St. Stephen Parish. SaintStephenSF.org 451 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco CA Church

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1 St. Stephen Parish SaintStephenSF.org 451 Eucalyptus Dr., San Francisco CA Church

2 February 12, 2017 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Sirach 15:15-20, 1 Cor. 2:6-10, Matthew 5:17-37 In the first and second readings, we are reminded of how important it is to make good choices, and how much we rely on the wisdom of God to help us do so. This is not a wisdom of this age, but, rather, a determination to have our eyes set on heaven. The wisdom of God, the desire for a deeper relationship with him, inspires us to choose to keep the commandments and to trust in him: Whichever they choose will be given them. As Christians and as children of God, we are given a radical freedom and free will to listen and obey or to turn away. God has not done this in order to mock us and watch us fail. Rather, he allows us the freedom to choose to love him and be loved by him, leaving open the possibility that we might also go our own way. A narrow reading of the Gospel, or a Pharisaical reading of it, portrays Jesus as an outlaw to the outcast, breaking so many of the rules of ritual purity talking to and touching and eating with people he should have stayed away from, lest he be declared unclean. That is why it comes as such as a surprise when he says, during the Sermon on the Mount: Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. Indeed, Jesus makes it clear that every last letter must be fulfilled. This does not suggest that he is what we might call a stickler for the rules, or a tattle-tale, looking to get us into trouble with the Father. No, the Good Shepherd is once again trying to protect his lost, wounded and wandering lambs from doing harm to ourselves or one another, and he firmly believes that a greater respect for the laws of God will lead us to show greater respect for God s people. Yes, Jesus, dined with tax collectors and prostitutes, and showed affection for the unclean and the untouchable, because that is what God s law commands all of us to do to look out for the needs of the least among us. In the mind and heart of Jesus, fulfilling the law to the smallest part of a letter means two things: 1) going further than the law requires, and 2) obeying and applying God s law with love for God and all people whom we encounter. This is why Jesus chooses some of the Ten Commandments, and then shows us that it would never be enough to simply not kill someone, or never cheat on our spouse. In order to live the beatitudes, first preached earlier in this same chapter, we must embrace the idea that faith in God and belief in his Son as our Savior is meant not only to change how we view and respond to God, but more importantly, it should change how we treat others especially the weakest and most vulnerable. We can no longer say one thing and do another. Instead, let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. Father Tony

3 Our Liturgical Week Monday, Feb. 13 8:00 a.m. Louis Greco (By: Barbara Stephens) Tuesday, Feb. 14 8:00 a.m. Mary Griffin (By: Michael Griffin) 11:00 a.m. School Mass Wednesday, Feb. 15 8:00 a.m. Mary Margaret (Maggie) McDonald (By: Fely) Thursday, Feb. 16 8:00 a.m. Marygrace Dunn (By: Richard Dunn) Friday, Feb. 17 8:00 a.m. Carol Reidy (By: Ed Reidy) Saturday, Feb. 18 8:00 a.m. Brigitte Weil (By: Anonymous) 3:30 a.m. Reconciliation 4:30 p.m. Fernando & Eulilia Ramos (By: Freddy & Thelma Ramos) Sunday, Feb. 19 8:00 a.m. Cassie O Donnell (By: Sandra Fullerton) 9:30 a. m. Mary O Regan (By: Peggy O Driscoll) 11:30 a.m. Donie O Regan (By: Imelda Daly) 6:45 p.m. Bernice Marcaletti (By: Gary & Larry Marcaletti) Bold Indicates Mass Intentions Please remember: Ethel Cummings Who recently died in the peace of Christ. Our sick and homebound are in continual need of our prayers, please remember them daily. TODAY S READINGS First Reading God allows us to make choices, but we are not to choose injustice or sinfulness (Sirach 15:15-20). Psalm Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! (Psalm 119). Second Reading God s wisdom is mysterious and hidden (1 Corinthians 2:6-10). Gospel Jesus has come not to abolish but to fulfill the law and the prophets (Matthew 5:17-37). St Stephen Events Calendar Monday 12:00 p.m. 50+ Club/Hall 3:30 p.m. Faith Formation/Church & Offices Tuesday 8:00 a.m. Western Assoc. Schools & Colleges/Hall 12:00 p.m. School Lunch/Hall 4:00 p.m. Phil. Orchestra/Hall 7:00 p.m. Women s Guild Bd./EC Wednesday 8:00 a.m. Western Assoc. Schools & Colleges/Hall 12:00 p.m. School Lunch/Hall 3:00 p.m. School Play Rehearsal/ Hall 7:00 p.m. RCIA/Comm. Room 7:30 p.m. On Eagle s Wings/EC Thursday 8:00 a.m. Western Assoc. Schools & Colleges/Hall 12:00 p.m. School Lunch/Hall 3:00 p.m. School Play Rehearsal/ Hall Friday 7:30 p.m. G.A. Closed Meeting/EC & Comm. Rm. Saturday 1:00 p.m. Birthday Event/Hall Sunday 7:00 p.m. Adult Vollyball/Gym SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time; World Marriage Day Tuesday: Ss. Cyril and Methodius; Valentine s Day Friday: The Seven Founders of the Order of Servites Saturday: Blessed Virgin Mary lease pray for the sick P and homebound of our community and for all those written in our book of the sick. May they know the healing touch of Jesus. Larry Barbiere, Edileide Jose Barbosa, Ruth Cisek, Carol Dominguez, Eden Finn, Al Gragnani, Emma Hock, Emma Lew, Maria Matthews, Nenita Sangalang, Juan Pablo Grover-Paez, Jovita & Richard Thompson, and Patricia Sullivan.

