6/9/2023 Rev. William (Fr. Bill) Lowe
6/2/2023 Coffee, Donuts and the TrinityDear friends on the journey, Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the celebration of God as one community of three persons: God the Lover, Jesus the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit, the Love that flows between them and extends to us. This triune community of Love lives, moves, and works among us today, breathing life into our parish community. No other place is this Love palpable and visible than on Sundays, at liturgy inside the church but also in the courtyard after Mass. Enveloped in the arms of the church and office buildings, the courtyard is the gathering space for connection and fellowship. At the center is coffee and donuts, a longtime tradition in our Catholic faith and in our parish and one that brings the youngest and oldest among us to the bell tower with delight. Our longtime Coffee and Donut Ministry leaders, Richard and Delia Anguiano, share these words with you today: You see us every Sunday under the bell tower after all morning Masses, surrounded by boxes of donuts and pots of coffees. Driven by our awesome team of volunteers to serve our Padre Serra community who gather to praise our Lord every Sunday. A cup of coffee and a donut are not a “reward” for attending Mass, rather a lure for people to gather as a community. A community where we see the Lord in each other as a common connection. As scripture says, “The Holy Spirit is present wherever believers gather.” In order to sustain this tradition, we need to pay as we go. A circulating myth is that the donuts are donated. Truth is each week our parish purchases 35 dozen donuts from Sun Donuts (Oxnard), who also very kindly deliver the donuts every Sunday morning. To ensure we cover the cost of the donuts and coffee, we want to remind everyone of the suggested donation of $2 per donut and $1 for coffee (regular or decaf and free refills). We thank those who give beyond the suggested donation. Coffee and Donuts Ministry is a fun way to meet people and serve your fellow parishioners. Volunteers – individuals and families - are assigned 1-2 Sundays a month, usually at your preferred Mass. If you are interested in joining the team, contact Rich & Delia Anguiano [email protected]. Thank you and God bless! In the words of St. Paul in today’s second reading, may “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” Siempre Adelante, Teresa Runyon Pastoral Associate I am unaware of anything in which we believe that is more ambiguous than the Holy Spirit of God. “Spirit” is the quintessentially elusive, vague and immeasurable presence of God. We receive similes, windows through which we get a glimmering of understanding of the Holy Spirit. At times the Spirit is “like tongues of flame,” ever-changing and malleable, fitting into our lives and firing us up at our weakest, or “like a dove,” as mobile as a bird in flight and coming upon us unexpectedly, perhaps a “breath,” so essential that the Spirit’s absence is asphyxiating, or even a “mighty wind,” toppling human folly.
Have you experienced the work of the Spirit on the edges of your own life? Perhaps you have and haven’t recognized it for what it was. Have you ever surprised yourself with your own goodness? Have you ever had just the perfect response to someone else’s struggles? Have you been able to comfort profound suffering? Have you daringly and yet persuasively spoken an unpopular but necessary truth in the face of opposition? How else do we explain our own best, most selfless moments? Scientists, quite rightly, look for a gene, or some biologically adaptive process to explain the good we do. I cherish scientists’ every insight into our goodness. Why wouldn’t the Holy Spirit work in and through everything that makes us most deeply, truly human? So, I recognize that in my best moments, when I’ve been able to do the unexpected, to accomplish the beautiful, and to recognize a profound truth, I’ve been both most truly human and Spirit driven at the same time. Haven’t you’ve gone through the same? That’s the moment we feel the Holy Spirit. The harsh word that goes unspoken, or the brutally honest email that gets deleted, are both signs of the Holy Spirit. And it’s not only the good that we do. The Spirit’s work manifests in the broken acts we repent of, and the temptations we avoid. The urge to regret unkindness and to turn away from our bad habits clarify that the Holy Spirit is at work. The impulse to generosity in the face of earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis, the sense of belonging to all the world, is the unifying effort of the Holy Spirit. The instinctual love of parents for their children is the Holy Spirit’s action, helping us to express what is best in our human nature. 5/19/2023 Welcome to the Table of the LordDear Parish Family, The joy and excitement of First Communion Day in the parish is palpable. Beautifully dressed boys and girls in their First Communion outfits. Parents and grandparents are beaming with pride. Children eager to come and receive Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist. This weekend we welcome 96 children to the Lord’s table for the first time. What a special day! I love to see their eyes lock and light up as the Eucharist is presented to them — “The Body of Christ.” Their hands raised in anticipation, making an altar for Jesus in the Eucharist to be placed, excitedly responding “Amen.” Ever so carefully, they pick up the Eucharist and consume it. Some return to their seats almost bouncing with joy, while others, so reverently and slowly, knowing they have the most precious gift possible within them. If you are like me, this day always brings to mind memories of my own First Communion. One of the best days of my life! Every time we receive the Eucharist, we can do so with the eyes of a child receiving for the first time. It is a time for us to pause and think about how we receive the presence of Jesus under the form of consecrated bread and wine, as well as the witness we give to those around us. This sacrament not only unites us intimately with Jesus but solidifies our unity as the Body of Christ. We are now the Body of Christ! As St. Teresa of Avila reminds us, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no hands but yours; no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ must look out on the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless his people.” Join me in praying for all the children and their families; may this day be an initial step to a life- long love of the Eucharist. Join me in praying for all the children and their families; may this day be an initial step to a life- long love of the Eucharist. This is my body, given for you ... how will I be his body in the world today? Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister |
Blessed Sacrament Chapel HoursSunday - Friday, 8:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday, 2:00 - 9:00 pm Office HoursMonday through Thursday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm Saturday 3:00 pm - 6:15 pm Sunday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm Vertical Divider
|
Telephone(805) 482 · 6417
(805) 987 · 8100 FAX For emergencies requiring
|
For eNews you can trust.
Staff Login
|