The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us. It is a time in our nation when people of all faiths pause to express their gratitude and appreciation for God’s abundant gifts. As we give sincere thanks to God our Father for our many blessings, we also extend care and compassion to many of our neighbors who are hungry, homeless, sick, suffering from mental health, lonely, or struggling with life’s burdens. Let us pray for those in need and continue to work together to make a positive difference in their lives.
Diocese
Laura Tornaquindici (“Laura T.”), who has served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for the Diocese of Dallas since June 2019, has been appointed by Bishop Edward J. Burns as the diocese’s first-ever Chief of Staff.
Outreach and creating a dialogue were the focus of a Diocese of Dallas Synod listening session held Oct. 29 at the KayCee Club in east Dallas. The session addressed the non-Catholic and non-practicing Catholic population within the diocese.
Jacob Coffman’s path to the Diocese of Dallas took a few twists and turns, including a trek to the far northwest to work for a certain bishop who he’d reunite with in Dallas. While the journey may have taken some time, Coffman now finds himself right where he needs to be.
As one of her classmates sealed and tossed a final food pack into a shipping box, Megan Holter and her friends celebrated with a loud cheer. The bag was one of 147,960 meals packed by volunteers during a Feed My Starving Children effort at Bishop Lynch High School on Oct. 22.
Ministering to the homebound has been a priority of Bishop Edward J. Burns, who witnessed the growing need for such a ministry with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the creation of the weekly diocesan televised Masses.
Robert Opel is always looking to share a little magic with the world. The Garland artist thinks he’s done just that with his latest creation, which he believes will brighten the day of art enthusiasts leaving the Morton M. Meyerson Symphony Center.
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A call to action from Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly on Sept. 19 set into motion a charitable effort involving four area non-profits that would aid migrants more than 400 miles away.
Middle-schoolers William Bui and John Veselka inspected their handiwork as they attempted to build a zip-line pulley. A few feet away, classmates Charlee Delaurier and Charlotte Fowler were putting the final touches on their circuitry project. A low buzz of excitement and energy spread throughout the room as the St. Monica Catholic School students joined their classmates on Sept. 29 in exploring learning opportunities at various stations in one of the school’s two new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) labs.
A recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, Edith Torres Monzón arrived at the Diocese of Dallas in July to serve as the associate director of Outreach and Diversity Office of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries.