Candidates for Confirmation – I want to congratulate our 8^th graders who will celebrate their enrollment as Candidates for Confirmation at this Sunday’s 8 am mass.  Do you remember your own Confirmation?  Did anything special happen to you when the Bishop prayed that you may eceive the gift of the Holy Spirit?  At the first Pentecost, St. Luke the evangelist reported that they (the apostles) “were all in one place together. ² And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. ³ Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim” (Acts 2:1-4). 

That was certainly not my experience.  In fact I felt a little disappointed that I did not feel anything special.  But just because I didn’t feel anything different, it doesn’t mean that something special didn’t happen.  For example, just because we didn’t feel anything different when we celebrated a birthday milestone, like our 5^th or 13^th or 21^st or 50^th, it doesn’t mean something special didn’t happen.  In fact, as I grow in age, I’m coming to a greater appreciation of the gift of the Holy Spirit that I received in my teens.  So often in life, we have to face some difficult decisions.  My earliest struggle was to choose the direction of my life in College.  What to major in?  Which direction to take in life, to stay with a certain field of studies or to choose a different one?  As I took these questions to God, I found that the Holy Spirit speaks through the ordinariness of human events and life.  It is the guidance from family, school counselors, friends and the still voice inside that helped me to find my way.  The prophet Elijah, when he was looking for God’s guidance, he didn’t find it in the strong and violent wind, nor in the earthquake or fire, but in a “light silent sound” (1 Kings 19:11-12).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches us that God speaks to us in the depths of our hearts, through our conscience:  “Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment.... For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God.... His conscience is man’s most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths” (CCC #1776).  So although at my Confirmation I didn’t experience anything extraordinary, but very subtly, I’ve grown to open my heart to learn to listen to the small quiet voice inside of me.  As one person beautifully summarized the difference between praying and meditating, praying he said is us talking to God.  Meditating is learning to listen to God. As we learn to listen to that still small voice of God’s Spirit calling out to us and obey it, our lives will be richly blessed.  And so my prayer for all of us and for our teens in particular, is that as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation, they may learn to listen and obey God’s Spirit, who desires to lead them to the fullness of life.  Congratulations 8^th graders.  Choosing to follow and serve God is the best choice I’ve ever made in life and I’m sure it will be the same for you and for all of us.

With prayers and blessings,
Fr. Dan

Installation of Advisory Board Members and Ministry Officers and Coordinators

I want to express my gratitude to the men and women who volunteer to serve on the Parish Advisory Board as well as Coordinators or Officers of the various parish ministries.  Members of the Advisory Board serve as a cross section of our community and help me in the strategic planning and implementation of various programs to help our parish be effective in her ministry.  In our survey of the parish done a couple of years ago, the Advisory Board helped identify 5 areas that we needed to focus:

Spirituality – to help the parish grow spiritually

Leadership – to give parishioners the opportunity to serve in leadership capacity within the parish

Stewardship – to create opportunities for parishioners to use their time, talent and treasure in the service of God and neighbor.

Social Ministry – to serve not only the needs of parishioners, but the community at large

Hospitality – to welcome not only new parishioners, but to help long time parishioners feel welcomed and appreciated as well.

They have helped our Pastoral Staff stay on course.  For example, in the area of Spirituality, Sr. Catherine Cappello has developed a Religious Education program for non-parochial students.  The Sunday Children’s Liturgy of the Word continues to grow.  We’ve used the opportunity of the Year of Faith to welcome speakers, form a faith sharing Book Club and even plan a pilgrimage to help deepen our spiritual lives.  And we continue to look into how we can help our teens deepen and practice their faith.  In the areas of Leadership and Stewardship, we’ve used the Ministry Fair to help parishioners know of possible areas they can use their time, talent or treasure.  From past fairs, we’ve been able to help connect a ministry need with an interested volunteer.  Some volunteers who serve in the Advisory Board, or Finance Committee, or as Lectors were “recruited” through their sign-ups.

