Fax: 650-588-1481 Phone: 650-588-1455 www.stveronicassf.com

434 Alida Way South San Francisco, CA 94080

Established 1951

St. Veronica Church

July 26, 2015 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much

fish as they wanted.” - John 6:11

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes by Vasili Nesterenko (2001)

Parish Office email: churchoffice@stveronicassf.com

St. Veronica Parish Parish Office Hours

Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Closed for lunch from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. (unless otherwise posted)

Phone: 650-588-1455 Fax: 650-588-1481

Parish Staff

Fr. Charles Puthota, Ph.D., Pastor Fr. Nicasio G. Paloso Jr., Parochial Vicar

Fr. Don Sharp, S.J., Weekend Assistant Fr. Al Grosskopf, S.J., Weekend Assistant

Deacon Roger Beaudry Deacon Joseph LeBlanc Patricia Spiteri, Parish Secretary, Ext. 301 Velma Atkinson, Bookkeeper, Ext. 304

Karen Guglielmoni, Faith Formation & Wedding Coordinator, Ext.305

Christopher Lindstrom, Music Director, Ext. 308

Jim Rodriguez, Custodian/Maintenance

St. Veronica Catholic School www.saintveronicassf.org

Phone: 650-589-3909

Mrs. Kathryn Lucchesi Mrs. Geninne Ruegg Principal Vice Principal

SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION

Sacrament of Baptism Baptisms are to be arranged through the Parish Office.

Baptisms in English are typically held on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month.

Baptisms in Spanish are typically held on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

Baptismal Preparation classes are held once a month. Call the Parish Office at 650-588-1455

Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) Call the Parish Office to register 650-588-1455 Ext.309

Faith Formation: 650-588-1455 Ext. 305 Catechetical instructions (1st to 8th grades)

Confirmation Classes: 650-588-1455

Mass Intentions for the Week of July 26, 2015

Sun 07/26 7:00 † Bill Flaten 8:30 † Rafael Montalvo 10:00 † Hugo Iannacone 11:30 Sharlene Nastor 6:00 † Cruz Gutierrez

Mon 07/27 6:30 † Bonifacio Canlas 8:30 † Loredana Nomellini

Tue 07/28 6:30 Lucille Schlemer 8:30 † Carolyn Damonte

Wed 07/29 6:30 Jolene Lariosa 8:30 † Celia Salazar

Thu 07/30 6:30 † Mary Petrucci 8:30 † Dominador B. Roxas

Fri 07/31 6:30 † Isabel Anore 8:30 † Inocencio Riel Sr.

Sat 08/01 8:30 † Julie & Clarance Kelly 5:00 † Mario & Enrico Andreazzi

Sun 08/02 7:00 † George Leja 8:30 † Julie & Clarance Kelly 10:00 † Margaret & James Gibbons 11:30 Maria Dalafox 6:00 † Lydia Koukouras

St. Veronica Parish Mission Statement

St. Veronica Church is a multicultural community of believers who treasure Jesus Christ at the center of their profession of faith and practice. They worship and work together to build up a community of family and friends according to the mind and heart of Christ. Out of the abundance of joy and gratitude, they live and share the good news of faith and hope, striving to stand up for peace and justice, to spread love and com-passion, to care for those who are in need, and to make our nation and the world a bet-ter place for all.

Parish Registration Please complete and return form to the parish office,

or simply drop it in the collection basket. Kindly print all information.

Name(s): ____________________________________

Name(s): ____________________________________

Address: ____________________________________

___________________________________________

City & Zip: ___________________________________

Phone: ______________________________________

E-mail: _____________________________________

Primary language spoken at home: ________________

Updating Current Parish Registration

Moving / Please remove from mailing list.

___This is a new registration Please call me.

Mass Schedule

Saturdays: 8:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. Sundays: 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, and 11:30 a.m.

Spanish Mass: Sundays at 6:00 p.m. Holy Days: 6:30, 8:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m. (English),

& 7:30 p.m. (Spanish) Monday - Friday: 6:30 & 8:30 a.m.

