By Jeff Miller
Special to The Texas Catholic
Despite the age difference of 19 years between the oldest and youngest of Tom and Valerie McCrary’s nine children, there was never a scene, through the years, of squeezing a party of 11 into a pew for Mass. Their volume of attendees on any given Sunday was large enough for Tom to typically leave ahead of the others to secure adequate seating.
Such an effort was likely expanded for this year’s recognition of recipients of the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on April 11. Tom and Valerie, parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish, were among those honored, as well as their son Bryant McCrary, a member of Christ the King Catholic Parish.
Now, there are also five spouses — one who entered the Catholic faith last year and one this year — plus 13 grandchildren.
Valerie noted that she and her husband’s first years after being wed at St. Rita Catholic Church in 1977 were spent “corralling our children,” leaving little time for volunteering.
“It’s such a joy and a gift to now have the time and availability to give to our church more fully as well as watch other young families be at Mass,” she said.
Tom and Valerie have been at St. Thomas Aquinas for 16 years while living in Lake Highlands after previously worshiping at St. Rita for 23 years. They serve as eucharistic ministers during Masses, volunteer in the parish’s vocations ministry, and have been involved in CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) retreats and the Next Step program that helps couples discerning marriage in the Catholic Church. Tom also takes Holy Communion to the homebound and facilitates the parish’s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults program. Valerie is also a lector and a member of the St. Joseph Preacher Group, which focuses on homiletics.
“They are perfect role models for a family living their faith and living very full lives,” said Bill Keffler, chief operating officer of the Diocese of Dallas. The Kefflers have been longtime friends of the McCrarys and are godparents to their daughter, Caroline. Bill and Tom’s friendship goes back to their membership in the University of Notre Dame’s Class of 1975. “They are true examples of being unapologetically Catholic.”
Bryant, 34, leads Christ the King’s “That Man is You” program provided by the Paradisus Dei association based in Houston. He has been a participant for four years and the leader for the past two, after being asked by the group’s outgoing organizer to take over.
He saw the invitation as coming from more than just a fellow parishioner.
“If God asks, you’ve got to say yes,” Bryant said, “and be prepared to execute.”
The group meets on Tuesdays at 6 a.m.
“I call it spiritual cross-fit,” he said. “You come and get a good dose of Catholic, Christian, biblical world-view concepts. We are not just leaving for the parking lot after Mass but now getting to know each other’s families, connecting on a much more intimate level.”
Bryant went from grade school at St. Rita Catholic School to Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas to the University of Texas at Austin, his mother’s alma mater. He and his wife, D.D., were married in 2013 and have three children — daughters Reagan, fifth grade, and Avery, third grade, and son Camden, kindergarten.
Byrant recently organized a weekend campout for Christ the King Catholic School’s fifth-grade dads.
“Christ the King is blessed by Bryant’s ongoing ministry, and his example of servant leadership continues to inspire others to grow in discipleship and stewardship,” Father Anthony Lackland, pastor at Christ the King, wrote in his nomination letter to the diocese.
Tom and Valerie were nominated by Father Ryan Hiaeshutter, pastoral administrator at St. Thomas Aquinas. The couple point to their involvement years ago in CRHP for starting them on the path of parish volunteerism.
“It’s good at generating activity in the parish,” Tom said.
Cutline for featured image: From left, Tom McCrary, Valerie McCrary, and their son, Bryant McCrary, pose for a photo April 1 at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish. Tom and Valerie, parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas, and Bryant, a parishioner at Christ the King Catholic Parish, received the Bishop’s Award for Service to the Church during a Mass honoring award recipients April 11 at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
