View - Catholic Diocese of Brownsville

Volume 7, Issue 9
Pope to visit
marginalized
communities
in Mexico
By CAROL GLATZ
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Francis will visit some of the
most marginalized communities in Mexico and seek to bring
hope to a country deeply suffering from crime, corruption and
inequality when he visits in February.
The Vatican announced Dec.
12 details about the pope’s Feb.
12-17 trip to Mexico, during
which he will stop in six cities,
including two in the state of Chiapas and — across from El Paso,
Texas — Ciudad Juarez, which
just five years ago was considered the “murder capital of the
world” as drug cartels disputed a
trafficking corridor.
The pope said in November that he wanted to visit cities
where St. John Paul II and Pope
Benedict XVI never went. But he
said he will stop at the capital of
Mexico City to pray at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“But if it wasn’t for Our Lady I
wouldn’t” go there, he had told
reporters.
The pope will fly out of and
return to Mexico City each day
after celebrating Mass at the basilica on the second day of his
trip.
Over the following four days,
he will visit a pediatric hospital
in the capital as well as families
and indigenous communities
in the southernmost state of
Chiapas, Mexico’s poorest state,
which gained worldwide attention for the 1990s Zapatista rebellion.
He will visit young people
and religious in Morelia, celebrate Mass on the Mexican-U.S.
border in Ciudad Juarez and
visit its infamous Cereso state
prison, where at least 20 people
were killed during riots in 2009
triggered by rival gangs among
the prisoners.
“We are certain that the presence of the Holy Father will confirm us in the faith, hope and
charity and will help the church
move ahead in its permanent
mission,” the Mexican bishops’
conference said in a Dec. 12
statement. “It will encourage
Miracle
APPROVED
Serving More Than A Million Catholics in the Diocese of Brownsville
Future saint reached out
to the “poorest of the poor.”
See story on page 7
CNS Photo by Nancy Wiechec
Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, paving the way for her
canonization in 2016. Mother Teresa is seen during a visit to Phoenix, Ariz., in 1989.
» Please see Mexico p.12
JANUARY 2016
Giving
witness
to life
Peaceful, prayerful
march set for Jan. 30
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN — The diocesan
Respect Life Apostolate is organizing a peaceful and prayerful
march on Saturday, Jan. 30 in
McAllen to spread the message
of life in our community.
The event will begin at 9 a.m.
with opening prayers and remarks by Bishop Daniel E. Flores
at St. Joseph the Worker Parish,
900 S. 23rd St. After the prayer
service, a procession will depart
the church and file into downtown. Throughout the procession, the Rosary will be prayed
and hymns will be sung.
The procession will pass by
the local abortion facility and
end at Sacred Heart Parish, 306
S. 15th St. with closing prayers.
All are invited to give witness to life. Prayer groups,
church groups, Catholic schools,
families and individuals are welcomed and encouraged to attend.
The march is held in reparation for the more than 57 million
babies who have been killed in
the United States since the Roe v.
Wade Supreme Court ruling on
Jan. 22, 1973 that legalized abortion. Pro-life advocates across
the nation are observing the anniversary with events of prayer
and action.
“We sometimes have the
idea that faith is just a personal
thing, but faith is really what
ties to each other and not only
to God,” said Father Alejandro
Flores, director of the diocesan
Respect Life Apostolate and pastor of San Juan Diego Parish in
McAllen. “We are connected …
we are connected to this woman who is in a crisis pregnancy;
we are connected to this couple
who is facing a pregnancy they
weren’t planning for; we are connected to the doctor who thinks
he is helping by killing a child in
the womb and we are connected
to that child who is a creature of
God who is called to take part in
» Please see Pro-Life p.12
YEAR OF MERCY
SPIRIT AWARDS
THOSE WHO SERVE
EN
ENESPAÑOL
ESPAÑOL
Artículos sobre el viaje del
papa a México, el Año de la
Misericordia, y una marcha
pacífica y de oración para dar
testimonio a la vida
“VERBUM MITTITUR
SPIRANS AMOREM”
(“The WORD is sent
breathing love.”)
Bishop opens Holy Doors; U.S.
bishops offer reflection points
Page 3
Catholic Schools honor
dedicated individuals
Page 6
Sister Colleen Materese, SSD
Page 7
Páginas 9-10
2
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic -
La
misericordia
es una obra
Como seres humanos tenemos
sentimientos, actitudes, gustos y
disgustos. ¿Creen que la misericordia se concentre en algunos
de estos aspectos de nuestra vida?
Yo no creo. De hecho podemos
tener sentimientos misericordiosos, actitudes de compasión,
podemos sentirnos mal mientras
vemos los reportes de personas
afligidas en la televisión, pero
éstas posibilidades afectivas no
abarcan lo que quiere decir la
palabra “misericordia” porque la
misericordia es una obra.
Nadie puede negar que
nuestro Señor Jesucristo fue
misericordioso y claro está que
esto no lo sabemos debido a que
él guardaba ciertos sentimientos
o actitudes. Lo que el Señor vivía
no eran actitudes o sentimientos
sino acciones. El Señor Jesús
curaba a los enfermos, consolaba a los afligidos, enseñaba a
los que no conocían los rasgos
del Reino. Actuaba de manera
misericordiosa. Sus obras nacían
de la profundidad de su corazón
misericordioso y esto es algo que
todos deberíamos tener. Pero hay
que decirlo claramente: entendemos el corazón de Jesús como
fuente de misericordia porque
ha mostrado tal fuente actuando
concretamente por medio de sus
obras.
Sabemos que Dios es bueno y
misericordioso porque actúa de
manera buena y misericordiosa.
Este buen Dios bajó del cielo
para mostrarnos la bondad. Pero
fíjense bien, la bondad se expresa
como un remedio para nuestro
sufrimiento y por eso confesamos
que la bondad de Dios es para
nosotros una misericordia.
Una vez bajado del cielo,
se dedicó a continuar la gran
obra de misericordia. De hecho
su obra sirve para identificarlo
como el Cristo prometido. “En
aquel tiempo, Juan envió a dos
de sus discípulos a preguntar
a Jesús: “¿Eres tú el que ha de
venir o tenemos que esperar a
otro?” (Vean San Lucas 7,19s.) ¿Y
cuál fue la respuesta del Señor?
“Vayan a contarle a Juan lo que
han visto y oído: los ciegos ven,
los cojos andan, los leprosos quedan limpios, los sordos oyen, los
muertos resucitan y a los pobres
se les anuncia el Evangelio”.
La obra misericordiosa de
Jesús lo identifica como el enviado prometido.
Podríamos decir que todo el
misterio de nuestra redención,
Mercy is a Work
A
s human beings we have feelings,
attitudes, likes and dislikes. Do we
perhaps think that mercifulness is
concentrated in one of these aspects of our
life? I do not think so. In fact we can have
merciful feelings, attitudes of compassion;
we can feel bad while we see the reports
about suffering people on the news, but
these affective possibilities do not embrace
what the word “mercy” means, because
mercy is a work.
No one can deny that our Lord Jesus
Christ was merciful, and it is clear that we
do not know this simply because he harbored certain feelings or attitudes. What
the Lord lived were not simply attitudes or
feelings, but actions. The Lord Jesus Christ
healed the sick, comforted the afflicted, he
taught those who didn’t know the ways of
the Kingdom. He acted in a merciful manner. His deeds were born from the depths of
his merciful heart and this is something we
should all seek. But we must say it clearly:
we know Jesus’s heart as a fount of mercy
because he showed this fount by his concrete actions.
We know that God is good and merciful
because he acts in a good and merciful way.
The good God descended from heaven to
show us his goodness. But pay close attention, this goodness is expressed as a remedy
to our suffering, and that is why we confess
that the goodness of God is, for us, a mercy.
Once descended from heaven, he continued to dedicate himself to the grand work
of mercy. In fact, his deeds helped to iden-
desde la Encarnación hasta la
derrama de sangre en la Cruz y
la derrama del Espíritu el día de
Pentecostés, fue el gran desarrollo de una inmensa obra de
misericordia divina. Todo para
remediar lo que nos aflige. ¿Y qué
es lo que nos aflige? Pues claro, la
falta de ser misericordiosos.
Tener fe en esta obra de Jesús
significa abrazar la bondad de
Dios manifestada en nuestro Señor. La señal eficaz de que hemos
abrazado al Señor se manifiesta
en nuestra vida renovada en la
gracia que nos anima a seguir
su camino de misericordia. Ser
renovados como agentes de misericordia es el efecto principal de
la misericordia de Cristo dentro
de nosotros. Él desea sanar nuestra falta de misericordia.
El sentirnos mal al ver un
sufrido en la tele no cuenta para
contarnos entre los misericordiosos. Quizás nos sentimos
bien al sentirnos mal. Pero
tengan cuidado con eso pues el
mundo puede sentirse mal al ver
el afligido pero muchas veces
no hace nada para remediar la
situación. La actitud no nos hace
misericordiosos. El buscar como
MOST REVEREND
DANIEL E. FLORES
BISHOP OF BROWNSVILLE
tify him as the promised Christ. “In those
days, John summoned two of his disciples
and sent them to ask Jesus: “Are you the
one who is to come, or should we look for
another?” (See Saint Luke 7, 19.) And what
was the Lord’s response? “Go and tell John
what you have seen and heard: the blind see,
the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the
good news proclaimed to them.”
Jesus’s merciful actions identify him as
the One promised and sent.
We could say that all the whole mystery
of our redemption, from the Incarnation to
the pouring out of his blood on the Cross
and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on
the day of Pentecost, was the grand unfolding of an immense act of divine mercy. All
this is for the healing of our afflictions. And,
what is it that afflicts us? Well, put simply,
our lack of mercifulness.
To have faith in Jesus’s great work means
to embrace God’s kindness manifested in
our Lord. The effective sign that we have
embraced the Lord shows itself in our
aliviar el sufrimiento es el paso
que Dios nos pide para entrar al
misterio que Él empezó con su
Encarnación.
“¿Qué debemos hacer?”, le
preguntaba la gente a Juan el
Bautista cuando hablaba de la
próxima llegada del Cristo. Él
replicaba: “Quien tenga dos túnicas, que dé una al que no tiene
ninguna, y quien tenga comida,
que haga lo mismo”. (Vean San
Lucas 3, 10s.)
Dios tomó nuestra naturaleza
para aplicar una unción sobre
nuestras heridas y al sentirnos
capaces de salir al encuentro del
que sufre participamos en su
naturaleza divina. El Señor es misericordioso y quiere un pueblo
misericordioso. Busquemos
durante el Año de la Misericordia
no sólo pensar en cosas piadosas
sobre la misericordia sino más
bien busquemos cómo atender a
los que sufren.
Si la obra misericordiosa de
Jesús lo identificó como el Cristo,
nuestras obras misericordiosas
nos deben de identificar como
Cristianos.
Bishop Daniel E. Flores
Publisher
Catholic Diocese of Brownsville
www.cdob.org
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Editor
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renewed life in that grace that encourage
us to seek the way of mercy. To be renewed
as agents of mercy is the principal effect of
the mercy of Christ working within us. He
wishes to heal our lack of mercy.
Feeling bad when we see someone
suffering on TV doesn’t mean that we are
counted among the merciful. Maybe we
feel good when we feel bad. But be careful
with that, because the world can feel badly
when seeing the afflicted, but many times
does nothing to remedy the situation. An
attitude doesn’t make us merciful. Searching
for ways to alleviate suffering is the step that
God asks us to take in order for us to enter
the mystery that he began with his Incarnation.
“What shall we do?” People asked this of
John the Baptist when he spoke of the proximate arrival of the Christ. He responded:
“Whoever has two cloaks should share with
the person who has none. And whoever has
food should do likewise”. (See Saint Luke 3,
10.)
God took our nature to apply an anointing over our wounds and by being able to
go out and encounter those who suffer, we
participate in his divine nature. The Lord is
merciful and he wants a merciful people. Let
us try, during the Year of Mercy, not simply
to think pious things related to mercy, but
rather to search for how we can attend to
those who suffer.
If Jesus’s merciful works identified him
as the Christ, our merciful works ought to
identify us as Christians.
