nov dec 2009 epistle
DESCRIPTION
Vocations Office Newsletter Nov Dec 2009TRANSCRIPT
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O F F I C E O F V O C A T I O N S A R C H D I O C E S E O F G A L V E S T O N - H O U S T O N
Fr. Dat Hoang Director
WxtÜ yÜ|xÇwáM It is my hope that the new vocation website will
be a place where you can go to be inspired,
informed, and find the tools to discern God’s call
or to support others in their discernment
journey. Please spread the word about this new
website so that together we may build a strong
and fertile culture of vocations for all.
With great joy and deep gratitude to God, I am presenting to you the new website for the Archdiocesan Office of Vocations!
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2 Photo by: Pontifical North American College
Photo by: Pontifical North American College
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ROME – Vincent Arong of St. Francis de Sales Parish of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston was among 30 American seminarians ordained to the Order of Deacon on Oct. 8 at the Altar of the Chair in the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican by the laying on of hands of Archbishop of St. Louis, the Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson. Originally from Cebu City, Philippines, Vincent’s parents and his 2 younger siblings moved to Hawaii, California and finally Texas in 1985. After his graduation from University of Texas, majoring in Asian Studies, Vincent taught in Japan for a year before returning to Houston to study at the University of St. Thomas. He fell in love with theology and philosophy. In 2005, Vincent entered Holy Trinity Seminary; and in the fall of 2006 he was sent to Rome for Theology Study at the Pontifical North American College. Upon his ordination to the diaconate, Deacon Vincent was
commissioned by the Church to preach the Word of God, minister at the altar and assist the bishops and priests in the pastoral care of the community. He will serve in various parishes in Rome during the weekends while finishing his seminary formation and theology study. He is scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood back in the Archdiocese this coming summer.
A P R O J E C T T O H E L P V O C A T I O N S
Andrew, 15, had an idea. The project involved the planting of (15) trees at Sacred Heart in Richmond, Texas. He solicited various tools to be donated for the work and he also received the donation of the trees from a company called Landscape Direct. Once the donations were complete, he then had a work day in which over 100 man hours were used to plant the trees and mulch various beds at the church. After the trees were planted, he sold the trees by waiting outside of the church after several masses. These trees were sold as "memorials" and he raised over $3500. Andrew wanted to do something more than plant the trees and wanted to help the church. He came up with the idea of selling the trees and raising the money that would help the
vocations office to continue their ministry of inviting young men and women to consider priesthood or religious life.
Left to right: Tom & Kelly Mueller and their son Andrew, a Boy Scout, pose for a picture with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo after talking and sharing pictures about this project with the Cardinal.
Image Description at Left: 1) Bishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis lays his hands on Vincent Arong to ordain him a deacon during the Diaconate Ordination in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. 2) Deacon Vincent, front, distributes the Precious Blood of Christ during communion. 3) Fr. Dat, Archdiocesan Vocation Director, left, and Fr. Wayne Wilkerson, right, pose for a picture with Deacon Vincent during the reception at the North American Pontifical College, place where Deacon Vincent is currently studying. 4) Group of priests from the archdiocese pose for a picture with Deacon Vincent during his first service in mass as a deacon. 5) Deacon Vincent Arong’s family take a picture during their visit in Rome for Deacon Vincent’s diaconate ordination.
Diaconate Ordination of Vincent Arong
By: Jenny Faber & Fr. Dat Hoang
V O C A T I O N S T O R Y
During my sophomore year at the University of Texas at Austin, I had an encounter with Christ that enabled me to see that the God who is Love loved me more than I could ever know. As my personal relationship with God deepened, I began to be aware of His invitation to serve Christ and the Church as a priest. This awareness grew during my years of studying and teaching in Japan, working in sales in the Philippines and in the United States, taking philosophy classes at the University of St. Tho-mas and volunteering in Bible Study and RCIA classes at St. Francis de Sales Church. Finally, after almost a decade of “thinking about it”, the events of Pope John Paul II’s passing and the election of Pope Benedict XVI gave me the courage to enter the seminary.
Everyone at the Office of Vocations would like to extend some warm
congratulations and many blessings to Deacon Vincent Arong
for his ordination to the Diaconate.
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The Dominican Sisters of Houston sponsored a Discernment Gathering September 18-19. Six women participated in the event entitled, “Insights for the
Journey.” Sr. Julie Marie Greig, O.P. shared reflections from Walking in a Relaxed Manner. By Joyce Rupp.
Discerners at the Dominican Center for Spirituality 6501 Almeda Rd.
A N N U A L S E M I N A R I A N C A R E P A C K A G E E V E N T
All Parish Vocation Committees, supporters, collaborators, benefactors, Serrans, Knights, Daughters, seminarian family members, and everyone else, are invited to bring each of the following items and to help put the packages together for our 44 Seminarians. For items drop off or registration to help, please call us at 713-652-8239.
