Serving on the Priest Personnel Board

Last Fall, the Archbishop asked me to serve on the Priest Personnel Board.  My mentor said that that was the one board he least desired to serve in because it took the most amount of time.  In the Fall, the Board would only meet once a month for 2 ½ hours.  However, in January and February, it would meet twice a month.  From March until June, it would meet weekly and sometimes even twice a week to make recommendations to the Archbishop, regarding priests’ assignments.  One thing that I was deeply touched, was the care of the Archbishop and the priests who serve on that board, to assign the right priest to suit the needs of a given community.  There are no favoritisms, no politics, and the goal of everyone on the Board, is to send the “best” priest that will be meet the needs of a particular community. 

The second thing I was impressed with, was the thoughtfulness and kindness of the Archbishop to his priests.  Even though there are policies in place regarding priests, like a Pastor who is retiring may not retire and live in the same parish (to give the new incoming Pastor the freedom to act), however, the Archbishop would consider the requests of his priests and struggle with them.  Even though his decision in the end might be the same as if it was in the Clergy Personnel Policy, however, he does take the requests from his priests seriously. 

The goal of the Priest Personnel Board is to try to send the “best” priest that will suit the needs of a particular community.  But one thing that has made this task difficult, is the shortage of priests.  This year, 8 priests will be retiring on July 1st.  And only one candidate was ordained, Fr. John Chung, on Saturday June 25th at the Cathedral.  To make up the difference, parishes that previously had associate pastors will no longer have one, or if they had two, they will only have one.  We are also blessed with religious order priests that desire to serve in our Diocese.  Through them, we are able to cover most of the needs of the parishes this year. 

Because of the shortage of priests, this year, 3 pastors from smaller parishes were reassigned to become

pastors of 3 bigger parishes before their 6-year term was completed.  As Bishop Justice explained to parishioners who were upset with the move of their pastor, the reason he gave was that the shortage of priests is very real.  There is no bench where qualified priests are sitting around doing nothing.  In fact, one priest delayed his retirement to cover a parish, and another was called out of retirement to cover another. 

The Archbishop himself is 75 (born June 14, 1936) and according to church law, at age 75, he has submitted his resignation to the Pope.  However, his retirement may be delayed if they do not find a suitable bishop to take his place.  So pray for vocations.  Pray for our Archbishop, and for our Pope, who is 84 years old.  May they find the Wisdom of God to guide them, to be their hope and strength.  If you would like to send the Archbishop a congratulatory note for his birthday, you may send it to: 

The Most Reverend George Niederauer

Archdiocese of San Francisco, One Peter Yorke Way

San Francisco, CA 94109.

Fr. Dan

June 19,2011 - Ordination Anniversaries

Ordination Anniversaries

Most priests are ordained in May or June and that was certainly the case for Fr. Arnold Zamora.  On June 7, he celebrated his 25^th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.  The parishioners at Holy Name gave him wonderful celebration.  About 30 priests turned out for his special celebration at 5pm that evening, and he gave a special stole for each concelebrating priest.  The guest homilist was Fr. Dave Pettingill, a dynamic and lively preacher who compared Fr. Zamora’s musical gift like salt that brings out the flavor in food, like

dressing over salad, and like whipped cream over a pie.  He had us all laughing and appreciating the unique gifts God has blessed Fr. Arnold with, and his willingness to use them to the glory of God.  After communion, Fr. Arnold spoke about a song he composed for his anniversary, entitled “Chosen In His Love.”  He said he felt himself chosen to serve in the midst of God’s love.  And he reminds us, that all of us are chosen to be close to the heart of our Lord.  Part of the lyrics of his song is as follows:

Once again, I offer you my life.  Once again, anoint me with your grace.  Unworthy though I may be, and yet, you’ve chosen me.  Here again, I’ve faced each moment new with your light, I walk with trust in you.  Your presence is always there, giving me strength and power.  So here I am I’m standing before you, to give myself, my very best to serve you, and here I am, I stand to thank you, grateful for the gift and honor of being chosen in His love.

Then on Saturday, June 11, Fr. Antonio Petilla celebrated his 76^th birthday.  On that occasion, the parishioners of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Daly City threw him a wonderful party honoring also his 50^th anniversary of ordination.  Both men felt honored to be called to serve the Lord as priests.  As he will also be retiring on June 30, over 600 people came out to celebrate his birthday, anniversary and retirement.  They remind me of the honor it is to serve the Lord and the gift and privilege it is to serve His people.  I’m grateful to serve you as pastor.  Fr. Mike’s 2^nd anniversary of ordination will be on June 20, and Fr. Te’s 25^th anniversary will be June 28.  He is in residence here and serves as chaplain to both Laguna Honda Hospital and the Vietnamese community.  Ad multos annos!  (Wishing them Long Life).

