News Around the Parish
Congratulations Catechumen! – Last Sunday, January 12 at the 11:30am mass, our parish welcomed five (5) adults as Catechumen of the Church. The process for an adult to become a Catholic has 4 stages, similar to two people who are courting. A couple may in the beginning simply go out together to see if there’s a possibility of a relationship. After they’ve come to know one another, they may decide to go steady. And after some time, they may even choose to be engaged. Lastly, when they feel they want to spend the rest of their lives together they enter into marriage. Similarly, for those interested to learn about the Catholic faith the Church labels this first step as the period of Inquiry, where the candidates ask questions about our faith. After some time, if they continue to express interest and want to enter into a deeper relationship with Christ and His Church, they become Catechumens. If they want to pursue this relationship with Christ and His Church even deeper and if they feel God is “calling” them, they become the Elect. They are called the Elect, because it is not only they themselves who are choosing this relationship with God, but God is also choosing them, “Electing” them to be His own. And finally, when they feel ready and their teachers and sponsors judge them ready, they are welcomed into the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation, usually celebrated at the Easter Vigil. So we welcome Beverly Bloodworth, Ping Ping He, Lucia Marques, Susan Miller, and Yano Rhee as Catechumen of our Church. Hold them in your prayers that they may come to know God in mind, heart and soul.
Worldwide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Each year, beginning on January 18 and ending on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, January 25, Christians are invited to pray for the Unity of Christ’s Church. (See www.geii.org) for a history of this prayer that has its origins in the early 1900s). Although our Churches are still divided, yet we have united to serve God’s people. Our San Dimas ministry to the teens in Juvenile Hall, for example, is one such area. We come together as a team and pray and visit with the teens. As is our Prayers for Homicide Victims throughout the City. Last Saturday, January 11, the Archdiocese’s Office of Restorative Justice coordinated a Prayer Walk for Peace down in the Mission. With Bishop Justice, pastors from different faith traditions (Episcopal, Lutheran and non-denominational) we began with a prayer at St. Anthony Church at Ceasar Chavez, did a prayer walk to 24th and Mission, then to 16th and Mission, ending at Mission Dolores. The purpose was to ask God to bless our streets, our youth involved in gangs, and we carried a cross in remembrance of each of the homicide victims (54 in San Francisco, 16 in San Mateo & 2 in Marin Counties). So though our Churches may still be divided, yet each of us can be an instrument of peace and reconciliation. If you know a friend or a family member who is a non-Catholic Christian, you may simply say to them, we’re praying this week for you and your church that we may someday be one.
Walk for Life – Another area that Christians have come to work together is in the area of Respect Life. The goal of Walk for Life is to change the perception that abortion is an answer, when in fact it does violence to women and to their children both physically and emotionally. Women deserve better than abortion and the organization “Silent No More” seeks to help them find healing. The Schedule of events for Saturday,
January 25 is as follows:
9:30am – Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral with Archbishop Salvatore and 14 con-celebrating Bishops.
10am – Mass at St. Brendan Church, followed with Continental Breakfast and taking the Muni down to Civic Center.
10:45am to 12:15pm – Silent No More Awareness Campaign at Civic Center Plaza, SF
12:30 to 1:30pm – Walk for Life Main Event Rally (speakers include: Shari Rigby, Grace Dulaney, Monica Snyder and Pastor Clenard Childress)
1:30pm – begin Walk from Civic Center to the Embarcadero (Justin Herman Plaza).
Please feel free to come join us in all or any of these events.
Fr. Dan
