St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Archdiocese of Galveston Houston

816 Park Dr. La Porte, Texas 77571 281-471-2000 Fax:281-471-9365

Website:www.stmaryslaporte.com E-mail:stmaryslpcc@sbcglobal.net Parish Office Hours

Monday - Friday 9:00 am-12:00 Noon 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm

Sacrament of Baptism Baptisms are celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of the month. Classes are held on the 2nd & 3rd Tuesday of each month. Please come by the Parish Office to register or call for more information. Reconciliation The Sacrament of Penance is offered on Saturdays, from 4:30p.m. to 5:30p.m. or by appointment. Sacrament of Marriage Please contact the Parish Office at least (6) six months prior to your desired wedding date to arrange a meeting with Father Tony or one of the Deacons. If you want a Mass, you must call Father Tony. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Are you a non-Catholic who is interested in joining the Catholic faith? Are you a baptized Catholic who has never received the sacraments of 1st Communion and Confirmation? If your answer is yes to either of these questions, call the Parish Office. Sacrament of First Reconciliation/First Communion First Reconciliation/Communion candidates must be baptized, at least in the second grade, and have been attending CCE classes for at least TWO full years prior to entering into sacramental preparation. Adults will be referred to the RCIA program. Sacrament of Confirmation Confirmation is a separate more intensive examination of the faith and our responsibilities as practicing Catholics. Confirmands will meet once per month in addition to attending Life Teen faithfully, both one full year prior to the beginning Sacramental preparation and during the preparation year (no more than three absences either year). Parents/Sponsors will also be required to attend once per month meetings. Confirmation candidates must have previously received the Sacraments of Baptism and First Holy Communion. A habit of attending weekly Mass is required for both years. Please, note the above represents the minimum requirements. Adults will be referred to the RCIA program.

Vision Statement

St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic Community of Believers called to serve Christ by gathering together at the Lord’s Table in worship and praise, by serving our brothers and sisters in Christ, and by being a welcoming beacon of light to all. We are many parts, yet one body in Christ.

Eucharistic Celebrations Saturday: 6:00 p.m. Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (Spanish) 4:00 p.m. Life Teen Mass

St. Joseph’s Chapel Monday (No Mass) Tuesday – 12:00 noon Wednesday – 6:30pm Thursday, & Friday – 8:30 a.m.

Parish Staff Rev. Tony A. Castro, Pastor Deacon Hector Cantu Deacon Julio Matallana Deacon Stan Avallone Bookkeeper-Nelda Shealy Bulletin/Sacramental Records– Cheryl Frobenius Maintenance– Steve Regan Parish Secretary-Jessica Jaramillo Receptionist-Peggy Holland C.C.E. Director-Shari Davis C.C.E. Coordinator - Graciela Lopez EDGE Coordinator-Randy Tercero Life Teen Director-Shari Davis

PRAYER TO OUR LADY, HEALTH OF THE SICK DURING THE

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC O Mary, You shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the Cross, united with Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm. You, Salvation of the Roman people, know what we need, and we trust that you will provide for those needs so that, as at Cana of Galilee, joy and celebration may return after this moment of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the will of the Father and to do what Jesus tells us. He who took our suffering upon Himself, and burdened Himself with our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of Resurrection. Amen. We seek refuge under your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our pleas — we who are put to the test — and deliver us from every danger. O glorious and blessed Virgin.

—Pope Francis, March 11, 2020 © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Spiritual Holy Communion

For various reasons we may be prevented from receiving the Eucharist at Mass. We may have bro-ken the one hour fast, be in a state of mortal sin, or we could even be homebound, unable to leave our home to attend Mass.

In these cases the Church encourages us to make an act of “spiritual communion,” where we unite our-selves to God through prayer. It is a beautiful way to express to God our desire to be united with him when we are unable to complete that union in the reception of Holy Communion.

Below is a traditional prayer of spiritual communion that many saints have prayed over the years. It can be prayed if you find yourself at Mass unable to re-ceive the Eucharist, or even in the midst of your daily work, lifting up your thoughts to God.

The ultimate goal of our lives should be communion with God and an act of spiritual communion can help a person draw closer to that goal.

