Farewell to St. Brendan’s!

It is a bittersweet moment that I bid farewell to St. Brendan’s as my spiritual home and the community I have truly grown to love these last few years. I would like to share with you wonderful moments that have touched my heart.

 St. Brendan’s schoolchildren prepared BOTH birthday cards and farewell cards for me this year, treasures forever. ( I have already re-read the birthday cards a few times.  As a team, the St. Brendan’s staff and volunteer organizations helped us to restore the parish to the wonderful physical and financial status I remember as a child, ( my grandmother lived further up Rockaway and my aunt and uncle and cousins lived less than a block away on Ulloa St.). I remember throughout my life referring to St. Brendan’s parish community and facilities as the “Crown jewels of the Archdiocese”.

I will miss the shouts from very young children as I both proceeded into Church or recessed out, asking for a “high five”. Some of the smallest children had quite a whack! I will miss the school boys and girls playing on the lawn and the tree in front of Church, alternatively referred to as the “boy tree” or the “girl tree” depending upon who was highest in the branches. (It was never called the Fr. Mike tree!).

I will miss the impressive results of both the St. Brendan’s Mothers’ Club and the St. Brendan’s Men’s Club. They have very different styles. I still believe the Mothers’ club could end world hunger! I remain impressed at the cheerful sense of community and camaraderie that are ever present in the Men’s Club as they work to edify the St. Brendan community in visible and behind-the – scenes service jobs, always with cheerful enthusiasm and success.

I will miss a community with whom I have shared many joys, seasons and even sorrows as we have collaboratively worked to keep God in our lives and keep our faith strong. I will miss the joyful shouts of the kindergarten children as they receive a retrieved ball that has fallen outside the fence and I toss it back. You’d think they were made of gold!

I will miss the very intimate moments of being invited into people’s lives in moments of illness or hospitalization and even sharing the last precious minutes of a person’s life. Believe it or not, I remember each of these special moments. I will miss the opportunity to promote Riordan High School, although if one were to ask the children I always thank a Catholic School child/ high-schooler for “wearing their colors”. I believe it means more than the colors; it speaks of pride in faith! I will miss being invited to special moments with families. But most of all, I WILL MISS EACH and EVERY ONE OF YOU! Please consider St. Mary, Star of the Sea another “home”. My cell phone number is 415-246-5535 and personal email address is frmquinn@gmail.com.  Feel free to contact me.

Thank you for the best years of my life.

With All my Love,    
Fr. Mike Quinn

 

P.S. Thank you, Fr. Dan, and all the volunteers for a wonderful send-off.

 

“Now , indeed I know you are a person from God!”

Last Friday was the last day of school for 2012-2013. On Friday, 5/31/2013 our eighth graders graduated from, for most, 9 years of education at St. Brendan’s.  As they reflected upon their time here, they were full of gratitude for the education and athletic achievements allowed from the experience.  They were full of gratitude for their parents, their teachers and each other.  As I sat there with Archbishop Niederauer, Principal Carol Grewal and Father Dan, Pastor, watching and hearing their remarks, I felt as though I was sitting in the wrong place. I felt that I should have been with the grateful graduates who so clearly articulated their feelings of achievement and gratitude  at their matriculation through St. Brendan School. I am certain these remarks will have been echoed by our school-children as they close out the 2012-2013 school year.

 

When we are invited to an undertaking, we are at first full of hope and concern. As we are in the middle of the project, our confidence builds and we become increasingly confident as we encounter hurdles and best them and continue to progress. Such is not only the way of school, but it is the way of life.  Imagine the people present for our First Reading and Gospel- invited to believe and follow God as they literally saw the dead raised to new life. Perhaps spiritually, we are not confident. But we do have core values. We begin with where we are, just as our school children have done. What gifts we possess quickly become evident as we try to build upon them with learning efforts.  What challenges us and requires more work than perhaps our peers, also becomes evident. We are then faced with a choice-the first is to accept our gifts with grace and accept our weaknesses as well with the resolve to put in needed extra work. The alternative is to stay in our rut and trumpet our victories while bemoaning our failures. The latter is the way of the world where responsibility is not embraced.