Corporal works of mercy
1. Visit the sick
2. Feed the hungry
3. Give drink to the thirsty
4. Shelter the homeless
5. Clothe the naked
6. Visit the imprisoned
7. Bury the dead
Spiritual works of mercyy
1. Teach (with humility) the one who
doesn’t know
2. Give counsel to the troubled
3. Correct (charitably) the one who is mistaken
4. Forgive (from the heart) the one who offends us
5. Comfort the sorrowful
6. Bear with patience the faults of others
7. Pray to God for the living and the dead
Las obras de misericordia
corporales:
1. Visitar a los enfermos
2. Dar de comer al hambriento
3. Dar de beber al sediento
4. Dar posada al peregrino
5. Vestir al desnudo
6. Visitar a los presos
7. Enterrar a los difuntos
Las obras de misericordia espirituales:
700 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, TX 78589-3042
Telephone: 956/781-5323 • Fax: 956/784-5082
Rose Ybarra
Assistant Editor
January 2016
To read the Bishop’s blog,
En Pocas Palabras, visit
http://bishopflores.
blogspot.com
1. Enseñar (con humildad) al que no sabe
2. Dar buen consejo al que lo necesita
3. Corregir (con caridad) al que se equivoca
4. Perdonar (de corazón) al que nos ofende
5. Consolar al triste
6. Sufrir con paciencia los defectos del prójimo
7. Rezar a Dios por los vivos y por los difuntos.
Bishop Flores’ Schedule - January 2016
Jan. 3
4 p.m.
Brownsville
Misa de la Sagrada Familia (MFC) at St. Joseph
Jan. 10
1 p.m.
San Juan
Mass at Basilica
Jan. 17
3 p.m.
Peñitas
Mass for Feast of Santo Niño at St. Anne
Jan. 23
1 p.m.
Weslaco
Talk at 6th Annual Divine Mercy Conference
Jan. 29
6 p.m.
McAllen
Spirit Award Banquet at Our Lady of Sorrows School
Jan 30
9 a.m.
McAllen
Pro-Life Rally – Procession at St. Juan Diego
January 2016
DIOCESE
- The Valley Catholic
How to live the Year of Mercy
3
»Solemnity of
Mary
U.S. bishops offer
reflection themes
for Jubilee year
U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops
The Jubilee Year of Mercy
began on Dec. 8, 2015, the 50th
anniversary of the closing of the
Second Vatican Council. Here are
a few important themes for reflection during this important year.
Jesus is the “face” of the
Father’s mercy
Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Francis writes in Misericordiae Vultus, the Bull of Indiction of the
Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, is
the “face” of the Father’s mercy—
he reveals the mercy of God by
his words, actions, and person.
We follow Jesus’ example when
we open ourselves to the Father’s
mercy by looking “sincerely” into
the eyes of our brothers and sisters, including those “who are denied their dignity.” How have you
experienced the Father’s mercy in
your own life? How might Jesus
be calling you to look “sincerely”
into the eyes of those who are denied their dignity?
Mercy is “the beating heart
of the Gospel”
Pope Francis writes: “It is absolutely essential for the Church
and for the credibility of her
message that she herself live and
testify to mercy.” Mercy, he says,
is “the beating heart of the Gospel” (Misericordiae Vultus). To
live mercy, we must rediscover
both the spiritual works of mercy
(counsel the doubtful, instruct
Courtesy photo
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores officially opened the holy doors at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville on Dec. 13, 2015.
The holy doors mark the cathedral as a special place of pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year of Mercy which began Dec. 8, 2015 and
continues through Nov. 20, 2016. The bishop also opened the holy doors at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle – National
Shrine on Dec. 20.
the ignorant, admonish sinners,
comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who
do us ill, and pray for the living
and the dead), and the corporal
works of mercy (feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty, clothe
the naked, welcome the stranger,
heal the sick, visit the imprisoned,
and bury the dead). Which spiritual works of mercy might Christ
be calling you to practice? Which
corporal works of mercy?
Mercy “demands justice”
“True mercy, the mercy God
gives to us and teaches us, demands justice, it demands that
the poor find the way to be poor
no longer,” Pope Francis notes. “It
asks us, the Church, us, the City
of Rome, it asks the institutions —
to ensure that no one ever again
stand in need of a soupkitchen, of
makeshift-lodgings, of a service
of legal assistance in order to have
his legitimate right recognized
to live and to work, to be fully a
person” (Address to Jesuit Refugee Services, 9/10/13). In your
own life, and in your faith community, how do you work for justice? Do you seek to address the
root causes of problems that affect
those who are vulnerable?
The Valley Catholic
The Immaculate Conception Cathedral
in Brownsville has been placed under
the patronage of St. Joseph to guide
the parish during the Jubilee Year.
Sixth Annual Divine Mercy Conference set for Jan. 23
Dramatization about
St. Faustina’s life,
devotion scheduled
The Valley Catholic
WESLACO — Fountain of
Mercy Ministries, a local apostolate, is hosting its Sixth Annual Divine Mercy Conference on
Saturday, Jan. 23 at the Weslaco
ISD Performing Arts Center,
506 E. 6th St. Doors open at 6
a.m. and the event begins at 8
a.m.
The mission of the apostolate is to spread the message and
devotion of Divine Mercy.
Keynote speakers are Bishop Daniel E. Flores and Father
Chris Alar of the Congregation
of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most
Blessed Virgin Mary.
Father Alar is the director
of the Marian Helpers from the
National Shrine of Divine Mercy
in Stockbridge, Mass. The Marian Helpers are laypersons who
support the mission of the Marian Fathers in their works of
mercy and evangelization. The
group includes about 1.5 million
members, according to the Marian Fathers website.
At the conference, Father
Alar will speak about St. Faustina Kowalska’s role as the great
apostle of Divine Mercy for our
times and on the devotional
practices given by our Merciful Lord to our aching world
Courtesy Photo
The play, Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy, which is touring throughout the United
States, will be presented at the Sixth Annual Divine Mercy Conference on Saturday, Jan.
23 at the Weslaco ISD Performing Arts Center.
through St. Faustina. In addition, he will lead a Eucharistic
Holy Hour with Benediction.
This year, the conference will
also include a dramatic presentation about St. Faustina’s life
and the backstory of the Divine Mercy devotion. The play,
Faustina: Messenger of Divine
Mercy, is touring throughout
the United States and stars Maria Vargo as Sister Faustina,
the 20th century Polish mystic
whose personal encounters with
Jesus have fostered the Divine
Mercy devotion.
To prepare for her role as
Sister Faustina, Vargo spent five
days in community with the
saint’s order, the Sisters of Our
Lady of Mercy, at their motherhouse in Dorchester, Mass.,
according to Saint Luke Productions, the Battle Ground, Wash.based company that is producing the play.
Sister Faustina was a young,
uneducated nun living in a convent in Krakow, Poland at the
time of World War I. When she
was working in the convent’s
kitchen and garden, she received
revelations or messages from
Jesus. At Jesus’ request, Sister
Faustina recorded those experiences in notebooks, which are
now known as the Diary of Saint
Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul.
Pope John Paul II canonized
Sister Faustina in 2000. Recognizing the importance of the
message in her Diary, the pope
called her “the great apostle of
Divine Mercy in our time.”
A second performance of
the play is scheduled for Sunday,
Jan. 24 and is targeted towards
the youth and those who are unable to attend the conference.
The play is suitable for ages 13
and older. Tickets are $15 for
adults, ages 20 and older and
$10 for teens. Online registration is recommended. For more
information on the play, visit
www.DivineMercyDrama.com.
The conference registration
fee of $25 includes a continental
breakfast and lunch. Admission
is free for priests, deacons and
religious brothers and sisters.
Organizers ask that everyone
attending the conference complete the registration process,
even those attending at no cost,
for planning purposes. Registration for the conference and Sunday’s presentation of Faustina:
Messenger of Divine Mercy is
available online at www.fomm.
us. Contact Yolanda Ramos at
(956) 454-2103 for more information.
Jan. 1 is a
holy day of
obligation
The Valley Catholic
The Solemnity of Mary,
Mother of God, Thursday, Jan. 1,
is a holy day of obligation.
The oldest major feast honoring Our Lady, the solemnity recognizes the motherhood of Mary.
The celebration dates to the fifth
century following the Council of
Ephesus, which declared that as
the mother of Christ, Mary was
the “Theotokos” or “God-bearer.”
Jan. 1 is also the Octave of
Christmas and the World Day of
Peace.
Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on holy days of obligation. The faithful may contact
their churches for Mass times on
Jan. 1 or for Vigil Masses on Dec.
31.
»News Briefs
Youth 2000 Retreat
set for Jan. 8-10
The Valley Catholic
Holy Spirit Parish in McAllen, located at 2201 Martin Ave.,
is sponsoring a Youth 2000 retreat
Jan, 8-10. All youth and young
adults, ages 13-30, are invited.
Church groups and Catholic
schools are encouraged and welcomed to attend.
Led by the New York-based
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal,
the retreat will feature Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament,
Confession, prayer, talks, music
and fellowship. The goal of the
retreat is to help young people develop a deep and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ.
The cost is $25 for the weekend, meals included. For more
information, call (956) 631-5295.
Order your CRS Rice
Bowl todayy
Visit
sit www.crsricebowl.org
www cr
crsri
sriceb
cebowl
owl o ffor
prayer services and reflections to
help live Lent more profoundly.
For more information or for
CRS Rice Bowl resources, see
www.crsricebowl.org or contact
Miguel Santos at msantos@cdob.
org or (956) 784.5093.
DIOCESE
»Women en la Frontera
The Valley Catholic - January
4
On turning 50 & lessons learned
I was 26 years old when my
mother died of cancer at age 50.
In the aftermath of her passing
and fearful of the limited time
I might have, I learned to value
each moment. I tried to fit as
much as possible into each year.
Now as I reach the half century
point of my life on January 17
I am grateful for the adventure
God has granted me.
The journey did not come
without turbulence and challenges, but the dark days did not
swallow me. I am alive, and I
feel even more alive because I am
not afraid of death. Yes, I have a
growing list of what I would like
to do and I certainly need more
time to try to do it all, but I embrace each day as it comes.
A half-century of stumbles
and falls amidst the joys and
exhilarating surprises provide
for some lessons learned. 1. Be
grateful. 2. Don’t take anything
for granted, especially people. 3.
Don’t be afraid.
There are not enough words
to enumerate all I am grateful for
in my days. When my daughter
was younger, we played a game to
see who could list the most blessings in our day. What a joy to
see how endless the list became.
Principal on my list each day are
the people in my life, namely my
husband, son and daughter along
with my friends who inspire
me forward by their words of
wisdom, encouragement and
example. I am also grateful for
the capacity to love and to count
Brenda
Nettles Riojas
Editor of The
Valley Catholic
myself as a lifelong learner, a
citizen of the world with a growing curiosity about everything
before me.
While I am not thrilled with
some of the physical changes that
come with aging – the added
weight, new wrinkles and greys, I
am thankful that with age comes
wisdom, a greater awareness of
what matters. In Proverbs 3:13 we
read, “Happy the one who finds
wisdom, the one who gains understanding!” This wisdom helps
us prioritize what’s important in
our lives. It teaches us not to take
anything for granted. This helps
me live in the moment, being
present to people, recognizing
that it’s not about me, but about
serving others.
It also means we can’t take
our health for granted. We can’t
stop the aging process, but we
can take steps to eat healthier and
exercise. Carmen Tafolla, the Poet
Laureate for Texas, wrote an open
letter to the people in San Antonio when she was diagnosed with
cancer urging people to take steps
to stay healthy. We take extreme
measures to fight cancer once it is
diagnosed. Why not take action
aimed at prevention?
Wisdom, which comes from
trusting God, helps us let go of
our fears. Childhood experiences
created a river of fears in me
which have taken this half-century to overcome. How refreshing
to leave those fears behind, to accept who I am with all my imperfections. Surrendering to the Lord
makes the journey less worrisome. Yes, we may stumble along
the way. There will be espinitas,
but it is part of the growing. Not
only am learning to speak up for
my beliefs, these days I am more
motivated to try something new,
especially if it scares me. In 2015,
I wrote about one such moment
when fear prompted me to accept
an invitation to turn some of my
poems about my mother into a
short play.
Letting go of fear has been
part of my faith journey. I have
stopped worrying about how
many more tomorrows wait.
I start this New Year and new
chapter ready with anticipation
for what comes next, ready to say
“yes” to God’s calling. I realize, as
St. Ignatius of Loyola notes in his
spiritual exercises, I am a work in
progress. I also know death does
not have the last word. As I wrote
in my death poem, “La muerte no
triunfa” – “We don’t know when
/ the ink will dry in our hands, /
when the words will stop / mid
breath. But we know the hour /
will come, the hour for our story’s
last page.” In the meantime, I pray
my days be an offering and that
they may be pleasing to God.
»Family Life
‘Happy Hour’ at home, with family
One of my happiest hours
of the day is the hour I spend in
the kitchen preparing our family
dinner. It is truly a “Happy Hour.”
I am very grateful to God that I
have a job/ ministry that I really
enjoy and my days are filled with
meaningful work and with many
opportunities to serve God by
serving my family, by serving
the Church/ Community, and
by serving others in need. And
although I really enjoy what I
do during work hours, I look
forward to preparing our family
dinner which has always been
relaxing for me. It is enjoyable for
many reasons.
