Happy New Year

by The Reverend Dr. Roman D. Roldan on January 01, 2025

TLDR: I can’t believe we are entering the last year of the first quarter of this century. Please read below for important programs and services coming up in January of 2025.

We begin a new year this week. I can’t believe we are entering the last year of the first quarter of this century. It seems like it was just yesterday that we held hands on December 31^st, 1999, and waited for the end of the world that would come with Y2K. Yet, here we are, ready for new adventures, new projects, new plans for a better self, new resolutions to make life changes that might be necessary for you. I am praying today for a healthy, prosperous, joy-filled, and exciting 2025 for all of you and your families. Please know that we you are all in my prayers.

We will have a pretty busy January of 2025 at the Church. Please look at the events below to prepare. You do not want to miss out.

JANUARY 1 (IN HIS STEPS): January is a big month for us because we finish a new budget which will be approved by the Vestry on 1/21 and then presented to the annual meeting on 1/26/25 after the 11:15 service. Please send us your pledges before the 17^th. We still have about 40 pledges to go. Please act soon.

JANUARY 5^th and JANUARY 19^th: WELCOME FR. STEVE FERGUSON. Please extend your warm welcoming to Fr. Steve on Sunday the 5^th, but also get ready to celebrate him at a wonderful welcome breakfast on 1/19/25 at 10:15am. There will be no Adult Sunday school that day, so come to the Maze Room and enjoy some delicious food, while welcoming Fr. Steve officially.

JANUARY 12 at 9:00 SERVICE: RETIREMENT FOR MRS. LAURIE RIGGS. You remember that Laurie retired the first week of August, after 25 years of service to Saint Dunstan’s. Back in October and November we collected some money for an Anglican Purse (a parting gift in gratitude for services rendered). We will present Lauire with a check at the announcements of this service, and we will have a reception in the Mace Room for any who want to join us. We would like all donations to the purse to be received by no later than the 8^th of January. Make checks to Saint Dunstan’s Church with a MEMO: PURSE. Please note that there will not be Adult Sunday school that day to encourage all of you to attend this celebration.

JANUARY 15 at 4:00 PM in BEC ROOM 304-305: YOU ONLY DIE ONCE. A new class is offered every other Wednesday presented by Annette and Chris Matthews. The class will help us prepare for the End of Life with Grace and Gusto. Death is something most people usually don't like to think about; however, by putting it off, we miss out on life's last great adventure. This course is as practical as it is profound and teaches that good preparation for death is the foundation for a bold and rewarding life. The majority of the hour consists of sharing among all the participants (to stimulate relationships) rather than long, detailed lectures. Contact Annette Matthews at 832-244-4524 for more information, sign-up, and books ($10 each). Enter into an amazing, freeing, and upbeat end-of-life planning adventure.

JANUARY 23: NEWCOMERS CLASSES begin on this Thursday at 6:00pm over Zoom to prepare Newcomers, Confirmands, and those wishing to be Received, or to Reaffirm their faith. Bishop Fisher will be among us on April 13^th for his annual visit to the parish. If you wish to partake in Confirmation/Reception/Reaffirmation we invite you to send an email to place yourself on the list. We will send Zoom codes every week before the Thursday evening session. Please know that this training takes five weeks and ends with a celebratory dinner the week before the Bishop arrives.

JANUARY 26: ANNUAL MEETING AND OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN. We will accomplish a great many things at our Annual Meeting. First, we will receive financial data about the year we just closed and be presented with a 2025 budget. Second, we elect a new group of four vestry members to begin three-year terms. This year, both our Senior and Junior Wardens will rotate off, and we will officially welcome Jodi Leach as our new Senior Warden (appointed by Rector) and welcome a new Junior Warden (which will be elected by Vestry after the Annual Meeting). Third, we will recognize a new Horseshoe recipient for outstanding service to the Saint Dunstan’s community. And Fourth, on this day, we will also launch our Spring Campaign. There will be more information coming soon about our newly proposed Phase One project and our new very exciting goals.

Please join us for one or more of our January offerings, which also include Sundays schools for all ages of the family. Please let Jerre Bergeron and I know if you or someone you know in our parish needs a Pastoral Care and/or clergy visit. Until then, may the joy of the newborn child fill your hearts with love and peace. Amen!

Blessings to all, Fr. Roman+

About the Author

The Reverend Dr. Roman D. Roldan

The Rev. Dr. Roman D. Roldan is originally from Colombia, South America, where he lived until he migrated to the United States for College in Southwest Miami in the late 1980s. He attended the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium for graduate school in theology, followed by a master’s degree in social work at Rutgers University in New Jersey in the early 1990s. From 1995 to 2005, he worked as a bilingual psychotherapist, administrator, and Chief Deputy Officer for a national behavioral healthcare company in Florida. He became an Episcopalian in the year 2000 at Grace Episcopal Church, Ocala, Florida. In 2005, he attended Trinity School for Ministry, graduating in 2007 with his master’s degree in divinity and in 2016 with his doctorate in divinity with a concentration in preaching.

Fr. Roldan has been an Associate Dean at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Davenport, Iowa, the Rector of Grace Church of West Feliciana Parish in Saint Francisville, Louisiana, for eleven years, and the Rector of Saint Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, for nearly five years. From 2017 to 2020, Fr. Roldan served as a seminary professor at Trinity School for Ministry’s Spanish online program. He also served from 2015-2019 as the Episcopal Chaplain at Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as “Angola Prison.” He was the Dean of the Baton Rouge Deanery in the Dioceses of Louisiana from 2016-2020. From 2010 to 2020, Fr. Roldan served as a short-term missionary in the Episcopal Diocese of Honduras and built the Episcopal Church in El Carmen, San Nicolas. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Seminary of the Southwest since 2021. He has been a chaplain to 3 Cursillo and two Happening teams since his ordination. He is passionate about the supervision of curates and raising vocations to the diaconate and the priesthood.

Fr. Roldan has been married to Chris Anna Roldan for 31 years and has four children ages 30, 27, 22, and 20. He is an avid reader, traveler, and amateur writer. He is the author of A Blind Man and his Monkey and is currently working on his second novel, The Ghost and his Baby.

Email: frroman@saintdunstans.org

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