Confessions Saturdays: 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Liturgy of the Hours Monday - Friday: Morning Prayer at 6:00 a.m.

Eucharistic Adoration 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

except as posted for holidays and parish events

Thank you for supporting St. Veronica Parish and its works.

ON THE HORIZON

• Sunday, August 23: New Kindergarten Family Mass, 10:00 a.m.

• Monday, August 24: The St. Veronica Book Club meets in the Pastoral Center to discuss “Sadhana: A Way to God”, 7:00 p.m.

• Tuesday, August 25: First Day of Instruction for St. Veronica Catholic School (school parking lot closures will begin again)

• Sunday, September 13: Fall Sports Mass, 10:00 a.m.

• Sunday, September 20: Catechetical Sunday Mass, 10:00 a.m.

• September 25-27: Annual Parish Festival “Viva St. Veronica” (See the bulletin for ways to become involved now!)

Day Mass Time 1st Collection Maintenance Totals

Envelopes received in the First Collection:

July 04 & 05: 276 July 11 & 12: 279 July 18 & 19: 262

If you currently receive envelopes but do not use them, please prayerfully consider including your donation in the collection basket. If you are not yet registered and would like to be, please fill out the form to the left and drop it in the collection basket. God Bless!

Saturday 07/18/15 5:00PM 1113.00 243.00 1356.00

Sunday 07/19/15 7:00AM 836.00 138.00 974.00

8:30AM 1181.00 206.00 1387.00

10:00AM 1448.00 285.00 1733.00

11:30AM 907.00 231.00 1138.00

Spanish Mass 6:00PM 254.00 129.00 383.00

TOTAL IN-PEW DONATIONS: $5739.00 1232.00 6971.00 Other Contributions 522.00 n/a 522.00

Mass Intention Guidelines

Mass intentions for 2016 are now being accepted in the Pastoral Center office. A limited number of 2015 week-day intentions are also still available. Kindly observe the following guidelines when reserving Masses:

• Intentions are on a first-come, first-served basis • Up to 4 intentions may be made during one visit • Intentions are to be made in person at the Pastoral

Center during regular office hours • Intentions are limited to one name per Mass except

for those made for a wedding anniversary

From the Pastor’s Desk - A Spiritual Reflection BE ALL TO ALL

Dear Parishioners,

“May I become at all times both now and forever a pro-tector for those without protection; a guide for those who have lost their way; a ship for those with oceans to cross; a bridge for those with rivers to cross; a sanctuary for those in danger; a lamp for those without light; a place of rugs for those who lack shelter; and a servant to all in need” --- The Dalai Lama Reflection: In his book “Something Beautiful for God”, Malcolm Muggeridge gives us Mother Theresa’s first-person account of how she started caring for the poorest of the poor when she picked up the first woman from the street: “The woman was half eaten up by rats and ants. I took her to the hospital, but they could do nothing for her. They only took her because I refused to go home unless something was done for her. After they cared for her, I went straight to the town hall and asked for a place where I could take these people, because that day I found more people dying in the street. The employee of health ser-vices brought me to the temple of Kali and showed me the ‘dormashalah’ where the pilgrims used to rest after they worshipped the goddess Kali. The building was empty and he asked me if I wanted it. I was very glad with the offer for many reasons, but especially because it was the center of prayer for Hindus. Within 24 hours we brought our sick and suffering and started the Home for the Dying Destitutes.”

Unbelievable, heart-rending account indeed! How could any human being be deprived of such basic protection? How could a human being end up on the street in such a vulnerable condition? And yet, to that situation of terrible fragility and heartbreaking tragedy, Mother Theresa brought a ray of hope and dignity, something any other human being with the smallest trace of self-respect should have done. For letting one person suffer such terrible in-dignity lowers the dignity of every human being. As a poet from India, Bharathiyar, says: “If there is even one person who doesn’t have food to eat, let the whole world be destroyed.” The point is not to destroy the world but to understand that to let a person suffer hunger actually de-stroys the moral and ethical fiber of the whole world.

