News Around the Parish
Congratulations, Confirmandi – On Thursday, November 21 at 6 pm, Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco, Most Rev. William Justice celebrated Confirmation with our parochial and non-parochial 8th graders. Do you remember your own Confirmation? The promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit is real and can be life changing. The challenge is to learn to listen and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we do so, even a little bit, it will change the course of our lives for the better. Imagine if you’re standing and facing south. If you change your life by even one degree, at the end of our lives, it would have taken us to a whole different destination. One book that helped change the course of my life was “The Cross and the Switchblade,” by David Wilkerson. It is a powerful account of someone who took the risk to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in his life that not only transformed him, but those whom God has called him to serve. On the occasion of the Parish’s Celebration of our youth accepting the faith for themselves, we give thanks to God for their “Yes,” and we pray that in the days and years ahead, the seed of faith planted at Baptism, will continue to grow and blossom throughout their lives. And I’d like to thank their teachers, Mr. David Lopez, Sr. Angela Furia, Mrs. Mahgie Murphy, and their parents for helping them in their preparation. Please remember our Confirmadi in your prayers.
Parish Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration – Each year, we gather as a parish community to celebrate our own Thanksgiving Dinner. In a sense, we are like an extended family to each other, where both our children and adults encounter friendship, community and support. And twice a year, at this event and at the feast of St. Brendan (May 16), we recognize and welcome new members who have joined our community. We’re blessed that our community is still attracting others and I pray that they may experience in us, not only warmth and friendship, but faith to help them deepen their own relationship with God. I’d like to recognize and thank our Welcome Committee Chairs, Paige Olson and Deborah Nysather, as well as the members of the Welcome Committee for planning, inviting, setting up, hosting and cleaning up for this event. Their kindness and hard work, reminds us that truly, we have much to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving Masses – As Fr. Theo mentioned last week, the word we use for Eucharist, is a Greek word that means Thanksgiving. So it’s certainly appropriate that we give thanks to God through our prayer at Mass. We give thanks to God for His Words that give us hope, that guide us and that give us life. As we bring to each mass our sacrifices, not of blood from animals, but from the efforts of our lives to walk faithfully and humbly with God, God in turn gives us Himself in the Eucharist. In this holy exchange, we can never out give God as He is far more generous with us than we can ever hope. So if you’re not travelling and in town, plan to join us.
Our Thanksgiving Masses are on:
Wednesday, 11/27 at 11am with the School
Thursday, 11/28 at 7:30am & 9:30am
If you’re able, please plan to bring non-perishable food items to Mass as St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) will be collecting for those in need. At the recommendation of the Liturgy Committee and Parish Advisory Board, the tradition of the parish to provide bread for those who attend the Thanksgiving Mass will be discontinued. In place, the funds used to purchase the bread ($150) will be donated to SVDP.
Fr. Dan
