Our Ministries
16 Dec

To Celebrate a Life of Love: Maria Olga Gonzalez

July 22, 1946-December 10, 2020

Maria Olga Gonzalez, born July 22, 1946, in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, went to be with our Lord on December 10, 2020 at the age of 74.

She was preceded in death by parents, Margarito Guevara & Paula Chavez; beloved husband of 53 years, Zeferino G. Gonzalez, and daughter, Dora Alicia Balderas.

She is survived by her children, Guadalupe Cortez (Miguel), Rosy N. Anderson (Howard), Adolfo Carlos Gonzalez (Iris); son in law, Jose C. Balderas, grandchildren, Crystal Heitmann, Angelica Balderas, Maria Lesmana, Miguel Ochoa, Maximus Cortez, Michael Cortez, Sara Diaz, and Layla Gonzalez; great-grandchildren, Dominic Ochoa, Alyssa Heitmann, Olivia Heitmann, and Jacob Lesmana. Maria is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

The Visitation will be on Sunday, December 20 at 5 pm with the Rosary at 7 pm at 2525 Palo Alto Rd, San Antonio, TX 78211.

The Mass will be on Monday, December 21 at 11:30 am at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, followed by the graveside service at San Fernando Cemetery II.

11 Dec

Third Sunday of Advent

Turn on the Lights!

“A man named John was sent from God…to testify to the light.” In the darkness of our days these past nine months, we too have been challenged to testify to the light—Jesus! We sing in our hearts during pandemic times, “Ready the Way of the Lord.” Advent candlelight reminds us of faith, love, joy, and hope. Our readings invoke us to tell of the greatness of God’s work in our lives. We are anointed and sent to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to release prisoners.

Like John, we are also sent from God to testify to the light—to speak of how Jesus is calling each of us. Who are the people most in need of compassion to whom we are called to bring God’s love? How are we singing our personal “Magnificat?” As we reflect on the great things God has done for us, do we recognize our blessings, personally and communally? Do we express gratitude? How are we called to bring glad tidings?

Christmas is always about lights. We put them on trees, both indoors and outdoors. We decorate our homes with them. It can be difficult and time-consuming work to string those lights! But this labor of love this year, I think, has even greater significance. We are invited to focus on how each of us brings light to this world we live in! We illuminate, brighten, and enlighten. We can bring clarity to situations and decisions. We can light up the face of someone homebound with a phone call or letter or gift left at the front door. We can lighten the burdens of those who are suffering job loss, food insecurity, eviction notices. We can light candles as we pray unceasingly for our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones to the covid virus, for those who survived the infection but are living with lingering effects, for the medical professionals and the related workers. We can “leave the light on” for anyone who just needs to talk and to have someone listen!

Jesus is the reason for the season! Jesus is the Light of the World! Jesus is the promise of mercy! Let it be so for each of us and all those we love!

03 Dec

To Celebrate a Life of Love: William D. Mickey

November 19, 1934-November 20, 2020

William D. Mickey, son of Robert K. Mickey and Theresa Horner Mickey, beloved husband of Joan Elizabeth Love Mickey, born November 1934, in Chatham, New Jersey, passed away on November 20, 2020, peacefully of natural causes.

William “Bill” grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Madison High School. He served in the military. He spent a career in sales, marketing, and advertising. He loved football, golfing, his family, and his faith.

Bill was a loving and dedicated partner to his wife, Joan, for 63 years. He was an amazing and responsible father to five children to whom he instilled incredible work ethic and values.

In death, he is predeceased by his grandson, Stephen Dennis Murray. He is survived by his sons; Dennis F. Mickey of Carrollton, Texas, and Brian W. Mickey of San Antonio, Texas. His daughters; Sharon M. Mickey of Wimberly, Texas, Jeanne T. Derby and her husband Ronald L. Derby of San Antonio, Texas, and Eileen P. Mickey of Point, Texas. His grandchildren; Robert W. Derby of Hutto, Texas, Brittany L. Black and her husband James C. Black of San Antonio, Texas, Erin Murray of Sulphur Springs, Texas. And his great-grandchildren; Madilynn McWhorter, Hayes Calvin Black, and Eli Robert Black.

I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith –
Timothy 4:7

SERVICE

The Memorial Service will begin at 11:30 A.M. on Saturday, December 5, 2020 at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North, 3401 Cherry Ridge Drive.

