MAY 12, 2026 • ARCHGH.ORG/TCH
HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY
texas catholic herald 1
POPE VISITS AFRICA Trip puts spotlight on local injustices, joy of Christian faith ▪ SEE PAGE 14
Helpful guide to the Marian devotion ▪ SEE PAGE 8
Proclaiming the Good News to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 1964
MAY 12, 2026
AVE MARIA
VOL. 63, NO. 1
SPIRITUALITY
At St. Thomas High School, mothers and sons share journeys to Catholicism BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — As Keegan Cardona received his First Communion this Easter, the moment marked more than a Sacrament. For the 16-year-old sophomore at St. Thomas High School, it clarified a sense of purpose that had been quietly forming for years. “After receiving my first Holy Communion, my vision, life and relationship with God became clear with purpose and meaning,” Cardona said. A Houston native and parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Cardona was among the nearly 3,000 who entered the Catholic Church after completing the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, known as OCIA. His journey at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Houston unfolded alongside his mother, Laura See FAITH, page 4
PHOTO BY JAMES RAMOS/HERALD
Vietnamese Catholics offer flowers to the Blessed Mother at Our Lady of La Vang Catholic Church in Houston during a Marian festival May 2. Hundreds of Catholics also joined a procession around the church grounds, while praying the Rosary. SEE MORE ON PAGES 9 AND 12.
EDUCATION
Ascension, Assumption: What’s the difference? Vanderpool leads BY CATHERINE ODELL Special to the Herald HOUSTON (OSV News) — What’s the Ascension? What’s the Assumption? What’s the difference? The meaning of these two great feasts is sometimes a bit blurry. As we reach the mid-point of May with its upcoming Solemnity of the Ascension, it can be easy to confuse the two.
UST with faith, listening and hope
first Christian centuries, however, the Ascension may have been celebrated together with the Resurrection and Pentecost — three great feasts rolled into one. The Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God the Father is verified in Scripture. Mark, ending his Gospel with Christ’s commissioning of His disciples, says, “after speaking to them, the Lord Jesus was taken up into heaven and took His seat at God’s right hand” (16:19). In John 20:17, Jesus warns Mary Magdalene, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Rather, go to my brothers and tell them: ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Tradition suggests that Jesus ascended into heaven at Mount Olivet near Jerusalem. Theological understanding of the
BY JAMES RAMOS Texas Catholic Herald HOUSTON — When Sinda Vanderpool, Ph.D., stepped into the role of president of the University of St. Thomas (UST) this summer, she began not with declarations or sweeping changes, but by listening. “In my first six months, a lot of what I’ve done has just been listening and being present with faculty and staff and students, hearing their ideas and what they want to see in the future,” Vanderpool said. “That really builds the bridge of friendship and solidarity with each other.” A Houston native and graduate of Lamar High School, Vanderpool brings more than two decades of leadership experience in Catholic and Christian
THEOLOGY 101
The Solemnity of the Ascension The Ascension celebrates the Ascension of Jesus into heaven and is currently celebrated in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on the Seventh Sunday of Easter, which is May 17. Toward the end of the fourth century, St. Augustine referred to its observance as universal and long-standing. In the
A SHEPHERD’S MESSAGE † 2
See MEANING, page 7
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COLUMNISTS † 13
See VANDERPOOL, page 6
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ESPAÑOL † 18
| AROUND THE ARCHDIOCESE † 20