News Around the Parish

Retired Religious – Did you know that not everyone in the U.S. receives Social Security?  It was a comment made by Sr. Barbara Beasley, a sister of the Good Shepherd, who made an appeal last Sunday for the Retired Religious.  In the past, the religious who took vows of poverty and worked in schools, hospitals, and parishes received no salary and so did not pay into the Social Security system.  In 1972, they were allowed to enter into the Social Security system, but had to pay a huge amount in order to be eligible.  The smaller religious communities, who were unable to pay this huge amount, were sadly, unable to enroll their sisters in Social Security.  In the past, when there were more religious women working than retired, they could afford the care of their older sisters.  However, as the number of working sisters decreased and the number of retired sisters increased, with longer life expectancy and the rise of medical costs kyrocketing, this has become a problem for many religious communities.

They still see their mission as important and are anxious to use their financial resources for ministry and service to others.  At the same time, the religious communities are responsible for the health and retirement expenses for each sister and take this responsibility very seriously.  Most sisters feel a deep discomfort with this appeal on their behalf.  They would much rather keep their need hidden and trust that God will provide.  That is why I am writing and making an appeal on their behalf.  In fact, I only learned the depth of their need in the past few months.  Because the current practice, the employer (parish or school) and employee (priest or religious) pays into Social Security, I assumed it was the same for everyone.  But in fact, many older retired religious do not receive the same benefit we take for granted.  So if you have not given to this collection yet, might I invite you to join me and make a donation on behalf of a Sister who taught you in school or a Priest who celebrated the Sacraments with you?  Your check can be made to St. Brendan Church and add in the Memo line, for Retired Religious.  Thank you!

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner – Please reserve on your calendar, the evening of Saturday December 31 as an appreciation evening for all of you who give your time and talent to the parish.  From the Advisory Board, to the Finance Committee, Men’s Club, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Choir, Liturgical Environment, Building Committee, Welcome Committee, Sunday Hospitality, Youth Ministry, Under Five and so much more, we want to honor and thank you for all that you do to make our parish vibrant and strong.  So the evening will begin with Mass at 5pm offered for your intentions, followed with dinner in our beautifully remodeled hall.  Invitations will follow.

Appreciation Gift to our Bishops – To be a Bishop these days is no easy task.  Often times they have inherited the problems of their predecessors and have become a lightning rod for all who are angry with the Church.  So on your behalf, St. Brendan parish gave Archbishop George Niederauer, Auxiliary Bishop William Justice and Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy an appreciation gift for their selfless sacrifice to serve God and His people in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Happy New Year – the Church’s Liturgical Calendar begins on this first Sunday of Advent, 4 weeks before our celebration of Christmas. So, Happy New Year! In the early Church, around the 4th century, the preparation for Christmas was similar to Lent with a heavy tone on fasting and prayer. By the 9th century, the focus shifted to what we have today, a joyful hope and anticipation for Christ’s return at the end of time, and also to celebrate His first coming. A visual symbol to help us prepare for this celebration is the Advent wreath. The wreath is in the shape of a circle, which has no beginning or end: so we call to mind how our lives, here and now, will not end but continue on to eternity, in God’s Kingdom. The candles that we light each week also have meaning. The first candle that we lit this week stands for Hope. We can have hope, because God is faithful and just as He came among us the first time, He will come again and establish His Kingdom, where we will live in the fullness of joy and peace. The 2nd candle that we will light symbolizes Preparation. It reminds us to live our lives in preparation for the day we will encounter our Lord, whether it is at our death,or at His 2nd coming. The 3rd candle that we will light, they pink candle, symbolizes Joy. As the angels said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid,” so we too are reminded that the coming of the Lord as our Savior is not to be feared, but to be greeted with Joy. And the last candle symbolizes Love. The God who came among us and who will come again LOVES US. All that we have, all that we are, is because God loves you and me.

So prepare the way of the Lord. Live with joy and hope, for the lover of our souls will come to greet us.

Welcome Home – To all of you who are here for Thanksgiving and are visiting family or friends, welcome to our parish. As they say in Spanish, “mi casa es su casa,” which means “my home is your home.” So please come and visit anytime. Know there is always room in our Father’s house for you. And if you’re looking for a place to call your Spiritual Home, we also hope you’ll find in us, what your heart has been earching. Please take home a Welcome Booklet available in our entrances that will show you the variety of activities and ministries within our parish. When you’ve decided to make this your Spiritual Home and register here, one of the members of our Welcome Committee will contact and welcome you. Twice a year we pay special recognition to New Parishioners. One at our Annual Parish Dinner which happened on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (11/19), and another one 6 months later on the Sunday closest to the Feast of our patron saint, St. Brendan (5/16). So if you’re new here, come and introduce yourself to one of the priests, sisters or staff. We hope you’ll find in us, what your heart has been longing, a warm community and a spiritual home.

Annual Parish Dinner – I want to thank our Welcome Committee members chaired by Gina Eggert and Kristy Warner for planning and making our yearly Parish Dinner a success. As in the past, we specially
honored those who are new to our parish. Through the efforts of the Welcome Committee Members and the warmth and kindness of each parishioner here, this community continues to attract many people. Some even choose to become Catholics based on what they’ve experienced in us. So I want to extend a big thank you once again for all the members of the Welcome Committee, for the many hours they’ve spent in the evenings coordinating for this dinner. It was simply delightful to get together for no reason
other than to celebrate and give thanks to God for our many blessings.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Using the New Missal – After all the talk about the New Roman Missal, it will finally be implemented next Sunday, 11/27. The 1st Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical Year. In spite of all the preparation and explanation, some people will undoubtedly still ask, why the changes are taking place. The short answer is, because it is an update. In the 2000 years of the Church’s history, there have been periodic revisions of the Missal. This is the 3rd revision of the English Missal which was first introduced in 1974, after the Second Vatican Council. Prior to the beginning of this millennium, it was Pope John Paul II’s vision to introduce an updated version. The Latin version was completed and approved in 2002, and the English version was approved last year. It was Pope John Paul II’s vision, that the translation be not only more beautiful in its address to God, but also more accurate. Some of the prayers in the Missal go back to the time of Jesus and 80% are dated before the 9th century. So John Paul didn’t want future translations to lose the beauty of our heritage. Thanks to him, the new translation will preserve the richness of our heritage, as it will be used in the different languages throughout the world. As some people find change difficult, may I ask that you pray for the success of the new translation and that the transition will go smoothly? Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving – Would you believe that grateful people lead happier lives? This was from an article I read a few years back from a mental health professional. So often, we go through our busy lives from one activity to another without pause or reflection. But if we stopped and reflected for a moment, we would see that even in the most difficult of circumstances, we are blessed. If you don’t believe it, try it yourself. At the end of the day, stop and count the number of blessings you’ve received. Do that for a week and see if that will lead you to a happier life. Our parish Thanksgiving Mass will be on Thursday at 9:30am. We invite you to bring a canned or non-perishable food to that mass, and bring it up to the altar during the Preparation of the Gifts, to symbolically offer your gift of a grateful heart to God. Members of St. Vincent De Paul will accept our donations and make them available to the needy.

Stewardship – I’m always grateful for your support to our parish through the gift of your time, talent and financial gift. Our Finance Committee met last week and we looked into the operating budget. As we ended the last fiscal year with approximately $1,000 in surplus, they were concerned that with the cost of living increasing, such as insurance, salaries and health care, we might not be able to meet our increased costs with the current income. The Finance Committee suggested I ask if you would consider increasing your donation to meet this year’s rising costs. And if you haven’t given to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, might you consider giving to this appeal as well? Else, we will have to take it out of our operating budget which will increase our financial burden. Please know of my gratitude for your generosity, and my prayers for those of you who are struggling financially.

