March 3, 2019 – Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Address: 3351 Contra Loma Boulevard, Antioch CA 94509-5468 Parish Office: (925) 778-0768 Fax: (925) 778-0845 Faith Formation: (925) 778-1631 Rectory: (925) 470-3253

E-mail: st.ignatius@sbcglobal.net Website: www.stignatiusofantioch.org facebook: www.facebook.com/stignatiusofantiochchurch

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Eucharist Schedule Saturday Vigil: 4 pm Sunday: 8 am & 10 am Mon., Wed., Fri.: 8 am Holy Eucharist Tue., Thur.: 8 am Liturgy of the Word and Holy Communion

Holy Days: 8 am & as announced Reconciliation: Saturday, 2:45 to 3:30 pm

Faith Formation Office: (925) 778-1631

Sacraments: Contact Parish Office: (925) 778-0768

Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm

For Ministries, Activities & Outreaches in Parish: see Parish handbook, available in the Office.

Fr. Robert K. Rien Pastor

Fr. George Griener, S.J. Assisting Clergy

Fr. Richard Mangini Assisting Clergy

Deacon Gary Hack Permanent Deacon

Don Pearson Director of Music, Organist, Artist in Residence

Frances Rojek Pastoral Associate, Formation & Administration

Peter Degl’Innocenti Pastoral Associate, Pastoral Care

Carolyn Krantz, M.Div. Pastoral Associate, Social Justice

Maryann Peddicord Pastoral Secretary

Estrella Rusk Financial Secretary

Rich Confetti Facilities Manager

Mission Statement: United in Faith, Ignited by the Spirit, We Reflect the Light of the Living Christ

Schedule of Events Sunday, March 3 8 am & 10 am Liturgies Confirmation I & II Class attending 10 am Liturgy Birthday Blessing at both Liturgies Second Collection for the Parking Lot Loan St. Joseph/St. Patrick Dinner Ticket Sales - Gathering

Plaza

Monday, March 4 Rosary - 7:25 am - Church Eucharist - 8 am SPRED Catechist Prep - 4:30 to 6 pm - Parish Hall No RCIA

Tuesday, March 5 Rosary - 7:25 am - Church Liturgy of the Word & Holy Communion - 8 am Hula Class - 7 to 9 pm - Parish Hall

Wednesday, March 6 - Ash W ednesday Rosary - 7:25 am - Church 8 am - Eucharist/Ashes (with Novena following) 12 Noon - Liturgy of the Word/Ashes 5:30 pm - Liturgy of the Word/Ashes 7:30 pm - Evensong/Ashes No RCIC/Sacrament Preparation Class

Thursday, March 7 Rosary - 7:25 am - Church Liturgy of the Word & Holy Communion - 8 am Growing in Faith Together (GIFT) sessions - 8:45 to 10:30 am - Parish Hall 40th Anniversary Meeting - 5 pm - Parish Hall Choir Rehearsal - 7:30 pm to 9 pm – Church

Friday, March 8 Rosary - 7:25 am - Church Eucharist- 8 am Knights of Columbus Fish Fry - 4:30 to 7 pm - Parish

Hall

Saturday, March 9 4 pm Vigil Liturgy St. Joseph/St. Patrick Dinner Ticket Sales - Gathering

Plaza

Sunday, March 10 - 1st Sunday of Lent Daylight Saving Time begins 8 am & 10 am Liturgies Confirmation I & II Class - 12 to 1:30 pm - Parish Hall St. Joseph/St. Patrick Dinner Ticket Sales - Gathering

Plaza

Stewardship of Treasure

Stewardship

Thank you for the gift of your Time, your Talent and your Treasure to St. Ignatius of Antioch Parish.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. ” —Matthew 6:21

March 3, 2019

Eighth Sunday in

Ordinary Time

Our Knights of Columbus are once again planning their wonderful fish dinners on the Fridays in Lent. The first dinner takes place this coming Friday! See page 6.

March 6: Ash Wednesday.

March 11: St. Ignatius of Antioch Par ish Fundraiser a Turnaround Trip to Thunder Valley. See page 6 for further details.

