A Canossian Sister's Vocation Journey

There was no telegram, no heavenly choir, no lighting flash across the sky with my name on it.  I did not play “nun” as a child, have a mystical experience at my first communion, nor pore over Butler’s Lives of the Saints.  School dances, dating and college parties probably occupied more of my time as a young person than anything particularly religious” (Notwithstanding the Halloween party I hosted at my college apartment that featured a Mary Magdalene “before and after” duo in costume!)  The only religious woman I had met through High School was a rather grumpy confirmation teacher.  Needless to say I was not impressed.

I knew my parents to be people of faith, and as a family were more or less regular churchgoers.  Mom lived her devotional life quietly and simply.   Dad enjoyed reading history and philosophy and was always willing to enter into a spirited debate as I began to question and wrestle with “Truth” (admittedly in the presumptuous and arrogant way peculiar to a family’s first college student). Living my faith was more important to me at some times than others – going through successive phases of religiosity, indifference, curiosity, skepticism, involvement. 

It was during college, as I became more involved in campus ministry and Mass attendance, that I was asked twice if I had ever considered religious life.  My response to Sr. Mary when she posed the question was a polite if direct “no way.”  My response to my friend Terri was probably less polite, more direct, and not exactly quotable!  Yet, through all this time, God was indeed doing what God does best – tending to the seeds of love that God plants in the heart of every believer.  That is, after all, what a “vocation” is – the growth of the divine according to God’s plan for each person as a co-worker in the building of the Reign.  So despite my original resistance and avoidance, I found myself more and more attracted to God’s plan for me.

This was a plan that was not revealed instantly, but for me very gradually.  I joined a volunteer program at a summer camp, and found great joy as well as challenge in serving children from Appalachia.  The community experience of living, working and praying with other volunteers opened my heart and my mind to the possibility of a life-long commitment to service in Jesus’ name.  I was afforded the opportunity to consider a number of lay mission programs, but the draw toward a more permanent commitment continued to pull me.  I continued to test this inclination by participating in faith based service, parish life, and stayed in communication with several religious congregations.

   Finally, after several years of reflecting, praying, dialoging (and not a small amount of “hemming and hawing”) I asked to enter the formation program of the Canossian Daughters of Charity in 1991.  The Sisters received me as a temporary professed member in 1994, and allowed me to make final vows in 1999.  I have been blessed over and over in ways that only God could have imagined for me – in ministry, in   formation, in community.  The challenges and difficulties have been as real as they are in the living of any vocation – and real too has been God’s presence in those.  Thanks to everyone here at St. Brendan Parish for being part of the continuing unfolding of my vocation story!

    Sr. Sharon Brannen, FdCC

 

Reflections of Our Parochial Vicar

When Does Jesus Reveal Himself to Us?

In This Sunday’s Gospel, in the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals himself to the Disciples a third time after rising from the tomb.  The first was when Thomas doubted His appearance and a week later was the second when Jesus asked Thomas to see and believe, noting that those who had not seen, but through faith believed were to be blessed. Hopefully we are all included in that grouping.

 In this Sunday’s gospel we have the apostles speechless and not daring to ask Jesus if he was the Jesus, risen from the dead, for fear of their conduct.  That is, with the exception of Peter, the impetuous one whose emotion and love for God caused him to try and jump in and run to the Lord, such was his love and perhaps his remorse for denying him on the way to the Cross.  This caused me to reflect on an important question.  “Can I think of a recent event in my life where I recognized God’s presence? 

 I was reminded of God’s love at work in our lives, recently, when a young parishioner became ill and was hospitalized. The sequence started with the request of the young woman for prayers and a priest. The loving parents contacted the parish and I was privileged to be on duty for that call, going as soon as I could. The young lady was very upbeat despite starting a series of treatments. One had only to look into the tired eyes of her father, who slept at the hospital and his obvious concern. The following day, the tired dad was at Mass, sitting in the back, so that he might bring Communion to his ailing daughter. Next, a family friend asked how she could help and contacted others to assist in the liturgy. The music was wonderful as I recognized trust in God in the vibrant voices singing the songs.  The girl’s mother was staying away from the hospital due to a slight ailment and trying to keep all informed. This parish held that Healing Service on the Tuesday of Holy Week and the Church was packed with many hoping that their prayers would work to heal the young woman. Thanks to Fr. Dan for ensuring that Holy Week preparations were well handled. At the service the mother, first thanked all for prayers and then informed all that her husband’s finest birthday gift had been given in their promised payers for the young woman in the hospital. Afterwards, many stayed and talked about many things as they tried to give all of the support they could for the family.

