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YOU'RE THE BEST

Celebrations and Thank Yous

We celebrate our parish community believers who put their faith in action
with their gifts of time, talent and treasure as disciples of Christ.
Dana Dunkel
- God continues to show up big time at the ECC, always giving us what we need, even when we don't even know we need it. Recently, He gifted us with this beautiful volunteer, Dana Dunkel. Dana came to us early this year after seeing pictures we had been taking of the littles. Having a history of photography, Dana volunteered to take pictures of our special occasions. Of course, we said yes! After her first photo session with us, she quickly noticed a few children we had with learning and social differences. Having had experience with her own children, one of which is deaf, that often required just a little extra attention, she was drawn in more to our program even more. Dana quickly fell in love with all our littles and they with her. She decided to become a fully trained volunteer, which allows her to be able to pull littles out of their classrooms and work with them one-on-one. As we all know, all kids are different and have different needs. Some need a little extra help controlling their emotions, help with speaking or just a little more love. Dana has helped many children in the short time she's been with us. In addition, she helps our staff by offering them extra support and even reaches out to parents to make sure we are all working together for the individual needs of the children she works with.
  
  Dana has fallen in love with the ECC, just as we have fallen in love with her, her generosity, passion and gifts that she shares with us all. She is a beautiful example of being a good steward of the gifts God has bestowed on her. Recently, she joined us at an Early Childhood Conference we attended and left even more inspired. Not only does she give of her time & talents, but she also gives of her treasures. She purchases learning toys, books and any items she thinks will help the littles she is working with. She is also constantly pouring in to our staff, buying snacks, drinks and even small gifts to show our staff her appreciation. She is a treasure and we are grateful for her!
Josefina Vasquez
- Felicidades a Josefina Vazquez nuestra voluntaria destacada de la semana. Gracias por siempre dar sus servicios desde que llego a nuestra parroquia.
  Josefina ayudaba en los cursillos que teníamos antes. Ella también empezó el coro en la Misa de español junto con su hija Judith Torres. Ella sigue siendo sacristán en las Misas de español atendiendo a nuestro Sacerdote, Diáconos y Ministros de Eucaristía.
  Ella también era la coordinadora de los bautismos. Daba las clases bautismales y asistía a los sacerdotes durante los bautismos.
  Otra de las clases que siempre ha dado es la de las quinceañeras. Ella se encarga de asistir a las familias con un día de clase, ensayo y durante los servicios de quince años. Sin su apoyo este ministerio no pudiera llevarse al cabo.
  Poco antes de la época de adviento vemos que empieza la procesión y el convivió de Cristo Rey.
  Durante el Adviento prepara la posada de la parroquia con la ayuda de muchos. Este evento es muy apreciado por nuestra comunidad hispana.
  Después empezamos la cuaresma donde la vemos coordinado nuestros Vía Cursis los viernes en la iglesia.
  Josefina también hizo posible que nuestros alumnos pudieran asistir a catecismo en español y recibir su Primera Comunión.
  Muchísimas gracias Josefina por oír el llamado de Dios y ser una fiel servidora desde su llegada a nuestra parroquia.
- “Congratulations to Josefina Vazquez our outstanding volunteer of the week. Thank you for always giving her services since she came to our parish. Josefina helped in the courses that we had before. She also started the choir at the Spanish Mass along with her daughter Judith Torres. She continues to be a sacristan at Spanish Masses attending to our Priest, Deacons and Eucharistic Ministers.
  
  She was also the coordinator of the baptisms. She taught baptism classes and assisted priests during baptisms. Another of the classes that she has always taught is that of quinceañeras. She is in charge of assisting families with a class day, rehearsal, and during fifteen-year services. Without her support this ministry could not be carried out. Shortly before the Advent season we see that the procession and the coexistence of Christ the King begin. During Advent she prepares the parish inn with the help of many. This event is highly appreciated by our Hispanic community. Then we start Lent where we see our Via Crusis coordinated on Fridays in the church. Josefina also made it possible for our students to attend catechism in Spanish and receive their First Communion from her. Thank you very much Josefina for hearing God's call and being a faithful servant since her arrival in our parish.”
Perry & Denise O'brien
- This week's volunteer highlight is this power couple- Perry & Denise O'brien. It's difficult to really put into words all that these two have and continue to do for our parish and community. When their kids were young they helped in youth ministry and helped make Lifeteen a success for all the youth in the program. As an owner of Domac, Perry has been very generous to our parish with bringing in his equipment to change light bulbs, cut palm trees, help to get the audio system set up in the church and to meet any other needs the parish may have. Perry played a big role in the master planning and building committee when our new church was being built. He's also served on pastoral council and other small committees as needed.
  
  Denise's time, talents and treasures have also been well utilized. Denise was instrumental in bringing ACTS to our parish and helping it grow, spreading the love as best she can. She has coordinated the Fall Festival, with the help of her husband and children as well. Recently, Denise helped to coordinate the parish's maintenance needs and also helped the ECC with some of their needs.
  
  Both Denise and Perry have been big supporters of the ACTS ministry, volunteering their time to serve on Core Team, be directors of retreats, help organize music and mentor others along the way. They've helped with our yearly fish fry, prepping, cooking and cleaning. Whenever and wherever there's a need, we can always count on them to lend their time, talents & treasures.
  
  Thank you Perry & Denise for ALL you do for our parish! "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sister of mine, you did for me." -Matthew 25:40
Mrs. RoseAnn Rapp
- This week's Volunteer Highlight is our very own talented artist, Mrs. RoseAnn Rapp! Those of you who know RoseAnn know what a beautiful soul she is and her passion for her faith and parish. She never hesitates to help wherever she is needed and where she can utilize her God given talents and abilities. RoseAnn has helped in many ministries here at St. Mary's and continues to be a gift to our community. She has helped with ACTS, including working with Prison ACTS. RoseAnn has played a major role in helping to build the new communications team and process and helps our clergy with any computer needs. Most recently, she has done a total overhaul of our database of parishioners to reflect more accurately who we are so that we can use it more effectively. In addition, she brightened up the faces at the Early Childhood Center by donating some of her beautiful artwork! Thank you Roseann for all you do for our parish community! We love and appreciate you! Take a peek at some of her beautiful artwork: http://www.roseannrapp.com/
Marion and Rose Godeaux
- Congratulations to our week Highlight Volunteer Couple, Marion and Rose Godeaux. Marion comes to us with a wealth of knowledge from Texas City ISD where he was the Director of Maintenance for many years. We are grateful he accepted to be our parish Volunteer Maintenance Coordinator. Here are a few examples of projects he has lead though our campus: the parish kitchen remodel which is moving along well. He was also involved with the retiling and new floor coverings in OLOF School offices, ECC projects and many maintenance task around the campus. Rose has been our Parish Reception Volunteer for 5 years since her retirement from TCISD as well. She is always cheerful at answering the phone and attending our front window. Rose also helps with the input of our collections, maintaining our candles in the church, at our Bereavement Luncheons and is also a front desk volunteer at Our Lady of Fatima. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts Marion and Rose for saying yes to volunteering after your retirement in TCISD
BRITTANY O'CONNOR
- Some people give their time, while others have less time to give, but are always willing to give of their talent and treasures. This week's highlight is one of those people- Mrs. Brittany O'Connor from Bake Me a Dream.
  Those who have the pleasure of knowing Brittany know what a servant's heart she has. She has donated countless cakes, cupcakes, cookies and cake balls to various St. Mary's ministries and fundraisers. She's shared her talents and treasures with Our Lady of Fatima, The ECC, Religious Education, ACTS, Guadalupanas and countless others. This next weekend she is donating fresh baked cookies to hand out at RE registration. Her greatest treasures attend Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School and are a blessing to all who meet them.
  
