Our parish was established in 1978, our church dedicated in 1993.
Our Sanctuary
"Let us pray."
Presentation of Gifts: "It will become for us the bread of life."
"It is truly right... to give you thanks, Father most holy."
Wednesday evening Mass honors Our Lady of Perpetual Help
COME WORSHIP WITH US AT
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH
12627 W. BELLFORT AVE
SUGAR LAND, TX 77478
281-240-6721
28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Indeed the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. -- HEBREWS 4:12
OFFICE HOURS
7:30 am to 5:00 pm
Closed 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm (Lunch)
Friday: 7:30 am to 12:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed
ROSARY BEFORE MASSES
Join the Catholic Daughters and the Legion of Mary in praying the rosary half an hour before weekend Masses.
BULLETIN DEADLINE
Wednesday, eleven days before the bulletin date. Submit items to lcordova@stasugarland.com.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CARES CAMPAIGN & KICK-OFF
The St. Thomas Aquinas Cares Campaign will address several parish needs and contribute to our mandatory share in the Archdiocesan Ignite Campaign.
The monetary goal is $2.5 million, to be used as follows: parish needs and improvement: $1,960,000; Archdiocesan Ignite Campaign: $540,000.
The Campaign will officially commence with a Kick-Off Celebration on Sunday, October 7, 2018, and culminate on Commitment Weekend, Sunday, November 18, 2018.
For details on the planned improvements to the parish, please watch our video below.
STA CARES VIDEO
MASS TIMES
Sunday - 7:30 am
9:30 am, 11:30 am
Daily Mass
Monday - Saturday
8:00 am Mass,
Divine Mercy Chapel;
Wednesday, 7:00 pm Mass,
Sanctuary
Life Teen 11:30 am
Mass every Sunday
First Friday of month Mass
and Anointing of Sick, 7:00 pm,
Sanctuary
Eucharistic Adoration Hours
Monday to Thursday from
9:00am/10:00pm
Friday: from 9:00am/8:00pm.
Divine Mercy Chapel
Sacrament of Penance
Saturday, 4:00 to 4:45 pm
and by appointment
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 'CARES' CAPITAL CAMPAIGN PRAYER
Gracious, loving and generous God, we thank You for the many blessings You have bestowed on the St. Thomas Aquinas family in the past. We ask you to look with favor and blessing on our St. Thomas Aquinas Cares Capital Campaign.
Holy Spirit, give us your gifts of wisdom and understanding. Inspire our parishioners to share the resources necessary to meet the growing needs of our parish for the greater glory of God. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit encourage us in deep faith and gratitude, and help us to commit our resources of time, talent and treasure as prior members have done for us.
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis de Sales, give us the faith necessary to make this commitment. O Holy Trinity, we beseech your blessing on our efforts as we go forward with faith, hope and love. Amen.
OCTOBER IS THE MONTH OF THE ROSARY
At Fatima and other-Church-approved apparitions, Our Blessed Mother repeatedly asked that we pray the Rosary EVERY DAY. October is designated the month of the Rosary because we especially honor Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th. Popes and saints tell us how powerful the Rosary is as a spiritual weapon against evil. Pray the Rosary in your home and before weekend Masses with your STA family.
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MONDAY SOCIAL
Catholic gentlemen interested in joining the Knights of Columbus are welcome to attend their October 29, 2018 Social in Aldridge Hall at 7:00 p.m. for fun, food, drinks and socializing. Feel free to bring a side dish or dessert to share. Please bring your families to enjoy a great meal. FMI: James Taylor, 832-466-7394.
GRIEF SUPPORT
Bereavement Group meets for six sessions on Tuesday evenings through November 6th, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. FMI: call Janie Yanez, 832-287-3163, or Verna Patout, 281-240-6721 x104.
Weekday Adoration in chapel
MISSIONARIES OF ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
St. Thomas Aquinas parish is served by the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales.
Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, also known as Fransalian Missionaries, is an international missionary religious congregation, founded in France in 1838 by Fr. Peter Mermier, under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales, to bring about the renewal of Christian life.
