ST. BRENDAN CHURCH · ST. BRENDAN CHURCH 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. No. (415)...
Transcript of ST. BRENDAN CHURCH · ST. BRENDAN CHURCH 29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. No. (415)...
ST. BRENDAN CHURCH
29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. No. (415) 681-4225
www.stbrendanparish.org
Uncomfortable Religion: Allegiance To God Over the last few weeks, we’ve been taking an honest look at some of the rather uncomforta-ble statements made by Jesus in the Gos-pel readings. Our eight-week message
series leading up to Advent is called, More Than Lipservice: Living Out An Uncomfortable Religion. The personal challenge issued to each of us in these passages should not be a source of discouragement, but rather a call to honest self-assessment and the desire for change and growth. In the passage from Saint Matthew’s Gospel this week, the Pharisees team up with the Hero-dians, another Jewish sect, to entrap Jesus. It is an unholy alliance to bring down the Messiah. The Pharisees are religious patriots, bitterly opposed to the Roman occupation of Palestine at the time, while the Herodians are perfectly content to remain strange bedfellows with their Gentile rulers. Together they ap-proach Jesus and ask him whether a Jew should pay the census tax to the Roman Empire. It’s a trick question. Advising not to pay the tax would bring him before the authorities as an instigator of a tax revolt, but advising to pay the tax would discredit him in the eyes of the people who hated Roman rule. Jesus’ response was a simple one: “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21). While the statement is intentionally indirect, Jesus ba-sically renders the claims of Caesar secondary to those of God. Compared to the coin of God’s realm, Caesar’s claim is rather trivial. While Caesar demands a coin, God demands the entire human person. Our highest
obligation in life, therefore, is to give ourselves back to the Lord. The uncomfortable truth is that God has claimed us for his own before we even could choose him and expects us to pledge our allegiance to him alone. A common interpretation of this passage segregates the two realms belonging to God and society into two sep-arate and exclusive kingdoms: one religious, the other
secular; one spiritual, the other temporal; one holy, the other ordinary; one sacred, the other profane. In this view, the two worlds never con-verge. However, God has always used the profane and the secular as instruments to carry out his divine will. Cyrus, for instance, was the king of Persia at the time the ancient Israelites were allowed to return to their homeland after a hundred years of exile in Babylon. Though Cyrus had never
known or worshiped the God of Israel, the Lord used him to free the exiles.
Once, I asked a class of young people to write down the name of every group or organization to which they belonged. The most common answers were school, sports teams, family, nation, or ethnic background. Church didn’t really come up, I suppose, because it must have seemed separate and alien from the ordinary world that occupied their daily attention. But what if we were to pledge our undivided allegiance to the one and only God by living in the temporal, sec-ular, and profane world as his followers, rebuilding human society from within? Instead of perceiving God and culture as two separate realities, what if we were to sanctify the world by our holy actions “in the ordinary circumstances of social and fami-ly life?” (Lumen Gentium n. 31).
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 22, 2017
Fr. Roger Gustafson, Pastor
News & Events Featured Events
ST. BRENDAN MEMORIAL MASS November 4 at 10:00 a.m.
Reception to follow in Church Hall
Join us for St. Brendan’s annual memorial mass to remember and pray for those who have died, espe-cially those who have passed away since October
2016. Bring a flower to place on the altar in remem-brance. If you would like to include a photograph of your loved one in the In Memoriam slideshow to be
presented at the reception, please email a photo-graph to Brad Angeja at [email protected].
YEAR OF PRAYER CONTINUES November 15 at 7 p.m.
St. Brendan’s year of prayer continues next month with Father Roger speaking on Gratitude as a Way of Life. Experience an interactive session when Father Roger
will guide us in practicing prayers of gratitude. This will be the perfect way to get in the right mindset for the
Thanksgiving holidays. Praise & Worship Music includ-ed and light refreshments following presentation.
SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN TOURS
Tours for prospective kindergarten parents are now being held. Reservations for the tours must be made in advance by calling (415) 731-2665.
St. Brendan School, mindful of its mission to be witness to the love of Christ for all, admits students of any race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at this school. St. Brendan School does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, and national and/or ethnic origin, age, sex or disability in administration of educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Likewise, St. Brendan School does not unlawfully discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of age, sex, disability, race, color and national and/or ethnic origin.
RETROUVAILLE WEEKEND FOR MARRIED COUPLES
November 3-5, 2017
Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) helps couples through difficult times in their marriages. This program has helped thousands of couples experiencing
difficulties in their marriage. For confidential infor-mation or to register for the November program with
Father Roger, visit the website at www.retrouvaille.org, or pick up a brochure in the back of church.