  HUGE thank you to Brittany for all you do for our parish and community as a whole! You are a blessing to us all!
Mr. John Diaz and Mr. Paul Steele
- This week's volunteer highlight is this dynamic duo- Mr. John Diaz & Mr. Paul Steele. Anyone who knows these two gentlemen know what hard working men they are. They are both always ready and willing to help however they can. It's rare to see them around town without their lawn equipment as mowing is one of their favorite past times. Last summer when we approached Mr. John and Mr. Paul to ask if they would like to adopt a section of yard to mow at St. Mary's, they didn't hesitate. For over a year now, they've been coming to St. Mary's Early Childhood Center and mowing the lawn in the ECC play and drop off area. It's rare that we even see them, as they make it a point to come on the weekends or late evenings as to not disturb the kids at the ECC. Even though we don't see them, when the ECC staff arrives on campus to a freshly cut yard, it's always a good feeling.
Mónica y Agustín Vargas
- Los voluntarios destacados de esta semana son Mónica y Agustín Vargas. Gracias a ambos por ofrecer siempre su tiempo como voluntarios los fines de semana. Monica y Agustín son nuestros coordinadores voluntarios de bautismos en español. Ellos enseñan Clases de Bautismo cada otro mes los sábados por la mañana y ayudan al Diácono John Carrillo a coordinar el día del Bautismo normalmente después de la Misa en español de las 11 am. Mónica y Agustín han donado y cocinado el almuerzo para nuestro personal de ECC-Centro de Infancia Temprana y varios de nuestros Retiros Juveniles. Ellos tambien son miembros de la communidad de ACTS ayudan en sus retiros. Monica fue Presidenta de la Sociedad Guadalupana y siempre han estado ahi para su comunidad Guadalupana. Mónica y Agustín también evangelizan nuestra comunidad y han invitado a muchas familias a unirse a nuestra familia parroquial. Es algo hermoso cuando alguien entra a la oficina y dice lo maravillosa que es esta pareja y cómo son los padrinos de nuestra comunidad.
  
  This week's Highlight Volunteers are Monica and Agustin Vargas. Thank you both for always volunteering your time on weekends. Monica and Agustin are our Spanish Baptism coordinators. They teach Baptism Classes every other month on a Saturday morning and help Deacon John coordinate on the day of Baptism after the 11am Spanish Mass. Monica and Agustin have donated and cooked lunch for our ECC staff and many of our Weekend Youth Retreats. They are also members of ACTS and are always willing to help out on Retreats. Monica has been the Former Guadalupana's President. She and Agustin are always willing to help their Guadalupana Society. Monica and Agustin also evangelize our community and have invited many families to join our Parish. It is a beautiful thing when someone walks into the office and says how wonderful this couple is and how they are many of our community godparents.
Ludger Dauphine
- Congratulations to this week's Highlight Volunteer, Ludger Dauphine! Ludger has been part of our parish since 1970 originally from Louisiana. For the past 18 years he has been volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and has been President for 12 years. St. Vincent de Paul members go to Walmart on Fridays to pick up food, wait for a food truck unload it and stock the shelves at SVDP by 10am. On Saturday mornings Ludger opens SVDP at 6am, meets with the people at the door and starts getting ready to hand food at 8:30am.
  
  Ludger and his wife Mary are also the coordinators of the Thanksgiving Baskets that are gifted to about 160-170 families each year during Thanksgiving at the SVDP office. They also coordinate the Christmas Angel tree that provides about 200 toys and gifts to the children of our community. During the pandemic lockdown Ludger continued serving St. Vincent De Paul's mission; Father Clint and the Parish staff would call him if someone was in need and he would deliver nonperishable food on people's doorsteps. Before the pandemic St. Vincent de Paul not only helped by providing food for the community but also spiritual food as they would visit the sick providing Communion and praying the Divine Mercy with them.
  
  Ludger is also one of our Eucharistic Ministers during our Saturday 4:30pm Mass. For the past 10 years He and Mary coordinated our 24 hour Adoration chapel. Ludger was faithful to this ministry by waking up at anytime of the night to take care of the Adoration chapel, whether someone had to leave or the fire alarm went off.
- He and Mary also coordinated some of our parish pilgrimages. They have taken our parishioners to Medjugorje twice, traveled to The Divine Mercy Headcounters in Massachusetts, EWTN in Alabama, The Miraculous Staircase in New Mexico and to the Lady of Good Health in Wisconsin.
  
  Ludger has also been a part of the Guatemala's Mission Trips for 12 years where they spiritually feed our Guatemalan sisters and brothers.
  Ludger has also adopted a landscaping area at our parish. Every Wednesday we can see him taking care of the grass and plants behind the Ponzini Family Life Center, Father's rectory, and the back street of Our Lady of Fatima. He and his wife Mary also take care of the Grotto where the Statue of Mary is located in front of Our Lady of Fatima School.
  Our Lady of Fatima students can't wait for the Thursday's school lunches where he volunteers cooking burgers as a member of Friends of Fatima.
  Thank you for taking care of our Parish and Community's needs Ludger!
Debra Maneau
- Our Ministry Highlight of the week is Debra Maneau who has been serving our community after hurricane Katrina. Debra felt part of our family after she lost her home and moved to Texas. She felt welcomed by the whole church with open arms as they helped her transition here. Debra was an active member of the Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Louisiana and wanted to continue her mission of helping her community here. Debra is our upbeat and radiant usher at the 9am Mass and greets you from the moment she lays eyes on you. Debra also runs 3 food banks in our community, on Cedar, Willow St. and Mainland Seven Day Adventist. Her love for our community is enormous and for that we are grateful.
Mr. Mike & Mrs. Nancy Chambers
- NANCY
  