4 Dec

Second Sunday of Advent

Leading the Way

Have you ever been tasked with being the “advance person” for a new project, a new way of doing things, the rollout of a new policy or procedure? As the advance person, the messenger, you can create a plan and follow it, consistently and intentionally. Or you could just wing it, or go with the flow?

This pandemic time has given us some freedom to explore “alternative ways” of doing things. We don’t go to school the same way, go to work the same way, or even go to church the same way. We are being invited (and in some cases, forced) to think of other ways. We are experiencing the “desert” and “rugged lands.” A lot is uncomfortable, demanding of different attentiveness, requiring patience and persistence. We are an Advent people, living Advent themes, here and now!

We are also examining ourselves. How much do we trust the Shepherd? What kind of “messengers” are we being? What are we doing to ready the way for the coming of Jesus? Be creative!

Think of someone you know who needs encouragement, and ask yourself how you could “give comfort.” Then “speak tenderly” to that person, rousing new hope in his or her heart.

Sit with someone and create a list of Christian virtues that you think would help hasten the coming of Jesus. Then practice at least one of those virtues during the next three weeks before Christmas.

As we engage in being “advance persons” or messengers like John the Baptist, we have many opportunities to “prepare the way,” to live through the desert and rugged land, and to ready the way of Jesus to be central in our lives. We can make a plan or we can wing it. Which will we choose?

Perhaps God, the eternal messenger, is clearing the way for us and making our paths straight. And we can imagine a world where kindness and truth meet, where justice and peace kiss. Consider then, these questions created by Network for a national Zoom discussion I participated in last night:

What do you expect Christmas to look like this year—given all that is going on?

What are your concerns about engaging with family or friends who have different world views?

What is one step you can take to help heal a relationship in the coming year?

Messages of love and comfort for our mutual journeys can be found in the music and lyrics here:

 

03 Dec

To Celebrate a Life of Love: Sister Virginia Celmer, IHM

June 26, 1945-November 26, 2020

Sister Virginia Celmer, IHM, died Nov. 26, 2020, at the IHM Motherhouse. She was 75 years old.
Virginia was born in Detroit on June 26, 1945, to Charles and Stella (Kopicko) Celmer. As a young student, Virginia attended St. Luke and Immaculata High School, where she came to know the IHM Sisters of Monroe. After graduation in 1963, she entered the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and received the name Sister Marie Amata. She was later known to many as Sister Ginny.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Marygrove College, Sister Ginny instructed students in religious education, social studies and psychology at St. Mary, Monroe; Marian High School, Bloomfield Hills, Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, Westchester, Ill., and St. Thomas the Apostle High School, Aurora, Ill. During these years, she earned a master’s degree from St. Louis University, which led to her transition into health care services as a chaplain at Mercy Center for Health Care Services. This led her into graduate study of psychology at Texas Tech University. She earned her doctoral degree in 1986 and served for five years as a psychologist at the Consultation Center in San Antonio. Sister Ginny operated a private licensed clinical psychology practice for more than 20 years in San Antonio and was esteemed by her professional colleagues.
Health concerns led her to close the practice and return to the IHM Motherhouse as a resident of IHM Senior Living Community in 2014. She renewed many friendships within the community, maintained long-distance friendships and encountered new friendships with many of the staff on the Monroe Campus with her quick wit and wisdom.
Sister Ginny is survived by her sisters in community and many dear friends.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions, services will be private at the IHM Motherhouse Chapel on Wednesday, Dec. 2. The services will be Livestreamed beginning at 10 a.m. at https://bit.ly/36kG4kW and may be viewed until Dec. 23. Arrangements were under the direction of the Rupp Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the IHM Retirement Fund, 610 W. Elm Ave., Monroe, MI 48162-7909.
20 Apr

Tai Chi at St. Francis

Tai Chi is a very low-impact form of martial arts that enhances balance, coordination, and flexibility, particularly as we age. The class is just $5. Classes are suitable for all fitness levels. Nameer Kirma of Good Spirit T’ai Chi Ch’uan will lead the class. Nameer has been practicing Tai Chi for over 20 years and has been teaching almost that long.

Our Health and Wellness Ministry will have Tai Chi at St. Francis on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 pm under the St. Francis of Assisi Church rotunda by the front parking lot. We encourage you to bring water and wear comfortable clothing and tennis shoes.

