we are essential: free the mass!€¦ · only enlighten us, but perfect us in our ability to make...
TRANSCRIPT
St. Stephen ParishSaintStephenSF.org | 451 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco CA 94132 | Church 415 681-2444 StStephenSchoolSF.org | 401 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco 94132 | School 415 664-8331
Weekday Mass: 8:00 a.m. Reconciliation: Saturday 3:30 p.m. or by appt. Vigil Mass Saturday 4:30 p.m. Sunday Mass 8:00, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m.
We are Essential: Free the MASS!
October 4, 2020
Prayer Against Coronavirus
Lord Jesus, our Divine Physician, we ask you to guard and protect us
from Coronavirus COVID-19 and all serious illness.
For all that have died from it, have mercy,
for those that are ill now, bring healing.
For those searching for a remedy, enlighten them; for medical caregivers helping the sick, strengthen and shield them.
For those working to contain the spread, grant them success;
for those afraid, grant peace.
May your precious blood be our defense and salvation.
By your grace, may you turn the evil of disease into moments of
consolation and hope.
May we always fear the contagion of sin
more than any illness.
We abandon ourselves to your infinite mercy.
Amen.
Our Mission Statement We are a Catholic Community that is called by God to follow Jesus Christ. We believe that we are called to worship God together, to lead God's people along the path of hope laid down by Jesus, to share his message through preaching, through the educa on and forma on of our people, young and old, and through caring service and sensi ve outreach to those in need. Rev. Tony P. LaTorre, Pastor
The Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Matthew 25:1-13
Our readings today provide some guidance for living in these uncer-tain times, but the message is not about being prepared for safeguard-ing our physical well-being. It is an encouraging message about pre-paring ourselves for that wondrous time when the Lord shall return and we will live forever with him in heaven. In the Book of Wisdom, we hear three things that are comforting, es-pecially as they relate to the Gospel. First, She [Wisdom] is readily
perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. Simply put, wisdom is not difficult to obtain. In sin-cerely seeking wisdom, we will recognize it and gain it.
Next, Taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence. Just thinking about wisdom will change us. It will not only enlighten us, but perfect us in our ability to make good choices and take right action.
Finally, Whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care. The Book of Wisdom tells us that if we consistently seek God’s wisdom, we will find hope in what we learn. This hope allows us to be free from care because we learn to trust that our loving God is with us no matter what the future holds, and he waits to welcome us into his Kingdom at the end of our lives.
What we learn from Wisdom has pertinent application to Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel. The parable of the wise and foolish maidens provides a lesson about the importance of making wise choices each and every day. The oil repre-sents these choices – if we live our lives consistently seeking wisdom because we believe in Christ and seek to grow in love for him, it transforms us. We become more like Christ. As we imitate his care and compassion for others, especial-ly the most vulnerable, our lamps will overflow with the oil of our loving deeds and choices. Our oil will not run out. We will be prepared. We will have enough to keep our lamps lit and be ready to greet the Lord when he arrives.
In this uncertain and ever-changing world in which we live, and in the midst of so much that we cannot control, one thing is certain and ought to fill us with relief, peace, and consolation: Christ will come again! With God’s help and the grace of the Holy Spirit, we pray: for wisdom; to make wise choices; and to keep our lamps full for the time when the cry will arise, Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!
Blessings to you this week, stay healthy and safe and see you next week if not before. Father Tony LaTorre
Liturgy and Life • Why is wisdom necessary to living out our faith? • When someone dies, how is the afterlife with God a consolation? • Do the wise virgins, who have prepared for the bridegroom, prompt you to seek to
know the Lord in this lifetime?
Living Stewardship Now “Is He Here, Yet?”
Christians in every generation, including modern believers in the New Testament, have hoped that Jesus would re-turn in their lifetime. Jesus himself promised his disciples that he would return, but warned, “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36). Those who witnessed Christ’s ascension into heaven after his death and resurrection heard the angelic visitors say, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Saint Paul declared, “We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly . . . that the day of the Lord is at hand” (2 Thessalonians 2:1–2). Nevertheless, over the cen-turies, certain individuals have claimed to know the exact time of Christ’s return, and left many people disillusioned and angry when the event failed to take place. In every age, volcanoes erupt and earthquakes, wars, and epidemics cause death and destruction. Some people wonder if these are not signs of the “end of times.” But the more important question for each of us is this: Would you be a better disciple of Jesus if you knew the exact date of his return to earth? If you were absolutely certain, say, that he would return next week, what would you do that you aren’t doing now? Make peace with someone with whom you have a conflict? Let go of grudges and resentment? Tell people you care about how much you love them? Repent of your sins? Do special favors? Pray a lot? Throw a party? Stop holding back and do these now. You can’t take possessions to heaven, but you can take your deeds.