Fransalians are now in Europe, North and South America, Africa, India and in many other parts of the world dedicated to the renewal of Christian Life by preaching parish missions, evangelization, education and other pastoral ministries. The pastoral ministry and lifestyle of the Fransalians witnesses a spirit of simplicity, gentleness, optimism and availability in service in the local Church.
Fransalian missionaries have been present in the United States for more than forty years. At present, fifty priests are in pastoral ministry in different dioceses in thirteen states.
PULPIT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Submission deadline: Tuesday the week of announcement, 5 pm. Email Verna at vpatout@stasugarland.com.
ST. FRANCIS DE SALES
St. Francis de Sales (1567 –1622) is noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions resulting from the Protestant Reformation. A Doctor of the Church, he is known for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God.
"LOVE DEEPLY, SERVE GENEROUSLY, PRAY INTENSELY."
PARISH MISSION STATEMENT
"We the Parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church are a diverse, Christ-centered community empowered by the Holy Spirit and strengthened by the Word and Sacraments to proclaim the Good News."
MEET OUR PASTOR, FR. SANTY KURIAN
Fr. Santy Kurian, M.S.F.S., celebrated his first Mass as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, and was officially installed by The Most Reverend Bishop George Sheltz at the 9:30 am Mass on Sunday, July 20, 2014..
Fr. Santy is a member of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, a religious order. He has served as a Catholic school principal for seven years, a pastor for four years, and as a parochial vicar in India and the U.S. for eight years. A native of Kerala, South India, Fr. Santy came to the U.S. in October 2007.
Ordained a priest on May 2, 1995, Fr. Santy notes that "Priesthood is meaningful only when rooted in the Eucharist."
FROM THE DIVINE MERCY
"At three o'clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into My mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion...." -- Private revelation of Jesus to Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, #1320, Diary
OUR LORD TO SAINT FAUSTINA
Encourage souls to say the Chaplet which I have given you. ... Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. ... When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior. ... Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite mercy. I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. ... Through the Chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with my will (687,1541,1731).
ST. FAUSTINA'S ADVICE ON SILENCE
DIVINE MERCY DEVOTION
The Divine Mercy Chaplet is prayed in the chapel after daily Mass and the Rosary for the conversion of sinners, for those who will die that day, and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Saying the chaplet for the dying at the 3 pm Hour of Mercy is especially powerful and a great Spiritual Work of Mercy.
HOW TO PRAY THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY
A copy of the original image of the Divine Mercy is in our chapel.
AS GOD IS MERCIFUL TO US, SO MUST WE BE MERCIFUL TO OTHERS
THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY: 1. Admonish Sinners; 2. Instruct the Ignorant; 3. Counsel the Doubtful; 4. Comfort the Sorrowful; 5. Bear Wrongs Patiently; 6. Forgive All Injuries; 7. Pray for the Living and the Dead.
THE SEVEN CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY: 1. Feed the Hungry; 2. Give Drink to the Thirsty; 3. Clothe the Naked; 4. Visit and Ransom Captives; 5. Harbor the Harborless; 6. Visit the Sick; 7. Bury the Dead.
HEALING MASS WITH SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK
The Healing Mass is now being held on the first WEDNESDAY of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
NEXT DATE: NOVEMBER 7th
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS
FIRST FRIDAY DEVOTION
NOVEMEBER 2ND IS THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH! MAKE NINE CONSECUTIVE FIRST FRIDAY MASSES TO HONOR THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS.
OUR BLESSED MOTHER REQUESTED FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTION
OUR NEXT FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH IS NOVEMBER 3, 2018
On October 7, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the title by which Our Lady revealed herself to the three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal on October 13, 1917.
Seven years later in 1925, Our Lady gave Sister Lucia the First Saturday devotion, stating: "Look my daughter, at my Heart surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude."
Today those thorns are even greater. Your practice of the First Saturday devotion removes them and helps save souls that are in danger of eternal damnation.
On First Saturdays of each month we are asked to:
- Go to confession,
- Receive Communion
- Recite 5 decades of the Rosary
- And spend 15 minutes meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, keeping company with Mary.
FALL BIBLE STUDY HAS BEGUN
OurThursday Bible Study--"Peter, Cornerstone of
Catholicism"-- is now in progress. The 11-week study
will go through November 15, 2018, with no class
on All Saints Day, November 1st.