 I believe that for all of us, God is at work in our lives, daily, in many ways. In the real example I observed in this parish, God’s presence was real in the faith of the patient and her family and in the gathering of believers and well-wishers and all who came forward out of love for this young woman and her family. What was significant to me was that the packed Church on Tuesday of Holy Week, 2013, started with the faith of one young woman and her supportive family trusting in God and the work of God was shown in many splendors in our Church just that evening alone. God was with us then and continues to be with all of us.

Fr. Mike

 

CYO Hall of Fame – Our own Junior High teacher and Boys’ Athletic Director, Mr. David Lopez, was inducted on March 23, 2013, into the CYO Hall of Fame.  Surrounded by his family, friends and colleagues, he was honored for his dedication to CYO.  The award recognized him for 45 years of service to CYO.  He first began playing CYO sports in elementary school at St. Cecilia, and when he attended High School, he returned to help coach at his former grammar school.  When he graduated from SF State, his CYO mentors “elected” Dave to the CYO Administrative Board and he served there for a total of 24 years.  He said he was inspired by some of the “great guys” who gave themselves for the good of the kids, and he was inspired to pass on what he had received.  Even after a period of leave, he was recruited back in 1995 to help grow the boys’ soccer program.  Under his leadership, the CYO Boys’ soccer thrived, expanding to include more than 90 teams.  Over the years, he served at Immaculate Conception Academy, Sacred Heart High School, his alma mater, Archbishop Riordan High School, Lowell High School and of course, St. Brendan. 

  Having coached multiple teams over 45 seasons of basketball, soccer and baseball, Dave has won his share of  championships.  Yet some of his favorite memories, he shared, centered on the time he spent coaching the “B” teams, or as he puts it, “the kids who were out there playing for the love of the game and were just having fun.”  Sr. Dianne Ehrbacher, former Principal of St. Brendan, said that Dave encouraged each child to develop his or her own set of gifts, whether they were athletic or not.  She is happy that Dave is being recognized.  At the awards ceremony, he said that although in his youth, he had made great plays and great catches; however, he admitted that the greatest catch he ever made was his wife, Marcy.  Without her love and support, he shared, he couldn’t have done all the things he was able to accomplish.  With her and his 4 sons looking on (one who is in the Army and had just returned from Afghanistan and was viewing via iPhone from Texas) Dave was honored for his commitment and modeling the values of  positive coaching, sportsmanship, healthy growth and development through sports.  Congratulations Dave!  And  thank you for all you do for our children, St. Brendan and CYO.

 Thank You! Grazie!  Go Raibh Maith Agaibh! (Gaelic) – As you might imagine, during Holy Week, with the  variety of services from Palm Sunday, to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, it could not have been possible without an army of dedicated and generous volunteers.  You know who you are and I want to thank you.  There are a few in particular who took on more responsibilities than others that I’d like to acknowledge.  The most obvious, perhaps, is the environment.  I want to thank Pura Lippi for coordinating with the volunteers to help transform our worship space appropriate for each of the liturgies during Holy Week.  The music, is perhaps the other ministry most visible (audible)  and I want to thank Ms. Dianne Marquez for coordinating all the Triduum services with the 9:30 and 11:30am choirs.  The Easter egg hunt would not have been possible without the help of the Under 5 Ministries, coordinated by Kim De Lucchi & Kimberlea McManigal.  Rebecca Kassekert also helped coordinate the Sunday hospitality not only for Easter, for throughout the year with her faithful volunteers.  In any event, there are always people who work behind the scenes to make things possible.  For starters, there is the parish staff, Flora Sinajon, Michele Bisho, Veronica Meaney, Sr. Herminia Cosico, Sr. Sharon Brannen and Bosco Martinez.  Then there are the money counters who assist us each week to ensure your donations get counted, recorded and deposited.  For security and confidential reasons, their names are withheld, but they know who they are.  I also want to thank the Liturgy Committee, Fr. Mike Quinn, Sr. Catherine Cappello, Eileen Miller and Anne Kearney, for their help in planning and coordinating the liturgies, the MCs, Paul Detweiller, Jaime Longa and Joe O’Brien, for ensuring the liturgies flow smoothly, the Sacristans, Jack Mona, Mary Cortez & Jaime Longa, for preparing what is needed for each liturgy and Victoria Hellweg for helping with the candles and linens.  Sr. Catherine deserves special mention again because of her work, preparing adults for the Sacraments of Initiation.  At the Easter Vigil, we welcomed Bret McManigal into our Catholic family.  Congratulations Bret!  And for all of you, for your generous support to St. Brendan’s parish through your time, talent and treasure, you make St. Brendan’s alive with the risen Christ.  Thank you all!