1.I am a planner by nature
and for more than thirty years,
always prepare a menu for the
week taking into consideration
what evening commitments I
have; either work commitments
or if Mauri and I have a Sponsor
Couple Session with an engaged
couple. I often plan crock pot
dinners on those days which
can include chicken soup; roast
chicken and sweet potatoes;
tortilla soup, or crock pot lasagna.
Since making last minute decisions on what to cook for dinner
is not my forte, pre-planning
takes the stress out of meal preparation. I am reminded of a quote
from Pope Francis: “In Jesus,
God himself became Emmanuel,
God-with-us, the God who walks
alongside us, who gets involved
in our lives, in our homes, in the
midst of our “pots and pans”, as
Saint Teresa of Jesus liked to say.”
2. I don’t enjoy department
store shopping but I do enjoy
grocery shopping. I prepare my
grocery list from the menu prepared so as not to over buy and
Lydia Pesina
Director, Family
Life Office
keep produce fresh and expenses
within the weekly grocery budget.
It is also an opportunity to ask
the other family members what
they need from the grocery store
and provide for one another’s
daily needs. “Love is shown by
little things, by attention to small
daily signs which make us feel
at home. Faith grows when it is
lived and shaped by love. That is
why our families, our homes, are
true domestic churches.”(Pope
Francis)
3. Another reason I enjoy my
cooking “Happy Hour” is that it
gives me a chance to either be in
solitude and think and ponder
while I cook, or a chance to
dialogue with someone in the
family and have them help out.
I see it as a win-win situation. If
my daughter comes to ask me
something while I cook and I ask
her to help; if she helps, it gives us
some bonding time; if she decides
to leave me alone, I have my quiet
time to enjoy. Again, another
one of Pope Francis’ “nuggets
of wisdom”: “God is good, all
that is true, all that is beautiful
brings us to God. Because God
is good, God is beautiful, God is
the truth.” “But the most beautiful
thing that God made, the Bible
says, was the family.”
4. Family meals around the
table (without electronics) is very
important to us. For most of our
married life, Mauri and I have
used cloth napkins for every meal
whether we are four or 24 sharing
a meal. The dishes are simple as
are the meals but the gathering
around the table to pray, to eat,
to talk, to share, to disagree, to
reconcile, and to start over again
is priceless. Family life is messy,
but the sacredness of life is in the
messiness of our everyday life as
a family.
I was touched by two family stories at two different parish
presentations. At St. John the
Baptist parish, a woman shared
that her husband worked out of
town in construction and because
her children have different activities daily, they didn’t often get a
chance to eat together, but at 9
p.m. she gathers everyone around
the dining room table, serves
oranges or watermelon, and they
all “face-time” with the dad.
At St. Joseph the Worker
in McAllen a man told me he
had just quit his job because his
schedule was changed to evenings
and he said he was strong enough
to find another job and was not
willing to compromise his family
time. Again, our wonderful Pope
Francis reminds us with these
words, “We cannot call any society healthy when it does not leave
real room for family life.” “Perfect
families do not exist. This must
not discourage us. Quite the
opposite. Love is something we
learn; love is something we live;
love grows as it is ‘forged’ by the
concrete situations which each
particular family experiences.
Love is born and constantly develops amid lights and shadows.”
May you each enjoy your
“Happy Hour.”
2016
New norms help couples
with annulment process
The Valley Catholic
VATICAN CITY — As reformed rules for marriage annulment cases came into effect,
Pope Francis said the new norms
are to be adhered to in order to
help bring healing to failed marriages.
With the release of two papal
documents in September 2015,
the pope rewrote a section of
canon law with the aim of making the Catholic Church’s marriage annulment process quicker, cheaper and much more of a
pastoral ministry.
A juridical process is always
necessary for making accurate
judgments, and the new rules
were not about promoting annulments, but rather about
helping Catholic couples with
the process so they would not
be “oppressed by the shadow of
doubt” for prolonged periods, he
had said in the papal documents.
The papal documents, “Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus” (“The
Lord Jesus, the Gentle Judge”)
for the Latin-rite church and
“Mitis et misericors Iesus” (“The
Meek and Merciful Jesus”) for
the Eastern Catholic churches,
went into effect Dec. 8, the opening day of the Year of Mercy.
Before the reformed rules,
in the Diocese of Brownsville,
for example, an annulment case
could take six to 12 months to
complete at the first instance
level at the diocesan tribunal
and then an additional six to 12
months at the second instance
level in San Antonio.
“And in many cases, it was
clear that the marriage was invalid but the case still took more
than two years to complete,” said
Father Oliver Angel, judicial
vicar for the diocesan tribunal.
“They (the Appellate Court in
San Antonio) were just overwhelmed with too many cases.”
Under the new rules, the vast
majority of cases will no longer
have to go through San Antonio
and will be completed locally by
the diocesan tribunal.
Father Angel surmises annulment cases will now take an
average of nine months and in
some cases, as little as 45 days.
Also, the cost of an annulment
was $500, under the new rules,
the process is free.
Those who are interested in
obtaining an annulment should
make an appointment at their
parish. A priest, deacon, or a
trained layperson will serve as
an advocate and assist the individual through the process.
“When a person is seeking
an annulment, we understand
they are hurting,” Father Angel
said. “Through this process we
are not only seeking justice, but
healing.”
Father Angel said there will
be a period of adjustment for
the diocesan tribunal as the new
rules take effect and he asks the
public to be patient.
The tribunal receives about
80-90 annulment cases annually.
“It is a big change and we still
have a lot of questions, but we
will try our best and trust in the
Holy Spirit,” he said.
Among the reforms introduced by Mitis Iudex Dominus
Iesus are four changes that address the Pope’s desire to expedite the process in processing
cases involving an allegation of
marriage nullity.
Please feel free to contact the
Tribunal (956) 784-5070 if you
have any questions or wish to
submit a petition to the Tribunal
for consideration.
With information from Catholic
News Service.
1. The removal of the requirement of two affirmative
decisions before the parties can enter a new marriage
in the Church.
• Under the new norms, an affirmative decision rendered by our
Tribunal is sufficient. If NO APPEALS, case will be closed and Final
Decree will be issued upon request.
• If any party APPEALS, case will be mailed to the Appellate Court
in San Antonio for review.
2. Process is Free
• All tribunal cases are free of charge: Formal Cases, Lack of
Canonical Forms, Radical Sanations, Ligamens, etc.
3. Certain cases can now be decided directly by the
diocesan bishop through an expedited process.
• 45 Days
• BEGIN AFTER we receive all legal documents, Petitioner’s
Declaration and the Respondent’s Declaration.
• The evidence of nullity in such cases must be very CLEAR AND
STRAIGHTFORWARD.
• Both parties MUST BE IN AGREEMENT with the grounds and
firmly convinced their union was null.
• A written declaration is REQUIRED from the Respondent. If
Respondent does not participate in the process, case will follow the
formal process.
4. Under the new norms, the tribunal of a Petitioner is
fully competent to accept his or her petition.
• Previously, the Respondent’s Judicial Vicar had to give consent
and the parties had to live in the same episcopal conference if the
marriage did not take place in the Petitioner’s diocese.
• As long as the Petitioner lives within our Diocese, the Tribunal will
accept and process the case.
January 2016
FAITH
- The Valley Catholic
»Sunday
Readings
The Word of God in the Life
and Mission of the Church
JANUARY 3
(The Epiphany of the Lord)
Reading 1
IS 60:1-6
Responsorial Psalm
PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Reading 2
EPH 3:2-3A, 5-6
Alleluia
MT 2:2
Gospel
MT 2:1-12
JANUARY 10
(The Baptism of the Lord)
Reading 1
IS 42:1-4, 6-7
Or
IS 40:1-5, 9-11
Responsorial Psalm
PS 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10
Or
PS 104:1B-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28,
29-30
Reading 2
ACTS 10:34-38
Or
TI 2:11-14; 3:4-7
Alleluia
CF. MK 9:7 Or CF. LK 3:16
Gospel
LK 3:15-16, 21-22
JANUARY 17
(Second Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading 1
IS 62:1-5
Responsorial Psalm
PS 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
Reading 2
1 COR 12:4-11
Alleluia
CF. 2 THES 2:14
Gospel
JN 2:1-11
JANUARY 24
(Third Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading 1
NEH 8:2-4A, 5-6, 8-10
Responsorial Psalm
PS 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Reading 2
1 COR 12:12-30
Or
1 COR 12:12-14, 27
Alleluia
CF. LK 4:18
Gospel
LK 1:1-4; 4:14-21
JANUARY 31
(Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading 1
JER 1:4-5, 17-19
Responsorial Psalm
PS 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17
Reading 2
1 COR 12:31—13:13
Or
1 COR 13:4-13
Alleluia
LK 4:18
Gospel
LK 4:21-30
The word of the Lord abides for ever.
This word is the Gospel which was
preached to you. (1 Pet 1:25; cf. Is
40:8).
With this assertion from the First
Letter of Saint Peter, which takes up
the words of the Prophet Isaiah, we
find ourselves before the mystery of
God, who has made himself known
through the gift of his word.
This word, which abides for ever,
entered into time. God spoke his
eternal Word humanly; his Word
“became flesh.” (Jn 1:14).
This is the good news. This is the
proclamation which has come down
the centuries to us day.
5
»Making Sense of Bioethics
A higher standard than for cats and dogs
S
ometimes people will point
out: “We euthanize our pets
when they suffer, and they
are clearly creatures of God, so
why can’t we euthanize a sick and
suffering person who wants it? It
seems like we treat our dogs and
cats better than we treat our suffering family members.”
The way we treat animals,
however, should not be the measure of how we treat fellow human
beings. We keep animals as pets,
but we don’t do the same with
humans. We use animals to make
clothing and food, but we don’t
do the same with humans. For all
our similarities to the rest of the
animal kingdom, we are aware of
a fundamental difference in kind
between ourselves and our furry
friends. We are not meant to die
just as animals do, or be euthanized as they are. The death of a
human is a more complex event
that has other important realities
associated with it.
In euthanizing a cat or dog,
an assessment about the nature
of the creature is rolled up into
our decision to proceed. Our pets
seem to process the world around
them mostly in terms of pleasure
and pain, oscillating between
these two poles as they instinctively gravitate towards pleasurable experiences, and engage
in “mechanisms of avoidance”
when they come up against pain
or discomfort. Animals lack that
uniquely human power to reason
about, resign themselves to, and
allow good to be drawn out of
pain. Animals can’t do much else
in the face of their suffering apart
from trying to skirt around it,
escape the situation, or passively
endure it. Because of our strong
sense of empathy, humans find it
more emotionally acceptable to
“put the animal to sleep,” rather
than watch it suffer a long and
Tadeusz
Pacholczyk
Priest of the
Diocese of Fall
River, Mass.
agonizing death.
But it would be false empathy,
and a false compassion, to promote the killing or suicide of suffering family members. As human
beings, we have real moral duties,
and better options, in the face of
our own pain and tribulations.
On an instinctual level, we tend
to recoil and do our best to avoid
suffering, just like animals. But we
are able to respond in a way that
animals cannot, and even willingly
accept our suffering, which is unavoidably part of the fabric of our
human existence. None of us can
completely avoid suffering, even if
it may be purely internal, like the
agony that comes from loneliness,
isolation, depression, or rejection.
Every person must, in one way or
another, encounter suffering along
the trajectory of life, and human
maturity is partially measured by
how we deal with that suffering.
Those who live with serious
disabilities, through their determined and beauty-filled lives and
example, remind us every day
of the good that can be drawn
from suffering. The way they deal
with their struggles manifests the
depths of what it is to be authentically human. It is precisely
disability, with its disfigurement,
impairment, vulnerability and
dependence, that challenges us to
grasp the outlines of our human
journey in a less superficial way,
and to value human life and protect human dignity in sickness as
well as in health.
Victoria Kennedy spoke to this
same point when describing Senator Kennedy’s final months:
“When my husband was
first diagnosed with cancer, he
was told that he had only two to
four months to live. … But that
prognosis was wrong. Teddy lived
15 more productive months.…
Because that first dire prediction
of life expectancy was wrong,
I have 15 months of cherished
memories. … When the end
finally did come—natural death
with dignity—my husband was
home, attended by his doctor, surrounded by family and our priest.”
As human beings, we reach
beyond the limits that suffering
imposes by a conscious decision
to accept and grow through it,
like the athlete or the Navy seal
who pushes through the limits of
his exhaustion during training.
We enter into an awareness of
something greater behind the veil
of our suffering when we come to
accept it as an integral component
of our human condition.
We also give positive example,
strength and encouragement to
the younger generation as they
witness our response to, and acceptance of, our own suffering.
Our trials and tribulations also
teach us about our reliance on
God and the illusions of selfreliance.
