Church of the Transfiguration 4000 E. Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, CA 94552-4908

(510) 538-7941 Fax (510) 538-7983 E-mail: transfig_office@sbcglobal.net Website: www.transfigchurch.com February 28, 2016

Rev. Mario L. Borges, Pastor ● Rev. Terence O’Malley, Parochial Administrator Deacon Martin J. Leach ● Deacon John A. Mignano ● Deacon Timothy L. Moore ● Deacon Burton J. Rigley

LITURGICAL MINISTRY: Liturgy Coordinator, Sean Cooper Eucharistic Ministers, Stephen and Carina Kowalewski Lectors, Barbara Mehan Altar Servers, Clarence Decano Youth Liturgy, Michelle Gilman

FINANCE COUNCIL: Chairman, Mark Zaleski

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS: Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), 60 Plus or Minus Club

SAINT VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY: (510) 274-0830 Serving our community.

SICK & HOMEBOUND MINISTRY: Claudia Paquette, (510) 537-8986

STEWARDSHIP: Chairperson, Ed Coelho, (510) 881-5705 WINGS “Women in God’s Spirit”: Bobbie Blackard,510-581-4149 HALL MANAGER: Pat Ballinger, (510) 537-1502

HALL RENTAL MANAGER: Ann McAusland, 510-239-7941

YOUTH MINISTRY: Sean Cooper, (510) 581-5870 or Transfig_Youth@sbcglobal.net PARISH OFFICE: Phone: (510) 538-7941 Fax: (510) 538-7983 Hours: 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday (Closed between 12:00 & 1:00 p.m.) Friday, 9:00a.m. — 12:00 Noon - Saturday & Sunday—Closed Secretary, Gloria Meeker Secretary/Bookkeeper, Phyllis Moore

SCHEDULE OF MASSES Saturdays 4:00 p.m. Sundays 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. (Except First Fridays - 9:30 a.m.) Communion Service - Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. CONFESSIONS Saturdays 3:00-3:45 p.m. BAPTISMS: Pre-baptismal class is required. Class is held the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Marian Room, Parish Hall. Please call the Parish Office, 538-7941, to register. MATRIMONY: Six months advance notice required. Please call the parish office. WEDDING COORDINATOR: Mel Speed (510) 909-9334 or melspeed@live.com FUNERALS: Please contact the funeral home of your choice and then the parish office. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Director, Patrice Ballinger (510) 537-1502 or TransfigCCD@aol.com RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Director, Martin Mijalski. Please call the parish office. MUSIC MINISTRY: Director, Alexander Katsman (510) 538-7941, Ext. 302 or Transfig_Music@sbcglobal.net

Mission Statement: “Transfiguring Our Community Through Faith”

Third Sunday of Lent February 28, 2016

Merciful and gracious is the Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.

— Psalm 103:8

Mass Intentions (February 27-March 6, 2016) Sat. 4:00p.m. Mario Cirimele Sun. 7:30a.m. John Leli 9:00a.m. For the People 11:00a.m. Mark Nedderman Mon. 8:00a.m. Augusto & Eduina Silva & Family Tues. 8:00a.m. Special Intention for Neal Lucett Wed. 8:00a.m. Paul Franceschini Thurs. 8:00a.m. Mrs. Mc Crae Fri. 9:30a.m. Vicente & Rufina Jardim Sat. 4:00p.m. For the People

Stewardship Corner The collection total for the weekend of: February 20th & 21st—$8,543.00 (compared to $12,000 average weekly stewardship goal) Building Fund—$2,761.00 Thank you for continuing in your stewardship role of providing for the upkeep of our parish community.

Remember Transfiguration in your Will and Living Trust

We invite all women to join us for: WINGS (“Women in God’s Spirit”)

Wings is a faith enhancement group that encourages Spiritual growth through prayer, scripture study,

Catechesis, life sharing and community. Transfiguration Church, Marian Rm. Parish Hall

Thursday, March 3, 2016, 9:15-11:15a.m. Speaker: Margaret Turek

Topic: To Heal the Eyes of Our Heart: “Seeing Jesus as the Face of Mercy”

Baptism Class

The next Baptism class will be Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Please call the Parish Office to register.