What is the most painful burden on your heart? Decide to set it right today.
If you cannot make amends in person, share your sorrow with God in confession.
2020 Archbishop’s Annual Appeal Use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace.”
1 Peter 4:10
We’re “slowly” closing the gap….
As a result of the prior generosity and everyone who has given in the past week, we’re now up to $54.709.00! We thank everyone who has participated so far and invite everyone to join the success! We still need $44,954.00 to meet our goal of $99,663.00.
Questions and Answers… Q. What does our parish goal of $96,000 support?
• It supports the staff that directly serve our parish ministries and administration – it is our share of expenses to sup-port centralized services for all parishes in the Archdiocese..
• These are services that are required by law, such as payroll, human resources, and benefits. • They also help ensure best practices in financial management, fiscal transparency, and other areas. • They are services required by our Christian obligation to teach the faith, such as training catechists and supporting
the education of seminarians. • They are services required by our Christian obligation to promote justice and help those in need
Q: How is our parish’s goal for the AAA determined? • Each parish’s goal is based upon four factors – our annual income from weekly giving, income on Christmas and
Easter, income from Sacramental celebrations (Weddings, Baptisms, Funerals, etc.). With just a few exceptions, each parish’s AAA goal is 20% of the total of those four figures.
Q: How much should we give to the Annual Appeal? • Each of us has different financial resources and income. As a result, each parishioner is asked to consider an invest-
ment commensurate with his or her ability to give. Your actual gift amount is a very personal matter. The AAA is based on EQUAL SACRIFICES, NOT EQUAL GIFTS.
• As a guide, previous donors are asked to consider a gift approximately 5-10% more than they did in the previous year. Other donors give1% of their annual household income or $1 for each day of the year.
• If you have not previously given to the appeal, a gift of approximately 1-2 times what you give to the Offertory in a year is an amount many new donors feel comfortable with. All gifts, regardless of amount, are very beneficial and make a real impact.
Q: How can I make a gift to the Annual Appeal? • You can make a gift via cash, check or credit card. You may give on-line or by donating securities. All gifts are
greatly appreciated, make a significant impact, and will be acknowledged. Saint Stephen Parish (415) 681-2444 or Saintstephensf.org
Your gift to the Annual Appeal helps in so many ways and shows your support of the parish community in which you belong. Thank you! (Fr. Tony)
“Use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace.” 1 Peter 4-10
St. Stephen Book Club St Stephen’s Book Club meets virtual-ly via Zoom at 9:00 a.m. on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Anyone in-terested is invited to join us. Email Mary Molly to receive the Zoom invite link. The next books we are reading: November book: The Sec-ond Mountain: The Quest for A Moral Life by David Brooks December book: The Fisher-man's Tomb: The True Story of the Vatican's Se-cret Search by John O'Neill.
St. Stephen’s Faith Formation Program Our Faith Formation program is now open for enrollment. Register online We will help your children to learn more about our Catholic faith. We also prepare students for the Sacraments of First Holy Communion &/or Confirmation. This program is supported by a group of experienced and dedicated religious education teachers. They not only teach the knowledge of the Bible, the sacraments, and the church, but most importantly, they teach the students how to be-come faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Their goal is to teach the stu-dents to become Christ-like.
Our Faith Formation Program runs from mid-September to mid-May. We meet once a week on Monday afternoons, at 4:00 pm (except holi-
days). For more information, please contact Mary Molly Mullaney in the St. Stephen Par-ish Office (415) 681-2444, x4 or email: [email protected]. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic we started the school year with virtual classes. And until it is safe to meet in person. (use QR bar code or this link to the Google Form https://bit.ly/2MuTxhf
Monday, Nov. 9 8:00 a.m. † All Souls (By: Fr. Tony) Tuesday, Nov. 10 8:00 a.m. † Larry Teshara (By: Jim & Trish Hargarten) Wednesday, Nov. 11 8:00 a.m. † All Souls (By: Fr. Tony)
Thursday, Nov. 12 8:00 a.m. † Richard & Marygrace Dunn (By: Marianne Daly)
Friday, Nov. 13 8:00 a.m. St. Stephen Parishioners Sp. Int. (By: Fr. Tony) Saturday, Nov. 14 8:00 a.m. † Naty Cheng (By: Shirley Dee)
4:30 p.m. † Tan Kong Hua (By: Edison Ongpian) Sunday, Nov. 15 8:00 a.m. Maureen Dowling Sp. Int.
