Parish Office Hours: Sunday: 8:30 AM 1:30 PM Monday through Friday: 9 AM 12 Noon; 1 PM 7:00 PM; Saturday: 9 AM 12 Noon. CLERGY Rev. George P.

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1 St. Nicholas Parish El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA (949) ; FAX (949) ; School of Religious Education: (949) Our Parish Mission Statement St. Nicholas Parish is a Catholic community, celebrating our faith through the Sacraments, Liturgy, Prayer and Service. We strive to nurture family life and to create one body out of many in the Lord. We share the Good News with people of all ages, cultures and faith backgrounds. Adopted July, 1996 Pastor Parochial Vicar Deacon Deacon Deacon CLERGY Rev. George P. Blais Rev. Quyen Truong Rev. Msgr. John Campbell Rev. Gerald Walker Rev. Charbel Grbavac Rev. Jack Sewell Rev. Chin Dang Wayne Thompson Chau Tran Gerardo De Santos MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil: 4:00PM, 7:00PM in Spanish Sunday: 7:30AM, 9:00AM, 10:45AM, 12:30PM, and 5:00PM in Vietnamese. Monday through Friday: 7:00AM and 9:00AM Saturday: 9AM Filipino Mass: 5:30PM, First Saturdays, October-June. Holy Days: 4PM Vigil, 7PM Spanish Vigil, 7AM, 9AM, 12PM, 6PM, and 7:30PM in Vietnamese. RECONCILIATION (Confession) Saturday: 9:45AM to 10:15AM and 3:00PM to 3:45PM or by appointment. BAPTISM Contact the Parish Office for Baptism scheduling and information. MARRIAGE Arrangements must begin at least six months in advance with a priest of the parish. ANOINTING OF THE SICK Call Parish Office in an emergency. Special Service celebrated in fall/spring as announced. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS At the death of a family member, please call the Parish Office at your earliest convenience to plan for the Mass of Christian Burial. EUCHARISTIC ADORATION DAY 24-hour adoration begins the second Wednesday of the month at the 9:00AM Mass. DEVOTIONS & BENEDICTION Wednesday evenings at 7:00PM; Vietnamese 2nd Wednesday of the month at 8PM. Recitation of the Holy Rosary and Benediction. Parish Office Hours: Sunday: 8:30 AM 1:30 PM Monday through Friday: 9 AM 12 Noon; 1 PM 7:00 PM; Saturday: 9 AM 12 Noon

2 The School of Religious Education and the Parish Office are closed on Monday, September 3rd for Labor Day. There is only one Mass at 9AM. We will not have a 7AM Mass that morning. CHURCH CLEANING More volunteers are needed to help in the cleaning of the Church. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month after the 9AM Mass. If you can contribute an hour or two of your time, it would be appreciated! Our next church cleaning is Tuesday, September 4th. Call: Phoebe at (949) with any questions. Council of Catholic Women General Meeting Friday, September 7th Our speaker will be Jim Pacelli, who will speak on the Knights of Columbus. Social time is 9:30AM and the meeting begins at 10:10AM. Please bring your coins for Water for Life, can tabs for Ronald McDonald House, and pasta and sauce for Caterina s Club. If you have any questions, call Lynn at (949) Pastoral Services Appeal 2018 Thank you to all who have already participated in the PSA this year. If you did not receive information about the PSA in the mail, there are brochures and pledge envelopes available in the Church or in the Parish Office. # Participating families: 368 Amount of pledges: $154,173 Payments received: $128, Once we reach our diocesan goal of $111,000, all monies over that amount will be returned to St. Nicholas to help pay for the parking lot project. Dear Parishioners, In the Gospel today Jesus is challenged by the Pharisees and some of the experts of the Law about His disciples not following the Law. In the Jewish faith as in the Catholic faith exists hundreds of laws. These laws exist to assist us in being the best that we can be; however, when we are only concerned about the letter of the law, we lose focus and miss the spirit or the point of the law. Remember that Moses delivered the Ten Commandments from which come