Unveiling Scripture and Tradition, the video teaching features
Catholic bible scholar Dr. Tim Gray. Small group sharing and
discussion is included.
Email Arlene Schroeder at dasb@sbsglobal.net or contact the parish
office at 281-240-6721 for more information.
SPANISH BIBLE STUDY / ESTUDIO BIBLICO EN ESPANOL
Please call: Cecilia Rusca, 281-498-2512. Por favor llamar a Cecilia Rusca, 281-498-2512.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Oct 17 2018 6:45 pm - Perpetual Help Rosary, Novena, Mass
- Oct 19 2018 7:00 pm - Magnificat Prayer Group
- Oct 20 2018 5:00 pm - St. Thomas Aquinas Renewed Seniors (STARS)
LEARN TO MAKE ROSARIES!
Tuesdays, 9:30 am, Siena Room.
SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE
Engaged couples need to contact Verna Patout, 281-240-6721 x 104, six to nine months before your wedding to allow time for preparation.
AQUINAS EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
Aquinas Early Childhood Center (AECC) is designed and implemented by St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish in response to the identified need for high quality early childhood education programs in the community. It is licensed by the State of Texas.
* Enrolling 6 weeks to 6 years old
* We accept NCI
* All teachers are degreed
* Breakfast, lunch and PM snack included in tuition
* Reggio Emilia Approach Curriculum
* 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Friday
* Closed circuit security cameras.
* Code security access to the building
We offer parishioner discounts. Visit us at 12627 W. Belfort Avenue, Sugar Land, or make an appointment for a tour at 281-240-7196.
OPEN TO BECOMING CATHOLIC?
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is hosted year round. Inquiry sessions are held in the Thissen Center 2nd Floor after 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. FMI: Scott Sabol, 832-265-3473.
FAITH ON DEMAND
Discover all the best Catholic content in one place. Entertaining movies, enlightening programs, inspiring talks and a great selection of e-books are all just a click away!
St. Thomas Aquinas Church has purchased FORMED, a program for our parishioners. Take advantage of your FREE subscription.
Visit formed.org with your web browser, click to register at the lower right of the page, then enter parish access code: CMDRM4. Enter your email address and create your password (you will need this to log in later).
INTERNATIONAL PILGRIM STATUE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA
OUR LADY OF FATIMA
Our Lady gravely said, "Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say often, especially when you make some sacrifice, 'O my Jesus, this is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. ' "
MINISTRY TO ABORTION SURVIVORS
If you or someone you know is suffering from an abortion in your past, whether it was a day ago or 25 years ago,
There is Hope:
Project Rachel
LEARN ENGLISH MINISTRY
St. Thomas Aquinas holds conversational English classes for adults. Classes are available Monday and Wednesday, mornings from 9:00 until 10:30 am and evenings from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm in the Aquinas Center.
STA also partners with our neighboring parish, St. Theresa in Sugar Land, to offer Saturday classes from 9:00 am until noon.
If you would like to learn more or volunteer (no teaching experience needed and new volunteers are paired with experienced ones), contact Ben Idowu at learnenglishministry.sta@gmail.com or STA office at 281-240-6721.
POST ABORTION HEALING
Many want to help women & men heal from past abortions but don't know how. Find out: www.goo.gl/MpC7RG
DIOCESAN SERVICES FUND
DSF brings Christ's comfort and care to the many pressing needs that cannot be addressed by one parish alone.
Our parish number is 7946. Our parish goal is $78,000.
To give online, visit http://www.archgh.org/dsf/.
MOBILE QR CODE
TO DONATE TO STA USING VANCO, CLICK ICON BELOW
EVANGELIZATION CORNER
Eternal Word Global Catholic Network makes available Catholic TV, radio, internet, apps.
Nine networks on cable and satellite. To find local channels for EWTN and EWTN Espanol:
LISTEN TO GUADALUPE RADIO, 1430 AM
In Memory of: Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, Foundress of EWTN, who was called home by her bridegroom, Jesus Christ, on March 27th, Easter Sunday, during the Marinite Rite vigil of the Annunciation.
WHY BE CATHOLIC?
"Enter" the link above and discover the history, beauty, spirituality and accomplishments of the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago.
