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Welcome to our small town church showcase for this week. Here we have Our Lady of Consolation in Vattman, Texas. This church has a very cool story. Vattman is probably the smallest town in our show case and quite possibly the only town named after a Catholic priest. Today, its population is about 160. "So, back in 1907, a land developer, Mr. Theodore Koch, came and purchased a large swath of land and established the town of Riviera. Well, he needed people to come and live on the land, so he approached a Catholic priest, Father Vattman, about finding Catholic families to come and settle on the land. Father Vattman came to look at the area, liked it, and went back home and started encouraging Catholic families to move to the area and purchase land. A German Catholic family came first from Westphalia, Texas in 1908. After that, several other families followed. This church was built in 1916 and was the center of the community. Never a big community, the church is noted for its traditional Thanksgiving dinner where everyone comes to celebrate." Vattman is not far from the east coast of Texas, in fact, it's a straight shot west from Padre Island. Our Lady of Consolation is a small, simple church which sounds like it has been the heart and soul of a community for over 100 years. If ever in south Texas, maybe make time to stop by this church and the area that was built by Catholic families. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday, Catholic Pilgrims. *Information was sourced from About South Texas Facebook Page
Continue ReadingOne time, many years back, a fellow non-Catholic friend of mine made the comment, "All baptized are priests, so there doesn't need to be the distinction between Catholic priests and the baptized." This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the priesthood. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were to "be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me." Exodus 19:6 But, as we know, while all the people were called to make sacrifice, the Levites (the priestly clan) were the ones to offer those sacrifices to God. That's what priests do--they offer prayers and sacrifice. There was a distinct office just for the ordained priests from the tribe of Levi. There is the same thing today in the Catholic Church. All baptized people are called to be priests, prophets, and kings. What does that mean exactly? All baptized are called to into the common priesthood, not a distinct office, like ordained men who receive Holy Orders. This means that we are to offer prayers and spiritual sacrifices united to Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. As the baptized, we become apart of the Body of Christ. This means that throughout the day, we can pray for others, and offer up our sufferings as a sacrifice for the good of others, participating in Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross for the good of all. Only ordained men with Holy Orders can offer the Sacrifice of the Mass. That is for them alone. We are to assist and participate with our prayers and reception of Jesus in the Eucharist. As prophets, we are called to declare the Gospel--the Good News of Christ. "Baptized individuals are called to witness to the truth of Christ in their daily lives, evangelizing, sharing faith, and adhering to the faith "delivered to the saints." CCC 785 As kings, we are called to be servant rulers. We are to use our talents and influence to bring justice, peace, and God's love to the world, serving God by serving others. We are to lead, in charity, others to Christ.--Catholic Answers. What beautiful roles we are called to, Catholic Pilgrims. May we live each role out well to build up the Kingdom of God. Have a blessed 5th Sunday of Easter.
Continue ReadingGrowing up in Kansas, I believed that the second I crossed the Kansas/Colorado border, I would see the mountains looming over me. All I heard growing up was that Kansas was flat as a pancake (a lot of the state really isn't) and that Colorado was entirely filled with mountains. So, imagine my surprise when, I think in 7th grade, my family went on vacation to Colorado and upon crossing the border I found no mountains. I looked for a long, long time and no mountains. Finally, my dad said, "Look, you can see the top of the mountains on the horizon." Just as Kansas ain't all flat, Colorado ain't all mountains. I'm just here to set the record straight. 🙂 Our small town church showcase this week is from South Fork, Colorado, population 724. This is Holy Family Mission, one of five small churches in the San Juan Community. South Fork sits in the south which is a part of the state that I have never been to. Funny story about a time I was in Colorado: My sophomore year of high school, my concert band went to a competition in Colorado. We were very good and had won other competitions around Kansas. Well, nobody warned us about the change in altitude having an effect on our breathing. So, we get to the competition, start warming up, and we are all incredibly winded. I was a trumpet player and, boy, was I struggling. The whole band sounded terrible, we didn't win, but we did have fun skiing at Winterpark. Well, almost everyone. I took out a fence in front of a large crowd, which was highly embarrassing. Anyway, Colorado is a beautiful state, the mountains when you get to them are stunning, and there are many, many wonderful churches to visit. Add Holy Family Mission to your list if you are in the south. Live the Faith boldly and travel well, Catholic Pilgrims.
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