With deepest admiration and gratitude,
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Congratulations to our 2nd Graders – On Thursday, Nov 10, 2011 @ 6pm, our 2nd graders received First Reconciliation. Of the 7 Sacraments, 3 are for Initiation (Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation), 2 are for Service (Marriage and Holy Orders) and 2 are for Healing (Anointing of the Sick and Reconciliation). The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a wonderful encounter with the Lord who knows our strengths and weaknesses, and forgives us when we acknowledge our failures. Although there are critics who say that this sacrament is celebrated too early when we do it in the 2nd grade, because they ask what kind of sin could a 2nd grader get into? However, it is good to begin early to teach our children to recognize and to acknowledge their faults. So often in our society, the tendency is to blame other people and not accept responsibility for our own failures. This sacrament teaches us to examine our souls so that we can learn from our failures and grow from them. I want to thank Mrs. Sonia Ino and Mrs. Nina Warda for preparing our children for this Sacrament. And I also want to thank their parents for teaching them the way of Christ.

Annual Mass of Remembrance – I want to thank Sr. Catherine, Julie Modesti and members of the Consolation Ministry for organizing the Mass of Remembrance (Sat., 11/12 @ 10am) for the loved ones of those who’ve died in the past year. Although at every mass we pray for the dead, but it is a beautiful tradition of our Church to set aside, in the month of November, time to remember of our beloved departed. It is regrettable that in certain Christian traditions they don’t pray for the dead because it is their belief that after our beloved die, it is judgment, so no amount of prayer would help them after their death. However, in our Catholic tradition, believe in the communion of saints. We believe that those who die do not cease to care for us, just as we do not cease caring for them. They remain, for us, part of the body of Christ. And so just as we would pray for each other in this life, we can also pray for them and they for us. “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual life shine upon them. May they rest in peace. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.”

With prayers and blessings,
Fr. Dan

Welcome to St. Brendan!

August 28, 2014

DEAR VISITORS to the St. Brendan Parish Website:

In our present age which is full of technology, we live in what they call a GLOBAL VILLAGE where REACHING OUT has been made easier. You can reach us in cyberspace through this website. But most of all, I welcome you all to join us and find out and discover the many things in our parish by visiting us at our location here in San Francisco. Initially, you can explore the many happenings in the church through our parish website.

If after some time, you think St. Brendan is the place where you feel you belong and will feel accepted, you are most welcome to attend our celebrations and to even register as a parishioner.

Looking forward to your visit when you join the friendly parishioners of our church to give glory and praise to our God.

In the love of Christ,
Fr. Ted Magpayo

Click for Parish Registration

News Around the Parish

Congratulations to our Newly Confirmed – On Saturday, Nov 5, 2011 @ 10am, Bishop Daly celebrated Confirmation with our 8th grade parish teens. Prior to this, they attended a retreat led by John Angotti, a
gifted musician and inspirational speaker. The teens shared that they were really touched by his music and words. He shared a video with them that asked about the 7 wonders of the world. Many people would name landmarks like the Great Wall or the Pyramids, however, when a little girl in the video responded with love, taste, touch, hearing, smell, sight and God’s love, it awoke in many of them the wonderful gift they’ve been given. After this retreat, they shared that they felt ready to embrace the faith themselves. I want to thank their parents, godparents, Mrs. Carol Grewal, Mr. Dave Lopez, and all their teachers and staff at St. Brendan’s school for being good role models for our young men and women. And to our Confirmandis’, thank you for continuing to say “Yes” to God with your lives.

Photo Directory – I want to thank Elizabeth Moore and a couple of other members of the Welcome Committee, Naz Roudiani and Peggy Nevin and a host of volunteers for helping us coordinate, staff and schedule the portraits for the Parish Photo Directory. Although the parish hall was not available for the portraits because of the renovation, however, we used the rectory and it has been absolutely delightful. Between our work, Fr. Mike, Bro. Dat and I were able to visit with those who came in for their sessions. The sessions went so well, that we added 2 more make-up days, Sun., 11/6 & Mon., 11/7. If you’re interested, please visit www.stbrendanparish.org to register for a session on-line.

It Takes a Village – Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a faith community to form a priest. This week Bro. Dat Nguyen’s seminary field supervisor, Fr. Jerry Brown (not related to our governor) will come and visit our parish to see how Bro. Dat is adapting to parish ministry. Fr. Mike, Sr. Catherine, our
Principal Carol and a couple of other parishioners and I make up a committee to support him, guide him and evaluate him. But you also can be of help to him by giving him feedback, whether it is constructive comments or a pat on the back. Even simply sharing stories about your children’s latest escapade, or your faith journey, your struggles, your joys and hopes will also help him contextualize the theology and spirituality he has learned. Franciscan Fr. Keenan Osborne led a retreat for my class before ordination and he used an interesting term, “depot theology.” What he meant was, after all the study we did in our classes, we should go to a bus depot, observe and reflect how all the academics we had learned would apply in the little cross section of the world called a bus depot. Bro. Dat’s presence has been an instrument of growth for me too, as I figure out how to be the best mentor I can be for him. And I pray he has been a source of inspiration and growth for you as well.

Building Committee Members – Last week I thanked those who’ve helped us in the second phase of the hall renovation. I worried that as soon as I started naming names in my column, I would accidentally leave someone out. And I sure did. As soon as my article was sent to press, I remembered I had left out Pete Murphy & Paul Eggert. At the risk of leaving someone out again, I’d like to include now the members of the Building Committee. Chair, Jim Ferry, Bryan Birmingham, Bryn Brugioni, Tom Christian, Paul Eggert, Sean Ferry, Stephen Flannery, Maureen Hurley, Pete Murphy, Lisa Ikeda, Bill Kelly, Peter Zepponi & Fr. Mike. For their time, their talents as well as their treasure, thanks again for making our hall look so beautiful.

News Around the Parish

Parade of Saints – On Sunday October 30, 2011 at the 11:30am Mass, about 20 saints will join us for Mass. These saints are 3rd graders dressed in costume in anticipation of Halloween. They will briefly introduce themselves to us and will march on, leading us to a reception down in our newly renovated hall. I want to thank Marie Detweiler, Mrs. Armanino, the Women at the Well and the 3rd grade students and parents for planning and making this event possible. As most of you know, the feast of All Saints will be on November 1st. The Mass times are: Vigil Mass 5pm, 6:30am, 7:30am, 8:30am (with the School), and 6pm. In addition, we will remember All Souls by celebrating a novena, at the regular weekday and Sunday Masses. On the 2nd Saturday of November, we will have a special Mass of Remembrance for all those in our parish who have died in the past year. Members of the Consolation Ministry have been in touch with families of the deceased to let them know that they and their beloved have not been forgotten. A special liturgy for their beloved departed will be celebrated on Saturday, November 12 at 10am. All are invited to attend any of these services.

State of the Parish and School Report – The Annual Finance Report has been published and is available at the entrances of the Church. This year, besides reporting on the financial status of the parish, we have
included a state of the parish and school as well. Although our financial health is always of concern to me, as we’ve experienced a decrease in collection from 14% during my first year here, to a decrease of 7% last year, however, I am grateful for those of you who have responded to an appeal for an increase in the collection. During the 1st quarter of last year, we noticed a drop of about $10,000 in our collection from the year before. As we had run a $40K deficit the year before, I had asked if you would consider adding 10% to your collection. Many of you did and helped us stabilize our financial picture. So thank you again for your generosity that helped us end the year with a $1,280 gain.