Pancake Breakfast Team “C” will be hosting the Pancake Breakfast this Sunday after the 7:30a.m. and 9:00a.m. Masses in the Parish Hall. All-you-can-eat pancakes, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice, coffee/tea/hot chocolate. Adult: $4, Senior: $3, Child: $3, Family: $8. Be sure to come and enjoy a great meal and the fellowship. See you there!

Adult Bible Study Monday evening, February 29, 2016 in the Marian Room, Parish Hall, 7:00-8:30p.m. No sign-up required, just drop in. Free will offering.

Transfiguration Catholic Church

During Lent: Mass will begin without the usual procession into the church. We ask the community to be quiet and meditate in silence five minutes before Mass. We will have Stations of the Cross, followed by Benediction every Friday night, 7:30p.m. Children of the parish are asked to share their pennies with the Poor of the World. A glass jar in the sanctuary labeled “Pennies for the Poor” is for the children to use during Lent. They can come up during the collection and place their money in the jar.

Dear Parishioners, We have some wonderful things to look forward to in the weeks ahead. Saturday, March 5th, Bishop Barber will be here at Transfiguration to confirm 43 of our young adults. We can now begin to see our Holy Week is not far away. The Chrism Mass at The Cathedral of Christ the Light will be on March 16th at 6:30p.m. Our Communal Recon-ciliation Service will be on Thursday, March 17th at 7:30p.m. All parishioners are welcome at these beautiful celebrations. We remember that this is a Holy Year of Mercy, that Pope Francis has called us to put into practice by words, deeds and actions the grace of Mercy. We have in our sanctuary a beautiful symbol of mercy in the masterpiece painting by Rembrandt of “The Prodigal Son”. I will be giving a homily about this painting on March 6th at the 9:00a.m. and 11:00a.m. Masses. Come and enjoy this painting of grace. Blessings, Fr. Mario Borges

Note: Mass on Friday, March 4th will be at 9:30a.m.

Eucharistic Ministers Needed! We are in need of Eucharistic Ministers for the 9:00a.m. Mass. If interested, please call Carina Kowalewski at (510) 582-4808.

Volunteers Needed We are in need of volunteers who are willing to take over the job of putting the children’s names on our Baptism Banner. Please call the Parish Office if you can help, (510) 538-7941.

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 — Psalm 103

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 2 Kgs 5:1-15ab; Ps 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4; Lk 4:24-30 Tuesday: Dn 3:25, 34-43; Ps 25:4-5ab, 6, 7bc, 8-9; Mt 18:21-35 Wednesday: Dt 4:1, 5-9; Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20; Mt 5:17-19 Thursday: Jer 7:23-28; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Lk 11:14-23 Friday: Hos 14:2-10; Ps 81:6c-11ab, 14, 17; Mk 12:28-34 Saturday: Hos 6:1-6; Ps 51:3-4, 18-21ab; Lk 18:9-14 Sunday: Jos 5:9a, 10-12; Ps 34:2-7; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 Alternate readings (Year A): 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41 [1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38] SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Third Sunday of Lent Thursday: St. Katharine Drexel Friday: St. Casimir; World Day of Prayer; First Friday; Abstinence Saturday: First Saturday

St. Patrick's Day Dinner

Saturday, March 19, 2016 Mt. Tabor Hall

Save the Date, tickets go on sale

February 27 & 28! Live Irish Music provided by

“Charmas”...want to get a sneak peek? go to www.charmasband.com

A BIG thank you to all who attended our first meeting… We’re going to have a great event! Still interested in helping out? We have plenty of volunteer opportunities. Please see the sign-up in the ves-tibule or contact Andrea Sullivan at (510) 919-0437 or amsullivan1@hotmail.com.

Religious Education News: Monday Classes, as usual, this week.

Last Wednesday, we celebrated the end of another great year of CCD with our Middle Schoolers.

We wish to CONGRATULATE those with PERFECT ATTENDANCE:

6th Grade: Ava Eagan, Rayn Powers, Kaylenne Santiago, Naethaniel Trinidad, Joacim Zamoa 7th Grade: Madison Andrie, Daniel Anilao, Kyle Collopy, Yates Do, Madisen Meli, Owen Rocha, Elijah Roggie, Noah Silva 8th Grade: Malena Bautista, Colby Lambert, Nicole Schouten AOK: Connor Jarvis, Angelina Reid, Elijah Schult

CONGRATULATIONS: Today, at 9:00 Mass, 11 students from our

A.O.K. class will celebrate the Sacrament of First Holy Communion.

