AUGUST 18, 2019

St. Mary Catholic Church www.stmary-wc.org 925-891-8900

Dear Friends, The words of the Gospel today are disturbing, indeed. Jesus saying that He has come not to establish peace, “but rather division.” What? How can this be? But in reality we see it all around us each and every day. Perhaps in our families. Perhaps in our circle of friends, or our co-workers. Perhaps in the Church or in the neighborhood. Being a Christian, being a follower of Christ, living truly as a disciple calls us to be different from the rest of society. We live by Gospel values that call us to love and to serve. We are not called to selfishness or greed, or to some position of power which we hold over others. Instead, we are to be true serv-ants of Jesus by following His example of service to others. Let us pray that the Spirit of God will always guide us to live by these Gos-pel values, and to hold on in Faith to the gifts of peace and love which Jesus so abundantly offers to us. Have a holy and blessed week! Father Fred

P.S. – I will be attending the Diocesan priests’ retreat in Santa Cruz this Mon-day afternoon through Friday. Please pray for me as I will be praying for all of you!

The Prince of Peace wants to set the world on fire? This Sunday's Gospel can sound more intense than what we may be accustomed to. It's a passage of contradictions. Jesus so clearly prays for unity, yet here he speaks of division. Why would our God who comes as an offering of love speak so frankly about causing relationships to be torn apart? The sobering truth is that Jesus is divisive. We see this throughout the Gospels, as the Pharisees critique him, the Romans condemn him, and not everyone in the crowd is enthusiastic about his words. Jesus has not come for the purpose of di-viding, but what he does is so radical that it upends the status quo. And it doesn't end with his preaching and miracles! "There is a baptism with which I must be baptized." Jesus isn't talking about his baptism at the Jordan River, which has already occurred, but the passing through the waters of death on the Cross and rising again to new life in the resurrection. This is divisive stuff! Christ's spiritual fire turned the "fathers" - the Jewish people and Pharisees - against the "sons" - the common people. Not everyone wants the Gospel Jesus is preaching. Not eve-ryone wants to be set on fire with the desire to love others. Some prefer to put on a warm sweater and curl up in front of the TV. In living and loving as Jesus did, we, too, might ruffle some feathers. In disciplin-ing our teenage child for sneaking out, we may cause some division (temporarily, we hope!). In standing up to gossip and the spread of cruel rumors in our work-place, we might cause division. In emphasizing the dignity of both the desperate mother and the unborn child, we might cause division. Not everyone wants the Gospel Jesus is preaching. Not everyone wants the Gospel we are invited to live. But that's no excuse not to live it. ©LPi

A second collection will be taken up next week for St. Mary Youth Ministry. Please be generous.

OCCUPANCY The value of life does not depend upon the place we occupy. It depends upon how we occupy that place. —St. Thérèse of Lisieux

ORGANIZATIONS CYO, Jerry Florence stmarycyo.wc@gmail.com 510-504-5954 Charismatic Prayer Group, Jim Crowley 944-0359 Eucharistic Adoration, Mary Johnstone 954-7205 Finance Council, Brian Mulligan 210-1031 Homebound Ministry, Helene Vizcarra 891-8936 Hospital Ministry, Angeles Ron 640-8146 Knights of Columbus, John Cuddihy 286-4515 Respect Life Ministry, Jim Crowley 944-0359 Rosary Makers, Ana Lau 256-4428 St. Vincent de Paul, Brian Kavanagh 937-2817 Walking with Purpose, Laura Lencioni 997-4379

MASS TIMES Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. & 12:05 p.m.

Saturday 8:30 a.m.

Saturday Vigil Mass 4:30 p.m.

Sundays 6:30 a.m. * 8:00 a.m.

9:30 a.m. * 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Spanish

6:00 p.m.

Sacrament of Penance Saturdays 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

DEVOTIONS

Eucharistic Adoration Thursdays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fridays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (First Fridays all night)

Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturdays 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Fatima Devotion: First Saturday Hispanic Holy Hour: Other Saturdays

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Saturdays 9:00 a.m.