Remodeled Hall Grand Opening – The grand opening of the Hall happened last Sunday, just in time for the Mother’s Club Bake Sale. Completion of the kitchen and the annex will soon follow. A great big thanks goes to Bryan Birmingham for overseeing the project and putting in many many hours of loving labor into it. Architect, Peter Zepponi, and Interior Design Consultant, Bryn Brugioni, came up with the design after
getting input from members of the Building Committee chaired by Jim Ferry. Other parishioners who worked on the hall (by alphabetical order) were:

Will Bucoy, who worked on the Audio/Visual System
Adrian Duggan of Duggan’s Plumbing
Sean Ferry and Bill Kelly of SL Construction, who worked on the drywall and framing.
Greg Kelly of Beautiful Homes, who painted it
Matt McGuiness of Interior Design Services, Inc., who helped with the carpets and wood floors
Beth O’Leary of Jones-Campbell Co., who supplied us with the chairs and tables
Elliot Tamony of Premier Locksmith, who helped with the locks

To them, to the other members of the Building Committee, Tom Christian, Stephen Flannery, Maureen Hurley, Lisa Ikeda and Fr. Mike, we owe them a great big thanks for all the planning and work they put into it. And thank you for your ongoing support of the Capital Campaign. If you haven’t had a chance to contribute and would like to do so now, know that your gift will be greatly appreciated especially since we’ve had a loss of pledges from deaths, people moving away or financial hardships. Thank You!

Fr. Dan

Reflections of Our Parochial Vicar

Reminisces and Reflections:

I recall attending the Fr. Peyton Rally of over 550,000 Catholics in Golden Gate Park’s Speedway Meadows in 1961 when I was attending Most Holy Redeemer parish in San Francisco.  The anniversary of this  event was recently celebrated again in San Francisco. I remember the event in 1961 as the most people I ever thought I could see in one place.  Fr. Peyton’s voice blared that “The family that prays together stays together!” on the echoing  sound system. The crowd cheered and was delighted. It was truly a spiritual moment, that lifted the spirit of all in attendance as we reflected that we were loved by God and called to do the same with our brothers and sisters on earth.  I had quite the imagination as I witnessed history before me.  In little more than one year, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the nation came together in prayer as it tried to deal with its grief in 1962. I recall the same reaction when the World Trade Center was attacked on 9/11/2011. Out of our shared grief and a realized helplessness, we turned to ask God for help and guidance. Why do we only turn to God in need?

The only times I have heard of crowds bigger than the group who assembled in San Francisco in 1961, were all of the World Youth Days , started under Pope John Paul II, Pope John Paul II’s funeral and Princess Diana’s funeral.  All of these large gatherings have a common theme – prayer.  Unfortunately these days we sometimes do not feel the need for relationship with God until something happens in our lives that makes us feel truly helpless. Then and regrettably for some, only then do some of us turn to God.  We live in an age where the advances of our science allows great feats - in medicine, telecommunications, information systems, food agri-businesses, and even military capabilities, etc. that were not even dreamed of 52 years ago.  Unfortunately we have sometimes forgotten that our relationship with God is the one life line that only we can sever by inattention to our relationship.  As we go forward, let us all redouble our efforts to keep our relationship with God more prominent in our lives.

I have enjoyed every minute at St. Brendan’s, and I’ve been truly impressed by the faith community here. But, if I had to confess a perceived failing, it would be that despite our best efforts, I believe some individuals do not value this precious relationship with God as
they should. I do not believe they see themselves as part of the larger human family, as part of the same group of committed Catholics who once so impressed a 9 year old boy, named Mike Quinn, in 1961. I urge all of us to take an assessment of our relationship with God. 

If there is room for improvement, there is still time!  It is my greatest wish for all of the fine people of this parish.


Fr. Mike

News Arounf the Parish

Confirmation Candidates – At this Sunday’s 9:30 AM Mass, our 8th graders are formally stating their intention before this community of faith to be Candidates for Confirmation. As such, they ask for your prayers to assist them in their journey of faith. As I get older, this Sacrament means more to me than ever. Yes, Baptism, Holy Communion, and Reconciliation are important sacraments. But Confirmation has taken a greater significance as I seek more and more the guidance and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in my life.

I have realized that by myself, I cannot do all that God has called me to do. But relying on God’s grace and Spirit, He enables me to do more than I can ever imagine. So as our young men and women come prepared to receive this Sacrament, I pray earnestly that they will be open to God’s movement and Spirit in their lives, that they will be attentive and obedient to God’s promptings. In so doing, not only will they be partners with God to build a better world, but they will also experience the wonders that God has laid out for their lives. Yes, having the Holy Spirit in my life is a valuable gift I treasure nowadays. Join me in praying for them, that they may experience and value this beautiful gift of God’s self to them. Bishop Tom Daly, Auxiliary Bishop of San Jose, will be the Celebrant at their Confirmation Mass. Bishop Daly’s mother and family still attend Mass here and his niece will be among those being Confirmed this year. Confirmation will be celebrated here on Saturday, November 5, 2011 at 10: 00 AM. You are all welcome.

High School Youth Ministry - Our High School Youth ministry kickoff was last Sunday. About a dozen teens gathered at the 11:30 AM Mass and afterwards came over to the rectory for pizza and drinks. As the weather cooperated, they gathered in the rectory patio and shared their highs and lows of high school life. They were very happy to see each other again as they are all in different high schools now. They resolved to meet monthly on the 3rd Sunday of each month, starting with the late Mass (11:30 AM) and coming together afterwards in the rectory for discussions about teen life, service projects or other social activities. I want to thank George Gamarra for coordinating this get-together and ministry to our teens, and for his wife Elizabeth for coordinating the food. If you know any teen interested in high school youth ministry please share this news with them. We’re also looking for someone to partner with George to help facilitate youth ministry. Or if you’re interested to help with food or with rides, please contact me at 415-681-4225 x 220 or at frdan@stbrendanparish.org.

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) – We’re trying to wrap up our AAA drive. We have less than 20% to go, which is less than $ 17,000. As you may recall, this money pays for chaplains in hospitals like Fr. Te Van Nguyen and Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, (both in residence here) continuing education for our teachers, marriage preparation for engaged couples, financial support for inner city schools and parishes, as well as prison
ministry. I want to thank you for your past support that has paid for my education and formation as a priest and if your finances allow you to support this collection again, know that I am most grateful. But if your finances are tight and you cannot support it this year, know that I understand. May I ask, in that case, for your prayers that the ministry of the Church in our Archdiocese fulfill all that God asks us to do.

Gratefully,
Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Archbishop’s Annual Appeal (AAA) – We already had a drive for AAA at the beginning of the year. At that time, it was my attempt to do only one (1) drive that would meet our obligation of $118,500. Regrettably, we were not able to reach it all at once, but fortunately, we did raise 83% of it. Now, we have less than $20,000 to go.