(By: Grace Enriquez)
9:30 a.m. † Michael Gragnani (By: Diane Gragnani)
11:30 a.m. † Denis O’Connor (By: Mary Rose O’Connor)
lease pray for the sick and homebound of our com-munity and for all those written in our book of the
sick. May they know the healing touch of Jesus.
Marino Tulao, Rommel Plondaya, Robert Liam, Zaida Ysip, Leanna Mossi, Elena Amaya, Eden Finn,
Edileide Jose Barbosa, Kenneth Fambrini, Larry Barbiere, Carol Dominguez, Marc Gutierres,
Kevin King, Marla Moso, Joel Rivera, Anna Thompson, Gwendolyn Walsh, Jovita & Richard Thompson.
Please call the office to add or remove names
TODAY’S READINGS First Reading — Wisdom is easily discerned by those who love her (Wisdom 6:12-16). Psalm — My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God (Psalm 63). Second Reading — Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 [13-14]). Gospel — Stay awake! You know neither the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:1-13).
Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time November 8, 2020 Stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. — Matthew 25:13
SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Tuesday: St. Leo the Great Wednesday: St. Martin of Tours; Veterans Day Thursday: St. Josaphat Friday: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Saturday: Blessed Virgin Mary
SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI (1850-1917) November 13 Burly longshoremen glared at the woman in widow’s dress who in-terrupted their drinking to beg money, in broken English, for her orphanage. The bar exploded in laughter as one man responded by spitting in her face. “That was for me,” the woman smiled. “Do you have anything for the children?” Given today’s national debate, could it be as much God’s sense of humor as God’s will for our sanctification that our first American saint should be an immigrant and natural-ized citizen? Frances Cabrini, adopting the name Xavier, confided to Pope Leo XIII her longing to follow her Jes-uit patron to Asia. But the Pope replied, “Not East—West!” So she and her Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart exchanged exotic dreams of China for the impov-erished reality of Italian ghettos across the United States and Central and South America. Before her death, Frances had founded seventy educational, health care, child, and family service institutions. Today, from Sibe-ria to Ethiopia, in sixteen countries, Mother Cabrini’s sisters and lay associates embody her practical spirituali-ty: “Let’s get to work! We’ll have eternity to rest!” —Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.
THE FOUNDATION Wisdom is the foundation, and justice the work without which a foundation cannot stand.—St. Ambrose
Cougar Face Mask $10 For Sale
Supporting the Class of 2021 Graduation Activities
Please visit the website for Contact-less Shopping, https://store.primetime.company/Classof2021fundraiser. 8th Grade will contact you for payment via Venmo or PayPal after you place your order. Contact Daniela Franco - [email protected] if you have any questions.
FORGIVING AN ENEMY Who has not forgiven an enemy has not yet tasted one of the most sublime enjoyments of life.
—Johann Kaspar Lavater
We need to be wise enough to remain ever prepared: Wise Christians live each day in the light of Jesus' vision. Such people find Him in the most ordinary experiences of daily living -- in the people they meet, the events that take place, and the situations in which they find themselves. They carefully make their daily choices for God. They are ready to put the commandment of love into practice by kindness and forgiveness. There is absolutely no better way to prepare for the final call than to learn to spend each day in the company of Jesus, remembering his assurance, "I am with you always." (CCC 1036, 2612: vigilant waiting for the Lord’s return). The following short prayer should be always on their lips: "Lord, grant that all my thoughts, intentions, actions and responses may be directed solely to Your love and service this day." "Help me, Lord, to seek, to find, and to respond to You in every single experience this day." When we eventually hear the final call, "Get up! The Master is coming!" we will not be worried, but happy and more than ready to meet Him, as well as old friends and family, in Heaven. God has made this promise to us: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dn 12:3).
