COME WORSHIP WITH US AT
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH
12627 W. BELLFORT AVE
SUGAR LAND, TX 77478
281-240-6721
SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. - JEREMIAH 17:5
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.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CARES CAMPAIGN
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. Pledges currently exceed $2.2 million.
Click here to make a payment on your pledge and/or enroll in Faith Direct
For details on the planned improvements to the parish, please watch our video below.
STA CARES VIDEO
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
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 Wednesday 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
2019 STA WOMEN'S RETREAT
MARCH 1 & 2, 2019:
"COMING HOME WITH FULL HEARTS."
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS ALDRIDGE HALL.
REGISTRATION FORMS AVAILABLE IN NARTHEX OR PARISH OFFICE.
PULPIT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Submission deadline: Tuesday the week of announcement, 5 pm. Email Verna at vpatout@stasugarland.com.
SPRING BIBLE STUDY HAS STARTED
"FOLLOW ME! MEETING JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14 thru APRIL 11, 2019
Mornings, 9-11:00 a.m. OR Evenings 7:15-9:15 p.m., Aldridge Hall
Email Arlene Schroeder at dasb@sbsglobal.net.
BULLETIN DEADLINE
Wednesday, eleven days before the bulletin date. Submit items to lcordova@stasugarland.com.
YOUNG ADULTS BIBLE STUDY
Young Adults of St. Thomas Aquinas (YASTA) meet in the STA Cafe for Liturgical Bible Study on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. FMI: yastahtx@gmail.com.
ROSARY BEFORE MASSES
Join the Catholic Daughters in praying the rosary half an hour before weekend Masses.
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.
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.
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."
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
- Feb 19 2019 7:00 pm - Legion of Mary
- Feb 20 2019 5:00 pm - St. Thomas Aquinas Renewed Seniors (STARS)
- Feb 20 2019 6:45 pm - Perpetual Help Rosary, Novena, Mass
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.
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY
PRAY THE ROSARY DAILY
LEARN TO MAKE ROSARIES!
Tuesdays, 9:30 am, Siena Room.
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.
OUR BLESSED MOTHER REQUESTED FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTION
OUR NEXT FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH: FEB. 2, 2019
Our Lady of the Rosary is the title revealed by Our Blessed Mother herself to the three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal on October 13, 1917. Seven years later in 1925, Our Lady gave Fatima visionary 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 five consecutive months 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.
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.
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).
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
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.