We continue to look for ways to serve our Community.  Sr. Sharon, last year, met with Catholic Charities and St. Vincent de Paul, and recruited many youth of our parish to work on a garden on Treasure Island so the low income residents there would have access to healthy organic vegetables.  She also led a group to work with Habitat for Humanity.  We serve the teens at Juvenile Hall and Fr. Mike and I have been praying for homicide victims and their families in the City.  In different ways, we try to serve beyond the immediate needs of the parish.  Through various community events, such as Parish Picnic and Thanksgiving Dinner, we strive to foster within our community a welcoming spirit for the “new” and the “old.”  So the Advisory Board Members have been invaluable to me.  They are:

Deidre O’Bryan (Chair) - Donna Mohr (Vice-Chair) * - Jose Farran

Amy Feasy - Molly Magnano - Neal McGettigan

Ann Marie Miller - Paul O’Leary - John Powers *

Angie Riordan - Jim Sangiacomo * - Jim Wollak *

The names with an asterisk denote they are new members to the Board.  New Officers or Coordinators this year in different parish ministries include:  Kevin Morrison, President of Men’s Club, Karen Pierotti,

President of Mother’s Club, Michelle Browning and Megan Golinveaux as Chairs for the Under 5 Group and Paige Olson and Deborah Nysather as Chairs of the Welcome Committee.  At this Sunday’s 11:30am Mass, they and the other officers or coordinators of the various parish ministries will be installed and in some cases, reinstalled.  I want to thank them for their time, talent and treasure that make our St. Brendan community strong and vibrant.

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan

Dear Parishioners,

As a Catholic school, St. Brendan Parish School has made significant efforts to form generations of caring, committed, educated Catholics. While facing challenges in continuing this role of passing on Catholic Identity, St Brendan Parish School has done an exemplary job by providing programs and services to enrich the academic program and support the development of student and family life.  In this document I would like to cite ways the school administration, faculty, and parish have helped to make faith come alive for members of the school community and to reinforce its Catholic Identity.

During Back-to-School Parent Conferences the faculty directly asked each parent how they were fostering the faith formation of their children. This partnership of faculty and parents working directly and cooperatively to form the Catholic faith is a ministry for both to the benefit of the students.

The school recognizes that parents, faculty and students must work together to effectively form Catholic faith within the student body. In cultivating the faith formation of St. Brendan Parish School families, a family prayer is now included in the weekly letter from the principal. Mrs. Grewal recognizes that parents are the most significant people in a child’s life and the primary educators. By praying with their children and helping them grow in their love and knowledge of God, the parents are gifting their children in the traditions of the church. The old adage, “A family that prays together, stays together” is appropriate here.

Modeling Christ-like living is another value that is important to the St. Brendan Parish School community. Our parents are extraordinary models of volunteerism in their support of the parish and school.  It was evident that the older students have caught this value and have seen how it has made their lives more meaningful. A number of students volunteered many hours at a CYO Treasure Island Nursery School. They cut and nailed boards to make planters, and installed an irrigation system at the nursery school for underprivileged students.  These children now enjoy freshly grown crops that they planted, watched grow, and harvested. Our St. Brendan Parish School students came away with good feelings that they have made the world a better place and the lives of others much happier. Giving IS better than receiving!

On a Sunday morning in September, a large number of students were commissioned as altar servers. The school worked cooperatively with the priests in preparing these students. In committing to serve the Church the families and students carry out service to the Church, and a dedication to Christ-like living.

When the Men’s Club sponsored a pancake breakfast for the parish, the Youth Ministry Students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade served as altar servers, readers, and ministers at Mass. Then they served food and stayed to clean up after the breakfast. Many people at the breakfast complimented the students for their efforts. Research indicates that children adopt the values not only of their parents but also of groups to which they belong. Our students involved in school and parish service are planting seeds. As they grow older, their Catholic faith will lead them to service to those in need in the world community.

St. Brendan Parish School continues to reflect and plan on how best to foster faith formation for the 21st Century. It is an ongoing process and requires that parents work in tandem with the school and the parish to bring the message of Christ and the teachings of the Church to our students.

Rosaleen Adams, School Advisory Board member

Pilgrimage to Medjugorje – It was a fabulous experience we had recently on our pilgrimage to Medjugorje (pronounced Me-diu-go-ria, as the “J” is pronounced as an “I”).  Although pilgrims next to me have shared that they have seen the sun spinning and the links between their rosary beads turn to gold in color, I have not witnessed anything “extraordinary” myself.  Nonetheless, the “miracle” I’ve witnessed and experienced, was the prayerfulness of the place, the peace that is present and the countless lives transformed.  The confession lines were long, and as I assisted with confessions, I can share that there were many deep conversions.