CATHOLIC PROGRAMMING
The Mass, Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Catholic Answers and much more are available via Catholic radio and TV. The Eternal Word Global Catholic Network (EWTN) can be found on cable, internet, apps and local radio 1430 AM.
EWTN RADIO CHANNEL FINDER
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION (RCIA)
We host year-round Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Learn more about the Catholic Faith and explore the possibility of becoming Catholic. Inquiry sessions are held after the 9:30 a.m. Mass every Sunday in the Thissen Education Building, 2nd Floor. FMI: Scott Sabol, 832-265-3473, scott1sabol@gmail.com.
Evangelization
YOUR PARISH IS HERE FOR YOU !!!
In case of illness, please call the priest. Ministers of Holy Communion are available to bring the Eucharist to the sick who cannot attend Mass. Please call the parish office, 281-240-6721, for assistance.
WE PRAY THE ROSARY AT STA!!!!
Come half an hour before all weekend Masses to pray the rosary with the Catholic Daughters and the Legion of Mary.
The Rosary is also prayed after 8 am morning Masses and before the 6:45 pm Wednesday Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novena and Mass.
Pious tradition teaches that Our Blessed Mother gave the Rosary to St. Dominic with instructions to popularize its use, and she has repeatedly asked in church-approved apparitions to pray the Rosary for peace in the world!
In his 2002 Apostolic Letter on the Rosary, "Rosarium Virginis Mariae," Pope St. John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries to the traditional Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious to give the Rosary "fresh life and enkindle renewed interest in the Rosary's place within Christian spirituality." He asked that the Rosary be prayed for the cause of peace in the world and the cause of the family.
The Rosary is not a dry and boring exercise, the Saint reminds us, but a way of concentrating the mind on the particular mysteries and "remembering" with Mary as we pray to Christ and listen in the Spirit to the Father's voice.
A WEAPON FOR OUR TIMES
PRAY THE ROSARY FOR WORLD PEACE
FROM NEWSWEEK, JANUARY 2018
The persecution and genocide of Christians across the world is worse today “than at any time in history,” and Western governments are failing to stop it, a report from a Catholic organization said.
The study by Aid to the Church in Need said the treatment of Christians has worsened substantially in the past two years compared with the two years prior, and has grown more violent than any other period in modern times.
“Not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, but ever-increasing numbers are experiencing the very worst forms of persecution,” the report said.
The report examined the plight of Christians in China, Egypt, Eritrea, India, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Turkey over the period lasting from 2015 until 2017. The research showed that in that time, Christians suffered crimes against humanity, and some were hanged or crucified. The report found that Saudi Arabia was the only country where the situation for Christians did not get worse, and that was only because the situation couldn’t get any worse than it already was.
PRAYER FOR THE PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
O God our Creator, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God, and your Son, Jesus Christ.
We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER: PLEA FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
Martyrdom, persecution and suffering remain a part of daily life for tens of millions of the world’s Christians, most so in North Africa and across the Middle East and the Holy Land. The ranks of Christian martyrs have been increasing every day, even as suffering Christian communities display fortitude and trust in the Risen Lord in the face of hatred and violence.
In 2014, the evil plague of the Islamic State (ISIS) brought death, persecution and displacement to most of the Christians of Iraq, in particular those in the northern city of Mosul and the Nineveh Plain. In North Africa, there was the powerful spiritual legacy of the 21 Coptic Christians beheaded on a beach in Libya by ISIS in February 2015. They died with the name of Jesus upon their lips and are now honored as martyred saints of the Coptic Church of Egypt.
With the defeat of ISIS, Iraqi Christians now confront the difficult decision of whether to return to what were once Christian enclaves in a Muslim ocean. Although there is still no guarantee of security in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain, Christians are heroically heading back to their rightful homes, with help from numerous governments and generous Christians around the world.
WHERE DOES PRAYER COME FROM?
Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain. -- Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2562.
FREE ENGLISH CLASSES
Learn English Ministry teaches English to non-English speaking people free of charge.
FMI: Volunteers contact Ben Idowu, Ministry Coordinator - learnenglishministry.sta@gmail.com. Students contact: learnenglishministry.sta@gmail.com or 281-240-6721.