Visiting Priest

 Fr. Jerry Van Overbeek will be staying until July 5 while Fr. Mike is away.  Fr. Jerry had been my unofficial mentor when I was a seminarian, doing my internship at St. Anne’s in 1994-1995.  At the time, he was taking a hospital chaplaincy program at UCSF and we struck up a great friendship.  Because we were so much alike and he was a priest, he gave me hope that I too can become one.  Fr. Jerry was born in Chicago, went to an Augustinian High School, and through exemplary priests and brothers there, decided to join them.  Their charism is to live together in harmony, to help our world live in peace with one another.  He was ordained on Feb. 6, 1965.  In his years of ministry, he had taught high school for 21 years, done formation work with seminarians for 15 years, and enjoyed being a chaplain in hospitals.  He said high school and hospital work are his favorite ministries.  Since 1967, he had come out to USF in the summer for courses.  He enjoys San Francisco and our fog here.  At St. Brendan’s, he will have no trouble enjoying the fog.  Welcome, Fr. Jerry!!!  And thanks for helping us out! 

Happy Father’s Day !!!

Fr. Dan

June 12, 2011 - News Around the Parish

Second Phase of Hall Renovation – Thanks to your ongoing financial support to the Capital Campaign, we are now ready to begin the 2nd phase of the hall’s renovation. The renovation will include replacing the carpet with red tiles.This is done to be consistent with the Mission architecture of our parish. The hardwood floor will be refinished and the wooden panels along the walls and columns will be removed. A large cost of the renovation will not be very noticeable but deemed very important because the electrical wiring has been deemed unsafe. Replacing light fixtures, renovating the Kitchen, purchasing new kitchen appliances, chairs and tables will be included in this 2nd phase of the renovation.

The projected costs are as follows:
  Hard Costs (demolition, construction, rewiring): $ 310,880
  Soft Costs (Consulting fees & permits): $ 12,100
  Furniture, Fixture, Equipment: $ 44,000
  10% Contingency (for unforeseen conditions): $ 36,698
----------------
  Total: $ 403,678

The finances of the Capital Campaign are as follows:
  Pledge Amount: $1,715,002
  Received Amount to date: $ 966,228
  Amount Spent: $ 575,229
(for painting, repairing and replacing windows, fixing leaks in roof and 1st phase of hall renovation)
  Amount available for this Summer (as of 6/1/11): $ 390,999

After this project is completed, the last project will be the replacement of the tiled roofs. If you plan to make a donation this year, but have not done so yet, now is a good time as we are slightly short by $12,679. Thank you for your continued generosity. Through your timely donations, we have not yet had to take out a loan, and have been able to pay on time. I also want to thank, on your behalf, members of the Building Committee who have been meeting since last summer, to plan out the details of this renovation.

8th Grade Graduation – On Friday, June 3rd at 6pm, our 8th graders finally graduated. Sr. Diane Erbacher, O.P., former Principal of St. Brendan, gave the graduation address. She reminded them how special they are in God’s eyes and encouraged them to strive always to live their best. Many of the students were recognized for their achievements by the School, but the parish also recognized a few of the graduates with cash gifts. The Bridge Group, in collaboration with the Women at the Well, gave an award to two of the graduates for winning the essay contest which asked them to reflect on the gift of the Catholic faith and how that influences their lives. This year’s recipients are Helena Kalman and Liam Bischoff. The Michael J. Calonico Memorial Award, is an award given to one boy and one girl who are honor students and have achieved athletic success. This year’s recipients are Matthew Cueto and Lauren Muffareh. The Msgr. Cummins Award is normally given to one student for having demonstrated an outstanding Christian attitude, service, leadership and scholastic achievement. This year, the award went to two students, Syramol McIlmoil and Liam Bischoff. And last, but not least, the Parish Service Award is given to a student who shows leadership, dedication, and service to the parish. This year’s recipient is Bobby Singer.

All of our students, whether they received an award or not, are outstanding in their own way. I believe that simply graduating from St. Brendan School already sets them apart from so many other students. To all of our graduates, we congratulate you and wish you the best in your future endeavors. Remember, that who we are is God’s gift to us.

Who we become, is our gift to God.

Fr. Dan

June 5, 2011 - News Around the Parish

Ordination of Bishop Thomas Daly – On May 25, 2011, many priests and laity from San Francisco and San Jose attended the ordination of Fr. Tom Daly as Auxiliary Bishop of San Jose. As I approached the Cathedral of San Jose, there was a wonderful energy as long time friends from throughout the Bay Area greeted one another for this festive occasion. I bumped into classmates from the seminary, who had studied for San Jose diocese, whom I had not seen in years. And we were all there to support and pray for this son of St. Brendan.