We are entertained and amused, when we see a movie like “The Devil Wears Prada,” by its characters obsessed with the glamorously expensive haute couture, which in some way reflects what really goes on in the fashion world. Are we shocked, though, at the plight of millions who do not have the minimum clothes to protect themselves from the elements? A single piece of clothing that costs $5000 seems outrageously vulgar when that amount of money could be spent to clothe people in half a dozen villages in a poor country.

While the Dalai Lama prays for those without protection and peace, those in danger and darkness, and those who are adrift and abandoned, his prayer is equally directed at those generous and adventurous people who could step up and provide these basic necessities for those who are in terrible need of them. Though his perspective is from the religion of Buddhism, he speaks the universal lan-guage of love and service, a language spoken by all reli-gions. In fact, all religions seek not only faith in terms of a personal experience of God offering individual fulfill-ment and meaning in life but also a communitarian expe-rience of God leading to shared spiritual and material blessings.

Faith alone is not adequate. Faith should necessarily lead to an ethical way of life, which is always in relation to others. Jesus’ words connect God and people in the most inseparable way: “Whenever you have done these to the least of my brothers and sisters you have done it to me.”

Psychologist Abraham Maslow has proposed a hierarchy of needs, which is the journey a person makes from the most basic survival needs to the realization of one’s po-tential. At the bottom of the scale would be food and shelter, further up the scale, safety and security, then love/belonging, still up along the way, esteem/respect, and at the top would be self-actualization. Obviously, one cannot even imagine the possibility of self-realization unless one has food and shelter.

St. Paul speaks about becoming a “slave to all” and “all things to all people” (I Cor. 9: 19-23). The Dalai Lama echoes the sentiment by praying that we need to become all things to all by becoming a protector, a guide, a ship, a bridge, a sanctuary, a lamp, a place of rugs---and a servant to all in need. A mother gives her own body and blood to the baby in her womb. Jesus becomes a friend, a guide, a protector, the savior, the way, the truth, the life, the light, the lamb of God, Emmanuel, good shepherd, messiah, anointed one, prince of peace, redeemer, and counselor. As if all these are not enough, Jesus in the Eucharist becomes food by giving his own body and blood so that we might not go hungry and recover our strength. Jesus becomes all things to all people. His fol-lowers who profess to walk in his ways ought to do the same.

Action: In your family, among friends, and at work, in the neighborhood, there are those with different issues, problems, needs, and hungers. Can you be all to all to these people so that they can find their way through all sorts of difficult situations? Your Friend & Pastor, Father Charles Puthota

Adult and Youth Faith Formation Registration Open

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Ini-tiation of Adults) program is now accepting registrations for the 2015-16 year. Those 16 years of age or older who would

like to become Catholic (having never been bap-tized) or who would like to complete the Sacraments of Initiation (having been baptized into a Christian faith, but not received Communion and/or been con-firmed) are invited to call the Pastoral Center offices at 650-588-1455 and leave their contact information. A member of the RCIA team will follow up with details about the program, which begins in Septem-ber. Registration forms are available in the Pastoral Center.

New and continuing registra-tion is now being accepted for the 2015-16 Faith Formation program. Registration forms may be found on the parish

website www.stveronicassf.com under the “Faith Formation” tab, or may be requested by calling the Faith Formation office at 650-588-1455 ext. 305. Even if your child will be coming back to Faith For-mation in the fall, a 2015-16 registration form is re-quired. Registration forms are also available in Spanish through the Pastoral Center. Please complete your registration process as soon as possible as class sizes are limited. Classes will begin in September, but the summer is needed to order books and supplies and set up the classes. A reminder that preparation for the sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation are each two-year programs, beginning no earlier than first grade for Communion and no earlier than 8th grade for Confirmation. Parish Enrichment Events

(Held in the Pastoral Center) Monday, August 24 at 7:00 p.m. The St. Veronica Book Club will discuss “Sadhana: A Way to God” by Anthony de Mello

Newcomers are always welcome! Please call Patti at the parish office to add your name to the

contact list and be notified of upcoming events.