  Fr. Dan

 

 

A Simple yet Amazing Story – St. Augustine when he was first introduced to the Christian faith, found it too simple and unsophisticated.  Being a very bright and learned man, he was more interested in the philosophies and religions of his time.  He even rose to a very high rank in his religion at the time.  But one thing the “sophisticated” religions and philosophies of his time could not answer was the problem of evil and suffering.  Through the cross of Jesus Christ, we not only see that injustice and evil exists in the world, as an innocent man was nailed to a cross, but through it we see also a God who is willing to suffer for us and with us.

Christianity looks simple, because Jesus, who is God incarnate, simplified it for us.  He didn’t just teach us a lot of rules for us to remember, but he showed us by example what to do.  Instead of saying to us, “do what I say,” instead He invites us to follow Him and imitate Him:  to trust the goodness of our Heavenly Father, to be merciful and compassionate to one another, for we are all, ultimately, children of God. 

 

And when we undergo hardships, He invites us to come to Him and lay our burdens with Him and He will carry it with us and for us.  Through injustice, through sickness and even unto death, He walks with us.  And we know that He understands our pain, because He Himself endured it so that we may find solace and companionship through our trials.  Throughout Lent, through this past Holy Week, as we have sacrificed and walked with Him through His journey to the cross, He teaches us that we too will share in the joy of Easter Resurrection.  In the end, darkness does not conquer Light, evil and death do not defeat goodness and life, but Love prevails, for God is Love.  Ours is a simple, yet amazing story.  Happy Easter!!!

Congratulations to Bret McManigal – Bret who has been studying with Sr. Catherine about the Catholic faith, and who was officially recognized as a candidate for baptism by Archbishop Cordileone last month at the Cathedral, was baptized at the Easter Vigil.  We welcome him with joyful hearts.  He is married to Kimberlea and they have 2 young children.  Also in the Archdiocese, 159 adults were baptized into the Catholic faith and 255 adults were either received into the Church from another Christian tradition, or received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  Congratulations and Welcome, to all our NEW Catholics!

Welcome, to all our Visitors – if you’re visiting our parish during Easter and if you don’t yet have a spiritual home, we invite you to consider making St. Brendan’s your new home.  You can find more information about our parish and the myriads of activities here from Scouting, to Knitting, to Bible Study, Book Club, Habitat for Humanity and more by visiting our website at www.stbrendanparish.org.  We are also on Facebook.  Contact us if you’d like more information at 415-681-4225 or frdan@stbrendanparish.org.

Happy Easter!

Fr. Dan

 

Reflections of our Parochial Vicar

Palm Sunday & The Passion of Our Lord – Where Are We?

This Sunday we have one of the longest gospels of the liturgical year, which covers the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since this is liturgical year cycle “C”, we use St. Luke’s account which commences with the Journey into Jerusalem and the people were handing out palm branches to soften the road for Jesus’ triumphal journey into Jerusalem. The people were doing Jesus homage and the Pharisees were asking Jesus to quiet his followers. Jesus warned them at this point of the week that if He responds, “ I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!”  The crowds had worked themselves to a frenzy of excitement over the coming of the Lord into the holy city of Jerusalem.

I suppose we can recognize that, with the frenzy of victorious joy and destruction that took place when the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in 2013.  Had the San Francisco Forty- Niners won, there were plenty of police on hand to contain the excitement. That crowd wishing Jesus to be king was the beginning. Then comes the institution of the Eucharist after the procession into the Church, the betrayal of Jesus, the agony of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Olives where his disciples could not stay awake while He prayed, his arrest, condemnation to death, Way of the Cross and Death and burial. It has always struck me that perhaps some of those who had wanted to make Jesus their King less than one week before were among the crowds asking for Jesus execution. Authorities who feared Jesus’ popularity and were more concerned with earthly honors condemned Jesus to death. In most depictions of the Stations of the Cross, there are crowds - until Jesus is finally stripped and nailed to the Cross and then there is Jesus and John and at most three others.

I believe that we can recognize where we are in this Passion story. We might be aware of peer pressure and respond like the crowds did, we might at times be envious of another, we might even doubt Jesus at times in our lives.  Regardless, I believe that the whole range of human motivation is present in this Passion narrative. What is most noble is the enduring love of God throughout the range of human weaknesses depicted.  That is what should give us hope in any circumstance, including when we are not as lovable as we would like to be.

We do not have to attend the Masses of Holy Thursday or attend worship services on Good Friday or Holy Saturday.  We are like the crowds, who possess the whole range of human frailties, whether we attend or do not. I like to consider the Sacred Triduum a time for us to “stay awake in the garden with Jesus” as Jesus prepares to sacrifice His life for our chance of sharing eternity in heaven, to permit us to always have access to the Eucharist. Jesus invites us into this event.  Will we follow worthily?

Fr. Mike