News Around the Parish

Celebrating our Parish Ministries – This weekend, to celebrate the richness of our parish ministries and to make better known the diversity of our parish activities, we invite you come and see what your fellow

parishioners are doing.  If you have the time or interest, feel free to attend one of their meetings or activities.  Otherwise, give them a pat on the back for their efforts and dedication.  A member of our Advisory Board,

Dr. Molly Magnano shared that she had attended a Ministry Fair at another parish and it was delightful because it had a festive atmosphere, so we will try to do the same here.  Another member of the Board, Mrs. Beth Powers suggested we do a raffle with prizes to be drawn after each mass, and for the grand prizes to be drawn after the last mass.  To get a raffle ticket, one only has to stop by to visit any of the ministry tables.  Besides gift cards, one of the grand prizes includes a lunch or dinner with the priests and sisters of our parish.  We’re looking forward to dining with you.  But all that aside, I want to acknowledge all the volunteers who make this parish strong and vibrant.  As I had shared with our volunteers in the New Year’s Eve Volunteer appreciation dinner, there is not one day out of the year that one volunteer or another is not helping us in parish ministry.  So I want to thank them again for their love for the Lord and His Church that they give of their time, talents and treasure in His Service.

Collapsed Parishioner Resurrects – Well, the title sounds more dramatic than what actually happened. Last Sunday at the 7 a.m. mass, someone coming up for communion experienced dizziness and began to collapse.  Fortunately, someone near him helped him into the pew and laid him down.  A couple of nurses and doctors that were attending that mass came to his aid, while someone else called 911.  The paramedics came in no time and he regained consciousness.  I checked on him after the last mass and he said they ran a battery of tests on him at Kaiser and they determined that he was okay.  The treating physician suspected that he had simply been dehydrated because he came down with the flu the day before and he had not eaten or drank anything before mass.  They released him that morning and he is safe back home.  He wishes to thank all you kind people for your help and prayers.  He said he is a parishioner at St. Phillips but that morning, he came here for mass.  That was indeed a wonderful Christian spirit that was present that morning as we reached out in our own way to help and pray for him.  Remember that the 1 hour fast before receiving communion does not apply if we are sick.  And if you are sick and miss mass, it is not a sin.  You can still keep the Sabbath holy by remembering the Lord in prayer at home.

Brother Dat Nguyen to attend a 30 day Retreat – As part of his formation, Bro. Dat will be attending a 30 day retreat at El Retiro beginning January 19 and he should be back with us next month.  Please hold him

in your prayers as he continues to discern and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in his life.  Your support to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal provides him with this generous opportunity and please continue to support him with your love and prayers.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Volunteer Recognition Dinner – The past 3 years, we ended the year with a New Year’s Eve Mass at 5pm and a dinner to honor and thank the many volunteers in our parish.  What made this year special was that we were able to celebrate it in our new hall.  Many of the volunteers who came that evening commented on how magnificent the hall looked.  Even though it is the same size, but the removal of the wooden panels that covered the walls and painting them white made the hall seem larger and brighter.  Having the windows backlit also added to the beauty of the room.  And in place of florescent lamps, the simple light fixtures on the ceiling and around the side of the wall made the hall look elegant. 

About 100 volunteers and their spouses attended the evening.  They were treated from our new bar with anything from wine to a tasty punch.  The egg rolls that were served as appetizers disappeared as quickly as they appeared.  The dinner and dessert were excellent as was the table company.  We were also able to show off our new projector that can not only project computer slides, but cable TV programs as well.  Mr. Gus Del Puerto, the unofficial parish photographer, showed slides of events that happened in the past year from the Easter vigil, to the children’s Vacation Bible School, teens making sandwiches for St. Vincent de Paul, new Mother’s Club officers being installed, the Knitting Group making scarves for the homeless, parish picnic and much more… 

Thanks to a few generous donors, we gave away over a dozen appreciation gifts from movie theatres, passes to the zoo, gift certificates at local restaurants, to dinner with the priests and sisters of St. Brendan.  Track Coach John Woods and Assistant Coach, Officer Chris Putz also gave us some clothes with St. Brendan logo that were highly sought after by the youth.  The cooks who prepared our meal marveled and delighted in cooking at our new kitchen facility.  They brought with them some dance music so after the desserts, slide show and prizes, some took to the dance floor to dance the night away.  However, as this was a more seasoned group, they turned in their dancing shoes by 9pm and returned home to celebrate the New Year in the comfort of their homes. 

