News

For new guidelines Bishop Strickland issued for Public Liturgies, click here.

Pastoral Letter from Bishop Joseph E. Strickland On the Ethical Development of COVID-19 Vaccine

July 30, 2020
Attorney General Ken Paxton said local public health ordinances must be consistent with the governor’s orders and the attorney general’s guidance, adding that local governments are “prohibited from closing religious institutions or dictating mitigation strategies to those institutions.” Read the story.

June 7, 2020, Holy Trinity Sunday

Mr. President,

In recent months we have been witnessing the formation of two opposing sides that I would call Biblical: the children of light and the children of darkness...read the story.

September 15, 2020
With a blessing and the sprinkling of Holy Water, Charlotte Catholic Bishop Peter Jugis on Tuesday helped to formally open a $20 million college seminary for prospective priests to serve a soaring Catholic population from Charlotte to the mountains. Read the story.

July 30, 2020

To my St. Francis of the Tejas flock,

“I write these lines with love, hoping that you and everyone in your family are well.
 It has been and continues to be a difficult time for us all—pandemic, confusion, insecurity, unemployment, uncertainty, and now, amidst these difficulties, riots are breaking out across our country almost daily. It is like the whole world is spinning out of control.

And as Catholics, we were suddenly faced with our parishes being shut down and access to the sacraments limited, and still today we are advised against our normal operating procedures.
But in the midst of all of this I write this note to remind us that God is here.

During this time of pandemic, our mighty God is inviting us to put our trust in Him and to be courageous. He knows what we are going through. He is watching us and walking with us amidst all these bad times. The Lord says ‘do not be afraid’ some 365 times in the entire Bible. God is telling us each day ‘Do not be afraid my child.’ Let us not give up our hope in the Lord. Our God is a faithful God who will never abandon us.

While we may not be able to celebrate Mass together to the extent we did prior to the Covid-19 shutdown, we are still a parish family and we can continue to pray together in spirit. Bishop Strickland has issued guidelines for reopening the churches in the Diocese of Tyler. Basically, he asks us to wear a mask, use hand sanitizer to keep our hands free of germs and to practice social distancing to the extent he has requested churches to maintain not more than a 25% occupancy during any Mass.

So, based on these guidelines for our safety, can the majority of parishioners attend Mass on Sundays as we have done in the past – no! But I want to remind everyone of our Mass schedule – Mass is being held six days a week. For those who feel unsure about attending Mass on Saturday or Sunday, please consider one of the other days of the week to attend.

I received several requests to change the Thursday morning Mass to a Thursday evening Mass. I am willing to consider other accommodations to the Mass schedule during these unusual times if requested by several parishioners to do so. Also I want to remind everyone Confession is available, just call the Church office to make your needs known.

While we may not be able to celebrate Mass together right now as we have done in the past, we are still a parish family and we can continue to pray together in spirit. Also, trust that God will take this evil plague that has befallen us and use it for His glory and our salvation. Always look for His grace, it is all around us.

May God bless you during this time and bless those who are sick and especially that God will bless doctors and nurses who are fighting this disease, all our “first responders' and, all those who continued to work during these difficult times so that access to necessary services remained available to us.

We are all in this together, let us continue to have Faith in God and pray. If you or a member of your family is ill, please let us know so we can lend our prayers to their quick, and full recovery.

Also I want to make everyone aware parishioners and friends can continue to support St. Francis of the Tejas through “online giving”. Learn more and consider the possibilities for sharing your gifts without the hassle of remembering checks and envelopes, or mailing in donations in these extraordinary times for our Church.

Visit stfranciscrockett.com/donate . 

God’s grace is all around us. Be safe. God bless you all.

Rev. Father Joby Thomas

CNA, July 24, 2020
Fr. Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus Catholic fraternal organization, will be beatified on October 31, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints announced this week.
Read the story.

Supreme Court, June 30, 2020
Early today the Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot exclude religious schools from funding made available to other private schools. In doing so, the Court reined in state “Blaine amendments” which originated in shameful 19th century anti-Catholic bigotry, and have allowed governments to discriminate against Catholic schools for 145 years... today’s decision is yet another reminder of why good judges and sound legal reasoning matter. Judicial decisions (both good and bad) transform our national life. Elections matter, because judges matter.
Read the story.

Minneapolis, Minn., Jun 2, 2020 / 04:17 pm MT (CNA)
When protests following the death of George Floyd turned violent Thursday night, a small Catholic parish in Minneapolis became a refuge for neighbors who didn’t feel safe in their homes...read the story.

6.2.2020 2:44 PM ET From Zimbabwe, where churches are closed and data costs make attending Mass online prohibitively expensive for most Catholics, to Australia, where churchgoers successfully petitioned authorities to allow places of worship the same number of people as bars, churches are reopening cautiously amid widespread controversy...read the story.