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

Spirit and Truth “Joy to the World”

HIS WIFE had given up asking long ago. She knew her husband to be a good and caring man, but trying to get him to go as a family to their parish Church was stressful and often provoked his re-sentment. Their children never gave up, howev-er, so each Christmas Eve witnessed their great efforts to persuade their father. Please, they begged. Not this year, he frowned. As they

walked with their mother to Church, the children felt the wind and snow acceler-ating through the forked tree branches overhead. Their father had stopped caring. Christmas Eve services made him especially un-comfortable. If there was a God, he was far away and uninvolved in people's lives including his own. The story of the baby in the manger might appeal to chil-dren but the miraculous events that once fascinated him now made no sense. The temperature dropped rapidly. Heavy snowfall alternated with freezing rain in the evening darkness. After reading for a while, he stood up to look out of their family room’s large picture window. Out of the darkness of snow and sleet, he saw a sparrow flying straight at him. Startled, he watched the bird strike the window pane. Stunned by the invisible unyielding glass, the bird plummeted to the snow-covered ground. More birds crashed into the window. Repeatedly the sparrows struggled to right themselves and get airborne. They struck the picture window again and again. The small flock faced certain disaster. Caught by the unforgiving storm, they were searching for a refuge. The man found himself shaking. Never had he seen anything like this in his life. He had to do something. Grabbing his winter gear, he rushed out the door. ... (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 23, 2018 - 4th 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: Saturday: 3:30-4:30pm

2

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

Pastor’s Comment on Clergy Abuse

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 - Sat-urday 8:30 am.

Join us at Daily Mass!

My Dear Parishioners, The clergy abuse of children scandal is very

intense right now and will be for some time. Please be assured that St. Philip parish has no involvement whatever in any events related to clergy scandal past or present. There are no pending cases or inquiries whatsoever related to our parish.

I just want to say that I'm deeply sorry for the priest abuse of children. Whether it's one instance or a thousand instances, the abuse of children cries to our loving heavenly Father for justice. God judges every clergy member justly and rigorously: "Let not many of you become teachers (of faith), my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness." [James 3:1]

Our faithful and devoted laity, bishops, priests and deacons deserve our continued support and prayers. Please, always pray for the persons and fami-lies who have been gravely wounded by sexual abuse committed by priests.

Join us on Friday mornings for Mass at 8:30 AM, followed by prayer for victims of abuse and the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

I know all this is very hard for you. I pray for you and keep you in mind and heart always.

Sincerely in Christ, Reverend Richard Barker Pastor St Philip the Apostle

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

New Parish App

3

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

Pray the Rosary with the Knights

Join us as we pray the rosary the weekend of Decem-ber 29th/30th. We will begin 30 minutes before each Sunday Mass (including the Saturday Vigil).

4

Knights of Columbus Chili Sale Women’s Guild

Knights of Columbus Memorial Mass

The Knights of Columbus will be honoring their de-ceased members at a Memorial Mass on Saturday, January 12th at the 8:30 am Mass. All parishioners, and especially families and friends of their beloved deceased, are invited to participate in this beautiful and moving Mass. A reception will be held in the parish hall after-wards for a time of fellowship and remembrance.

Monthly Luncheon: There will be no monthly luncheon in December due to the Christmas holidays. Our January luncheon will be held on Tuesday, Janu-ary 22nd. Restaurant to be determined. 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 upcoming events. Eastern Deanery Meeting/Luncheon: On Tuesday, January 15th we will be hosting the Eastern Deanery. Meeting begins at 10:30 am, noon Mass, then luncheon. All Women’s Guild members are encouraged to join us as we fellowship with oth-er women in our deanery. Mark Your Calendars— Upcoming Events: The Women’s Guild will once again be holding their bake sale the weekend of February 9th and 10th. There will be homemade deserts and treats for all to enjoy.

The Knights of Columbus Council 9794 will have a Chili sale the weekend of January 5th and 6th. The Knights will be selling their special brand of chili for $10/quart after all the Sunday Masses - first come first serve. All proceeds fund their charities and St. Philip youth activities. The weather should be just right to make this chili taste at its best. They will start the cooking at 7:00 am, Saturday morning, at the new Pavilion and KC Building. All KC’s and friends are invited to stop by that Saturday Morning and help us “stir the pots”

5

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament

Adoration is suppressed on Friday, December 28th We have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Friday immediately follow-ing the 8:30 am Mass and continuing until 4:00 pm. At the beginning of adoration 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.

Consecration to Jesus through Mary

Online Giving - Youth Scholarship Program

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.

