Welcome Fr. Theophilus! – It was funny when someone commented that they didn’t believe that Fr. Theo existed, as I spoke of him so often and at the time, he had still not arrived.  But thanks be to God, he arrived Monday at 1pm after a 25 hour flight.  He arrives just in time, as I am on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from Thursday, September 26 – Saturday, October 5.  There are 13 pilgrims leaving from San Francisco, and we will meet the other 27 pilgrims from throughout the U.S. in Washington D.C.  From there, we will go to Medjugorje.  I will remember you and your intentions there and will share with you the messages from Our Lady, who continues to make her appearance there, when I return.  Pray for me and Fr. Theo, and I will see you on Sunday, October 6.

Peace,

Fr. Dan

A Message from Fr. Theo – It is a delight for me to join the beautiful community of St. Brendan’s parish here in San Francisco.  My yes to this missionary enterprise is a

reinforcement of my response to God, when He called me to the priestly vocation.  Born in 1978 to Mr. Boniface Hwande (RIP) and Mrs. Eunice Hwande, I had my early education in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic primary school and then went on to Mt. St. Gabriel’s Catholic secondary school.  This solid Catholic background made it easier to discern God’s call.  Despite being an only son, and the favorite of my Mother, I could hear God’s call clearly and distinctly.  The Love urged me to respond in a generous way.  Therefore, I began the formation to Catholic priesthood in the Via Christi Society and had seminary training in St. Thomas Aquinas seminary in Nigeria and Missionary Seminary of St. Paul in Nigeria.  I was ordained a Catholic priest on July 5^th 2008.  Since then I have worked in the Archdiocese of Abuja, Nigeria, in different responsibilities until 22^nd September when I left for St. Brendan, which is my new home.

For me, like it was for St. Paul, the good news must be preached at all cost.  So I am here to join my brother, Fr. Daniel, to share the good news with you and not just to share it, but to proclaim it also: “the spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for He has anointed me.  He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor” (Luke 4).  May God grant fruitfulness to our ministry among you and may God bless us all as I look forward to having a nice time working with you in the parish.  Let me dedicate this last line in appreciation to Fr. Daniel for helping me to settle in on my arrival and for his guidance during my period of transition.  And to all of you who have prayed for me and gave generously to me, I say thank you.  May God reward you many times over.

Fr. Theo Hwande

Welcome Bro. Roger! – Roger Gustafson is in his last year of Seminary formation.  He’ll be spending time with us to get some experience prior to his Diaconate Ordination in November and hopefully, his Priesthood Ordination in June.  Below are excerpts from his autobiography:

 

I was born and raised in a suburban neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia.  My father devoted his life to the pursuit of science and was a professed atheist.  Having grown up in Sweden, my mother was Lutheran and took my brother and me to church every Sunday.  She set a positive example for us by singing in the church choir and teaching Sunday school.  As a result, one of my earliest childhood memories is pretending to be a präst—the Swedish word for priest—at the age of five. I would set up my room like a church, converting a small play table into a make-shift altar, conscripting one of the matching chairs to serve as the pulpit, and gently forcing my congregation of stuffed animals to sit quietly and listen to my rambling sermons.  For your sakes, I hope I have gotten better!

 

When I turned thirteen, however, I became indifferent to the existence of God and stopped attending church.  But after college, I began to feel that something was missing in my life.I found my thoughts turning more and more to a spiritual level.  I urgently felt the need to become more connected to God and to return to church.  I attended a number of Lutheran and other denominational churches, but never felt at home.  I knew nothing of the Catholic faith at the time and, other than my former girlfriend, had never met anyone who was an active, practicing Catholic.  Nevertheless, I somehow found myself attending Mass one Sunday morning.  The priest was very old and, because I sat in the back of the church, I could hear very little of what he actually said.  Everything logistically was wrong about the experience and, yet, I fell in love with the Catholic Church that day and have never looked back.  I attended an RCIA class the next Fall, was confirmed and brought into the Catholic Church on March 25, 1989.  

 

I almost immediately felt a strong pull to the priesthood.  But I postponed seminary and continued to work at my job.  Eventually I received a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in Religion and Social Ethics and a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago.  I became an attorney in San Francisco and, later, in Atlanta, practicing employment discrimination law.  Throughout this time, I still felt a persistent, though episodic, call to the priesthood.  In October 2006, I had a meeting with Archbishop Niederauer to discuss my vocation, and I was accepted to the seminary in August 2009.  I now am in my fifth and final year of theological studies.  I look forward to working with the people of God at Saint Brendan’s parish and learning as much as I can about diaconal ministry.  Thank you so much for welcoming me, and may God Bless you always.

