The Cross Lifted Up, the Mother Standing
Sep 17, 2026
The Cross lifted up, the Mother standing
The Church sets these two feasts side by side on purpose: Monday the Cross was lifted up as the tree of life, glory out of shame; Tuesday we turn to the one who stood beneath it. Stabat Mater: she stood, did not fix it, could not stop it, and did not leave. Every parent learns this kind of standing eventually, beside a child working through something hard that no one else can do for him. This week, notice where the crucifix hangs in your home, and whether one hangs where the schoolwork happens; a house that keeps the Cross in view teaches, without a word, that suffering has both a meaning and a companion.
At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.
This Week at CHECH
Family Picnic and Folk Dance
Dinner on the lawn, then family folk dances with Meghan Frato. See the flyer for the full schedule, or visit the Fall Gathering page to register. Registration closes September 23.
New This Fall: MFAH Gallery Tours and a Fetal Pig Dissection Lab
Four docent-led mornings through the MFAH permanent collection, grouped by grade, first up October 23 on American History across Galleries. For 8th through 12th graders, a hands-on anatomy lab at HMNS lets students examine a real fetal pig specimen, Friday, October 30 at 9:30 a.m. Full details and registration at chechtx.org/enrichments.
Nature Spotlight
When did you last notice the sun going down?
September is when Houston's daylight finally starts shortening in a way you can feel, sunset creeps a little earlier each night. Challenge: step outside together for sunset one evening this week. No agenda, just watch the sky change.
Upcoming in Houston
Veneration of Sacred Relics: A Day with the Archbishop of Assisi | Friday, Sept 18, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., lecture 6:30 p.m. | UST | Free, RSVP | Relics of St. Francis, St. Clare, and St. Carlo Acutis, with a lecture by Archbishop Emeritus Sorrentino of Assisi
We the People: Constitution Day | Sat Sept 19, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | Central Library | Free, registration required | Guest speakers from Rice, voter registration, quizzes marking the Constitution's signing
Houston Bird Week | Sept 19–26 | Citywide | Mostly free | Nearly 50 birding and wildlife events, closing with a family party Sept 26) | Event Calendar
HMNS Astronomy Week: Rooftop Stargazing and Equinox Sundial | Tue Sept 22, 7–9 p.m. & Wed Sept 23, 12–2 p.m. | HMNS | Free | Rooftop stargazing and an equinox sundial celebration
Performing & Visual Arts College Fair | Tue Sept 22, 7–9 p.m. | UH & Rice | Free, registration required
Emmaus Prayer Mentorship | Houston Vocations | Free | 1:1 prayer mentorship for young adults; mentor training also open, next virtual info session Tuesday, Sept 22 at 7 p.m.
Mendicants & Modernity| Thu Sept 24, 5:30 p.m. | Doherty Library, UST | Free, refreshments | Five talks on Franciscan intellectual history, from Bonaventure and Aquinas to Tolkien
Homeschool Day at Washington-on-the-Brazos | Fri Sept 25, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Star of the Republic Museum | $8/$4 | Make-and-take Texas history stations
Bat Fest — Houston Arboretum | Sat Sept 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | Houston Arboretum | Free | Crafts, story time, food trucks
Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi | Sun Sept 27, 6 p.m. | St. Francis of Assisi Church, 5102 Dabney St. | Free | A dramatization of St. Francis's passage from earthly life, part of the Archdiocese's Year of St. Francis
Mount Vernon in Your Classroom: Spies and Disguise | Tue Sept 29, 1 p.m. ET | Free virtual program | Women and spies in the American Revolution
Houston Catholic High Schools College Night | Wed Sept 30, 6–8 p.m. | Strake Jesuit | Free, no registration | ~140 colleges represented
The Catholic Organization of Life (COOL)
COOL is Houston's only citywide pro-life youth organization, led by an elected student team since 2007. Join them for MOTSY: March of the Surviving Youth, Saturday, September 26 at 8 a.m., Catholic Charismatic Center, with Mass, a procession, speakers, and music. Free. More at thecoolyouthgroup.com, and find them on the CHECH Partnerships page.