Bishop Daly grew up and attended St. Brendan school. His mother, Marion Daly, still regularly attends the Saturday 5pm Mass. Along with his mom, his aunts, 6 brothers & sisters with their spouses and 14 nephews and nieces were also in attendance. It was a very prayerful and joy filled event. At the end of the ordination Mass, Bishop Daly thanked his parents who first taught him the faith and he reminded us, that the home is the first place where we teach and model the faith to our children. He also shared with us how he broke the news to his mother. He said that after he had received news from the Pope, he had dinner with his mom at her home. At the end of dinner, he told her that the Pope had asked him to be the Auxiliary Bishop of San Jose. His mom’s immediate response was, “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” But the Bishop responded that he had already said yes to the Pope, so she said she‘d pray for him. In Bishop Daly’s coat of arms, he chose for his motto, “Into Your Hands, Lord.” This sums up his deep conviction, that it is in surrendering to the Will of God, that we are able to accomplish what is God’s design for us. Let us hold him in prayer, then, that he will be a wonderful blessing to the people God has chosen him to serve. Ad multos annos!

8th Grade Graduation Mass – On Sunday, May 22 at 9:30am, the 8th grade class celebrated a graduation Mass with their family and the parish. It was a beautiful event as each 8th grader processed in with their graduation gown, and served the community as Lectors and Eucharistic Ministers. They then introduced themselves to the community, as a way to show the fruits of our support for the school. A pleasant brunch at the Olympic Club was held after Mass. During the meal, 2 of the students served as MCs. One student, speaking on behalf of his classmates, expressed his gratitude to the priests. Another student did the same for the faculty. Two other students shared their memories from the time they were in Kindergarten until the
present. The highlight of the morning was each child introducing their parents to the community and sharing with everyone the gratitude they felt towards their parents. More than a few tears were shed. The brunch ended with 3 of the students singing a song they composed recalling their time together and the joy they feel. It was a very very nice way for the 8th graders to celebrate their accomplishments with their parents. Their actual graduation took place on Friday, June 3rd. May the good Lord bless them as they continue on to High School.

Thanking our Altar Servers – I think most of you will agree that our altar servers are among the best, if not the best, in the whole Archdiocese. As the 8th graders graduate, the 7th graders are charged with training the 6th graders. So typically, a 7th and a 6th grader are assigned together at a weekday Mass. And they continue to serve even in the summer weekday Masses. The parish, in your name, gave them a special thanksgiving celebration. We gave them a day off from school and took them, on Thursday, June 2, to Raging Waters in San Jose. Needless to say, they enjoyed themselves. I want to thank all the parents who drive and help our servers get to their assigned Masses. Know that your efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. And I would also like to thank the parents who served as chaperones for that special day, for those who arrived at the park early to save us a nice picnic area and for those who shopped and brought us plenty of food and drink.

It was a blast!

Fr. Dan

May 29, 2011 - Reflections of Our Parochial Vicar

Today’s message from our readings is that we are intended by God to share eternity in glory and happiness. But the important first step is to CHOOSE Jesus and his message of love,not just on Sundays, but every day of our lives.

Please enjoy ‘Ten Wisdoms”, author unknown.

Ten Wisdoms:

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life.

2] Do you know why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision." ( Fr. Mike’s favorite!)

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away today's PEACE.

Fr. Mike

May 22, 2011 - Fifth Sunday of Easter

Eighth Grade Graduation Mass – At this Sunday’s 9:30am Mass, we will be celebrating it with our 8th graders who will be graduating in 12 days, on June 3rd. How time flies? My oldest nephew is a year ahead of them, and I was surprised when he graduated. I can still recall the joy I felt when my brother told me they had their first child. How blessed we are to have such wonderful young men and women go through our school. Needless to say, they have been accepted to the finest high schools in the city, from Fr. Mike’s favorite, Riordan, to my Alma Mater, Lowell, to St. Ignatius, Convent, ICA and Sacred Heart. We need to acknowledge and congratulate their parents as well. Their talents, energies, sacrifices and hard work has not only blessed their own children, but they have been a blessing to our school and parish as well. Thank you! To our graduates, we know a wonderful future lays ahead for you, especially as you continue to follow the voice of the Good Shepherd in your life.