The Good News
Graceful Prayer By Ben Gerigk,
St. Brendan Catechist
Each week, we will summarize a specific style, form, or approach to prayer, using the highly-acclaimed book by Robert J. Wicks, Prayer in the Catholic Tradition: A Handbook of Practical Ap-proaches (Franciscan Media 2006). In this article, you will learn more about how God’s grace and prayer relate to each other. First, it’s important to understand that grace is not a thing. Grace actually is a relationship with God. Through the favor of God, we are invited into his life of love. Grace is that free and undeserved gift from God that draws us more and more closely to him. The experience of grace develops as we become more fully aware of God’s presence, particularly at pivotal moments in our lives. A German Jesuit the-ologian, Karl Rahner, re-minds us, for example, that “grace is present in our experience at times when we live beyond our limits, when we hope beyond our hope, sacrifice our safety for our fellow neigh-bors, or when we seek the cause of truth and jus-tice.” Grace and prayer are intrinsically intertwined. They depend on and cooperate with each other. The more we turn towards God in praise and thanksgiving, the more the Lord’s grace silently works within us to turn us even more consciously towards God. It is a kind of cooperation between the human freedom to choose God or to reject him and the grace the Lord gives us to be able to choose him in the first place. As Saint Bernard of Clairvaux put
it, “every good act which fosters our growing un-ion with the Father through Christ in the Spirit and the love of our world is brought by God’s grace and in human freedom.” In other words, the more God pours out his grace on us, the more disposed towards prayer we be-come, and the more we pray, the more God’s grace is set into motion when we pray. This rela-tionship between grace and prayer continues to grow and deepen until that day when we are gath-ered fully into God’s kingdom and this world is
transformed into a new heaven and a new earth and God “may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). On that day, “cooperative grace” becomes “consummating grace.” The practice of asking for God’s grace in prayer can be found in the famous Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Each week, retreatants are di-rected to pray for God’s grace to make them more
penitent for wrongdoing, to deepen their love for Jesus and their desire to know him and share in his mission, to experience the suffering and death of Christ, and to share in the joy of the resurrection and new life in Christ. Grace supports and fulfills us as we pray, and we can and should ask for an outpouring of God’s grace in our prayer. This week, try asking the Lord not so much for the specific things you may seek in life, such as health or material blessings. Ra-ther, try simply asking for God’s grace to fill you completely and deeply, and then watch how over time you experience his presence more fully.
The Good News
”An Offering For The Hungry”
By Joanna Collins Author of Lyrics of Parish Song for Year of
Prayer, “We Gather in Your Presence”
On the journey of faith, prayer might well be con-sidered our GPS. It reminds us of our origin, out-lines our route, and highlights our destination. In truth, however, prayer is also the vehicle that car-ries us and propels us forward. Without it, our destination is simply unreachable. As the Cate-chism of the Catholic Church puts it, prayer is “a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God” (CCC 2558). It’s not just important. It’s vital. Like most raised in the faith, prayer for me began with, well, prayers: dinnertime grace, an Angel of God and “God Bless” before bed, and all the standard “Church pray-ers.” I knew people who were great pray-ers. My great-grandma, Rose, comes to mind, whose name, I was con-vinced, was short for “Rosary.” At some point, prayer also became internal: little conversations with God when I wanted to thank Him for something good or, more often, ask Him for something I really want-ed. Simple. Over time, life grew increasingly complex, and prayer shifted, mainly to the back burner. Prayer time was Sunday Mass. Sure, I made my requisite visits to the Grotto before exams during college days at Notre Dame, but what usually occupied my mind in those minutes were the math formu-las I needed to know the next morning. And the distractions and diversions just kept on coming. But God keeps knocking. I recognize now that prayer begins with God’s movement toward me, not vice-versa. And He never gives up. When
I’ve struggled most, He’s been there, waiting for me to turn to Him in a quiet moment, admit my failings, and listen. And as I come to know the loving relationship He desires to pour into me, prayer time takes on a whole new urgency. God is beyond us, God surrounds us, and God is within us. Prayer reflects that reality. We encoun-ter God externally in the wonder of creation and in the songs and prayers of our community of be-lievers. We come to know Him more deeply as we ponder His Word, and seek His grace and mercy in our hearts. Ultimately, we find God in
our innermost being, in the quiet contemplation of our soul. God speaks to us in those moments of silence. And in the silence, we can listen. Paul exhorted his disciples to “pray always,” to pray as we live. But, borrowing a para-phrase of the Catechism, we can’t pray always if we don’t pray sometimes. Personal pray-er needs to be built into our
day. For me, prayer happens in the stillness of the morning, beginning with a humble offering of praise and gratitude, reflection on the deep de-sires of my heart, and a renewed commitment to allow God to shepherd me. I offer intentions for each of my daughters, seeking guidance for them where they are most in need of His Wisdom. Then, with a short ‘examen’ at the end of the day, I give thanks for the times I responded to God’s call, and ask forgiveness for the times I didn’t. God invites us into relationship with him. May prayer be our heartfelt response.