For those of you who might not have had a chance to donate to this appeal,yet, might I ask you to consider donating to this worthwhile cause. As many of you know, this appeal assists with the running of the Archdiocese that one parish alone might not be able to do. For example, in the training of seminarians, the tuition is $14,649 per year, and another $12,862 for room and board. Since seminarians are full time students and are expected to be working in the parish part time the diocese pays for all their tuition, room and board. The Archdiocese currently has 20 seminarians so that figure alone is $ 550,220 per year. In addition, baby boomer priests are also retiring. Last year alone, ten (10) priests retired raising the total number of retired priests in our diocese to eighty (80). This is 1/3 of the total diocesan priests in the Archdiocese. Although many continue to live and serve in parishes, they may require assisted living when they are unable to care for themselves. The Archdiocese covers their costs, which as you know, can be as much as $3,000 - $6,000 a month, not counting medical expenses. Currently, twelve (12) priests are in Assisted Living facilities.

Another service the Archdiocese provides for parishes is property management. One valuable tool for pastors is a thorough evaluation of the facility and recommendations for improvements over the next 5 years. The report prioritizes areas that need attention and its expected cost, which is valuable in setting our yearly budget. Besides these, our teachers and priests receive ongoing education to help us meet the needs of a changing world. Over the summer, the Office of Youth Ministry had a training session for High School students to be youth leaders and this Sunday, October 9th, they are coordinating a High School Youth Ministry Mass at St. Anne’s Church. Last year, the Youth Mass at St. Anne’s, which normally sits 1,200, was packed. So, please consider giving to this appeal. It truly goes to serve the needs of the Archdiocese. If you like, you can match what Fr. Mike and I have each pledged, which was $375.

Installation of Advisory Board Members – The Advisory Board serves as your voice to give me feedback in planning the future of our parish. Members serve a 3-year term and are chosen from among the different age groups of our community. The outgoing members of the Board are Kevin Morrison (Chair), Kathy Hussain, Sylvia Muzzatti and Christopher Roach. Kevin, as Chair, was the first parishioner I met at St. Brendan. Even before I arrived, he contacted me and welcomed me. So I want to thank Kevin and the other members of the board in their service to the parish and to me. Mrs. Deidre Von Rock-Ricci has generously volunteered to serve as the new Chair. The current Board members are Al Cavagnaro, Gus Del Puerto, Jim Ferry, Marilyn Hawkins, Beth Powers and Maureen Stoss. The incoming Board members are Patrick Frasier, Molly Magnan0, Ann Marie Miller and Brian Stableford. I also want to thank them for their willingness to serve. They will be formally installed this Sunday, October 9th at the 11:30am mass. If you have any suggestions, concerns or comments, please feel free to communicate your thoughts to them so that they can bring it to the Board for discussion.

Gratefully,
Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Changes are Coming: But We will Survive and Thrive – Beginning this Sunday and throughout the Sundays of October, we will be talking in our homilies about the upcoming changes to the Roman Missal that will take place on the First Sunday of Advent (Nov. 27, 2011). This Sunday, we will talk about how we deal with changes in our lives, and the next four (4) Sundays we will go over the 4 different parts of the Mass: The Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Concluding Rites. An unknown author wrote: “Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.” And another unknown author wrote “The key to success is often the ability to adapt.” Lastly, a third unknown author wrote “Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”

We all know that changes can be difficult and they are not always for the better. But change is the only constant in life, just as women’s fashion is always changing. But we’ve always survived change. The only thing that ceases to change in life are things that are dead. I was reading about the last major change that happened in the liturgy and that was back in 1965. In some parishes, the change came even later. Some of you may remember with fondness those days before the change. Mass was in Latin. The priest celebrated Mass with his back to the people. There was a certain mystery to the Mass as women and girls wore white veils in Church, communion was received on the tongue, while kneeling. There were 40 hour devotions, meatless Fridays, collections in school for pagan babies, “JMJ” spontaneously scrawled at the top of your homework papers. The bus driver put his hand over the fare box whenever a priest or Sister entered the bus. We crossed ourselves each time we passed by a Church. Even firefighters with axes and poles, while fighting a fire inside the church, would genuflect each time they passed back and forth before the Blessed Sacrament. It was a time when Catholic culture in the City was strong.

However, the changes that the Second Vatican Council brought changed many of that. Besides the changes in the liturgy, Catholics were able to attend Protestant churches for weddings and funerals. There is a greater sense of collegiality as lay Catholics are invited to participate in the leadership and ministry of the Church. These days, men and women serving as Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers are the norm. Lay people serve in all levels of parish ministry from the advising the pastor regarding the mission of the parish, to finances, the care of the property and teaching and administering our Catholic Schools. Girls, too, are now able to serve alongside boys as altar servers. And the reason is not simply that the Church is running out of priests and sisters to serve the Church. There was a fundamental change in the Council’s view of the laity. No longer are you uneducated, unable to read or write, simple farmers. But many of you are now even more educated than the priests and are invited to use your gifts and talents not only for the growth of the Church, but to serve God in the world where you live, work and play.

So in every change, there is a bit of a loss. But similarly, there is a world of opportunities. Although the upcoming changes in the Roman Missal seem small in comparison to the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council, but my point is simply that we’ve survived and good things came as a result of it. Similarly, the small changes will lead some of us to grieve the loss of the familiar. (Note: the changes are only in the wording and there are less than 50 changes in the people’s response. However, the structure of the Mass remains the same). So let us entrust the future of the Church into God’s hands and that God will bring about a blessing out of these changes. Jesus taught us, “do not be afraid.” So we have nothing to fear, because He said “I will be with you all days, even until the end of the world.”

Altar Server Installation – I want to acknowledge and thank our newest 7th grade altar servers. Last Spring they’ve shadowed with an experienced altar server to learn their role and throughout the Summer, they’ve practiced serving at the weekday and Sunday Masses. Now they are ready to make a commitment to serve God and His Church. We will accept their commitment and dedication at this Sunday’s 9:30am Mass. I also want to thank Mr. Bolden who prepared them and for their parents who assist them by getting them here on time for their Masses.


Gratefully,
Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Sunday Homilies in October – October will be a busy month with Altar Server installation, 8th graders becoming Candidates for Confirmation, Advisory Board and other Club officers renewing their commitment to service. And in the midst of the photo sessions for the parish photo directory, the bake sale and the Youth Ministry BBQ, we do want to make time to talk about the upcoming changes to the New Roman Missal. Our committee planning for this upcoming change thought it would be important to talk about them at the Sunday Masses in October, simply because it is where we can reach the greatest number of people. Although this topic has already been presented in Lent to smaller groups, however, it is at the Sunday Mass that we can introduce this topic to most of our parishioners.

So it is my prayer that you will come with an open mind and heart to what the Lord is doing in His Church. Next Sunday, I would like to begin the conversation by touching upon a subject that affects all of us. “How do we handle change?” Although it is a topic aimed at the New Roman Missal, but it will certainly be relevant in other areas of our lives. I hope you will look at the upcoming changes not only with a sense of remorse and loss, but also with a view of the opportunities it presents. After grieving my disappointments, I can now see the blessings it can bring. For those of you who might be interested to study the changes in greater detail and to have a conversation with fellow parishioners about them, we are planning a sign-up for small study and discussion groups. The Mass that we attend in good times and in bad, from here in the U.S. to Africa, Asia and Europe, have a great richness in history and spirituality. I hope you will use this opportunity during our changes, to deepen your own understanding of the Mass and to grow spiritually. That is certainly our goal, as we prepare for the implementation on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.

