The Catholic Church of 

St. Mary the Virgin

      Mass Times at the
Catholic Church of
         St. Mary the Virgin           
Sunday
8:00 a.m. Low Mass
10:00 a.m. High Mass with full choir and ceremonial
12:00 p.m. Low Mass with Hymns

Monday
12:00 noon

Tuesday
                            4:00 pm                               
Wednesday and Thursday
12:00 noon

Friday 
9:00 am
Adoration  Follows

Saturday
9:00 am

Confession Schedule

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is on Fridays beginning after Mass and continuing throughout
the day until 6 pm.

Office Hours

In our Gospel for last Sunday, Our Blessed Lord said to Peter: "Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah...I say to Thee, Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church..."                                                        
Before continuing about Peter's role and that of his current successor, it is important to underscore Jesus' own primacy. Five centuries of controversy, (ever since the Protestant Reformation), about the authority of the Pope have perhaps caused us to neglect that it is Jesus Himself is to be the invisible head of the Catholic Church. He says it clearly, "I will build My Church."  If Jesus is anything, he is a builder. He was at the side of the Father in creating the world (John 1:1). From the beginning of His earthly ministry, He formed a core of disciples and chose twelve of them as a sign He was establishing a "New Israel." The former Israel was Jehovah’s bride; the New Israel is Jesus' bride, our Church. Christ continues to form his bride through the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacraments. (Eph 5:25) Jesus even now is at work building his Church.                For His new spiritual edifice Jesus chose one man as the "rock." He even gave him that nickname, Cephas in Aramaic or Petros in Greek. Both words mean a stone or rock. Not exactly a flattering nickname, and perhaps even a bit ironic, when one considers Simon Peter's outbursts and cowardice.                                          Commenting on this verse Bishop Fulton Sheen speculated that Jesus chose Peter precisely because of his weakness (as we will see in this Sunday’s Gospel). He wanted to make it clear the Church does not finally depend on man's strength. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and in a real sense Peter himself is the weakest link in the chain of popes.                                                  But every Pope, from Peter to Francis, has the same role that Jesus gave to Peter - to guide and strengthen the Church. Our loyalty to the Holy Father is ultimately obedience to Jesus Himself.

Faithfully,
Your friend and Pastor,
Father Christopher C. Stainbrook

We are very pleased to be able to celebrate the FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION (our Parish Patronal Festival) with a High Mass on Saturday August 15th neginning at 7pm. Although the Holy Day obligation is dispensed this year, it is always a special day for our parish, and we invite all who feel comfortable in attending to do so. Due to current Covid mandated Social Distancing policies, there will not be a reception follwing the mass this year. This Mass WILL BE LIVE STREAMED on our Facebook page. Whether we are able to be present or not, we all are united in giving honor and homage to our Holy Queen enthroned above.   

Christian Education is scheduled to begin Sunday September 13th. Our Director of Religious Education, Amy Horan, will be in the patio on Sundays with information on how to register for class. We are planning a parents meeting on Saturday, September 12th to review iour Christian Education program. 

We are also pleased to report that Father Kennedy continues his recuperation at home from his recent hospital stay- and that both he and Chyrel are gratified by the number of parishioners who have responded to the “meal train” for them. We hope that he will be back on the Altar in the not too distant future, possibly in early September, and request continued prayers for his full recovery.

Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook

If you are on the St. Mary the Virgin email list, you will already know that we will be making some adjustments to our Sunday Mass Schedule.
Beginning Sunday, August 9th, the schedule will be 8:00 am Low Mass, the return at 10:00 am of our traditional High Mass with full choir, and then a Low Mass with Hymns at Noon. With only  one priest (me) to offer Mass on Sundays, it is more practical (and canonical) to celebrate three Masses in one day, and I am grateful for the parish’s understanding and willingness to be flexible during this most unusual situation. Our Parish Council President, Jon Carr, has developed a survey about the possibility of projecting/live streaming one or more of the Sunday Masses into the Parish Hall, which will allow more parishioners to be present at Mass, while adhering to the Social Distancing Guidelines mandated by the State of Texas, and we have emailed to everyone on our mailing list.  Your comments and preferences are most welcome.  
Our beloved Father Kennedy is regaining his strength as he recovers in the hospital in Decatur, and once he is fully recovered, we expect to revisit the Sunday Schedule again.
I am pleased to share that Religious Education will resume in early September. I am very grateful to both Amy Horan, who has assumed the role of Director of Religious Education here, as well as to Meagan Schmidt who has retired after many years of loyal and dedicated service to the children of our congregation. Amy will be in the patio after the 10:00 am mass on Sundays with information about how to register your children in our excellent program. 
Another upcoming and important date to write in our calendars is Saturday, August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and our Feast of Title) 
We will keep that important day for our parish with a High Mass with full choir at 7:00 pm. We are grateful to Marion and Mary Nesvadba, and all the stalwart members of our choir, for their willingness to resume the extensive music programme for which our parish is known. 
Finally, we are all so grateful to the many volunteers who work so hard (often behind the scenes) to keep our church and campus clean and attractive. We are still in need of volunteers to help sanitize the church between masses, and for men and women to serve as ushers. If you can help with either of these much needed ministries, please contact the parish office. 
As I reflect on this, mu first month as your new pastor, I have to admit that it has not been very much what I envisioned at all (many times, a new Pastor’s first month is a very slow one as both he and the congregation enjoy a “getting to know you” stage - but it has not been a slow July here by any means!) On the other hand, I have felt very blessed by the many expressions of welcome and good will, as well as the assurance of the prayers of so many of our parishioners, that I already feel veery much at home with you all, and I am eager to see where God will lead us in the future.

Faithfully,

Your Friend and Priest,

Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook

If you're wondering how to donate to St. Mary the Virgin during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are several ways to do so.  Your tithe offering may be mailed to the church.  You also may set St. Mary the Virgin up with your bank in their online “bill pay” option.  With this option, a check will be mailed to the church directly from your bank.  We have also set up PayPal as a payment option. To use PayPal, go to PayPal.com, log into your account or create a new one and search for stmaryarl@sbcglobal.net.  We ask that you use the Friends and Family option as this donation option is temporary until we are able to attend Mass in person again.
 St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, Pray for us.

My Jesus, I believe that thou
art truly present in the
Most Holy Sacrament.     
I love thee above all things,
and I desire to receive
thee into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive thee sacramentally,
come at least
spiritually into my heart.
I embrace thee as if thou were already there and unite myself wholly to thee. Never permit me to be separated from thee. Amen

O Glorious St. Joseph, thou who hast the power to render possible even things which are considered impossible, come to our aid in our present trouble and distress. Take this important and difficult affair under thy particular protection, that it may end happily.

O dear St. Joseph, all our confidence is placed in thee. Let it not be said that we have invoked thee in vain, and since thou art so powerful with Jesus and Mary, show that thy goodness equals thy power. Amen.

St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.

  This Wednesday, September 24th, the Catholic Church will celebrate the feast of Our Lady of  Walsingham. The appearance of Our Lady of Walsingham is one of the earliest Marian apparitions in history. Richeldis de Faverches, a noble widow living in Norfolk during the reign of Edward the Confessor, petitioned the Blessed Virgin to inspire her to a notable work of charity. In answer, Our Lady gave her a vision, taking Richeldis to the house in Nazareth where the Annunciation occurred. She instructed her to build a replica in Walsingham to commemorate Mary's joy at the Angelic Salutation of Gabriel, the heralding of the Incarnation.
   The Holy House became a shrine, a place of pilgrimage and miracles. Ballads were penned in praise of Our Lady of Walsingham, and many kings made pilgrimage there. This included Henry VIII, but after his break with the Church he ordered the shrine destroyed. This event too became the subject of ballads, now of lament. The former Shrine lay barren, silent until the 1890s, when the ruins of the wayside Slipper Chapel were restored for Catholic use. During the 1930s, the Anglicans (who had appropriated the grounds of the Holy House after the Shrine had been leveled)  built a new shrine for themselves. The already existing Catholic Slipper Chapel was declared the English National Shrine of Our Lady.
    Pope St. John Paul II  venerated the image of Our Lady of Walsingham  during his visit to England on 29 May 1982 during an open-air Pontifical Mass.. Pope Francis  raised her sanctuary to the status of a Minor Basilica on 27 December 2015 through an apostolic decree from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.^[9]
   When the Word was made Flesh, the universality of God came into the particularity of a little house in the village of Nazareth. The Incarnation means that God meets us not in an abstracted existence, but directly, within the particular places and circumstances of our lives. As Our Lady guided Richeldis to make a Nazareth in England, every chapel and shrine to Our Lady of Walsingham is a particular, local Nazareth, an encounter with the joy of the Incarnation in that special place. One of the three worldwide Personal Ordinariates (the one for England and Wales) was placed under the Patronage of Our Lady of Walsingham by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. 
   Our Cathedral of the American Ordinariate (the Chair of St. Peter) in Houston is also named the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Walsingham. 
 

