The St. Joseph BEACON - St. Joseph Catholic Church

Volume I, Issue 3
SUMMER 2012
The St. Joseph BEACON
Enlightened Communication for our Parish Family
SUMMERTIME IS A GIFT FROM GOD GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY HIS BEAUTIFUL CREATION
“You will keep perfect
peace in him whose mind
is steadfast, because he
trusts in you.” (Isaiah
26:3-4)
As the summer
season is upon us, possibly providing us with
opportunities for rest and
Rev. Fr. Denzil
relaxation and time for reVithanage, Pastor
flection, and as we seek a
little peace and tranquility
away from the busy routines of our lives, the prophet
Isaiah reminds us that true peace comes when we put
our complete trust in God. For if we completely trust
in Him, he will give our lives a sense of rightness and
restful wholeness. Yet it is not a blind trust we have,
we trust Him because of who He is, because “ in God
the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock!” His nature
and power are unchangeable and His love for us was
demonstrated and sealed in the cross of Jesus Christ.
So we need not be anxious today,
and worry about the issues facing each of us,
if we take our issues to the Lord and say “I
trust you and whatever you lend me to do in
this situation I will do.” Then God takes
responsibility for our circumstances and
whatever outcome He chooses to bring, our
hearts will be at peace, resting in Him. We
are always safe and secure if we put our trust
in the everlasting Rock. He will never let us
down or betray our trust in Him.
And as we go about our summer
activities- family reunions and gatherings,
family vacations and cookouts, we might
also take time out to reflect on how we might
build up God's kingdom in our own St. Joseph parish family. For we are all stones,
with Christ as our cornerstone, the immovable Rock in whom we trust. St. Peter instructs us in his first letter that Christ is “a
living stone” and we are “like living stones”
to build up the Kingdom of God within us
and around us.
So let us contemplate how God
may be calling each of us to take a more active part in our parish life and ministries, for
there is a place for everyone to contribute
their time and talents according to their own
particular circumstances and abilities. Ask
yourself: have I been interested in taking part
in a particular ministry or organization? If
not, then maybe now is the time to step forward. If I am already active in the parish, is
there maybe even more areas in which I could
use my talents in service to God and others?
With Christ as our cornerstone,
our Rock, let us put our trust in Him and build
up His Church one stone at a time, that we
may have peace and a sense of purpose in our
minds and hearts.
Something to think and pray about
this summer…Amen
I am very happy to have returned to Marshall and the St. Joseph’s
parish for the summer, from my studies in Rome at the North American College (NAC). This semester I finished my STB (Sacrae Theologiae Baccalau-
Faith Formation
2
Parish Ministries
2
sity, where I will study Christology for the next two years. As well as aca-
Outreach Ministries
3
demic work the students in my class at the NAC are preparing for ordination
School News
4
to the Diaconate in October. I was named chairman of the Liturgy Committee
Fr. Carlos
5
and have been working with my classmates on the liturgical details for the
We Ask Father
6
Universal Church News
6
Reflections
6
Upcoming Events
7
reus) degree from the University of the Holy Cross (Opus Dei). I have been
given approval to begin my Licentiate studies next fall at the Lateran Univer-
Seminarian
Matthew Stehling
Inside this issue:
ordination as well as other liturgies and holy hour that will be celebrated during Diaconate Week
when guests from all over the United States and Australia, as well as Europe, come to Rome to
share in our ordination to the diaconate. I am looking forward to spending these summer months at
St. Joseph and I will be assisting with many of the activities here in the parish. I plan to give a series
of classes in August, assisting with Totus Tuus and will be helping the Sunday Morning Adult Faith
It's not really about GOING to
church, it's about COMING to
LIFE!
Formation group that meets in the Parish Hall.
stjosephmarshall.org
Page 2
THE ST. JOSEPH BEACON