Email healthsfa@gmail.com if you have questions or want to be added to the mailing list.

Nameer Kirma

27 Nov

First Sunday of Advent

Welcome to Advent

Welcome to Advent! The images in our readings are so relevant to what many of us are experiencing in daily life. These days, we know for certain that we are not in control of what happens. We are indeed clay in the hands of our potter, God! I don’t know about you, but I find myself changing without exerting a great or even conscious effort. Paying attention, slowing down, and being grateful for what I have, bringing to mind all the people I love and miss and long to share hugs with, and just waiting.  We are waiting for a vaccine. We are waiting for so many things.

We can wait because we know that God is faithful. We may, however, also subscribe to the maxim I hear often: Pray like everything depends on God and work like everything depends on you. Paying attention to how God is “molding” us in these pandemic times helps us to recognize the bounteous ways in which we are graced.

Advent is also a time of being God’s faithful love to others—in the love and care for our families, in our workplace, in our volunteer efforts, in our donations to our favorite causes, in our work for justice, in our working together as a community.

This Advent, may we be found watchful, alert, and ready! We sing Tom Booth’s song creation often.

“Find Us Ready”

Tom Booth

Find us ready, Lord, not standing still.
Find us working and loving and doing your will.
Find us ready, Lord, faithful in love,
building the kingdom that’s here and above,
building the kingdom of mercy and love.

We must wait for the Lord
for we know not the time.
So here and today
we gather and pray,
discovering love in our midst.

We must make straight the path,
God’s love revealed.
With sin cast aside,
God’s mercy alive,
fear not for here is your God.

Lifting up those bowed down,
we prepare for our God.
Rejoice in the Lord,
for hope has been born
in hearts where our God finds a home.

Optional final ending
Brick by brick, stone by stone,
find us working and loving and doing your will.
Find us ready, Lord, faithful in love,
building the kingdom that’s here and above.

24 Nov

To Celebrate a Life of Love: Martha Anne Kubicek

September 4, 1938-November 19, 2020

On Thursday, November 19, 2020, Martha Anne Kubicek, devoted mother, wife, and friend died peacefully at the age of 82.

Martha was born on September 4, 1938, in Beaumont, Texas to Heinz and Margaret Fischer. Heinz had immigrated to the USA from Germany in the mid-1920s, settling in Beaumont and quickly connecting with other first- and second-generation German immigrants like Margaret and her family. Martha took tremendous pride in her German heritage and truly cherished the close relationships with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins within her extended family, with many a reunion providing happy memories over the years.

Most of Martha’s childhood was spent in Houston and, after graduating from Incarnate Word Academy, she attended Sacred Heart Dominican College, graduating with a BSc in Nursing in 1960. It was while a student there that she met Harold Kubicek, a Civil Engineering student at Rice University, at a college dance in 1957. They later married, on January 7, 1961, at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church in Houston.

Alongside managing busy family life, Martha regularly worked part-time as a nurse, including as a Research Nurse for Baylor College of Medicine. She had a real passion for travel, especially to Europe, which she visited numerous times, meeting with relatives as she enjoyed discovering new places and people. Always highly sociable, Martha was a member of numerous tennis leagues and bridge groups over the years. Most of all, she took great pleasure and pride in her family, which includes her husband of 59 years, her four children, their spouses, and nine grandchildren.

Faith was a constant in Martha’s life. She and Harold made several moves between Texas, California, and Louisiana over the years and she was always an active member of the Catholic parishes to which they belonged. She has also been a member of the Theresians Catholic women’s community for decades, including the Day of Roses group in San Antonio for the last 15 years, and she recently received the honor of being named a Theresian Woman of Wisdom.

Martha was preceded in death by her father, Heinz, her mother, Margaret, and her brother, David. She is survived by her husband, Harold, her four children, Karen, Mark, Joseph, and Margaret, and grandchildren David and Sedona Limón, Tesa, Sofia, Paul and Andrew Kubicek, and Hal, Max and Flo Wood.

Although the impact of dementia was increasingly debilitating for Martha, her true self continued to shine through in so many ways. She was visibly cheered in the company of friends and family until her final weeks and similarly took great delight in viewing photos and mementos from her life and watching animals and birds in her backyard. Most notable was the joy she took from listening to and playing music. An avid piano player from a young age, she was able to play several of her favorite tunes with her family until shortly before her death.