On the other hand, if our fear
of suffering drives us to constant
circumlocution and relentless
avoidance, even to the point of
short-circuiting life itself through
euthanasia or physician-assisted
suicide, we can miss those mysterious but privileged moments
that invite us to become more
resplendently human, with all
the messiness, awkwardness and
agonies that are invariably part of
that process.
Living the Corporal Works of Mercy
I
n this Jubilee Year of Mercy,
Pope Francis wants to direct
special attention to “Jesus
Christ as the face of the Father’s
mercy.” These words sum up the
mystery of the Christian faith
and the fact “the Lord Jesus by
his words, actions and his entire
person reveals to us the mercy of
God.” (Misericordiae Vultus,1).
The Holy Father sees the need
for the Church to live out the loving mercy that God has for us and
invites all Catholics to respond to
God’s loving mercy towards us by
acting in the same way towards all
those we meet.
Every Christian (by virtue of
their baptism) is called to serve
one another by living Jesus’ example of a life based on his teachings.
Jesus teaches service should be
an attitude as well as a way of life.
One thing is to understand the
Gospel message and another is to
live out the message of the Gospel
by fulfilling the mission of Christ’s
mercy.
Living out the works of mercy
is a lifelong commitment to the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and
the Gospel of Matthew (chapter
25) lays out perfectly how in the
end each one of us will be judged
based on the way we have lived
here on earth.
The Corporal Works of Mercy
are charitable actions by which we
come to the aid of our neighbor in
his spiritual and bodily necessities
(see Catechism of the Catholic
Deacon
Luis Zuniga
Director, Office for
Pastoral Planning
& San Juan Diego
Ministry Institute.
Church, 2447).
The following are examples
of ways we can live and put into
practice the Corporal Works of
Mercy.
1. To feed the hungry. Everyone needs food for their body. It
is an act of love to help others to
obtain their bodily nourishment,
especially those in greatest need.
[Examples: Bringing food to the
poor, donating money to buy food
for the poor, sharing your food or
candy, helping to shop for groceries, helping with the cooking, doing dishes, waiting on company.]
2. To give drink to the thirsty.
What is said of food also applies to
drink. [Examples:Giving someone
a drink on a hot day, giving the
baby its bottle, pouring drinks at
the table, lifting up a young child
to get a drink at a water fountain
or providing someone a drink]
3. To clothe the naked. Everyone needs clothing for warmth,
protection, modesty and dignity. It
is an act of love to help others obtain clothing, especially those who
need help. [Examples: Bringing
clothes to a needy family, sharing
outgrown clothes with another
family in need, bringing clothes to
a clothing drive and or the parish
works of mercy, helping a young
child or elderly person get dressed,
helping with laundry at home.]
4. To visit the imprisoned.
Those in prison and many other
persons and their families suffer
hindrances or dangers to freedom.
Helping them, visiting them or
protecting them is an act of love.
[Examples: Visiting prisoners,
fighting for humane treatment for
the imprisoned, helping to care for
the families of the imprisoned.]
5. To shelter the homeless. Everyone needs shelter. Some people
live in cardboard homes; some
people live in homes made of discarded materials; many people are
homeless. To help the homeless
obtain shelter or to preserve it is
an act of love. [Examples: Bringing others to your home in times
of fire, floods, or other disaster.
Working at or supporting a homeless shelter.]
6. To visit the sick. Helping
sick people in any way is an act of
love. [Examples: Visiting someone
in the hospital, nursing home or
hospice. Visiting someone who is
sick at home or the elderly who are
shut-ins. Running an errand for
an elderly or sick person. Reading
to the sick or elderly or spending
time with someone who is lonely
or depressed.]
7. To bury the dead. It is an
act of love to show respect for the
» Please see Works of Mercy p.12
Courtesy photo
St. John Neumann is the first United
States bishop to be canonized. He was
elected bishop of Philadelphia in 1852.
»Feast Day
Jan. 5
Spotlight
on St. John
Neumann
Catholic News Agency
John Neumann was born on
March 28, 1811, in Bohemia,
now part of the Czech Republic.
After college, John entered the
seminary. When the time came
for his ordination, the bishop
decided there would be no more
ordinations. It is difficult to
imagine now, but Bohemia was
overstocked with priests. John
wrote to bishops all over Europe
but the story was the same everywhere — no one wanted any
more priests. John was sure he
was called to be a priest but all
the doors to follow that vocation
seemed to close in his face.
But John didn’t give up. He
had learned English by working
in a factory with English-speaking workers so he decided to go
to the United States and request
to be ordained there. He walked
most of the way to France and
then boarded a ship to New
York.
John arrived in Manhattan
on June 9, 1836, where he was
gladly welcomed by Bishop John
Dubois, who at that time had
only 36 priests for the 200,000
Catholics living in the state of
New York and part of New Jersey. Just 16 days after his arrival,
John, who spoke at least six languages, was ordained a priest
and sent to Buffalo.
Father John established himself in a small log parish house.
He hardly ever lit a fire and often lived on only bread and water. His church had no steeple
or floor but that didn’t matter
because John spent most of his
time traveling from village to
village, climbing mountains
to visit the sick, staying in garrets and taverns to teach, and
celebrating Mass at kitchen
tables. He joined the Redemptorist order and continued his
missionary work until he was
elected bishop of Philadelphia
in 1852. As bishop, Neumann
built 50 churches and began the
construction of a cathedral. He
opened almost 100 schools, and
the number of parochial school
students grew from 500 to 9,000.
He died suddenly on January 5,
1860.
He is the first American bishop to be beatified. He was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1977.
His body lies in a glass-enclosed
reliquary under the main altar at
the National Shrine of St. John
Neumann in Philadelphia.
6
DIOCESE
Ricardo Aguirre
Our Lady of Sorrows School,
McAllen
The Valley Catholic - January
SPIRIT
awards
diocese Of brownsvillE 2016
The Valley Catholic
Donna Barron
St. Joseph Academy, Brownsville
2016
The 19th Annual Spirit
Awards banquet is set for 6 p.m.
on Friday, Jan. 29 at Msgr. Ralph
Hall at Our Lady of Sorrows
Parish in McAllen.
Sponsored by the Catholic
Schools Office of the diocese,
the event recognizes outstanding individuals whose dedication, generosity and service have
made an impact in the 13 Catholic schools in the Rio Grande
Valley. An honoree or honorees
from each of the schools will be
recognized at the event. Bishop
Daniel E. Flores will be recognized as the diocesan honoree.
“Bishop Flores has certainly
made his presence known in all
our schools,” said Sister Cynthia
Mello of the Sisters of St. Dorothy, superintendent of schools
for the diocese. “He celebrates
Mass with the students, is present to faculty and staff, attends
school events where you can
find him relaxing and interacting with the children.
“We honor him and thank
him for his continued support to
Catholic education.”
Proceeds from the event
benefit the diocese’s tuition assistance program, which is dedicated to making Catholic education accessible to all families.
The Spirit Awards banquet
kicks off the annual observance
of Catholic Schools Week, which
in 2016 is Jan. 31 – Feb. 6. The
theme for the National Catholic Schools Week is “Catholic
Schools: Communities of Faith,
Knowledge and Service.”
For more information on
the event or for sponsorship opportunities, contact the Catholic Schools Office at (956) 7845051.
Reynaldo Garza
Incarnate Word Academy,
Brownsville
Irma Gonzalez
Juan Diego Academy, Mission
Diana Olivarez
Julie Ng- Castillo
Our Lady of Guadalupe School,
Mission
St. Anthony Catholic School,
Harlingen
Hilem Quinones
Dr. Ricardo Ochoa
St. Mary’s Catholic School,
Brownsville
St. Joseph Catholic School,
Edinburg
Bishop Daniel E. Flores
Diocese of Brownsville
Honoree
Dr. Franco & Elizabeth
Reyes
Domingo & Lucia
Perez
St. Luke Catholic School,
Brownsville
San Martin de Porres School,
Weslaco
Andres & Carino Zuniga
Jewel Peterson and Xavier & Lori Perez
Liliana De La Garza & Polo Borrego
Oratory of St. Philip Neri School, Pharr
Immaculate Conception School, Rio Grande City
Guadalupe Regional Middle School, Brownsville
January 2016
DIOCESE
- The Valley Catholic
Those Who Serve:
7
Sister Colleen Matarese, SSD
‘Jesus is very, very alive here in the Valley’
Rhode Island native
enjoys the warmth,
spirituality of area
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
EDINBURG — “I love being
in the Valley,” said Sister Colleen
Matarese of the Sisters of St. Dorothy, a native of Bristol, R.I. “My
faith has grown so much seeing
how people in the Valley are so
prayerful and how their faith is so
meaningful to them.
“Jesus is very, very alive here
in the Valley — not that he isn’t
up there — but I just sense it, I see
it more down here.”
Sister Matarese, who moved
to the Rio Grande Valley from
New England in 2010, is the
counselor at St. Joseph School in
Edinburg two days a week and
works three days as the director
of special programs for the diocesan Catholic Schools Office.
As a school counselor, she
supports the social and emotional needs of the students. In addition to providing individual and
small group counseling, she also
visits the classrooms to address
a range of topics from character
formation and self-esteem to bullying and respect.
She was a classroom teacher
for more than 10 years and saw
firsthand how difficult it is for
students to participate or focus
on their schoolwork when they
are experiencing distress.
“I love teaching, but as time
went on, I realized that kids
were coming with much more
baggage,” Sister Matarese said.
“Learning meant nothing to them
and I could see why.
“Seeing that more and more, I
felt called to help.”
Sister Materese went back to
school and earned a master’s degree in counseling.
Some of the challenges students face are, “gossiping, bullying, not feeling accepted and not
talking nice to one another,” she
said.
“The goal is for them to learn
The Valley Catholic
As a classroom teacher, Sister Colleen Materese of the Sisters of St. Dorothy saw how difficult it is for children to learn when they
are experiencing distress, so she became a school counselor to help.
to get along with one another
and accept one another for who
they are,” Sister Matarese added.
“Every day, during the announcements, our principal (Mrs. Elida
Paris) reminds the students to
treat each other like they would
treat Jesus.
“I could never see myself
teaching outside of a Catholic institution because that’s who I am.
I can’t imagine not being able to
talk about God and Jesus in my
lessons with the students. If a
student is having a difficult time,
I pray with them and for them.
I tell them, ‘let’s ask God to help
us.’ I couldn’t do that in a public
school.”
“At the beginning of the
school year, she gave the staff
a piece of candy and little note
that said, ‘You are the apple of
God’s eye. Have a great year,’”
said Leann Schelstrate, the bookkeeper at St. Joseph School in
Edinburg, who has known Sister
Matarese for five years. “She cares
a lot about all of us, the students
and the staff, and she demonstrates it. Everybody loves Sister
Colleen.”
The third of four children,
Sister Materese was born in Bristol and attended Our Lady of
Mount Carmel Catholic School
until she received her first communion. Soon thereafter, her
family moved to nearby Warren,
R.I. where she attended public
school.
Sister Matarese said she never
fully adjusted to public school.
“I begged and begged my
mother to send me to Our Lady
of Fatima School,” she said. “My
parents were both factory workers and we didn’t have a lot of
money, but they made the sacrifice.”
It was in eighth grade, her
first year at Our Lady of Fatima
School, that she began hearing
the call to religious life.
“We did a weekend retreat
from a Friday night to a Sunday
and it was there that my whole
relationship with God changed,”
Pope recognizes miracle needed
to declare Mother Teresa a saint
By CAROL GLATZ
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Francis has approved a miracle
attributed to the intercession of
Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, thus
paving the way for her canonization.
Pope Francis signed the decree for Blessed Teresa’s cause
and advanced three other sainthood causes Dec. 17.
Although the date for the
canonization ceremony will be
officially announced during
the next consistory of cardinals
in February, Archbishop Rino
Fisichella, president of the Vatican office organizing the Holy
Year of Mercy events, had said it
would be Sept. 4. That date celebrates the Jubilee of workers and
volunteers of mercy and comes
the day before the 19th anniver-
sary of her death, Sept. 5, 1997.
The postulator for her
sainthood cause, Father Brian
Kolodiejchuk of the Missionaries
of Charity, said the second miracle that was approved involved
the healing of a now 42-year-old
mechanical engineer in Santos,
Brazil.
Doctors diagnosed the man
with a viral brain infection
that resulted in multiple brain
abscesses, the priest said in a
statement published Dec. 18 by
AsiaNews, the Rome-based missionary news agency. Treatments
given were ineffective and the
man went into a coma, the postulator wrote.
The then-newly married
man’s wife had spent months
praying to Blessed Teresa and
her prayers were joined by those
of her relatives and friends when
her dying husband was taken
to the operating room Dec. 9,
2008.
When the surgeon entered
the operating room, he reported that he found the patient
awake, free of pain and asking,
“What am I doing here?” Doctors reported the man showed
no more symptoms and a Vatican medical commission voted
unanimously in September
2015 that the healing was inexplicable.