Summer 2012
THE MINISTRIES OF FAITH FORMATION
Liturgy/Choir Ministry
Parish Youth Happenings—REC
TEAM
Nancy Vines
Benjamin and Holly Cantu
Do you like to sing and make music? How
does making music in the house of the Lord
sound to you? Then serving in the choir is the
place for you. Youth Choir practice is
Wednesday evenings 6:15-6:50 pm and Adult
Choir practice is Wednesday evenings 7:008:00 pm in the choir loft.
There are many ways that we can serve
God. If you are interested in becoming involved in any of the ministries listed in the
Sunday Bulletin or those highlighted in these
pages, please call the church office at 903-9352356, leave your name and number and someone will gladly contact you.
Tantum ergo Sacramentum
“The singular most serious
problem facing the Church today is loss of faith in the Real
Presence.”
—Very Rev. William Casey, CPM
Sunday Morning Adult Faith Formation
St. Joseph's Youth Group has been renamed
the "R.E.C. T.E.A.M.", which stands for Really
Enjoying Christ, Teens Engaging Actively in Ministry. The youth program aims to help the youth
strengthen their faith through social, service, and
spiritual activities. Our goal is to have the youth
become more active in the church and in the community, all the while having fun learning more
about their faith and building upon their relationship with God.
The high school REC TEAM is open to all
youth who are in 9th - 12th grade and meets at
Chili's Parish Youth House on Wednesday evenings
from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM.
The Jr. REC TEAM, for those youth in 5th 8th grade (Jr High/MS), meets on Thursday evenings from 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM at Chili's.
Gerald Duvall
St. Joseph’s offers many activity choices for you to explore your
Catholic faith. One of these choices is the Sunday Morning Adult Faith Formation group. The group welcomes everyone who would like to gain a deeper
perspective on our Catholic faith through reflection, discussion, and social
interaction.
This “class” provides a forum to help you to become more familiar
with scripture, learn more about our Church, our Lord and His Sacraments.
Our group discussions are guided by Reflecting on Sunday’s Readings provided by Emmaus Journey (found at www.emmausjourney.org). As adults, our
discussions generally tend toward families, careers, and other influences from
the choices we make in our lives. Regardless of where we are in our personal
faith formation journey, we learn together how scripture and prayer can help
us to more fully commit our lives to Christ.
Vacation Bible School
Charlotte Smith
We have Totus Tuus coming up in July. This is a
Vacation Bible School for grades 1-12 that is
only for youth and is completely Catholic. Totus
Tuus means “Totally Yours.”
This year the youth will be studying the Creed
and the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
During discussions, one doesn’t have to be asked to speak…it simply
happens. We do our best to create and maintain an atmosphere where interactions occur in the spirit of love. Come, give our group a try. Regular attendance is encouraged, but not committed. There is a chair waiting with just your
name on it.…we even provide the coffee (and occasionally, donuts!).
Grades 1-6 will be from 9am until 3pm Monday
thru Friday, and grades 7-12 will be Sunday thru
Thurs, 6-10pm all at the parish hall.
Our Seminarian Matthew Stehling will be leading this class during this
summer. Please come and participate in our lively theological discussions! The
group meets 9:00—10:00 a.m. Call the church office at 903-935-2536 or Gerald Duvall at 903-938-1733 for more information.
During the period July 14-20, the team will be
speaking at all the Masses, as well as at a parish
social on Wed, July 18th.
Please pray that our diocese will soon have a new Shepherd.
Summer 2012
Page 3
THE ST. JOSEPH BEACON
THE MINISTRIES OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
ST. JOSEPH SCHOOL NEWS
St. Joseph’s welcomes back Cindy Kopecky as the
Learning Center Director. She received her Bachelor Degree
in Education from the Texas A&M University, Texarkana, in
May. In addition to her duties as Director, she will be teaching
classes.
Congratulations, Cindy, from everyone at St. Joseph’s!!
In other school news:

