Rightly Ordered Work and a New School Rhythm
Sep 02, 2026
Labor, Rightly Ordered
Labor Day and the feast of St. Gregory the Great fall back to back this week, and together they say something worth sitting with as the school year gets underway. Gregory, a pope who called himself "servant of the servants of God," reorganized the liturgy, sent missionaries to England, and wrote so tirelessly for the Church that he's remembered as one of its great administrators, a man who understood work as a form of love. Labor Day, for its part, is a civic holiday that started as a tribute to the dignity of ordinary work. Put the two together and you have a fitting theme for the full week of school: our labor, whether it's lesson plans, dishes, or a child sounding out a word for the tenth time, is not separate from our sanctification. It is one of the ordinary ways we are formed and form others.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." (Colossians 3:23)
Missed an issue, or want to revisit a past theme? This and every past newsletter is now archived on our website.
The Sound of Music at the Hobby Center
Gather the whole family and join CHECH for a night out at The Sound of Music, live on stage at the Hobby Center. This is one of the great American musicals, full of faith, family, and music your kids already know by heart. We've secured a limited block of balcony seats at half off, and we'd love a big CHECH turnout filling the row.
$52 per seat | September 30, 2026 | Houston
Seats are limited, and once our block is gone, it's gone. Registration deadline: September 10
A New Rhythm for the School Day
Introducing Before the Lesson, a new monthly rhythm for Catholic families: a guide, a poem, a hymn, and a story, gathered around the month's liturgical theme to open your school day together.
This month's plan gathers Longfellow's poem "The Arrow and the Song," the Marian hymn Salve Regina, a study of composer George Gershwin, and painting The Monet Family in Their Garden at Argenteuil, all built around this month's theme of Our Lady of Sorrows. Each week, HomeLore, our new storytelling project available exclusively through CHECH, brings a story to life: a fable, a folktale, a fairy tale, a myth, and a legend, one released each Tuesday.
September is free for every family to try, no membership required. Download the guide and start listening today.
Members can subscribe to the podcast in their favorite app to catch each week's story as it releases.
Upcoming in Houston
Some Like It Hot — MFAH | Fri–Sat, September 4–5, 7:00–9:00 p.m.; Sun, September 6, 5:00–7:00 p.m. | Brown Auditorium Theater | $9 general, $7 members/students/seniors | A rare chance to see Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy classic, starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, projected on real 35mm film
More than a Matter of Taste: A Conversation on the Moral Imagination — Catholic Literary Arts | Tuesday, September 15 | 7:00–8:00 p.m. CT | Online | Editor Katy Carl and author Joshua Hren discuss how fiction elevates us beyond aesthetics into ethics and truth | A CHECH partner
CHS/HHA Fall Dance | Saturday, September 19 | 7:00–10:00 p.m. | Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, Houston | $25/person | Western-attire fall dance for students ages 14–18, hosted by Cathedral High School and Holy House Academy | Tickets online only, purchased and waiver submitted by September 17, 5:00 p.m.
Archdiocesan Music Ministry Formation Day | Saturday, September 19 | 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | St. Ann Catholic Church, Westheimer | $15, lunch included | Formation day for anyone serving in parish music ministry, featuring a keynote by Fr. Richard Hinkley and sessions with Adam Bartlett, founder of Source & Summit
Romeo and Juliet — Alley Theatre | September 25–October 11 | Directed by Rob Melrose | Shakespeare's timeless tragedy in the Hubbard Theatre | Tickets on sale now
Dead Sea Scrolls: The Exhibition — HMNS | Members preview November 20, opens to the public November 21 | Ancient manuscripts, rare artifacts, and insight into the people and origins of biblical texts | $5 off tickets for the first 1,000 sold
St. Nicholas League Short Story Contest | Deadline September 30 | 1,000–6,000 words | For writers under 18 | Free to enter, no theme required, no AI-generated work | Winning story published in October
San Damiano Trade School
This week's theme is fitting company for a partner like San Damiano Trade School, which forms students for the dignity of skilled work: carpentry, welding, and other trades, taught in a distinctly Catholic environment. For families weighing what comes after high school, San Damiano is a reminder that a well-ordered life of labor is a real and honorable path, not a fallback. Find this partner and more on our partners page.