all of the other laws which help us to follow these ten commandments. When Jesus was questioned about which of these was the greatest, he gave the response; You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. If we follow these two commandments, all others will be practiced automatically. Sometimes we get caught up in following traditions which may be started from following the law but with time these traditions can be outdated and not be practical or applicable to current times. This is where we have to go back to the law and determine if we are simply following the letter of the law or are we following the spirit of the law. The spirit of the law is far more relevant than the letter of the law. As we look at the Ten Commandments and Jesus response to the question which is the greatest commandment, I pray that we may reflect on their meaning in our lives as individuals and as a faith community. The laws of the church and of our government are meant for us to better live God s commandments. We must not lose focus on what the spirit of the law is all about. Our customs and traditions can often lead to a distraction from God s law to love Him above all and to love our neighbor as our self, remembering that we are created in the image and likeness of God and therefore are created to be good and loving to all we meet. Fr. George Stewardship of Treasure Weekly Required Budget August 26th 19, $17, $25,856.00

3 Monday: 9AM Sr. Mary Phuongthao La Tuesday: 7AM Foster Andersen and Darlene Perak (d) 9AM Rita Keller (d) Wednesday: 7AM Linda Chong (d) 9AM Msgr. Otto Sporrer (d) Thursday: 7AM Victoria Rodriguez (d) 9AM Mung Nguyen Friday: 7AM All Souls 9AM Trang Le Saturday: 9AM Ruben Castro (d) 4PM 7PM Mass Intentions for the Week Doug Sachman 30th Wedding Anniversary of Roman and Juanita Gomez Sunday: 7:30AM For the Parish 9:00AM Deak Rines (d) 10:45AM Richard Bloemberg (d) 12:30PM Mary Miano (d) We Remember Carmela Convertino and Rosanna Maboloc who entered their new and eternal life in Christ. Grant to all our dearly departed, eternal rest, O Lord, and may your light shine on them forever. TODAY S READINGS First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us? Psalm 15 The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord. Second Reading: James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Religion that is pure is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction. Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Parish Calendar This Week MONDAY Hispanic Rosary, Church, 7PM TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Charismatic Prayer Group, Room A, 9:45AM Knights of Columbus, Room 104/105, 6PM Devotions and Benediction, Church, 7PM Certification Basica Curso, Room 201, 7PM Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 8PM THURSDAY Red Cross Blood Drive, Parish Center-1st Floor, 8AM Faith Alive Faith Sharing, Room A, 10AM Hispanic RCIA, Room B, 6PM RCIA Class, Room 201, 7PM Hispanic Council, Room C, 7PM FRIDAY CCW Meeting, Parish Center-1st Floor, 10AM Hispanic Bible Study, Small Hall, 7PM SATURDAY Wedding, Church, 1PM Hispanic Choir, Room C, 4PM SUNDAY Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 11AM Library OPEN Sacred Cloths of the Passion Presentation and Exhibit Come to St. Catherine of Siena in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, September 5th to see an extraordinary presentation of the Sacred Cloths of the Passion including; the Shroud of Turin (Jesus Burial Shroud), the Sudarium of Oviedo (Covered Jesus head on the cross), and the Tunic of Argenteuil (Jesus 'seamless garment). Two Live Presentations: 8:45AM and 6PM Passion Exhibit: 8:30AM-8PM 1042 Temple Terrace, Laguna Beach Contact Lisa at (949) for more information. The St. Nicholas Library The Library is OPEN! The Library is open the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month, from 8:45am 12:45pm. We are located in Room C, behind the Parish Office. Freebie Cart: Rosaries, prayer cards and more!

