Sunday, October 1st, has been designated a Respect For Life Sunday throughout the Dioceses of the United States. We are challenged to work for the Gospel of Life and to refuse to be among those who:

...choose political expediency over the life of the unborn child.
...attend to their own comforts when defenseless children need their support
...sit in a pew listening to a sermon, but refuse to let it change their lives.
...see the Gospel of Life as an abstraction, not as a personal obligation.
...never visit their parents or listen to their children.
...never grapple with the moral dimensions of embryonic stem cell research.

Success Beyond All Expectations!
A Wonderful Swan-Song For Chairperson, Ron Carroll.

After three (3) [count 'em-one, two, three] years as Chairperson of St. Mary's Bazaar, Ron Carroll is elated to step aside for the new, yet to be named, Chairperson for next year's Homecoming extravaganza. Ron's tenure has seen the whole range of a bazaar's unfolding: His first year saw the temperature soar to over 108 degrees, with the EMS assisting people passing out from the heat. It was a test of endurance and stamina for everyone. His second year saw the clouds open Saturday evening and not close, literally, till Monday sometime. We're talking downpours, not scattered showers. Sunday morning dawned with long, drawn faces which read 'despair'. Then, almost miraculously, the cars started coming one-after-another as if we were re-enacting 'Field of Dreams'. What we thought would be a disaster of a bazaar turned out to be even better than the year before. Now, as Ron's last bazaar as Chairperson dawned, everything seemed in place, workers in position. Then a flood of people descended. The food line at one time extended almost to the entrance at FM1774. We were all speechless and almost startled with delight. It’s said at this writing that we served somewhere like 3000 dinners.

All are welcome to attend "Praise at the Pavilion," an old-fashioned "singing convention and brush arbor meeting," sponsored by the Music Ministry of St. Mary's from 3-5 pm on Sunday, October 15, at St. Mary's Pavilion

Enjoy the music of choirs, bands, singing and instrumental groups from many churches in Grimes, Brazos, and Montgomery counties, and add your voice to congregational singing for a great afternoon of music and entertainment, praising God in song!

To continue the celebration, bring a covered dish for the pot luck dinner in St. Mary's Hall after the concert. Drinks will be furnished.

If your last names begins with A-J, bring a salad; K-P, bring a casserole or vegetable; Q-Z, bring a dessert

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call Linda Armstrong @ 936-825-0565 or e-mail at Linda@smsj.org.

St. Mary's Choir has begun preparation of Advent and Christmas music this month. If you have been meaning to join the choir but just haven't gotten around to it, now's the time!

Some special musical events coming up include a Taize prayer service in Remembrance of the Dead on Sunday, November 12; 'Praise at the Pavilion,' an ecumenical singing convention under our own outdoor pavilion on Sunday, October 15, from 3-5 p.m. (lots of singing and instrumental groups from many area churches, followed by a covered dish dinner in the Hall. All are welcome!); festival of ministries in September.

Join us at choir practice on Wednesdays at 7pm in the Church, and raise your voices in God's praise.

Jubilate Deo!

Both of our churches of St. Mary and St. Joseph have state-of-the-art professional sound systems. However, we realize that many of our parishioners have trouble hearing comfortably and satisfactorily due to the sensitivity and quality of their hearing aids. We have been studying the situation, particularly at St. Mary, and are looking into a device that will help those who wear hearing aids to be able to adjust the sound and be able to listen and respond better during the Celebration. It’s still in the investigative stage, but a solution is at hand in the near future.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct 1: Nm 11:25-29 * Ps 19:8,10,12-14 * Jas 5:1-6 * Mk 9:38-43,45,47-48

Oct 2 The Guardian Angels: Jb 1:6-22 * Ps 17:1-3,6-7 * Mt 18:1-5,10

Oct 3: Jb 3:1-3,11-17,20-23 * Ps 88:2-8 * Lk 9:51-56

Oct 4 St. Francis of Assisi : Jb 9:1-12,14-16 * Ps 88:10-15 * Lk 9:57-62

Oct 5: Jb 19:21-27 * Ps 27:7-9,13-14 * Lk 10:1-12

Oct 6 [St. Bruno, Bl. Marie-Rose Durocher] : Jb 38:1,12-21;40:3-5 * Ps 139:1-3,7-10,13-14 * Lk 10:13-16

Oct 7 Our Lady of the Rosary: Jb 42:1-3,5-6,12-17 * Ps 119:66,71,75,91,125,130 * Lk 10:17-24

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct 8: Gn 2:18-24 * Ps 128:1-6 * Heb 2:9-11 * Mk 10:2-16

Oct 9 [ St. Denis & Companions, St. John Leonardi] : Gal 1:6-12 * Ps 111:1-2,7-10 * Lk 10:25-37

Oct 10: Gal 1:13-24 * Ps 139:1-3,13-15 * Lk 10:38-42

Oct 11: Gal 2:1-2,7-14 * Ps 117:1-2 * Lk 11:1-4

Oct 12: Gal 3:1-5 * Lk 1:69-75 * Lk 11:5-13

Oct 13: Gal 3:7-14 * Ps 111:1-6 * Lk 11:15-26

Oct 14 [St. Callistus I; BVM] : Gal 3:22-29 * Ps 105:2-7 * Lk 11:27-28

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct 15: Wis 7:7-11 * Ps 90:12-17 * Heb 4:12-13 * Mk 10:17-30

Oct 16 [ Sts. Hedwig, Margaret Mary Alacoque] : Gal 4:22-24,26-27,31—5:1 * Ps 113:1-7 * Lk 11:29-32

Oct 17 St. Ignatius of Antioch : Gal 5:1-6 * Ps 119:41,43-45,47,48 * Lk 11:37-41

Oct 18 St. Luke: 2 Tm 4:10-17b * Ps 145:10-13,17-18 * Lk 10:1-9

Oct 19 Sts. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions: Eph 1:1-10 * Ps 98:1-6 * Lk 11:47-54

Oct 20 [ St. Paul of the Cross] : Eph 1:11-14 * Ps 33:1-2,4-5,12-13 * Lk 12:1-7

Oct 21 [BVM] : Eph 1:15-23 * Ps 8:2-7 * Lk 12:8-12

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct 22: Is 53:10-11 * Ps 33:4-5,18-20,22 * Heb 4:14-16 * Mk 10:35-45

Oct 23 [ St. John of Capistrano] : Eph 2:1-10 * Ps 100:1-5 * Lk 12:13-21

Oct 24 [ St. Anthony Mary Claret] : Eph 2:12-22 * Ps 85:9-14 * Lk 12:35-38

Oct 25: Eph 3:2-12 * Is 12:2-6 * Lk 12:39-48

Oct 26: Eph 3:14-21 * Ps 33:1-2,4-5,11-12,18-19 * Lk 12:49-53

Oct 27: Eph 4:1-6 * Ps 24:1-6 * Lk 12:54-59

Oct 28 Sts. Simon & Jude: Eph 2:19-22 * Ps 19:2-5 * Lk 6:12-16

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Oct 29: Jer 31:7-9 * Ps 126:1-6 * Heb 5:1-6 * Mk 10:46-52

Oct 30: Eph 4:32—5:8 * Ps 1:1-4,6 * Lk 13:10-17

Oct 31: Eph 5:21-33 * Ps 128:1-5 * Lk 13:18-21