8/5/2022 Quiet HeroesOur home, our parish, flourishes as much as it does because of the many people who very quietly do all manner of activities, with big hearts and an attitude of genuine service. I am hard pressed to think of any couple who have done more, for as a long a time (at least within my assignment as pastor) as have Pam and Neil Kingsley.
When I arrive to vest for my weekday Masses at 7:30 am, Pam is already on our beautiful campus and has unlocked the church doors, greeted the weekday sacristans, made the day’s fresh coffee for the staff’s many caffeine devotees, and begun her work in the office. She works patiently and quietly for a very long day, carefully managing donations, accounts and bills. In this interval without a parish business manager I have shared some of those responsibilities with her, and been blessed by her willingness. People who enjoy her good company, her kindness and her very good will frequently stop by and spend time with her. She ends up staying long beyond eight hours because, she says, that she enjoys the interruptions, and wants them to continue, while also working a full day. She does at least that much. Her husband, Neil, one of our parish deacons, works for the parish overseeing all the maintenance and grounds, managing almost twelve acres, with its gardens, parking lots and some $30 million dollars’ worth of buildings. I have learned that there is no such thing as “normal upkeep” for our parish plant. Predicting when plumbing is going to head south, or sound systems fail, is not a precise science. When a sprinkler fails in a spectacular way (always in the middle of the night, it seems) the local water company contacts Neil. When the security alarm sounds (because the absent-minded pastor forgets to turn it off before going into his office), Neil fields the call from the security company whether it’s a workday or not. At any given point, there is the work that Neil intended to do, along with the crises that spring up organically because there are gremlins in the air ducts. Neil’s job encompasses so many tasks that it causes me to wonder how he can hold it all together. After everything else that Pam and Neil do, their truly special gift for us comes to the fore in their volunteer work with the environment. Has there ever been any parish more blessed with talent than Padre Serra? The freshness of their ideas, responding to guidance from the parish liturgy committee amazes me at the changing of each liturgical season. They go the extra mile taking the environment into each corner of the church, so that everyone can feel a part of it all. Their creativity ensures that each season will have both continuity with the past and something new and uplifting. They work flexibly with new circumstances as they arise. For example, the live-streamed Mass needed a clear view across the church, which means they couldn’t use the tall banner poles for the Easter season – and yet it was still spectacular. They combine this with a lovely ability to gather volunteers to work alongside them on the big projects, and to maintain the plant throughout the season. Everything attest to their goodness and generosity. 8/1/2022 Shirley Koval1936 -2022Funeral Liturgy
Tuesday, August 9 11:00 am Padre Serra Parish Burial Monday, August 8 1:00 pm Mortuary Conejo Mountain 7/29/2022 Moving Past VanityIf I remember correctly, my plan to convince my wife went something like this: “I can absolutely justify borrowing the money. That device will meet all my future needs. Just think, all the parts are individually replaceable. I know it’s big, but it’s also extremely fast for a 1985 model.” Unfortunately, even the best computer ever made was never updated as I had planned. Five years later and every five years thereafter, we purchased a new laptop that outpaced, outlasted and surpassed even what I thought was the most impressive of all systems at the time. Most of us can substitute some material possession in this story that over time becomes less appealing. We buy the next ‘one thing’ we believe will provide the answer, but it does not. Whether bigger, faster, newer, or for some other reason, we are continually seeking more. A reflection on Ecclesiastes might help us find what we really need. “Vanity of vanities! All things are vanity.” The book begins and ends with these powerful words. The phrase itself conjures images of the superficial, the meaningless, or futile. The author leaves little to the imagination. There’s nothing wrong with liking our belongings or appreciating something new. Even so, our material possessions cannot take the place of our call towards greater holiness. We do, however, need a reminder from time to time. Fortunately, there are some strategies we can implement to anchor our focus beyond vanity. Consider the following as lifestyle opportunities:
