St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church 2308 3rd Street ∙ Huffman TX 77336

Spirit and Truth It Is No Desert

My dear parishioners, Stephen Crane’s poem XLII (“The Black Riders”) expresses the bleakness of a suffering heart—

I walked in a desert. And I cried, “Ah, God take me from this place!” A voice said, “It is no desert.” I cried, “Well, but— The sand, the heat, the vacant horizon. A voice said, “It is no desert.”

Father Thomas Merton observes in NEW SEEDS OF CONTEMPLATION that of these three spiritual “places” — aridity, obscurity and tranquility — we discover ourselves dwelling in aridity most of the time. Our world, though beautiful, is fallen, and eternity beckons. “(For) our common-

wealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”. [Phi 3:20] While such longing is a cause for joy, it needn’t intensify our present distress. In the dazzling austerity of the desert, a believer can discover sanctity and the hid-den lives of the saints. The scriptures tell us, “In those days came John the Bap-tist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea” [Mt 3:1], and again, “(Jesus) with-drew to the wilderness and prayed”. [Lk 5:16] The person who eschews the desert never sees or understands these things. When a person enters the desert for the first time, or rarely, he perceives only a wasteland and his own vulnerability. The man who embraces the desert, howev-er, knows it as a sanctuary of striking spiritual … (continued on page 7)

Parish Office: Phone: 281-324-1478 Fax: 281-715-5533 parishoffice@stphilip.cc

Mailing Address: PO Box 2363 Huffman, TX 77336

Office Location: 2308 3rd Street Huffman, TX Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Pastoral Staff: Pastor Rev. Richard Barker Deacon Deacon John Sarabia Secretary Windy McMichael Maintenance Roy Ayala

www.stphiliphuffmantx.org

December 16, 2018 - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Mass Times:

Sunday Masses Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm Sunday: 8:30 & 11:00 am

Daily Mass Tuesday: Noon Wed-Sat: 8:30 am

Adoration Friday: 9:00 am-4:00 pm

Reconciliation: Saturdays 3:30-4:30pm

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When entering and departing the Church, please guard the silent prayer of others.

Welcome to our Visitors

We welcome you to our parish. If you would like to become a member please fill out a registration form located on the counter or visit our website: ww.stphiliphuffmantx.org.

Christmas Masses

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Adoration is suppressed on Friday, December 28th We have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday immediately following the 8:30 am Mass and continuing until 4:00 pm. At the beginning of adora-tion we gather together in the day chapel and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with Father Barker leading. It is a most blessed time of prayer! All parishioners are inviting to come and spend time with Christ present in this most Blessed Sacrament. Adoration takes place in the day chapel. Come for a few minutes or an hour. We are in need of addition-al scheduled adorers. If you’d like to sign up to have a permanent hour please contact Ms. Janet Hays at 281-852-3444.

Advent Confessions

Our Christmas Masses

Monday, December 24th, 5:00 pm Family Mass with Nativity Play

Tuesday, December 25th, 10:00 am

Christmas Morning Mass

We have confessions every Saturday from 3:30-4:30 pm. We will also have an additional time for confession on Thursday, December 20th starting at 7:00 pm.

Mary, Mother of God Mass

Our Mass for the Feast of Mary, Mother of God will be on Tuesday, January 1st at 10:00 am. This will be our only Mass on that day.

A good New Year’s resolution would be to try to attend daily Mass as often as possible. But don’t let your spiritual stamina flag as the new year progress-es. Remember the benefits you receive from Holy Mass. Praising God should be the most important event of our day. Receiving our Lord first thing in the morning prepares us for whatever the day may bring. Mass times: Tuesday noon; Wednesday - Saturday 8:30 am.

Join us at Daily Mass!

New Parish App

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Mary’s Blessings News

“Mary’s Blessings” is St. Philip’s ministry to the poor. This Janu-ary we’re starting our ministry again now that our parish has moved back into our renovated facility. As Christmas draws near and we count our blessings, we understandably feel the need to share with those less fortunate.

We’ve chosen to update our “giving” procedures and make it more convenient for you to give to our Mary’s Blessings work:

>> Please go to our parish’s website homep-age https://stphiliphuffmantx.org/ and click “Online Donations” to log in, from there choose the Mary’s Blessings Fund OR >> Download our new smartphone app called “myParish”; on the home page, click on “Giving” to log in.

This will reduce the labor and paperwork needed to process all donations thus speeding things up, con-serving our parish funds and our office staff’s time. Special donation checks to Mary’s Blessings may be dropped off at the parish office or mailed to:

St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church PO Box 2363 Huffman, TX 77336

(Be sure to note Mary’s Blessings on the memo line!)

May all of our parishioners have a wonderful Ad-vent and a Blessed Christmas!

At St. Philip the Apostle, we are pursuing new opportuni-ties to foster a stronger sense of community and faith in the daily lives of all parishioners. As a part of these efforts, we are happy to announce the release of our new My Parish mobile app for Apple and An-droid phones.

Our new MyParish app offers many features and capa-bilities for improving parish communication and serv-ing as a faith building resource such as: Receive and reply to group messaging.

• RSVP for upcoming events. • Daily readings read at Mass. • Latest Catholic news from around the world. • Easy-to-reference list of Catholic prayers with pray-

er requests. • Helpful examination of conscience and next confes-

sion reminder. • Reminder feature called “Mass Mode,” for Mass

and confession including phone silencing notifica-tion encouraging us all to be more present while at St. Philip.

• and much more

We invite you all to text App to phone number 88202, or visit myparishapp.com to download our new app today.

Blessed Advent, Lupe Cupples, App Administrator

Happy Birthday, Father Barker!

We wish Father Barker the best of birthdays on December 22nd. Thank you for your selfless ded-ication to our parish and the Holy Catholic Church. We are blessed to have you as our pas-tor!

God, our Father, we thank You for the gift of love and the gift of life. We thank you for the gift of our children. We ask You to send Your holy angels to protect and guide them each day.

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Consecration to Jesus through Mary Christmas Giving Tree

After taking last year off, St. Philip will once again be supporting the residents of Pine Shadows Retreat Nursing Home in Porter this Christmas. Most of the residents are low-income and have little or no family to help them. For the past 10+ years, St. Philip has provided gifts for every resident at Pine Shadows. Please return your gift to St. Philip and place it un-der the tree by Sunday, December 16th. On Friday December 21st, our youth will deliver the gifts. Thank you for your generosity. I know it is truly ap-preciated by those who receive them.

The Disciples of Jesus and Mary (DJM) invite you to join us

in making or renewing the Consecration to Jesus through Mary.

Consecration to Jesus, the Eternal Word, through Mary basically means we are giving Mary our full per-mission (or as much permission as we can) to complete her motherly task in us. This task was given to her by Jesus from the cross, which is to form us into other Christs. In other words, this Consecration, given to us by St. Louis de Montfort, is the short, easy, secure and perfect way to become a saint! Even Pope St. John Paul II describes making the Con-secration as a “turning point” in his life and took as his papal moto the words of St. Louis de Montfort that he felt summarized the total consecration which were “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours). Our 33 day preparation will begin December 31st and we make our Consecration witnessed by our dear pastor, Fr. Barker, on February 2nd after the 8:30 a.m. Mass.

We have a few copies of this book at the parish office. You may also purchase the Conse-cration book from a local Cath-olic bookstore or online via Montfort Publications or on Amazon. The title is “Preparation for Total Conse-cration” by Fr. Hugh Gillespie.

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We wish to thank all of our parishioners for their time, treasure, and talent these past months. Many of you donated time through prayer or work at the parish. Every rosary, every Hail Mary, every thought means so much to us!

Women’s Guild

Online Giving - Youth Scholarship Program

Middle School Youth Group

Monthly Luncheon: There will be no monthly luncheon in December due to the Christmas holidays. Cookbooks:

Cookbooks can still be purchased and make a nice Christmas gift. The price is $20 a piece or $15 for two or more. To get a cookbook please call Dianne Truitt at 713-823-4948.

Monthly Meeting: Our next monthly meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 8th at 9:30 am in the parish hall. We will have a business meeting and discuss up-coming events. Christmas Poinsettias:

On Thursday, December 20th we are going to The Brookwood Community in Brookshire to pick up poinsettias for our Christmas altar. We will be having lunch at the Brookwood Café. You must

let Windy, in the parish office, know if you would like to go so she can add you to the reservation. You can call her at 281-324-1478.

Our online giving company, ParishSoft, has begun a program to help fund our youth activities. For each 25 individuals/families that sign-up with a new recurring payment we will receive $200 up to $2,000 per year to fund youth activities. This is a great way to standard-ize your support of St. Philip and help our youth pro-gram at the same time! To access please go to our website: www.stphiliphuffmantx.org and click on the online giving tab. You can also access it on our new parish app (see previous page for info). When you set up a payment check off for a recurring payment with your desired intervals. We want to thank all of our parishioners for your faithfulness and care of our parish. Through your sup-port we continue to bring the good news of Our Blessed Lord to our local community.

The Middle School Youth Group had a great time using the new kitchen to get into the holiday spirit. We lis-tened to Christmas carols, played board games, and baked sugar cookies. Yes, there was quite a lot of flour and sugar everywhere! Thanks to the Knights for helping get the oven lit and the Women’s Guild for stocking our new kitchen with great supplies. Our next gathering will be “Pizza, Popcorn, and a Mov-ie”, on Sunday January 27th, from 12 to 3PM.

1. Feed the hungry 5. Visit the sick 2. Give drink to the thirsty 6. Visit the imprisoned 3. Clothe the naked 7. Bury the dead 4. Shelter the homeless

‘I tell you solemnly in so far as you did this to one of the

least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me’ Matthew 25:40 6

Corporal Works of Mercy

Children’s Christmas Eve Nativity Rehearsals

Youth Group - Middle School & High School Pine Shadow Retreat Christmas Party

Christmas Eve Nativity Rehearsals Saturday, December 22, 9:30 – 11:00 am

All parish children in Kindergarten – 12th grade are welcome to participate in our annual Nativity Pageant. The pageant is presented during the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at 5:00pm on Monday December 24th. Come help us celebrate Christmas by partici-pating in this classic retelling of Jesus’ birth in the little town of Bethlehem. All costumes will be provided. On Christmas Eve, all participants will need to arrive by 4:15p. Virtus trained adults are needed to wrangle all the angels, shepherds, wise men ... Please contact Becky Pursell @ 713-516-7376 or bpursell@stphilip.cc with questions or to volunteer.

All St. Philip middle and high school youth are invited to join us for a Christmas Party at Pine Shadows Re-treat Nursing Home in Porter. On Friday, December 21st, we will bring cookies, have a Christmas carol sing-along, deliver the parish’s gifts to each resident and spend some time visiting with them. Meet at St. Philip at 1:15 pm to load gifts. After the party, we’ll stop at Cici’s in Humble for dinner. Bring $10 for the buffet if you want to eat. Parents can pick up from Cici’s if they’d like, or, as always, we will bring you back to St. Philip. Multiple Virtus-trained chaperones/drivers are always needed for this trip. Sign up in the CCE classrooms, or by e-mailing Miss Becky at bpursell@stphilip.cc

St. Philip is a smoke-free campus. For the good of all parishioners young and

old, and the beauty of God’s Temple, please do not bring smoking

materials on campus. Thank you. 7

Remembrance and Renewal Ministry “Hope: The Promise of the Christmas Baby”

It Is No Desert (continued from page 1)

This season, in our faith, is the ultimate reason for hope. Hope that something good has come and will be the hallmark of the arriving New Year. The baby Jesus is called, “the hope of the world”, the Messiah, the “living God”. Even though we might be feeling acutely the loss of a loved one, we cannot but feel that this glorious season in the year of our Church is one that reminds us of the goodness of God. Finding hope can be hard to do sometimes. Let’s celebrate this season knowing that our loved one is safe in heaven and would ask us to turn our grief into some-thing good. You might ask, “How do I do that as I am still so filled with grief?” There are several ways to move beyond your own personal cares and fulfill Christ’s mission for you. Maybe you have not sent out Christmas cards in a while. Buy some beautiful ones and use this as a way to reconnect with long lost friends. Take part in the celebration of the season by volun-teering to help with St. Philip’s Ministries. There is always room for another helping hand. Bake some Christmas goodies and bring them to a nursing home or senior center to share with visitors. Dedicate your prayers and rosaries to those you have lost and those who remain. Spread seeds of hope. Seeds can come disguised as a story. Write the story of your loved one. Write your own story through journaling. Write about your struggles and always end with something hopeful. Your words, your stories, in time, could make a differ-ence to others who are experiencing grief. In time, we, who grieve, find a way to transform ourselves and redirect our energy into our family, our commu-nity, and, hopefully, our Church. It is possible that if we pretend to be hopeful, even when we are not feeling it, we will eventually begin to truly feel hope-ful. It is amazing how we can transform ourselves when we put our minds to it. God Bless You in this beautiful season!