On behalf of our entire parish community, we wish to express our gratitude to all of you who volunteer at our parish.  Every day of the week, there are volunteers who help us from opening up the Church and setting up for mass, to counting the Sunday collection, visiting the homebound, to advising me in financial matters or the direction and mission of our Church.  We’re blessed by you and may God richly bless you in return.

Fr. Dan

New Year Traditions

 What kind of New Year Traditions does your family have?  On Travel and Leisure’s webpage, an article from December of 2008 describes some of the World’s Strangest Traditions.  Apparently, in Sao Paulo, La Paz, and other parts of South America, the proper wardrobe for New Year’s Eve is not a nice dress or a black tie, but underwear.  For those who are looking for love, red underwear is the appropriate color and for those looking for money, yellow is the appropriate color.  In the Philippines, the wearing of polka dots and eating round fruits are supposed to ensure a prosperous new year.  In Spain, wolfing down a handful of grapes as the clock strikes 12 is supposed to have the same effect.

In other countries, New Year’s customs are about driving away the bad spirits of the past year.  That is why the Chinese light firecrackers to scare away evil spirits.  In Scotland, men parade through the village swinging giant blazing fireballs over their heads to ward off evil.  The Danish people have the tradition of jumping off chairs at midnight to banish bad spirits. 

So what kind of traditions do you have in your family?  In our family, after getting together for Thanksgiving and Christmas, the New Year’s celebration is low key.  This is especially true, because in another few weeks, our family will get together again to celebrate Chinese New Year.  So January 1 is usually a quiet celebration.  We do, however, have a custom of beginning the year with a celebration of Mass.  We get together to thank God for the past 12 months and ask God’s blessing for the next 12. 

Spiritual author, Fr. Ronald Rolheiser wrote, “If you come to the end of a year and are still alive, then you haven’t had a bad year.  If you are still within the family of faith, then you’ve had a good year, irrespective of personal sickness, economic misfortune, lost relationships or any other tragedy.  Moreover, if there’s gratitude in your heart and you can ask God for providence and protection for the coming year, you’ve entered that year on the right note.  If you can follow this by expressing sincere love and best wishes for those around you (the words and embraces that say “Happy New Year”) well, that’s all a human being can do to welcome a new year properly.”

So with gratitude in our hearts, for you our brothers and sisters in faith, who have encouraged us, supported us, prayed for us and loved us, we thank God for you, for your companionship along the journey of life.  We are indeed so blessed to have each other, to have the gift of faith and to be part of the family of God.  As we celebrated Christmas last week, we are reminded of God’s incredible love that He chooses to dwell among

His people, in you and me.  So as we begin a New Year, we know that we have nothing to fear, for Emmanuel, God is with us.  And through even the darkest valleys, He will see us through.  On behalf of the sisters, priests and staff here at St. Brendan, we wish you and your loved ones a very Blessed New Year!  Thank you for who you are and all you do.

With love and prayers,

Fr. Dan

Why do you celebrate Christmas?  One man posted on his webpage that he does not celebrate Christmas because he cannot comprehend why a God who is supposed to love us would allow us to experience suffering.  He wrote, either God is impotent to stop suffering or God is evil for allowing suffering to happen. 

But God is not evil for allowing suffering to happen, anymore than parents who gave life to their children are evil for bringing them into a world where they will experience suffering.  Many parents chose to bring a child into the world out of love.  We know that when we are in love, the person whom we love and who loves us in return “give us life.”  And when couples love one another, it is natural for them to share their joy and their love by giving life to a child.  Regrettably, life has its sorrows, but also its joy.  Loving parents will not simply give life to their children and then abandon them to themselves.  Rather, they will feed, nurture, teach and encourage their children through the ups and downs of life.

Similarly, God gave us life because God is love and that is the nature of love, life giving.  When humanity chose to go its own way and was lost, God sent prophets to teach us, and finally He came Himself.   The angel who appeared to the shepherds announced the following:  “I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you” (Luke 2:10-11).  Jesus said He did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17). 

So that is why the Church celebrates Christmas.  Because God was not content to be up in heaven seeing us wallow in our misery, but God came among us to show us the way, and to show us His love.  Even through suffering, God, the Good Shepherd promised that He will always be with us and see us through (Psalm 23:4).  In all honesty, it has been through suffering that I have grown in wisdom and learned what matters most in life.  I have learned also through suffering, who my true friends are.  And God has been a friend.  He may not be like a Genie who will magically make my problems disappear, but God has always stood by me and seen me through the most difficult times.  That is why I celebrate Christmas, God’s gift of Himself to us. 

What about you?  I certainly pray that you find meaning in this Season of Love, and that you are surrounded by people who love you, both from this life, and from the heavenly realm.  Because we believe in the Communion of Saints, we believe that those who have gone before us in faith will not stop caring about us but will continue to love us from on high.  On behalf of my brother priests, religious and staff at St. Brendan, we wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Retired Religious – Did you know that not everyone in the U.S. receives Social Security?  It was a comment made by Sr. Barbara Beasley, a sister of the Good Shepherd, who made an appeal last Sunday for the Retired Religious.  In the past, the religious who took vows of poverty and worked in schools, hospitals, and parishes received no salary and so did not pay into the Social Security system.  In 1972, they were allowed to enter into the Social Security system, but had to pay a huge amount in order to be eligible.  The smaller religious communities, who were unable to pay this huge amount, were sadly, unable to enroll their sisters in Social Security.  In the past, when there were more religious women working than retired, they could afford the care of their older sisters.  However, as the number of working sisters decreased and the number of retired sisters increased, with longer life expectancy and the rise of medical costs kyrocketing, this has become a problem for many religious communities.

They still see their mission as important and are anxious to use their financial resources for ministry and service to others.  At the same time, the religious communities are responsible for the health and retirement expenses for each sister and take this responsibility very seriously.  Most sisters feel a deep discomfort with this appeal on their behalf.  They would much rather keep their need hidden and trust that God will provide.  That is why I am writing and making an appeal on their behalf.  In fact, I only learned the depth of their need in the past few months.  Because the current practice, the employer (parish or school) and employee (priest or religious) pays into Social Security, I assumed it was the same for everyone.  But in fact, many older retired religious do not receive the same benefit we take for granted.  So if you have not given to this collection yet, might I invite you to join me and make a donation on behalf of a Sister who taught you in school or a Priest who celebrated the Sacraments with you?  Your check can be made to St. Brendan Church and add in the Memo line, for Retired Religious.  Thank you!

Volunteer Appreciation Dinner – Please reserve on your calendar, the evening of Saturday December 31 as an appreciation evening for all of you who give your time and talent to the parish.  From the Advisory Board, to the Finance Committee, Men’s Club, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Choir, Liturgical Environment, Building Committee, Welcome Committee, Sunday Hospitality, Youth Ministry, Under Five and so much more, we want to honor and thank you for all that you do to make our parish vibrant and strong.  So the evening will begin with Mass at 5pm offered for your intentions, followed with dinner in our beautifully remodeled hall.  Invitations will follow.

Appreciation Gift to our Bishops – To be a Bishop these days is no easy task.  Often times they have inherited the problems of their predecessors and have become a lightning rod for all who are angry with the Church.  So on your behalf, St. Brendan parish gave Archbishop George Niederauer, Auxiliary Bishop William Justice and Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy an appreciation gift for their selfless sacrifice to serve God and His people in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Happy New Year – the Church’s Liturgical Calendar begins on this first Sunday of Advent, 4 weeks before our celebration of Christmas. So, Happy New Year! In the early Church, around the 4th century, the preparation for Christmas was similar to Lent with a heavy tone on fasting and prayer. By the 9th century, the focus shifted to what we have today, a joyful hope and anticipation for Christ’s return at the end of time, and also to celebrate His first coming. A visual symbol to help us prepare for this celebration is the Advent wreath. The wreath is in the shape of a circle, which has no beginning or end: so we call to mind how our lives, here and now, will not end but continue on to eternity, in God’s Kingdom. The candles that we light each week also have meaning. The first candle that we lit this week stands for Hope. We can have hope, because God is faithful and just as He came among us the first time, He will come again and establish His Kingdom, where we will live in the fullness of joy and peace. The 2nd candle that we will light symbolizes Preparation. It reminds us to live our lives in preparation for the day we will encounter our Lord, whether it is at our death,or at His 2nd coming. The 3rd candle that we will light, they pink candle, symbolizes Joy. As the angels said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid,” so we too are reminded that the coming of the Lord as our Savior is not to be feared, but to be greeted with Joy. And the last candle symbolizes Love. The God who came among us and who will come again LOVES US. All that we have, all that we are, is because God loves you and me.