![]() Our relationship with God is the antidote to vanity. A complete investment in the Lord does not weaken over time. Ours is to choose well and know that even the smallest of steps can make an enormous difference. Endless Blessings, Deacon Luc and Diana Papillon 7/22/2022 “If not friendship, then persistence?”Dear Friends, Part of the formation that music and liturgical ministers undergo teaches us to look for the bridge that connects the First Reading at mass to the Gospel. At first glance, this week’s connection eluded me (and, if I’m honest, at several glances beyond the first). But with the help of others wiser than I, a bridge became visible and I’d like to share it with you. In the First Reading from Genesis, we have Abraham pleading with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction. In a way that reminds me a bit of the tireless negotiating my seven-year-old granddaughter subjects me to, Abraham asks God if he will spare the city if there are fifty righteous people there. But he doesn’t stop there. With occasional respectful phrases (“See how I am presuming to speak to my Lord though I am but dust and ashes!”), Abraham secures the commitment from God that even if there are only forty, only thirty, only twenty, and finally, only ten innocent people there, the city shall be spared. The Gospel has Jesus’ disciples asking the Lord to teach them to pray. Presumably they can see how prayer grounds every moment of Jesus’ life, and they want to follow their master’s example. In response, Jesus teaches them the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father that we say every Sunday at mass. But he doesn’t stop there. As a good Rabbi, he tells them stories of friends and neighbors, late night disturbance and request, and fathers who care well for their sons. He says, “I tell you, even if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up ... because of his persistence.” As Christians we are used to the idea that we can come to Jesus with any request, that God encourages and desires intimacy with us like a loving father who dotes on his children. But in Abraham’s time, there was not yet such a conception. The God Abraham bargained with was holy, wholly other, all powerful, mysterious, remote and prone to anger. Yet he was persistent, and God was merciful, ultimately granting Abraham’s request to spare Sodom. Here is the bridge: Jesus wants us to be persistent in prayer, just as Abraham was. The answer we get may be “yes” or it may be “no.” It may be silence. But we know that God is loving, merciful, just, and powerful, and that he wants us to ask boldly for what we need. One last thought: It didn’t hurt that what Abraham was asking for was in accord with God’s merciful nature. It doesn’t hurt either if we try to discern what God might want us to ask for when we aren’t sure. ![]() So in addition to persistent requests, we can also ask God to reveal to us what God wants. And we can be patient. On the other hand, the neighbor in the middle of the night demanding bread was anything but! Siempre Adelante, Dominic MacAller Worship Minister 7/15/2022 Work and PrayDear Parish Family, In today’s Gospel, Luke tells us about a time when Jesus was visiting with his friends in Bethany. Most likely Jesus was accompanied by his disciples and perhaps others who also wanted to visit and hear Jesus’ teachings. Martha, the good host, was diligently making sure everything was just right for Jesus and his friends. While Mary made herself comfortable at Jesus’ feet and was eagerly listening. I often like to imagine myself in the gospels as I hear them and think where I would be. I think I would be like Martha, making sure the house was perfectly clean to receive Jesus. Did everyone have a drink or food, are they comfortable? I take joy in being able to serve, and to be busy, have a purpose. Yet this can be problematic too, because in the desire to be a good host and have everything perfect, I often forget to enjoy the food and miss the opportunity to spend time with the guests. At times I can see myself as Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet. Just listening intently to every word he would say. Being truly present in the moment, taking it all in, not worried about anything. To place myself in this moment reminds me of the moments I get to experience Adoration. To be in God’s presence, allowing myself not to “Do” anything else other than to just “Be Present.” When Martha complains to Jesus about Mary not helping, Jesus made Martha realize that in any kind of activity and service to God, faith is essential, so that there is no need to worry and be anxious. One must take time to be still and listen to the Word of God with full faith and trust in His wisdom and providence. We see this in Mary’s attentiveness to the words of Jesus, which fill her with the peace that only Jesus can give, freeing her from all worry and anxiety. When we are tempted to justify ourselves for not having time to pray by saying, “My work is my prayer,” let us remember this: It is all right to pray while we work, but it is not possible to work while we pray. Before working, we have to pray first so that there is guidance, enlightenment, inspiration and strength from God. If we know we will be very busy on that particular day, the more time we need to spend in prayer. Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches; apart from me, you can do nothing.” So, the question is not, work or prayer? The answer is: prayer and work! Prayer will bless the work of our hands and remind us that ALL our work is meant to build God’s kingdom. With this said we must also take time to rest and relax. God gave us the example, resting on the seventh day of creation. Bethany was the favorite resting place of Jesus with his dear friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. The fact that Jesus had a favorite resting place and set of friends illustrates that he is like us ![]() He was very busy, but he finds time to relax and enjoy the company of friends. Being busy in life is not an excuse to forego vacations, days off or moments of relaxation. Our body also needs some rest in order to function properly and fruitfully. Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister |
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