This is the continuation of a conversation with Bishop Patrick J. Zurek that began in the Feb. 5 issue of The West Texas Catholic, dealing with the Jan. 20 decree from Health and Human Services that nonprofit groups that do not provide contraceptive coverage because of their religious beliefs will get an additional year ‘to adapt to this new rule.

First of all, it’s much broader than just contraceptives, the Order also includes pills that can act as abortifacients. So it is a very serious threat to our Catholic moral tradition and belief.

Monday, Jan. 30 is Reach for the Stars Day at St. Joseph’s. Students will dress as what they aspire to be when they grow up. A number of people in the community will visit classrooms and talk to students about their occupations and how important school is to achieve their dreams, according to Seidenberger. Students will get to post a star outside their classroom with their desired profession.

Holy Cross Catholic Academy will observe Catholic Schools Week by participating in activities that correspond with each of the three characteristics of Catholic education that form the national theme for this year’s observance – faith, academics and service.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Eucharist sustains those who are tired, worn out or lost in the world and transforms human sin and weakness into new life, Pope Benedict XVI said. Speaking at his weekly general audience Jan. 11, the pope focused on Jesus and the Last Supper, where he instituted the Eucharist, "the sacrament of his body and blood."

The year of 2011 has been filled with many blessing. You and the rest of the Faithful of the Diocese of Amarillo have been the most precious blessing! This year has also had its Challenges! I wish to thank you for your Fidelity of Christ and His Catholic Church...

With 48 deacons, the Diocese of Amarillo has one of the highest deacon-per-capita ratios in the country. As I traveled across the plains of the Texas panhandle, visiting Catholic Extension-funded ministries, the incredible impact of the deacons was everywhere to be seen. These deacons are not working in cushy ministries. Rather, they are in the trenches.

Frank is not your typical Catholic. He is serving a life sentence at Clements Unit, a prison in Amarillo, Texas, where the average sentence is 65 years. Despite his separation from the rest of the world, Frank does not feel alone. He and approximately 1,500 inmates across seven prisons in the Diocese of Amarillo are ministered to by a team of five priests, eight deacons and 18 lay volunteers who devote their time to bringing the “outside” Church to the “inside.”

It was a program that began with no formal training, just a leap of faith and word of mouth. Eighteen months after it was organized, there’s a waiting list and a desire for more English as a Second Language classes (ESL) at Sts. Peter and Paul Church.