 

Welcome Fr. Theo! – Good things do come to those who wait.  Fr. Theophilus Hwande will fly on September 22 from Nigeria and should arrive in San Francisco on September 23.  We thank him for being a missionary who is willing to come to a foreign land to share the good news of the Gospel with the people of this parish and city.  I’ll let him tell you about himself in the next bulletin.  I’ll be leaving for our Year of Faith pilgrimage to Medjugorje on September 26 and will return on October 5.  There are 13 of us who will be flying off from San Francisco, and we’ll meet up with another 25 pilgrims from throughout the U.S.  We’ll pray for you there.

 

Peace,

Fr. Dan

 

 

Children Religious Education Program – Thanks to Sr. Catherine, in September 2011 we began a Religious Education Program for public school children here in our parish.  Prior to that, because there were an insufficient number of children to form a class, St. Brendan partnered with St. Cecilia and our public school children attended Religious Education there.  But since 2011, Sr. Catherine found enough students to form a class and its going strong.  We now have 3 classes from 1^st – 3^rd grades.  If this continues, we’ll be able to provide religious education all the way up to Confirmation in 8^th grade.  Sometimes, parents think of enrolling their children just prior to a Sacrament, like Eucharist and Confirmation.  However, that is insufficient time to form a child in the faith.  Because what we’re trying to teach is not just intellectual knowledge about the faith, instead, we’re trying to form a child to be a disciple of Christ.  A child needs both the intellectual knowledge and the discipline to practice their faith.  That’s why we’re called disciples, from the word discipline.  On Saturday, September 14 at 4pm in the Church Hall, there is an Orientation & Registration meeting for parents who wish to enroll their children in Religious Ed.  If you missed this meeting or would like to find out more information, please contact Sr. Catherine at 415-681-4225 x 205 or at srcatherine@stbrendanparish.org.

Pancake Breakfast Success – Congratulations to Mr. Kevin Morrison, President of the Men’s Club, for running a successful Pancake Breakfast last week.  This was the 1^st fundraiser exclusively for the parish in recent memory.  And thanks to many of you who responded with early registration, it helped them prepare for this event.  There were approximately 150 sign-ups for the 10:30 a.m. seating, and another 30 for the 11 a.m.  They began food preparation even before the 9:30 a.m. mass began.  One could smell the coffee brewing and the sausages cooking below as mass began upstairs.  And when mass ended, a wonderful breakfast awaited us all.  The tables were beautifully decorated with real checkered table cloths and bright flowers, reminiscent of a picnic. Real plates and silverware were used.  Pancakes and hot sausages were set up in a buffet style, so diners could be served and return for more.  Over 200 meals were served that day, and the teens from our Junior High Youth Ministry helped not only to serve but to clean up as well.  A little over $1,000 was raised for the parish.  I want to thank all who helped make this breakfast a success:  the Anderer’s (Jim, Shameran & Kate), Doug Barry, The Finnegan’s (Tom, Lynn, Molly & Lauren), Kevin Kosewic, Patrick McFarlane, The Morrison’s (Margot, Cora & Elsa), the Youth Ministry Coordinators:  Stacey Simpson, Gus Del Puerto & Marie Detweiller and our super Jr. High Youths. Thank you teens for serving both at the Youth Mass and afterwards in the breakfast!  It was great!  And thank you all for supporting this event.

Parish Picnic – Please join us for our yearly parish picnic on Sunday, September 29 at Blackberry Farm in Cupertino.  Mass at the picnic will begin at 11am with lunch following immediately at noon.  There are other games besides swimming at the grounds.  But if you do enjoy swimming, there is both a children’s pool with a slide and an adult pool.  Locker and changing rooms are also conveniently located.  Come and enjoy the Sun and each other’s company as we begin another school year.

Fr. Dan

Pancake Breakfast – I want to thank Mr. Kevin Morrison, this year’s Men’s Club President, and his officers for offering to do a fundraising for the parish.  Mr. Morrison, a convert to the Catholic faith, has served as a member and as the Chair of the Parish Advisory Board.  He continues to serve as a member of the Finance Committee and was chosen this year to be the Men’s Club President.  As one who has seen the inner workings of the parish and is aware of its various needs, he generously offered to do a fundraising for the parish.  The breakfast will be served on Sunday, September 8, following the 9:30am mass.  In order to avoid the big rush following the mass, they have planned to have 2 different serving times.  One, immediately following the mass at about 10:30am, and the second one at 11am.  Kevin and his hand-picked cooks have planned and prepared for this day. Our youth will also be on hand to help serve.  Thank you all for your generosity and support.