Let us be sure that our Lamps are ready for the end of our lives: Spiritual readiness, preparation and growth do not just happen. They come as a result of intentional habits built into one’s life. We cannot depend on a Sunday morning service to provide all our spiritual needs. We cannot depend on Christian fellowship to provide us with spiritual development. These things come through routine, mundane attention to ordinary spiritual disciplines — making sure we have enough oil: spiritual fuel. They come when we habitually take time for prayer and being alone with God. They come through reading God’s Word; living a sacramental life; performing acts of service for others; being morally faithful; obeying God with love, and spending time with other Christians for mutual prayer, study, and encouragement. These are the things which, along with the normal difficulties of life, enable a person to grow in Christ and to be prepared for Christ’s coming. Without these things we will not be prepared. The preparation cannot be hit-or-miss, nor can it be postponed. We dare not procrastinate, lest death come unexpectedly and ruin us. We need to develop those things which encourage our spiritual growth into holy habits in our lives, for that growth must take precedence over other interests and claims on our time and attention. As these habits become entrenched, they cease to be a struggle for us and begin to be a source of strength and blessing. They make our lives powerful against the onslaught of the world.
What is the oil that we lack? Oil in Scripture is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we try to spring into action without first submitting our work to the Holy Spirit. Or perhaps we lack the oil of kindness and compassion. There’s no way we can be ready to meet Jesus without the essential oils of compassion and mercy. Perhaps we lack the oil of patience and sympathy. Without such oil, we’re ill-equipped to deal with someone who comes to us in need of long-term love and guidance. Perhaps we’re short of the oil of education and instruction, or we’re not adequately trained and lack proper skills to be of service in areas where help is needed. Perhaps God is calling us to take our expertise and skills to another level in order that we may more adequately meet Jesus in the people God allows to enter our lives. I need to have the oil of being in the state of grace. If not, I am in the empty a state of mortal sin. Ignatius of Loyola’s famous prayer is the prayer of the follower of Jesus; ‘Lord, teach me to know you more, love you more and serve you more faithfully in my life.’ (Spiritual Exercises). The “more” indicates that our earthly life is always in process, never a finished product: like love and friendship it grows in our lives. It is exciting that Jesus is never gone from us: risen from the dead he is always alive, always new. Our reading of the Gospel, our sharing at Mass and the sacraments and our personal prayer keep this relationship always alive, always new.
What Can We Learn (From this Parable)
School Re-Opened! Our school had been complexly sanitized and made
“socially distant” for each student and teacher when we re-opened October 19 with the arrival of grades K-1 and 2. We were so excited to see the children back. A great deal of effort has been put into making the school safe for all. Thank you Mrs. Allen and teachers for what you have been doing to get us to this point. We will be return in “shifts”. In two week, grades 3,4,5 will join K,1 and 2 and two week after that grades 6,7, and 8 will complete the arrivals. Wel-come all!
KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS
St. Stephen School is accept-ing applications for next Au-gust’s Kindergarten class. Please call the school office @ (415) 664-8331, if you’re in-terested in obtaining an appli-cation. Children must be five years old by September 1, 2021 and be currently enrolled in a five
day Pre-K or Kindergarten Program. Kindergarten screenings will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2021. Please note this may change depend-ing on health mandates at the time of screening. Thank you for your flexibility.
DAILY MASS ON LIVESTREAM !!!
at 8:00 a.m. on Facebook , YouTube & Instagram!
Or go to ww.SaintStephenSF.org to attend our daily Mass!
Join Fr. Tony‘s Sunday Celebration of the Eucharist
Every Sunday, at 9:30 am, we continue to go live from our St. Stephen Parish website, www.saintstephensf.org. Click on the Facebook link on the top of the page and it will di-rectly connect you to our livestream mass. Here you can participate in the live community chat stream during the mass. If you do not have a Facebook account, no need to worry! Go to our website, www.saintstephensf.org, scroll down and you will also be able to join the livestream mass right on our website. You can also watch our livestream mass every Sun-day at 9:30am via YouTube and Instagram!
As we go our daily life within the state and city-wide mandate of “Stay-at-Home” for the next few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, please remember that we continue to look for-ward to your regular weekly donations to sustain our church’s basic operation needs.
You may continue to do so through the following: 1) via your weekly envelope which can either be:
a. Mailed to the Parish Office; b. Dropped off at our parish office/mailbox slot.