Applications are being taken for faculty positions. For information call the
school office at 903-935-5502 or church office at 903-935-2536.

Summer school is in full swing and the children are learning about good
citizenship and the Christian way of life.

A parent meeting is scheduled for July 10th at 6:30 p.m. There will be an
orientation for the parents to become familiar with the school’s structure and
how their children will benefit from their Catholic school experience.
All of us at St. Joseph Catholic School and Parish wish Agnes Verhalen a very happy 90th!! birthday on July 13th.
Agnes has been a lifelong staunch and faithful advocate for
Catholic Education. God bless you, Agnes, from all of us!!
Enrolling now for Fall
Pre-K thru 4th Grade
To enroll, visit the school
at 2307 S. Garrett, or call
us at 903-935-5502.
KUDOS TO THE KNIGHTS OF
COLUMBUS
& CATHOLIC DAUGHTERS
We, the St. Joseph Community, thank you, Knights of Columbus
and Catholic Daughters, for the fantastic 4th of July celebration you
hosted for all of us. The food was
fantastic and the fireworks fabulous.
Fun was had by all!!
Also, a great round of applause and thanks to the Knights of
Columbus’ video crew for their dedication and hard work filming our St.
Joseph Mass each week. The video
film crew members are: Lloyd Curry,
Brett Mayo, Brett Noble, and David
Zielgler.
When you see these Knights,
let them know you have seen their
wonderful skills at work!!
The St. Joseph Mass is available at
Channel 19 on local cable television
and online at
www.stjosephmarshall.org.
THE GABRIEL PROJECT
Juanita Cantu
The key to the future is
within the mind of your
child.
The volunteer members of
this project see in the birth
of each baby a fresh expression of God’s unfailing
love. They offer immediate
and practical help to any
woman faced with a crisis
pregnancy.
Hail, Flower of Carmel,
Hail, Fruitful Vine,
Hail ever Immaculate Queen,
in whom all virtues shine!
A Rose for Our Lady of
Mt. Carmel (July 16th)
O Mother mild, implore your
Son to hear our prayers now
and at the hour of our death.
Helping Mother
and Child for the
Love of Jesus
To ask for help,
offer your assistance, or for
more information, contact
Juanita Cantu at
js_cantu@hotmail.com or
call 888-300-5112.
THE ST. JOSEPH BEACON
Summer 2012
Page 4
St. Joseph’s Family Collage!
APRIL — JUNE 2012
St. Joseph
Jason Keith Wilcox & Sara
Lynne Emery
Weddings
Indy Roth & Michael Fenton
Gavin Woodward
Addison Woodward
Karina Sauedo
Miguel Zepeda
David Ramirez
St. Joseph
Births
and
Baptisms
Cody Tlatoa
Brandon Mendez
Mario Tovar
Oliverio Benitez Baltazar
Lizeth Benitez Baltazar
Agustin Tlatoa
Julissa Bueno
Hryan Becerro
Billy Becerro
Continued Page 5
In
Memoriam
News from the Development Office
Mary Heater
The Development Office had a very busy
start since its announcement as part of St. Joseph’s
parish administration. In order to meet our first
goal of improved communications, we produced
the Beacon newsletter and then we accomplished a
major over-haul of our web site that we introduced
to you May 27th. Please give us your comments
and suggestions to make it better and how it is helping you to know
your parish. Don’t be shy, this is your website, too. We want to
show a welcoming spiritual presence to everyone, including visitors
that might be attracted to “coming home” to the Catholic faith because of how we present our parish to the World-Wide Web!
Our second goal is The 3rd Annual “We Love Our School”
Pledge Campaign that kicks off July 22nd. Our goal for the campaign this year is not only to accept pledges, but to start and fund a
St. Joseph School foundation/endowment that will welcome continued donor participation in the life of the church and the school and
encourage charitable investments to grow church and school fiscal
resources. Funding for scholarships and tuition assistance is of
grave concern in order to encourage all parents to provide Catholic
academic and spiritual education for their children. (For information
on the Foundation, call the office at 9033-935-2536)
Geraldine Elliott
Merrill Elliott
Kay Shaw
ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHARITIES AND
FOOD PANTRY MINISTRIES
Cathy Lay
On May 6, Catholic Charities of East Texas sponsored a
presentation, “Come and See,” at St. Joseph’s by author
Linda Schaefer on her experiences with Blessed Mother
Teresa of Calcutta for its annual fundraiser. Dinner and a
book signing followed her emotional presentation.
There is no better way than to make a generous donation
for the poor in our community than
through the St. Joseph Catholic Charities. Also, it is easy and convenient to
stop by the Church and make a food or
money donation for the Food Pantry at
the Church office.
Contact the church office at 903-935-2536
if you are interested in serving with any of
the Parish ministries profiled in this
month’s newsletter.
Summer 2012
The St. Joseph BEACON
Comunidad Hispana-Parroquia de San Jose,
Marshall, Texas
Births and Baptisms Continued from Page 4
Rev. Carlos O. Rangel, Parroco Asistente
Kevyn Vences
Jeeily Vences
Con carino y mucho gusto les comunico la marcha de nuestra
comunidad. Pero antes, quisiera darle gracias al buen Dios del amor, a
nombre de toda la comunidad. Muy copiosamente nos abundan las bendiciones celestiales a todos los creyentes, que confesamos a Cristo Jesus
como nuestro Salvador y Redentor personal. El como la segunda persona
de la Santisima Trinidad, nos ha revelado al Padre de los Cielos, y al
Espiritu Santo, que ahora guia muy sabia y compasivamente a su Iglesia.
Kalei Vences-Cavillo
Ian Plaka
Lillie Harman
Yuliza Morales
Christian Hernandez
Ericka Briseno
Kaitlyn Taylor
Alan Taylor
Ella Dean
Landry Dean
Yahir Ruiz
Veronica Domingues
Kaitlyn Trevino-Montes
Ricardo Duran-Luna
Page 5
Como comunidad de fe, esperanza y caridad, veo, como pastor asistente, que a pesar de
tantas carencias y limitaciones y retos, nuestra alimentacion espiritual sobrepasa esas carencias.
Dios nos acompana en nuestras alegrias y tristesas. Esta presente de manera muy singular en la celebracion de todos los sacramentos, signos preclaros de su presencia viva y comunitaria.
Liturgicamente hablando, hemos dado el paso firme y fiel al periodo del tiempo ordinario,
habiendo celebrado muy devotamente y llenos de fe, las fiestas solemnes de Pentecostes, en la cual
se hacen vibrar y recordamos la abundacia de sus frutos y dones, a traves de todos los ministerios,
que vemos activos en la vida cristiana de cada fiel. Por ahi esta una foto, dentro de esa gran celebracion, que bien nos recuerda la naturaleza de nuestro ser y quehacer de Iglesia de bautizados, y por
ende, enviados a esparcir y sembrar la "semilla de Reino". Asi como los primeros apostoles y discipulos de la Iglesia primitiva fue enviada a proclamar con la vida y obras el Evangelio a todas las
gentes, asi hemos sido enviados nosotros en estos tiempos de gran turbulencia y desafio, pero sobreabundante en amor misericoridioso, para aquel que acoja y le busque en el sacramento del perdon.
Otra de las fiestas que hemos disfrutado grademente es la fiesta de la Santisima Trinidad,
que nos recuerda que asi como Dios es "comunidad" perfecta, asi nos llama a serlo tambien nosotros, uniendo todo nuestro amor y esfuerzo para alcanzar la meta, el cielo ganado por Cristo y
prometido. Ahora bien, hemos celebrado la gran fiesta del Corpus Christi, llenos de fervor y devocion al cuerpo de Cristo, exaltandole y alabandole, glorificandole como se merece, puesto que es
nuestro alimento imperecedero del "camino a la vida".
Nos seguimos concentrando a la vez en otras actividades de los varios grupos apostolicos,
existentes en nuestra dinamica parroquia de San Jose. Los Guadalupanos, los Cursillistas, el Grupo
de Oracion, los lectores, los Ministros Extraordinarios de Comunion, Monaguillos, Coros, servidores de la colecta, hospitalidad, y otros que no menciono por falta de espacio, les agradecemos
infinitamente su apoyo a la vida parroquial, y a la evangelizacion y catequesis de unos para con
otros.
O almighty and eternal
God, Shepherd and Ruler of
all your faithful, look favorably on your servant, Pope
Benedict, whom you have
made Chief Pastor of your
Church. May his words and
example be for those over
whom he is placed, be directed by your grace so that
he and all his flock may
together attain everlasting
life. Amen
Gracias por todos los sacrificios y grandes esfuerzos que algunos realizan con ese afan de
crecer y aumentar mas cada dia en ese amor y conociemiento de la Fe cristiana. Toda esa accion
apostolica, nos lleva y conecta con la accion apostolica y espiritu de entrega de los primeros cristianos, y cristianos de todas las epocas. Porque estamos convencidos que no es obra nuestra sino de
Dios Padre Hijo y del Espiritu Santo, inspirada en nuestro corazon, y solo tratamos de corresponder
de la mejor manera posible para la gloria de Dios y santificacion de sus miembros. Dios en su bondad, siga bendiciendo a cada uno, especialmente a aquellos que mas se olvidan que tienen un lugarsito en el corazon de Maria la Madre de Dios y en el corazon de su Hijo, que sigue dando su Vida
por ti.
Atte.
Rev. Carlos O. Rangel
Summer 2012
Page 6
THE ST. JOSEPH BEACON
NEWS/ISSUES FROM THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
US Bishops Back Obama Immigration Decision Protects Those Who Entered Country as Children
In June, a decision by President Barack Obama to defer deportation for all young people eligible under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act was welcomed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"This important action will provide protection from removal and work authorization for a vulnerable group of immigrants who
deserve to remain in our country and contribute their talents to our communities," said Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. Also, Archbishop Gomez urged elected officials of both parties to take this opportunity to
work together to enact this important law, which would give these youth a path to citizenship and a chance to become Americans.
The U.S. bishops' conference also stressed the need for "bipartisan efforts to enact comprehensive and humane reform" to fix
the country's "broken immigration system." 20-June-2012 -- ZENIT.org News Agency
We Ask Father:
Q:
How many titles are there for Mary?
A: The Marian Library/International MarianResearch Institute at the University of Dayton,
Ohio, lists 6,000 titles for mary in its online
database — everything from “Blessed Mother”
to “Cause of our Joy.” (NCR, June 20, 2012)
The titles we are most familiar with are:

Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Our Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady of Good Counsel
“Mary, Mother of God, pray for us”
R
E
F
L
E
C
T
I
O
N
S
We would all say that we desire to hear the Lord’s will for us
in our lives. Which career path does the Lord want me to take, or
which person is the right one for me, or how do I just follow the will
of God in the daily activities of my life? We all face these questions,
but we often don’t hear the voice of the Lord speaking to us.
One way we can better hear the voice of the Lord is taking
some time out of our daily to stop and smell the proverbial roses.
Everyday we are bombarded with email, phone calls, text messages,
facebook, twitter, TV shows, radio… the list goes on its no wonder
that we can’t hear that “still small voice” 1Kings 19:12.
The Lord speaks to us, He is constantly calling us to Himself, to live lives of holiness and grace. The summer months are a
good time to cultivate in ourselves an interior silence, to make some
room, to clear out some of the other noise in our lives so that we
can hear the whispers of the Lord.
Silent time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament is an
ideal place to listen to God, but even at home or at work we can
take even a short time to put aside the worries and noise of the day
and turn to the Lord, listening and waiting for the Lord’s Will to be
revealed.
~ Matthew Stehling
A raffle drawing for this beautiful 50”x 50” handmade quilt by Ro Simmons of Tyler will
be held at the TDCCW General Assembly in Tyler, Texas, on Saturday, October 6, 2012.
Tickets are $2.00 each, available from Catholic Daughters members. Also, you may
download as many tickets as you may want from the webpage:
http://www.dioceseoftyler.org/women.
Please make checks payable to TDCCW. Return your check and tickets to Juanita Cantu,
Cathy Lay, or Mary Heater. Enter as many times as you wish. You need not be present
to win.
TYLER DIOCESE COUNCIL OF
CATHOLIC WOMEN
http://www.dioceseoftyler.org/women
ROSES
FOR
ROME
A benefit raffle for the
seminarians of the Diocese
of Tyler, Texas
An affiliate of the National organization
that recognizes all Catholic Women in the
Diocese of Tyler as members.
Please visit our website
for 2012 events.
Our Lady of Good
Counsel, Pray for us
Summer 2012
The St. Joseph BEACON
Page 7
S T. J O S E P H C AT H O L I C
C H U RC H
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Phone: 903-935-2536
Fax: 903-938-1591
E-mail: saintjosephmarshall@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.stjosephmarshall.org
410 N. Alamo Boulevard
Marshall, TX 75670
Under the same Management
SERVING HARRISON COUNTY AS A PARISH SINCE 1874
for over 2,000 years.
* * UPCOMING EVENTS—SUMMER 2012 * *
JULY-AUGUST
July
SEPTEMBER
September
14-20
16
22
VBS — Totus Tuus
KC Social
We Love Our School
pledge campaign kick-
off
29
after
29
KC Spaghetti Dinner
10:30 Mass
KC Blood Drive — Parish
Hall
3
10
15
16
22-23
24-26
Labor Day. Office
CLOSED
CDA Meeting. 7:00
pm
CDA Installation of
Officers
Mexican Fiesta!
KC Barbeque
John Michael
Talbot—6:30 pm
August
6
12
Staff Retreat —- Office
CLOSED
“We Love Our School”
pot luck banquet. 6:30
The list of routine weekly
and monthly meetings and
Mass times are available
in the Church Weekly
Holy Day of ObligaThe Assump-
Bulletin
pm
15
tion.
St. Joseph Church Office Directory:

Fr. Denzil Vithanage, Pastor

Office Administrator: Melanie Hughes

Fr. Carlos Rangel, Asst. Pastor

Deacons: John Sargent, Santiago Suarez, Felipe Pena,
& Magadaleno Aguirre

School Principal: Wanda Robinson

School Director (ELC): Cindy Kopecky

Director of Faith Formation: Charlotte Smith

Director of Music and Liturgy: Nancy Vines

Development Director: Mary Heater
Newsletter Staff:
 Fr. Denzil Vithanage, Editor
 Mary Heater, Asst. Editor
 Melanie Hughes, Office
Administrator
Contributors::
 Matthew Stehling
 Fr. Carlos Rangel
 Nancy Vines
 Charlotte Smith
 Cathy Lay
PLEASE OFFER YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO OUR ST. JOSEPH PARISH FAMILY BY
WRITING THEM ON THIS FORM AND SENDING TO The St. Joseph BEACON AT THE CHURCH OFFICE