St. John Paul II had made
an exception to the usual canonization process in Mother
Teresa’s case by allowing her
sainthood cause to be opened
without waiting the usual five
years after a candidate’s death.
He beatified her in 2003.
The order she started,
the Missionaries of Charity,
continues its outreach to the
“poorest of the poor.”
she said. “It became more personal. I will never forget that retreat.
“I was also inspired by the Sisters (of St. Dorothy, who operated
the school). I was always in awe
about them. Their commitment,
their dedication, their love for the
students really inspired me.”
Sister Materese first entered
the community of the Sisters
of St. Dorothy when she was
19-years-old but only stayed for
six months.
“I was not mentally ready,” she
said. “It was too much of a switch
from the life that I was leading.”
She went to college and
earned a bachelor’s degree in
education, but stayed close to the
Sisters of St. Dorothy.
She re-entered the community on Feb. 6, 1984 and was blessed
with the opportunity to attend the
canonization of Sister Paula Frassinetti, the community’s founder,
on March 11, 1984 at the Vatican.
Sister Matarese assumed the
role of director of special programs for the diocese after the
death of Sister Helen Rottier of
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who had held the position,
in May 2015.
Private schools may be eligible for federal funding through
different avenues. The director
for special programs works to obtain this funding and implements
and evaluates federal/special programs, among other responsibilities.
“Sister Colleen has taken over
that position with much enthusiasm,” said Sister Cynthia Mello of
the Sisters of St. Dorothy, superintendent of schools for the diocese. “To have someone whose
time is devoted in areas that are
of great concern to all our Catholic schools is so important today.
Her contribution to our principals’ meetings are valuable as she
shares her research and input in
various areas such as the federal
funding programs, religion certification for teachers, math curriculum, standardized tests and
other areas that may need attention during an academic school
year.”
Sister Materese also teaches
a confirmation class at St. Joan
of Arc Parish in Weslaco. She
began teaching this group of students last year and will journey
with them to confirmation in the
spring. It is her first experience
teaching a confirmation class
outside of a Catholic school setting.
“These kids are just blowing
me away, to see them pray and be
attentive,” she said.
Her students recently attended Eucharistic Adoration and
Benediction. For many, it was
their first time experiencing this
service.
“The deacon who led the service asked if anyone wanted to
come up to the altar and kneel
with him and many of our students joined him,” she said. “It
almost brought me to tears.
“I’m supposed to be helping
them grow in their relationship
with God, but they are helping
me. I leave the class feeling renewed. I am certainly getting a
lot from them.”
8
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic - January
2016
»World Day of Peace
Work for peace, foster solidarity
Pope encourages
overcoming attitude
of indifference
By ELISE HARRIS
Catholic News Agency/EWTN
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Francis’ message for 2016’s
World Day of Peace is packed
with bold pastoral and practical
advice for both the Church as
well as international leaders.
In it, he focused on the need
to work for peace by overcoming
the attitude of indifference and
fostering a greater sense of solidarity, mercy and compassion.
He advocated for concrete
acts of mercy on the part of
families, individuals and political leaders, such as the abolition
of the death penalty and amnesty
for prisoners convicted of political offenses.
Also encouraged by the Pope
was a review of legislation in
terms of migrants, a greater attention toward women, particularly in terms of equality in the
workplace, and debt forgiveness.
“God is not indifferent! God
cares about mankind! God does
not abandon us!” was the opening line of Francis’ message for
the 2016 World Day of Peace,
published Dec. 15.
Instituted by Bl. Pope Paul
VI in 1968, the World Day of
Peace is celebrated each year on
the first day of January.
The Pope gives a special
message for the occasion, which
is sent to all foreign ministers
around the world, and which
also indicates the Holy See’s diplomatic tone during the coming
year.
Titled “Overcome Indifference and win Peace,” the Pope’s
message for 2016 is a reiteration
of what he has frequently advocated for since the beginning of
his pontificate: taking one’s eyes
off oneself, and focusing on the
needs of others.
In a world afflicted by “a real
third world war fought piecemeal,” the Pope expressed his
desire to encourage people “not
to lose hope in our human ability to conquer evil and to combat
resignation and indifference.”
He pointed to several initiatives over the past year which
have brought world leaders together in an effort to overcome
self-interest and apathy, such as
the recently concluded COP21
summit on climate change in
Paris, the Addis Ababa Summit
on funding global sustainable
development and the adoption
of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Also highlighted by the
Pope were landmark anniversaries for the Church, such as
the 50th anniversary of Second
Vatican Council documents
“Nostra Aetate” on dialogue
with non-Christian religions,
and the constitution “Gaudium
et Spes” on the Church in the
modern world.
Francis also pointed to the
Jubilee of Mercy, which runs
from Dec. 8, 2015-Nov. 20,
2016, expressing his hope that
it will encourage people to “refuse to fall into a humiliating
indifference or a monotonous
routine which prevents us from
discovering what is new!”
He spoke of the importance
of fostering fraternity, saying we
are responsible for those around
us. Without solidarity, he said,
“we would be less human.”
Calling indifference “a
menace to the human family,”
Francis noted that the attitude
takes three forms: indifference
to God, to our neighbor and to
creation.
Indifference toward God, he
noted, “transcends the purely
private sphere and affects the
public and social sphere.”
“Disregard and the denial
of God, which lead man to
acknowledge no norm above
himself and himself alone, have
produced untold cruelty and
violence,” he said, while indifference toward one’s neighbor is
expressed in a general disinterest and a lack of engagement.
On an institutional level, indifference to the dignity, rights
and freedom of others is part of
a culture formed by “the pursuit
of profit and hedonism,” and
can foster and even justify actions and policies which threaten peace, Pope Francis said.
Rather than ensuring that
the basic rights and needs of
others are preserved, economic
and political projects frequently
pursue power instead, he observed.
When people see their basic rights, such as food, water,
health care and employment
denied, “they are tempted to
obtain them by force.”
Francis stressed that indifference is ultimately overcome
by personal conversion, and
pointed to the example of Jesus,
who took on flesh and showed
solidarity with humanity.
Jesus shows us how to be invested in others, no matter how
busy we may be, he said, cautioning that the attitude of indifference often seeks to excuse
itself with tasks to complete or
by “hiding behind hostilities
and prejudices which keep us
apart.”
“Mercy is the heart of God,”
he said, explaining that how we
love and care for others is “the
yardstick” by which God will
judge our lives.
The Valley Catholic
Bishop Daniel E. Flores joined the Muslim
community along with members of the
Rio Grande Valley Interfaith group for a
candlelight vigil on Dec. 10 at the Mosque
in McAllen to honor the 14 victims of the
San Bernardino rampage. Together they
paid their respects and stood in solidarity
with the families of the victims.
The Valley Catholic
Father Greg Labus, pastor at St. Joseph Church in Edinburg, said a prayer for peace
at the mosque in Edinburg on Dec. 11 alongside Imam Osama Saad of the Masjid
Arridwan in Edinburg, Rabbi Claudio Kogan of Temple Emanuel of McAllen, Sister
Fatima Santiago, ICM, and Imam Noor Ahmad of the Masjid Mosque in McAllen.
Pope: There is no ‘vocation to laziness’
Holy Father tells
unemployed youth
‘work is a right for all’
By ANN SCHNEIBLE
Catholic News Agency/EWTN
VATICAN CITY — Pope
Francis met with an Italian initiative aimed at offering support to
unemployed and underemployed
youth, saying their responsibility
is to help young people rediscover
the “vocation” of work in the context of their human dignity.
The task at hand is to help
young people find, not just a job,
but “a responsibility of evangelization through the sanctifying value
of work,” the Pope said during the
Dec. 14 audience with members
of the Policoro Project.
However, this does not apply
to “any form of work: not work
that exploits, crushes, humiliates
and abuses, but work that makes
man truly free, in accordance
with his noble dignity”.
“The vocation to work: that
is one of the traits of human dignity,” the Roman Pontiff said.
“There is no vocation to laziness,
but to work.”
He added that this sense of
commitment to work goes be-
yond monetary gains:
it is for the
“e d i f i c a tion of the
world,
of
society, and
of life.”
SponPope Francis
sored
by
the Bishops’
Conference of Italy, the Policoro
Project began twenty years ago; it
aims to support young people in
Italy experiencing unemployment
and underemployment.
Pope Francis met with the
Policoro Project at the Vatican’s
Paul VI Hall, lauding the work of
the initiative, which has spread
nationally.
The Pope said work which allows for freedom, creativity, participation and mutual support
helps workers “express and enhance” their dignity.
“Let us not lose sight of the urgency of reaffirming this dignity!
It belongs to each and every one
of us. .. When there is no work,
dignity is at risk, as unemployment not only prevents you from
putting food on the table; it also
makes you feel unworthy of earning a living.”
The Roman Pontiff observed
how young people today have
fallen victim to unemployment,
not only affecting their ability to
sustain themselves, but also promoting feelings of unworthiness.
“How many of them have
given up looking for work, resigned to continual rejection or
the indifference of a society that
rewards only the usual privileged
few – even if they are corrupt –
and obstructs those who deserve
affirmation.”
“The reward seems to go to
those who are sure of themselves,
even if this security is gained
through corruption. Work is not
a gift to be kindly granted to the
select few: it is a right for all!”
Pope Francis lauded the Policoro Project for representing a
“sign of real hope for many people
who have not resigned themselves
but have instead decided to commit themselves courageously to
creating or improving their opportunities for work.”
“Continue to promote initiatives for participation for young
people in a community and participatory form,” he encouraged
them.
“To the question, ‘what has
the Church to do with my situation?’, that you have said and
heard many times, the answer is
‘witness’. And here you are able
to provide your witness, face to
face with those who are in need of
courage and support.”
»Birthday & Anniversary Wishes
The list of birthdays and ordination anniversaries is provided so that
parishioners may remember the priests, deacons and religious in their
prayers and send them a note or a card.
January
» Birthdays
1
4
6
10
13
22
22
24
28
28
Rev. Leo Francis Daniels, CO
Rev. Rigobert Poulang Mot
Rev. Msgr. Louis Brum
Rev. Eusebio Martinez
Rev. Alejandro Flores
Rev. Horacio Chavarria
Rev. Oscar Siordia
Rev. Ignacio Tapia
Rev. Robert Davola
Rev. Bill Penderghest, ss.cc.
2
4
14
18
19
23
24
28
Deacon Alfred Crixell
Deacon John P. Kinch
Deacon Paulo Escobar
Deacon Ramon G. Leal
Deacon Salvador G. Saldivar
Deacon Reynaldo I Flores
Deacon Juan Valenzuela
Deacon Alejandro Flores
3 Brother Hoss A. Alvarez
5 Sister Emily Jocson, ICM
23 Sister Dianne Maresha
» Anniversaries
4 Rev. Thomas Kulleck
4 Rev. M. Kumar Nayak, ss.cc.
28 Rev. Cesar Partida
30 Bishop Daniel Flores as priest
30 Msgr. Agostinho S. Pacheco
28 Deacon Francisco Pon
February
» Birthdays
2
3
11
11
19
26
26
Rev. Mishael Koday
Rev. Thomas Pincelli
Rev. Gustavo Obando
Msgr. Robert Davola
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Pena
Rev. Juan Victor Heredia
Rev. Thomas G. Kulleck
2
2
3
14
20
20
Sister Mary N. Vincelli, CSJ
Sister Esther Rodriguez, OP
Sister Anita Jennissen, OSF
Brother David Concannon, CFC
Sister Rosalia Fink, OSB
Sister Frances Salinas, OSB
8
11
13
15
15
17
18
22
Deacon Amando Peña Jr.
Deacon Gilberto Perez
Deacon Hugo De la Cruz
Deacon Jose R. Castro
Deacon George M. Terrazas
Deacon Hector Perez
Deacon Pedro Sanchez
Deacon Alvino Olvera
» Anniversaries
2
8
11
15
25
Rev. Juan Victor Heredia
Rev. Gnanaraj Michael
Msgr. Robert Davola
Rev. Patrick Seitz
Rev. Marco Antonio Reynoso
Enero 2016 -
» La Alegría de Vivir
E
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic
Misericordioso
como el Padre
l tema del año jubilar es
‘Misericordia’: perdón y
sanación. Es necesario
reflexionar en lo ‘que es’ y ‘que no
es’ perdonar. ‘Perdonar’ no es:
-olvidar
-absolver
-auto sacrificarse
-acto de una sola vez
-pretender que todo está
“bien” cuando todo indica lo
contrario
-cambiar tu comportamientopor ejemplo piensas, “No tengo
que llamar a esa persona que te
daño.”.
