South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 36, Ed. 1 Friday, October 17, 1986 Page: 20 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Gulf Coast Register/South Texas Catholic and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the UNT Libraries.
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October 17, 1986—12
Around the Diocese
CSS offers professional counseling and therapy service
By Ron Hamm
STC correspondent
CORPUS CHRISTI—A new service to the people
of the Diocese of Corpus Christi has come on line in
recent weeks -- professional counseling and therapy
for individuals, families, and groups with a wide
spectrum of emotional needs.
The program, being administered through
Catholic Social Services and launched at the urging
of Bishop Rene H. Gracida, is being offered on a
part-time basis by professional counselor Rebecca
Soto of Corpus Cristi.
Individuals needing help simply have to telephone
Catholic Social Services at 884-0651 in Corpus
Christi to request an appointment.
Ms. Soto, a certified social worker with a master’s
in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University
in San Antonio and with more than 10 years’ ex-
perience in direct therapy, is presently providing 10
to 20 hours a week to the new service.
Plans call for adding another part-time counselor
as needed with an ultimate goal of expanding the pro-
Seminary Burses are a perma-
nent fund used for the educa-
tion of future priests for the
Diocese of Corpus Christi. The
Interest from this account is
applied yearly to the education
of seminarians. Usually the
burses are begun In the
memory of an Individual priest,
religious or lay person(s). The
following are donations receiv-
ed since the July 4, 1986 year
end report: $791,333.90.
Gilbert Juarez, Jr.
BISHOP THOMAS DRURY BURSE
Names Withheld............................97 00
Annie Jones ..............................100.00
FATHER THOMAS QUINLAN MEMORIAL BURSE
Estate of Rev. Thomas Quinlan.............6,000.00
PRIESTS MEMORIAL BURSE (Blnatlons)
Blessed Sacrament, Laredo..................90.00
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Corpus Christi .. 70.00
Sacred Heart, Corpus Christi.................40.00
St. Elizabeth, Alice..........................10.00
St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, Laredo.............40.00
St. Patrick, Laredo..........................60.00
Our Lady of Refuge, Refugio.................105.00
St. Joseph, Alice...........................195.00
St. Anthony, Robstown......................20.00
St. Plus X, Corpus Christi ....................75.00
Corpus Christi Cathedral....................170.00
Msgr. Kevin Dunne.........................192.00
Father Michael M. Burke....................435.00
OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION BURSE
Lucille Y. Crocker...........................20 00
LUCILLE M. ZOWARKA BURSE
Zowarka Estate..........................2,460.00
AIR FORCE CHAPLAINS BURSE
Gladys M. Martin D.C........................25 00
Air Force Chaplains Fund...................375.00
MSGR. JOHN J. LANNON BURSE
Elizabeth B. McMahon.......................15 00
Crit Sclantare III.............................5 00
BISHOP RENE H. GRACIDA BURSE
Name Withheld..........................1,000.00
NAVY CHAPLAINS BURSE
Chase Field Chapel........................150.00
ST. ELIZABETH BURSE
Mrs. B.L. Rice..............................15 0°
Mrs. Elsie H.Gessling........................5.00
K.J.T. BURSE
The Czech Catholic Union of Texas 400.00
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BURSE
Catholic Daughters of America #683 150.00
MSGR. ALBERT H. SCHMITT BURSE
Kent Ridley Jr..
.. 200.00
Kri"::::::::::::::: :«SSS
Those wishing to begin a burse or to contribute to an
existing Seminary Burse may do so by sending their
contributions with the appropriate burse designation
to:
SEMINARY BURSE
P.O. Box 2912
Corpus Christi, TX 78403-2912
Rebecca Soto counsels a woman as part of
the counseling program offered through
Catholic Social Services of Corpus Christi.
(Kim Christensen-Bergstrom photo)
gram into a full time operation when patient demand
and support justify it.