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 re-curring payment we will receive $200 up to $2,000 per year to fund youth activities. This is a great way to standardize your support of St. Philip and help our youth program 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 support we continue to bring the good news of Our Blessed Lord to our local community.

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.

6

Our Sunday altar bouquet is given “In Loving Memory of Doris Boudreaux

Merry Christmas! ” from your loving family

Our Sunday bouquets are given in honor of loved ones or an event. We invite parishioners to reserve a bouquet for their intentions. The cost is $50.00 per bouquet and we can have up to two bouquets per Sunday Mass. The flower binder can be found on the counter next to the main front doors.

Sunday Altar Bouquet

Pro Life Piece Christmas Bouquets

Flower Donations for Poinsettias

Bouquets for Sundays

Our beautiful poinsettias were given by the gener-ous donations of our parishioners and in honor of their beloved family and friends.

Our Christmas bouquets were given by

David and Lynette Zaunbrecher “In Thanksgiving”

Windy McMichael

“In Loving Memory of Steve McMichael”

Don and Charlotte Walter “In memory of Sr. Martina Hoare, SHSP, 1931-2003”

ROADTRIP!! Pro-Life Bus from Houston to Austin for Texas Pro-Life RALLY Fullness of Truth is coordinating a bus from Houston to Austin to attend the Texas March for Life on Satur-day, Jan. 26, 2019. Event Date: January 26, 2019 $30 per bus seat SCHEDULE: Departure: 8:00 am St. Martha Catholic Church 4301 Woodridge Pkwy, Porter, TX 77365 10:30 am – Lunch Pickup: Bastrop Chic-fil-la 12:00 pm – Arrive at 18th & N. Congress Ave. and Ministry Fair 1:00 pm – Gather at 18th & N. Congress Ave. for the march to the Capitol 1:30 pm – Begin march to the Capitol 2:00-3:00 pm – Rally on South Steps of Capitol 4:00 pm – Depart on Fullness of Truth Bus 7:00 pm – Arrive back at St. Martha's in Kingwood

7

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

“Joy to the World” (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!

… He would open the barn doors and turn on the lights. It was warm inside. Certainly the birds would see the barn light and fly toward it. But they would-n’t go. I know. he said to himself, I will help them go to the barn. Gasping from the biting wind, he kicked and forced the snow out of his way as he approached the stricken birds. He picked up one bird and facing the barn, let it go. It flew back, striking the window. They thrashed the snow, struggling to get away from him. They were dying. Standing some distance away, he shivered violently and pressed his arms tightly to his chest. Surely these birds must know what to do! The cold wind knifed into his muscles where the snow and sleet melted against him. His feet felt like blocks of ice. The birds refused to move. What more can I do for these crea-tures? A strange desolation overwhelmed him. He sank to his knees in the snow in defeat. Why was this flock of ordinary sparrows so important to him? Suddenly he was distraught beyond words. He cried out, If only, if only I could become like them, I could show them! They’d follow me! If only I could become a sparrow like them! He heard the Church bells ring. “Joy to the world! the Lord is come, Let earth receive her King.” He wept for the hapless birds and his own helplessness.

Oh God, he cried out, I know what it means now. I know why you were born in a manger! To be like us, to save us! Overcome with emotion, he stood up and stumbled toward the sound of the bells. His heart pounded. He must find his family, to hold his wife and children. I have to tell them what happened, he shouted, I have to tell them! My dear parishioners, in the name of the Christ Child of Bethlehem, men and women of faith everywhere proclaim God’s message of Christmas joy “by which you may be saved, you and all your household”. [Acts 11:14] “Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing, And heaven and nature sing! Joy to the world!”

Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.

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.

8

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 24 5:00 pm - For the Families of Our Parish Tuesday, December 25 10:00 am - For the Families of Our Parish Wednesday, December 26 (St. Stephen) 8:30 am - The Holy Souls in Purgatory Thursday, December 27 (St. John the Apostle) 8:30 am - +Repose of the soul of Julian Zientek+ Friday, December 28 (The Holy Innocents) 8:30 am - Special intentions of Father Barker Saturday, December 29 (St. Thomas Becker) 8:30 am - +Repose of the souls of Joe & Wilma Brown+ Sunday Masses Saturday, December 29 5:00 pm - +Repose of the soul of Larry Keller+ Sunday, December 30 (Feast of the Holy Family) 8:30 am - For the Families of Our Parish 11:00 am - Special intentions of Evan Sivil

Mass Intentions

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.

The parish office will be closed from Monday, December 24th until Wednesday, January 2nd.

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.

9

Please Pray

For Illness: Patrick & Marian Loftus, 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