(at the end of 8:30 Mass)

PARISH OFFICE

2051 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Walnut Creek, CA 94596

OFFICE HOURS

8:30 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday

DATE TIME MASS INTENTION

08/17 4:30 pm Evelyn Jumper

08/18 6:30 am Billy Captain Silva (L)

8:00 am The People of St. Mary Parish

9:30 am Anthony & Kathryn Kushner

11:00 am Art Gaoiran, Jr.

1:00 pm Marta Duarte

6:00 pm The People of St. Mary Parish

08/19 6:30 am Manuel & Violeta Lim

12:05 pm Matthew Medeiros

08/20 6:30 am Ruth Niedzwicki (L)

12:05 pm Ramona Pedroza

08/21 6:30 am Marianne McGill (L)

12:05 pm Antoinette Langenhuizen

08/22 6:30 am Marion & Garin Webb (L)

12:05 pm Ana Lau (L)

08/23 6:30 am Will Johnstone (L) B’D’

12:05 pm Fr. Michael Buckley, S J

08/24 8:30 am Roy Sen

MASS SCHEDULE

PRAY FOR THE SICK

Staff and Administration

Parish Office 891-8900 Fax 934-1358 Fr. Fred Riccio, friccio@stmary-wc.org Pastor 891-8900 Fr. Dante Tamayo , frdante@stmary-wc.org Parochial Vicar 891-8900 Fr. John Blaker, 891-8900 In residence Ana Lau, alau@stmary-wc.org Office Manager 891-8908 Aileen Baker, abaker@stmary-wc.org Bookkeeper 891-8911

Faith Formation

Mary Kerfs, lifeteen@stmary-wc.org Administrative Assistant 891-8939 Tim Mannix, RCIA & tmannix@stmary-wc.org Liturgy Coordinator 891-8921 Austin Pisciotto apisciotto@stmary-wc.org Grades 4-8 891-8944 Maureen Tiffany mtiffany@stmary-wc.org Grades K-3 891-8942 Heather Abraham, habraham@stmary-wc.org Confirmation 891-8934

School

Office 935-5054 stmary@st-mary.net Website: www.st-mary.net Alumni: stmaryalumni@st-mary.net Garrett Padia, Principal 935-5054 Advisory Council Joel Williams, President 768-6711 Parents Club Shannon Crvarich, Co-President 949-973-8046 Lisa Kavanagh, Co-President 768-9890

Why Adoration?

As Catholics, Jesus is the foun-dation of our faith. We be-lieve he came down to earth as a man to save man. We belong to the church founded by Christ, not a church started by man, and we know that Jesus is in the Holy Eucha-rist, because he himself said so several times in the Scriptures. What Christian would not welcome a conversation with Jesus? "Let me hear what the Lord God will say within me" (Ps 85:9). Spending time in Adoration is not merely a way to get away from the craziness of the world; it is so much more. It brings us joy, excitement, humility, patience and peace. Jesus is the Way the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is our Salvation, and Adoration is a way to Jesus. Jesus may love us more than we love him, but we need him more than he needs us. We bring Jesus to life in Adoration. The bread from Moses was for the present, but the bread of life is eternal. We invest so much in the tem-porary and so little in eternal life. So why Adoration? Experience Jesus's LOVE and you will know why. Mike Laubacher

Allison Flamez Michael Dunbar Jenny Schneider Maritess Ingco Aurora Sanchez Maria Teresa Granda Martha Martinez Margarita Caracas Leticia Gomez Elsa de Rossi Monica Jara Ana Alvarez Isabel Castillo Susana Jaime Maria Vargas Anthony De Cristoforo Rosalinda Reyes Annabelle Semira Joseph Suta Jeanine Gordon Christine Pollnow

Wayne Alba Mary Alba

Jake Johnston Bill Clark

Art Coombes Diane Hewson

Tyler Coolie Clarissa Gutierrez

Julia Rodriguez Fred & Emilia Sohn

Raul Gonzalez Helen Budde Raquel Zittel

Dominador Hontucan Ruth Niedzwicki

Quinn Gurnett Oralee Floria

Henry Escano Mary McLoughlin

Angela Regan Beverly Regan

Magnificat SOTI, a Ministry for Catholic Women, invites all to join them at their

Prayer Breakfast Saturday, September 7, 2019

9:30 am -12:30 pm Crowne Plaza

45 John Glenn Drive, Concord, CA

Please join us for a morning of praise, pray-er, and inspiration with our speaker, author Jess Echeverry. Her testimo-ny as a Catholic convert and a survivor of vio-

lence who learns to forgive and love is compelling and uplifting! Through God’s grace and healing, she has turned her past into loving help for others. Men are always welcome to attend! Tickets are $33/$40 after Aug 31. For more information: https://magnificat-ministry.net/ca-walnut-creek Email Magnificatsotirsvp@gmail.com for reservations or call Kim Sullivan at 925-683-8220 with questions.

THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR August 19-25

FF = Faith Formation Center SA = St. Anthony Rm. (near parish hall) SE = St. Elizabeth Hall (Conf. Rm.) SJ = St. Joseph Room SM= St. Michael Room SP = St. Peter Room ST = St. Therese Room

MONDAY, AUGUST 19 TUESDAY, AUGUST 20 7:00 AM Men of St. Joseph/SA 7:00 PM Hispanic Prayer Group/SA WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21 7:00 PM Charismatic Prayer/FF-SM THURSDAY, AUGUST 22 7:00 AM Eucharistic Adoration/FF-SP FRIDAY, AUGUST 23 7:00 AM Eucharistic Adoration/FF-SP 7:00 PM Hisp. Choir Practice/Church SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 8:00 AM Men’s Prayer Group/ 9:00 AM Eucharistic Adoration/FF-SP SUNDAY, AUGUST 25 10:30 AM RCIA/FF-SJ 4:00 PM Band Practice/Church

Everyday Stewardship - Recognize God in Your Ordinary Moments

My wife can get so invested in a sporting event where one of her favorite teams is playing that she sometimes must leave the room due to the stress. That is heavy-duty investment! I remember her on the sidelines for our son's soccer games or our daughter's lacrosse games. Her emotions were intense, and she cheered loudly for her children. She never yelled at a referee because it was-n't about them. It was about wanting to see her children, or her favorite team, achieve something great. Her passion was fueled by love and her connected-ness to something or someone. When we look at our Church, we need to see greater passion. Sometimes that passion is there, but many times, we approach our discipleship as just another aspect of who we have become. It needs to be more than that. As we call our-selves Christian, we need to "put on Christ" so that a world in need sees not us, but Jesus. By being serious about our discipleship and living as transformed Everyday Stewards, we bear witness to the power of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Luke 12, "I have come to set the earth on fire." Those words sound pretty emotional to me! If we are to be like him, then we need to set the earth on fire. We need to be bold and proclaim the Good News without apol-ogy. By our actions of love and justice, we need to show the world that with the Body of Christ on earth, it is not business as usual. Surely our emotions about these things should trump the emotions we have about a sporting event. We need to ask ourselves what truly sets us on fire. -Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS ©LPi

Children’s Liturgy Our children’s and high school liturgies will be starting again

on August 25. We are look-ing for readers. Not only is this a great opportunity to build confidence; it is also a great way to share God’s word. If you are in third grade or above and would like to be a part of this great ministry, please contact Cathe Crack-nell at 925.229.2093 or cracknellcathe@gmail.com.

Queenship of Mary - August 22 “Mary is the all-blessed one...She sees God...perfectly, though she understands only in proportion to her faith: “Blessed are you because you believed.” Mary pos-sesses God, the Supreme Good who contains every good...Mary’s conformity to the will of God was total. Mary enjoys God. She...has a very special place in par-adise: more perfect than that of the other saints be-cause she is the Queen.” (Blessed James Alberione)

THE VINEYARD St. Mary Church

YOUTH MINISTRY (K-12)

All ministries resume the week of

September 15, 2019!

REGISTRATION FORMS AND PAPERWORK SHOULD BE TURNED IN TO THE FAITH FORMATION OFFICE BEFORE

FIRST SESSIONS!