The diocese has offered some types of counseling
in the past, according to Ms. Soto, such as with im-
migration problems or in financial matters.
In addition, parish priests have done what they
could. But none of this, she points out, has necessari-
ly been therapy of the type called for by the kinds of
problems she is seeing.
“I think it (the new service) is something that
definitely has been needed for a long time.
Papal Visit-
-From page 1
To bring about this catechesis of Texas Catholics,
Bishop Pena said that “every diocese and every
parish must be totally involved.’’ He recommended
every parish be represented at the papal Mass in San
Antonio with their parish’s name on a small flag.
The bishop also suggested that parishes cooperate
with the national-state preparation programs through
their diocese; provide “special opportunities for the
sacrament of penance; and participate in a “general
Communion Sunday in Texas’’ during the weekend
of the papal visit.
Highlighting the concept of Six Flags over Texas
for 150 years, Bishop Pena said Texas Catholics
should “change in our understanding and practice of
our existance as Church in our multi-cultural
society.’’ He used as examples the early missionaries
of Texas, a missioner in Guatemala and priests from
the Diocese of Corpus Christi working in Coahuila,
Mexico-
There was concern among some at the TCC about
the cost of the pope’s visit to Texas, estimated at $2.5
million. Archbishop Patrick Flores of San Antonio
said “before long we can clarify a lot of (financial)
matters.’’
In a news release, it was stated that the money will
be used for the year-long catechesis, and a year-long
follow-up period, said Richard Hemberger of
Catholic Television of San Antonio, helping promote
the trip.
Funds are needed for security, communications,
travel, printing, live television, radio and newspaper
coverage, satellite time, support facilities (including
facilities for the elderly and handicapped) and other
things, said Hemberger.
“When the cost is spread among the estimated
four million Catholics in Texas,” he added, “the
papal visit will cost each approximately 63 cents.
People formerly would go to their priests. But with a
shortage of priests and with priests having so many
other responsibilities, many of them simply don’t
have the time to handle these kinds of problems.”
Ms. Soto believes a formal counseling program
would alleviate some of those situations and thinks
that the bishop and others responsible for providing
social services to the diocese would like to see “a
strong counseling service developed.”
At present she is seeing patients during evening
hours and on Saturdays in such areas as parenting,
marital difficulties, child abuse, alcoholism, drug ad-
diction, etc...“the whole gamut of social and emo-
tional problems.”
“I anticipate seeing a lot of parent-child
problems,” she says, “or marital situations with
couples thinking about separation. We also have a lot
of single parent counseling.”
So far, the situations Ms. Soto has encountered
have not been in the crisis stage, but could lead to
severe problems if left untreated. “They (the pro-
blems) are in the danger area,” she explains, “but
can still be controlled” with proper treatment.
She intends to provide referral services when need-
ed, such as in the case of someone suffering from
alcohol abuse who needs to enter a residence care
facility or in working with a school district or outside
service agency when necessary.
The service is not free, but fees will be charged
based only on the ability to pay. Those with very little
money, for example, might be required to pay only
$1. Ms. Soto anticipates that the average charge will
be about $1.
She has a number of goals for the new program.
The principal one is to let more people know about
the service and to see as many of those people who
need help as possible. She hopes to do this through
increased exposure and visibility.
Ms. Soto also hopes to obtain funding and grants
in order to expand the range of services offered and
to pay for staff salaries.
In addition, she wants to develop a system of “con-
tracts” between the counseling service and referral
agencies, such as a probation officer, which would re-
quire that a patient enter into a formal agreement to
obtain the type of treatment that he or she needs.
“It’s a very flexible program right now,” she
observes. “There is a lot of opportunity for it to real-
ly grow” and to provide professional counseling and
therapy for the people of the diocese.
Support missions
through the Sunday
collection Oct. 19
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Freeman, Robert E. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 21, No. 36, Ed. 1 Friday, October 17, 1986, newspaper, October 17, 1986; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth840856/m1/20/?rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .