"St. Joseph, Protector of the Church, pray for us." We prayed this prayer before, during, and after a workshop we attended on Nov. 29 at Christ the King Retreat Center in San Angelo. The workshop, "Protecting Your Flock," sponsored by the Miles Ministerial Alliance, was occasioned by the active shooters that have murdered and wounded people in various churches, most recently in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Both Catholics and Protestants attended the workshop. Seventy-four people were registered, with laity, both men and women, outnumbering clergy.
The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has issued an action alert calling on Catholics to express support for rules on proper burial of children lost through abortion or miscarriage. Click to read the entire alert.
As we make plans to participate in the liturgy of the Church at Christmas, we are in a unique situation this year. Dec. 25 will be on a Monday. Christmas is always a holy day of obligation, so Catholics need to participate in Masses both for the Fourth Sunday of Advent and for Christmas.