March 16: St. Joseph & St. Patr ick Feast Days dinner . Tickets on sale now.

May 19: 40th Anniversary event. Founders brunch. See page 4.

June 1: 40th Anniversary Mass of Celebration and Dinner/Dance. Save the date.

Ongoing:

Tuesdays: 7:00 p.m. - Hula Class in the Parish Hall—contact Samantha Peralto at 726-7117 for information.

Thursdays: Growing in Faith Together (G I F T) sessions - 8:45 to 10:30 am - Parish Hall.

Our goal for weekly plate collections is: $12,500.00

Weekend Offering for February 16-17

Weekend Offering…….………………..........$8,907.00

Every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. — Luke 6:44

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Pray for the Sick Remember in your prayers all those who are sick or suffering in any way, especially:

Members of our Parish Family who are in the Military, hospitals, nursing homes, shut-ins and all those who have no one to pray for them.

Gavin Cano Stacia DeBuhr Phil Herlick Willie Ilas

Linda Morrison Jose Palomino Jose Guillermino Ramos

FF Cole Smith Lilia Suarez Peter Villalpando David Vizcay Guy Worth

Mass Intentions for the Week

Readings for the Week

Monday Sir 17:20-24; Ps 32:1-2, 5-7; Mk 10:17-27

Tuesday Sir 35:1-12; Ps 50:5-8, 14, 23; Mk 10:28-31

Wednesday Jl 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-6ab, 12-14, 17; 2 Cor 5:20 — 6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

Thursday Dt 30:15-20; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 9:22-25

Friday Is 58:1-9a; Ps 51:3-6ab, 18-19; Mt 9:14-15

Saturday Is 58:9b-14; Ps 86:1-6; Lk 5:27-32

Sunday Dt 26:4-10; Ps 91:1-2, 10-15; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13

Sat. 4:00 pm Raymond Dupire †

Sun. 8:00 am Pacita Gonzaga †

Sun. 10:00 am Jesus Perez †

Mon. 8:00 am Our Parish Family

Tues. 8:00 am Richard Osborne †

Fri. 8:00 am All Military Men and Women

Wed. 8:00 am, 12 5:30, 7:30 pm

Ash Wednesday

Thur. 8:00 am Marian Favalora †

Rest in Peace

Please pray for the souls of Brooke Harris, Raymond Dupire and Patricia Mattern. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Lay Ministers—Week of March 9th & 10th

4 pm: Lectors – Susan Batterton, Frances Rojek; Head Cup – Pam Confetti; Head Host – Melodye Costanza; Host – Beth Enea, Nancy DiMaggio; Cup – Rhoda Herrera, Marla Plurkowski, Tim Cox; Servers - Edward Salas-Garcia

8 am: Lectors – Angela Bueno, Peter Degl’Innocenti; Head Cup - Vianney Mendoza; Head Host – Crispina Malonosan; Host– MaryJo Keister, Jeannine Ford, Diane Hack, Rick Howell; Cup - Jack Goncalves, Deanna Ribeiro, Sue Howell, Frank Kauer, Monika Kauer; Servers - David Rodrigues, Philip Rios

10 am: Lectors – Tina Costanza, Andrew Ngo; Head Cup – Gloria Olvera; Head Host – Lesley Eubanks; Host - Ed Cissell, Yvette Young, Carol Dollete, Samantha Peralto; Cup – Sharon Cissell, Lee Oliver, Mark Costanza, Estrella Rusk, Jane Sharpe; Servers – Stephania Madoshi, Jean Paul Fortez

4:00 pm - Fr. Richard Presiding and Preaching 8 &10 am - Fr. Robert Presiding & Fr. Richard Preaching

St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is requesting the following food items: Canned Corn - 15 oz. Canned Green Beans - 15 oz. Mac & Cheese - 7 oz. box Please bring your donations to weekend liturgies or place them in the donation barrel in the Narthex.

Volunteers wanted: If you can visit a needy family with us to offer them help just once a month, please call us (925)757-0941.

If you need help: St. Vincent de Paul phone number: (925)757-0941.

