Joan Martinez
Department Head
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To Follow the Example of Jesus
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In the last e-newsletter,
we learned what
accompaniment
means.
But how do we
accompany one another?
Jesus offers an example of what it means to accompany in the story of the
disciples on the road to Emmaus
. He not only walks alongside the disciples, he encounters and leads them. The disciples then go back and proclaim what they have learned to the others. This is the essence of accompaniment.
The topics being discussed and presented at the
Assembly
help us follow Jesus' example and answer the call to become a Church that accompanies people on their journey
. The topics speak to us of growing in faith through family life, building community on our faith journey, passing on the gift of faith to others, dealing with life’s transitions, and being Church in today’s society.
God bless you
,
Joan Martinez
Department for Pastoral Ministries
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In the Spirit of Encounter
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On October 5
th
, 2019, Archbishop Gustavo-Garcia Siller, MSpS met with more than 300 Middle School and High Schoolers from around the Archdiocese at the
Altar Server Formation Gathering
, a day of reflection and training that took place at St. John Bosco Elementary School, led by the Vocations Office with the support of the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco.
With support from t
he Archdiocesan Offices of Events and Gatherings and Liturgies and Trainings, Seminarians currently in formation and the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, the youth participated in various training exercises focusing solely on the Mass. The boys were then transported to Assumption Seminary for a presentation and activities with the Seminarians and the girls were given a guided tour of St. John Bosco’s School led by the Salesian Sisters.
As people of faith, Archbishop Gustavo said, we are called to serve various entities within our Mother Church. We must become renewed within ourselves to accompany those around us who may be in the peripheries of the Church. He thanked the Altar Servers for their participation and assistance during Mass and spoke on the life and legacy of Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio (Joselito), an Altar Server himself who served the Church until his untimely death.
If you or your child would like to learn more about the priesthood or religious life, contact Fr. Jonathan Felux, Director of Vocations at
jonathan.felux@archsa.org
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Get Information:
210-734-1911
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Sat., Nov. 9
Witness the Holy Spirit through fellowship with energetic speakers, live music, prayerful reflection, and Mass with Most Rev. Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS!
Speaker topics, presented in English and in Spanish, include:
Becoming Companions in Our Journey of Faith
•
Passing on the Gift of Faith
•
Church in Today's Society
•
Dealing with Life’s Transitions
•
Accompanying Our Families
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Susareth Andino-Ortiz
DPM Administrative Assistant
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We asked Susareth to tell us when she fell in love with Jesus and to explain how it changed her life.
I was 16 years old at my first retreat. The theme of the first talk that day was
“God Loves You”
, and I believed this completely. But there was a turning point when the speaker asked if we wanted to meet the person God loves most. I thought the answer was simple: It's Jesus. However, to my surprise, the speaker mentioned that it is in fact me who God loves most. That day, I realized that He lives in me. Since that day, every 25th of May, I celebrate my covenant with the Holy Trinity. A scripture from Isaiah reminds me of His love and my calling:
“I can never forget you! I have engraved your name on the palm of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:16).
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Let's Talk About:
Lay Ecclesial Ministry
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All the baptized are called to holiness and to transform the world by witnessing the Lord. The term Lay Ecclesial ministry is given to those who are commissioned by a bishop to serve in collaboration with the pastor and parish teams. The ministry is
Lay
for it is rooted in our baptismal call; the ministry is
Ecclesial
for it requires discernment and an appointment by a bishop; it is
ministry
for it expresses the continuous mission of Christ through the Church. Therefore, to better provide tools to those serving in ministry, the Academy for Lay Ecclesial Ministry has become the
Institute for Lay Ecclesial Ministry and Service.
The Institute will provide formation for a diversity of ministries, including:
Ministry of the Word
(catechists, Catholic school teachers, youth and young adult ministers);
Ministry of Liturgy
(lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, choirs, altar servers, and ushers); and
Ministry of Charity and Communion
(health care ministers, marriage and family ministers, campus ministers, prison ministers, volunteers, those in service to the poor and migrants, and ecclesial, as well as apostolic, movements).
Beginning in January 2020, the Institute will operate from our Archdiocesan College, the Mexican American Catholic College with offerings available throughout all 14 deaneries. If you have any questions about the Institute, please contact
Peter J. Ductrám
, Director for the Institute, or call 210-734-5188.
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Q:
The Republican Party seems pro-life but the Democratic Party seems to favor immigrants. I'm undecided on how to vote. What is our role here as Catholics?
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A:
"I will invite you to think that it’s not about a party. In both parties, or three parties or four, there are people all over the spectrum. And we, in our Catholic faith, we respect life from the very beginning to natural death: the unborn and the born, and all in between.
We are either pro-life all the way through or we are not. So to say that
some
may think about immigrants and others may not—no! All of us, no matter which party we pledge, we should be for immigrants! All of us—we have to be for the baby in the womb! All of us—we have to be for the elderly!
As Catholics, we value life from the womb to the tomb and all in between. The same care we give to the baby in the womb, we give to someone in the street. And that’s why all parties are deficit. All of them. For us Catholics, all of them are deficit. So, then we have to do an analysis and in conscience—
in conscience
—to vote."
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Department for Pastoral Ministries
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