Navigating Prayer
The Gospel passage today emphasizes that God’s kingdom must be primary. As good citizens, Christians are to pay taxes and support just governments. The most important claim on our lives, however, is allegiance to the one and only God. “I am the LORD and there is no other,” the first reading today says “There is no God besides me.” The demand for faithfulness to God alone arises from the story of our origin. We were created by a God who breathed life into our mortal bodies and animated each of us with a soul made for eterni-ty. We were created in his image the bible says in Genesis 1:26. As rational agents with free will to choose or reject righteousness, we were made to resemble the Creator and are therefore invited into his divine life through love of God and fellowship with one anoth-er. Made in the Lord’s image, we also are sent into the world on a mis-sion of redemption to call back creation to its original holiness through the sacrifice of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. In the second reading, Paul gives thanks for the Thessalonian people because they were chosen by God and called to a “work of faith and labor of love” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). “I have called you by your name,” God says to the king of Persia in the first reading. Alt-hough Cyrus did not know or worship the Israelite God, even he became an instrument of divine will. Stewardship is the clear expression of a Christian disciple who rec-ognizes that he or she was chosen by God and called into mission and ministry. With gratitude for all that we have been given, our fundamental identity is that of a steward, one who goes into the fields and labors for God’s kingdom by using our time, talent, and treasure for him alone. —Father Roger Gustafson, Pastor
Stewardship
Jesus makes the definitive statement in the gospel reading to “repay . . . to God what belongs to God.” Since everything belongs to God, the com-mand obviously is to return the first and best portion of what we have been given to be used for his purpos-es. We honor God, not by giving him a gift out of our abundance, some-thing we have earned, but rather as the reading says, “repay[ing]” him for the divine generosity we have been shown. Though many would like to deny it, this command also includes our material resources to be used for building God’s kingdom.We invite you to make a planned, proportionate, and sacrificial financial commitment to this parish and to poor. The biblical standard is a tenth of our income, be-fore taxes or anything else is taken out, half to the Church and half to the poor. It’s a huge step and takes trust, but we can never out give God.
SECOND COLLECTIONS NEXT WEEK:
NAPA & SONOMA FIRES
SUNDAY COLLECTION October 15, 2017
GOAL $ 9,500
TOTAL $ 9,962
Over $ 462
Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares them generously in love of God and neighbor. Stewardship is not about money or fundraising. It is a spirituali-ty. It is a way of life. A steward recognizes that God is the source of all life and every blessing and that all gifts of time, talent, and treasure come from God. A steward is grateful for those gifts. A steward takes care of and increases those gifts, and then freely gives back the first and best portion of those gifts to God.
$29.95/Mo. billed quarterly• One Free Month• No Long-Term Contract• Price Guarantee• Easy Self Installation
Call Today! Toll Free 1.877.801.8608
Medical Alert System
Grow in your faith,find a Mass, and
connect with yourCatholic Community
with OneParish!
Download Our Free App or Visit
MY.ONEPARISH.COM
Serving families for more than 150 years
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
1123 Sutter Street, San Francisco • 415-673-3000
FD Lic # 334 www.halstedngray.com
Come Sail Away on a 7-night Catholic Exotic Cruise. Prices begin at $1045per couple which includes all port fees and taxes. Daily Mass and Rosary
offered. Deposit of only $350 per person will reserve your cabin.
Space is limited. Thanks and God Bless,Brian or Sally, coordinators 860.399.1785
an Official TravelAgency of
Apostleship ofthe Sea-USA
CST 2117990-70
913112 St Brendan Church (B)
From the WLP Vaultcomes the Bible Story of Christmas
featuring 8 Classic Christmas Carols and a reading of the Gospel of Luke 2: 4-20 by Bing Crosby!
Also available on vinyl.
Visit WLPmusic.com to purchase your copy - CD $10.00
800-566-6150 Photo Courtesy of Bing Crosby Enterprises
If You Live Alone You Need LIFEWatch!24 Hour Protection at HOME and AWAY!
