• Home
  • About Us
    • Bishops
      • Bishop Daniel E. Flores, S.T.D.
      • Auxiliary Bishop Mario A. Avilés, C.O.
      • Past Bishops
    • History & Facts
    • Safe Environment
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
  • Ministries & Offices
    • A-F
      • Communications
        • News Releases & Statements
        • The Valley Catholic
          • Past Issues
          • Deacon Luis Zuñiga Column
          • Lydia Pesina Column
          • En La Frontera Column
          • Walter Lukaszek
          • Teresa Nuñez
          • Kayne Parrott
          • Tony Cantu
          • Sister Elizabeth Sjoberg
          • Father Brian Strassburger
          • Father Angelot Galson Andriamamitahina
          • Father Robert Charlton, SS.CC.
          • Our Catholic Faith
        • Easter Resources
        • Women en la Frontera
        • Communications Membership
      • Catholic Charities
      • Catholic Schools
        • Principal Portal
        • School Counselor Portal
        • Teacher/Staff Portal
      • Chancellor
      • Diocesan Curia
      • Evangelization & Catechesis
        • Faith Formation
        • Sacramental Preparation
        • Christian Initiation
        • Catechetical Convocations
        • Catechetical Conferences
        • Links
        • Videos
      • Family Life
        • Marriage Preparation
          • Catholic Engaged Encounter
          • Retiro En Las Buenas y Para Siempre
          • For Better and For Ever Retreat
          • New Life Remarriage Retreat
          • Convalidation Conference
          • Conferencia de Convalidacion
        • Marriage Enrichment Programs
          • Marriage Resources
        • Sponsor Couple Program
          • Foccus
          • Fully Engaged
        • Family Enrichment
          • Annual World Marriage Day
          • Mother & Daughter Program
          • Father & Son Program
          • P.I.C.K Program
          • Ministry With Families 101
          • Movimiento Familiar Cristiano
          • Worldwide Marriage Encounter
          • Encuentro Matrimonial
        • Natural Family Planning
        • Resources for Families
        • Church Teaching
        • Living Conjugal Chastity
        • Accompanying Families in Crisis
      • Fiscal
    • G-I
      • Health Ministries
        • Chaplain's Only
      • Human Resources
      • Immigration
      • Information Technology
        • IT Security
        • FAQs
        • Computer Basics
        • Cyber Security Basics
      • Insurance & Pension
    • J-R
      • Jail & Prison
        • Detention Centers
        • Inmate Studies
      • Liturgy & Worship
      • Media Resource Center
      • Ministry with Young People
        • Newman Catholic Student Center
          • About
          • Activities and Outreach
          • Contact Us
        • Outreach
          • Catholic Families
          • Catholic Scouting
          • Young Life
          • Young Adults
        • Parish Resources
          • Safety Awareness Program
          • Risk Management & Forms
          • Ministry Leaders
      • Permanent Diaconate Formation Program
      • Pro-Life
        • Parish Pro-Life Coordinators
        • Photo Gallery
        • Pro-Life Committee
        • dc2023
        • Pro Life Online Documents
        • 2ndpaymentDC2023
        • FinalPaymentDC2023
          • 2023 National March For Life (Students Only)
        • Test Home Page
        • Texas Rally for Life Pilgrimage
        • Pro Life Conference
      • Real Estate & Facilities
    • S-Z
      • Safety Awareness Program
        • Clergy Disclosure List
        • PGC Facilitator Resource Page
      • San Juan Diego Ministry Institute
      • Stewardship & Grants
        • FAQs
      • Strategy & Development
      • Tribunal
        • FAQs
        • Priests Only - Tribunal
        • Advocates Only - Tribunal
      • Vocations
        • Discernment
        • NATIONAL VOCATION AWARENESS WEEK
        • Priesthood
          • Diocesan Priesthood
          • Discernment Tips
          • FAQs
          • Resources
          • The Application Process
          • Priesthood in the Valley
        • Seminary
          • Meet Our Seminarians
        • Religious Life
          • Religious Orders (Locally)
          • Religious Orders (Outside the Diocese)
          • Monks, Friars, or Religious Priests?
          • Nuns or Religious Sisters?
          • How To Start the Process
          • Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience
          • Discernment Tips
          • Videos on Religious Life
        • Marriage
          • How to Start the Marriage Process
          • Dating
          • Videos on Marriage
        • Vocaciones
          • El Sacerdocio
          • La Vida Religiosa
          • El Matrimonio
        • Contact Us
  • Directory
    • People
      • Diocesan Directory
      • Priests
      • Deacons
      • Brothers
      • Sisters
      • Seminarians
    • Parishes & Schools
      • Parishes
      • Schools Map
      • Deaneries
      • Missions
      • Parishes Map
      • Eucharistic Adoration Schedules
  • Initiatives
    • Lent 2023
      • Renew us Lord
      • Renuévanos Señor
      • Lent weekly calendar
      • Lenten Resources
    • Eucharistic Revival
    • Synod 2024
    • V Encuentro
    • Catholic Advocacy Day 2023
    • Eucharistic Adoration Schedule
    • Bishop's Sunday Homily
  • News
|||
Diocese of Brownsville
 
