Welcome to St. Therese Catholic Church
Welcome to St. Therese Catholic ChurchWelcome to St. Therese Catholic ChurchWelcome to St. Therese Catholic Church
Announcements for November 30th, 2025
Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena begins on Wednesday, December 3rd at 7:00 p.m. The Novena will conclude on Thursday, December 11 with Spanish Adoration from 7 to 8 p.m. followed by a Vigil from 8 to 10 p.m. On Friday, the Feast of our Lady, we will have Mananitas at 6:00 a.m. and Mass at 6:00 p.m. with dinner following. Please join our Spanish community on this beautiful feast.
La Novena a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe comienza el miércoles 3 de diciembre a las 7:00 p.m. en la iglesia. La Novena concluirá el jueves 11 de diciembre con Adoración en español de 7 a 8 p.m., seguida de una Vigilia de 8 a 10 p.m. El viernes, en la Fiesta de Nuestra Señora, tendremos Mañanitas a las 6:00 a.m. y Misa a las 6:00 p.m., seguida de una cena.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is this Friday, December 5th. Kindly sign up in the Narthex to spend some time with our Lord. Please know that when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for public adoration, someone must be present. So, please sign up!
As Saturday, December 6th is First Saturday there will be an 8:00 a.m. Mass.
La Adoración del Santísimo Sacramento será este viernes 5 de diciembre. Por favor, inscríbase en el Nártex para pasar un tiempo con nuestro Señor. Tenga en cuenta que cuando el Santísimo Sacramento está expuesto para la adoración pública, alguien debe estar presente. ¡Así que, por favor, inscríbase!
Como el sábado 6 de diciembre es Primer Sábado, habrá una misa a las 8:00 a.m.
Bishop Kelly and the Diocese of Tyler are honoring all Altar Servers with a special Mass on Saturday, December 6th at the Cathedral in Tyler at 10:00 a.m. All Altar Servers are encouraged to attend.
El Obispo Kelly y la Diócesis de Tyler están honrando a todos los monaguillos con una misa especial el sábado 6 de diciembre en la Catedral de Tyler a las 10:00 a.m. Se invita a todos los monaguillos a asistir.
Join our Faith Formation children on Saturday, December 13th at 6:30 pm as they participate in the Canton Christmas Parade! Please drop your candy donations off in the church office prior to the event. If you would like your child to be in the parade, please contact Anne Lucas or Barbara Cozart and Anna Stephens @ 214-641-3201 with your phone number and child’s name for updates on the parade.
Acompaña a nuestros niños de Formación en la Fe el sábado 13 de diciembre a las 6:30 pm mientras participan en el Desfile Navideño de Canton. Por favor, deja tus donaciones de dulces en la oficina de la iglesia. Si deseas que tu hijo participe en el desfile, comunícate con Anne Lucas o Barbara Cozart y Contacta a Anna Stephens al 214-641-3201 con tu número de teléfono y el nombre de tu hijo para recibir actualizaciones sobre el desfile.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make tamales? Join the United in Faith Ministry on Saturday, December 6th beginning at 8:00 a.m. and learn how. Sign-up sheets and flyers are available in the Narthex. Tamale orders are for parishioners only. Please see the flyer for more information.
¿Alguna vez has querido aprender a hacer tamales? Únete al Ministerio Unidos en la Fe el sábado 6 de diciembre a partir de las 8:00 a.m. y aprende cómo. Las hojas de inscripción y los volantes están disponibles en el Nártex. Los pedidos de tamales son solo para feligreses. Por favor, consulta el volante para más información.
The month of November is dedicated to praying for all souls. Kindly consider offering a Mass for the souls of the departed. All Souls’ Day envelopes are available in the Narthex for your use.
El mes de noviembre está dedicado a rezar por todas las almas. Por favor, considere ofrecer una Misa por las almas de los difuntos. Los sobres para el Día de los Fieles Difuntos están disponibles en el Nártex para su uso.
Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? Stop by the Religious Goods Store in the Parish Hall where there are new and unique items for all your Advent and Christmas needs!
¿Buscas el regalo perfecto de Navidad? Visita la tienda de artículos religiosos en el salón parroquial, donde encontrarás productos nuevos y únicos para tus necesidades de Adviento y Navidad.
The church office will be closed Thursday and Friday the 27th and 28th in observance of Thanksgiving.
La oficina de la iglesia estará cerrada el jueves y viernes 27 y 28 en observancia del Día de Acción de Gracias.
The Spirit Prayer Group will meet every other Friday morning, beginning September 26th at 9:00 a.m.
Father's weekly message
November 30, 2025, First Sunday of Advent:
Grades of Prayer – 8. Prayer of Conforming Union – Definition and Characteristics
St. Teresa of Avila, in The Interior Castle, describes three stages of mystical prayer: the Prayer of Union (fifth mansion), the Prayer of Confirming Union—also known as spiritual betrothal or ecstatic union (sixth mansion)—and the Prayer of Transforming Union, also known as spiritual marriage or rapture (seventh mansion). Although these three stages are all forms of mystical prayer, there are important distinctions among them. Last week, we reflected on the Prayer of Union, in which the soul experiences a certitude of God’s presence and divine reality with such intensity that it may easily fall into ecstasy. The Prayer of Union progresses into the Prayer of Confirming Union, in which the human will joyfully, generously, and willingly aligns itself with God’s will. The Prayer of Transforming Union is the highest level of perfection, where the soul becomes truly “transformed” into God by grace.
St. Teresa teaches that in these final stages of prayer, God gradually captivates all the faculties of the human person: first, the will (Prayer of Union); second, all the interior faculties of the soul—intellect, will, memory, and imagination—as well as the external senses (Prayer of Confirming Union); and finally, at the highest level, the entire person is captivated by God, and the soul is moved to a deeper knowledge of Him (Prayer of Transforming Union). Let us now reflect on the nature and effects of the Prayer of Confirming Union. St. Teresa states that in the Prayer of Confirming Union, God captivates even the external senses, with the result that the soul becomes, so to speak, divinized and prepared for the full and final commitment of the Transforming Union. In this state, the soul loses the use of its external senses, either partially or totally, because all its interior faculties are absorbed in God and the senses are drawn away from their natural operations. It becomes difficult for the soul to turn its attention to external activity, though it knows that at times it must “leave God for God” in fulfilling its duties or acts of charity. Yet the predominant sentiment of such souls is a longing for full and perfect union with God, often accompanied by a yearning for death, understood as the passage into complete communion with Him.
St. John of the Cross teaches that in the ecstatic experience of the Confirming Union, God’s Spirit consumes the soul. The soul not only encounters God in the deepest center of its being, but at times seems to peer into the very essence of God and to perceive divine mysteries, so profoundly that it feels as though it has been transported into another world.
As we begin the season of Advent, the Church places before our eyes the holy men and women of Scripture who eagerly awaited the Messiah. In the liturgical texts and readings, we can sense their “spirit of longing and expectation, filled with hope and joy” for His coming. During this Advent season, may we continue to grow in our life of prayer, which deepens our longing and desire for union with God. May this season fill your hearts with a spirit of longing and a desire for greater perfection in charity. — Fr. Jesu