✔Ambulance✔Police ✔Fire✔Friends/Family
CALLNOW! 800.393.9954
FREE Shipping • FREE Activation
NO Long Term Contracts
SPECIAL OFFER: FREE LIFEWatch
Shoppers Tote with your order
Solutions as Low as$1a Day!
www.jspaluch.com For Ads: J.S. Paluch Co., Inc. 1-800-231-0805
Looking to hireExperienced Phone Sales people to sell
advertising space in Church Bulletins. Previousexperience in cold calling, business to business and
closing skills are required. Bilingual a plus.
Earning potential 25K to 35K+ per year.
Call Our Recruiter at800-621-5197, Ext. 2823
www.jspaluch.com EOE
J.S. Paluch CompanyBulletin Advertising Sales Division
• Aggressive Advertising Sales Representative Needed
• Excellent Benefit & Commission Plan
• Earning Potential 60K+ Per Year - Full Time Only
• Must Have Strong Prospecting and Closing Skills
Please Contact Our Recruiter at: 800-621-5197, Ext. 2823www.jspaluch.com EOE
Grow Your Business, Advertise Here.Support Your Church & Bulletin.
Free professional ad design & my help!email: [email protected]
Call Phillip Monares415.260.6412
www.jspaluch.com
2285 Revere Ave.S.F. 94124
• GARAGE DOOR REPAIRS
• DOORS & OPENERS
Mark GriffinOwner and Graduate
(St. Finn Barr/Riordan)
7 Radio Dispatched Trucks
648-6413Lic. 671116
Saint MargaretSunday MissalAn ideal companionfor personal prayer.
In Stock & Ready to Order Today.
CALL OR ORDER ONLINE. $39.95
800-566-6150 • www.wlpmusic.com
McKEEVERR E A L T Y
Chuck Lewkowitz
712 Monterey Blvd., S.F.
(415) 239-8420
STONESTOWN
John W. Schulz, D.D.S.Serving SF for Over 25 Yrs
* General Dentistry
* Dentistry for Children
* Cosmetic Dentistry
595 Buckingham Wy 731-4058
Ruth Downs Sullivan
Laura Sullivan Van Zandt
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Specializing in
Estate/Tax Planning, Trusts,
Wills, Probate,
Conservatorship and
Family Law
605 Market Street
495-3800
THE LAWSON
ROOFING CO., INC.
"Since 1907"
Contractor Lic. No. 339053
1495 Tennessee St., S.F.
228855--11666611913112 St Brendan Church (A)
415-592-9668
5411 Geary Blvd,San Francisco, CA 94121
PARTIES
COURT RENTAL
CAMPS
Michael T. SweeneyAttorney at Law
WILLS * TRUSTS * PROBATE
782A Ulloa Street(415) 664-8810
The Bud Duggan Family500 Westlake Ave., Daly City
Unlimited Parking
415/587-4500duggansserra.com
Bill Duggan, ParishionerFD1098
Since 19242254 Market St., San Francisco
between 15th and 16th Streets
415/621-4567sullivansfh.com
Jim Sullivan, ParishionerFD228
Celebrations of Life and Receptions
Traditional and Cremation Services
During Difficult Times... Simplicity and Affordability Makes Good Sense.
www.jspaluch.com For Ads: J.S. Paluch Co., Inc. 1-800-231-0805
SERVING WITH TRUST
AND CONFIDENCE
SINCE 1850
Evergreen Mortuary of
McAvoy - O'Hara Co.
4545 Geary BOULEVARD at TENTH AVENUE
Phone 668-007724 hrs.
(415) [email protected]
RE Loans / Mortgage AdvisorRonald O’ConnorNMLS# 253766
The Most Complete
Online National
Directory of
Catholic ParishesCheck It Out Today!
MICHAEL AND JOY FREETHYRealtors
Your “Neighborhood Specialists”(415) 823-7917
COLDWELL BANKER1801 Lombard St.San Francisco, CA 94123Email: [email protected]
Top Producers - 22-yrs ExperienceSpecializing in Residential, Probate & Trust Sales
Please visit our websites atwww.ForSanFranciscoHomes.com
or www.ProbateRealtor.comComplementary Notary Public for all parishioners.
FREDRIC R. WARREN, DDS, MSD
Orthodontics for
Children and Adults
15 West Portal Ave., S.F.(415) 681-2418
www.WarrenOrtho.com
Offering the Damon System of braces
as well as Invisalign for the entire family
Thank you for advertising inour church bulletin.
I am patronizing your businessbecause of it!