4 SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Registration for Elementary and High School Religion Classes are NOW OPEN! IF YOU HAVEN T ALREADY COME TO THE SRE OFFICE and sign up for Religious Education. Classes are beginning to fill up and we will not be able to honor your request for a specific day if you don t come in soon. Come to the SRE Office in the Parish Center Mondays through Thursdays to register from 9am to noon and 1pm to 4:30pm. 1 st through 6 th grades: Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday 4:15pm to 5:30pm 7 th & 8 th grades: Tuesday evenings, 7pm to 8:30pm Confirmation I and II Classes: Alternate Tuesdays, 7pm to 8:30pm IMPORTANT CONFIRMATION NEWS Confirmation preparation is a two-year program directed toward preparing high school students to deepen their faith commitment culminating in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. Students may join Confirmation I in their ninth, tenth or junior year of high school. Classes are held on alternate Tuesdays, beginning at 7PM and ending at 8:30PM. Students attending Catholic Schools must enroll and complete both years (Confirmation I and II) in order to be confirmed. For more information, stop by the SRE office or call (949) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands -Psalm 100 Teen/Family Choir Needs YOU You re invited to join the Teen/Family Choir we sing at the Saturday, 4PM Mass once a month from September to May. Our practices are held every other Thursday evening from 7:30PM to 9PM in the Choir Loft. If you re in junior high, high school, like to sing or play an instrument and want to be with a group of friendly people, and celebrate the Mass in a joyful way, the Teen/Family Choir is looking for you! Please call the SRE Office at (949) or come up to the choir loft on Thursday, September 13, 2018 at 7:30PM. YOUTH MINISTRY Check us out on Facebook and The next Bible Studies will be September 11th and 25th at 6:30PM. Teen/Family Mass on September 29th at 4PM. Check out Facebook and Instagram for more activities coming up like Kidsfest, Pennies from Heaven, movie nights, etc... What is Alpha? Alpha is: A practical introduction to the Christian faith that gives guests an opportunity to explore the meaning of life. Fun, relaxed and totally non-pressured (that s probably why over 19 million people around the world have already done it!). Where you listen, learn, discuss, and discover. Ask anything. A place where no question is off limits. How does it work? Each Alpha session begins with food, followed by a short talk looking at a different aspect of the Christian faith. After that, there is a time or discussion in a friendly small group. What is the cost? There is no charge for the Alpha course. We re all searching for more: What is the point of life?/ Why is there suffering in the world?/ What happens when we die?/ Is forgiveness possible? Sign up for the first Alpha Session which starts on Thursday, Sept. 13th either in the Parish or SRE Offices.

5 ST. NICHOLAS PARISH Adult Faith Formation PRESENTS TWO CATHOLIC BIBLE STUDIES: The GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN a twelveweek study meeting on Monday evenings, in the St. Nicholas Parish Hall, to include: live class teaching, Catholic approach to the reading and interpretation of the biblical text, open class Q and A, along with the biblical history of doctrines and dogmas as taught by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Starting Monday, September 10, 2018, at 7:00 P.M. Room 201 The BOOK OF REVELATION a twelve-week study meeting on Thursday mornings, in the St. Nicholas Parish Hall, to include: live class teaching, introduction to the Catholic approach to the reading and interpretation of this Apocalyptic book (in accordance with teaching of the Magisterium Office of the Catholic Church), and open class Q and A. Starting Thursday, September 13, 2018, at 10:00 A.M. Room 201 For information relative to course content, biblical source material, Bible editions, etc. Please call: AL GUEVARA at (714) READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 1 Cor 2:1-5; Ps 119:97-102; Lk 4:16-30, or, for Labor Day, any readings from the Mass For the Blessings of Human Labor, nos Tuesday: 1 Cor 2:10b-16; Ps 145:8-14; Lk 4:31-37 Wednesday: 1 Cor 3:1-9; Ps 33:12-15, 20-21; Lk 4:38-44 Thursday: 1 Cor 3:18-23; Ps 24:1bc-4ab, 5-6; Lk 5:1-11 Friday: 1 Cor 4:1-5; Ps 37:3-6, 27-28, 39-40; Lk 5:33-39 Saturday: Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30; Ps 13:6; Mt 1:1-16, [18-23] Sunday: Is 35:4-7a; Ps 146:7-10; Jas 2:1-5; Mk 7:31-37 Oktoberfest Opportunity Raffle Tickets The Oktoberfest Opportunity Raffle tickets have been mailed out this last week. The Oktoberfest is our main fundraiser for the School of Religious Education. Your support of our SRE Program by making a donation for the tickets is much appreciated. The winners of the raffle will be announced at the end of the Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, October 13th at 7:30PM (The winner does not need to be present). Please see the related post below for additional information regarding the Oktoberfest. Thank you for your prayers and support of our kids. St. Nicholas Parish presents its 19th Annual Saturday, Oct. 13th, :00PM-7:30PM Opportunity drawing held at 7:30PM $2,500 grand prize (Total of $3700 in prizes) *winner does not need to be present to win* Hourly Attendance Prizes of $50 drawn from Grand Raffle tickets Dancing, singing, good food, drinks and friends. Join your parish family Invite your friends & loved ones. All proceeds from this event benefit the St. Nicholas School of Religious Education.

