7/1/2023 Jeanne Gaffney
6/24/2023 Do Not Be Afraid!Dear Parish Family, Did you know that the phrase “Do not be afraid” can be found in the Bible 365 times? Why, perhaps because we need the constant reminder. Fear is an unpleasant emotion triggered by the perception of danger, real or imagined. Though fear can be good: It can keep us safe, avoiding putting ourselves in dangerous life-threatening situations. At times the fear can be so powerful that it can stop us from taking action when needed. We all need reassurance and security to overcome the fear and move forward. We hear this message not only in the Bible but in our pop culture. Here are a few of my favorites: • Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. (Yoda, Star Wars) • It’s OK to lose to opponent, it’s never OK to lose to fear. (Mr. Miyagi, Karate Kid) • Whenever I’m afraid, I tell myself I’m not afraid. (Piglet, Winnie the Pooh) We can’t forget the wisdom of the saints: • Proclaim the truth, and do not be silent through the fear. (St. Catherine of Siena) • Go forward bravely, fear nothing, trust in God; all will be well. (St. Joan of Arc) • Do not fear. Jesus is more powerful than all hell. (Padre Pio) In our gospel today Jesus reassures, God our Father knows us well. We are valuable to him; he even knows every hair on our head. Jesus speaks to his disciples with clarity, foretelling of the conflicts they will run into as he sends them out on their mission. We are given this same mission. “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.” They could be the words by which we are invited to live out each day. Every day we find ourselves confronted by conflicts and opposition, every day we are called to choose what side we want to be on. ![]() May we live our life as witnesses and proclaim the kingdom of God. Be Fearless. Siempre Adelante, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister Dear Friends, Happy Father’s Day! When I remember my dad, two wonderful things he taught me come to mind. 1. Always be the first to ask forgiveness — the relationship is more important than who is right. 2. When a family is a loving community, it attracts others naturally. I remember a lot of Sunday evenings in the house I grew up in crowded with family and friends that really wanted to be there. I hope it has been clear to you that one of our chief values as a parish community is just that — community. We are a large parish with nearly 3,000 families. In these post-pandemic times, almost 2,000 people are coming to Mass on most weekends, sometimes more. Hospitality is key to creating a sense of community and it's an attitude and a way of being to which we are all called. If we recognize one another only by appearance, or by where we usually sit, but not by name, we are missing an opportunity to build a welcoming experience of hospitality for all who come here, whether it's for worship, or other activities, be they educational or social. Our recent reminders to wear name tags are part of our effort to address this reality, but more is needed. The prophet Isaiah writes that the LORD says, “I have called you by name, and you are mine.” God does not need name tags or pictorial directories ... but we do! Please, go to www.padreserra.org/parishioners-form.html and share the picture of your choice. It should only take a couple of minutes of your time to enter your name and household name, check boxes for ministries/activities you are involved in, and upload your picture. The beauty of an online parish pictorial directory is that it can be accessed from anywhere, and you can update your information or image at any time, so it need not ever become obsolete. ![]() Fr. Patrick asks, please take the time to do this. Do your part to help us recognize one another, sisters and brothers on pilgrimage together to the Kingdom. For safety reasons, we will not be publishing the pictures nor the names of minors. If you need technical assistance, we have people in the office who can help you. Siempre Adelante, Dominic MacAller Director of Liturgy and Music 6/9/2023 Raising DisciplesHello Friends, In a world of confusion, frustration, and souls that are lost, raising a family in faith has never been more important. The values of the world are often contrary to what Jesus is teaching us. A strong faith in Jesus is the foundation we need to withstand whatever the world throws at us. Reflecting on what it takes to raise a child, the story of Jesus staying behind in the Jerusalem temple and getting separated from his mother and father comes to mind (Luke 2:41-52). Two aspects of this story give us insights into two important aspects of Christian parenting. The first is that Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was part of the larger caravan and went a day before realizing he was not with them. They entrusted Jesus’ care to their community of family and friends. This tells us that raising a child will necessarily require the help of others who are on the parenting journey with us. The second is that Jesus tells his parents that he was in his father’s house. Here Jesus is showing us that God needs to be central and important in our lives. For those of us who are graced with children to raise, parenting is the single most sacred and important task we will ever do. Bringing a child into the world comes with the responsibility of providing for their physical and emotional needs. However, the most important thing is to tend to their spiritual needs by leading them to encounter Jesus and to be his disciples. In the spirit of building a faith community of parents who desire to pass on their faith through their ministry of parenting, we would like to invite you to consider signing up for our next Christian Parenting series, which begins Wednesday, June 14 and runs for eight weeks. In these sessions, you will learn with other parents how to incorporate your faith into the raising of your children to also become disciples of Jesus. We leave you with the following from a parish parent who participated in our first session: Participating in the Christian parenting ministry was a blessing for me! I really enjoyed getting to know the other parents, learning about my faith, and helping my family grow closer to one another. The videos and small group discussions helped me to understand what I can do to be a better parent and to live my life more intentionally with my family. One of the best gifts this program gave to me was to realize how important presence is to my son. In this age of being constantly distracted and busy, I have learned to slow down and appreciate the time I have with him. I have also learned how important it is to pray with my son and teach him the importance of faith in his young life. Overall, I highly recommend this ministry if you want to help your children grow in their faith, meet other parents, and build your domestic church! - John A. ![]() Raising our children with eternity in mind, Deacon Joe and Kim Torti Sign-up at www.padreserra.org/christian-parenting |
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