Recently, three Houston area TMO leaders and organizers met with Pope Francis at the Vatican for an engaging conversation. Rabbi David Lyon of Congregation Beth Israel and Lead Organizer Elizabeth Valdez  (both sitting next to Pope Francis in photo above) along with Organizer Facundo Berretta Lauria represented TMO at this meeting. They were part of a delegation of 18 leaders from the West/Southwest IAF which is a regional network of broad-based organizations. TMO has been a part of this network  for over 40 years.

At bottom is a link to press spanning three continents and languages.  Directly below are excerpts from an article published in Jewish Herald-Voice.

[Excerpt]

As the only Jewish person in the room, Rabbi Lyon said he had a feeling he would be called on after the introductions.

“Sure enough, he did call on me, and I shared my vignette on how IAF has made me a more effective rabbi in interfaith and organizational work,” said Rabbi Lyon.

“I highlighted interfaith work in Houston with my good friend [Daniel] Cardinal DiNardo and Bishop [John D.] Ogletree and how TMO has given us ways to hear stories to make a difference and to express our gratitude with greater generosity....”

“I quoted the Mishna in saying, ‘It is not our obligation to do all the work, but neither are we free to desist from trying. The day is short, the work is long, and the L-rd is waiting....’”

“The pope’s eyes lit up and he called his aides into the room. He had written these encyclicals and other short essays, and he distributed to all of us a stack of books. Nobody expected it. I think he felt like I had offered a meaningful text, so he, too, wanted to share a meaningful text.”

Rabbi Lyon was impressed.

“I don’t read the pope’s words on a regular basis and I don’t subscribe to the Vatican news, but I couldn’t help but be moved after sitting in his presence. He showed us that a man of obvious power, authority and significance could be very humble and humorous. And like any good clergy, he was an excellent listener.”

[Photo Credit: Jewish Herald-Voice]

Houston Rabbi Travels to Rome for Meeting with Pope Francis, Jewish Herald-Voice [pdf]

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee consistently fought for the common good, especially to assure that people on the margins were treated with dignity.

Whether it was legislating for a just and humane immigration system; shepherding federal grant funds to much needed Houston area projects; or working on the front lines to help working people recover from our all-too-frequent disasters, Sheila was always there and ready to work. She also willingly participated in TMO’s Candidate Accountability Sessions in 2022 for US Congress and 2023 for Houston Mayor.

Thank you Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee!!!

TMO wants to express our sincere condolences and our appreciation to her family for her life well lived for the common good. Please take some time next to remember and reflect on her contributions and attend any of these celebrations of her life next week.

Monday: Jackson Lee will lie in state from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Houston City Hall, making the late congresswoman the second person to receive this honor. The first was Dr. Michael DeBakey, a heart surgeon, who died in 2008. Jackson Lee’s family will be at City Hall for a brief ceremony with Mayor John Whitmire and City Council members.

Tuesday: A viewing and remembrance event at God’s Grace Community Church, 9944 W. Montgomery Rd., Houston, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Wednesday: A viewing event at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, 3826 Wheeler Ave., Houston, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a community farewell and appreciation service, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Thursday: A celebration of life service at Fallbrook Church, 12512 Walters Rd, Houston, at 11 a.m.

All events will be live-streamed, according to her Congressional Office announcement:

https://x.com/JacksonLeeTX18/status/1816164409821004130

[Click on image or links below to access updated resources list]

Updated Resources Flyer

Priority Zip Codes for Beryl Recovery Fund 

PREVIOUS RESOURCES

[En Espanõl]

[Brazoria County Resources]

Press Conference Coverage:

In Wake of Beryl Outage, TMO Demands Action for Most Vulnerable

TMO clergy and local leaders were joined by Patricia Darnauer, executive vice president and administrator of LBJ Hospital, at a press conference held at St. Francis de Assisi Catholic Church.

[Photo Credit: Aswad Walker, Houston Defender]

TMO Leaders Demand Action, Accountability on Slow Hurricane Beryl Response, Houston Defender [pdf]

Religious Leaders Demand Action for Remaining Powerless Homes, Houston Chronicle [pdf]

Survey Shows More Than Half of Families Still Struggling After Beryl, CW39 Houston [pdf]

6:31am Newscast, July 16th , Houston Public Media

[En Espanõl]

[Brazoria County Resources]

See latest press:

In Wake of Beryl Outage, TMO Demands Action for Most Vulnerable

TMO clergy and local leaders were joined by Patricia Darnauer, executive vice president and administrator of LBJ Hospital, at a press conference held at St. Francis de Assisi Catholic Church.

[Photo Credit: Aswad Walker, Houston Defender]

TMO Leaders Demand Action, Accountability on Slow Hurricane Beryl Response, Houston Defender [pdf]

Religious Leaders Demand Action for Remaining Powerless Homes, Houston Chronicle [pdf]

Survey Shows More Than Half of Families Still Struggling After Beryl, CW39 Houston [pdf]

6:31am Newscast, July 16th , Houston Public Media

[En el Condado de Brazoria]

Ver última prensa:

TMO Exige Medidas Para Los Más Vulnerables

Patricia Darnauer, vicepresidenta ejecutiva y administradora del Hospital LBJ, se unió al clero de TMO y a los líderes locales en una conferencia de prensa celebrada en la Iglesia Católica San Francisco de Asís.

[Aswad Walker del Houston Defender tomó la foto de arriba.]

