Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, there is a famous passage from “The Confessions” written by Saint Augustine in which he states:  “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
 
Today, we live in a world, which is becoming smaller and more complex with each passing day, and there are many who feel lonely, alienated and perplexed.  We as Catholics feel the growing separation between what the secular culture is offering and what Christ and His Church are teaching.  But we are not alone. 
 
The Holy Spirit is at work and this is evident most prominently at St. Philip the Apostle.  We are being encouraged by Fr. Barker and others to make plans to begin anew and grow stronger spiritually, to forgive, to strengthen our family bonds and to walk with Christ with confidence and without fear.  Put in other words, to form and strengthen our foundation, building it on rock and not on sand, so when the storms come we can persevere.
 
We can also recognize the Holy Spirit at work by the fact that there is a growing hunger in the hearts of many who desire to be holy but do not know how to.  As St. Augustine reminds us, there is a place in our hearts that only God can fill and if we do not allow Him to fill it we will try to fill that “hole in our heart” with many things, only to come away unfulfilled.
 
We all know and have heard in the Gospel that the road to holiness is hard and very few find it—these are the words of Jesus. We are convinced that you are among the gospel “many” who desire to be holy, yes even become saints!
 
The Disciples of Jesus and Mary (DJM) is a spiritual formation program especially designed for Catholic lay persons to help them walk the path of holiness we are all called to walk.  It is based on the teachings of the Catholic Church and her saints who are considered her “spiritual masters”   You will be given the tools to:
 
· Discover God’s plan in your life
· Grow in your relationship with the Most Holy Trinity and our Blessed Mother
· Discern God’s will in your daily experiences and decisions
· Be disciple to Jesus and Mary
 
Each and every one of us is called to be a Disciple of Jesus and Mary. In the Gospels, Jesus taught His followers discipleship by teaching them to know His Father, and as a result, to know the Holy Spirit and Himself. The path to discipleship, as Jesus shows us, leads us into an ever-growing and personal relationship with the Holy Trinity. Mary exemplified this discipleship because she was graced with a perfect relationship with the Trinity. Mary was the Daughter of the Father, the Spouse of the Holy Spirit, and the Mother of the Son. Through Mary's discipleship to the Most Holy Trinity, we find the most complete expression of the discipleship taught by Jesus.
 

                                                                                                (continued on next column)


Interested in joining the Catholic Church? click here to learn more

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
Auxiliary Bishops
Retired Auxilliary Vincent Rizzotto 
Archbishop Emeritus
Most Rev. Joseph A. Fiorenza 
Pastor
Reverend Richard Barker
 

Sunday Masses                            Daily Masses
Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm                Monday: 7:00 pm; Tuesday - Saturday: 8:30 am
Sunday: 8:30 & 11:00 am           

Reconciliation/Confession  
Saturday's: 3:30 - 4:30 or by appointment

Pre-K-4th Grades
Sunday Mornings 9:45 am - 10:45 am

5th-8th Grades and Children's Catechumenate
Wednesday Evenings 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

9th-12 Grades
Sunday Evenings 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Our goal is to prepare the Catholic laity to live as holy Catholics and thereby be good role models for all the souls God puts in your path (from family and friends to neighbors and co-workers), as well as to prepare you for a ministry in the Church – (the ministry God is calling you to).
 
On a personal note, as a Disciple of Jesus and Mary since 1994 (my husband since 1996), I can witness to the fruits of this formation program.  I am fully convinced that being formed spiritually in this path of holiness prepared me and my husband Ron to help our son, Reverend Brady Williams, SOLT accept God’s invitation to become a priest and allow us to offer Him to God with joy and gratitude.
 
We invite you to join our family and go through the Disciples of Jesus and Mary formation program for your own growth in holiness. We have no other agenda in offering you this formation. We will be offering an Introduction Class in the near future here at St. Philip so please watch the bulletin for date and time.  Or please feel free to contact me at 281-852-4389 for more information. In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Jan Williams.
 

Explore this website: www.usccb.org/romanmissal . It’s quite helpful.

 

More News