St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church

Saturday, September 16, 2017; Saturday, November 18, 2017.

Both parents and godparents must attend. You must be registered in the Church office before the class.

Please do not bring children to the class.

Call of email Lety Cordova at 281-240-6721, lcordova@stasugarland.com

REMAINING 2017 BAPTISM DATES: 9/24/17, 10/29/17, 11/26/17, 12/31/17 (No Baptisms in August).

Registration ends August 23, 2017.

Edge & Life Teen 1st Class: September 24, 2017. Confirmation Class: October 1, 2017, 1:15-3:45 p.m. Thissen Youth Room.

"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."

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."

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

According to the memoirs of their cousin Lucia, Francisco had a placid disposition, was somewhat musically inclined, and liked to be by himself to think. Jacinta was affectionate but somewhat spoiled. She had a sweet singing voice and a gift for dancing.

Following their experiences, their fundamental personality remained the same. Francisco preferred to pray alone, saying this would "console Jesus for the sins of the world." Jacinta said she was deeply affected by a terrifying vision of Hell shown to the children at the third apparition, and deeply convinced of the need to save sinners through penance and sacrifice as the Virgin had told the children to do. All three, but especially Francisco and Jacinta, practiced stringent self-mortification to this end.

At the time of the apparitions, Francisco was nine years old and Jacinta was seven. Both Francisco and Jacinta died within two years of the apparitions during the flu pandemic in Portugal. They are the youngest non-martyred canonized saints of the Catholic Church.

STS FRANCISCO AND JACINTA: PRAY FOR US!

The practice of receiving Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is derived from revelations made by Christ to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690). See First Friday Devotion. NEXT DATE: SEPTEMBER 1ST.

Those who practice the First Saturday Devotion receive Holy Communion on five consecutive First Saturdays, receive the Sacrament of Penance within an octave of this reception, recite five decades of the Rosary and make a 15-minute meditation on one of these mysteries. This devotion traced to St. John Eudes gained momentum after Our Lady of Fatima (1917) requested it, promising her intercession for final perseverance at the hour of death to all who would be faithful to it. See First Saturday Devotion. NEXT DATE: SEPTEMBER 2ND.

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). Enjoy and share with others in our community.

The Catholic Daughters will lead the novena to the Divine Mercy in the Divine Mercy Chapel, daily from 3:00 p.m. Good Friday through the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday.

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.

"Eucharist: Discovering the Mass in the Bible" will be our Fall Book Study, beginning September 14, 2017 and ending before Thanksgiving on November 16th.

Renowned teacher Dr. Brant Pitre guides us though scripture, history and Church teaching to illuminate the wonder and miracle of the Eucharist.

This is a 10-week, one-semester course with a video presentation each session.

Each participant will get a workbook to guide us through this Augustine Institute program study. Donation is $30 to cover cost.

Many want to help women & men heal from past abortions but don't know how. Find out: www.goo.gl/MpC7RG

"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.

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.

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.

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.

PRAY THE ROSARY FOR WORLD PEACE

* Enrolling 6 weeks to 6 years old.

* We accept NCI.

* All teachers degreed.

* Breakfast, lunch and PM snack included in tuition.

* Reggio Emilia Approach Curriculum.

* Part of Bright Beginning program

* 6:30 am to 6:30 pm Monday to Friday.

* Closed circuit security cameras. Code security access to building.

Parishioner discounts. Come and visit. Call or make an appointment for a tour: 281-240-7196.

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.

In an address to the United Nations on Friday, September 25th, Pope Francis told world leaders that the right to life is a foundational human right, and that it includes unborn children. His remarks come one day after he urged members of Congress to “defend life at every stage of development.”

“First, it must be stated that a true ‘right of the environment’ does exist,” the Holy Father said. “First, because we human beings are part of the environment. Because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with other creatures.

“Consequently, the defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman, and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions.

He concluded: “The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic."

COMPLETE TEXT OF UN ADDRESS IN ENGLISH

Tens of thousands of people marched for life Friday on the grounds of the Washington Monument in our nation's capital. For the first time in 44 years, the March for Life included a sitting Vice President of the United States. Vice President Mike Pence encouraged the crowd to continue its fight for the lives of the unborn.

Since the Roe v Wade Supreme Court decision in January 1973 legalized abortion through all nine months of a woman's pregnancy, close to 60 million unborn babies have been aborted.

This week, President Donald Trump will name his nominee to succeed the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Pray for an end to abortion and for a conversion of hearts in our country.

Learn English Ministry teaches English to non-English speaking people free of charge.

There are two sessions of the classes during the school year, September through April. Mon.-Wed. ( 7-8:30 pm).

FMI: Volunteers contact Pat Fahy, Ministry Coordinator - learnenglishministry.sta@gmail.com. Students contact: learnenglishministry.sta@gmail.com or 281-240-6721.

 For novena prayers and email reminders for ongoing novenas, go to Pray More Novenas.

The Supreme Court's narrow majority decision (June 26th) is gravely unjust as it attempts to change the nature of marriage. Mandating marriage redefinition across the country is a tragic error harming the common good and the most vulnerable among us. The ruling does not and cannot change what marriage really is. No one and no court can make what is false true.

Marriage is a perennial institution, with deep roots in who we are and in our nation's culture and laws. Marriage is and always will be the union between one man and one woman. This truth is inseparable from the duty to honor the God-given dignity of every human person, to protect the beautiful truth of marriage, which concerns the essential well-being of the nation, especially children. Children have a basic right, wherever possible, to know and be loved by their mother and father together. The law has a duty to support every child in this most basic right.

With renewed purpose, we call upon all people of good will to promote and defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman for life. The redefinition of legal marriage to include any other type of relationship has serious consequences, especially for religious freedom.

Our Church will continue its efforts to support public policy issues, including a version of the marriage and religious freedom act, which would prohibit the government from discriminating against those who act in accordance with a religious belief or moral conviction that marriage is the union between a man and woman.

I encourage the faithful of the Archdiocese to move forward with faith, hope, and love: faith in the unchanging truth about marriage, hope that these truths will once again prevail in our society, and love for all our neighbors. Together, we must increase our efforts to strengthen marriages and families and rebuild a marriage culture. And, we shall continue to reach out with love and support to all people, including those who experience same-sex attraction knowing that all people are loved by God and are called to love Him.