TMO Leaders Demand Action, Accountability on Slow Hurricane Beryl Response, Houston Defender [pdf]

Religious Leaders Demand Action for Remaining Powerless Homes, Houston Chronicle [pdf]

Survey Shows More Than Half of Families Still Struggling After Beryl, CW39 Houston [pdf]

6:31am Newscast, July 16th , Houston Public Media

TMO clergy and local leaders were joined by Patricia Darnauer, executive vice president and administrator of LBJ Hospital, at a press conference held at St. Francis de Assisi Catholic Church. 

[Excerpts]

TMO seeks accountability, more aggressive outreach, and transparency so the general public knows what’s going on and collaboration so Harris County residents aren’t running around like chickens with their heads cut off” seeking much-needed resources like food, water, and medicine....

Community and faith leaders joined North Houston residents under the banner of The Metropolitan Organization (TMO) announcing they are in the process of scheduling a meeting with Houston’s Mayor John Whitmire “to discuss the [power] outage, the response to the outage and to look at future activities that need to happen to be proactive so that we can prevent this [in the future].”

“Because we know this is just the first hurricane, early in the season, and we’ve got a long way to go,” said Linda Hollins a TMO leader and member of Trinity United Methodist Church.

But TMO members didn’t wait for the yet solidified meeting date with Whitmire to voice their frustrations over the slow, and in many cases still non-existent, restoration of power to the 180,000 citizens across Houston and Harris County still in the dark, and more specifically residents of the Kashmere Gardens/Fifth Ward community where their press conference convened at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

[Photo Credit: Aswad Walker, Houston Defender]

TMO Leaders Demand Action, Accountability on Slow Hurricane Beryl Response, Houston Defender [pdf]

Religious Leaders Demand Action for Remaining Powerless Homes, Houston Chronicle [pdf]

Survey Shows More Than Half of Families Still Struggling After Beryl, CW39 Houston [pdf]

6:31am Newscast, July 16th , Houston Public Media

During a May 9 groundbreaking, Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, President and CEO of Harris Health,  cited the great need for the new facilities to be built in Northeast Houston. Harris Health will build a Level One Trauma Center, a new hospital with double the capacity, and offer much needed in-patient and out-patient mental health services at the site. He said these facilities are greatly needed by “the underserved, the poor, the uninsured, the underinsured that LBJ hospital serves.”

Long considered a "champion for God's people and justice" by his peers, Pastor John D. Ogletree received some well-deserved coverage by South Texas College of Law in Houston.  As the founding pastor of First Metropolitan Church, his leadership with TMO, Texas IAF and the regional network of the West/Southwest IAF has been catalytic.

[Photo Credit: South Texas College of Law - Houston]

Community Icon, STCL Houston Alumnus Forges Pathway to Justice and Redemption, South Texas College of Law - Houston [pdf]

Just this week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wrote to TCEQ Chairman Jon Niermann to voice his opposition to the construction of a concrete batch plant in Grayson County - a largely rural county located 60 miles north of Dallas.

"There is simply too much risk to the county and its citizens," Patrick said while requesting an immediate pause to the permitting process until the legislature can weigh in.  Patrick wrote “[b]usiness leaders, clergy, elected officials, community leaders, and an overwhelming majority of the public have all voiced their objections to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) granting a permit…”

This is exactly the same situation in Harris County where over 2,600 people have opposed a proposed concrete crushing plant to be built next to the LBJ Hospital campus in Northeast Houston in the Kashmere Gardens neighborhood.

Last fall, 72% of Harris County voters voted to invest over $2 Billion to build a new hospital, an in-patient mental health facility and level 1 Trauma Center at the LBJ campus. And, just like the business community in Grayson County, we're equally concerned with how a plant like this will affect our investment and the health and well-being of the surrounding community. 

Letter to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Lt. Governor of Texas Dan Patrick

So why are pollutant-heavy plants like these okay for Harris County but not okay for Grayson County? 

Call or email Lt Governor Patrick with a message like this:

Lt. Governor Patrick, thank you for asking TCEQ to stop issuing permits to build concrete plants until after the Legislature reviews the  permissive standards TCEQ uses to grant these permits in our communities. A few days before you wrote them, TCEQ granted a permit to build a concrete crusher plant next to the LBJ Hospital campus. Please tell TCEQ to retract that permit and take a long look at the valid concerns raised by dozens of organizations and thousands of residents.

You went to Grayson County and heard that community's strong opposition to a plant. Now come to Harris County and hear ours. Ask TCEQ to reverse their decision until the Legislature can develop better standards that protect our churches, schools, hospitals and businesses.

EMAIL: https://www.ltgov.texas.gov/contact/contact-general/

CALL: (512) 463-0001

[Excerpt]

"Catholic social teaching isn't ideological," [Bob] Fleming said. "It says, 'Go out to the people, talk with them, understand them, let them tell you what's going on.' "

....[Sr. Pearl] Ceasar shares Fleming's sentiment about the compatibility of Texas IAF's work and Catholic social teaching. In the 1960s, she studied the documents of the Second Vatican Council, which she said greatly impacted her outlook on the responsibilities of individual Catholics and the Catholic Church.

"Vatican II didn't address the doctrines of the church; it addressed the relationships in the church and who we are to be as Catholics," Ceasar said. "Meaning that we are to be engaged with people, we are to be engaged in the community."

For 50 years, Texas IAF Organizing Group Has Drawn on Catholic Roots, National Catholic Reporter [pdf]