Priests of the Archdiocese

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments confirmed the majority vote of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to amend the doxology of the Collects in the Roman Missal.
The words "one God, for ever and ever" are simply replaced with "God, for ever and ever." The change becomes effective on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. The revised formula for concluding a Collect applies to all other ritual books as well, including the Liturgy of the Hours.

For Cardinal DiNardo's letter and the entire document, click here.

The Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Councils (FDLC) has once more issued a liturgy preparation aid for the upcoming season of Lent, Triduum and Easter Time. This document is fifty-two pages in length and includes:

• Introduction: Pastoral Practices during the Pandemic                
• About the Sacrament of Penance                                                           
• Rite of Reconciliation of Several Penitents with Individual Confession and Absolution                                               
  • Readings                                                                                            
  • Sample Penances                                                                           
  • Music Suggestions                                                                         
• Order for the Presentation of the Holy Oils                                       
• An article on the Year of Saint Joseph                                                                                   
• A 2021Liturgical Calendar Advisory for Lent, Triduum, and Easter                                         
• The Lectionary for Mass: Year B                                                             
• Preparation Sheets:  Rites Belonging to the Period of Purification and Enlightenment                                                
  • Scrutiny I                                                                                           
  • Presentation of the Creed                                                          
  • Scrutiny II                                                                                         
  • Scrutiny III                                                                                       
  • Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer                                          
  • Preparation Rites                                                                           
• Preparation Sheets: Holy Week
  • Palm Sunday                                                                                    
  • Holy Thursday                                                                                
  • Good Friday                                                                                     
  • Easter Vigil                                                                                       
  • Mass of Easter Day                                                                        
  • Evening Prayer                                                                               

As always, we are grateful to the International Commission on English in the Liturgy and to the USCCB/ Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for their kind permission to reprint copyrighted material.

APOSTOLIC LETTER
PATRIS CORDE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
FRANCIS
ON THE 150^th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE PROCLAMATION OF SAINT JOSEPH
AS PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
 

WITH A FATHER’S HEART: that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as “the son of Joseph”.[1]

Matthew and Luke, the two Evangelists who speak most of Joseph, tell us very little, yet enough for us to appreciate what sort of father he was, and the mission entrusted to him by God’s providence.

We know that Joseph was a lowly carpenter (cf. Mt 13:55), betrothed to Mary (cf. Mt 1:18; Lk 1:27). He was a “just man” (Mt 1:19), ever ready to carry out God’s will as revealed to him in the Law (cf. Lk 2:22.27.39) and through four dreams (cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13.19.22). After a long and tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, he beheld the birth of the Messiah in a stable, since “there was no place for them” elsewhere (cf. Lk 2:7). He witnessed the adoration of the shepherds (cf. Lk 2:8-20) and the Magi (cf. Mt 2:1-12), who represented respectively the people of Israel and the pagan peoples.
Joseph had the courage to become the legal father of Jesus, to whom he gave the name revealed by the angel: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). As we know, for ancient peoples, to give a name to a person or to a thing, as Adam did in the account in the Book of Genesis (cf. 2:19-20), was to establish a relationship.

TO READ THE LETTER CLICK HERE.

FDLC has supplied a webpage of resources.
To access the resources, click HERE

Thriving in Rural Ministry is a retreat experience and follow-up for priests who serve in a rural setting. It is crafted to provide spiritual refreshment, rural ministry insights and support, individual leadership development, an expanded understanding of integral ecology, and fraternity with other priests serving rural communities.
The program is specifically designed to renew rural pastors and help revitalize their communities. It will create fraternal time and community space among Catholic priests, fostering a renewed vision of rural ministry vocation.
One of the trends we see in rural areas across the country is the increasing challenge for pastors covering multiple parishes over long distances. This trend has led to more pastors feeling more isolated and emotionally stretched. Pastors in rural communities, even those serving only one parish, have told us of their sense of isolation and their need for peer fellowship and fraternity to help them both overcome some of the unique challenges in pastoral ministry and to expand upon the many opportunities found in ministering in a rural setting.
CRL is creating a network of relationships with pastors serving rural communities who can encourage, sharpen and help one another.
Each retreat will include:
– Individual and communal prayer
– Best practices shared among other priests serving in rural ministry
– Presentations and workshops on known rural challenges and key priestly responsibilities
– Pre-retreat self-assessment tool
– Individual leadership development
– Fraternity with other priests serving rural communities
– Celebration of the sacraments
Retreats are four nights and five days and are hosted in a relaxing, retreat environment with 15-24 priests who either serve in a rural parish or anticipate doing so. Participants will be of various tenures and ages and will represent dioceses across the country.
After the retreat experience, each cohort will be invited to meet quarterly (via video conference) to discuss specific rural ministry issues. These virtual meetings will continue for one year following the retreat.
A generous grant from the Lilly has highly subsidized the cost of these first several retreats Endowment and other benefactors committed to rural Catholic culture. We ask for $280 to defray additional retreat expenses. Covered expenses include pre-retreat assessment tools, lodging, meals, materials, and participation in post-retreat virtual cohort meetings. Transportation to the retreat center is the responsibility of each priest (or his parish or diocese).

For a brochure containing more information, click HERE.

The Vatican has issued a new Votive Mass in Time of Pandemic. This Mass can be celebrated, according to the rubrics given for Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions, on any day except Solemnities, the Sundays of Advent, Lent, and Easter, days within the Octave of Easter, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), Ash Wednesday and the days of Holy Week.

To access the document which contains the orations for the Mass, click HERE. The orations in English begin at page 8. The Spanish begins on page 6.

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has suggested two options for the readings. Click HERE for English and click HERE for Spanish.

The events of the past few weeks have left many people in the Church – clergy and faithful alike -- confused, angry, shocked, and bewildered. We grieve for the victims of abuse and for their families. They have endured years, even decades, of physical and psychological scars. All of us, as the Body of Christ, must do all we can to assist them.

Unfortunately, it seems that news accounts have painted the Church and its hierarchy with too broad a brushstroke –condemning all for the failings of a few. Thousands of good and faithful priests are tainted by the actions of those who abused the most vulnerable in their care. Diocesan bishops were all made to look suspect, even though most were diligent in following the charter for the protection of children. The wonderful programs and policies of the Church have become overshadowed by more salacious headlines.

What can we do? First, we can turn to our God in prayer. He never ceases to guide his Church, to sanctify its members, and to protect it from harm. Once again and still, we turn to Jesus, our High Priest, and find consolation and strength in his Word and Sacraments. (FDLC Resources Introduction)

Here are listed a variety of resources to assist you in gathering people for prayer. The FDLC resources are extensive. May God assist us all as we turn to Him, the Source of all healing, comfort and peace.

A Prayer For Our Church (English)    (Spanish)

A Litany of Forgiveness (English)      (Spanish)

FDLC Resources for Liturgy and Prayer  (English)    (Spanish)

To download the Year of Grace 2019 document, click HERE.

To download the YEAR OF GRACE 2020 document, click HERE.

To download the REVISED YEAR OF GRACE 2021 document, click HERE.

The Office of Worship has published a Quick Guide to Wedding Masses on Fridays and Saturdays.  The hope is that whoever is responsible for helping the couples select the time and date for their wedding can be aware that the selection of an evening Mass time/ particular day is impacted by the rubrics.   Here is a quick reference guide as to whether the nuptial prayers and readings can be used.

Welcome to this website for the priests of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. The intent of this website is to become a place where our brother priests can find information to assist them in their priestly life and ministry. It can also be a place for the sharing of ideas and information to become more effective ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please feel free to share your ideas and suggestions with the Ongoing Formation of Priests Committee. We can be reached by clicking HERE.

This document is the basic plan of ongoing formation for priests who count themselves among other believers but who also stand and serve in a unique way in the Church of Christ, conformed to Christ as his sacramental representatives in the presbyteral order. God invites them to transformation across their lifetime, and their formation is marked by constant elements at every stage of life. At the same time, there are specific formational challenges that emerge in particular seasons of their priestly ministry. Both the constant and the changing elements of formation are included in the basic plan.

For a complete copy of the Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests, click HERE.

To access the Archdiocesan Pastoral Manual, click here.