  • Give
  • Safe Environment
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Search
  • Home
  • About Us
      • Bishops
      • History & Facts
      • Safe Environment
      • Employment
      • Contact Us
  • Ministries & Offices
    • A-F
      • Communications
      • Catholic Charities
      • Catholic Schools
      • Chancellor
      • Diocesan Curia
      • Evangelization & Catechesis
      • Family Life
      • Fiscal
    • G-I
      • Health Ministries
      • Human Resources
      • Immigration
      • Information Technology
      • Insurance & Pension
    • J-R
      • Jail & Prison
      • Liturgy & Worship
      • Media Resource Center
      • Ministry with Young People
      • Permanent Diaconate Formation Program
      • Pro-Life
      • Real Estate & Facilities
    • S-Z
      • Safety Awareness Program
      • San Juan Diego Ministry Institute
      • Stewardship & Grants
      • Strategy & Development
      • Tribunal
      • Vocations
  • Directory
    • People
      • Diocesan Directory
      • Priests
      • Deacons
      • Brothers
      • Sisters
      • Seminarians
    • Parishes & Schools
      • Parishes
      • Schools Map
      • Deaneries
      • Missions
      • Parishes Map
      • Eucharistic Adoration Schedules
  • Initiatives
      • Lent 2023
      • Eucharistic Revival
      • Synod 2024
      • V Encuentro
      • Catholic Advocacy Day 2023
      • Eucharistic Adoration Schedule
      • Bishop's Sunday Homily
  • News
    • The Valley Catholic

      Serving More Than A Million Catholics In The Diocese of Brownsville

      Current Issue Past Issues

    • Walter Lukaszek: <br> The defense rests.
      Walter Lukaszek:
      The defense rests.
      Read More
    • Teresa Nuñez: Christmas blessings multiplied
      Teresa Nuñez: Christmas blessings multiplied Read More
    • Kayne Parrott: Infused with the joy of Worship
      Kayne Parrott: Infused with the joy of Worship Read More
    • Tony Cantu: <br>  A presence felt by generations
      Tony Cantu:
      A presence felt by generations
      Read More
    • Sister Elizabeth Sjoberg
      Sister Elizabeth Sjoberg Read More
    • Father Brian Strassburger
      Father Brian Strassburger Read More
    • Father Angelot Galson Andriamamitahina
      Father Angelot Galson Andriamamitahina Read More
    • Father Robert Charlton, SS.CC.
      Father Robert Charlton, SS.CC. Read More
  • News