Update on the Hall Renovation – the summer months have certainly passed by quickly and after a slow start in the hall renovation, the work is now coming along smoothly. The costliest and least visible work has been the rewiring of the hall. The electrical upgrade included centralizing the power panels, which was disjointed because of additions that were added later to the church building. This upgrade makes provisions for security cameras, sound system, internet and cable TV and they should be good for another 80 years. As you might have noticed if you went downstairs to use the restrooms, we are using tiles to keep up the Mission theme of the parish. Our parishioner and contractor, Bryan Birmingham, still expects the hall to be completed mid-October. The kitchen, which began later because of permit issues, should soon follow. At least our students will be able to use the hall again for motor skills and dancing. Our estimate for the cost of this 2nd part of the hall renovation is $472,868. This figure includes new furniture, appliances for the kitchen, permits and a 10% contingency fee for unexpected expenses. As always, thank you for your financial support that have allowed us to renovate the hall and to pay the bills on time without taking a loan.

Photo Directory – I would like to remind you, if you have not signed up for a portrait session for the Photo Directory, please take a moment to do so. Your portrait will make our parish directory more complete and you can take home a free 8x10 to share with your family. You can sign-up online through our website at www.stbrendanparish.org.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You – I want to extend a great big thank you to the Mothers’ Club and the Men’s Club for their generous donation of $5,000 each to the parish, totaling $10,000. Their gift will be used to improve the Church’s sound system and to add a projection system to display songs, slides or videos. Thank you, Kim Fama, Mother’s Club President 2010-2011 and thank you ,Glenn Fama, Men’s Club
President 2011-2012 and to their members for this generous donation to our parish.

Gratefully,
Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Congratulations to our Canossian Sisters – In late August, three (3) women from our parish and one(1)from St. Stephen’s made their “First Promise” as Lay Canossians. As a Lay Canossian, they serve alongside our sisters in their ministry. The Canossian Sisters were founded by Magdalene of Canossa. She came from a noble family and began her ministry in 1808 when she tried to address the needs of the poor in Verona, Italy. Gathering other men and women to assist her, the Canossian Community spread throughout the world. Their charism is to make Jesus known and loved. They do so by caring for the poor, especially women, youth and children. In the 1800s, they began serving in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Timor, India and Singapore. In the 20th century, they continued their ministries into the rest of Europe, Africa and South America. They are truly an international religious community that is in 6 different continents and 39 countries. And they accept volunteers who desire to work alongside them throughout the world. Through the Canossian International Voluntary Service, men and women are able to join them for a one-year service in mission areas like Tanzania, Togo, Malawi, Egypt and East Timor. However, one can also join and serve alongside them right here in our city and in our parish. And that is what the four (4) Lay Canossians that will be recognized this Saturday at the 5:00 pm Mass have done. Lucille Kovash assists Sr. Rita in RCIA, teaching the Catholic faith to Adults. Marilu Illenberger serves in the liturgy committee at her parish in St. Stephen’s. Dr. Lourdes Scheerer and Genilin Wong join Sr. Catherine and Sr. Elizabeth in the visit and care of the sick in our parish and at Laguna Honda Hospital. Congratulations to them on becoming part of this wonderful Canossian Community and thank you for your loving service to this parish and our community.

Please visit http://www.canossiansisters.org/ for more information regarding our Canossian Sisters.

Parish Picnic – Don’t forget, next Sunday, September 25 will be our 6th Annual picnic at Blackberry Farm in Cupertino. Although the location is a little farther south, however Cupertino is a nice location where the weather is warm and kids can swim. They have 2 pools, one especially for the little ones. Mass will be celebrated at the picnic site at 11:00 am. Lunch will follow with a delicious BBQ prepared by the Men’s Club. I want to thank the Advisory Board for coordinating this yearly event, and for the Mother’s and Men’s Club for preparing the treats. Although we charge only $5 per person (under 3 are free), however, bring a little extra cash $3.00 for each person who would like to swim.

See you there………….. their address is 21979 San Fernando Avenue, Cupertino, CA.

Photo Directory – This weekend, volunteers will be assisting in signing up for your photo session for our photo directory. I’d truly like to encourage you to make time to make our parish directory complete. Because our community has about 1,400 households, about 4,180 members, having a photo directory truly helps us to know one another. How many times have you had a great conversation with someone and then forgot his or her name? Lifetouch, the company that will be taking our portraits, will be here for 12 days on weekdays and weekends, starting September 29 – October 16. Bring your calendar and schedule a date for yourself and your family. You can also sign up online by visiting our website at www.stbrendanparish.org, click on News/Events, and select Sign-up for Portrait Sessions.

For your troubles, Lifetouch will give you a free 8x10 portrait and a free photo directory. Because our hall is still under renovation, the photo sessions will take place in the rectory. Say cheese……………

Welcome Brother Dat Joseph Nguyen

If you ask any young man the exact time he fell in love, he would probably find it difficult to pin point the exact moment. However, he can probably tell you the significant events that solidified their relationship. In a similar way, I cannot point out the exact moment when my vocation journey began but I can tell you for certain, the sexual abuse scandal of 2002 helped me to take a decisive step.

I have thought about the priesthood long before 2002, but never actually decided. Like a young boy who wants to be a fireman but then learns about the requirements and loses interest, my call to the priesthood also began with admiration for priests. However, the priests’ scandal caused me to be angry and to lose that admiration. One day, in a homily, my parish priest said that we often complain about problems, but have we ever thought about what we could do to help solve the problems?

Certainly, I never saw myself as a solution to the priest pedophile scandal. But as a new college graduate, and as I was thinking about my life and how I felt comfortable being a healthy celibate, I decided to try the seminary. Even though I had received notice for an interview for Drexel Medical School in Philadelphia, as I weighed my chances and options, in the end, I applied for the seminary. I did not think I would last; nevertheless, I wanted to give God a year of my life. I never want to live my life with “what ifs,” and since I had just finished college, I thought that it was the perfect time for me to explore priesthood. After one year in the seminary, I was happy with my decision and continued my journey to priesthood.

Perhaps I am a fool to pursue the priesthood at this point in my life with the knowledge of the scandal and its ramifications. But I am nothing compared to the great Nazarene “fool” who believed His suffering and death would redeem humanity from sins and showed everyone the value of love. I want to follow this Nazarene “fool” because He exemplified the foolishness of God, and this type of foolishness is wiser than human
wisdom (1 Cor 1:25). This is the scandal of the cross, and in my own way, I am involved in that scandal. My vocation journey began with a scandal…. yet it is not the type of scandal you would expect.

Bro. Dat


Theology of Priest Formation – Although the Seminary exists to form men to become priests, however, our theology teaches us that the formation of a priest is not complete in the seminary alone. Pope John Paul II called the family as the first seminary where we are first taught the faith. As we grow and prepare for the other sacraments of initiation (Holy Communion and Confirmation), other men and women taught and modeled the faith for us. The faith community where we worship is also a place of formation. It is where the Body of Christ gathers. It is a place where we are continually nourished by Word and Sacrament, where we see the faith lived out from visiting the sick, caring for the poor, to teaching our youth. You, the members of this faith community, are also essential to Bro. Dat’s formation as a priest. When I was newly ordained and was assigned to St. Catherine in Burlingame, it was the people of God there that taught me how to be a priest. Just as fathers and mothers learn to be parents through their children, so we learn to be servants of God and His people through you. Bro. Dat needs your encouragement, needs your support, and needs your constructive comments. And together, may we help this generous young man to be the best possible priest God called him to be.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Parish Directory – As many of you may have seen the inserts in our bulletins, we are planning to publish a new parish directory. The last one was published in 2006 and our children have grown, some families have grown larger, and we have some new families joining us. We had first considered this late last year, but the Advisory Board thought that we should aim for this Fall, when most of us are back from vacation. The Company that will be taking the portraits is Lifetouch. It is also the same company that takes portraits of our students and faculty. We found them to be the most flexible and easiest to work with among the different vendors out there. I want to thank the Welcome Committee for coordinating this event.

