First Sunday of Lent
Another Chance
Living Lent has been real! In many ways, we have experienced a year-long Lent. Or so it seems because of all the ways in which we have sacrificed. We have sacrificed through social distancing, through participating in essential only activities. Ours has been a fast from receiving the Eucharist. Our almsgiving has included outreach to many in need. This COVID pandemic has revealed more people than ever who are vulnerable and in need. Our service has included phone calls to check up on people, written notes of encouragement, volunteering at the Food Bank, listening to and assisting our sisters and brothers through St. Vincent de Paul. We have prayed novenas and rosaries and had fervent conversations with God asking for mercy and an end to the suffering of many. We have advocated for the unemployed and fed the hungry. Living Lent has been real.To Celebrate a Life of Love: Kenneth “Ken” Leroy Thompson
December 13, 1942 – March 13, 2021
On Saturday, March 13, 2021, Ken Thompson transitioned from this world into his eternal rest. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, graduated from St. John’s University with a BBA and NYU with his MBA. At St. John’s he met the great love of his life and they built a future together. After living in Brooklyn as a child and young adult, he moved to New Jersey, then Pennsylvania, and finally to San Antonio in 1980. At that time, he earned another MBA at the University of the Incarnate Word. As a kid in Brooklyn, he loved to play stickball and hang out with his friends. He loved to tell stories of those early days, publishing them on the Brooklyn Board page. He was a pioneer in the utilization of computers in the 1960’s and assisted many companies in converting their business systems to digital platforms. He spent many years of his professional career at USAA working in Information Management. While his professional accomplishments were many, his wife, children, and grandchildren were the center of his world. He did all things with great love.
Ken was preceded in death by his parents, Leroy and Marion Thompson, as well as many friends.
He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Joanne. Theirs was a love for the ages. Ken is also survived by his daughter, Kristen Williams (Keith), son, Kyle Thompson (Amy) ; sister, Virginia Jones (Bob); grandchildren: Kathryn Williams, Kenneth Logan Williams, Reagan Thompson, and Cole Thompson; and many nieces and nephews. In addition, he leaves behind a vast number of friends, including his best friend, Darrell Nichols (Linda).
Ken was always willing to help folks. For years he washed dishes on Sundays at SAMM Shelter, he bought countless winter coats for an elementary school where kids live in poverty, supported both the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society, and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. He paid for field trips, shoes, and food for kids in need. He donated his time and money generously. If you are so moved, in lieu of flowers, we encourage you to do something nice in his honor. Make a donation to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society. Volunteer. Make amends and build a friendship. Buy food or drink for a stranger. Most importantly, love your people.
A memorial Mass will be held at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 4201 De Zavala Rd. on March 20, 2021 at 11:00 AM. Due to safety concerns, we encourage you to join us online instead of in person. Services will be streamed at Ken Thompson – Funeral Mass of Memorial – YouTube Our family thanks you.
To Celebrate a Life of Love: Carmen C. Paez
November 17, 1919-January 22, 2021
Carmen C. Paez, age 101, passed away on January 22, 2021 surrounded by her loving family. Carmen was born on November 17, 1919 in Rosita, Coahuila. Carmen was predeceased by her parents (Ambrosio and Ines Cortez), husband (Valentine Paez), and siblings (Juan Cortez, Ernest Cortez, Maria Rodriguez, and Angie Manuel).
Six months after her birth, her family moved to Eagle Pass.
During hard times a compassionate teenage Carmen would assist her father, a manual laborer, by picking crops such as cotton and spinach. She also enjoyed music and dancing and would go to the dances chaperoned by her mother.
While seeking other employment opportunities in her young adulthood, Carmen made the decision to move to San Antonio. Carmen resided in an apartment with a few siblings, during which time she began working at local retail store.
Not too long after beginning her new job, Carmen became ill, that resulted in a hospitalization. During her stay, staff responded well to her upbeat attitude and drive that provided her an opportunity to pursue a career in cosmetology.
After months of hard work, Carmen was elated to receive her cosmetologist certification in 1951, which aligned with her love of lifting others up in order to feel and look their best.
While working in the downtown area, she met Valentine B. Paez and they wed in 1951.
When their only child was born, Carmen dedicated her life to support Sylvia’s endeavors in extracurricular activities at school and pursuing her future passion to become a nurse. She took on various jobs, such as selling cosmetics and jewelry to save money for Sylvia’s college education. After her only granddaughter was born, who was so precious to her; she continued providing unwavering support and adoration as Amanda grew and pursued her own career in helping others.