6 CHOIR RECRUITMENT MONTH NOW IS A GREAT TIME FOR YOU TO BECOME A PART OF THIS EXCITING AND REWARDING WEEKLY LITURGICAL MINISTRY, FOR THE SEASON. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES US THAT A CHOIR ISNT JUST A LUXURY, IT S A NECESSITY! PARISHES NEED CHOIRS. OUR CHOIR NEEDS YOU. ST. NICHOLAS PARISH CHOIR 9:00AM Our Parish Choir (SATB), under the direction of Emett, (our music director and accompanist), rehearses on THURSDAY evenings from 7:15 to 8:45PM. Repertoire consists of all music styles: ancient, traditional, and contemporary. Present membership stands at 46. (Some musical experience is necessary for membership in this choir.) Our goal is to recruit 7 new members. ST. NICHOLAS CHORALE 10:45AM Our Chorale (SATB), under the direction of Mary Ester, and accompanied by Emett, rehearses on TUESDAYS evenings from 7:15 to 8:45PM. Repertoire also consists of all styles of music. Present membership stands at 23. Our goal is to recruit many more voices. SIGN-UPS FOR ALL CHOIRS ARE BEING ACCEPTED AFTER ALL MASSES EVERY WEEKEND IN AUGUST. PLEASE SEE EMETT IN THE CHOIR LOFT, TAKE A TOUR OF THE LOFT, PEEK INSIDE THE PIPE ORGAN CHAMBERS, AND SIGN UP! MEMBERSHIP IS OPEN TO ANYONE WHO IS SERIOUSLY INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING ONLY THEIR VERY BEST TO THE GLORY OF GOD. REHEARSALS BEGIN IN MID-SEPTEMBER. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. DEADLINE TO JOIN IS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH. BUT, PLEASE DON T WAIT COME UP TO THE CHOIR LOFT TODAY, SPEAK WITH EMETT, AND JOIN NOW! Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Come join us! Inquiry classes leading to reception into the Catholic Church or the return to the faith will begin on Thursday, September 6th, 2018, at 7PM, in Room 201 in the Parish Center. Call Betty Farrell at (949) The Knights of Columbus & The American Red Cross invite you to a Community Blood Drive on Thursday, September 6th 7:45am to 7:45pm at St. Nicholas Church in the Parish Center. To schedule appointments call one of the following: , , Walk-ins are welcome or make an appointment for faster service! The Unity Group will again host our 8th annual United to Celebrate dinner on Saturday, September 15th at 5PM in the Parish Hall. If you haven t experienced this traditional festivity, we encourage you to come and enjoy the rich diversity of St. Nicholas Parish. Food, fun, and fellowship are guaranteed. There is no charge but we encourage donations for our Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which helps the needy in our area. Sunday: Monday: Friday: Saturday: SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time St. Gregory the Great; Labor Day First Friday The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. James 1:21b