Bulletin of February 1, 2004

Dear Parishioners,

I have two topics this weekend: The Bishop’s Annual Appeal and a footnote on the flu!

Our Bishop’s Annual Appeal goes on during this month with letters to parishioners asking for contributions and a year long pledge, and with a specific collection next weekend. This annual appeal helps provide about 30% of the funding needed for major ministries by our Diocese throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. “The Diocese” may sometimes sound like a distant headquarters or bureaucracy; but it actually is a pastoral center that: (1) brings badly needed ministries into existence where no one parish or cluster of parishes could supply them; (2) extends the outreach and ministry of our individual parishes beyond our boundaries on a consistent and continuing fashion; and, (3) allows us to share financially from our own gifts and blessings to the larger Catholic community of the East Bay and to the many, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, the Diocese serves.

This year the Appeal supports pressing needs in six major areas of Church life. They are: Education Ministries, Family and Youth Ministries, Parish and Pastoral Support, Spiritual Ministries, Clergy Support and Lay Leadership Training, and Diocesan Services. These large and somewhat abstract categories embrace such hands-on ministries as schools in need, family life office, youth and young adult ministry, subsidies to low income struggling parishes and hospital ministries. The Goal for the Appeal has been increased from 1.8 million in 2003 to 2.1million for this year. The major increases are in subsidies to Catholic schools in need (from 360,000 to 500,000) and a new item of 100,000 for “long term care” for priests. The “graying” (or balding!) of the clergy brings with it some challenges that we have never addressed before.

Our own Parish Goal assigned by the Diocese has been increased sizably over last year (from $43,395 to this year’s $63,948). Last year we were actually 41% over our goal and $17,611.83 was returned to the parish and put into our parish building fund. I will be making a pledge and a gift myself to the Bishops Appeal because I am convinced it is a necessary, worthwhile and well managed cause. I hope you join me.

A footnote on the flu. About ten days ago the Center for Disease Control announced that the flu season was on the wane, with its peak having been reached on December 20th. In light of that I think we can relax a little around efforts to create a (probably mythical) “germ free zone” at liturgies. We’ll reintroduce communion from the chalice at some masses (5 pm, 8, 10:45 am) next weekend and welcome both hand holding at the Our Father and hand shaking at the greeting of peace this weekend. Please remember this is always an option not a mandate and you are encouraged to feel free to “shake or not to shake, etc.”, to respect the choice of those around you and to use common sense and safe distance (perhaps as distant as home!) if you’re not feeling well. I’ll have a few more comments about communion under both forms, actions at mass and so on in future bulletins. For now I’ll just share my observation that it was interesting during the recent “flu crisis” to see so many parishioners hugging, handshaking and kissing prior to mass and carefully avoiding each other at the greeting of peace and Our Father. Who created all those germs anyway!?

Your Pastor,
Brian Joyce

WEEK AT A GLANCE

SUNDAY- -The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time / The Second Collection for School, RE & Youth Ministry

-45+ Singles, Breakfast @ Sunrise Bistro in Walnut Creek, Following 8 am Mass, Questions? 687-2133

-RE Program for 3 year olds (A), Room D, During 9:15 Mass

-RE PreK/K: PreK Program, Parish Hall, A,B,C: K Program, CTK School, During 9:15 Mass

-Children’s Liturgy of the Word, During 9:15 Mass

-RE Older Sacrament Class (Gr. 6-8), RE Office, 10:30 am

-Jr/Sr Confirmation Retreat, Return 2 :00pm

-Taize Prayer Around the Cross, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (3051 Putnam Blvd), 7 pm

MONDAY -Staff Meeting, Parish House, 11:00 am

-RE Older Sacrament Class (Gr. 3-5), Rms. A, B, C, 4:00 pm

-Ad Ed: “Staying Connected During Stressful Times”, Anna Marie Franco, Parish Hall, 7:30 pm

TUESDAY -Legion of Mary, Ministry Center, following 8 am Mass

-RE: Grades 1-5; Grades 1-3, School, 3:40-5:00 pm; Grades 4 & 5 Parish Hall, A, B, D, 3:40-5:00 pm

-Rosary and Mother of Perpetual Help Devotion, CVMtg Rm, 7 pm, Contact Andy @ 229-3038

-RE: Grades 7/8, Parish Hall, 7:15 pm

-Spanish Prayer Group, Church Vestibule Meeting Room, 7:30 pm

WEDNESDAY -Weekly Charismatic Prayer Meeting, 6 St. Lawrence Ct. (for info. Call 932-0395)

-RE: Grades 1-5; grades 1-3, School, 3:40-5:00 pm; Grades 4 & 5 Parish Hall, A, B, D, 3:40-5:00 pm

-RE: Grade 6, Parish Hall, A, B, C, D, 7-8:30 pm

-St. Vincent de Paul Mtg. Ministry Center (Chapel), 7 pm

-Clown Ministry, Church Vestibule Meeting Room, 7:00 pm

-Festival Meeting, Room 222, 7:15 pm

-Centering Prayer, Ministry Center (Library), 7:30 pm

THURSDAY -Centering Prayer, Ministry Center (Library), 10:00 am

-RE: Grades 1-5; Grades 1-3, School, 3:40-5:00 pm; Grades 4 & 5 Parish Hall, A, B, D, 3:40-5:00 pm

