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The CRC Missionary program started in 2021, and our first Missionaries have completed their year of service. As the first year comes to an end, we have hired a 3rd Missionary to join the program, and we asked our Missionary, Anna, about her experience serving at the CRC. "My favorite place at the CRC is the meditation chapel. I love being able to be with Jesus in the peaceful and beautiful simplicity of this sanctuary." Click on this link for her full interview...

The Christian Renewal Center, at the request of the Catholic School's office, began providing retreats for middle school students throughout the Archdiocese. Schools can attend a planned retreat for each grade yearly, or they can run request their own theme and date. After 1-month of school in the Fall 2022 semester, the CRC has already provided retreats for 8 Catholic Schools with more planned every month through May.

Come out and join us for the Knights of Columbus Christmas Market on Saturday, November 26 at the KC Hall in Dickinson and help us carry on the tradition started at the Christian Renewal Center. Proceeds from this market will help with our ongoing support of the Christian Renewal Center, the Shrine of the True Cross Catholic Church, True Cross Catholic School, and the many other charitable activities the Knights of Columbus are involved in.

A major reason for the Chapel renovation was to increase the seating capacity. We removed 2/3 of the chancel area and have now poured concrete, adding about 20% more to the entire interior seating space!!!! Our team took down the walk-around wall around the chancel area and poured concrete there, adding 75 square feet to the altar and making a ramp so someone in a wheelchair or walker could easily gain access.

Building a new Chapel was not a financial option, so we are utilizing the space our current Chapel provides. We have reduced the current Chancel (altar) area to a 1/3 of the size it previously was. Our team has cut and busted out the concrete to prepare to pour a slab. Keep our staff and volunteers in your prayers.

The CRC Confirmation Retreat November 4-6 is SOLD OUT!!! The next Confirmation Retreat offered at the CRC is in December by Cleopas & Company. Register your parish before it is too late!!!

We saw the signs of foundation issues. So during phase 3 of the Chapel renovation, we addressed a major flaw in the Chapel Foundation. The Chapel built in 1966 had no piers or support beams in the middle of the structure. All piers were only poured along the outside wall. Following the mass flooding of Hurricane Harvey, are floor began to slope in the middle as the soil had washed away. Praise be to God, we have secured the Chapel Foundation. Forty-two piers have been installed, and the 3.5-inch slope is no more!!!! This cost $22,184 for the 42 piers and to have the floor filled in.

Phase 2 of the Chapel Renovation is complete. Thanks to donors' generous support, phase 2 is happening only after 4-months of fundraising!!! The new roof has been installed during the last week of July, praise be to God!

Adult-only event. Thursday, August 11 at 6 PM Active Shooter Training for Adults. The CRC will provide FREE training to give adults the tools to respond to an active shooter situation (Evacuate, Lockdown, and Counter). Parents can then go home and teach their children how to respond. Training provided by CRC Director Kim Brown, a Certified Active Shooter Instructor with the ALICE method.

Praise be to God, the Archdiocese is now the owner of all the land formerly owned by the Scanlan Foundation!!! The Christian Renewal Center remains on 52 beautiful wooded acres. As requested by the Scanlan Foundation, details of the deal are not to be made public but rest assured, we are thrilled with the outcome. We are grateful for the Scanlan Foundations' generous support of the CRC and that of our Shepherds, Cardinal DiNardo, Bishop Italo, and all the Archdiocese clergy and staff that supported this endeavor. When this came to light, and trusting in God's providence, we promised to build a Marian Grotto in thanksgiving for her intercession for the gift of the land. It is time to begin planning and funding this endeavor. If you made a pledge for the land and have yet to fulfill the pledge, we ask you to please submit your donation to the CRC.

The next Spiritual Companion Cohort begins April 2023. Do you have a desire to grow in holiness? Want a deeper prayer life? Do people seek your guidance on spiritual matters? Do you have a desire to help others to grow in holiness? Want to gain a more in-depth knowledge of your Faith? Do you desire to be a son or daughter of the Church? I want to invite you to prayerfully discern if God is asking you to become a CRC Spiritual Companion. 

Thanks to an anonymous donation received in March, the CRC Chapel renovation has begun with phase 1, and the new AC unit has already been installed!!! This major undertaking has added a window for the CRC Chapel renovation phase 4 project since the company had to cut into the building to install the new unit.

Know a graduating youth or young adult that is looking for meaningful work? Matter of fact, they do not have to be young (18 or older required)! Just capable of living, working, and serving as a Missionary! The CRC Missionary will live, work, and pray in community. Their position will be focused on serving the mission of the CRC, to draw people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church through retreat ministry. A missionary is someone committed to our Faith, a servants heart, and willingness to do whatever it takes for the mission. Missionaries will do cleaning of spaces, cooking and serving the meals, retreat hospitality for groups, enforcing retreat rules, helping with renovations (painting, landscaping, etc), and some will provide office functions (ordering supplies, retreat booking, etc). We started this program last year and are currently expanding to add two more missionaries. The Missionary serves for a one-year term and can renew for additional years. The Missionary is a well-paid position with benefits and housing living in community (each with their own bedroom). The position also has the ability for advancement in either our office or operations departments.

Thank you for your amazing generosity and recommendations, we were able to remove the old broken mini-blinds inside Oblate Hall and replaced them with nice blackout drapes! This project was totally funded in 3-days through our social media campaign. THANK YOU!!! The groups that have used have already sung praises for the look as well as functionality.

In 2022, our goal is to renovate the Chapel. This renovation includes replacing the AC unit (required before the summer heat), installing Stain Glass Window Film like what was installed in Marian Hall, redoing our pews, creating a center aisle, new flooring, and increasing seating capacity to 200 people. Our target is to be around $100,000. Currently, we are selling Stain Glass Window Films for the Chapel.

Join us for the grand reveal on March 24. Entire Renovation completed by CRC Staff and Volunteers for under $50,000!!!! This includes a new roof, exterior siding, windows, flooring, wheelchair-accessible restrooms, removing old wood paneling, and the Stain Glass Window designs!!!!

We really need to replace the blinds at Oblate Hall. Cosmetically they look bad, about 1/3 are being held together by safety pins, as well as groups complain about them allowing light in. We have 20 windows in Oblate that need replacement. We would like to do the 2-inch faux blinds that we have been doing throughout the property. There is a sale that expires on March 2nd. Our goal is to raise enough funds by March 1st to order. The cost for the 20 blinds is $2,808.55 with the 35% coupon. Previously you can see we hung 2 blinds for a single-window since the long blinds for a window cost too much when being installed.

We have a holy contest to see which will be the first rooms to get fully funded in 2022. Take a look at the various Saints we are looking to have a room named after. For each room, we need to raise $7,917.

Register for the upcoming GRN Prayer Breakfast: FEBRUARY 3 (THURSDAY) 7AM TO 9AM Christian Renewal Center 1515 Hughes Road, Dickinson, TX 77539 Prayers – Fr. Steve Sellers, Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Speaker – Rich May, national Catholic speaker Register: www.GRNonline.com/HoustonBreakfast

As of January 14, 2022, all donors who donated $250 or more to the CRC in 2021 will have received a 2021 CRC Donor Tax Letter (emailed out over the last 2 -weeks and mailed this week). If we had your email on file, we sent it by email to save on the cost of postage (yes it all adds up). In 2018 we only had 16 donors who donated $250 or more. In 2021 we had 125 donors who donated $250 or more. Together with your donations and CRC staff and volunteers, we have achieved so much. The tax letters came from Kim Brown since I am still the only office staff member. If you need assistance please email me to get anything updated or corrected.