In order for the parish family album to be complete, we would like to invite all of you to participate. Beginning next Sunday, volunteers will be around after masses to help you sign up for a time to take your picture, so bring your appointment books. Lifetouch will be out here 12 days, in the weekdays and on weekends from September 29th to October 16th. We hope you will participate. Lifetouch will give each participating family a complimentary 8x10 portrait and a parish directory. The way they will cover their costs and make some profit is, of course, to sell you portraits. That’s why the Advisory Board and Welcome Committee thought the Fall schedule would work better for us, because then you can also use these portraits for the upcoming Christmas Season as Christmas cards or gifts. It should be a win-win for everyone and I hope you will participate to make our parish family album complete.

Staff/Lay Leaders Retreat – Last Thursday (8/25), the parish staff and some lay leaders took time away from the office to reflect on our ministry. Although the Advisory Board helped us identify our strategic vision for our parish, however, our time away was simply to look at what was going well and what needed attention in our daily work. We reflected on the various ministries in our parish and evaluated each one. The one that scored the highest was the Welcome Committee. The lowest was high school youth ministry and young adult ministry.

With approval from the Finance Committee, we will look to find a suitable candidate for this part time position to replace Sr. Necy. We also discussed ways to strengthen the spirituality of our parish, which was what the parish survey, done by the Advisory Board, revealed as one of the most important priorities in our parish. A program called, “Why Catholic?” distributed by Renew International, was discussed. It is designed for small groups (10-12 people), where a lay leader using the materials prepared, can guide discussions on the different topics of our faith. So often, we may hear of critiques of our faith, but feel inadequate to respond. In the context of prayer and a small faith community, we can discuss issues that are near and dear to us. Overall, the retreat was helpful for us to gauge our effectiveness so that we can improve.

Please Keep in your prayers – the mother of our principal passed away earlier last week (8/30). Mrs. Carol Grewal, our principal, returned to Ireland to be with her family. Her mother’s name is Theo Davis. Please hold her and her family in your prayers.


Peace,
Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Hall Update
Work on the hall is progressing smoothly after a slow start caused by unanticipated boulders that required removal by a jackhammer. There have been a few unexpected expenses such as the heating system in the hall not working that may require a new replacement. We are still aiming to complete the hall by early October, and hopefully it won’t take longer than mid-October.

Copper Downspouts
As many of you may have seen or heard, some of the downspouts around the School and Church have been stolen. Apparently, it is happening all over the city in public schools as well. Parishioners Bryan Birmingham, a contractor, and Adrian Duggan, a plumber, have suggested that in place of plastic downspouts, we use cast iron to match the décor of the building. Six downspouts were stolen from the School and the Church buildings. But there are an additional 16 downspouts around the other buildings, so hopefully our insurance will cover all the replacements.

Back to School
As our parents and children begin a new school year, we want to welcome our incoming Kindergarten class and their families. Joining them this new year, will be Mrs. Laura Nusbaum who will be the new school counselor. Mrs. Megan Rabbit, who had been teaching 2nd grade and was on maternity leave, will return this year and take Mrs. Bev D’Angelo’s afternoon kindergarten class. Mrs. D’Angelo retired at the end of last school year and we wish her well. Mrs. Sonia Ino, who was substituting for Mrs. Rabbit, is now the regular 2nd grade teacher. We continue to be blessed with good and talented faculty and staff that will help us maintain the high standards the Dominican Sisters have set for us. You are all invited to the opening school Mass on Friday, September 2 at 8:15am.

Seminarian Dat Nguyen
Along with new staff at the school, we will also have a Seminarian stay with us this year. Mr. Dat Nguyen is from Epiphany parish in San Francisco. He attended high school in Orange County, CA and Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Duquesne University in 2004, majoring in Chemistry with a focus in pre-medicine. He will be doing his pastoral year with us, which is like an internship, so that he can get some practice and experience in the life of a parish priest. He will stay with us beginning September 1st. Welcome, Brother Dat!

Summer Break
It is nice to have capable staff and volunteers, like Fr. Mike, Flora Sinajon and Linda Miles, take care of the parish so I can leave with no worries. During my break, I spent time with my brother and his family here in the city. He has 4 sons and 1 daughter, ages from 15 to 3. We’ve done many day trips, from playing softball in the Marina green, boating on Stow Lake, visiting the Children’s Fairyland in Oakland, to enjoying the rides in Santa Cruz Boardwalk. I’m finally back at work to get some rest. Hope you all had a wonderful refreshing Summer too.


Peace,
Fr. Dan

Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

“But Who do You Say that I Am ?”

Jesus asks the question of his disciples in this weekend’s Sunday Gospel that He asks of us. What is our perception of Jesus? How do we describe the working of God in our life? Do we desire to know and love Him more ? Most probably we have never thought of this question directed to us before. But this is the question we must all answer. The answers will be numerous and have great variety. But Peter responded from his heart with a sense of wonder and awe when he said “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” This answer predates the learned treatises of the Trinitarian God. This was said without the illustrations we have enjoyed in life either in book, film, news or further education. This was done without the libraries full of books that are intentioned to help us respond. This was a response of faith - a felt present tense sense of God.

I was fortunate to attend a retreat day sponsored by the Archdiocese for principals, and administrators and parish priests on August 10, 2011, in preparation of the opening of the 2011-2012 academic year. The theme of one of the guest speakers was “Do less; Live More!” suggesting that within our lives and particularly for school leadership positions, they would shortly be tugged in many directions from the many people and interests they serve. His message was essentially that we should seek to do what we can - which is not everything - as well as we can, and to honor and cultivate a sense of the “present moment.” How true this message is for us all ! We need to allow time for ourselves to enjoy the love of God and of each other in the present moment, to enable us to respond to Christ’s inquiry of each of our descriptions of God to us.

The retreat speaker noted that within our American society we have a tendency to walk right by our life within the present to a place we think we should be. He noted that we needed to “make sacramental” the present moment. Extrapolating his message and applying it to this weekend’s Gospel, I believe that it is within the paradigm of appreciating the present that we can most readily be aware of God. I believe that if we are always in a state of getting to know God better through endless and hurried activities so that we might answer this question with technical precision, we miss the mark. As Christ asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” There is a suggestion that there is no right or wrong answer. He is speaking to how we feel about him within our hearts not just our heads. St Augustine said it best in his Confessions- “Our whole business therefore in this life is to restore to health the eyes of the heart whereby God may be seen.” From this perspective we can ready ourselves to respond to Jesus with our sense of who Jesus is to us.

What I believe is tragic is the answer- “I’ve never thought much about who You are to me.” This carries with it the inference that the task of getting to know God personally just was not that important or seemed so daunting that we did not try. The first alternative is a rejection of God’s love and the second is to choose to use all of our precious time on earth effectively avoiding appreciation of God. Either of these two answers is equivalent to rejection of God’s offer of friendship and love. Let us try and find God’s working within our everyday life and find how loved and gifted we all are! Let us know God well!

