More than 4,000 people are expected to march on the capitol in Austin to show their support for expanding school choice options during National School Choice Week. Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will speak in favor of expanding school choice options along with a host of parents, students, educators and elected officials. The rally will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 10 a.m.

Thousands of Texans, including many from the Diocese of Corpus Christi, will take part at the Texas Rally for Life on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Capitol in Austin. The 2017 Texas Rally for Life will commemorate the 44th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, which made abortion legal throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, invited Catholics and others to join the nationwide “9 Days for Life” campaign.

The Diocese of Corpus Christi has partnered with Catholic Distance University (CDU) to provide high-quality online noncredit courses and seminars for general adult formation in any number of topics of interest.

Beginnings are usually pretty simple. In this case, it was the simplicity of addressing a cashier by her name. After all, is not that what name tags are for?

Over 60 Pre-K4 through K-5 teachers representing all schools from the Diocese of Corpus Christi participated in the second STREAM seminar on Jan. 3. The seminar was designed to teach early childhood teachers the STREAM discipline and integrate it into their classrooms.

The way to perfect happiness is by giving up the pursuit of happiness. While this is not the conventional wisdom of the world, it is a staple of Christian spirituality. Ask most people you meet what makes them really happy and you will probably get answers like “family”, “friends”, “a satisfying career”, “athletic accomplishments” or some other transitory thing. Some people may even mention material goods as a source of happiness.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for National Migration Week 2017 to take place Jan. 8-14. This year’s theme is "Creating a Culture of Encounter.” The celebration provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the contributions made by migrants, including refugees, and victims of human trafficking.

Instead of making resolutions for the New Year, perhaps a revisit to your bucket list might be a better choice. The simple reality is that every one of us is a terminal—case or to use the cliché—all of us will kick the bucket. What is unknown to many people, this list has only one word on the reverse side: regret. And with that one word, facing our final moments can be all the more painful.

Josh Flores, a parishioner at St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Corpus Christi, recently released a music video called #WeAreOne as a reminder that it is not any particular group of people that matter more than others, it is about just to #BeALifeThatMatters.

Purchasing much-needed sports equipment and uniforms. Implementing independent, hands-on, quality science experiments. Maintaining a beloved reptile science center. Building a “Destination Imagination” team from the ground up.

Thanks be to God. This is a common phrase people use, but one cannot help but think that on many occasions it is said out of habit and without really thinking about how much we really have to be thankful for to God.

By our baptism, we are all called to evangelize. Our faith is not something we keep to ourselves. It is to be shared and spread. We do not have to go far away to evangelize. The “periphery” that Pope Francis refers to is nearby. There is much to be done in our own communities. The people we evangelize can be believers and non-believers alike. We can find them close to home.

In November 2016, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as its president and Archbishop Jose Gómez of Los Angeles vice-president. Cardinal DiNardo has served as conference vice-president since 2013. He will serve a three-year term.

Some 400 Catholics in the community of Kingsville took part in the fourth annual inter-parochial celebration for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the co-patroness of the Diocese of Corps Christi. All four Catholic parishes in Kingsville, Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Gertrude, St. Joseph and St. Martin of Tours took part.

Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated Mass at all Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison units in Beeville on Dec. 9 and 11, and, as one prison chaplain said, “…let the glorious light of the Gospel shine in the darkness…” The bishop’s visit to the units during Christmas time has become a tradition that both the bishop and inmates look forward to every year.

On Friday, Dec. 16, Pope Francis named Msgr. Louis F. Kihneman, III as bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi. Bishop-designate Kihneman will be ordained at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Feb. 17. He replaces Bishop Roger Morin who has served as bishop of Biloxi since 2009 and who has reached mandatory retirement age.

La tradición de arrullar y vestir al niñito Jesús o niñito Dios durante la Epifanía o el día de los reyes, o ser el 6 de enero, ha promovido la unión familiar en una familia de Alice, Texas quien han estado celebrando esta fiesta por los últimos 35 años.

Joyous applause and cheers met the announcement that Father Eric Gabriel Chapa was found worthy and had been chosen to join the brotherhood of priests at his ordination on Dec. 3 at Corpus Christi Cathedral. “Eric is clearly a hometown boy,” Bishop Michael Mulvey said, in response to the cheers directed toward the newly ordained priest. “This is a joyful day for all of us.”