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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
PROCEDURE FOR HOLY COMMUNION
The procedure for distributing Holy Communion during Mass has been changed. The priest will no longer circulate among the congregation. The parishioners will now receive Communion at the altar.
Social distancing must be observed. Markers have been laid out on the sanctuary floor to make it easier. The ushers will guide the flow from the pews to the altar.
Communion will be given in the hand only. Keep your mask on as your receive the Blessed Sacrament. Move away from the altar before lowering your mask to consume the Host.
CAN'T RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST?
In cases where we are unable to leave our home to attend Mass, the Church encourages us to make an act of "Spiritual Communion" where we unite ourselves to God through prayer. Making an act of Spiritual Communion for countless saints was an essential part of life and drew them closer to God on a daily basis.
HOW TO MAKE A SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
RESTRICTIONS AND PRACTICES
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION PRAYER
My Jesus,
I believe that You are present in the
Most Holy Sacrament.
I love you above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my Soul.
Since I cannot receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace you as if You were already
there and unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from you.
AMEN.
CONFESSIONS
Beginning on Saturday, 25 July 2020, one of the Fathers will be available for hearing Confessions before the 5:00 PM Saturday Vigil Mass.
The Priest will be in the Cry Room from 4:15 until 4:45 PM. Please maintain the mandatory distance of at least six feet between the Priest and the Penitent. A mask must be worn. Children cannot be brought into the Cry Room during Confessions.
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE APPRECIATED
To all who have been continuing their regular STA contributions during this time of difficulty, thank you! Contributions can be made electronically through Faith Direct or Vanco. You may also mail in your contributions or use the drop slot at the parish office. God bless you and your families and may God keep you safe and healthy during this terrible crisis.
LETTER FROM OUR PASTOR
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."
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.
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."
LIVE ADORATION OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
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. Contributions received to date: $1,281,888.
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
MASS
Cardinal DiNardo is continuing the dispensation of the obligation to Sunday and Holy Day Mass attendance. Therefore, no one is required to attend public Mass at this time.
SANCTUARY OPENED
For private prayer ONLY
Mon to Sat: 7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m.
WEEKLY MASS SCHEDULE
Mon. 8:00 a.m. Mass
Tue. 8:00 a.m. Mass
Wed. 8:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. Mass
Thur. 8:00 a.m. Mass
Fri. 8:00 a.m. Mass
Sat. 8:00 a.m. Mass
Persons attending daily Mass will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing rules.
ANOINTING OF THE SICK
Please contact Fr. Joseph by phone at 281-240-6721 or by email at [email protected]
PRAY FOR OUR COUNTRY
According to St. Padre Pio, the rosary is a "weapon for our times." The Patriotic Rosary specifically covers our country, pleading the Blood of Jesus over each of our fifty states and consecrating our nation and its government to God.
PRAY, FAST AND SACRIFICE FOR CONVERSION OF UNITED STATES.
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY
PRAY FOR THE HOLY SOULS
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.
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. ' "
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
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.
To give online, visit http://www.archgh.org/dsf/.
As of April, 2020, STA Parishioners have contributed $38,799 toward its goal.
MOBILE QR CODE
TO DONATE USING VANCO, CLICK ICON BELOW
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 [email protected] 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
OPEN TO BECOMING CATHOLIC?
Here at St. Thomas Aquinas we host year-round Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
To know more about the classes, please call Scott Sabol at 832-265-3473.
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, [email protected]
Evangelization
YOUR PARISH IS HERE FOR YOU !!!
In case of illness, please call the Priest. Please call the parish office, 281-240-6721, for assistance.
WE PRAY THE ROSARY AT STA!!!!
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
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.
After the Consecration at Mass, the bread and wine are no longer bread and wine
but the true and substantial Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus.
--COUNCIL OF TRENT (1551) : DS 1651
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 - [email protected]. Students contact: [email protected] or 281-240-6721.