‘Perdonar’ es un acto, la
acción de dejar ir el dolor y moverse hacia adelante en nuestras
vidas; es una actitud y un proceso
que requiere un cambio de precepción una y otra vez; es una
elección que dice, “Elijo abandonarme e involucrarme cuando
me hieren”. Si no perdonamos
nos quedamos como congelados,
atorados, atrapados en tiempo
pasado.
Existe el peligro que podemos
rodearnos de energía negativa,
por ejemplo: odio, rencores,
envidia, y la pereza. Quizá entre
una falsa ilusión: “Si permanezco alejado, nunca me herirán
de nuevo” o “Si esto no hubiera
pasado yo estaría mucho mejor”.
A fin de cuentas, ‘recordar y
perdonar’ es mejor que ‘olvidar y
perdonar’. Es mejor buscar algo
mejor y una energía positiva, por
ejemplo, en el ejercicio, oración, y
en la comunión con aquellos que
sonríen auténticamente. Entonces, al ‘perdonar’ ya no queremos
castigar porque aceptamos que
nada de lo que hagamos para
Msgr. Juan
Nicolau
Sacerdote jubilado
de la Diócesis de
Brownsville
castigarlos nos ayudara a sanar.
Abramos, pues, la ‘Puerta de Misericordia’ en nuestro corazones
y podremos aceptar a la gente tal
como es. Hallará casos en que se
requiere psicoterapia. Esta herramienta puede ser un complemento bueno y esencial: terapia,
grupos de apoyo, ejercicio, etc.
Termino con ‘Los 10 Pasos
del Perdón’:
1. Ámense unos a otros.
2. Tú debes perdonar si quieres que te perdonen.
3. Debes orar por los que te
hacen daño.
4. No perdonar es un tipo de
odio.
5. Has una decisión para
perdonar.
6. Busquen la sanación de las
emociones y recuerdos.
7. Cierren las puertas al
demonio.
8. Perdónense a sí mismos.
9. El perdón es un proceso.
10. Ame a su prójimo siendo
canal de sanación
Nuestro Santo Papa y todos
los obispos han abierto simbólicamente ‘la puerta de misericordia’ en todas las catedrales por
todo el mundo. Daremos ganas
para abrir ‘la puerta de nuestro
corazón’ y aprovechar de la gracia
de Dios para nuestra conversión
total.
Santa Sede aclara: Pergaminos
con bendición papal solo se
adquieren en Limosnería vaticana
ACI Prensa
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
— Los pergaminos con las bendiciones papales solo pueden
ser expedidos por la Limosnería
Apostólica Vaticana, recordó la
Santa Sede con el fin de evitar que
los fieles sean engañados por personas inescrupulosas, luego que la
Gendarmería vaticana y la Policía
vaticana confiscaran unos 3.500
documentos falsos que iban a ser
vendidos por un total de 70.000
euros.
“Los pergaminos con bendiciones apostólica son expedidos
solo por Limosnería Apostólica, la
oficina de la Santa Sede que tiene
la tarea de ejercitar la caridad hacia los pobres a nombre del Pontífice. Todos los ingresos de la Limosnería Apostólica, sobre todo
las ofrendas por la expedición de
los diplomas de bendiciones, son
íntegramente transferidas para
la caridad”, señaló ayer martes a
través de Radio Vaticana.
Los papeles falsos iban a ser
vendidos a los peregrinos aprovechando el Jubileo de la Misericordia que se inauguró el 8 de
diciembre.
Sin embargo, fueron descubiertos en un comercio cercano a
la Plaza de San Pedro. El responsable de la estafa ha sido denun-
ciado por producción y comercio
de objetos falsificados.
Para obtener un pergamino
oficial, se debe acercar personalmente “a las oficinas de la Limosnería Apostólica dentro de la Ciudad del Vaticano”.
“Se pueden también hacer
pedidos dirigidos a la Limosnería Apostólica mediante correo
postal (Elemosineria Apostolica,
Ufficio pergamene 00120 Città
del Vaticano) o a través del fax
(06.69883132)”.
Las personas que deseen el
pergamino, deben llenar un formulario que se encuentra en el
sitio web de la Limosnería.
En su sitio web, la Limosnería
señaló que “la Bendición Apostólica se imparte en las siguientes ocasiones: Bautismo, Primera Comunión, Confirmación,
Matrimonio, ordenación presbiteral, ordenación de diácono
permanente, Profesión Religiosa,
Consagración Secular, aniversarios, cumpleaños” y a personas
católicas de manera individual o
familias católicas “con nombre y
apellido de los esposos unidos en
matrimonio religioso”.
“El tiempo necesario para
recibir el pergamino es de unos
treinta días aproximadamente, a
partir de la fecha de la solicitud”,
señaló.
9
Marcha da testimonio a la vida
The Valley Catholic
McALLEN – El Apostolado
diocesano Respeto a la Vida está
organizando una marcha pacifica y de oración el sábado 30 de
enero en McAllen para propagar
el mensaje de vida en nuestra comunidad.
El evento empezará a las 9
a.m. con oraciones de apertura
por el Obispo Daniel E. Flores
en la parroquia San José Obrero,
900 S. 23rd St. Después del servicio de oración, la procesión dejará la iglesia y se encaminarán
al centro. A lo largo de la procesión, se rezará el Rosario y se
cantarán himnos.
La procesión pasará por la
instalación de aborto y terminará en la parroquia Sagrado
Corazón, 306 S. 15th St. con oraciones de clausura.
Todos son invitados a dar
testimonio a la vida. Grupos de
oración, grupos de la iglesia, escuelas Católicas, familias e individuos son bienvenidos y animados a asistir.
La marcha se lleva a cabo
en reparación por los más de 57
millones de bebés que han sido
asesinados en los Estados Unidos desde el fallo de la Corte
Suprema Roe v. Wade el 22 de
enero de 1973 que legalizó el
aborto. Defensores pro-vida en
todo el país están al pendiente
del aniversario con eventos de
oración y acción.
“A veces tenemos la idea de
que la fe es algo personal, pero
la fe en realidad es lo que nos
une con el otro y no solamente
a Dios,” dijo el Padre Alejandro
Flores, director del Apostolado
diocesano Respeto a la Vida y
pastor de la parroquia San Juan
Diego en McAllen. “Estamos
conectados… estamos conectados a esta mujer que esta en una
crisis de embarazo; estamos conectados con esta pareja que se
enfrenta a un embarazo cuando
no lo planearon, estamos conectados al doctor que piensa
que está ayudando al matar a
un niño en el vientre y estamos
conectados a ese niño que es una
criatura de Dios y que es llamado
a ser parte en la vida de Dios.
“Somos mermados cuando
alguien muere, todos somos
mermados cuando se comete un
acto de violencia hacia otros.”
La marcha anual fue llevada a
cabo en el centro de McAllen por
primera vez en el 2013 con el impulso del Padre James C. Erving,
el sacerdote Oblato que fungió
como director del Apostolado
Respeto a la Vida al momento.
El padre Erving, quien murió en
marzo 2014, quería que el evento
se llevará a cabo en un lugar público para que el mensaje de vida
llegara a una audiencia mayor y a
una audiencia secular.
El Padre Flores ha continuado la tradición, abogando para
que el caso esté en la esfera pública.
“Hay una sensación de que
nuestra fe es algo que se celebra
tras las puertas de la iglesia y tras
puertas cerrados en mi recamara, pero en realidad nuestra fe es
algo que llama a ser muy público
y que llama a ser algo que inspira
a aquellos que dan testimonio
de ella,” “Necesitamos compartir el mensaje de que Dios no es
un Dios que busca tu daño, que
Dios no quiere derrumbarte sino
que dios está aquí para mostrarte
la belleza de lo que es la vida para
darle esa esperanza a las personas.
»Vida Familiar
Disfrutando el ‘Happy Hour’
U
no de mis horas más
felices del día es la hora
que paso en mi cocina
preparando la cena familiar.
Es verdaderamente un “Happy
Hour”. Estoy muy agradecida
con Dios por tener un trabajo / ministerio que realmente
disfruto. Mis días están llenos
de trabajo significativo y con
muchas oportunidades de servir
a Dios sirviendo a mi familia,
sirviendo a la Iglesia / Comunidad, y sirviendo a los necesitados. Y aunque disfruto mucho
lo que hago en mis horas de
trabajo, espero con anticipación
llegar a la casa para preparar la
cena, lo cual siempre ha sido
muy relajante para mí. Es muy
agradable por muchas razones.
1. Soy una persona planificadora, por naturaleza, y por
más de treinta años, siempre
he preparado un menú para la
semana tomando en cuenta los
compromisos que tengo por la
tarde; ya sean compromisos de
trabajo o si Mauri y yo tenemos
alguna reunión de Padrinos de
Preparación Matrimonial, con
alguna pareja de novios. Con
frecuencia planeo cena que se
pueda preparar en un “crock
pot”, esos días puede incluir
sopa de pollo; pollo rostizado
con camote; sopa de tortilla; o
lasaña. Tomar decisiones de último momento no es mi fuerte,
así que la planeación previa
quita el estrés de la preparación
de la comida. Me acuerdo de
una frase del Papa Francisco:
“En Jesús, Dios mismo se hizo
Emmanuel, Dios-con-nosotros,
el Dios que camina a nuestro
lado, que se involucra en
nuestras vidas, en nuestras casas, en medio de nuestras “ollas
y sartenes “, como Santa Teresa
de Jesús gustaba decir.”
2. Yo no disfruto mucho ir
de compras a tiendas departamentales, pero si disfruto ir
de compras al supermercado.
Preparo mi lista de compras
basado en el menú que he
preparado para no comprar de
Lydia Pesina
Directora, Oficina
de Vida Familiar
más y así mantener los productos frescos, y mantener los
gastos dentro del presupuesto
de la semana. También es una
oportunidad para preguntar a
mi familia que necesitan de la
tienda, y así proveer para las
necesidades diarias de cada uno.
“El amor se demuestra por las
cosas pequeñas, por la atención
a las pequeñas señales diarias
que nos hacen sentir como en
casa. La fe crece cuando se vive
y se conforma por el amor. Es
por eso que nuestras familias,
nuestros hogares, son verdaderas iglesias domésticas”. (Papa
Francisco)
3. Otra razón por la que
disfruto mi “Happy Hour”, es
que me da la oportunidad de
estar en soledad y pensar y
reflexionar mientras cocino, o
la oportunidad de dialogar con
alguien de la familia. Yo lo veo
como una situación de ganar /
ganar. Si mi hija viene a preguntarme algo mientras yo cocino
y le pido que ayude; si ayuda,
nos da un poco de tiempo de
vinculación; si decide no ayudar,
tengo mi tiempo tranquilo para
disfrutar. Una vez más, otro
pensamiento del Papa Francisco
‘”pepitas de sabiduría”: “Dios es
bueno, todo lo que es verdadero,
todo lo que es hermoso nos lleva
a Dios. Debido a que Dios es
bueno, Dios es hermoso, Dios
es la verdad. “ “ Pero lo más
hermoso que Dios hizo, la Biblia
dice, fue la familia.”
4. Las comidas en familia
alrededor de la mesa (sin electrónicos) son muy importantes
para nosotros. Por la mayor
parte de nuestra vida matrimonial, Mauri y yo hemos utilizado
servilletas de tela para cada
comida, ya seamos cuatro o
veinticuatro compartiendo los
alimentos. Los platos son sencillos al igual que las comidas,
pero la reunión alrededor de
la mesa para orar, para comer,
para hablar, para compartir,
para discrepar, para reconciliar
y para empezar de nuevo no
tiene precio. La vida familiar es
desordenada, pero lo sagrado
de la vida está en el desorden
de nuestra vida cotidiana como
una familia. Me conmovieron
dos historias de familias que
escuche en dos presentaciones
en diferentes parroquias. En la
Parroquia de San Juan Bautista,
una mujer compartió que su
marido trabajaba fuera de la ciudad en la construcción y debido
a que sus hijos tienen diferentes
actividades todos los días, no
suelen tener la oportunidad de
comer juntos, pero a las 9 pm,
reúne a todos sus hijos en torno
a la mesa del comedor, sirve
naranjas o sandías, y todos ellos
están vía “face time” con el papá.
En San José Obrero en McAllen
un hombre me dijo que acababa
de dejar su trabajo debido a que
su horario fue cambiado a la
noche y me dijo que era lo suficientemente fuerte como para
encontrar otro trabajo; que él
no estaba dispuesto a poner en
riesgo su tiempo en familia. Una
vez más, nuestro maravilloso
Papa Francisco nos recuerda
con estas palabras: “No podemos llamar a cualquier sociedad
sana cuando no tiene verdadero
espacio para la vida familiar.”
“No existen las familias perfectas. Esto no nos debe desanimar.
