Mass Times
Parish Pastoral Council Update - December 2025
With 2025 coming to an end, the Pastoral Council is looking forward to 2026 and the 150th anniversary of our parish. In October, we had a very successful festival. The Lincoln SUV was won by one of our own parishioners. We had several new booths, including a dunking booth, in which Fr. Abraham and Fr. Chris graciously agreed to be dunked.
Lauren Sparling was hired as our new Director of Operations. The parish also hired Lizz Ramirez as the new parish bookkeeper, and Loraine Driskill as our new Director of Religious Education (DRE). A new Coordinator of Youth Ministries will be hired very soon.
The Safety Committee has been working diligently to make our campus safe. The first step was to lock the tabernacle door of the sanctuary during Mass times. The choir door and all the front doors will be unlocked during Mass times.
The playground has been approved by the Archdiocese, so construction will start in 2026.
The Evangelization Committee hosted Fr. Geraci in November for four nights, with many St. Joseph parishioners attending. Everyone agreed that he was a wonderful speaker, and he helped satisfy our thirst to learn more about the Catholic faith. Fr. Chris took a group of parishioners on a pilgrimage to Turkey and Greece, walking in the footsteps of St. Paul. Those who went said that Fr. Chris was a wonderful tour guide, and they greatly appreciated his desire to give them a beautiful experience.
In December, the committee hosted an Advent Mission with Dr. Edward Sri as the speaker. It was an outstanding talk on how Jesus thirsts to hear from us in prayer every day, and on the Cardinal Virtues: Justice, Temperance, Fortitude, and Perseverance.
The Stewardship Committee has placed prayer cards in the pews. Please fill one out if you are in need of any of the items on the card and place it in the offering plate or give it to an usher.
In October, the Family Life Committee hosted their "Saints and Souls" event. The weather was good, and many families attended. They also had a card, in English and Spanish, in the pews for children in December. In addition, during December they hosted several events: Advent donuts, Family Reconciliation, movie night, and Bambinelli Sunday.
The Anniversary Committee has many wonderful ideas for events during the year 2026. They are looking for ministries to take an idea and make it come to life. Our celebration will begin January 3–4, 2026, at the weekend Masses, along with a county proclamation by the Comal County Commissioners at their monthly meeting in January.
During the Advent season in December, our parish was very busy preparing for the birth of Christ. The Spanish community had an Advent Mission with Sr. Constanza as the speaker. We celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Los Posadas was our final event, and it ended with a parish Posadas meal after Mass.
Our Lumen Gentium Award winner for our parish this year is Ashley MacShane, who has done so much for our parish through Family Life, youth programs, the MOMs group, and is a shining star in the parish. Congratulations to her and her family!
Additionally, the Parish Council reviewed 2025 with a SWOT analysis by discussing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the parish at their December meeting.
Please join us in the new year in celebrating the Epiphany, starting with our parish-wide Epiphany party on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at Anhalt Dance Hall. Food, music, dancing, and fun will be had by all who attend. We hope you have had, or will have, a chance to join us!
We wish everyone a very happy and peace-filled Advent and Christmas season, and a safe and healthy New Year.
The Parish Council
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Pastoral Council Update – September 2025
The Pastoral Council Update for the third quarter is full of good news!
Our Ministry List has been updated and was distributed in all bulletins the weekend of August 24. If you did not get a copy, the information is available on the website. In addition, we have been highlighting specific ministries each weekend in the bulletin. We encourage each of you to become involved in our parish life and join a ministry. Our Home Bound Ministry has been revitalized and is being led by Fr. Abraham and Deacon Ted. If you or a loved one is home bound and in need of this service contact the front office.
Please welcome the return of Ashley MacShane and Gilbert Alvarado(both re-elected), and new members Robert (Bo) Gilbert(elected), and John Turk(pastor elected). The 3 elected members were selected by Acclamation without a formal vote; all will start 1 October. Additionally, Jorge Canales has stepped in to fill an open position on the council. In accordance with our By-Laws, Jorge received the next highest votes in our 2024 Pastoral Council election and has accepted the position.