Beginning Sunday, August 9th, our Sunday schedule will be 8:00 am Low Mass, the return at 10:00 am of our traditional High Mass with full choir and ceremonial, followed by a Low Mass with Hymns at Noon. With only  one priest to offer Mass on Sundays, it is more practical and canonical to celebrate three Masses in one day. 

We are currently exploring the possibility of projecting/live streaming one or more of the Sunday Masses into the Parish Hall. This will allow us to welcome more parishioners at Mass, while  also adhering to the Social Distancing Guidelines mandated by the State of Texas. 
 

Although we are returning to our regular schedule, we suggest your consideration of the following when deciding to come to Mass or Confession at St. Mary the Virgin Church:

Bishop Lopes offers the guidance that anyone over 65 AND/OR have underlying health issues are encouraged to hold off attending Mass for now. The commutation to receive Holy Communion remains suspended at this time for Catholics in the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter.

If you are the least bit uneasy about coming to Mass then please do not come. The  requirement to be present at the Sunday obligation is still being commuted. 
If you are sick, or recently sick, or the kids have runny noses, etc.then please do not join us for Mass that day.

Volunteers are still needed to help clean and disinfect our church on Sundays between masses, and on Weekdays before and after the  masses. If you can help, please call the Church Office.
Donations of disinfectants, hand wipes, sanitizers and face masks are most welcome. 

Please make frequent use of the hand sanitizer provided in the church.
Please keep an appropriate distance from each other while sitting in the pews, or queuing for Communion. Please do not sit in the pews marked with blue tape. 

Please consider wearing a mask or face covering, especially when in conversation in the patio or parking lot.
Please do not set up an displays, tables, tract racks or pilgrimage information in the patio, parish hall or narthex without first getting approval from the parish office. 

The 10:00 am High Mass will continue to be live streamed through Facebook Live .

You may contact the parish office with any questions you may have. 

As always, we thank you for your patience and flexibility during these times.
 

I am so grateful that our Governor, Gregg Abbott, has continued to uphold our Religious Freedom (the 1st Freedom as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has reminded us) and exempted churches from many of the restrictions faced by other entities. With the recent rise of Covid-19 cases in Texas, we will continue to adhere to the directives of state and local authorities and take the necessary safety precautions, namely proper social distancing spacing, disinfecting all pews and the altar rail after every Mass. (Volunteers for this are needed – please call the parish office if you can help) Please consider bringing your own wipes and wipe down your pew and kneeler before you leave – this will ensure a double cleaning of that area. We also have hand sanitizer available in the Narthex. If you have extra hand sanitizer, wipes, disinfectant spray or liquid that you can donate, please contact the parish office.
 
For parishioners over the age of 65, those who have pre-existing conditions and those that prefer to remain at home, we will continue to live stream one of our Sunday Masses on our parish Facebook page.  You may use this link to access the SMV Facebook page.
                                                                                                                                                                        
For those of you who will join us for Mass, welcome!
 
