Bishop's Appeal 2018: "Zeal for thy house consumes me." Bishop's Message.

-
Mount Calvary Catholic Church, Baltimore

The 2018 Bishop’s Appeal
P.O. Box 4301
Houston, Texas 77210
346.247.2208 | giving@ordinariate.net
ordinariate.net/bishops-appeal

QUESTIONS?
Contact Jenny Faber: 346.247.2208 or giving@ordinariate.net

Donations

Feb. 1, 2018

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As I refect on the growth of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter over last year, I recall the words of Psalm 69: “Zeal for thy house consumes me.”

During the past 12 months, our mission diocese established new communities in Kentucky, Georgia, and Southern California. We launched intensive formation programs for more than 20 candidates studying for the diaconate and priesthood. We received two new seminarians, and I ordained the Ordinariate’s first celibate seminarian a priest. The photo above (click here for webpage/image link) is from the consecration of Mount Calvary Church in Baltimore — one of two churches consecrated as Catholic churches last year.

We hosted “Discernment Days” for 13 young men considering a call to holy orders. We welcomed women religious into the Ordinariate, when the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist began formal ministries within our diocese. Our priests and deacons gathered for prayer, fraternity, and business during a week-long assembly in Los Angeles.

These examples of seemingly inextinguishable activity give witness to the remarkable zeal of the Ordinariate’s faithful and clergy. Zeal indeed consumes us, as we work hard to strengthen our communities, provide solid formation for our future priests, and bolster the structural and administrative foundation for our diocese to support our Parishes and clergy into the future.

“Zeal for thy house consumes me” is the theme of our 2018 Bishop’s Appeal, through which we can carry forth our enthusiasm for inviting new members into full Catholic communion; for cultivating more vocations to the priesthood and religious life; for growing our Parishes; and for further integrating our Ordinariate into the life of the Catholic Church.

To meet the needs of the Ordinariate today and for generations to come, I invite you to join me in making a gift to the annual Bishop’s Appeal. Support for this mission-critical fund remains the lifeblood of our evangelization to our brothers and sisters who long for the fullness of faith. Your gift will provide for education opportunities for your clergy, communications outreach across the Ordinariate, Chancery support to your Parishes, and my travel to preach and teach the faith.

As we prepare for the holy season of Lent, I thank you for your prayerful consideration of a sacrifcial commitment to this year’s Bishop’s Appeal. With my profound appreciation for your zeal for our pioneering mission, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Steven J. Lopes
Bishop of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments will be appreciated and posted if 1) they are on topic and 2) preserve decorum.

Stand by your word. Do not be anonymous. Use a pseudonym.

Popular posts from this blog

Life At The Altar Rail: 22 Behaviours Categorized

-
Image
Cantius/NLM [ 4 min read ] Some communicants make things interesting (...tricky, delicate, awkward, awesome...) at The Communion. Now don't get the wrong idea. Spoofing one's brothers' and sisters' behaviour is not meant to be proof of one's own moral or spiritual superiority. There's always a need to keep in mind the heart of another when lampooning (or celebrating) the externals, as curious or as laudable as those externals might be. The Moving Target: either the head or the tongue is moving a mile a minute. A good patener knows how to tame the fidget. See also #18: The Rubberneck. The Obstacle Course: fingertips touching the chin or mouth making it difficult for the patener to place the paten beneath the chin. The Curtain: face is completely covered with a veil. The NOFB (Not Open For Business): closed eyes, closed mouth; despite the need for a gentle prompt, typically a deeply reverent person. The Taker: wants to steal the Host from the priest. Note to commu
Read more

You Know You're In A Progressive Catholic Parish When... .

-
Image
... you rarely (if ever) hear the following phrases. "Party like it's A.D. 1570!" "We should sing more plainchant at this parish." "I'd like to thank the choir for their sublime rendition of the Mass For Five Voices by William Byrd." "I just love the way the four torchbearers process in with such dignity." "People treat the Host like a snack. I think it's time we went back to communion on the tongue." "My entire family goes to Confession every week." "We need a central Tabernacle on the altar." "The altar servers' lace cottas are so beautiful." "I just love Father Steve's sermons about the Real Presence and living a Eucharistic life." "People are leaving in droves for Saint Pius X Parish and the reverent Mass there. Do you think we're doing something wrong here at Harvey Milk Parish?" "I'm thrilled that the design for the new church includes a choir loft.
Read more

You know you're a REAL altar server when... .

-
Image
In a movie theatre, you genuflect before entering the aisle to take a seat. Riding a bus, sitting in class or at the doctor's office, and/or when watching TV, you rest your hands palms down on your thighs, finger tips at your knees. You can identify each and every variety of incense used in the Mass simply by its scent. You habitually wear black socks and black dress shoes... even when wearing shorts for gym class or at the beach. You turn a perfect right angle when entering a building. You have nightmares about serving Mass at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. You hear a bicycle bell ring and you drop to your knees. You can't resist the urge to lift a curtain from the bottom. You have a copy of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described by Adrian Fortescue on your smartphone for recreational reading. You have a copy of Ritual Notes (11th Edition) on your smartphone for recreational reading. As a torchbearer, you can carry a processional candle without spilling one dr
Read more

Clash of the Titans: Strickland v. Martin

-
Image
Elijah versus the prophets of Baal [ 4 min read ] A prophet is not without honour except... . From the Catholic Herald an article by John Lavenburg . Bishop Joseph Strickland on the “basic truths” which include: Christ established only the Catholic Church. It is (a) sacrilege for anyone to unworthily receive communion. Marriage is between one man and one woman. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and shouldn’t be supported in attempts to reject their biological identity. Sexual activity outside of marriage is a grave sin. The belief that all men and women will be saved regardless of how they live their lives is false and dangerous. In order to follow Jesus Christ all must willingly choose to take up their cross. “We must hold fast to these truths and be wary of any attempts to present an alternative to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or to push for a faith that speaks of dialogue and brotherhood, while attempting to remove the fatherhood of God. (...) When we see
Read more
The opinions expressed herein are largely those of the blog author. Every effort is made to conform to Church teaching. Comments are welcome.