Church of the Transfiguration 4000 E. Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, CA 94552-4908

(510) 538-7941 Fax (510) 538-7983 E-mail: transfig_office@sbcglobal.net Website: www.transfigchurch.com October 23, 2016

Rev. Mario L. Borges, Pastor ● Rev. Terence O’Malley, Parochial Administrator Deacon Martin J. Leach ● Deacon John A. Mignano ● Deacon Timothy L. Moore ● Deacon Burton J. Rigley

LITURGICAL MINISTRY: Eucharistic Ministers, Stephen and Carina Kowalewski Lectors, Barbara Mehan Altar Servers, Clarence Decano Youth Liturgy, Michelle Gilman

FINANCE COUNCIL: Chairman, Mark Zaleski

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS: Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), 60 Plus or Minus Club, Cursillo Group

SAINT VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY: (510) 274-0830 Serving our community.

SICK & HOMEBOUND MINISTRY: Claudia Paquette, (510) 537-8986

STEWARDSHIP: Chairperson, Ed Coelho, (510) 881-5705 WINGS “Women in God’s Spirit”: Trish Ferrari, (510) 581-7263 HALL MANAGER: Pat Ballinger, (510) 537-1502

HALL RENTAL MANAGER: Monica Corona, 510-239-7941

YOUTH MINISTRY: Alfonso Corona III transfig.oasis@gmail.com PARISH OFFICE: Phone: (510) 538-7941 Fax: (510) 538-7983 Hours: 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday (Closed between 12:00 & 1:00 p.m.) Friday, 9:00a.m. — 12:00 Noon - Saturday & Sunday—Closed Secretary, Gloria Meeker Secretary/Bookkeeper, Phyllis Moore

SCHEDULE OF MASSES Saturdays 4:00 p.m. Sundays 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. (Except First Fridays - 9:30 a.m.) Communion Service - Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. CONFESSIONS Saturdays 3:00-3:45 p.m. BAPTISMS: Pre-baptismal class is required. Class is held the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Rectory. Please call the Parish Office, (510) 538-7941, to register. MATRIMONY: Six months advance notice required. Please call the parish office. WEDDING COORDINATOR: Mel Speed (510) 909-9334 or melspeed@live.com FUNERALS: Please contact the funeral home of your choice and then the parish office. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Director, Patrice Ballinger (510) 537-1502 or TransfigCCD@aol.com RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Please call the parish office. MUSIC MINISTRY: Director, Alexander Katsman (510) 538-7941, Ext. 302 or Transfig_Music@sbcglobal.net

Mission Statement: “Transfiguring Our Community Through Faith”

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 23, 2016

The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest until it reaches its goal, nor will it

withdraw till the Most High responds. — Sirach 35:17-18a

Mass Intentions (October 22-29, 2016) Sat. 4:00 p.m. Chester A. Kuta Sun. 7:30 a.m. Fernando & Lydia Siscar 9:00 a.m. For the People 11:00 a.m. Mario Cirimele Mon. 8:00 a.m. Will & Maria Scoggins Tues. 8:00 a.m. Special Intention for Krause & Oli Ames Wed. 8:00 a.m. Stephanie Tenbrink Thurs. 8:00 a.m. Fr. John Crumlish Fri. 8:00 a.m. Carmen Sanchez Sat. 4:00 p.m. Augusto & Eduina Silva & Family

Stewardship Corner The collection total for the weekend of October 15th & 16th will be in next week’s bulletin. Thank you for continuing in your stewardship role of providing for the upkeep of our parish community.

We extend a warm welcome to new parishioners. Please pick up a registration form in the vestibule of the church and return it to the Parish Office. This helps us to serve you better.

Remember Transfiguration in your Will and Living Trust

Baptism Class The next Baptism class will be Tuesday, November 8, 2016.

Please call the Parish Office to register.

Adult Bible Study Monday evening, October 24, 2016 in the Marian Room, Parish Hall, 7:00-8:30 p.m. No sign-up required, just drop in. Free will offering.