-Youth Group, Parish Hall, 7-8:30 pm

-Social Justice, Rooms A & B, 7:00 pm

-Inquiry for adults in the Catholic Faith/RCIA, Ministry Center (Chapel), 7:15 pm

FRIDAY -First Friday, Masses at 8 am (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament 12 noon) & 7:00 pm

-Thank You Staff Dinner

SATURDAY -Altar Society Meeting, A& B, Following 8:00 am Mass

-New Lector Practice, Church, 9:00 am

-Musician’s Thank You Dinner

SUNDAY -The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time / Bishop’s Appeal Second Collection

-Scout Sunday (Scouts invited to celebrate by attending the 9:15 am mass in uniform with their families)

-RE Program for 3 year olds (B), Room D, During 9:15 Mass

-RE PreK/K: PreK Program, Parish Hall, A,B,C: K Program, CTK School, During 9:15 Mass

-Children’s Liturgy of the Word, During 9:15 Mass

-RE Older Sacrament Class (Gr. 6-8), RE Offfice, 10:30 am

-Young Adults, Parish Hall

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An Evening with Anna Marie Franco this Monday, Feb. 2nd at 7:30 pm in the Parish Hall. Anna Marie Franco’s topic is “Staying Connected During Stressful Times”. She will discuss the common sources of distress in relationships and offer some suggestions for maintaining a positive connection with the significant people in our lives even during times of great challenge. She is an educator, facilitator, relationship coach and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She is also a member of the faculty at the School of Pastoral Ministry and the Deaconate Formation programs.

Lector Workshop – February 7th there is a Lector Workshop in the Church at 9 am. All those who signed up to be lectors or are interested are invited. This is a mandatory workshop and also open to current lectors who need a refresher course.

The Lenten Series for the Small Faith Groups begin Feb. 22nd and ends April 3rd. Anyone interested in joining a group please call Judy Pieralde at 925-229-2009.

Ash Wednesday is Feb. 25th – Family Lenten Workshop: Feb. 28th – an opportunity to make Lent more prayerful and meaningful for all in your family. Plan ahead now to join other parish families, Sat. Feb. 28th at 6:00 pm-8:00 pm in the Parish Hall. Family activities for ages 4 yrs. and above. Space is limited. A Family fee of $12 is payable at the door. Register NOW! Call 686-1017, leaving your names, address, phone number and number attending. Deadline for registration, Feb. 23rd.

A Pro-Life Event sponsored by the Knights of Columbus titled: “The Church’s Doctrine on Human Sexuality: Christ’s Vision of the Human Person.” Bishop Allen Vigneron will celebrate mass at 11:00 am. Principal speakers are Bishop Vigneron, Dr. Mary Davenport and Fr. Emmerich Vogt, O.P. The event is Feb. 7th at 9:45am at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Concord. No charge to attend, bring your own lunch. Questions? Call 937-6742.

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First the Bad News – One of the most familiar complaints heard by priests from parents is that “my kids don’t go to Church anymore!”

• One of the most common complaints from irregular churchgoers is “it’s boring” and “I don’t get anything out of it”.
• Competition for weekend time has become fierce: so many things to see and do; so little time of relaxation, leisure or family; once upon a time Sunday church service was the major thing and often the only thing to do on Sunday morning.
• Catholics have been faithful, serious and regular about Sunday mass when a persecuted minority and the price for mass attendance ranged from ridicule (once in America) to imprisonment (early Christians, Iron Curtain); without second class citizenship and opposition we tend to stop acting like Catholics!
• In 2003 Protestants have clearly overtaken Catholics in church attendance, for the first time in Gallup polling history. Weekly Church attendance in 1955: Catholics 74%, Protestants 42%; 1969: Catholics 63%, Protestants 37%; 1979: Catholics 52%; Protestants 36%; November 2003: Catholics 45%, Protestants 48%.

A Parishioner’s Sunday Morning Thoughts (or maybe Saturday evening at 4:45 pm): Another Sunday morning and I sure would like to sleep in . . . Lots of my friends avoid going to Church; they tell me it’s boring and often irrelevant (at least it was when they last attended many years ago!) . . . they say they have a hard time understanding all that religious stuff that goes on (personally I find using the computer and following football plays on T.V. are also hard to understand unless I make an effort) . . .they say a lot hypocrites go to Church (Bishop Ken Untener says criticizing Church because hypocrites show up is like criticizing Weight Watchers because they let fat people in!)

Why Do I Keep Going? Sometimes I feel the same arguments my friends have: I don’t always understand everything that goes on; I don’t always like all the people there; the leaders don’t do it my way in terms of music, length, topics or language. But I do keeping going and I will keep going.

Next week, the Reasons Why!

Guilt, fear and family pressure just aren’t what they used to be!

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We greatly appreciate the way CTK parishioners responded to our call for blankets, linens, & pillows. Some of them will be stored for next winter’s shelter; the remainder is being delivered to the family shelters in Martinez & Concord, which always need such items. All monetary donations (Payable to the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County; memo: Motel Vouchers) will help fund two nights in a nearby motel for homeless individuals & families with children. The address of the Interfaith Council is 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Creek, CA 94597. Gratefully, Gwen Watson, Winter Nights Program 930-9965.