Todo lo contrario. El amor es
algo que aprendemos; el amor es
algo que vivimos; el amor crece
a medida que se ‘forja’ por las
situaciones concretas que cada
familia en particular experimenta. El amor nace y se desarrolla
constantemente en medio de
luces y sombras”.
Que cada uno disfrute de su
“Happy Hour”.
10
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic - Enero 2016
»Mujeres en la frontera
El Papa visitará comunidades
Cumplir 50 y las
lecciones aprendidas marginadas en México en febrero
T
enía 26 años cuando mi
madre murió de cáncer
a los 50. Con las secuelas
de su pérdida y temerosa de la
fugacidad del tiempo, aprendí
a valorar cada momento. He
tratado de vivir intensamente
cada año. Ahora, en las vispera
de alcanzar el medio siglo de
mi vida este 17 de enero, estoy
agradecida por la aventura que
Dios me ha regalado.
El trayecto ha tenido turbulencia y retos, pero esos días
oscuros nunca se apoderaron
de mi. Estoy viva, y me siento
aun mas viva porque no tengo
miedo a la muerte. Sí. Tengo una
lista creciente de lo que quiero
hacer y ciertamente necesito más
tiempo para intentar hacerlo
todo, pero acojo cada día conforme llega.
Medio siglo de tropiezos y
caídas, entre dichas y sorpresas
vigorizantes, me han dado algunas lecciones. 1. Se agradecida.
2. No des nada por sentado,
especialmente personas. 3. No
tengas miedo.
No hay palabras suficientes
para enumerar todas las cosas
que agradezco en mis días.
Cuando mi hija era mas joven,
jugábamos un juego para ver
quien podía enlistar más bendiciones en nuestro día. Qué dicha
ver lo interminable que puede
ser esta lista. Lo primero en mi
lista cada día eran las personas
en mi vida, principalmente mi
esposo, hijo e hija, junto con mis
amigos que me inspiran a seguir
adelante con sus palabras de sabiduría, ánimo y ejemplo. Estoy
tan agradecida por la capacidad
de amar y por considerarme
una aprendiz de por vida, una
ciudadana del mundo con una
curiosidad que crece ante todo lo
que tengo frente a mi.
Si bien no estoy encantada
con algunos cambios físicos
que vienen con la edad – el
aumento de peso, nuevas arrugas
y canas, estoy agradecida que
esta trae la sabiduría, una mayor
consciencia de lo que importa.
En Proverbios 3:13 leemos, “
¡Feliz el hombre que encontró
la sabiduría y el que obtiene la
inteligencia!” Esta sabiduría
nos ayuda a priorizar lo que es
importante en nuestras vidas.
Nos enseña a no dar nada por
sentado. Esto me ayuda a vivir el
momento, estando presente para
las personas, reconociendo que
no se trata de mi, pero de servir
a los demás.
También significa que no
podemos dar por sentado nuestra salud. No podemos detener
By CAROL GLATZ
Catholic News Service
Brenda
Nettles Riojas
Editora, The Valley
Catholic
el proceso de envejecimiento,
pero podemos dar pasos para
comer mas saludable y ejercitarnos. Carmen Tafolla, la Poeta
Laureada de Texas, escribió una
carta abierta a las personas en
San Antonio cuando fue diagnosticada con cáncer, urgiendo a
las personas que tomaran pasos
para mantenerse saludable. Tomamos medidas extremas para
luchar contra el cáncer cuando
es diagnosticado. ¿Por qué no
hacerlo de una manera preventiva?
La sabiduría, que viene de
la confianza en Dios, nos ayuda
a dejar los miedos. Las vivencias de mi infancia crearon un
río de miedos en mí los cuales
me han tomado medio siglo
superar. Qué refrescante dejar
esos miedos atrás, aceptar quien
soy con todas mis imperfecciones. Entregarse al Señor libera
nuestro camino de preocupacines. Sí podemos tropezar en
el camino, sí habrán espinitas,
pero es parte del crecimiento. No
solamente estoy aprendiendo a
defender mis convicciones, estos
días estoy más motivada a intentar algo nuevo, especialmente si
me da miedo. En el 2015, escribí
sobre un momento en que el
miedo me impulsó a aceptar una
invitación para convertir algunos
de mis poemas sobre mi madre
en una obra de teatro corta.
Dejar ir el miedo ha sido
parte de mi camino de fe.
También he dejado de preocuparme sobre cuantos mañanas
me esperan. Empiezo este nuevo
año y un nuevo capítulo lista con
la anticipación de lo que viene
después, lista para decir “sí” al
llamado de Dios. Me doy cuenta,
como señala San Ignacio de
Loyola en sus ejercicios espirituales, que soy un trabajo en progreso. También sé que la muerte
no tiene la última palabra. Como
escribí en mi poema a la muerte,
“La muerte no triunfa” – “No
sabemos cuando / la tinta se secará en nuestras manos, / cuando
cesarán las palabras / a mitad
del aliento. Pero sabemos que la
hora / llegará, la hora para la
última hoja de nuestra historia.”
Mientras tanto, rezo para que mis
días sean una ofrenda agradable
a Dios.
Protecting God’s people;
report suspected misconduct
As God’s people, we are called
to celebrate, promote, and when
necessary to defend the life and
dignity of every person. We must
treat everyone with respect, and do
what we can to protect others from
harm. Suspected misconduct with
minors by lay church personnel
should be reported to the pastor
of the parish, the principal of the
school, or the head of the Catholic
institution involved. Suspected
misconduct with minors by a
priest, deacon, or religious should
be reported directly to the Bishop
or Vicar General (P. O. Box 2279,
Brownsville, TX 78522-2279;
956-542-2501). A form for a
Confidential Notice of Concern,
may be used, and obtained on
request from the local pastor,
school principal, institution
head, or Diocese, or it may be
downloaded from the Brownsville
Diocese website (www.cdob.org)
Please be aware that it is
a state law that anyone who
suspects abuse or neglect of a
minor must report it to local law
enforcement officials or to the
Texas Department of Family and
Protective Services at 1-800-2525400.
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO
— El papa Francisco visitará algunas de la comunidades más
marginadas de México cuando
visite en febrero y procurará llevarle esperanza a un país que
sufre profundamente por el crimen, la corrupción y la desigualdad.
El Vaticano anunció el 12 de
diciembre detalles sobre el viaje
del papa a México del 12 al 17 de
febrero, durante el cual parará en
seis ciudades incluyendo dos en
el estado Chiapas y — cruzando
desde El Paso, Texas — Ciudad
Juárez, la cual hace apenas cinco
años se consideraba la “capital
mundial del asesinato” según
carteles de la droga se disputaban el corredor del narcotráfico.
El papa dijo en noviembre que quería visitar ciudades
donde nunca fueron san Juan
Pablo II y el papa Benedicto XVI.
Pero él dijo que parará en la capital, Ciudad de México, para orar
en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora
de Guadalupe. “Pero si no fuese
por Nuestra Señora no iría” allá,
él había dicho ante reporteros.
El papa volará hasta y regresará desde Ciudad de México
cada día después de celebrar
Misa en la basílica el segundo día
de su viaje.
Durante los próximos cuatro días él visitará un hospital
pediátrico en la capital, así como
familias y comunidades indígenas en el estado ubicado más al
sur y el más pobre de México,
Chiapas, que cautivó la atención mundial con su Rebelión
Zapatista durante la década de
1990.
Él visitará a jóvenes y a religiosos en Morelia, celebrará
Misa en la frontera mexicana-estadounidense en Ciudad Juárez y
visitará su infame prisión estatal
Cereso, donde por lo menos 20
personas fueron asesinadas durante los disturbios de 2009 activados por pandillas rivales entre
los presos.
“Estamos seguros que la
presencia del Santo Padre nos
confirmará en la fe, la esperanza
y la caridad, ayudará a la iglesia
a seguir adelante en la misión
permanente”, dijo la conferencia
episcopal mexicana en un comunicado del 12 de diciembre, “y
alentará a creyentes y no creyentes a comprometernos en la construcción de un México justo,
solidario, reconciliado y en paz”.
Padre Oscar Enríquez, sacerdote parroquial y director del
Centro de Derechos Humanos
Paso Del Norte en Ciudad Juárez,
dijo a Catholic News Service que
Juárez es a menudo visto como
ejemplo de superación de la violencia extrema. “El papa siempre
busca las periferias. Juárez es la
periferia de México y es un lugar
por el cual pasan los migrantes”.
Padre Patricio Madrigal,
pastor de la parroquia Nuestra
Señora de Guadalupe en la ciudad Nueva Italia en Michoacán,
dijo que al visitar Morelia el papa
“quiere estar más cerca de una
zona abatida por la violencia. Él
quiere traer consuelo y también
intimidad”.
La reunión del papa con
jóvenes y religiosos en Morelia es
importante, dijo padre Madrigal
a CNS, ya que la iglesia allí trabaja para mantener a los niños
fuera de los carteles y proveerle
a los sacerdotes apoyo y “fortalecernos en la fe y en nuestro trabajo atendiendo a las víctimas de
la violencia”. Los sacerdotes de la
áspera región Tierra Caliente allí
le habían prestado apoyo moral
y espiritual a vigilantes que se
armaban para expulsar un cartel
narco en el 2013.
El papa Francisco “quiere
darle a los jóvenes un mensaje
de esperanza y de que se mantengan lejos de la tentación de la
violencia”, dijo el sacerdote.
january 2016 -
DIOCESE 11
The Valley Catholic
»Media
Resource
Center
Recommended by SISTER
MAUREEN CROSBY, SSD
Coordinator of the Media Resource
Center - Diocese of Brownsville
»From the
Bookshelf
The Handbook
for Catholic
Moms: Nurturing
Your Heart,
Mind, Body, and
Soul
Format: Book Length: 256 pp
Audience: Adults
Author: Lisa M. Hendey
Publication:Ave Maria Press, 2011
52 companions for your Heart, Mind,
Body, and Soul. “Whether you’re
a spiritual mom like me or a mom
with children who keep you on the
move, this book will provide much joy,
guidance, and companionship on your
journey.” - Teresa Tomeo
Don’t Drink
The Holy
Water! Big
Al and Annie
Go to Mass
Format: DVD
Length: 61 pp booklet included
Audience: Children 3-8
Author: Fr. Joe Kempf
Publication:2010, Liguori Publications
The story and illustrations draw attention
to the cultural differences that make
the Mexican Christmas holiday unique
and enjoyable. Santa has become
Papa Noel and his reindeer have been
replaced with eight burros pulling a cart.
A sombrero-wearing Santa is making
his rounds through the Mexican desert
in James Rice’s latest twist of a holiday
tale.
Feast of Santo Niño marks arrival
of Christian faith in Philippines
Bishop Flores to
join community
for celebration
The Valley Catholic
PEÑITAS — Bishop Daniel
E. Flores will celebrate Mass for
the Filipino community on the
feast of Santo Niño at 3 p.m. on
Sunday, Jan.17 at St. Anne Parish
in Peñitas.
A Sinulog procession with
the image of the Santo Niño
around the outside perimeter of
the church will kick off the festivities, followed by the Mass and
an outdoor celebration with food
and entertainment.
“Halad brings together all
our devotions of the different
islands in the Philippines to the
Santo Niño — the Ati-atihan, the
Sinulog, the Dinagyang festivals,
as well as the fiesta celebrations
of all parishes dedicated to the
Santo Niño,” said Father Michael
Montoya of the Missionaries
of Jesus and pastor of St. Anne
Parish in Peñitas. “It is called
Halad kang Senyor Santo Niño
(offering to Senyor Santo Niño).
We would like to encourage all
the Filipino communities in the
RGV to come and join the celebrations.”
Father Montoya added that
funds collected during the Mass
will be used to help build a parish hall for the community of
Pueblo de Palmas.
3
Epiphany of Our Lord
5
Clase para Cerficado DER
(Office of Catechesis)
7
DRE Certification Class
(Office of Catechesis)
9
Convalidation Conference
(Family Life Office)
21 Vocation Hour for Family
Life Office at St Joseph
Chapel, Alamo
22-24 Catholic Engaged
Encounter (Family Life
Office)
23 Divine Mercy Conference
28 Advisory Team
(Office of Catechesis)
Amber Donaldson/Mobile Journalist, The Valley Catholic
A Sinulog procession will be held around the outside perimeter St. Anne
Church in Peñitas before the Mass celebrating the Feast of Santo Niño on
Jan. 17. The Sinulog dance is the traditional and ritual dance accompanied by
drums in honor of Santo Niño.
28 Spirit Awards
(Catholic Schools Office)
The feast of Santo Niño
marks the arrival of the Christian faith into the Philippines in
1521, when Portuguese explorer
Ferdinand Magellan offered the
gift of a statue of the Child Je-
31 Mother/Daugther Program
(Family Life Office)
sus to Lady Humamay after her
conversion to the Christian faith.