Across her lifetime, Carmen remained a woman of strong faith who prayed daily. Carmen filled her home with warmth and kindness as a passionate caregiver for the children of her family. She enjoyed cooking and baking for her loved ones, especially during the holidays. She continued her love of music, working on word search puzzles, and enjoyed various books.
She is survived by her brother (Henry Cortez), daughter (Sylvia Cavazos), granddaughter (Amanda Ramirez), great granddog (Donnelly) and countless nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Pallbearers: Andy Getz, Andrew Rodriguez, Lindsay Eulenfeld, Louis H. Zavala, Nathan Miault, and Raul Cristantez.
A Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church at a later date.
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Healing the Disease of Division
Do everything for the “glory of God” is easier said than done. If I tried to glorify God in everything I do, what activities might I need to curtail? When I was a child in grade school, the Sisters taught us to write AMDG on top of all of our assignments. In Latin, this means “for the greater glory of God.” As children, we understood that cheating on a test or an assignment was not for the greater glory of God. Name-calling was not for the greater glory of God. As I was in formation to be a Sister, our daily choir practice always began with scales and a sung “All for Jesus, all for Jesus, all for Jesus through Mary.” Fifty plus years later, this reading reminds me to be more conscious of everything—all I think, say, and do. Where my thoughts go, so does my heart and eventually my actions. I definitely have to stop doing some things because they are not for the “glory of God.”
In the reading from Leviticus, we learn about a person with leprosy who has to cry out “Unclean” when encountering others—a form of self-exile. Alice Camille in Exploring the Sunday Readings says this:
If there’s anything that needs to be pronounced “unclean” in this generation, it’s the insistence that there are two kinds of people: our kind and that other. Whether “that other” belongs to another political party, race, religion, gender group, or generation, the disease of division has spread across our society and caused more damage than any pandemic.
The “unclean” person was healed by Jesus. “Moved with pity, Jesus touched him and said, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’” By virtue of our baptism, we too can “touch” and heal. We can do that with love and kindness, by treating every person as the child of God that they are. Healing is essential—for ourselves and for others. For Lent this year, I am committing to having conversations with people who are “the other,” those who are different from me so that I can change my perceptions and become inclusive of all as my sisters and brothers. This will be healing for me. I can change my thoughts, words, and actions. AMDG is on my monitor to remind me. Thank you Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament in Victoria and now in the Communion of Saints in Heaven.
P.S. A Valentine suggestion: Pass around invisible valentines of kind acts and warm acceptance of everyone today? Make sure no one feels unclean or unwelcome. Every thought, word, and deed can be a participation in the marvelous work of healing.
To Celebrate a Life of Love: Albert P. Taylor
November 10, 1929-January 20, 2021
Remembered as a true gentleman and scholar, Albert P. Taylor, Jr. was born in Charleston, SC, the son of Albert P. Taylor and Dorothy Lee Gooding Taylor. He retained throughout his life a deep sense of pride and love for the city of his birth, the multi-generational home of his ancestors. Albert graduated from Clemson University in 1951 as a distinguished military graduate earning a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Signal Corps. Albert then served post World War II in Germany as a Telephone and Teletypewriter Outside Plant Officer, Company A, 322d, Signal Battalion, U.S. Army Europe. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, he was awarded the National Defense and German Occupation medals. After discharging from the service, Albert remained in Germany as a Civil Servant working in the same capacity for the U.S. Army. It was in Europe where is love for languages was fostered, speaking German, French, and Spanish fluently. Upon returning to the United States, he enrolled at Woodbury University in Los Angeles earning a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in 1959. Employed as an Accountant through the State of California Department of Corporations, he retired 34 years later as a Special Administrator of Credit Union law for state-charted credit unions. Throughout his career, he was a strong advocate of credit union philosophy which largely focused on members having a voice in membership concerns and changes within the organization. He remained a life-long connoisseur of music, history, and the arts, often playing the piano, guitar, and accordion for family and friends. In retirement, he fully enjoyed being an active participant in many conversational language classes and specialty groups, where his passion for travel and knowledge of cultural diversity remained with him throughout his life. A loving husband and father, he lived his life in a manner that will always be deeply remembered by all who knew him. Albert is survived by his loving wife of fifty-seven years, Rosemarie; his daughter, Katherine and her husband, Dale, grandchildren, Garret and Katelyn, and beloved nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, the Lewy Body Dementia Association, and the Arden Courts Memory Care Facility.