Fr. Mike

Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

Faith in God Involves Trust and Perseverance

There is a lesson, a very necessary one, for all of us related in this Sunday’s Gospel in the example of this woman’s faith in Christ's public life. It is the necessity of perseverance in our prayers of petition. Prayer is an essential part of our Christian life, and depicts our relationship with God. Types of prayer include adoration and thanksgiving, and prayers of petition - generally the more typical of our daily prayers. We have so many spiritual and temporal needs, needs which we cannot provide by ourselves. Christ himself has told us to ask him for these needs: "ask and you shall receive."

I witnessed the faith of a woman of faith from our parish recently, who, when receiving the Sacrament of the Sick and anointing, happily extended her hands for the Eucharist, the last food to pass her lips. She had faith in the promise of Christ and depended upon that promise, just as the woman of today’s Gospel. Both women persevered in faith. The reason I wish to share this with all is that a person with hours left to live has the inclination to shed false values and to esteem that what is of greater value including faith in God and hopefully sharing last moments and words with loved ones.

My father used to tell me that of persons in the end stages of life, he had yet to hear of a person asking for another hour of work, job title or public accolade preferring instead to be with loved ones, including God.We have faith in those we love. I propose that an enduring, persevering and hope-filled love is one of our greatest values. We are asked to invite Jesus into our lives and trust in that love for us.

The Canaanite woman exemplifies for us that deep-seated faith and trust in Christ's power and Christ's goodness. Even though Jesus seemed to ignore her and initially refuse her, she persevered with a faith and trust that did not waver. He granted her request.

We must imitate and learn from this pagan mother. Her love for her child made her ready to undergo every hardship or suffering for the restoration to health of her loved one. When we turn to Christ in our needs is our faith in him as sincere and unwavering as was this woman's? No doubt it often is, and yet we do not get the desired answer. As Christians we know that our particular request may not always be for our good, or for the final good of the person for whom we are praying. In that case, the good God will not grant what would be to our eternal disadvantage. If our prayer is sincere and persevering - we shall always get an answer, and one that is better than what we asked for.

It is only when we get to heaven - and getting to heaven is our purpose in life - that we shall see how our prayers, sincere and persevering, were answered by God and why. For now we must learn to trust in God.


Fr. Mike

Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Trust in Jesus

I once read a business book, Lions don’t Need to Roar, and the author discusses how to make a positive first impression and to maintain a lasting positive impression with others through everything from proper posture and proper language to proper humor, intelligent questioning and all in an effort to present an impressive professional appearance at all times. This book came back to me as I reflected upon the tremendous effort we expend on trying to live up to the perceived expectations of our brothers and sisters in every circumstance on earth.

Mothers and Fathers try to be good moms and dads and many work themselves to the point of exhaustion at home, at work, at social gatherings and in the busy schedules they maintain. Single people are equally busy and ever ready for that right other person who just might become their life partner in marriage. Our children go to camps and schedule themselves for club sports as well as school sports, social activities and school. Many priests are mindful of the needs of their parish and want to inform the people sometimes of bad news, (like a leaky roof ), in as diplomatic terms as possible. Alas, it is the human condition!!

In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus there at a time of need, (when the boat was being tossed about by the waves and winds of a storm), calmly approaching and extending his hand to offer help. I believe Peter represents the faithful, who turn to Christ mindful of their human circumstance, yet ready to trust in the Word of God delivered by Jesus. I further believe that just when deliverance from the storm seems at hand, those old worries come clamoring back into our heads causing us to doubt in complete deliverance by Jesus.

We might be troubled by considering our loved ones who are ill. We might be troubled by weather or traffic. We might be troubled by the economy either of our nation or of our personal finances. There are numerous things we might worry about. But there is an alternative. We can turn to God in whatever storm we are enduring in our lives and present our needs. We might dismiss the notion of “How we might look” to substitute it with “How I might have hope.” For us, this means to turn to Christ with our circumstances and concerns regardless of how we appear on the surface. Jesus judges our hearts and motives and responds to that construct. Perhaps after finding that our trust is well-placed
in Him,we will find not only comfort but the enduring realization that we will be judged by more than surface traits and the realization that our God walks with us and is always willing to love us if we but ask.

Fr. Mike

Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

News Around the Parish

Construction is continuing at a good pace with “infrastructure” items being addressed . Some necessary demolition has been concluded so as to make room for replacement items such as flooring, etc. The parts that are now being addressed are the big items that we do not see but that are essential for our bringing our facilities up to date. They include plumbing, and electrical work that will improve the safety of the hall upon completion for us and for future generations…

The sisters have commenced their annual retreat and will be away for some days. When they come back,they will be holier than ever and a continued resource for us all… Please remember that there is a priest available for response 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for loved ones who desire anointing of the sick.

In addition, please inform the rectory at 681-4225, if a loved one desires Communion, Reconciliation and/or Anointing of the Sick. Please also provide names for those you wish us to include for prayers for the sick for Sunday Masses…

We continue to pray that Fr. Dan is enjoying a well-deserved and restful vacation!

This Sunday’s Gospel- Feeding of the 5,000

We have all heard of Jesus feeding the crowd of 5,000 men and others with the five barley loaves and two fishes. What is important to note is that the real crowd was many thousands more numerous than that - as women and children were also present. This allows us to reflect that God is willing to provide for the care of His people and does so generously. An aspect of this miracle that I would like to point out was that it was performed late in the day, meaning that if we have not been as attentive to the voice of God in our lives then it is never too late to address the nourishment of our souls. I believe that this miracle demonstrates the immensity of the compassion of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is never to late to seek or imitate God’s compassion!

Jesus taught compassion without limit and even his apostles seem to have missed the mark as they advised Him of being short of money and of essentially advising Jesus through questions that since all of the places of provision for these hungry souls were closed, it was impossible. But nothing is impossible for Jesus for He is God.

We are called to have compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters as a key component of Christian love. Compassion is a characteristic attribute of God that is also a quality that is within our own nature to act upon. Compassion is that internal yearning of sympathy and concern for people with great needs. If allowed to grow within us, it is a deep emotion that cannot be shut down. Jesus teaches us by example that we are not
to walk away from people in great pain, or poverty, or desperate needs. In our daily lives, let us pray for an increased awareness of those who are in need and for the strength to respond to that need. It might be as simple as identifying a friend or acquaintance as one who would really appreciate a phone call from us and for others it might involve much more. Whatever the situation, may we include compassion for others as part of our Christian identity.

Fr. Mike

Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

The Pearl of Great Price

In this Sunday’s readings we are asked to stop and to just imagine the enormity of the gift of God’s special love for each of us - that God wants for all of us who choose life to spend eternity with Him. In our first reading, David is asked to name whatever he wants from God. He asks for an understanding heart to judge others rightly and for the ability to distinguish right from wrong. This response is free from selfishness and pleases God and God notes that David has not asked for temporal wealth or victory over enemies, but simply to have a good heart oriented towards God and what is good.

In my recent stay at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, to complete requirements for a degree in Christian Spirituality, we were studying how to develop a discerning heart that perceives the movement of God within our lives. There was a lot of background activity as there is with each of our lives. The College World Series was played in town and the University of California team was immediately adopted as Omaha’s favorite, because they stuck together and believed in their program and with some alumni rescued the University’s baseball program from being closed due to budget concerns. Another background drama was weather concerns with thunderstorm warnings, tornado watches, weather that on one day of my stay went to a humid 105 degrees and above all the flooding of the Missouri River. That last factor had the daily news announcing that volunteers could fill sandbags at different sites throughout the area; two nuclear power plants were shut down, businesses and entire towns flooded. Yet the priority at Creighton’ Christian Spirituality Program was to learn to develop a discerning heart and to help others do the same.