    • Pro-life sculpture arrives for basilica stint
      June 27
      - Paul Binz
      SAN JUAN – A large sculpture of the Blessed Mother embracing the still-unborn Jesus was placed June 27 in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine, marking the start of a two-month stay here. Entitled "Life Monument," the 2-1/2 ton bronze statue, with Jesus in the womb modeled in polished stainless steel, is the work of Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz of Ontario. Father Jorge Gomez, rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine, said, “Of all the places it could have gone, we are especially privileged here to have been chosen for its visit.” Father Gomez and Martin Lopez, maintenance department director for the basilica, both noted the remarkable timing of the sculpture arriving at the basilica just as the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision of almost 50 years ago that legalized abortion. Almost 65 million abortions have been performed in this country since that 1973 ruling. But with trigger laws coming into effect after the June 24 ruling, abortion is already effectively outlawed or soon will be in some 13 states. The pro-life sculpture’s installation here was delayed briefly because its size and weight required bringing in a special crane to move it from the maintenance yard and into its space in the plaza at the base of the basilica’s steps. A smaller model of the statue was placed May 27 at the Church of San Marcello al Corso in central Rome, even as the full-size version went first to Houston before coming to the Rio Grande Valley. When this “colossal” version leaves here, it will go to Washington D.C., to be installed permanently outside the Theological College of the Catholic University of America, right across the street from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Schmalz, the sculptor, said his hope is to offer a pro-life message that reminds people of their own gift of life and the beauty of art to touch the hearts of those who are in favor of legalized abortion. The mirroring effect of the womb allows viewers to see themselves there, as a reminder that their lives, too, started in a womb, he said. If proponents of abortion can see the beauty in unborn life, he said, "perhaps that will be some sort of persuasion" to make them think more deeply about all human life as being beautiful. “If I can move that dialogue one step closer to some understanding and love on both sides, then the sculpture is a great tool, it's a great instrument,” Schmalz said. “You have to use beauty and love or it's just not going to work.” _______ Catholic News Service contributed to this report.
      Read More
    • Prayer Vigil Scheduled for Death Row Inmate Melissa Luci0
      April 12
      - CDOB Communications Office
      Bishop Daniel E. Flores and Auxiliary Bishop Mario A. Avilés will lead a prayer vigil at 7 p.m. Friday, April 22 at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine, for Melissa Lucio, a death row inmate scheduled for execution on April 27.
      Read More
    • New Candle Room Construction Begins
      April 11
      - Paul Binz/The Valley Catholic
      Construction workers set a steel roof beam in place on the twin candle rooms taking shape on the north side of the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine on Monday, April 11. During peak times, visitors to the Basilica may bring as many as 13,000 candles a week to the shrine -- more than the current candle room inside the Basilica can accommodate. The new candle rooms are expected to be ready by this summer.
      Read More
    • Diocese of Brownsville’s bishops, contingent visit counterparts in Mexico for Mass, synod meetings
      April 7
      - Paul Binz
      By PAUL BINZ The Valley Catholic MATAMOROS, Tamaulipas, Mexico – The synodal process bridged an international border March 27 when the bishops of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico to celebrate Sunday Mass with the bishop of Matamoros. An afternoon of synod workshops and discussions followed. As late morning Mass began at Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Refugio (Our Lady of Refuge Cathedral), Matamoros’s Bishop Eugenio Andrés Lira Rugarcía opened with a warm welcome to Brownsville’s Bishop Daniel E. Flores and Auxiliary Bishop Mario A. Avilés. The Rio Grande Valley of far South Texas and the border cities of northeastern Mexico have historically enjoyed strong family, business and cultural ties. Although these have been interrupted in recent years by border crossing restrictions, the coronavirus pandemic and immigration issues, Sunday’s events were an opportunity to renew the close relations the two neighboring dioceses have maintained. “The dioceses of Brownsville and Matamoros – we are sister churches,” Bishop Lira said. “This permits us today to have a binational synodal experience.” “We greatly appreciate this invitation, this honor of sharing this Mass that manifests in a very strong way the communion of the Universal Church,” Bishop Flores responded. “We ask Our Lord’s help to keep us on this path that he has shown by his own example, and also the grace of the Holy Spirit to be able to open our hearts to the reconciliation and the communion – the principal themes of today’s Scriptures,” Bishop Flores said. The Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Lent was the story of the Prodigal Son. Angel Barrera, the synod coordinator for Diocese of Brownsville, explained afterward how this parable played a key role in Sunday’s proceedings. “The principal theme of Bishop Flores’s homily was on reconciliation,” Barrera said. “And that was woven in different ways into many synodal moments.” In the parable, after the son squanders his inheritance and is reduced to hiring himself out to tend pigs, he begins to think over what he has done, and how he got there. “In Spanish, the passage reads, the Gospel says, ‘Se puso reflexionar’ – ‘He began to reflect.’ … That’s what we’re doing now. We’re reflecting,” Barrera said. “The other principal action of the son for this conversion was that he remembered. He remembered how good it was with his father. He remembered how generous his father was.” After Mass, the South Texas delegation met with Matamoros’s Bishop Lira and his contingent at the Catholic Universidad del Noreste de México for lunch and then synod workshops. The 43 participants comprised the bishops and five priests, five religious, five lay persons, and five permanent deacons from each diocese. “It was the work of the Holy Spirit to get the right people there,” Barrera said. “Some of our lay people live and work on both sides. So they reside in Brownsville, but their workplace and business is in Matamoros. Many of them were coming from lived experiences of being on both sides, serving people on both sides.” The hospitality continued at the workshop site, Barrera said. “We had a wonderful meal, that amazing image of breaking bread together,” he said. “It was a very celebratory event.” “The way I would characterize (Bishop Lira’s) presence was joyful. Every time I would see him with a group of people he had never met, he was just so joyful, so approachable. He was talking to them like they were dear friends. “It was just a very warm and welcoming experience.” The delegations broke up into working groups for about three hours to discuss issues proposed by the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. The questions posed to the groups at the meeting included: What has been your experience of “walking together” in the Church, in your family and in society in general? Do you feel that we are reaching the people on the peripheries and those most in need? What steps do you feel the Holy Spirit is asking us to take in order for us to grow “walking together” in the Church, in the family and in society in general? Who would be good to invite to accomplish this together? The questions echoed an oft-repeated theme of both Pope Francis and Bishop Flores about walking or journeying together through life. A saying often appears in Bishop Flores’ sermons: “If we don’t walk together, we’re not going to get there.” The afternoon’s discussions proved to be more of a start than an ending. Barrera noted, “I was encouraged by what Bishop (Flores) said: ‘We didn’t finish, but we’re getting started in articulating this.’” “The questions were helpful, but we don’t have a finished document yet,” Barrera said. “For me, this could be the beginning of a series of conversations, or other ways of having these focused discussions. “So what this really does for us is provides a witness to the communion of the Church, and the potential in the world, because we are two countries. … It’s a sign of us moving toward that together.”
      Read More
    RSS Feed More News
  • COlumns

