The missionary image of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be viewed in churches, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons and more in Beeville, Skidmore and Pettus during August.

Recently, Sister Joni received a $5,000 scholarship from “Giving Voice” to travel to Mexico to learn more about the language and her heritage. Giving Voice is an organization based in Dubuque, Iowa, for women religious under the age of 50. According to its website, Giving Voice “creates spaces for younger women religious to give voice to their hopes, dreams and challenges in religious life.”

Three years ago, Michael Dewar was at a crossroads in his life. A long haul truck driver for the previous 16 years, running one red light and getting a traffic ticket was enough reason for his trucking company to terminate him immediately.

The critical issues facing high school age youth in their daily lives are bullying, drugs and pornography. In most cases, it’s not the schools that are to blame. According to some teenagers, it’s the breakdown of some of their own families.

During the Evangelii Gaudium and the Hurricane Harvey Service Recognition ceremony Bishop Michael Mulvey said “we are being called to search out the poor, search out the marginalized, not to push them farther away, not to criticize them, but to be with them. And those of you who have experienced that with a strong involvement after Hurricane Harvey, probably experienced some of that. Your faith has been put into action,” he said. “When we serve each other, when we pull down the barriers–our prejudices, our misunderstandings create–we climb.”

The south Texas sun and high humidity didn’t deter a crowd of people from gathering at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Aransas Pass on May 18. They were there seeking help from Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi, who arrived in a van full of food, cleaning supplies and a staff of helpers. The team helped residents’ complete applications for assistance, and assess their needs in the wake of the hurricane last summer.

For the good of the People of God in the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Bishop Michael Mulvey has made the following assignments:

Bishop Michael Mulvey told some 180 people who attended a “Mass of Solidarity” to come out of the shadows and be a part of the diocesan community. The bilingual Mass was celebrated at Holy Family Church to a predominantly Hispanic community on June 26.

If your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and your property is in a high-risk zone known as a special flood hazard area (SFHA), you are required by law to purchase and maintain flood insurance if you have received federal disaster assistance for flood damage. Otherwise, when disaster strikes again, you will be ineligible for federal assistance for flood damage to your home or its contents.

FEMA has begun calling Hurricane Harvey survivors housed in hotels under the Transitional Sheltering Assistance, or TSA, program to notify them of the program’s upcoming expiration June 30, after 308 days of support. Survivors currently in the program have been notified their final checkout date is July 1.

Local businessman and philanthropist Mr. Eugene Bouligny is now pledging a $1,000,000 gift if other community investors will invest to meet his challenge starting on July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019!

After 70 years of consecrated life as a sister of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, Sister Mary Stella Barrientes, IWBS passed away on Thursday, June 21. Sister enjoyed a long and full life and will be dearly missed.  

Seminarian Raymond Pendleton was accepted into the Rite of Candidacy at a Mass celebrated by Bishop Michael Mulvey, Bishop of the Diocese of Corpus Christi at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish on June 20.

Marshall Garrett was one of many homeless people who attended the annual Homeless Issues Partnership Resource Fair at Corpus Christi’s Mother Theresa Shelter on June 14.  ​​​​​​​

Students and Chaperones from Hope College TRIO Upward Bound in Holland, Michigan clear what was left of Adelia Resendez' demolished home in Refugio.

Deacon Mark Arnold, the disaster relief coordinator for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, gave testimony at a June 6 Committee on County Affairs addressing issues pertaining to the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The diocese, along with agencies in the Coastal Bend, were invited to meet with Texas House of Representatives and county officials at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

Two Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, with ties to the Diocese of Corpus Christi are celebrating Jubilees this year.

Mayor Pro tem Leonardo Valdez proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day in Taft during the June 12 City Council meeting.  District VI; Society 118 Taft from the Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas – KJZT (CFFT-KJZT) proudly accepted the proclamation and joins 59 other member societies of the American Fraternal Alliance in doing the same.

On June 10 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Portland Msgr. Mark Chamberlin celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination with many of his beloved friends and parishioners from throughout the diocese.

Sister Denise Cassidy, IWBS went home to God on June 4. She had recently celebrated 60 years of consecrated life.