At times it seemed that perhaps our priorities should be to help the flood victims and to develop the discerning heart later. I believe this is a common mistake made by many of us who are well intentioned. The priority we are exhorted to adopt for our lives is right relationship with God. This will enable us to respond fully both to our needs and the needs of those around us rather than to respond without reference. Just as the CAL team persevered because of relationships and common purpose, so we can persevere in life if we understand that with God we can face any adversity. We are on God’s team. To understand this is the first step to understanding that right relationship with God is indeed the pearl of great price. This can be understood by each of us by seeking to develop a discerning heart.

Glad to Be Home at St. Brendan’s!!

Fr. Mike

July 17, 2011 - News Around the Parish

Update on Hall Renovation – Well, it certainly has been dusty the past few weeks in the Church. It is because the plans for the renovation included removing the staircase that leads into the annex so that the kitchen can be extended. However, the process was not as easy as it appeared on paper. We discovered why we have streets named Rockaway and Rockwood and why the staircase was put there in the first place. Underneath the staircase was all rock. And it took the workers with a jackhammer 3 weeks to remove it all and to strengthen the foundation on that little corner. So our heat in the Church has been turned off because of the dust and before we can turn it back on, we’ll need to have the vents cleaned. Else, we’ll be blowing dust all over the inside of the Church.

Down in the hall, the wooden panels along the walls and columns have been removed and it revealed on one of the covered walls, four (4) windows. At one point, before the Church was widened, these windows let in natural light. The current plan is to restore these windows and to use artificial light to enhance their appearance. The electrical wiring is being replaced and it is being wired to allow for a projector that can project a live video of the mass upstairs, or a football game, or a presentation from a computer. The orange carpet has been removed and will be replaced with tiles to maintain its “Mission” theme. The hardwood floor will be refinished. The kitchen will be remodeled with an added door that exits directly outside the building, so that caterers can come in and out of the kitchen through the handicap ramp, without having to disturb what is going on inside the hall. All this will hopefully be completed in early September. Thanks for your ongoing financial support and for putting up with the dust and cold during our summer (aka - our coldest winter).

Fr. Joe Peixotto’s 50th Anniversary – Fr. Joe was a member of our parish before he was ordained a priest of the Congrégation de Sainte-Croix (CSC), also known as the Congregation of the Holy Cross. His sister, Carol Kilgariff, and her husband Martin, are still parishioners here. On Saturday, July 9, 2011, he celebrated his Golden Anniversary here with his family and friends. Fr. Joe has been in Bangladesh for 49 years as a missionary priest and speaks Bengali fluently. As an engineering student in the University of Portland, he shared that when he was considering priesthood, he was not interested in doing administrative work. But as life unfolded, he became the Principal of Notre Dame College in their capital, Dhaka, which is regarded as the best institution for higher secondary education in the country. As he reflected on his life, he commented that his work certainly wasn’t easy with the many changes the country has gone through.

Bangladesh had at one time been East Pakistan but gained independence in 1971. Since independence, they have experienced famine, natural disasters, widespread poverty and military coups. Fortunately, democracy was restored in 1991 and there has been economic progress. So although his work as a missionary hasn’t been easy, but as he reflected on his vocation, he said that it has certainly been very meaningful. The following day on Sunday, he celebrated Mass with us and shared about the rich soil where his congregation ministered. At the end of Mass, as our community prayed for him and the people he served, he said something that struck me. He said the work he did was not his alone. It was our work. He was sent as a missionary from our community, our Church here at St. Brendan, our country, to plant the seed of faith there. So thank you , Fr. Joe , for doing such a good job in Bangladesh, on our behalf , and may God bless you with many many more years of fruitful service with our brothers and sisters there.

Vacation – As I was talking with our Parish Manager, Flora Sinajon, about my upcoming vacation, I was reminded that I have 4 weeks of unused vacation. Not wishing to see it go to waste, I will be using it while my brother and his family relocate back to San Francisco. My brother just retired from the Army after 23 years and with his wife, they plan to raise their children in San Francisco. I will be out of the office from July 18 until August 12. In the meanwhile, Fr. Mike is in charge and will have Fr. Jerry Van Overbeek to assist him. Fr. Jerry, a Chicago native who loves our fog, also plans to retire in San Francisco and with any luck, he will be able to live with us here at St. Brendan.

With prayers and blessings,
Fr. Dan

July 10, 2011 - Life in the Spirit

I was baptized Catholic as an infant, went to a Kindergarten that was run by the Canossian Sisters (the same order that our sisters here belong to) and attended Catholic Elementary School up to 4th grade. Then I continued my studies in public school but received my religious education through the CCD program. By the way, CCD stands for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, a lay association that was set up in Rome in 1562, with the purpose of giving religious instruction. In 8th grade, while studying at Herbert Hoover Jr. High School, I was confirmed at St. Anne’s by Bishop Hurley. Thereafter , I stopped going to regular Sunday Mass, like we did when we were kids, and by the time I was in college I became an atheist.

Only when I was wondering in what to major in my studies, considering what to do with the rest of my life, did I begin to ask myself about the meaning of life. As I began to explore the different religious traditions and philosophies of life, a co-worker who was formally Catholic, invited me to her Pentecostal Church. Although I enjoyed their music and worship, I found their praying in tongues a little strange. But she explained to me afterwards, that it was part of the gift of the Holy Spirit, according to St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians,Chapter 12, Verses 28-30. There, St. Paul speaks of the different gifts from teaching, to prophecy, to healing, to speaking in tongues and interpreting it. In Chapter 14 of the same letter, St. Paul even gives instruction in the use of tongues. With my anxiety about it settled, I stayed with the Pentecostal Church a couple of years, until I discovered that in the Catholic Church, we have a similar praying experience in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

Since 1960, this charismatic experience has appeared in mainline Protestant denominations and in our Catholic Church. Speaking to the International Conference on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal on May 19, 1975, Pope Paul VI encouraged the attendees in their renewal efforts and, especially, to remain anchored in the Church. Pope John Paul II, speaking to a group of international leaders of the Renewal on December 11, 1979 said, “I am convinced that this movement is a very important component of the entire renewal of the Church.” And before Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, as Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he acknowledged the good occurring in the Charismatic Renewal and said:

At the heart of a world imbued with a rationalistic skepticism, a new experience of the Holy Spirit suddenly burst forth. And, since then, that experience has assumed a breadth of a Worldwide Renewal Movement. What the New Testament tells us about the charisms - which were seen as visible signs of the coming of the Spirit - is not just ancient history, over and done with, for it is once again becoming extremely topical.

It was through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal that I found my way back to Church. Through them, God is no longer a character in a history book, but alive and present in my heart. I learned to listen to the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life, use the gifts God has given me and discover God’s call. And that is the heart of the movement, which is to help us know God not only in our heads but especially in our hearts through His Holy Spirit. If you are interested to learn more, there is a Life in the Spirit Seminar on July 9th, 16th (9:00 am - 1:45 pm) and 23rd (9:00 am – 3:00 pm) at St. Paul of the Shipwreck, 1122 Jamestown Ave., in San Francisco. There will be free lunch and parking. I will be one of their speakers on July 23rd.. For more information, please contact Norma Guerrero at 650-219-4556. Also, on Sep 16-18, at Archbishop Riordan High School, there will be a Holy Spirit Conference. Please visit sfspirit.com for more information.

Fr. Dan