    • Women en la Frontera
      By Brenda Nettles Riojas

      LIGHTS OF HOPE: REPORTING FOR DUTY
      FALL 2022

      A life in balance – joys, sorrows,
      new beginnings and transitions

      Summer 2022

      ​​​​​​LISTENING WITH RESPECT IN A NOISY WORLD

      SPRING 2022

      Making room for what’s to come

      Winter 2022

    • Formation for Ministry
      By Deacon Luis Zuniga

      FORGIVE ME, HEAL ME, SAVE ME
      FALL 2022

      Humility in ministry

      Summer 2022

      Lay ecclesial ministry:
      A blessing for the Church

      Spring 2022

      'The Lord bless you and keep you'

      Winter 2022

    • Family Life
      By Lydia Pesina

      JOY IN THE MIDST OF WORRY
      FALL 2022

      Keep coming back home

      Summer 2022


      Savoring each moment of family life with joy

      Spring 2022

      Enhancing marriage - faith - family

      Winter 2022

    • Making Sense of Bioethics
      By Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk

      DEHUMANIZING ONE ANOTHER
      FALL 2022

      A great nation begins
      to come to its senses

      Summer 2022

      Eugenics, forced sterilization, and
      protecting the mentally challenged

      Spring 2022

      New cures from
      embryonic stem cells? 

      Winter 2022

    • Facebook
    • View this profile on Instagram

      Diocese of Brownsville (@dioceseofbrownsville) • Instagram photos and videos

    • Tweets by @CatholicRGV
    • Contact Us

      • Most Rev. Daniel E. Flores S.T.D. - Bishop of Brownsville
        Publisher
      • Brenda Nettles Riojas
        Diocesan Relations Director
        (956) 784-5008
        briojascdob.org
    • To advertise, please call (956) 784-5055.

      Office Location
      San Juan Pastoral Center
      700 N. Virgen de San Juan
      San Juan Texas, 78589









1910 University Boulevard
Brownsville, Texas 78520
(956) 542-2501

700 Virgen de San Juan
San Juan, Texas 78589
(956) 781-5323 
Diocese

Who We Are

Meet our Bishop

Ministries & Offices

Contact Us 

Calendar 

RESOURCES

Safe Environment
Parishes

Find a Parish

Directory

News

Schools

Find a School

Catholic Schools

Employment

Stay Connected

Subscribe to receive news from the Diocese!

f t i y

©Copyright 2023 Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. 
All Rights Reserved.

 
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
 
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
 
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
 
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
 
Powered by Google TranslateTranslate
Login
powered by eCatholic®