Please Cut Out This “Thank You Ad”and Present It The Next Time YouPatronize One of Our Advertisers
✂
SAINT BRENDAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Church
29 Rockaway Avenue San Francisco CA 94127 Rectory Phone: (415) 681-4225 Mon - Thurs: 8:30 am - Noon, 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Sun: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm www.stbrendanparish.org
School 940 Laguna Honda Blvd. San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. (415) 731-2665 www.stbrendansf.com
Convent Canossian Sisters 234 Ulloa Street San Francisco CA 94127 Tel. (415) 681-3465
STAFF Pastor Fr. Roger Gustafson Ext.220 [email protected] Parochial Vicar Fr. Peterson Tieng Ext.214 [email protected] In Residence Fr. Paul Warren Ext. 208 Pastoral Associate Sr. Angela Furia, FdCC Ext. 201 [email protected] Director of Evangelization & Faith Formation Manolito Jaldon [email protected] Ext. 205 Music Director Mario Balestrieri (415) 218-1767 School Principal Dianne Lakatta (415) 731-2665 [email protected] Parish Manager Lisa Rosenlund (415) 969-6815 [email protected] Finance Manager Venetia Hui Gatus Ext. 202 [email protected] Administrative Assistant Ext. 101 Maeve O’Reilly [email protected]
Religious Education & Sacramental Preparation
Infant Baptism & RCIA for Children Sr. Angela Furia (415) 681-4225, Ext. 201
Adult Faith Formation/Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA): Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr. (415) 681-4225, Ext. 205
Sunday Children’s Liturgy: Marco & Karen Donaldson Preparation for Reconciliation & First Holy Communion Grade 2: Stephanie Stanko Faith Formation: Grade 3: Tara Donohue Grades 4 & 5: Christina Bui
Preparation for Confirmation: Grade 6: Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr. & Ben Gerigk Grade 7: Liza Bonpin Grade 8: Mary Zell Spellman
Youth of St. Brendan: A Life Teen Ministry (Post Confirmation & High School): Manolito S. Jaldon, Jr. & Ben Gericgk
Liturgical Ministries
Lectors: Richard Pinto Eucharistic Ministers: Charlotte Bautista Ushers: Mike Casazza Sacristan: Jack Mona Liturgy Committee: Anne Kearney Parish Life Welcome Committee Kathleen Bost Jeremy Straus ([email protected])
Hospitality Committee Maria Evangelista
Mothers’ Club Lori Doyle
Men’s Club Joshua Shaskan
Respect Life Mary Ann Schwab
Knitting Ministry Marie Jean Longa
Experienced Navigators: Tony Fernandez
Married Couples Club: Angela Riordan & Elia Gonzalez [email protected]
Outreach Ministries Consolation Ministry Merry Jean Chan [email protected]
Detention Ministry (San Dimas) Julio Escobar (415) 244-5594
Marian Servers Dr. Lou Scheerer
St. Vincent de Paul Society Tad Tassone (415) 587-3849
MASSES
Sunday: 7:00, 8:00, 9:30,11:30 AM Mon-Fri: 6:30 & 8:30 AM Saturday: 8:30 AM 5:00 PM Holy Days: 6:30 AM, 8:30 AM and 6:00 PM
CONFESSIONS Saturday: 4:15 - 4:45 PM Wednesday: 7:15 - 7:45 PM
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION Wednesday: 7:00 - 8:00 PM Saturday: 4:00 - 4:45 PM
BAPTISMS & WEDDINGS
For information, please see our website at www.stbrendanparish.org or call us at (415) 681-4225.
MASS INTENTIONS (October 23-29, 2017)
6:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m.
Monday Diana Heafey (D) Matthew Aguirre (L)
Tuesday Louis Armanino (D)
Christen Aguirre (L)
Wednesday Baltazar Aguirre Jr. (D)
Ricardo S. Morada (D)
Thursday Rogaciano Amo-ra Sr. (D)(B-Day)
Linda Cunningham (L) (Healing)
Friday Kevin Aguirre (L)
Helen Ng (D)
Weekday
Weekend
SAT 8:30 a.m. Rosario Aguirre (L)
SUN 7 a.m. The People of St. Brendan Parish
SUN 8 a.m. Jesse Tribulato(L)(100th B-Day)
SUN 9:30 a.m. Gertrude Maguire Smith (D)
SUN 11:30 a.m. Ann Shoback (D)
SAT 5 p.m. David O’Connor (D)
Parish Leadership
Advisory Board : Mike Modesti Finance Committee : Eoin O’Connor
Children and Youth Under Five Ministry: Kendra Perlitz Devon Klinefelter Girl Scouts: Lisa Shaskan Kirstin McFarlane Boy Scouts: Boy Scouts: Maureen Hurley Cub Scouts: Robert Rees ([email protected]) Youth Ministry: Stacey Simpson Gus Del Puerto