 We ask that you:
Please consider wearing a mask while socializing on the church grounds (the mask can be removed when inside the church and during the mass itself)
Please continue to sit in every other pew; Please do not sit in the pews marked off with blue tape.
Families are encouraged to sit together in a pew. If there are two or more families in the same pew there should be a proper distance between each family;
Please follow the Ushers’ instructions, they will direct the flow of traffic to and from the altar rail;
When socializing in the courtyard or parish hall after mass, please continue to keep socially distant from each other.
Please do NOT set up any displays, tables with books or religious items, information booths, or advertisements (for either parish or non parish events such as off campus talks and events, or possible future trips or pilgrimages) or hold any fundraisers in the courtyard, narthex, parish hall or the parking lot until further notice. These displays and tables (with things like books or religious articles) complicate our efforts to maintain Social Distancing.
Please remember that the collection plate is located in the Narthex of the Church. Your generosity is especially appreciated during this unusual time.
 
Please recall that Bishop Lopes has commuted the normal obligation to attend Sunday Mass at this time. This “commutation” means that the Sunday obligation of the Christian faithful to be present in Church on Sunday is met through one of the two following pious practices:
A. Prayerful reflection upon the Sunday Scripture readings, and concluding that reflection by the recitation of the Prayer of Humble Access or the Anima Christi;
B. The recitation of the Rosary as a family; Having the obligation to attend Sunday Mass commuted does not mean you have a day off, like taking a day off work. It is still The Lord’s Day: the Day of the Resurrection. Below are some prayers which are helpful to fulfill your obligation on Sunday, as well as prayers for making a “spiritual communion.”
 
Prayer of Humble Access We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up thy crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his Blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his Body, and our souls washed through his most precious Blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
 
Anima Christi (As taken from St. Gregory’s Prayer Book, page 32). Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ’s side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That with thy Saints I may praise Thee; forever and ever. Amen.

Prayers for Spiritual Communion (As taken from St. Gregory’s Prayer Book, page 230) In union, dear Lord, with all the faithful at every altar of thy Church where the blessed Body and Blood are being offered to the Father, I desire to offer thee praise and thanksgiving. I believe you are truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament. And since I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, I beseech thee to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself unto thee, and embrace thee with all the affections of my soul. Let me never be separated from thee. Let me live and die in thy love. Amen
 
I worship thee, Lord Jesus, and kneeling unto thee, as thou didst come to Mary, I pray thee come to me, I beseech thee, and unite me to thyself. Though I cannot now receive thee sacramentally, yet I believe that thou art able, even when received by faith and desire only, to heal, enrich and sanctify me. Come thou spiritually into my heart. I desire to unite myself to thee with all the affections of my soul. Possess me wholly; let the consuming fire of thy love absorb me, and thy presence abide so intimately in me, that it will be no longer I that live, but thou that livest in me. Come, Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart. Amen.
 
Please know that your priests and staff at St. Mary the Virgin are praying for you, and we ask that you continue to pray for us as well.
 
Faithfully, Your Friend and Pastor,
Fr. Christopher C. Stainbrook
 
 

Eucharistic Adoration is offered on Fridays, beginning after the 9:00 a.m. Mass and ending with benediction at 6:00 p.m.  Please  come and sit with our Lord for an hour. WE NEED MORE ADORERS to maintain this Ministry, as the Blessed Sacrament cannot be left alone in the Church.  Please call the Parish Office to Sign Up for a time. (2 needed each hour) 

 

The Catholic Church of St. Mary the Virgin wants you to know that the church remains unlocked for private prayer and reflection before and after daily Mass from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We are now streaming ALL Sunday Masses (the 8:00 a.m Low Mass, the 10:00 a.m. High Mass and the Noon Low Mass with Hymns)  on the
St. Mary the Virgin Facebook Page

Please consider supporting our Parish with time, talent, and treasure!

 

We are currently looking for men & women to serve as USHERS at all Masses. The work of an Usher is especially important during this time of Social Distancing. If you can be a part of this vital ministry, please call the Parish Office.