So prepare the way of the Lord. Live with joy and hope, for the lover of our souls will come to greet us.

Welcome Home – To all of you who are here for Thanksgiving and are visiting family or friends, welcome to our parish. As they say in Spanish, “mi casa es su casa,” which means “my home is your home.” So please come and visit anytime. Know there is always room in our Father’s house for you. And if you’re looking for a place to call your Spiritual Home, we also hope you’ll find in us, what your heart has been earching. Please take home a Welcome Booklet available in our entrances that will show you the variety of activities and ministries within our parish. When you’ve decided to make this your Spiritual Home and register here, one of the members of our Welcome Committee will contact and welcome you. Twice a year we pay special recognition to New Parishioners. One at our Annual Parish Dinner which happened on the Saturday before Thanksgiving (11/19), and another one 6 months later on the Sunday closest to the Feast of our patron saint, St. Brendan (5/16). So if you’re new here, come and introduce yourself to one of the priests, sisters or staff. We hope you’ll find in us, what your heart has been longing, a warm community and a spiritual home.

Annual Parish Dinner – I want to thank our Welcome Committee members chaired by Gina Eggert and Kristy Warner for planning and making our yearly Parish Dinner a success. As in the past, we specially
honored those who are new to our parish. Through the efforts of the Welcome Committee Members and the warmth and kindness of each parishioner here, this community continues to attract many people. Some even choose to become Catholics based on what they’ve experienced in us. So I want to extend a big thank you once again for all the members of the Welcome Committee, for the many hours they’ve spent in the evenings coordinating for this dinner. It was simply delightful to get together for no reason
other than to celebrate and give thanks to God for our many blessings.

Fr. Dan

News Around the Parish

Using the New Missal – After all the talk about the New Roman Missal, it will finally be implemented next Sunday, 11/27. The 1st Sunday of Advent is the beginning of the Church’s Liturgical Year. In spite of all the preparation and explanation, some people will undoubtedly still ask, why the changes are taking place. The short answer is, because it is an update. In the 2000 years of the Church’s history, there have been periodic revisions of the Missal. This is the 3rd revision of the English Missal which was first introduced in 1974, after the Second Vatican Council. Prior to the beginning of this millennium, it was Pope John Paul II’s vision to introduce an updated version. The Latin version was completed and approved in 2002, and the English version was approved last year. It was Pope John Paul II’s vision, that the translation be not only more beautiful in its address to God, but also more accurate. Some of the prayers in the Missal go back to the time of Jesus and 80% are dated before the 9th century. So John Paul didn’t want future translations to lose the beauty of our heritage. Thanks to him, the new translation will preserve the richness of our heritage, as it will be used in the different languages throughout the world. As some people find change difficult, may I ask that you pray for the success of the new translation and that the transition will go smoothly? Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving – Would you believe that grateful people lead happier lives? This was from an article I read a few years back from a mental health professional. So often, we go through our busy lives from one activity to another without pause or reflection. But if we stopped and reflected for a moment, we would see that even in the most difficult of circumstances, we are blessed. If you don’t believe it, try it yourself. At the end of the day, stop and count the number of blessings you’ve received. Do that for a week and see if that will lead you to a happier life. Our parish Thanksgiving Mass will be on Thursday at 9:30am. We invite you to bring a canned or non-perishable food to that mass, and bring it up to the altar during the Preparation of the Gifts, to symbolically offer your gift of a grateful heart to God. Members of St. Vincent De Paul will accept our donations and make them available to the needy.

Stewardship – I’m always grateful for your support to our parish through the gift of your time, talent and financial gift. Our Finance Committee met last week and we looked into the operating budget. As we ended the last fiscal year with approximately $1,000 in surplus, they were concerned that with the cost of living increasing, such as insurance, salaries and health care, we might not be able to meet our increased costs with the current income. The Finance Committee suggested I ask if you would consider increasing your donation to meet this year’s rising costs. And if you haven’t given to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, might you consider giving to this appeal as well? Else, we will have to take it out of our operating budget which will increase our financial burden. Please know of my gratitude for your generosity, and my prayers for those of you who are struggling financially.

With deepest admiration and gratitude,
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Dan