Although neither the local bishop nor the Vatican has approved Medjugorje as an official apparition site of our Blessed Mother, nonetheless, the testimonies of the visionaries are quite remarkable.  In the late 1970s when John Paul II became Pope and felt overwhelmed by the burdens of his office, he asked the Lord to send His mother to help him.  On June 24, 1981, the Blessed Mother is reported to have appeared to 6 children there.  Although cynics might say that their story is fabricated for tourist dollars, however in the early years, Medjugorje was still a part of Yugoslavia and under Communist rule.  The children and their families would certainly not benefit from making up a story like that.  Even their skeptic pastor, who later became a believer and became the 7^th person to see the Blessed Mother, was imprisoned for trying to protect these children.  The Communist authorities tried all sorts of ways to disprove their sightings, but were unable to do so. 

And the apparitions continue to this day.  Medjugorje is different from Lourdes or Fatima in that the visionaries, in their 40s, are still alive and continue to share their experiences with pilgrims.  We were fortunate to hear from 3 visionaries, from their early experiences to the continuing message that our Blessed Mother has for all her children. In essence, as the Queen of Peace, she calls us to work for Peace, beginning with ourselves.  How can there be peace in our families and in our world, if there is no peace in our own hearts.  She calls us to turn to her Son and to trust Him with our lives and with our burdens, for He is our Savior.  She calls us also to pray for His Church, the bridge to help humanity reach God.  And as a bridge, she is under severe assault by the enemy, so our Blessed Mother calls us to pray for our Pope, Bishops and priests.  The blessing she gives, she explains, is a Mother’s blessings but the blessing by a priest is Her Son’s blessings. 

Our Blessed Mother gave us 5 pebbles to help us battle our Goliaths.  When our burdens seem overwhelming, she encourages us to:

pray the rosary daily

fast on Wednesday and Fridays on just bread and water

attend Mass every Sunday

read the Bible

and make use of the sacrament of reconciliation monthly.

She doesn’t expect us to be able to do all of them, especially if we’re still young in the faith, but we can do a little.  Maybe we can’t fast Wednesdays and Fridays, but we can give up a meal, like breakfast on Fridays.  And that’s what the visionaries shared, that their growth was also gradual.  So I came away from the pilgrimage there feeling closer to our Blessed Mother, having experienced her maternal concern, more at peace and rejuvenated in faith.  It was a wonderful experience and I hope you’ll be able to go and experience it for yourself, one day soon.

Congratulations, Fr. Mike – On Sunday, October 13 at 9:30am, Fr. Mike Quinn will be officially installed as Pastor of Star of the Sea in Sausalito by Archbishop Cordileone.  He shared that after much hard work and settling in, he’s finally falling in love with the people there.  Please keep him in your prayers, that he would be an effective priest and servant of our Lord there.

Peace,

Fr. Dan

Great things happen when God mixes with his people. While I thank God that I have finally arrived and settling in, I on your behalf rejoice with our amiable Pastor Fr. Daniel Nascimento on his deep spiritual experience in Medjugorje.We joyfully await his return on October 6th. Let us remember to pray for his safe trip back to us.

Dear friends, we have entered the month of October which is dedicated to our blessed mother, Mary. Mary is a model of prayer and true discipleship. She interceded for the couple of Cana and they found favor with her son Jesus. May we, too, ask for her prayers for ourselves, family and loved ones. In a special way I invite us to a daily recitation of the rosary and meditation on the mysteries of the life of Jesus in the twenty mysteries of the rosary. It takes about fifteen minutes to say the rosary and I encourage all of us to make an effort in this special month.

Mary was a faithful disciple of Jesus, as she listened to what was said about Jesus and pondered in her heart as we too listen to the word of God, may we ponder it in our hearts and respond to it in our daily lives.

May our mother Mary, the Queen of all families, the mother  of perpetual help and refuge of sinners pray for you and your loved ones and may all our prayers be granted by God through her intercession.

We are all called to prayer by joining the Rosary Rally on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at 12:00 noon at San Francisco U.N. Plaza on Market and 7th Street. The keynote speaker will be Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco. The program will include Benediction and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

Finally, I thank all of you for your help through this my period of transition. I thank all who were at the picnic, it was a lot of fun!

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may He let His face shine on you and give you peace, AMEN.

Fr. Theo