Thank You, Bishop Emeritus Daniel Walsh – We’ve been blessed that since August, the retired Bishop of Santa Rosa, who is now in residence at his home parish of St. Anne of the Sunset, has generously come over to help us with the Sunday masses.  He was originally a priest of this Archdiocese, ordained in 1963.  He served as an Associate Pastor at St. Pius in Redwood City, taught at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, served as Chancellor for the Archdiocese (similar to a CEO), and later on as Archbishop McGucken’s private secretary.  He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco in 1981, became Bishop of Reno-Las Vegas in 1987, and was chosen to be Bishop of Santa Rosa in 2000.  He retired in 2011 and said he’s happy being a simple priest again, celebrating the sacraments with the people of God.  Parishioners have commented on how wonderful it was to have him celebrate mass with us, because he celebrates the Eucharist with dignity, the way they remembered it.  I too am grateful for his kindness, because he comes not as one who seeks to be served, but as one who serves, with a shepherd’s heart. 

Enlisting Your Help – As I shared with the faculty and parents at the beginning of the school year, what’s important to me as your Pastor, is not only that you and our children do well in life.  What’s more important still, is your immortal soul.  So I shared with them that with the other priests and sisters of the parish, we pray daily for you.  But I also want to enlist your help to pray for the members of this parish.  I ask that you’d also consider, on the Fridays throughout the year, to make a simple sacrifice.  Prior to the 2^nd Vatican Council, the common sacrifice was meatless Fridays. After the Council, we were still encouraged to take up a simple penance, although we were free to choose another penance, other than to give up meat.  Regrettably, the part that most people heard was that we didn’t have to give up meat on Fridays anymore, and missed the part about doing another sort of penance.  So I ask you to join me on Fridays, besides praying for the members of this parish, but also to offer a small sacrifice for this intention.  The small sacrifice can be giving up a cup of coffee, or skipping a meal, or offering a decade of the rosary.  Let us pray and sacrifice that the members of this school and parish may grow deeper in our faith and be authentic disciples of Jesus, willing to bring the Light of Christ to all who live in darkness.

Parish Picnic – Our yearly parish picnic will be on the last Sunday of September, 9/29 at Blackberry Farm in Cupertino.  Please save the date.  More information will follow.  As I will be leading a pilgrimage from 9/26 – 10/5, Fr. Theo will be celebrating the mass at the picnic at 11am, while Bishop Walsh will celebrate the 9:30 & 11:30 am masses here that day.  Registration for the Picnic will follow.

Unfair Legislation – Senate Bill 131 is on the brink of passage in the State Legislature and it is unfair to Catholic Parishes, Schools and Social Service Agencies.  This legislation will allow for one year, in cases of child sexual abuse, lawsuits to be brought only against private institutions.  It’s true that for many years, our Catholic leaders failed in protecting our children and as a result, many were hurt.  The failures of our leaders have damaged the Church not only financially, but in her mission and worse of all, it has hurt our own children.  But measures have been put in place to educate church leaders like myself, teachers, volunteers who work with children and their parents.  The students are also taught how to speak up and how to protect themselves.  So there has been a lot done to prevent harm to our children.

However, this Legislation is unfair for 2 reasons.  Firstly, it does not serve victims who were abused in public schools.  It protects public schools and government workers from lawsuits filed by victims and it even prevents victims from suing their actual abuser.  That’s wrong.  If this legislation is meant to serve abuse victims, then it should be written more broadly and not single out only private institutions.  Secondly, for the sake of justice, the Statute of Limitation is meant to protect defendants.  The Statute was already suspended once in 2003 for one year.  With the passage of time, it becomes more difficult for a defendant to disprove a claim.  And unfortunately, as we’ve seen from 9/11, to the gas pipe explosion in San Bruno, to the tragic crash of Asiana Airlines last month, there are people who take advantage of a tragic situation to make money.  After 9/11 & the San Bruno gas explosion, there were those who tried to pass themselves off as victims to receive compensation.   And in last month’s airline crash, two were charged with stealing the luggage of  victims.  It’s hard to disprove a claim, especially if an abuser has died, or administrative personnel also have died or changed over the years.

So for the sake of justice, I encourage you to please let your Assembly Member know that you oppose SB131.  Victims should be served, but private institutions alone should not be made scapegoats.  Please

ask your Assembly member know to vote either “NO” on SB131 or to expand it to protect all victims.

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan

                                                To Find your Representative,visit http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

Depending on what part of the parish you live, we’re served by either:  

Assembly Member Tom Ammiano (Dem) – District 17 (Eastern part of San Francisco)

Capitol Office District Office

State Capitol 455 Golden Gate Ave., Suite 14300

P.O. Box 942849 San Francisco, CA 94102

Sacramento, CA 94249-0017 415-557-3013

916-319-2017

Assembly Member Philip Ting (Dem) – District 19 (Western part of San Francisco)

Capitol Office District Office

State Capitol 455 Golden Gate Ave., Suite 14600

P.O. Box 942849 San Francisco, CA 94102

Sacramento, CA 94249-0019 415-557-2312

916-319-2019