Lady Humamay was the principal wife of Rajah Humabon, the
chieftain of Cebu, Philippines.
30 Pro-Life March
(Respect Life Apostolate)
February
2
Candlemass
2
Clase para Cerficado DER
(Office of Catechesis)
7
DRE Certification Class
(Office of Catechesis)
6-7 NewLife Remarriage
(Family Life Office)
7
Mass for children with
special needs and
their families (Holy Family,
Brownsville)
13 Rite of Elections
(Office of Catechesis)
13 World Marriage Day
(Family Life Office)
Courtesy Photo
Msgr. Heberto Diaz, pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Brownsville, installed 54 young ladies to the Junior Catholic
Daughters of America (JCDA), Court JCDA #1998 Bishop Adolph Marx on November 29, 2015. Norma Guerra-Valdez
and Elia Cornejo Lopez serve as co-sponsors of the JCDA. The officers are President Lucinda “Lucy” Lopez, First Vice
President Lauren Cuevas, Second Vice President Ariel Garza, Secretary Sabrina Rodriguez and Reporter Mireya Lopez. As
their motto the girls chose “United we stand in the service of God.”
Bishop Emeritus Raymundo J. Peña’s Calendar
January 6
January 11-15
January 26
January 27
January 29
10 a.m.
All Day
11 a.m.
6:30 p.m.
6 p.m.
C&ER Foundation Meeting
Priests’ Annual Retreat - St. Eugene Retreat Center
OMI Bicentennial
Evins Ministry
Catholic Schools Spirit Awards Banquet
Alamo
San Juan
San Antonio
Edinburg
McAllen
Ongoing:
Format: VHS Length: 94 mins
Audience: High School/Adults NR
Production: 2002 (CBS)
This compelling story demonstrates the
power a single act of defiance can have
over an ancient tradition of injustice. In
1955, Rosa Parks creates the spark
that ignites the modern Civil Rights
Movement. After a long day’s work, she
takes the only available seat in the first
row of the “colored” section on a bus.
When the driver demands that the Black
passengers clear the row for a White
woman, Rosa refuses to comply.
New Year’s Day,
Solemnity of Mary
(Diocesan Offices closed,
Holy Day of Obligation)
19 Professional Day
(Office of Catechesis)
Our Friend
Martin: A
Movie for
Kids
The Rosa
Parks Story
January
1
16 Sponsor Couple Training
English (Family Life Office)
»Worth Watching
Format: VHS Length: 60 mins
Audience: Children Ages 10 & UP
Directed by:Rob Smiley and Vincenzo
Trippetti
A Message for Everyone. What begins
as a routine class project for a diverse
group of sixth-graders turns into a
magical, time-traveling adventure they’ll
never forget. Authentic historical footage
of Martin Luther King, Jr. is blended with
colorful animation as the students learn
about – actually meet- the civil rights
leader who challenged all Americans to
turn his dream into a reality.
» Calendar
of Events
14 Valentine’s Day
14 Rite of Elections
(Office of Catechesis)
18 Professional Day
(Office of Catechesis)
18 Vocation Holy Hour
(Family Life Office)
20 Catholic Men’s Conference
20-21 Retiro Pre Matrimonial
(Family Life Office)
Please submit your schedule to be
published in The Valley Catholic by
the first Friday of each month by
email at [email protected] or fax:
(956) 784-5082.
Monday - Saturday 8 a.m.
Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
3 p.m.
Mass at St. Joseph Chapel of Perpetual Adoration, 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Every Tuesday:
12:15 p.m.Mass at UT-RGV/Edinburg
2 p.m.
Counseling at UT-RGV/Edinburg
Every Thursday
7-8 p.m. Holy Hour at 727 Bowie St., Alamo
Every Sunday:
6 p.m.
Mass/Confessions at UT-RGV/Edinburg
Men’s Catholic
Conference Feb. 20
1st: Intention to the Consecrated Life (active and contemplative) and for the Sisters and Brothers in our diocese and
the success of their mission
2nd: Intention to the Permanent Diaconate the deacons (permanent and transitional) of the diocese and their
families
3rd : Intention to Married Life: for the welfare and sanctification of all the families in the diocese and for building
up the Kingdom in our domestic churches
4th: Intention to the priesthood and the priests of the diocese for the success of their ministry
5th: Intention to Pope Francis
The Rio Grande Valley
Catholic Men’s Fellowship group
is organizing their 2016 Catholic
Men’s Conference for Feb. 20 at
Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish
hall in McAllen. Bishop Daniel E.
Flores will serve as the keynote
speaker. To register online visit
www.rgvcmf.org.
12
DIOCESE
The Valley Catholic - January
2016
Our Catholic Family
‘We are all the children of God’
Volunteer delivers
the Good News to
those behind bars
By ROSE YBARRA
The Valley Catholic
RAYMONDVILLE
—
“Twenty years ago, I went to a
Cursillo weekend retreat and
that’s when I met the Lord,” said
Ezequiel “Zeke” Martinez, coordinator for the diocesan jail
ministry in Willacy County. “And
I made a decision to really serve
the Lord 100 percent.”
Martinez was raised Methodist and converted to Catholicism
when he met his wife. He attended Mass every Sunday but it took
the retreat for him to, “surrender
his life to Christ.”
“En la iglesia, somos unos, en
la casa somos otros, alla con los
amigos somos otros (in church we
are one person, at home, another
and with friends, another), but
once you have the encounter with
Jesus Christ, you try to be the
same person at home, at church,
at work and everywhere you go,”
he said. “No vivo yo, sino Cristo
vive en mi” (it is no longer I who
live, but Christ lives in me).
After the Cursillo weekend,
Martinez, a parishioner at Our
Lady of Guadalupe Church in
Raymondville, began volunteering in various ministries but soon,
“I began receiving signs that I was
called to serve in jail ministry.”
He met the late Sister Juliana
Garcia (1933-2014), one of the
founding members of the Missionaries of Jesus and the first
leader of the diocesan jail ministry, at a religious formation class
she was teaching.
Martinez said he eagerly answered several questions during
the class.
“Sister Juliana said, ‘I am
volunteering you to serve in the
jail ministry,’” he recalled, with a
laugh.
There are approximately 150
Catholic volunteers who perform
day-to-day ministry in the 34 facilities in the diocese. These volunteers provide scripture classes,
faith formation, RCIA preparation, retreats and more for those
behind bars.
Martinez began teaching religious education classes at the Willacy County State Jail. One day after a class, he was approached by
an inmate.
“The inmate said, ‘if I would
have learned what you are teaching me when I was younger, I
would have never made that mistake and ended up in here,’” Martinez said. “I fell in love with this
ministry right then and there.”
Today, Martinez assists Ofelia De los Santos, director of the
Jail Ministry and Immigration
Services for the diocese, in coordinating 23 volunteers at four facilities in Willacy County.
“Zeke Martinez is the type of
prison minister that inspires others to always do their best...and he
does it by example, using words
only when necessary,” De los San-
The Valley Catholic
Ezequiel “Zeke” Martinez has been serving in the jail ministry for almost 20 years.
tos said.
Hector Ramirez, a fellow jail
ministry volunteer, said Martinez
shows the inmates, “a lot of com-
passion and respect.”
“He interacts well with them,”
Ramirez said. “They like him very
much. He knows the Catholic
Mother-Daughter Program set for Jan. 31
Appreciation
for God’s gift
emphasized
The Valley Catholic
The Family Life Office annual
Mother-Daughter
Program,
which explores God’s special
gift of human fertility and the
wonder of growing up and
becoming a woman, is scheduled
Sunday, Jan. 31.
The event begins at 2:30
p.m. at the Bishop Adolf Marx
Conference Center, 700 N. Virgen
de San Juan Blvd. in San Juan.
The program, which is designed
for mothers and their daughters,
ages 10-12, will encourage girls
to appreciate their femininity,
as well as their changing
bodies and personalities. The
presentations emphasize respect
and appreciation for God’s gifts.
Topics include the physical
and emotional changes in
a young woman’s body in
preparation for motherhood, the
sacredness of human life and the
virtue of chastity.
The presenters will also
emphasize that each girl is
precious and unique, and that
every girl changes and develops
at different times and in different
ways.
The cost is $10 per family and
reservations are required. The
deadline for registration is Jan.
20. For more information, call
the Family Life Office at (956)
784-5012.
always looks for the peripheries.
Juarez is the periphery of Mexico
and it’s a place migrants pass
through.”
Father Patricio Madrigal,
pastor of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the Michoacan
city of Nueva Italia said by visiting Morelia, the pope “wants to
be closer to an area beaten down
by violence. He wants to bring
comfort and also closeness.”
The pope’s meeting with
young people and religious in
Morelia is important, Father
Madrigal told CNS, as the church
there works to keep kids out of
the cartels and provide priests
with support and “strengthen us
in the faith and our work in attending to victims of violence.”
Priests in the rugged Tierra
Caliente region there had lent
moral and spiritual support to
vigilantes arming themselves to
run off a drug cartel in 2013.
Pope Francis “wants to give
young people a message of hope
and that they stay away from
the temptation of violence,” the
priest said.
The pope’s itinerary for his
visit to Mexico is available on the
Vatican website.
respect. Cutting the grass and
keeping a gravesite and placing
flowers on it.]
As Christian members of the
Body of Christ, our lives should
reflect this witness of mercy to
those we meet on a daily basis.
It is also a time to reawaken
our conscience to a world faced
by poverty (both material and
spiritual) and to enter more
deeply into the heart of the Gospel by helping others experience
the mercy of God.
May the Year of Mercy be
an opportunity for each of us
to discover anew the corporal
works of mercy and lead others
to the one who came to reveal
God’s mercy, Jesus himself.
Amber Donaldson/Mobile Journalist for
The Valley Catholic
Pro-Life advocates pray
outside the abortion facility
in downtown McAllen during
the annual Pro-Life March in
2015. This year’s march is set
for Jan. 30.
Pro-Life,
continued from pg. 1
Mexico,
continued from pg. 1
believers and nonbelievers and
commit us to the construction
of a just Mexico, with solidarity,
reconciliation and peace,” the
statement said.
Father Oscar Enriquez, parish priest and director of the Paso
del Norte Human Rights Center
in Ciudad Juarez, told Catholic
News Service that Juarez is often
seen as an example of overcoming extreme violence. “The pope
Works of Mercy,
continued from pg. 5
bodies of the dead. [Examples:
Attending funerals and wakes
and by helping to provide
funeral meals as well as by the
treatment of cemeteries with
faith well and shares it.”
Martinez lost his left eye
and had a toe amputated due to
complications from diabetes but
remains active. He thanks his involvement in the jail ministry for
his mobility.
“If it weren’t for this ministry,
I would be in a wheelchair,” he
said.
His illness, he said, has taught
him a hard lesson in obedience.
“It wasn’t the diabetes that
did this to me,” Martinez said. “I
could have overcome this diabetes if I had been obedient to my
doctor about my medications and
diet when I was first diagnosed. I
wouldn’t be in this condition if I
had done what I was told.
“My disobedience to the voice
of God by way of the doctor is
what caused this. … Our spiritual
life is the same – God asks one
thing of us and we do the opposite. We know something is bad
for us, but we still do it.”
Martinez, a native of Mathis,
Texas, was recently honored as
the Volunteer of the Year at the
Willacy County Regional Detention Facility and at the Willacy
County State Jail by the staff and
administration of these facilities.
“Before I met the Lord, I made
a lot of mistakes, but by the grace
of God, I had never set foot in a
jail,” he said. “What the Lord has
taught me is that no matter where
they come from, no matter what
their mistakes are, whether they
are in this country legally or illegally, we all make mistakes, but
we are all the children of God.”
God’s life.
“We are all diminished when
somebody dies, we are all diminished when somebody has violence acted upon them.”
The annual march was held in
downtown McAllen for the first
time in 2013 at the prompting of
Father James C. Erving, the Oblate
priest who served as the director
of the Respect Life Apostolate at
the time. Father Erving, who died
in March 2014, wanted the event
held in the public square so that
the message of life could reach a
greater audience and a secular audience. Father Flores has continued the tradition, advocating the
case for life in a public setting.
“There is a sense that our faith
is something that is celebrated
behind church doors and behind
closed doors in my room but really our faith is something that
is called to be very public and it
is called to be something that inspires those who witness it,” he
said. “We need to share the message that God is not a God who is
out to get you, that God is not out
here to bring you down but that
God is here to show you the beauty of where life is to give people
that hope.
“And even though there are
pregnancies that are not planned
for, even though there are circumstances that have led to this
point, God is able to intervene in
our lives and transform our lives
and transform the lives of our
children.”
La Posada Providencia
Hands & Hearts Brunch and Auction
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016
La Sierra Event Center in Harlingen
Advance tickets are $40 per person or $45 at the door
(956) 399-3826 or via email at [email protected]