We continue to move forward as a parish looking at the needs of our community. Our Playground Committee will be consulting with an arborist to ensure our trees are protected with the build of the playground. The Building Committee continues to assess the needs for our Family Life Center and other future infrastructures. The Safety Committee has hosted numerous CPR, first aid, and threat assessment classes with many of our ministries, ensuring that we are safe, knowledgeable, and able to serve each of you in the event of an emergency.
We continue to find ways to grow in communion with one another. The Stewardship Committee has re-established Fellowship Weekends. Once a month, after each mass, there will be an opportunity for fellowship with each other and a sweet treat. Each month a different ministry will be hosting and providing this service to the community. In addition, our Evangelization Committee continues to have great success with their Joyful Hearts 55+ mass every second Wednesday of the month. Also, the Evangelization Committee is hosting a concert by John Michael Talbot on Wednesday September 24 at 7pm in the Main Church.
Next year will be the 150th anniversary of our parish. We have established an Anniversary Committee that is working hard finding ways for us to celebrate such a momentous achievement. If you have any recommendations or would like to be a part of this effort, please contact Michelle Engel.
The Family Life Committee asked for donations to help replenish the Children’s Book Basket. There was an overwhelming response, and many books were purchased. Thank you for all your generosity!
Our Festival is right around the corner! Please plan to join us on October 12 from 11:00am-4:00 pm for the annual Honey Creek Festival! We are in need of many, many volunteers. Please contact the office if you are looking for ways to help. Don’t forget to purchase your raffle tickets for the car and we will see all of you at the festival!
-The Pastoral Council
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Pastoral Council Update – June 2025
It’s time for another quarterly update from the Pastoral Council. For Lent, Fr. Haase was invited to speak at our parish for three nights. He was a very powerful speaker with a beautiful message. After each evening’s talk, light snacks and socializing was offered in the parish hall. Attendance was very good all three nights.
In April, the Evangelization Standing Committee started the Joyful Hearts 55+ monthly mass and gathering. This is an opportunity for the 55+ community to attend mass and enjoy fellowship after. It has had a great response!
We saw record attendance at our Easter masses. Congratulations to all those who entered the church during the Easter Vigil through our OCIA program. And a big thank you to all who helped serve and volunteer during that busy time.
The Parish Council and Fr. Chris held the first quarterly Ministry Leaders Meeting in April. The goal of these quarterly meetings is to understand the mission of each ministry and increase collaboration to better support our parish as a whole. We had perfect attendance. Thank you to all the ministries and all their volunteers. The Ministry List will be updated with correct phone numbers and emails and will be distributed soon. If you are interested in joining one of the many ministries we have here at St. Joseph be on the lookout for the updated Ministry List.
In May, we celebrated Fr. Chris and Fr. Abraham’s Ordination Anniversaries. A great group of volunteers put on a delicious meal after Saturday night mass down in St John Hall. It was a joy to see so many people celebrating our priests.
The Playground Committee has chosen the equipment. They are currently getting bids to prepare the site for the installation in the near future.
Preparation for our Fall Festival is in full swing. Sale of raffle tickets for our vehicle, a Lincoln Nautilus SUV, have begun. During the summer months, we will visit other parishes and sell raffle tickets for the vehicle. Our goal is to sell 2000 tickets. The vehicle is available outside the doors to the Main Church for you to see.
The Building Committee is working hard on outlining the needs of our parish and what we need out of a new Family Life Center, updated electrical and water systems, and improved infrastructure. There are still many steps in the process before we can start drafting what the Family Life Center will look like.
The Family Life Committee put out a new Summer Challenge. It encourages families to visit the Jubilee sites in our Archdiocese over the summer. See how many locations you can visit!