Transfiguration Catholic Church

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is a process for adults who wish to become Catholics. They meet weekly for several months to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Con-firmation, and First Communion at the Easter Vigil. The low-key and confidential meetings are where we share our spiritual-ity as well as discuss the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Adult Catholics who have been baptized and have received First Communion but not Confirmation are wel-come to join if they wish to be confirmed in a diocesan ceremo-ny in February. Our first meeting will be Thursday, November 3rd, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the St. Thomas Room in the parish hall. If you are interested, please call the parish office, (510-538-7941) to sign up.

Pancake Breakfast Team “B” will be hosting the Pancake Breakfast this Sunday after the 7:30 a.m. & 9:00 a.m. Masses in the Parish Hall. All-you-can-eat pancakes, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice, coffee/tea/hot chocolate. Adult: $4, Senior: $3, Child: $3, Family: $8. Be sure to come and enjoy a great meal and the fellowship. See you there!

Transfiguration Children’s Choir We would like to invite our 1st through 5th graders to join Transfiguration Children’s Choir and experience the gift of singing and praising God in song. Choir practices are on Mondays at 4:40 p.m. We sing once a month at 9:00 a.m. CCD Sunday Mass. We also sing at the won-derful Christmas concert and at the 4:00 p.m. Children’s Liturgy on Christmas Eve! Please call Music Ministry Director Alexander Katsman at (510) 538-7941, ext. 302 or email him at:

Transfig_Music@sbcglobal.net We look forward to hearing from you!

NO COMPARISONS How many times have we read or heard about someone who’s gotten into trouble—maybe even fired from a job—because of a brush with the law? While our “Christian” minds tell us to be sorry and even pray for the person, a little voice inside our heads may also be saying, “I’m glad I would never do anything like that.” And perhaps we wouldn’t. But are there some things we do that are still not pleasing in God’s eyes? Today’s readings caution us not to look so intently at someone else’s wrongdoing that we overlook our own weaknesses and shortcomings. When we measure ourselves against the worst people we can think of, we come out looking pretty good. There is a danger, however, in using someone else’s behavior as a way of reflecting our own goodness. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Sixty Plus or Minus Club Please join us in the Hall following the 9:30 a.m. Mass on Friday, November 4th. Our hosts will be Barbara Coelho, Dorothy Maisel, Shirley Thornally, and Patty Moeller. Bingo will be played after the meeting. Guests are always welcome. Please sign up today if you plan to attend.

Congratulations to the parents of Liam Francis Da Silva who was baptized here last weekend.

Upcoming Event Sunday, Oct. 30 Animal Blessings Sunday 2:00 p.m. In front of the Church

We invite all women to join us for: WINGS (“Women in God’s Spirit”)

Wings is a faith enhancement group that encourages Spiritual growth through prayer, scripture study,

Catechesis, life sharing and community. Transfiguration Church, Marian Rm. Parish Hall

Thursday, November 3, 2016, 9:15-11:15 a.m. Speaker: Dr. Margaret Turek

For Your Information When writing your checks for regular or special collections, please make all checks payable to Transfiguration Church (a request made by our bank). The Church will then send one total check for each special collection to the designated charity. Also, please write in the memo portion of your check the name of the collection to which you are donating. This will help the office to give you proper credit. Thank you for your support!

Credit, Debit, and Electronic Check Offerings If you would like to make your Sunday offering by credit or debit card, or electronic check, please go to our website: transfigchurch.com, and click on the “Donate” tab. From there, click on the “Donate Now” button to be taken to a se-cure website to complete the setup of your offering.

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading: Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18, Psalm 34 Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Eph 4:32 — 5:8; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 13:10-17 Tuesday: Eph 5:21-33 or 5:2a, 25-33; Ps 128:1-5; Lk 13:18-21 Wednesday: Eph 6:1-9; Ps 145:10-14; Lk 13:22-30 Thursday: Eph 6:10-20; Ps 144:1b, 2, 9-10; Lk 13:31-35 Friday: Eph 2:19-22; Ps 19:2-5; Lk 6:12-16 Saturday: Phil 1:18b-26; Ps 42:2, 3, 5cdef; Lk 14:1, 7-11 Sunday: Wis 11:22 — 12:2; Ps 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14; 2 Thes 1:11 — 2:2; Lk 19:1-10 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; National World Youth Day (U.S.); Mission Sunday Monday: St. Anthony Mary Claret Friday: Ss. Simon and Jude Saturday: Blessed Virgin Mary

Thanksgiving Mass for Healthcare Providers Saturday, October 29, 10:00 a.m. The Cathedral of Christ the Light

2121 Harrison St., Oakland We encourage all who provide healthcare services, direct and administrative, to attend this multicultural Mass on October 29 to celebrate the energy, dedication, and generosity of all healers in the Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. A catered reception in the Cathedral Event Center will follow. To watch Bishop Barber’s video invitation and to RSVP visit: oakdiocese.org/BlessingHealers to help us plan accordingly.