The funeral Mass was scheduled for 11 am on Monday, February 15 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, but it has been postponed due to inclement weather to 11 am on Monday, March 8.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
A Day in the Life of Jesus
“Everyone is looking for you.” Have you ever heard that? Everyone needed you at once! Jesus heard these same words and quickly left to go to another village, not to escape, but so that he could preach there also. Access! Who had access to Jesus? And how did Jesus manage the multiple pleadings to both hear the message and to heal by actions? He prayed, he acted, he sought solitude and prayer. And he repeated again. His whole life’s ministry was about preaching, restoration of dignity, and healing that prompted a response of service to others. Simon’s mother-in-law is an example. When Jesus “grasped her hand, and helped her up,” the fever left her and she waited on them. Healing was followed by service.
Healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds was Jesus’ mission on earth. Happiness, acceptance, inclusion—healings of all sort—not just for the one being healed, but also for those who witness the healing. Jesus’ followers came to understand the pattern of always moving on, being itinerant, interrupted only by periods of prayer and solitude. Jesus is a great example of work-life balance.
Today we reflect on the various kinds of healing needed in our world—healing from sexual abuse, healing from the death by suicide of a family member or friend, healing of any kind of abuse or lack of nutrition, housing and poverty, healing from racial injustice, the healing of the earth, the healing of political tensions, healing from the effects of war! The list is long! How do we learn what it means to be a healer and how to be healed? Who are the healers in our lives today? What kind of healing am I asking for as I reflect on this week’s Gospel?
And when I experience healing, whose hand will I grasp? Who will I help to get up?
P.S. I often have conversations with people who come to talk about death by suicide. Fr. Ron Rolheiser is someone who has helped me to understand and then to help others. I hope this writing helps you as well. Here it is:
https://liturgy.slu.edu/5OrdB020721/reflections_rolheiser.html
To Celebrate a Life of Love: Barbara Windlinger Braden
March 8, 1933-January 26, 2021
Barbara Braden, wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on January 26, 2021. A lifelong resident of San Antonio, Barbara was born to Herman and Amanda Windlinger on March 8, 1933. She is preceded in death by her parents and siblings, Margaret Icke, Herman Windlinger, Lucille Schumann, Jerome Windlinger, and Jim Windlinger.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Virgil “Bud” Braden; children, Paul Braden (Julie), Michael Braden (Donna), and Elaine Hutzler (Michael); 10 Grandchildren, Kyle Braden, Sean Hutzler (Betsy), Derek Braden (Skye), Traci Doerre (Sean), Kevin Hutzler, Phillip Braden (Lindsay), Jason Hutzler (Ella), Todd Braden, Clayton Braden, and Bryan Hutzler (Katelyn); 6 Great Grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved deeply.
She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1951 and entered the workplace alongside her father at the Hermann Sons Fraternal Organization.
In June of 1956, Barbara wed the love of her life, Virgil (Bud) Braden from Rosebud, TX.
After retiring from Hermann Sons in 1996, she enjoyed traveling and volunteering her time at the Santa Rosa Hospital and various organizations within her church.
The family would like to thank the Caregivers from Adante Memory Care who have cared for Barbara for the last few years.
A celebration of her life will begin with a Visitation at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 4201 De Zavala Rd. on February 12, 2021 at 10:30 am. Rosary and Remembrance Services will begin at 11:00 with the Memorial Mass to begin at 12:00. Services will also be streamed at https://www.facebook.com/sfasatx/ or https://youtube.com/c/StFrancisofAssisiCatholicChurch. Interment will be held at a later date in Holy Cross Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made to either the San Antonio Alzheimer’s Association, https://www.alz.org/sanantonio, the Mobile Loaves & Fishes program at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, http://sfasat.org/MLF/donate.htm or the charity of your choice.
To Celebrate a Life of Love: Gloria Esquivel
December 28, 1938-January 19, 2021
Gloria Fritchey Esquivel, born to Salvatore and Maria Guido in San Antonio, TX on December 28, 1938, went to be with the Lord on January 19, 2021. She was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Ernestine Finn, Nancy Miorelli, Rosalie Orsatti, and brother, Gene Guido. She is survived by her husband, Daniel Esquivel, and son, Pat Fritchey, sister, Frances Marotta, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was employed at Brooke Army Medical Center for approximately 40 years. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Southwest Texas State University, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. She enjoyed playing bingo and trips to Las Vegas and other destinations. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, on Monday, February 15, 2021, at Porter Loring Mortuary with a Rosary beginning at 7:00 pm.