Mark Your Calendars . . . For the annual St. Veronica Parish Festival

“Viva St. Veronica” September 25-27, 2015

Donations are being accepted for various booths and may be dropped off at the Pas-toral Center during reg-ular business hours. Items that can be donat-ed throughout the sum-mer include toys and games, 2-liter soda bot-tles, alcohol donations, holiday items, non-perishable candy, gift cards, technolo-gy items, and monetary donations.

Raffle Tickets are available NOW at the Pastoral Center. Increase your chance of winning by buying tickets throughout the summer! Tickets will also be mailed to all registered parishioners in late August, but why wait?

Sponsors may contact the Festival chairpersons to discuss various opportunities to support the Festival. Sponsor-ship can be a great way to advertise your business!

Michael & Claudia Tringale, Festival Chairpersons, may be contacted at SVParishFestival@gmail.com or 415-740-9285 (Claudia) and 415-740-9284 (Michael).

Additional information is on the parish website, www.stveronicassf.com.

Traveling this Summer?

Find A Catholic Church anywhere in the World

visit the website www.masstimes.org

Mass Times is a non-profit web site that allows traveling Catholics to locate Mass times and infor-mation for Catholic Churches around the world.

It is with great joy that we welcome into our church and community the following

children who received the Sacrament of Baptism at our Church

on Saturday, July 18, 2015

Austin Chi Lazar Michelle Gala Lazar

Julian Joel Martinelli

Reflecting on the Word

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. John Chrysostom, who lived in the last half of the fourth century, raised an interesting question in con-nection with the feeding of the multitudes. Why didn’t Jesus simply create food out of thin air rather than multi-ply the food that was there? After all, the bread and fish were pretty simple fare, lowbrow food - not unlike salti-nes and canned sardines. Could Jesus, who in John’s Gospel is depicted as the one through whom all things were made, not have conjured up something more excit-ing for the gathered multitude? Chrysostom responds to his own question, saying that it was because Jesus wished to use “the creation itself as a groundwork for his mar-vels” (Homily 42 on the Gospel of John). Rather than create something anew, Jesus takes what is already at hand and transforms it by multiplying it. And in doing this, Jesus is teaching us two things. First, he is reminding us that creation itself is al-ready miraculous. Jesus works miracles not to convince us that God can, on occasion, do extraordinary things, but to awaken us to the fact that God does an extraordinary thing - holding our world in existence - all the time. The ongoing existence of our world is the greatest of God’s mighty acts, and the miracles of Jesus should reinforce this truth and not undercut it. Second, he is showing us that the way God works in the world is not by discarding the ordinary realities of creation and substituting for them something new and different, but rather by taking what is already at hand and transforming it. As an old adage of Catholic theology puts it, grace perfects and does not destroy nature, Just as Christ uses the simple food provided by a boy to feed the multitude, so too he can use the simple substance of our daily lives to do his work in the world. We might look at our lives and ask, like Andrew in today’s Gospel, “What good is this for so many?” But today’s Gospel shows us that it is good enough, if Christ takes it and blesses it.

For prayerful consideration and discussion

♦ Do I appreciate the miraculous nature of my daily life and thank God for the gift of my existence? What hinders me from doing so?

♦ When have I seen God use ordinary events to do something extraordinary?

Praying with the Word

Lord Jesus, you take our lives into your hands and bless them. May we become spiritual food for others through the power of your Spirit by leading lives of holi-ness. Amen. - from Living the Word

Baptism Information

Registration forms are available from the Pastoral Center during regular office hours,

or you may download a form from our website at www.stveronicassf.com.

Baptisms are generally celebrated each month on the 1st and 3rd Saturday in English and the 2nd Saturday in Spanish. Please call

the Parish Office for times and to register.

Upcoming baptism dates are as follows: Aug. 1 (1 spot left), 8 (Spanish) & 15 (full)

Sept. 5, 12 (Spanish) & 19 (full) Oct. 3, 10 (Spanish) & 17

Preparation classes for parents and godparents are held

on the second Tuesday of the month. Classes are conducted in the Pastoral Center from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m. (Adults only please).

Please call the Parish Office at 650-588-1455 for specific dates and to reserve your space for

the Baptismal Preparation Classes.