My Jesus, I believe that You

are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself

wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen

"Faith begins when we realize we are in need of salvation."

- Pope Francis

Dear parish family, 2 Easter – Divine Mercy Sunday

Our lives have never been the same because of the pandemic, and the message on this Divine Mercy Sunday strikes more strongly. The gospel message sounds the chord with a stronger but different note – more tangible and more powerful. The Lord wants us to touch His wounds – caused by our sins, and in a metaphorical way, His sufferings. We, as a church, form the mystical body of Christ who suffers. We are all of this together, and Christ is with us in our suffering. So we are not only touching Christ’ wounds, like Thomas in the gospel, we also have the wounds so to speak. The good news is that, the Lord of life rose from death, new life arises from ashes; even tragedies to be turn to something good that we cannot be able to see at the present. The words of the Lord in the gospel underscore what true faith is, “blest are those who have not seen yet believed.” We can apply its meaning in our present situation to say that “blessed are those whose faith remain strong even though they suffer or even though bad things happen. For it means to say that their faith is unshakable and they don’t lose hope in God.” It means to say that their faith is tested by fire; it is a genuine faith, pure as gold. So as we celebrate the feast of the Divine Mercy this second Sunday of Easter, let us make the habit of praying, “Jesus I trust in you” as St. Faustina asked as to do. Indeed, it is in trusting the Lord that gives us inner strength in our pains and hardships and inner peace amidst this present crisis the world is facing today. On a very sad note, let us pray for the repose of the soul of our Life Teen singer & choir director, Alex Cava, a Covid-19 victim. The last time he was here was on March 8. He contracted the virus in Sugarland on March 27 and succumbed to it April 13. We are so deeply affected and will miss him so much. Let us pray very hard to the end of this pandemic that we can be back to normality. Stay safe & healthy, pray the Rosary and stay home with the Lord.

My special prayers and blessings to all. Fr. Tony

Querida familia parroquial, 2º domingo de Pascua- Divina Misericordia Nuestras vidas nunca han sido iguales por la pandemia, y el mensaje de este domingo de la Divina Misericordia nos toca más fuerte. El mensaje del evangelio toca el acorde con una fuerte pero diferente nota – más tangible y más poderosa. El Señor quiere que toquemos Sus heridas – causa de nuestros pecados, y en una manera metafórica, Sus sufrimientos. Nosotros, como iglesia, formamos el cuerpo místico de Cristo quien sufre. Todos estamos unidos en esto, y Cristo está con nosotros en nuestros sufrimientos. Así que no solo estamos tocando las heridas de Cristo, co-mo Tomas en el Evangelio, nosotros también tenemos las heridas por así decirlo. La buena noticia es de que, el Señor de la vida resucito de la muerte, nueva vida resucita de las cenizas; aun las tragedias se pueden convertir en algo bueno que no podemos ver al presente. Las palabras del Señor en el Evangelio subrayan lo que la verdadera fe es, “dichosos los que creen sin haber visto.” Podemos aplicar su significado en nues-tra situación actual en decir “dichosos los que mantienen su fe fuerte aunque sufren o aunque cosas malas suceden. Porque esto quiere decir que su fe es inquebrantable y no pierden la esperanza en Dios.” Quiere decir que su fe es probada en el fuego; es una fe genuina, oro puro. Así que al celebrar la fiesta de la Divina Misericordia este segundo domingo de Pascua, vamos a hacer el hábito en orar, “Jesús en ti confió” así como Santa Faustina nos pidió. En efecto, confiando en el Señor nos da la fuerza inte-rior en nuestros dolores y dificultades y paz interior en medio de esta crisis que se nos presenta en el mundo hoy. En una nota muy triste, oremos por el eterno descanso de nuestro director del coro y cantante de Life Teen, Alex Cava, una víctima de Covid-19. La última vez que él estuvo aquí fue el 8 de marzo. Contrajo el virus en Sugarland el 27 de marzo y sucumbió el pasado 13 de abril. Todos estamos muy afectados y lo vamos a extrañar mucho. Rece-mos muy fuerte para que termine esta pandemia y podamos volver a la normalidad. Manténganse bien y saludables, oren el Rosario y manténganse en sus casas con el Señor. Mis oraciones especiales y bendiciones para todos. Padre Tony

Jesus, the Divine Healer...

March Online Giving ~ $ 4,222.52

March Miscellaneous Donations ~ $580.00

Sunday Offertory Donations March 23 ~April 5 $4,085.00

All Activities Cancelled Donations

If you would like to send your weekly donations, please visit St. Mary’s website and go to the Online Giving icon, Flocknotes or mail them to St. Mary’s, 816 Park Dr., La Porte, TX 77571. www.stmaryslaporte.com

Thank you for your generosity.

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Prayer in the Time of the Coronavirus

Comfort us, O Lord, for we are like your disciples on the storm tossed seas, unsettled by what lies ahead.

We turn to You, our Healer and Guide, to still our hearts in our time of need and hear our prayer: Heal those who are sick with the coronavirus and protect the elderly and most vulnerable. Give strength to all who tend to our health and wisdom to researchers who work toward a cure. Open our eyes and hearts, as you did during Hurricane Harvey, that we may look beyond our immediate needs to care for others who need help. Through the Holy Spirit, guide our leaders to make wise decisions for the welfare of all the people they serve. Grant eternal rest to those who have died from the virus. May Mary, Our Mother, who has heard our pleas in the storms of our lives, intercede to her Son, that we may find healing and a prompt end to this illness.

Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us. Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior, heal us.

St. Augustine: "To sing is to pray twice."

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

May He Rest in Peace Alex Cava ~ April 13, 2020

Mass Intentions Due to the current health crisis situation, the only Mass Intention offered for the Sunday Mass is for the People of the Parish. All other intentions that were scheduled have been moved to other dates. We have tried our best to move them to other weekends, if they were scheduled for Saturday or Sunday. The changes will be posted in the bulletin as to when the Masses will be as soon as we get back to our normal schedule.

Please Pray For Our Troops and …

Hernan Enrique Caceres, Veronica Natalia Chavez, Maria Sol Montel, Laura Andrea Cáceres, Veronica Rodriguez, Luz Alejandra Bringas, Carolina Silvia Brizuela Perez, Andrea Emilia Bernabey, Rodolfo Martin Arruabarrena, Angel Esteban Arrua Gustavo Caceres, Enrique Cáceres, Candaleria Ortiz, Lorena Rodriguez, Ann Mullins, Micha Nelson, Ann DuBois, Raeland , Brayden, Allison & Ellie Murphy, Becky Smith, Craig Wade, Jennifer Wade, Dianne Lemons, Paula Lambright, Dave & Cindy Schmitz & family, Dennis, Peggy & Erica Hargens, Ruth Christian & family, Chuck Thompson, Don & Allie Fay Mathews, Cathy & Bill Eberle, Inez Wade & family, Cheral Sides, Javier Martin Vera, Jeff Wade, Eileen Gaynor, Tony McCrory, Joe Lozano Jr, Casey Samollow, Elenor Joan Samollow, Rick Novak, Devon Tiffin, Bobby Hayes, Jennifer Dowing, Norman Ross, Tina Martinez, Susan Tolley, Aaron Binkley, Jordon Binkley, Mary Ann Cloyd, Rene Lozano and Don Gore Continue to Pray for Joe Lopez, Maria Garcia,, Ladd Puskus, David Gonzalez, Vicki Farias, Nell Turk, Rosie Yznaga, Teresa Mills, Joe Lozano, Sr., Angeles Sullivan, Tim Hellstein, Leroy Marchan, Geraldine Christensen, Kathy Strader, Daniel Vasquez, Herlinda Robles, Rosa Harness, Randy Hanks, Jeanette Tilley, Albert & Christina Palacios, Marisol Leyva & family, Marisol Luna, Pete & Juanita Sanchez, Cynthia de la Cerda, Betty Flynn, Orville Burgess, Pat Riley, Edward Salinas, Marlene Orellana, Humberto Villalobos, Kathy McBride, Margaret Espinoza, Romela Nolan, Joe Bernal, Fr. Gary Rickles, Renee Cortez, Aurelia Hinojosa, Cathy Hanzelka, Msgr. Boli Zientek, Gayle Phillips, Jane Middleton, Rosa Reyes, Deacon Tom Lewis, Irene Templet, Preston Wolf, Lawretta Foots, Marcos Vasquez, Gavin Binkley, Clarence Lewis, Red Cornejo, Linda Jaramillo, Deacon Merce Leal, Sue Crockett, Joanne Jarrell, Ben Munoz, Diana Ortiz, Bob Davis, Janet Hoffpauir, Nick Martin, Barry Armstrong and those requesting prayer via our web site. Remember Our Shut-Ins Mary Boatman, Lydia Rubio, Trinidad Arrindon, Josie Funda, Soledad Hernandez, Elida Peterson, and those battling terminal illness and the residents of La Porte Care Center and Parson’s House Repose of the Souls of Alex Cava and Rosie Hernandez Our Sympathy to Pina Cava and family on the loss of her husband, Alex and Pete and Juanita Sanchez on the loss of his daughter, Rosie Please Note: Names on our “Please Pray For” list are left on for four weeks. If someone needs to be put back on the prayer list or added please call the Church Office.