Emergency Food Pantry - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday between 9:00 and 10:00 am. Most Holy Rosary Parish Center.

Food Bank Fresh Food Truck - First and Third Friday of each month between 1:00 and 2:00pm. Most Holy Rosary Church parking lot

To access county social services, call 211 or go to: www.211database.org

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40th Anniversary News

Mobile Mall

Sorting - Sat., March 9th from 9:00 am to 12 Noon Most Holy Rosary Gym Distribution - Sat., March 16th from 7:30 am to 12 Noon Dallas Ranch Middle School 4721 Vista Grande Dr., Antioch For more information about this ministry, please contact

Dee Vergara at 753-1291. *Heavy duty garbage bags are needed. Drop them off in

Were you a founding member of the parish? The Anniversary Committee is planning a Founders Brunch in your honor on Sunday May 19, 2019. If you were a registered parishioner at St. Ignatius

of Antioch in 1979 or 1980, please contact the parish office so we can extend an invitation.

Save the date. 40th Anniversary Mass of Celebration and festive dinner dance - Saturday June 1, 2019.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

MARRIED COUPLES! DO YOU WANT TO GIVE A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING? The next Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend is June 28 – 30, 2019 in Danville or September 13-14,

2019 in Concord. Space is limited and early registration is highly recommended. For more information or to register for a weekend, Contact Chuck & Anne at applications@oaklandwwme.org or 925-849-5466 or visit oaklandwwme.org.

March 6 Ash Wednesday Schedule

8:00 a.m. Holy Euchar ist and Imposition of Ashes.

12:00 Noon Liturgy of the Word

and Imposition of Ashes. 5:30 p.m. Liturgy of the Word and Imposition of

Ashes. 7:30 p.m. Sung Evening Prayer and Imposition of

Ashes.

If you haven’t viewed the parish’s Facebook page recently, check it out. More pictures and events are being posted all the time. Most

Sunday homilies are also posted online.

www.facebook.com/stignatiusofantiochchurch

Check Our Parish’s Facebook Page

The theme of this year’s Bishop’s Appeal is from a command to St. Francis of Assisi while he was praying before the crucifix at San Damiano: “Rebuild My Church.” In the turbulent and disturbing times facing our Church, this command could very well be directed to all of us.

The 2018 Appeal was a tremendous success. St. Ignatius of Antioch met and exceeded its assigned goal of $34,900 by nearly 5%. This year we have the same goal. More information about this year’s Appeal will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. Please take some time to review the information and prayerfully consider supporting this important annual campaign.

If you are planning to make this parish community your spiritual home, we cordially invite you to register. Visit www.stignatiusofantioch.org to download and pr int a registration form. Complete the form and return it to the parish office during regular business hours. You may also register in person at the parish office. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 am until 12:30 pm. If you have any questions, please call the parish office at (925) 778-0768.

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Parish Perspective By Peter Degl’Innocenti...Pastoral Associate