We are blessed and overjoyed that Fr. Abraham will be at St. Joseph for another year. We hope you are having a blessed start to your summer.
The Parish Council
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Parish Pastoral Council Update - March 2025
As the new year begins, we look forward to our continued growth and embrace changes that
come with the growth. Fr Chris is eager to implement some changes that we as a parish have
been contemplating for some time. These include installing a playground and making plans for
the much needed Family Life Center. Our parish is in a good financial position as we have no
debt and funds in the bank to start working on smaller projects. Our Sunday mass attendance
has increased substantially from about 1,800 in July 2024 to around 2,100 today. We average
about $40,000 a week in collections and we are roughly $235,000 over the parish’s projected
budget for operations.
Our Epiphany party was a huge success. Thank you to all that helped put it together. We will
be making this an annual celebration for years to come. Attendance was up from the last time
we held this celebration. The Matachinas performed, we had plenty of food, and the kids
enjoyed pinatas.
The Feast of St. Joseph was March 19. Mass was at 6:30 and a pasta buffet followed in St.
John Hall. For dessert we had the traditional St. Joseph’s pastry, Zeppole di San Giuseppe. St.
Luke’s parish Matachinas joined our parish Matachinas in a procession and performance
before Mass.
The parish council has completed the formation of all the Standing Committees and have
included additional committees based on the needs of the parish: Building Committee and
Safety Committee. We have identified chairpersons for each committee and have assigned a
Parish Council liaison member to each committee. Each Standing Committee will meet monthly
and develop mission-purpose statements for each. Our goal is to align all our parish
ministries under one of the Standing Committees, enabling a stronger bond between
ministries and committees, uniting the parish in its vision and growth. A Ministry Survey has
been sent out to each ministry leader asking for more information about each ministry and to
help assess which Standing Committee most aligns with their mission. We are expecting the
survey responses in April, and will meet with all ministries in late April to discuss results and
plans going forward.
Our Family Life Committee offered several opportunities this quarter for individuals and families
to enrich their faith at home. In January, for Epiphany they provided chalk for home blessings.
They passed out all 800 bags they made. In January they hosted a candle making event for
the Candlemas celebration with about 100 in attendance. In March they distributed Stations of
the Cross Kits to hand out for parishioners to use at home and organized two kid-friendly
Stations of the Cross events. They distributed prayer cards after weekend masses with the
names of first communion, confirmation and OCIA candidates on them, asking parishioners to
pray for those members of our community who will be receiving sacraments in the next few
months.
The Playground Committee had their first meeting in March. The potential site has been
evaluated by Brent Dawson (Dawson Construction) and Andy Ahrens with Park Place. The
location has been chosen for its proximity to the current youth building, the need to fix the main
waterline under the area, and the proximity to current drainage. The next step will be to pick the
equipment. Once equipment has been selected, the civil engineer can begin mapping the site.
The parish said a rosary for the eternal rest of Fr. Abraham’s mother, Elizabeth Pendilkatla,
who passed away March 6 2025 at home while Fr. Abraham was visiting family. About 100
attended. The rosary was said in English, Spanish, and Fr. Abraham’s cousin said a decade in
his native language. The parish is very sorry for his loss.
We hope you are having a blessed Lent. Check the bulletin for all the Lent activities we have
coming in April. The Pastoral Council and Fr. Chris are excited to have Fr. Abraham back from
his vacation. He was very missed by all and especially Fr. Chris.
The Parish Council
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A Note from the Pastoral Council - March 2025
As our parish continues to grow, we are called to review and evaluate the great work of our ministries. Guided by Fr. Chris, the Pastoral Council has been diligently working to establish a structure for the parish that supports, unifies, and fosters the growth of ministerial work.
To this end, we have sent a survey to all ministry leaders to gather key information about each ministry, including its mission, operations, and future needs. This effort will help ensure that our ministries continue to thrive and serve our parish community effectively.