Our Fabulous Welcome Committee – For those of you who missed last Sunday’s 9:30am Mass, the Welcome Committee organized our semi-annual welcome for new parishioners that have registered at our parish since last November. At the Parish Dinner in November, we have a special invitation for new parishioners, and so 6 months later, on the eve of the feast of St. Brendan (May 16), we did another welcome. I want to thank the co-chairs Kathleen Darling and Jenny Nelson for planning this event, along with their members for all the work behind the scenes. They did the planning, the phone calls inviting the 20+ new parishioners, the design of the Welcome Booklet listing the Church’s history, the different organizations and their contacts, as well as an introduction to our patron saint, to making the copies available to our new parishioners and in the foyer of our church. Four new families were able to attend last Sunday’s 9:30am Mass, and they were invited to come forward to be recognized. They received 2 small gifts from the parish, the prayer of St. Brendan, and some seeds in the form of a cross. Our hope, of course, is that they will grow with us and make themselves comfortable in their new spiritual home.

Thanking and Praying for our Veterans – Next Monday, on Memorial Day (5/30), Archbishop George Niederauer will celebrate Mass at 11am, at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, commemorating our nation’s honored dead, and for the souls of all of our faithful departed. This annual event is sponsored by Holy Cross cemetery. If you have a member in our Armed Forces, I invite you to join me that day as we pray for them. (My brother is in the Army). Please see http://www.holycrosscemeteries.com/events/index.htm for more information.

Fr. Dan

May 15, 2011 - Fourth Sunday of Easter

Welcoming our New Parishioners – St. Brendan is blessed to have such a warm and welcoming community that it attracts many people to our Church. For those of you who are “old timers,” meaning if you’ve been here for a year or more, and you see a face you don’t recognize, please don’t hesitate to say “hello” and introduce yourself to them. I’m sure we’ve all been in a situation where we are the “new” person, and nothing makes us feel more comfortable than a friendly person with a warm smile and a kind heart. And if you are the “new” person, I find that if I extend myself and introduce myself to those around me, that others will kindly reciprocate. So don’t be afraid to say “hello” to us. We promise not to bite. I want to thank the Welcome Committee for helping us to welcome new parishioners at our 9:30am Sunday Mass today. We had talked about welcoming new parishioners not just in November, at our parish dinner, but semi-annually. So we thought it would also be appropriate for us to welcome new parishioners today, on the eve of the feast of St. Brendan, who was one who reached out to others with the love of Christ. So to all our new parishioners, a great big WELCOME!!!

Blessed John Paul II – I’ve been asked, whether John Paul is now a saint. And that is a good question. Technically, he’s not a saint yet, according to the Church’s official procedure for naming saints. The church follows 3 steps in designating someone a saint. The first step, the person must be nominated for sainthood. Typically, a bishop nominates a person after he finds evidence of heroic virtue. Then, the case is brought to the Vatican, to the Congregation for the Cause of Saints. After their evaluation and approval, then the Pope proclaims the candidate as “Venerable,” which means that the person is a role model of Catholic virtues. If the person is shown to be responsible for a posthumous miracle, then the person is “beatified.” So our former Pope is now known as Blessed John Paul. For a person to be considered a saint, the Church awaits a confirmation from heaven, by a second posthumous miracle. It is after this confirmation from heaven that a person is then canonized a saint. But remember, it is not the Church who makes a saint. It is the person’s own holiness, and God’s grace that makes a person a saint. The Church has its procedure simply to investigate and to ensure that all candidates are indeed models of holiness that we can learn and imitate.

Growing in the Spirit – According to our Parish Survey, respondents have expressed Spirituality to be the category that we should give our highest priority. As the Advisory Board and I are meeting to plan concrete steps by which we will work to help our parish grow in our spiritual life, in the meantime, I would like to highlight the upcoming Catholic Charismatic Renewal Convention. The Charismatic Renewal is a movement in the Catholic Church that strives to help everyday Catholics be attuned to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It was through the Renewal that I came back to the Catholic Church and I am grateful for its influence in my life, as I’ve learned to be more sensitive to the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. At this Memorial Day weekend, the seven northern California Dioceses will be hosting the 24th Annual Catholic Charismatic Convention at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The opening celebration will begin on Friday night, with praise and worship at 7pm, and Mass at 8pm, celebrated by our Auxiliary Bishop William Justice. Workshops will be available on Saturday and Sunday, with speakers like Fr. Chris Crotty coming to us from Kentucky, Ms. Martha Sardina from Texas, and Mr. Richard Lane from Missouri. See http://www.ncrcspirit.org/ for more information. Flyers are also available in the bookrack in the foyer. The closing Mass will be at the Santa Clara Convention center on Sunday, 5/29 with praise and worship beginning at 2:30pm and Mass beginning at about 3:30pm. Hope to see you there.

Peace,
Fr. Dan