On Friday, Nov. 13, the Corpus Christi Chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants will kickoff their 4th annual Counting on Santa Toy Drive benefitting Catholic Charities. The toy drive is intended to make the Christmas season brighter for area children.

This holiday season, the Mother Teresa Shelter and Catholic Charities invite the community to give the gift that blesses others less fortunate. Until Dec. 31, with each donation of $10 or more to the Mother Teresa Shelter, a handmade Christmas card will be mailed to the donor’s honorees to notify them of the tribute–without specifying the gift amount. For gifts of $25 or more per Christmas card, a keepsake Christmas tree ornament will also be included.

Incarnate Word Academy High School Level is excited to announce its theatre department’s public performance of “The Curious Savage” – written by John Patrick.

The St. John Paul II High School Tennis Team competed in their first tournament in Kingsville on Tuesday, Nov. 10. In the girls singles division, Amy Ayala placed first beating out a player from Port Aransas in the finals. Veronica Fernandez also placed 4th in the girls singles division, beating out players from Alice and Moody.

Theresia Hendricks, senior at St. John Paul II High School, was a finalist in the 2015 South Texas Distinguished Scholars Program. She was nominated for the General Academics category.

St. John Paul II High School presented a check for $1,350 payable to the American Cancer Society to representatives from Radiology Associates on Nov. 11 during the school's weekly Mass at Immaculate Conception Chapel.

Some 200 people attended "Grounded in Truth" at Our Lady of Corpus Christi's Café Veritas and bookstore on Oct. 17. "It turned out to be an amazing success," Mona Lisa Biberstein said. Café Veritas was packed during social hour, which included food, beverages and music by Vic Benys III.

The Lady Angels earned second place at the TAPPS State Cross Country Meet on Oct. 31 in Waco. Junior Natalie Trevino finished in sixth place (15:28.4) — making the top 10. The Angels finished in seventh place at the state meet. The boys’ top finisher was junior Jacob Gonzalez. He received 12th place (21:03.5).

The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection will be held Dec. 12-13 in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. Now in its 28th year, the appeal is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) and offers support for senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests whose communities lack sufficient retirement funding. Some 33,000 women and men religious past age 70 benefit.

Parents, students and staff attended the blessing and dedication ceremony for the new Sister Catherine Café at Incarnate Word Academy, which was dedicated to Sister Catherine Brehony, IWBS on Nov. 4.

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Bishop Michael Mulvey assigned Deacon Loni G. Lugo as Parochial Deacon of Nuestra Señora de San Juan de Los Lagos, Madre de la Iglesia Parish in Corpus Christi. This assignment is effective immediately.

Faced with declining enrollment and increasing costs, the parish community of Christ the King, with the support of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, has made the decision to close Christ the King Elementary School. The school will close effective Dec. 18 at the conclusion of the current semester.

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (Jn 15:13)," Msgr. Roger Smith said at the 8 a.m. children's Mass celebrated for law enforcement and first responders at St. Patrick Church on Oct. 29. St. Patrick Elementary School offered a Mass and reception as part of the weeklong celebration of Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-31.

St. John Paul II High School and Bishop Garriga Middle Preparatory School held their Second Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Walk on Friday, Oct. 23, on and around both school campuses. The walk helped raise awareness among students, faculty, staff and parents and raised funds for the American Cancer Society.

The Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi presented St .John Paul II High School students Kyle Gonzalez and Noela Ortiz with "Academic Students of the Month" awards at the club's luncheon held at the Corpus Christi Country Club on Oct. 21.

The countdown is on for the Coastal Bend Day of Giving, a 24-hour online opportunity to raise funds for nonprofits at the forefront of assisting people in the greatest need in the Coastal Bend. This community give-together begins at midnight on Nov. 10 with a minimum gift of only $10.

In September, along with several pilgrims from our diocese, I attended various events connected with the visit of Pope Francis to the United States. When people ask me which of the pope’s addresses was my favorite, I tell them it was the speech the Holy Father gave to the Joint Session of the United States Congress. That speech expressed and identified the contemporary dilemma that we face as a society today, namely, the disconnect we have between our internal spiritual reality and how we express ourselves externally.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman grew up in humble surroundings in Mexico, but she said it never affected her father’s perception of things. “My dad used to invite our priest over for lunch. I understood we were poor and I was embarrassed by our small, crowded house, but it didn’t bother my dad,” said Guzman, who added that her parents might have been short on money, but not love.