The Pastoral Council thanks all ministries and their members for their continued support and the vital role they play in our parish life.
Thank you!
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Pastoral Council Update – December 2024
December 12, 2024
As this year comes to an end, the Pastoral Council would like to update you all on our continuing efforts this past quarter. Since our last update in September, we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Fr. Chris Muñoz to our parish, as well as two new Council members: Susi Boss and Ruben Hernandez. Ron Janak and Janie Mireles were re-elected to the Council, and Ashley MacShane was voted in as Chairperson. Departing Council members are Azucena Chu and Ricardo Garcia; we are so thankful for their service this past year.
Our parish Festival was a huge success! Special thanks to our Festival Co-Chairs, James Sulak and Sandra Lynch. We had a great turnout and sold over 1,200 truck raffle tickets. Feedback was very positive regarding the relocation of kids’ games and increased parking. We will continue to evaluate the event to see how we can make next year’s Festival even better. Thank you to everyone who contributed to its success.
As a Council, we remain focused on establishing Standing Committees and aligning ministries and organizations closely with those committees. Strengthening the bond between ministries and committees will help unite the parish under a shared vision and create more opportunities for collaboration across all levels. Our primary focus has been reviving the Stewardship Committee, which will begin meeting in the new year.
Several of our committees held successful events during the past quarter:
The Evangelization Committee welcomed Fr. Krikor Gregory Chanin for an Advent Evening of Reflection. This presentation was simulcast in Spanish and received an excellent response from attendees.
The Family Life Committee celebrated All Saints and All Souls Day with living Saints, cemetery tours, and games. They also hosted the Advent Wreath Donuts event, featuring special guests, the Salesian Sisters. The Sisters offered a beautiful Advent reflection while participants built Advent wreaths out of donuts, learning the symbolism behind each wreath element.
Looking ahead to the new year, we have more exciting updates:
The Building Committee will assess the needs for the future Family Life Center.
Plans are underway to provide a playground for the children of the parish. More details will be shared in our next quarterly update.
We wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a joyful New Year!
The Parish Council
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Pastoral Council Update – September 2024
September 16, 2024
Since the last Pastoral Council update in February 2024, the Council has continued to work towards cementing the Standing Committees and aligning all ministries closely with one or more committees. Creating a strong bond between ministries and committees will further unite the parish in its vision and foster more collaboration across all levels of the parish.
We are continuing to finalize the new parish photo directory with the guidance of our interim pastor, Fr. Mark. Approximately 365 families had their photos taken for the directory out of the 1,800 families registered. The submission of the directory was delayed until our new pastor, Fr. Chris, was named and his photo taken. The current expected delivery date for the directories is December 2024.
In August, several Pastoral Council members attended Pastoral Council training administered by the Archdiocese at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. This was an opportunity to prayerfully evaluate our goals as a Council and assess the potential of our parish. All the members ended the day feeling renewed and inspired to serve our St. Joseph parish community. We will continue the training over the next several months, focusing on our mission and the needs of our parish.
In July, the Pastoral Council began planning and conducting an election for four new Council members, with the election scheduled for September 14-15. The Council informed the parish in late July about the timeline of events, candidate requirements, and voting procedures. The first meeting for the new members will be on October 21.
Additionally, the Pastoral Council had a table at the parish-wide Ministry Fair in August, where we had the opportunity to speak with several parishioners about their concerns and issues. Other topics discussed at our monthly meetings included the safety concerns regarding the main entryway to our church grounds and potential alternatives, the need for a playground for our young families, and the importance of updating the parish Master Plan. We recommended the formation of a Parish Building Committee to address current and future needs, as well as a Stewardship Committee.
In closing, we will continue to represent the common good of the parish, fostering unity and community in all parish activities. We also look forward to welcoming Fr. Chris as our new pastor and shepherd. We hope to see you all at our parish festival this October.
The Pastoral Council