Care Package List
• Mailing stamps
• Toiletries
• Gift Cards for books, gas & movies ($5 or less)
Dec. 3 at 9:00 AM in St. Mary’s Seminary Gym
D O M I N I C A N S I S T E R S D I S C E R N M E N T
Congratulations to all the priests and religious sisters who
celebrated their 25, 50, and 60 jubilee years of service to the Lord this past
Oct. 25th in All Saints Church.
P R I E S T , R E L I G I O U S C E L E B R A T E M I L E S T O N E A N N I V E R S A R I E S
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SEMINARIAN CONVOCATION Every year all the Seminarians of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston gather for a week of prayer, retreat, social, bonding, poster pictures, etc. They come from the four different seminaries where they are currently studying such as Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas, St. Joseph Seminary in Louisiana, North American Pontifical College in Rome, Italy and St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. During this week the new seminarians who enter for the first time get to share and bond with the old and current seminarians. One important event is when they get to meet with the Cardinal and he shares with them his gratitude for answering God’s call to serve Him and his Church.
Fr. Dat Hoang Sr. Pauline Troncale, CCVI Director Associate Director [email protected] [email protected] 713‐652‐8239 713‐652‐8236
Office of Vocations Archdiocese of Galveston‐Houston 1700 San Jacinto, Houston, Texas 77002
www.houstonvocations.com Fax: 713-759-9151
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Future Events SISTERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE offer monthly discernment gatherings. Upcoming dates are November 24 and December 7. For more information: Contact [email protected] SOMASCAN DISCERNMENT RETREAT The Somascan Fathers will have their retreat on Nov. 27-29, 2009 (Thanksgiving Weekend). It will be held at the Somascan House of Formation in Houston free of charge. The retreat begins with a light supper at 6:00 PM on Friday, and ends with lunch on Sunday. A bible and a small notebook are sufficient for a fruitful participation. Through a relaxed format, the participant in the retreat will learn about: - St. Jerome Emiliani (1486-1537), the Universal Patron of Orphans and Abandoned Youth, and founder of the Somascan Community - the hopes and the vision of the Somascan community in the US - and listen to the invitation to discover God’s call. Contact: Fr. Italo Dell'Oro, C.R.S. [email protected] Deadline for registration respectively: Nov. 20, 2009. SISTERS OF THE INCARNATE WORD AND BLESSED SACRAMENT are holding Days of Discernment for Women expressing an interest in Religious Life on Sunday December 6 (8:30 am - 1:00 pm) at their Motherhouse, 3400 Bradford, Houston, 77025. Interested women are also welcome each Saturday evening to join in Scripture Sharing (in preparation for Sunday's readings) from 7:00 - 8:00 pm and each first Sunday to attend Mass followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, beginning at 8:30 am and closing with noon lunch . Please contact Sr. Madeleine Grace ([email protected]) at (713) 223-4143 or (713) 525-3529. JESUITS OF THE NEW ORLEANS PROVINCE will be having The Grand Coteau discernment retreats on December 17-21, 2009 and January 2-6, 2010. Contact: Fr. Paul Deutsch, S.J., Vocation Director Email: [email protected] Office Phone: 504-571-1055 Cell Phone: 504-782-6863 Website: www.norprov.org/vocations/ CENACLE SISTERS Do you desire to learn ways to discover and follow God’s will for your life? Join others who are seeking ways of listening to God’s invitations in their lives. There will be input for reflection, discussion with the Cenacle Sisters and connections with other seekers and their experiences. Nov. 9, Dec. 14, 2009 and Jan. 11, 2010. Contact: Sr. Rosalle Haas, rc T e l : 2 8 1 - 4 9 7 - 3 1 3 1 E m a i l : r h a a s r c @ h o t m a i l . c o m
Vigil Mass with Bishop Joe Vasquez Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
January 9 at 5:00PM
January 10 – 16, 2010 National Vocation Awareness Week Resources: www.nccv-vocations.org
December 19, 2009 8:30am-6:00pm
For all single young adults, age 18-45.
Register online at: www.sistersofcharity.org
Lunch provided Donations are appreciated
Villa de Matel (Dubuis Conference Center)
6510 Lawndale St. Houston, TX 77023
713-928-6053 Sr. Kim: [email protected]
Sr. Mary Pat : [email protected]
As a Christmas gift for yourself, spend a day in reflection, quiet
time, prayer, Confession and Eucharistic celebration.
Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word of Houston, Texas.
A Day of Prayer Created for You
DISCERNIMIENTO PARA MUJERES Las Hermanas Carmelitas de Santa Teresa tendrán sus reuniones mensuales de discernimiento para jovencitas de 18 a 30 años de edad cada 4to domingo de mes en Mt. Carmel House of Prayer (9600 Deer Trail Dr. Houston, TX 77038) Contacto: Hna. Elsa M. Galdeano 281-999-4435 ó 281-445-8830 Email: [email protected]
FESTIVIDAD GUADALUPANA ARQUIDIOCESANA Domingo, 6 de Dic., tendrán procesión a las 12pm y luego matachines y mañanitas y terminarán con la Santa Misa a las 5pm en George R. Brown Convention Center. Contact: Mercedes Juárez 713-306-1617