St. John Vianney Catholic Church | Father Troy’s Weekly Letter

A Family Celebration!

Aug 11, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

What a great Feast Day of St. John Vianney! For those who missed it, we had a wonderful Solemn Mass where our choir sang beautifully and the altar servers and liturgical ministers performed their sacred duties with great reverence. We were blessed to have Fr. Jonathan Raia concelebrate the mass. Fr. Jonathan is a son of the parish and a priest in the Diocese of Austin. We were doubly blessed that I was able to present our newest seminarian from the parish, Michael Noriega. Michael will be leaving next week to begin his theological and philosophical studies at Holy Trinity...

Who is your favorite Saint?

Aug 4, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: This weekend we celebrate the feast day of our patron saint, St. John Vianney. Hopefully, each one of us knows the story of his life and is inspired by his life of holiness. More than that, I hope that all of us, in our prayers, regularly pray to St. John Vianney, for our parish, our family and ourselves. A while back, I ran into a friend of mine who has been very successful in business. He is smart, hard working, innovative and industrious. I was fascinated when he told me that he had started a new venture...

Join Us

Jul 27, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: Where has the summer gone? It seems like the kids just got out of school and now they are getting ready to start school again! With that said, please, please, please be sure to enroll your children in Religious Education. Every single school age child should be enrolled in our Youth Formation program or in a Catholic School. I would especially ask for your help in letting other parents know. If you know of a child who is not registered or has not previously received religious instruction, please invite and encourage the family to do so. All...

Called to be Missionaries

Jul 21, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: This weekend we welcome Fr. Dave Cottingham, CSSp, who will be giving the Annual Archdiocesan Mission Appeal. Every year the archdiocese assigns a missionary to speak to every parish in the archdiocese. The purpose is not merely to request funds for the support of missionary activities, but also a chance for our local Catholics to learn what the Church is doing around the world to bring the Good News of Jesus to other parts of the world. Fr. Dave is a Holy Ghost Father (Spiritan) and has himself served as a missionary around the world. In addition...

The Gift of New Life – Part II

Jul 13, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: Last week, I wrote concerning the baptism and reception into the Church by adults. However, the most common way people become Catholic is still by baptism as infants. For children over the age of 7, the initiation rites for adults are adapted and the children go through a formation process of the catechumenate. For infants and children under age 7, the Church has a special Rite of Baptism which still retains some of the liturgical rites for adults, but very much abbreviated to a single liturgical ceremony. Today, there is confusion among some Catholics concerning the appropriate...

The Gift of New Life – Part I

Jul 7, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: One of the most important days in my life is September 17th. It is the day I was baptized and was reborn in Jesus Christ! What is the day of your baptism? For the next few weeks, the bulletin letter will be devoted to the topic of Baptism. For more information see The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) #1213-1284. Baptism is the beginning of our new life in Christ. In the waters of baptism we are “born again”; original sin is washed away and we become the adopted children of God and members of the Church. It...

Making a Difference this Summer

Jun 30, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: For a time when things are supposed to slow down, we have a lot going on. Recently, our parish had two ACTS retreats, one for women in Spanish and another for men in English. Both retreats were wonderful for all of those who attended. The retreatants came back with enthusiasm and a renewed sense of faith, purpose and joy in life. If you have never been on a retreat, it is a marvelous opportunity and a special grace to do so. We also have other retreats and days of prayer throughout the year. This coming March, Fr....

St. John the Baptist

Jun 23, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. As such, it takes precedence in the liturgical calendar over the Sunday in Ordinary Time. You will notice that the bulletin cover has a photo of our new statue of St. John Baptist. You may also note that the feast day of the birth of St. John the Baptist (June 24) is exactly six months and one day before the celebration of the birth of Jesus! Now, was Jesus actually born on December 25 or John the Baptist on June 24? Probably not....

Ministry to the Sick

Jun 16, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: An important part of the pastoral care and ministry of the Church is our care for the sick and dying. We care for the sick and suffering because Jesus did. The gospels tell us of the love and care Jesus showed the infirm and how the sick came to Jesus for healing and comfort. The apostle St. James exhorts us “if there are any sick among you, send for the priest of the church and the priest will pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.” (Jas 5.14) This is the...

Stewardship and Sacrifice

Jun 9, 2018 In Father Troy's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends in Christ: There are some topics that will almost always get a response from people. Understanding, confusion, irritation, agreement, insight and disagreement are among the most common. Then there is the question of timing. To some, there is never a good time. For others, no matter the frequency, it is either too often or not often enough. Then there are people who simply don’t care or see the importance. And what is that subject that causes such a response? Church finances, of course. A few remarks to give a baseline understanding. Our parish is greatly blessed in every way. For...

St. John Vianney

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