Catholic East Texas
The Magazine of the Diocese of Tyler
What Do I Do When People I Love Leave the Church?
We all know someone who has left the Church and chosen to stop practicing the faith they were given in baptism. Whether it's a friend, child, grandchild, sibling, parent, niece or nephew, it can be a deeply painful thing for someone we love to leave the Church....
Baptism: The Gateway to the Life of Grace
Growing up Catholic, I had heard the word “grace” mentioned many times. I could repeat the definition of grace to anyone who asked. Grace is God’s free and unmerited favor given to a person to help him attain eternal life. But it wasn’t until a few years ago, while I...
Entering Into the Year of Baptism
As we come to the close of our diocesan focus on the Immaculate Virgin Mary and the Eucharist,we look to Advent and the beginning of a year of St. John the Baptist and the sacrament of baptism. This past year, we sought to deepen our focus on the Immaculate Virgin...
Vatican II Becomes Reality in Tyler: Laity Step Up and Take Over the Pro-Life Movement
Kevin Kukla met Milissa Ackron in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2007 for the first time when she agreed to train him in pro-life sidewalk counseling. Since then both of them — as single and then married people — have saved the lives of many babies. These were children...
Spiritual Reading for the Advent Season
“Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic book.” St. John Bosco As we get ready to enter into a new liturgical year with the start of Advent, many Christians will strive to take up new habits to help them grow in holiness. One of these...
The Priesthood is Still Relevant: Local Shares Vocation Story
Twelve-year-old Isaac Oviedo grinned on the Sunday he could finally ring the bells as an altar server during the consecration of the Eucharist. He sneaked a peek towards his parents, who gazed at the host and bowed their heads in veneration. Years later, Maria and...
Family Life Department Expands Marriage Formation with Spanish Marriage Conference
“The entire day was such a joyful experience,” Deanna Johnston, Director of Family Life at the St. Philip Institute in the Diocese of Tyler, said about the marriage conference held at St. Matthew’s in Longview this summer. “Over the past few years we have hosted...
Struggle to Pray the Rosary? St. Thérèse of Lisieux Struggled Too
Each year, the month of October is dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. During this month, special emphasis is placed on praying the rosary more frequently. This time of year is a beautiful time to discover or rediscover the power of praying the rosary. As often happens...
God Doesn’t Talk to Me!: How to Learn to Listen to the Holy Spirit Speaking in Your Life
Do you ever feel like God is just silent in your life? That he is not talking to you? When I speak to high school students and young adults, I frequently hear the sentence, “God doesn’t talk to me.” We have all felt like this at some point in our lives, and it can be frustrating and discouraging. Sometimes we might even feel that because God doesn’t speak to us that he has abandoned us or that he doesn’t love us.
Seminarian Shares his Pastoral Experience in Europe
By Christian Corona The Sacraments. The beach. Good country people. Homemade wine and homegrown lamb. What more could I ask for? Never did I think that pursuing a priestly vocation would bring me such a wonderful and unexpected cultural experience. As per usual...
How to Read the Bible Like a Catholic
Originally published Oct. 14, 2021. My wife is a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. She’s read all of the books multiple times and attended the midnight premiere of each film. When we were dating, the films were still being released and I attended one of the...
Grace and Justification
Let’s talk about soteriology. Now “soteriology” is not a word you would hear at the dining room table, in the barber’s chair, and maybe not even from the ambo at Mass. However, we all have an idea about soteriology. Soteriology comes from the Greek word sōtēria which...