… beauty and God’s impenetrable wonders. This makes sense. Our Lord Jesus Christ spent much if not most of his time in the wilderness, there com-muning with his heavenly father. It was the city and its builders, not the desert and its nomads, who would betray him. No, dear disciple, you are not a victim, nor is your life a drudgery of empty piety. You build on solid rock, that is to say, a living holiness. [cf Mt 7:24-27] With the Carpenter of Nazareth to help you, you are constructing a house of love on this foun-dation. You may be rebuked or condemned for be-ing holy. Do not look to the right or to the left. Keep your eyes on the Most Blessed Trinity and the celestial Jerusalem made by heavenly hands. Drawn to see the seraphic fire, Moses stood silent-ly before the burning bush. Take off your sandals. Listen to God. It is an irony that human beings actually don’t en-ter the desert in this life. We are birthed into the spiritual desert from the beginning! One advances far in the devout life when he consciously embrac-es the desert which surrounds him always. There, like Jesus, pray to God the Father. There like Jesus, allow God’s Spirit to minister to you and defend you from evil. If you thirst to live a holy way of life, your journey must lead to the Sacrament of Reconciliation — “a spring of water welling up to eternal life”. [cf Jn 4:14] The Spirit’s voice speaks. “It is no desert!” In this mystical oasis you will find refreshment, re-generation and the spiritual strength to carry on and serve your brothers and sisters. Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.

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He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” Mt 18:2-3

Disciples of Jesus and Mary (DJM) Fr. Santan Pinto SOLT, DJM Founder

Step 36

COVER YOURSELF WITH SILENCE AMIDST THE NOISE OF THE WORLD In silence you hear the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit • Where there is understanding, no words are

necessary. • Lack of understanding leads to much talk. • In your imitation of the Trinity communicate

without words. • Communication flows from union. • The world with its many demands leaves you

restless. “May the little child Jesus bless you and accompa-ny you on your journey” - Fr. Santan Pinto SOLT (+2011+)

For more information about DJM Spiritual For-mation contact Jan Williams at:

ronjanwilliams@msn.com or website

www.disciplesofjesusandmary.org

DJM Corner

Daily Masses Monday, December 17 NO DAILY MASS Tuesday, December 18 Noon - +Repose of the soul of David Harbin+ Wednesday, December 19 8:30 am - +Repose of the soul of Anna Piper+ Thursday, December 20 8:30 am - +Repose of the soul of Clyde Boudreaux+ Friday, December 21 (St. Peter Canisius) 8:30 am - Special intentions of Father Barker Saturday, December 22 8:30 am - +Repose of the soul of Paul Kuntz+ Sunday Masses Saturday, December 22 5:00 pm - Intentions of Father Barker on his Birthday Sunday, December 23 8:30 am - For the Families of Our Parish 11:00 am - +Repose of the souls of Ed & Janice Warfield+

Altar Flowers are given By Don and Charlotte Walter In memory of Gretchen King and Elwyn & Yvette Walter

Mass Intentions

Altar Flowers

Steps in Littleness

“There are 50 simple steps in littleness. Try them one step at a time. Look at your struggles and temptations. You will find one step that will suit you the most at that stage in your life. Do not hurry–remember you’re little!” Fr. Santan Pinto SOLT (2011+)

Dress Standard for All Masses

Men/Young Men/Boys (who have made First Communion): Shirts and pants.

Women/Young Women/Girls (who have made their First Communion): Modest Dresses, Co-ordinated Ensembles, Shirt/Blouses with Pants. Clothing not proper: flip-flops, shorts, cutoffs, t-shirts, sloppy jeans, tank tops, & revealing clothing.

Please do not bring bottled water, soda, food, candy or gum into Mass.

Please honor the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and wear modest clothing.

These guidelines are for Eucharistic Adoration and all Sacramental gatherings.

When you receive Communion during the Holy Sacri-fice of the Mass, it is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divini-ty of Christ that you are receiving. Holy Communion, in the Catholic Church, is reserved for those who have received the sacrament of First Holy Communion, have been catechized (taught) in our Catholic faith and have made a profession of faith. One should ab-stain from Holy Communion if they are in mortal sin and have not received the sacrament of reconciliation. If you are not Roman Catholic or are in need of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we ask that you refrain from receiving Holy Communion in the Mass. However, you may go up to one of the ministers for a blessing when Holy Communion is being offered. By crossing your hands over your heart, the Priest or Eucharistic minister will know to give you the blessing.

Also, if you choose to receive only the Blessed Sacrament and not from the Chalice, it is fitting nevertheless to pause for a mo-ment to honor Christ’s pres-ence in the Precious Blood—with an appropriate sign of de-votion. We would not think to pass a friend on the street with-out some acknowledgement. Our Lord Jesus Christ deserves no less, and most assuredly, a great deal more.

Receiving Holy Communion

Sacraments

SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY If you have been participating actively at least six months after registration in the parish, you may ask for an appoint-ment with the pastor to begin marriage preparation. Marriage preparation requires six months.

SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM If you have been participating actively at least six months after registration in the parish, you may call the parish office to begin baptismal preparation. Children age 6 or younger; documents are required before baptism date may be scheduled: parish & baptismal registrations, birth certificate, and baptism class certifications.

FUNERAL SERVICES To ensure that parish ministers can assist you, please call the parish office before setting dates and times for funer-al services. Regarding personal spoken remembrances at funeral liturgies, St. Philip parish adheres to the policies of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.

ANOINTING OF THE SICK By appointment. Please call our office to make arrangements.

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Please Pray

For Illness: Mike McKeever, James McCullough, Laura Rucka, Greg Keng, Jacel Morgan,

Deacon John Sarabia, Eileen Logsdon, Kim Hearn, Dick Sulkowski, Donna Hackett, Patricia Flores, Marge Amann,

Bridget Meyer, Kevin Kilgore, Sr., Diana Espinoza, Brittany Vasquez, Windy McMichael, Charles Gardner, Dennis Billodeaux,

Thelma Carrier, Dorothy Becker, Rosalee Frantz, Roy Lovely, Preston Fann

Please pray for the repose of the souls of: +Bernard Sarbeck, Teddy Bernhard,

Annie Vasquez, David Harbin, Louise Snoe, Joe Boreas, Joe Buchanan, Larry Keller,

Janie Salinas, Lera Cordova, Genevieve Schmidt, Millie Lochridge, Francis LeBlanc, Anna Piper+

Thank you for your financial support of St. Philip! We continue to work very hard to fulfill our stew-ardship responsibilities as we serve you, our par-ish families. Please remember to forward your Sunday gifts to the parish before you travel. This will help us continue the ongoing work at our parish.

Parish Mailing Address: PO Box 2363, Huffman, 77336 Parish Phone: (281) 324-1478 Parish Fax: (281) 715-5533 (NEW) Parish E-Mail: parishoffice@stphilip.cc Parish Website: www.stphiliphuffmantx.org.

Continuing Christian Education (CCE) CCE Office (281) 324-1934, E-Mail: cceoffice@stphilip.cc CCE Core Team Chairperson Middle School/High School Coordinator Becky Pursell (713) 516-7376 Elementary Coordinator Carlie Richard (337) 258-4840 First Sacrament Coordinator Suzanne Burch (361) 877-9728 Confirmation Coordinator Lynette Zaunbrecher (281) 386-9783 Registrar André Taylor (832) 233-0829 Nursery Coordinator Becky Pursell (713) 516-7376 Adult Bible Study Ray and Deb Kessler (832) 644-8078 Spiritual Development Disciples of Jesus and Mary - Laity Spiritual Formation Jan Williams (713) 419-8097 Eucharistic Adoration/Holy Face Prayer Group Janet Hays (281) 852-3444 Knights of Columbus Gary Aldrich (Grand Knight) (832) 586-6430 Prayer Chain Deacon John Sarabia (281) 923-9659 Women’s Guild Dianne Truitt (713) 823-4948

Liturgical Altar Servers Father Barker (281) 324-1478 Sacramental Ministry Director Lynette Zaunbrecher (281) 386-9783 Home Bound Parish Office (281) 324-1478 Adornment of the Sanctuary Altar Guild (Ordinary Time) (281) 386-9783 DJM’s (Feast Seasons) (713) 419-8097 Music Core Team Director: Geralyn Moulds (281) 540-4682 Jan Williams (713) 419-8097 Valerie Sivil (713) 202-1310 Usher Ministry Gary Aldrich (832) 586-6430 Social Outreach / Concern Mary’s Blessings Ministry For financial assistance please call 832-764-9814 Marie Hohmann (281) 360-9032 Prime Timers (55+) Claudia Herron (832) 270-3385 Pro-Life Christine Kasper (713) 416-5233 Rosemont Assisted Living Judy Abdelnoor (281) 360-9728 Prison Ministry Deacon John Sarabia (281) 923-9659 Transitions Grief Ministry Lane Coco (281) 324-2163

Pastor - Rev. Richard E. Barker Deacon - John Sarabia (281) 923-9659 Instituted Acolyte - John Comeaux (281) 324-2044 Instituted Acolyte - Troy Hill (713) 336-3321 Secretary - Windy McMichael (281) 324-1478 Maintenance - Roy Ayala (832) 658-9074

We Welcome You to St. Philip the Apostle Parish Community! • Our parish motto is “Actively striving to be a holy and loving Family of Faith, serving God and neighbor.” • If you wish to be a part of our parish community, please fill this form out and drop it in the collection basket.

This will get you on our mailing list. To register please fill out our form either on our website or by picking a form up on the counter after Mass.

Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________

Parish Ministries Contact Information