For this reason, in lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The visitation will take place at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church from 11:30 am-12:30 pm on Tuesday, December 1. The Rosary will be prayed at 12:30 pm, followed by the Mass of the Resurrection at 1 pm. The graveside service will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery (1520 Harry Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, TX 78209) at 11:30 am on Tuesday, December 8.

20 Nov

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Shepherd King

Pope Pius XI saw a world that had pushed Jesus Christ out of view. He established the feast of Christ the King in 1925 to shine light into a world of darkness, the darkness of greed, violence, and selfishness. The feast is officially titled the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Jesus, then, is king of the universe, of all of creation—a creation that is moving, that is in process until its completion which we call the kingdom of God. Some people name it the kin-dom of God, emphasizing the connectedness, the relationship of all, akin to the sheep and shepherd imagery. We acknowledge this relatedness each weekend when we hear our names, brothers and sisters, in the prayers and the readings of the Mass. Do we need to be reminded that we are all brothers and sisters, no exceptions?

In the Scripture readings for Sunday, we hear about kings and we hear about shepherds. The prophet Ezekiel acknowledges that the most powerful leader is not the self-serving tyrant but the humble servant. The shepherd watches carefully, tends the injured, and knows each and every sheep that belongs to his flock.

How do we know that we belong to the flock? That we are known by God? God knows us by the way we care for the least among us. The least include the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. We recognize these loving, compassionate responses to “the least” as the Corporal Works of Mercy. Who are the least among us today who need our attention, our care, our mercy? How will we respond to God’s invitation to us?

18 Nov

To Celebrate a Life of Love: Margarita Petra Ortiz

July 7, 1946-November 10, 2020

Margarita Petra Ortiz went to be with the Lord on November 10, 2020, at the age of 74, in San Antonio, TX. She was born on July 7, 1946 in Atascosa County, TX. She is preceded in death by her husband, Rudy C. Ortiz; parents, Norberto and Julia Rodriguez; daughter, Elizabeth Ortiz-Flournoy; siblings, RoseLee Delgado, Bertha Rodriguez, Mary Florentina Rodriguez, Juan Rodriguez and Gilbert Rodriguez. Margarita is survived by her loving children, Michelle Zuniga (Gilbert) and Eric Ortiz (Christina Montoya); step-mother, Estella Rodriguez; siblings, Beatrice Rodgriguez Green (Leo), Delfina Rodriguez (Jesse Castillo), Jesus Rodriguez (Melinda), Eulalio Rodriguez (Isabel), Raymond Rodriguez (Clara) and Fernando Rodriguez; step-siblings, Rosalinda Rodriguez (Jose Santos) and Alfredo Rodriguez; grandchildren, Gabriel Zane Zuniga, Zoe Nicole Zuniga, Ryan Ortiz and Amarige Diaz, and numerous nieces, nephews, and other extended family members and friends.

Education was a huge part of Margarita’s life. She was a student at San Antonio College until she met and fell in love with Rudy C. Ortiz. During their 39 years of marriage, she continued to pursue her dream of getting her college degree and on May 8, 1999 received her Bachelors of Art from Our Lady of the Lake University.

Margarita worked for Southwestern Bell for 25 years at which time she took early retirement to help care for her grandson, Gabriel Zane, and granddaughter, Zoe. When her husband fell ill to lung cancer, she stayed by his side, day and night, nursing and caring for him until his death.

Margarita was a huge Spurs fan and watched almost every game religiously. She knew all the players and could talk stats with the best of them. She also had her Spurs memorabilia proudly displayed throughout her house and always had her Spurs flags firmly mounted on her car windows, sometimes long after the season was over.

Margarita had a love of flowers and plants. She planted roses all along her house, had a peach tree and numerous potted plants and flowers. When her health made it too difficult to tend to her plants, she still had a beautiful display thanks to Michael’s and Hobby Lobby.

Above all else, Margarita loved her family. She made sure to attend every family gathering, birthday party, baby shower, graduation, play, or event that she could. She made a point to ensure that everyone had what they needed and were cared for and did not go without.

Visitation will be Monday, November 23, 2020 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. with a Rosary to be recited at 6:30 p.m. at Mission Park Funeral Chapels South. Funeral Mass will be on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Interment to follow at Mission Burial Park South.