We Wish to Congratulate:

Cameron Cruz, Daniel Duong, Bryant Galvan, Sebastian Galvan, Connor Jarvis, Taylor Perri,

Tristan Perri, Mikey Reid, Angelina Reid, Elijah Schult, Austin Sequeira

May you always hold Jesus close to your heart, and join us each week at His Table of Love.

Confirmation: The time has come, the walrus said… As hard as it is to believe, it is time for us to Confirm our Candidates. It has been a won-derful two years with an Amazing class of teenagers. 48 began the journey and 43 will be completing it next Saturday, March 5 at 10:00 am. Our Bishop will be with us to confer the Sacrament. We wish to thank you, our parish family, for all of your love,

prayers, and support. We invite you to join us on our special day. Also, be sure to stop by and see our smiling faces on the poster in the vestibule of the church.

Altar Servers Wanted!!! Want to be an Altar Server or know someone who is in-terested? We are now recruiting new Altar Servers for our Transfiguration Church Parish! Children who are 10 yrs. and older and who have received first Holy Communion are eligible. Parents who would like their children to serve at the altar may contact Clarence Decano, (415) 937-4509.

Sixty Plus or Minus Club Please join us in the Hall following the 9:30a.m. Mass on Friday, March 4th. The hosts this month are Mabel Moore, Kathleen Dunlap and Ken Hendricks. Remember, dues are owed for the coming year and will be delinquent if not paid by March 6th. Bingo will be played after the meeting. Please sign up today if you plan to attend.

“I AM” Kindness and mercy are what the enslaved people of Israel needed, and they came in the form of deliverance. They came through a leader, Moses, who was once plucked from the Nile River and was now herding his father-in-law’s sheep in the land of Goshen. The bush that burned but was not consumed shows us that God is inexhaustible mystery. Moses’ awe and deference are mixed with a touching conversational tone as he seeks to learn God’s name. And God sweetly responds. The somewhat abstract “I AM” dis-tinguishes the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob from the minor gods in the territory who “are not.” They are help-less, powerless, and useless. Moses is to step out into an amazing future, and God will be there with outstretched arm. Just go and see, God seems to say. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

LETTER FROM POPE FRANCIS THE “JOY OF THE GOSPEL” CONTINUED...

The Church’s Missionary Transformation—#122 The evangelizing power of popular piety In the same way, we can see that the different peoples among whom the Gospel has been inculturated are active collective subjects or agents of evangelization. This is because each people is the creator of their own culture and the protagonist of their own history. Culture is a dy-namic reality which a people constantly recreates; each generation passes on a whole series of ways of approach-ing different existential situations to the next generation, which must in turn reformulate it as it confronts its own challenges. Being human means “being at the same time son and father of the culture to which one belongs”. Once the Gospel has been inculturated in a people, in their pro-cess of transmitting their culture they also transmit the faith in ever new forms; hence the importance of under-standing evangelization as inculturation. Each portion of the people of God, by translating the gift of God into its own life and in accordance with its own genius, bears wit-ness to the faith it has received and enriches it with new and eloquent expressions. One can say that “a people con-tinuously evangelizes itself”. Herein lies the importance of popular piety, a true expression of the spontaneous missionary activity of the people of God. This is an ongo-ing and developing process, of which the Holy Spirit is the principal agent.

Fr. Terry’s Remarks— When anyone is born into the Faith, he or she will in time make it personal so that Faith becomes a living reality in their lives. It will affect the way they think and behave. It’s the same with any tribe or nation, their faith will become woven into the fabric of their way of thinking and their culture so that they feel at home in their devotions and religious celebrations. So, it is not surprising that if you walk into a celebration of Mass or a religious service in another culture you will not feel at home immediately, if ever. It is simply not your cup of tea. That's OK. What is not OK is to denigrate or become angry, or flounce out of the Church. As a good and faithful Catholic that you believe you are, you and all of us, should exercise the love and tolerance of Christ. Everyone needs to feel at home in his home and in his religious celebrations. We must try and grant the same right to others. This is how we ourselves are evangelized and we then become apostles of evangelization to those around us. Just imagine how different our whole social and political situation would be if we Christians were more tolerant and accepting of each others 'weird' practices?