  This week's vacation bible school will be #24 for Nancy! She's been leading and organizing VBS for 24 years! That's amazing! Anyone who knows Nancy knows the love and hard work she pours in to everything she does. She goes BIG all the time and the kids love it. In addition to volunteering with VBS, for 23 years Nancy worked as our parish's religious education secretary. For the past 4 years, she has been an RE volunteer, always going above and beyond to make sure the kids grow in their love and knowledge of Jesus. Thank you Mrs. Nancy for your love and service to our community! All you do is greatly appreciated.
- This week's ministry highlight is this awesome dynamic duo- Mr. Mike & Mrs. Nancy Chambers. What a testament to service and love of community these two are!
  
  Mr. Mike and Mrs. Nancy- what a beautiful love story! Not just love for each other, but love of their neighbors as well! Thanks to both of you for being a beautiful example of service for the rest of us.
- MIKE
  
  Nancy's husband Mike has also been very active in ministry here at St. Mary's. He has been a volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul since 1993. With the exception of a few "days off", Mike spends every Friday and Saturday at St. Vincent de Paul. That's every Friday & Saturday for 28 years! Wow! He and other volunteers pick up food donations from Walmart, unload Galveston County food truck and stock shelves at St.VP. During Thanksgiving, Mike helps put together turkey baskets for our community to ensure that all families are able to enjoy thanksgiving dinner around their table. (And I'm sure Mrs. Nancy is right by his side helping) At Christmas, Mike also helps with St. VP toy drive. Mr. Mike is also an active member of Boys Scouts here at St. Mary's. He has been involved in scouting for over 14 years and been a Scoutmaster for 5 years! Thank you Mr. Mike for all your service and for being such an awesome example for our youth, especially the young men in our community.
Joe DeSanto
- Joe has been a Men’s Club member for 65 years and the Men’s Club President for the past 20 years. He is also the Chairman of the Men’s Club Dances and Spouse Banquets. Within those 65 years of membership, he has cooked with them for 50 years and for 20 years he was the Chairman for the Sunday Breakfasts and Fish Frys. Joe also cooked BBQ Dinners at the Parish Festivals and is the Team Leader of the Turkey Dinners we host to the Community on Thanksgiving Day.
  
  Joe has been an Usher for 55 years and you can still see him at our Saturday 4:30pm Mass. Remember our Bingo nights he was the Bingo team Capitan for 15 years. He was the Chairman at the fun New Year’s Eve Dances at the Doyle Center Mr. De Santo taught our
  8 ^th grade students at CCD Classes for 13 years, was the President of the Fatima Pirates Football Booster Club and Committee Member of Troop 246 – Boy Scouts. Back in the old St. Mary’s building he was the Co-Chair of the Maintenance Crew and Chair of the Crew who mowed the lawn for our campus and has been with the Religious Article Store for 25 years now maintaining our inventory. He also served 8 years in the Parish Council while Father Ulm Yenure was our Pastor. As we transitioned into the new church, he was part of the New Church Building Committee and continues to be active in our Parish life.
- Mr. De Santo says, “None of this would have happened without the help of the other hardworking members who worked as a team.”
  
  Thank him at the 4:30pm Mass or every 2 ^nd Sunday of the Month during the Men’s Club Breakfast.
- Pam Villarreal
  
  Happy Birthday to Pam Villarreal! Pam has been volunteering at the Parish Office since 2012 starting as one of our bilingual front desk receptionist but her gifts stated to shine through. We noticed her good sense of style and organization and soon she became the Parish's Bulletin Editor, Facilities Coordinator and our to-go person for baking cakes. Pam also became the President of St. Anthony's Altar Group. Before the Pandemic she helped at our Religious Article Store and will continue once we open. During the Pandemic she has taken other tasks; helping enter the collections, using her decorating skills by creating our latest vibrant altar flower arrangements and has been a key person with the scheduling of our Quinceañeras. Thank you for all that you do Pam!
CELEBRATING JOSE BOIX
- Jose Boix’s faith journey at St. Mary's began in 1965 when he came to Texas City having accepted a job with Monsanto. During those 56 years Jose has been a very active parish member through several ministries, committees, boards and work groups. In recent times, and prior to the COVID Pandemic, his activities have been directed to serving as an Usher, Vice President of the Men’s Club, a Money Counter and Vice President of the Fatima Foundation (FEF) Board. With the times becoming more “normal,” his efforts will include helping with the Our Lady of Fatima Development Team and the developing parish communication effort. Look for Jose Boix and his friendly smile at the 4:30pm Mass and thank him for going the extra mile.
- A Round of Applause for Mr. David Sandberg
  
  All of us at the St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal & Our Lady of Fatima Campus would like to recognize and thank one of our most dedicated volunteers, Mr. David Sandberg. David has used his diverse skill to help revitalize our campus in various ways. He has been vital to the beauty and growth of our community. Pre-Covid, David brought Friends of Fatima to life, where he led very successful weekly & monthly fundraising events for OLOF. David has installed new energy-efficient LED lighting in Our Lady of Fatima and is currently replacing and updating lighting in Ponzini as well. The new lighting is longer lasting and much more cost efficient! And Thank you Mary for letting him be away from home for so many hours.
- Celebrate the people and groups that have helped make church possible during COVID
  
  Here is a "Shout-Out" to the parish volunteers who developed our Covid-19 guidelines and to those who continue to carry out the processes that have allowed us to attend Mass in a minimal risk environment.
  
  What began with our Pandemic Response Team emerged into a huge group of volunteers from the Ushers, the Altar Society and many other individual volunteers who responded to the need to implement capacity and safe distancing guidelines and to conduct cleaning and sanitizing the Church space.
  
  Should you see someone who provided these tasks or catch them in action take a moment to say "thank you."
  
  Aquí hay un "agradecimiento" a los voluntarios de la parroquia que desarrollaron nuestras guías del Covid-19 y aquellos que continúan llevando a cabo los procesos que nos han permitido asistir a Misa en un ambiente de mínimo riesgo.
  Lo que comenzó con nuestro Equipo de Respuesta a la Pandemia surgió en un gran grupo de voluntarios de los Ujieres, la Sociedad del Altar y muchos otros voluntarios individuales que respondieron a la necesidad de implementar las guías de capacidad y distanciamiento seguro y llevar a cabo la limpieza y desinfección del espacio de la Iglesia.
  
  Si ve a alguien que proporcionó estas tareas o lo pilla en acción, tómese un momento para decir "gracias".
- WE WILL MISS YOU PRIMUS!
  
  Having Primus at the Parish has been a pleasure since day one. We will miss his greeting smile and positive attitude. Primus was always willing to help at the ECC, attend an OLOF or Parish meeting without a doubt. We wish you well in your next adventure in Puerto Rico!
  
  Thank you for saying yes to God’s call.
  
  Tener a Primus en la parroquia ha sido un placer desde el primer día. Extrañaremos su sonrisa de saludo y actitud positiva. Primus siempre estuvo dispuesto a ayudar en el ECC, asistir a una reunión parroquial o escolar sin duda alguna. ¡Te deseamos lo mejor en tu próxima aventura en Puerto Rico!
  
  Gracias por decir que sí al llamado de Dios.
Sewing Ministry/ECC Thank You
- The ECC littles delivered thank you gifts to our Sewing Ministry! These ladies hand made all our littles' costumes for the Last Supper. We appreciate all the love and support they have shown our ministry through the years, from sewing slip covers for our nap mats, to creating stuffed ABC letters and sewing other costumes for us as well. What a blessing they have been to us!
- Get to know Adan Lozano, Our Young Choir Volunteer
  
  Hello everyone my name is Adan Lozano my Passion for music started when my parents signed me up for piano lessons. It first started out as a hobby but then I decided I wanted to make a career of it one day. I always sang the songs when I went to church as kid and I knew one day I wanted to serve god through music. It has been a true joy playing for St. Mary Of The Miraculous Medal. I love the community and working with our various music ministers and parish staff and clergy, it has been a true joy! I first started by singing in the 9:00am Choir and then I eventually started playing at all masses and assisting in planning music for all of our liturgies. I would not be able to do any of this without some people. Thanks to Harold Fattig for introducing me to and getting involved in music ministry at St. Mary’s. A very Special thanks to our Parish Music Coordinator, Deb Lewis who has mentored and trained me in my piano playing and liturgy planning throughout the past few years and continues to do so today.