DIOCESAN SERVICES FUND “Bring Your Greatest Gifts to the Lord”

Parish Goal 2020 $52,000.00 Amount Pledged: $22,305.00 Amount Paid: $15,362.50 (29.54%) Total # of Participants 75

Our 2020 Diocesan Services Fund (DSF) has begun in every parish throughout the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Christ calls us to serve one another and reach those who are sick or in need, to bless and serve them. Your compassion and generosity is needed by the Archdiocese. When you share your greatest gifts with the Lord, you enable us to reach out to people in this parish and throughout the entire Archdiocese through more than 60 important ministries. To give online, please visit www.archgh.org/dsf. gratitude.

IGNITE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Parish Goal $469,301.00

Amount Pledged: $228,090.95 (48.60 % of Goal)

Amount Paid: $88,652.08(18.89%) Total # of Participants 71

Our Faith, Our Mission Begins! Addressing the Short and Long-term Needs of Our Church and those God calls us to serve.

We seek to raise over $150 million over the next 4 years to prepare our faith family for the future. At its heart, this campaign is about supporting our future by focusing on our parishes, our future priests, Catholic Education and Faith Formation as well as Rebuilding in Light of Harvey and ensuring a future Disaster Fund. Please prayerfully consider your commitment!

Pope’s Prayer Intention for April Freedom from Addiction:

We pray that those suffering from addiction may be helped and accompanied.

ALTAR FLOWER Dates available

May 23/24, 30/31 June 6/7, 20/21, 27/28 July 4/5 August 1/2, 15/16, 29/30

Altar Flowers contact Rose Kolenc 713-202-3283 or rose_kolenc@yahoo.com.

Church Candle Special Intention for Debbie Riggenbach

By Family

Chapel Candle Special Intention for Martha Riley

By Paschal Family

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Acts 4:23-31; Ps 2:1-9; Jn 3:1-8 Tuesday: Acts 4:32-37; Ps 93:1-2, 5; Jn 3:7b-15 Wednesday: Acts 5:17-26; Ps 34:2-9; Jn 3:16-21 Thursday: Acts 5:27-33; Ps 34:2, 9, 17-20; Jn 3:31-36 Friday: Acts 5:34-42; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Jn 6:1-15 Saturday: 1 Pt 5:5b-14; Ps 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17; Mk 16:15-20 Sunday: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-11; 1 Pt 1:17-21; Lk 24:13-35

No CCE, EDGE or Life Teen Parents….Updates may be found on our website www.stmaryslaporte.com, Facebook or through Flocknotes.

Randy Tercero EDGE Coordinator: randytercero@hotmail.com or

Angie 713-826-0633

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No Masses Today ~ Go to website www.stmaryslaporte.com

Questions/Concerns Contact Shari ( Director) davisinlp@aol.com

Please pray for Our Lady’s intercession and protection for this school year. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide teachers, parents and the community in support of the children of the parish!