Contact our office for more info on First Sacraments! (925) 891-8939

Sunday, August 18 2019

2019-2020 Faith Formation REGISTRATION is OPEN! VISIT: STMARY-WC.ORG and CLICK ON: “Grow In Faith”

K-3rd Grade Family Ministry Two Sundays a month

9:30am -11:00am

4th -5th Grade Ministry Thursdays

4:00pm - 5:30pm

6th Grade Ministry Tuesdays

7:00pm - 8:30pm

7th & 8th Grade Ministry Tuesdays

7:00pm - 8:30pm

9th -12th Grade Ministry Sundays

4:30pm - 6:00pm

LECTURAS DE LA SEMANA Lunes: Jue 2:11-19; Sal 106 (105): 34-37, 39-40, 43ab, 44; Mt 19:16-22 Martes: Jue 6:11-24a; Sal 85 (84):9, 11-14; Mt 19:23-30 Miércoles: Jue 9:6-15; Sal 21 (20):2-7; Mt 20:1-16 Jueves: Jue 11:29-39a; Sal 40 (39):5, 7-10; Mt 22:1-14 Viernes: Rut 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22; Sal 146 (145):5-10; Mt 22:34-40 Sábado: Ap 21:9b-14; Sal 145 (144):10-13, 17-18; Jn 1:45-51 Domingo: Is 66:18-21; Sal 117 (116):1-2; Heb 12:5-7, 11-13; Lc 13:22-30

¿Quieres ser Monaguillo?

Para más información, favor comunicarse con Paty

Pahua al 925-594-0828 o Gaby Vargas (925) 435-7767

TRAER FUEGO Las intenciones de Jesús de traer fuego a la tierra y causar división preocuparon a sus oyentes, y también podría pre-ocuparnos a nosotros. En el Antiguo Testamento, el fuego era visto como el medio de la purificación y juicio de Dios, verdaderamente un don para el pueblo. El fuego destruye las ilusiones que nos hacemos de nosotros mismos y nuestras conductas. Elimina los obstáculos de una relación amorosa con Dios. El fuego de Dios derrite cualquier tradición, creencia o práctica que permite el mal y la injusticia. Jesús viene a mostrar el mal y de ese modo impulsar deci-siones acerca de la verdadera naturaleza y los propósitos de Dios. Las divisiones surgen a causa de las distintas deci-siones que las personas toman. ¿Jesús representa las fuer-zas demoníacas o al verdadero Dios? ¿Nos empeñamos en preservar comportamientos o conductas existentes, o entra-mos al camino que Jesús nos ofrece? Al evocar el fuego, Jesús sin duda no está sugiriendo la violencia o la falta de respeto hacia los demás. Jesús enciende un fuego, y luego en su muerte, produce sus resultados. Es un fuego de un amor sacrificado, que derrite a los corazones fríos y trae luz a un mundo oscurecido.

FIJA TU MIRADA EN JESÚS El autor de la Carta a los Hebreos pone a Jesús en el cen-tro de la fe; además usa la palabra en griego archegos, que puede traducirse como líder. Esta rica palabra incluye varios significados: pionero, instigador y capitán. Jesús traza el camino, mostrándonos cómo correr la carrera de la fe con perseverancia y valor. Para una comunidad que está experimentando persecuciones y desánimo, Jesús es conocido como el modelo de una fe perseverante. Al mantener la mirada en Jesús, enfrentamos lo que a menudo es el obstáculo más persistente en nuestra fe: el desaliento. El enfocarnos en Jesús con fe nos permite ver que la realidad está llena de la presencia de Dios. Dios ni está distante ni es indiferente. Dios está cerca y nos ama apasionadamente. El desaliento resulta en parte de ver sobre todo el pecado y la oscuridad en nuestro mundo y en nosotros mismos. Jesús, verdadero Dios y verdadero Hombre, nos recuerda la acción divina que tiene lugar Copyright (c) J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

2019-2020

Inscripciones abiertas

Primera Comunión y Perseverancia En el Vestíbulo de la Iglesia encontrará for-mas de registro. también puede registrarse

directamente en el Edificio de Educación Re-ligiosa de lunes a jueves.

Orientación y Bienvenida Domingo, Septiembre 8, 11:00am

Salón St. Elizabeth

Para más información, favor llamar al: (925)357-3048 jcain@stmary-wc.org

¿Quieres ser parte del coro de niños “Ángeles del Cielo”?

¡Ven! ¡Inscríbete!

Ensayos: Jueves 7:00pm Para más informes, comunícate con

Alejandra García 925-325-2068