Rector's Blog
A Message from the Rector - "Deep Gratitude"
We have a lot to be grateful for this holiday season, even if we've recently suffered hardship. Rector Chris Girata hopes that you find this holiday season deeply renewing.
Silence Can Be Challenging
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Last week, my wife and I stole some time on Friday while the kids were at school to go see a movie. (OK, I confess. It was “Downton Abbey”.) As we all know, before any movie, ...
Read MoreRector Chris Girata Featured Preacher on Day1 Radio
Rector Chris Girata was the featured preacher on Day1 Radio on Sunday, September 22. His sermon, "Shrewd Faith," comes from Luke 16:1-13.
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About Day1 Day 1 has been broadcast every week for 73 years, formerly as The Protestant...
Read MoreMoments of Grace Not One-Way
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Let’s talk about grace. I don’t mean the grace that is often attributed to being charming or the grace of approval that one person might give to another. I want to talk about ...
Read MoreWhen Bad Things Happen
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly The past few weeks have been particularly heavy. Multiple young people connected to people I know well have died, including one murder and one suicide. Tragedy is nothing new, and...
Read MoreA Message from the Rector - "Grace & The Color Purple"
This fall, we'll be taking some time to focus on Grace.
Small Acts of Love
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Recently, a friend of mine, I’ll call her Rachel, was at home preparing for lunch when she heard a knock at her door. When she opened the door, she was greeted by two young teen...
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A Message From The Rector - "Dreaming Big"
As you rest and search for renewal this summer, Rector Chris Girata encourages you to dream big about what God wants you to do next.
The Measure of Success is Nebulous
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Success is one of those nebulous ideas that most of us toss around, but few of us agree about how to define it. For most, I think we have some idea about success being based on f...
Read MoreA Bit of Heart, Not Mind
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly In my last column, I wrote about optimism. I am an eternally optimistic person (which often annoys my friends when they simply need a moment to wallow). Optimism is a deep mental...
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A Message From The Rector - "God Help Us"
The studies show rising numbers of atheists, agnostics, and "nones," and Rector Chris Girata says that everyone, including atheists and agnostics, should be very concerned. Here's why.
The Problem of Grief
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Grief seems like an oddly dark subject for my column, but I have witnessed a phenomenon that has begun to worry me: People are exhausted by grief. We can’t go a week (sometimes ...
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God Help Us All
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly For the first time ever, surveys show that there are as many atheists as Catholics and Evangelicals in the U.S. The number of “nones,” those adults who do not identify with a...
Read MoreAsk Them To Dance
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly A few weeks ago, our U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning all “hateful expressions of intolerance.” So at first glance, I’m glad hateful expressions ...
Read MoreDon’t Forget To Say ‘Hello, Brother’
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly
Just a couple months ago, I participated in an interfaith panel with two of my good friends, a Muslim imam and a Jewish rabbi. The three of us discussed similarities and diffe...
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You Are Worthy Of Transformation
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Over the past few weeks, I’ve been exploring how we can be transformed by goodness in our lives. Transformation is a gift, one that we often experience accidentally. Some people...
Read MoreBe Grateful No Matter The Circumstances
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly It has been noted that that one significant difference between people in the U.S. and people in less wealthy countries is that Americans expect life to be easy, and when life isn...
Read MoreThe Hero Inside All Of Us
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly My last article introduced the idea that we can be transformed by the power of love. The idea of transformation is nothing new, but our world is often so controlled and predictabl...
Read MoreDiversity Requires A Transformation
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly Diversity is a topic that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. In my experience, most people are happy to be politically correct and say that diversity is a good thing, but when w...
Read MoreDo Something Comfortable
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly It’s a new year, and with a new year comes lots of resolutions. I dislike resolutions, not in theory, but because I’m no good at keeping them. The idea is good — change some...
Read MoreAbundance Without Attachment
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly The new year is upon us, and with a new year often comes the desire to live in new ways. We often call these desires resolutions. I’ve never been a fan of resolutions. I’m sur...
Read MoreThe Power Of Hope This Season
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly
Whenever we get close to Christmas, I begin to wonder what people think about this holiday. Of course, as a priest, my thoughts immediately take me to the traditional root of ou...
Read MoreLet's Talk About God
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly I continue to be shocked by hate. Perhaps some people are desensitized at this point, but when a person hurts or kills other people with hate, such as we saw in Pittsburgh recentl...
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What Unites Us
Rector Chris Girata's latest article in the Katy Trail Weekly This week, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many people have taken advantage of early voting. I say this as someone who is very grateful for the ability to cast a vote at...
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Bring Your Brain To Church
Originally published in the Katy Trail Weekly on October 12
For many people who wish to participate in faith communities, one of the most significant stumbling blocks is often the lack of intellectual rigor. To be a part of many churches, ...
Read MoreThe Transformative Power of Love
Churches are often concerned with what happens within our own walls. At Saint Michael, we know this well. Hundreds and hundreds of you work on different aspects of our life together. From worship to formation to pastoral care and beyond, much of ...
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Loving Our Neighbors
I pray for our elected leaders every day. Leaders are called on to make difficult decisions, and I always hope that their decisions are guided by love. I am ret icent to wade into political debates, but when our leaders begin to quote the Bible t...
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