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May 23, 2012 |
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East Texas Catholic
The 2012 Lumen Christi finalists are being announced this week – and Southeast Texas’ own Jesús Abrego is one of the 12.
As director of Hispanic Ministry for the diocese, Abrego is instrumental in introducing dynamic new ways to reach the growing Hispanic population in the state of Texas.
For more than 10 years, his innovative leadership training and retreat programs, such as the Hispanic Family Conference which drew more than 2,200 people this year, or the youth-centered Pastoral Juvenil Hispaña, have reached thousands of children, teens and adults.
Abrego’s efforts are preparing Hispanics to take on increased leadership roles in the church and creating a sense of pride in their contributions to the community. Click here to read more about Abrego's work on the Catholic Extension web site.
The Lumen Christi Award is given by Catholic Extension Society to an individual or group working in one of America’s mission dioceses who shares the light of Christ with the communities they serve. Through their ministries, these hidden heroes stand witness to the transformative power of faith that changes hearts, lives and society.
This year Catholic Extension is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Lumen Christi Award, Latin for Light of Christ. The award is accompanied by a grant that will assist the recipient and the diocese in enhancing a specific area of ministry.
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May 22, 2012 |
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The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops today announced its enthusiastic support for the 43 dioceses, hospitals, schools and church agencies from across the country who filed lawsuits challenging the federal government's violation of the Church's First Amendment religious freedom as part of health care reform. Click here to read full statement. |
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May 22, 2012 |
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By Carol Baass Sowa, Today's Catholic
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A panel composed of a representative from Spain, three from Mexico, one from Canada, plus another 15 or so experts from across the United States, convened in San Antonio April 11-15 to help further the nomination of the five Franciscan missions to UNESCO’s list of recognized World Heritage Sites.
Carol Baass Sowa | Today's Catholic |
SAN ANTONIO • Historic Mission San José has had its share of important visitors over the centuries, including royalty and famous literary figures, but the visitors who trooped through the mission grounds on April 12 held special significance for San José and for San Antonio’s other missions — Concepción, San Juan Capistrano and San Francisco de la Espada, as well as former Mission San Antonio de Valero, known today as the Alamo.
The visitors were members of an expert panel formed to further the nomination of San Antonio’s five Franciscan Missions, including their acequia system and Rancho de las Cabras near Floresville (originally the ranch for Mission Espada), to UNESCO’s list of recognized World Heritage Sites.
“We have been working on the World Heritage nomination for over five years,” said historian Paul Ringenbach, lead writer for the forthcoming nomination document. The San Antonio Franciscan Missions, he explained, was one of 14 sites selected out of 37 applicants by the United Sates as worthy for nomination to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s international list of landmarks deemed culturally significant. From this tentative list, the United States is allowed to nominate one or two sites per year over the next ten years, with the next opening for nominations being in 2014.
“The Office of International Affairs suggested to us,” noted Ringenbach, “that one thing that might be good to help make our nomination stronger would be to convene an international panel of experts to look at our nomination and make some suggestions to make it stronger.”
This panel, composed of a representative from Spain, three from Mexico, one from Canada, plus another 15 or so experts from throughout the United States, convened in San Antonio April 11-15, with presentations, discussions and tours of the sites involved taking place from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. They included historians, archaeologists and persons with expertise in a variety of pertinent areas. Read Full Story >> |
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May 21, 2012 |
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By Lisa May for the Texas Catholic Herald
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 St. Mary Seminary in La Porte in 1913 Looking back at 165 years of history of the mother diocese of Texas
HOUSTON — May 4 is an important date for Catholics in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to remember: It’s our birthday.
On that date in 1847, Blessed Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Galveston, the first Catholic diocese in the State of Texas, and the 27th in the United States.
Our diocese originally encompassed all of Texas — then one of the newest states in the Union. This year, the “mother diocese” of the Catholic Church in Texas celebrates the 165th anniversary of her creation. As we look back over those many years of mission and ministry, here are some other important milestones in our history:
1847 - Establishment of the Catholic school system
The year 1847 also saw the establishment of the Catholic school system in Texas, with the opening of Ursuline Academy in Galveston in February. Catholic parents settling in Texas joined together to provide schools for their children in the years before the Diocese of Galveston was created. Bishop Jean Marie Odin, C.M., the first Bishop of Galveston, formalized the process when he invited religious men and women, starting with the Ursuline Sisters, to open schools across his diocese. Today, our 59 Catholic elementary and high schools trace their roots back to Galveston and Ursuline Academy.
 1848 – Dedication of St. Mary Cathedral in Galveston
When construction began on a new church in Galveston in 1847, it was to replace the original St. Mary Church, the first built on the island, in 1842. By the time the church was completed, though, the Diocese of Galveston had been created, and Galveston had become the see, or capital, of the new diocese. The new St. Mary would therefore be dedicated as the cathedral of the new diocese on Nov. 26, 1848. Though St. Mary Cathedral Basilica is not the oldest church in Texas, it is the first cathedral of the first diocese in the state, and it holds a very special place in the history of the Catholic Church in Texas. As Galveston-Houston is the “mother diocese,” St. Mary Cathedral is the “mother church.”
1874 – First division of the Diocese of Galveston
The Diocese of Galveston originally encompassed all of Texas — more than 250,000 square miles. It was difficult for the Bishop of Galveston to administer such a huge area, especially in the days when travel was by foot or horse, before railroads, cars or airplanes. It was soon obvious that Texas was too big for just one diocese. In 1874, the Vatican divided the original Diocese of Galveston into thirds, with the creation of the Diocese of San Antonio and the Apostolic Vicariate of Brownsville. Where there was once one diocese in Texas, today there are 15, showing the wonderful advance of the Catholic Church over these 165 years.
Read Full Story >>
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