2) If at this time, you are strictly confined in your home, please consider setting up an online account through the parish website: www.saintstephensf.org by: a. Click the $ Giving button b. Click on Donation link c. Set up your account online
3) If neither of the above works for you, please give us a call at the office, and we will gladly pick up your donation enve-lope for the parish. For more information, please give us a call at 415-681-2444. between 9am to 3pm Mondays thru Fridays or check our web-site www.saintstephensf.org
1) A tour group was riding in an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building. At
about the 102nd floor, a woman asked the tour guide, “If the cables on this elevator break, do we go up or down?” The tour guide answered, “Well, that depends on how you are living.”
2) A Sunday school teacher was tes ng the children in her class one morning to see if they un-derstood the concept of "ge ng to Heaven." She said, "If I sold my house and my car, held a big garage sale and gave all my mon-ey to the Church, would that get me into Heaven?" "NO!" the children answered. "If I cleaned the Church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and dy, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, the answer was, "NO!" "Well, then, if I was kind to animals, gave candy
to children and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?" Again, they all answered, "NO!" “Well," the teacher con nued, “how do I get into Heaven?" A five-year-old boy shouted out, "YOU GOTTA BE DEAD."
3) When Bishop Philip Brooks, au-thor of “O, Li le Town of Bethle-hem,” was seriously ill, he requested that none of his friends come to see him. But when an acquaintance of his named Robert Ingersoll, the fa-mous an -Chris an propagandist, came to see him, Brooks allowed him to enter his room. Ingersoll said, “I appreciate this very much, especially when you aren’t le ng any of your close friends see you.” Bishop Brooks responded, “Oh, I’m confi-dent of seeing them in the next world, but this may be my last chance to see you.”
Ways and Means to Help and Support Our Church
JOKE OF THE WEEK
St Stephen Church provides Online Giving -- a convenient and safe way to make a one-time or recurring donation. Getting started is easy. Visit www.s aintstephensf.org, click on Donation link. . When you participate, your gift will be securely transferred directly into the parish.
PASTORAL STAFF
Rev. Tony P. LaTorre Pastor, ext.1
Mrs. Sharon McCarthy Allen School Principal
Carol P Cagalingan Parish Manager, ext. 3
Rev. Mr. Olet Abad Permanent Deacon
Mary Molly Mullaney Faith Formation Coordinator, ext. 4 [email protected]
Shay Ingelfinger Event Center Coordinator, ext.7
Rev. Tony P. LaTorre Liturgy Director (Temp). ext. 1 [email protected]
Teresa Devincenzi Bookkeeper, ext.5
Steven Angelucci Music/Choir Director, ext 8
Ed Prete Bulletin Editor, ext. 6
Daniel Ho A. Haryasyah Sexton
(Environment, Sound & Lighting)
ST STEPHEN PARISH 2020-2021
ORGANIZATION/MINISTRY CONTACT PERSON
• Altar Servers Giovanna Hrvatin
• Altar Society Joan Leehane
• Bridge Group Helen Perlite
• Caritas Nellie Hizon
• Church Hospitality Mary Molly Mullaney
• Communion Ministers Mary Molly Mullaney
• Faith Formation Mary Molly Mullaney
• Fifty Plus Club Helga D’Arcy
• Finance Council Laura Birsinger
• Grief Support Clergy
• Lectors Mary Molly Mullaney
• Liturgy Committee Fr. Tony
• Marriage Preparation Clergy
• Men’s Club Ryan Gille
• Parish Council Vicky Francisco
• RCIA Mary Molly Mullaney
• St. Stephen Book Club Mary Molly Mullaney
• St. Vincent de Paul Julie O’Callaghan
• Ushers Bob Anthony
• Women’s Guild Courtney Cassinelli
Millo Mau Pasquini
Our warmest welcome to all who celebrate with us! You can sign up or update your information by completing this form & placing it in the collection basket, by mailing it to the Parish Office, by phone at 415-681-2444 or at www.saintstephensf.org
Name ______________________________________________ Contact Phone __________________________
Email ______________________________________________
Complete Mailing Address ________________________________________ City/Zip ___________________
Weekly Sunday envelopes , circle one: Yes No, but commit to participate thru Online Giving. I am interested in assisting the Parish in an organization or ministry as (Please encircle your choice/s): Acolyte/Altar Service, Altar Society, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, Greeter/Usher, Hospitality after Mass/Special Events, Holy Communion Ministers to the Homebound, Music/Choir, Lector &/or Holy Communion Ministers, Parish Center Front Office Volunteer.
AD PAGE
Only send 200 copies