A private interment to follow. In lieu of flowers, a memorial donation in Gloria’s name may be made to Discalced Carmelite Nuns of San Antonio (6301 Culebra Rd. San Antonio, TX 78238).
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Whose Authority?
At one time or another, each of us has sought a mentor or a guide when it comes to making moral decisions—when seeking to do the right thing. We seek someone with experience, with wisdom. We seek someone who will be honest and compassionate, someone who wishes us well. A mentor or guide may tell us things that are hard to hear, but upon deep reflection, our hardened hearts can listen again.
Jesus was human, just like us. As a teacher, Jesus taught the people as one having authority, an authority very different from that of the scribes. The scribes were famous for winning arguments and destroying their opponents. Jesus, on the other hand, invited his followers—his disciples—to see as God sees, to love as God loves.
Jesus spent his life teaching about the kingdom of God, what God sees and what God loves, what God desires on this earth as much as in heaven. Notice who Jesus spends time with, who he pays attention to—who matters to Jesus? Not the usual persons we would think of, I dare say. In that attentiveness, that ministering to “outcasts” we might identify some of the demons inside of us that need to “come out” or need to be cast out.
By whose authority do we live? Are there any scribes in our lives? When does Jesus’ authority prevail?
Alice Camille proposes 5 new mysteries of the rosary in a new article in U.S.Catholic.
The first healing mystery:
Jesus restores the outcast to community
“Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?” (Luke 17:17)
They were lumped together as “unclean.” Nobody knows what afflictions they suffered. These lepers couldn’t be touched, were thrust from home and family, and were forced to live apart. Whatever infected them couldn’t have been worse than this awful isolation, as we know intimately.
Jesus, heal us from this pandemic. Restore our community to health and wholeness. May we remain grateful for the privilege of human gathering.
The second healing mystery:
Jesus rewards the woman of courage
“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” (Matt. 9:22)
She wasn’t supposed to be out in public, touching a man’s clothes, or cause a stir that would embarrass her family. But the hemorrhaging woman had suffered too much for too long to behave by social norms that didn’t serve her and couldn’t save her. She trusted Jesus. Good for her!
Jesus, bless the courageous ones who won’t sit quietly by and suffer without taking their destiny in their own hands.
The third healing mystery:
Jesus frees the imperiled child
“Lord, have mercy on my son, for . . . he suffers terribly.” (Matt. 17:15)
This poor child fell often into fire and into water. He reminds us of all our children now suffering the effects of conditions they did nothing to cause and are powerless to change.
For all the ways in which the world’s children suffer—hunger, domestic abuse, impaired learning conditions, depression, anxiety, shame— Lord, rescue our children and restore their hope.
The fourth healing mystery:
Jesus heals the person suffering mental distress
“But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ ” (Mark 1:25)
Demons haunt us all. But some, like this man who cried out to Jesus, are especially burdened. People who are emotionally fragile, or whose mental health was already compromised, suffer exceptionally from the pandemic conditions of stress, upheaval, and isolation.
Lord, we ask you to keep our vulnerable loved ones in your special care. Hold them in the palm of your hand and let them feel your constant protection.
The fifth healing mystery:
Jesus heals the Earth’s abundance
“So they cast [the net], and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.” (John 21:6)
Behind the realities of pandemic looms the greater danger of a world enduring the cumulative effects of exploitation, greed, indifference, and ignorance. Climate change is changing the rules of our future survival.
Merciful Lord, this creation is your first and best gift to us. Give us the wisdom and the will to transform our global commitment to the planet that is our home.
Divine Mercy Prayer Group
Our Divine Mercy Prayer Group invites you to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We were formed by a small group of ACTS sisters from our parish of St. Francis as the country was shutting down in mid-March of last year for the pandemic. Since then, we have prayed for over 300 consecutive days! We meet every day for approximately 30-45 minutes. Some days there are four of us, some days there are 15. Either way, it is a blessing to have a group that is always there to pray for God’s “mercy on us and on the whole world.” Our group is also inspired by the writings of St. Faustina to spread Jesus’ holy will of “Love and Mercy” to the people around us and to the world.