Classes, as usual, this week.

Confirmation P.G.O. (Personal Growth and Outreach) updates: Two Reminders for Next Weekend: Saturday, October 29—we will be serving the hun-

gry at the St. Vincent de Paul Dining room in Oakland. Saturday and Sunday—We will be collecting Trick-or-Treat Donations for Unicef—working for a world in which every child has a fair chance in life.

Behold, Service is Joy!

Religious Education~~ C.C.D

C . C . D .

Even when Transfig was invaded by Aliens, we never left a Man Down!

So what’s happening this week? Transfiguration Youth Ministry

Presents…

“Carving & a Movie” Don’t forget to bring your “already-gutted”

pumpkin to carve! This Tuesday night from 7:30-9PM!

Mark Your Calendar! Catholic Charities “Transforming Lives”

Presentation at Transfiguration Parish Hall Saturday, December 3—10:00-11:00 a.m.

You are invited to attend a one-hour presentation of Catholic Chari-ties East Bay (CCEB) at Transfiguration Church on Saturday, Dec. 3 in our parish hall, Marian Room. CCEB staff, clients, and volun-teers will explain how their programs move families and youth from crisis to stability and prosperity. You're likely to deepen your understanding of needs and solutions in our diocese, and be sur-prised about how CCEB "...welcomes the stranger, heals trauma, and fosters self-sufficiency." Express your interest in attending this parish event: Call or text Bruce King at 510-210-1410 or email BruceKing8@gmail.com.

Did you know? We will be taking an attendance count at all of the Masses during the month of October.

St. Vincent de Paul Collection There will be a second collection for St. Vincent de Paul the weekend of October 29 and 30. SVdP helps the poor in our parish by providing food, gas, and household assistance to our neighbors in need. In August, SVdP volunteers made 48 visits providing assistance to 237 individuals, many of whom were children. We appreciate your generosity and encourage you to be generous once again. Please use the envelopes in the pews for the collection.

LETTER FROM POPE FRANCIS THE “JOY OF THE GOSPEL” CONTINUED...

The Proclamation of the Gospel—#155

An ear to the people

In this effort we may need but think of some ordinary human experience such as a joyful reunion, a moment of disappointment, the fear of being alone, compassion at the sufferings of others, uncertainty about the future, con-cern for a loved one, and so forth. But we need to develop a broad and profound sensitivity to what really affects other people’s lives. Let us also keep in mind that we should never respond to questions that nobody asks. Nor is it fitting to talk about the latest news in order to awaken people’s interest; we have television programmes for that. It is possible, however, to start with some fact or story so that God’s word can forcefully resound in its call to con-version, worship, commitment to fraternity and service, and so forth. Yet there will always be some who readily listen to a preacher’s commentaries on current affairs, while not letting themselves be challenged. Fr. Terry’s Remarks— Nearly all speakers try to gain the attention of their listeners by starting with a joke, or a story or current news and a lot depends on how they are related. Some believe they have no place in our homilies and it depends on how the story is deployed plus how the preacher transitions to the substance of the homily. When we read the Apostle Paul's letters, what helps makes them so powerful is that he is responding to questions and problems. Pope Francis advises us today to: ''never re-spond to questions nobody asks,'' and we add: '' only yourself ''. This is why a good homilist pays close atten-tion to the Scriptures of the day. There, one always finds either a call to conversion, an invitation to true worship, the hope of salvation, the power of love and grace, the recognition of Christ in our neighbor with the response to love and serve him. People come to Church to be fed and nourished by the Gospel of Jesus Christ; news, sports and entertainment are abundant in the world around them. Just as the good gym challenges us to healthier life styles so may Christ-like preaching bring us closer to God.