 

     We are called to victory over our weaknesses, over worldly allure by our faith. Believing in God and living the sacramental life will relieve us and enliven us with spiritual life and belief as it did the characters present in our Scripture readings today. Just as at graduation there are proud people who love us glad for the effort that allowed achievement for our graduates and school-children, we are called to do so in faith. From the proud and loving looks of parents, one could not determine grades achieved, but I saw pride in the trying.

     Personally, I relate to this call to believe. I am being called to serve another parish but doing so involves cost, the greatest is that of leaving the people I have come to love deeply as if you were all of my own blood, the people of St. Brendan parish. To those I must leave, you will never leave my heart and my prayer for you is to embrace my replacement just as you did me. For it was in that act of Christian love that my belief in Christ was edified. I know that you and your families are all people through whom God works. I know indeed that “You are persons from God!”  May God bless you always, wherever your travels take you!  

 

    Fr. Mike

 

Welcome Scouts – The first Sunday in June, at the 9:30am mass, is our annual Scout Sunday Mass.  At St. Brendan, we have not only scouting for boys but also for girls, as many of you are aware when they sell their delicious cookies.  But more than just fundraising, our scouts are also involved in many activities from fun recreational activities to service projects.  Scouting helps our youth to try new things, build self-confidence and learn habits for healthy living, while serving the community and fulfilling their duty to God.  “Do a good turn daily” is a core scouting precept.  So today we recognize them for their achievements and their service to the community, and pray that God will continue to bless the work of their hands, so that they in turn may bless many others through their service. 

 

A Busy Time for our 8^th Graders – This past week was a busy time for our graduates.  Beginning on Tues., May 28, they had a friendly volleyball game against the Faculty.  Surprisingly, the Faculty has had dominance over the 8^th graders the past few years.  Then on Wednesday night, they had their dinner dance.  The Class Dinner was held in the school library at 6:30pm.  Afterwards, at 8pm, they met up with their parents, who were waiting outside the Church Hall, and escorted them into the Hall for an evening of dancing and delight.  On Thursday, they and the 7^th grade Altar Servers were treated to a day off at Raging Waters Amusement Park in San Jose.  This was a parish treat for our Altar Servers who serve throughout the year at daily and Sunday masses.  Finally, on Friday, May 31, our 8^th graders graduated from Elementary School.  There was a mass for them and their parents with the school in the morning at 8:15am, followed with the graduation ceremony in the evening at 5 p.m.  Their commencement speaker was Archbishop Emeritus, George Niederauer.  So although it was a busy time for them, but it was also a fun time filled with laughter and memories for years to come.  God Bless you, Class of 2013.  We’ll miss you, but don’t be a stranger.  See you at mass.

 

A Movie about Medjugorje – As part of the Year of Faith (YOF), the YOF Committee recommended a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, a place where the Blessed Mother is reported to continue to appear to seers.  The Pilgrimage will be from September 26 – October 5, but reservations need to be in by June 15.  A documentary about Medjugorje will be shown on Sunday June 9, from 1-2:30pm, in the Church Hall. 

If you’re thinking about going on such a pilgrimage with fellow parishioners and me, I invite you to come and see it.  In this Year of Faith, we’re encouraged to do something to help us deepen and grow in faith.  This might be what is needed for you and for your family and friends, to have a closer encounter with the God who so desires to show us the depth of His love.  For more information about the pilgrimage, contact the parish office at 415-681-4225 or parishioner, Mrs. Zdenka Bodisco at 415-681-4100.  The cost is $2,650 per person and it is organized by Trinity Pilgrimage at, www.trinitypilgrimage.com.  Their contact person is Jim Benzow at 408-443-3912. 

 

Fr. Dan