations to the religious life. Cost: $50/person. Tickets to be purchased in advance. kc11472. org; cbear88@live.com; 832-948-0907.

Do you have a Loved One in Jail or Prison?

Correctional Ministries Archdiocesan Office 713-741-8732 archgh.org/correctionalministries

MARRIAGE RENEWAL RETREAT, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Prince of Peace (19222 Tomball Pkwy., Houston). A one-day marriage renewal retreat, “Love as He Loves,” includes Mass, talks, guided couple time, group discussion and opportunities for Confession. Presentations in both English and Spanish. Cost: $150/couple (includes light breakfast and lunch). briones1@yahoo.com; 832-3986004; tinyurl.com/rcmrr.

FEB. 21

BENEFIT BREAKFAST, 8 to 11 a.m., Holy Rosary Catholic Church (3617 Milam St., Houston). Gratia Plena's benefit breakfast features “Healing the Mind by Nurturing the Soul” keynote by Matthew S. Stanford, PhD. and invocation by Archbishop Emeritus J. Michael Miller, C.S.B. Cost: $65/person, tables start at $500. gratiaplenacounseling.org.

MARCH 1

TURKEY DINNER, 11 a.m., Sealy Columbus Hall (1310 US-90, Sealy). The Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Elizabeth #1616 hosts turkey lunch with live auction, raffle and desserts to purchase. Cost: $15/plate. 979-2170601; patsyp17@hotmail.com.

MARCH 4

ADORATION HOUR, 7 to 8 p.m., Sacred Heart (507 S Fourth St., Richmond). Adoration Hour on the first Wednesday of the month to pray for vocations, with Confession and Anointing of the Sick available. sacredhrt.com/adoration.

MARCH 13-14

TRAINING, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., St. Anthony of Padua (7801 Bay Branch Dr., The Woodlands). National Catholic Partnership on Disability and the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston host Mental health and disability training on accompaniment, support and parish life; trauma-informed care and suicide awareness; and removing barriers for persons with disabilities. 713-741-8798; malvarez@archgh.org.

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