Justice Corner

By Carolyn Krantz...Pastoral Associate

Today’s readings pose a series of opposites. They are a gathering of sayings from the teaching of Jesus: blind/seeing, student/teacher, rotten fruit/good fruit, thorn bush/figs, brambles/grapes, evil/good. All these contrasts are presented to help us to judge our actions by comparisons. We want to be “good trees.” We want to be a person that “out of the store of goodness in his/her heart” produces good. But Jesus tells us that one of the things that get in the way of being such a person is judging others. We must first notice “the wooden beam in our own eyes.” We must know our own faults and not avoid them. Every fault also has a virtue attached. We confess our sins and weaknesses before the cross so we can find the store of goodness in our hearts, the virtues that are also there. If we are fearful, we can find courage. If we are angry, we can also find peace, etc. Name your weakness so you can also know your strength. The cross is what binds all these things together. In the history of the church, two different theologies have arisen about the cross. One is the transactional version of the cross. When we ask, “Why did Jesus die,” some would say that he died to pay back the Father for our sins, a transaction. This version would have us see God the Father as a vengeful God who demands that His Son die in exchange for the sins of humankind. This is a very commercial understanding of the meaning of Jesus’ death. In this view, I lump all my sins on Jesus so he can pay back the debt to an angry, exacting Father. If you had an exacting father in your upbringing, you may have transferred this meaning of the cross into your own psyche. But there is another meaning given to the cross. The cross is a revelation of freely chosen love. Jesus died to show us the way. Such love transforms the life of Jesus into resurrection. Suffering, freely chosen in love, can change our lives. A parents love and sacrifice transforms a child into a whole human being. A nurse’s care of a patient can transform the person bearing that sickness. Instead of bitterness, there is acceptance. This is the transformative version of the cross. In this way of thinking, we can say, “O Death, where is your victory, O Death where is your sting,” because all of suffering and death is seen as the transformative experience that unites us to Jesus. The love we pour out in our lives reaches and transforms others. In these acts of freely chosen love, the world is changed and we are changed. This is not an easy concept. As the suffering of each day presents itself, we struggle to digest what is happening to us. Whether we experience the Paradise fires, mass shootings, the suffering of migrants at the border, or some event closer to home, we struggle to understand the meaning of suffering. At first we want to reject it or change it in some way, but then the overwhelming truth hits us. It is not going away. Each of our lives is presented with a particular brand of suffering. As Lent begins, we struggle as Jesus did to accept our suffering in love. We look at the cross to remind us that there is a way through. Suffering, freely chosen in love, is the way through. In this choice we become a resurrected people with Alleluia as our song. In this choice we witness the resurrected Jesus that has already conquered the world.

February Items

A brief summary of events that happened around the parish last month is in order at this time. Item: Way back on the 11th of February was the memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes. That day was a reminder of all the miraculous healings that have happened in the countryside of Lourdes, France; when the Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette Soubirous and since. The spirit of divine healing was brought home when the those fortunate enough to attend daily Mass were allowed the opportunity to come forward for an Anointing of the Sick (it used to be called Last Rites) administered by Fr. Robert using the Oil of the Ill. The anointing is one of the few sacraments the Church has that is a “two-for.” Within the anointing are words for the forgiveness of sins. Thus, we are reconciled in our healing and healed in our reconciliation. For the curious, Baptism is the other “two-for.” Item: On the 18th of February the country celebrated Presidents Day. As is traditional for our parish the Rojeks, Steve and Frances, hosted a Bingo Luncheon in the parish hall. Though I did not personally attend, all available information leads me to proclaim the event another sterling success. The bingo games are perfect for a relaxing holiday event. You can sleep in late, dress in the most casual and un-coordinated manner of fashion, plant an American flag out in front of the house, drive to the church where lunch is ready for you, have a blast playing bingo, listen to the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in the voices of the other players, and possibly win some cash! What could be more American than that? Disclaimer: The fact that I saw what looked like ingredients for Sloppy Joes in the kitchen that Monday morning is not the reason I was unable to attend (though it would have been a good one). Item: On the 19th the Rojeks once again were our hosts, but this time it was for the second Liturgy Ministers Evening of Reflection. Unlike the first evening of reflection around the time of Epiphany that was for lectors and eucharistic ministers, this was for everyone involved in liturgy. It included ushers, sacristans, altar servers, funeral coordinators, greeters, musicians, cantors, and choir members. Preparing for Lent was the theme of the evening and an announcement of an important change in the way we do liturgy this Lent was made. This year we will be hearing the cycle C readings all throughout Lent. The catechumens and candidates will hear the good old scrutinies; the woman at the well, the man born blind, and Lazarus in their RCIA and RCIC classes. Item: So long February, hello March and Lent.

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St. Ignatius of Antioch Knights of Columbus

Fish Fry Fridays

Fridays March 8

March 15 March 22

April 5 April 12

Served from 4:30-7:00 PM in the Parish Hall.

$15 per meal Dine-in or take-out.

Join us for a delicious fish dinner that includes beer battered fish, slaw, fries and a drink. Dine-in and enjoy a free dessert too!

Be sure and watch for discount coupons inserted into the weekly bulletins. One coupon good for entire family!

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