4 2017 ANNUAL APPEAL In Progress A reminder, that our Annual Appeal tax this year is $93, We ask that you pray over your donation and give according to your means. The total received to date is $630.00, leaving a balance of $92, We thank the following households for their participation in this year s appeal. (Fr. Tony) Donors: Ms. Maria Baja Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Cayabyab Mrs. Charles Meyers Ms. Deborah Lobo Should You Get Sick hould you or a family member become seriously S ill, please let us know. We will be happy to pray for you - either privately during Mass or publicly in the Prayers of the Faithful. Should the sick person wish to see a priest or Eucharistic minister, we will be happy to go and offer the Sacrament of the Sick. The reception of this sacrament is an encounter with Christ the physician and healer. Please do not be shy about requesting Receive J.S. Paluch Church Bulletins by - Enter criteria to find parish(es) by state, city, or zip code and then click on the Search button. - Choose parish(es) from the list of results by clicking on the green arrow on the left. - Complete a simple registration form. It s that easy! HOSPITALITY MINISTERS for our 9:30 a.m. Mass Today, Feb Vicky Francisco Sunday, Feb Louise Fambrini Sunday, Feb Open Please note! Coffee and donuts will not be served until the completion of mass. The Last Supper The story is told that when the painter Leonardo Da Vinci was painting The Last Supper, he had an intense and bitter argument with a fellow painter. Da Vinci began to think of a way to get back at this guy. He came up with a devious plan. He decided to paint the face of his enemy as the face of Judas Iscariot so it would be captured for all time, and that is exactly what he did. When people came to look at his work, while it was still in progress, they immediately knew who "Judas" was. Da Vinci got great joy out of portraying this man as Judas Iscariot. But as he continued his work on the painting of Jesus and his disciples, he finally came to the face he had saved for the very end-the face of Jesus. But he drew a mental blank. He had what writers call "writer's block." He could not paint a thing. Finally, God convicted him and showed him the trouble was he had painted the face of his enemy as the face of Judas Iscariot. He realized that his hatred and bitterness was keeping him from being able to face the face of Christ. So he went back to the image of Judas and painted some nebulous face. He went to his painter enemy, asked forgiveness, and they were reconciled. Then he went back and could clearly paint the face of Christ and finish one of the world's greatest portraits. COMPANIONSHIP Take my hand and walk along with me, not ahead of me; otherwise I may not follow you. Anonymous

5 Vocation Awareness Day A vocation Awareness Day is being held on Saturday, March 11th from 9-3 at St. Basil Church, 1200 Tuolumne Street, in Vallejo. This will be an opportunity for high school youth and young adults to share in Morning Prayer and Mass, hear talks from a diocesan priest and men and women religious from different orders, discover how to discern a vocation, and have time to reflect and talk with vocation representatives and one another. Cost is free. For more information or to register, please call or Sue Schuttinger at sschuttinger@gmail.com. A HUMOROUS SITUATION Two sisters spent the day fighting. That evening they prepared for bed, still mad at each other. As usual, they knelt by the side of their beds for their prayers. "Dear God," the 8-year-old began, "Bless Daddy and Mommy, bless our cat and dog." Then she stopped. Her mother gently prodded, "Didn t you forget somebody?" She glared across the bed at her 6-year-old sister and added, "And, oh yes, God, bless my exsister." Catholic Charities CYO Athletics to Honor John Duggan Parishioner John Duggan will be inducted along with John and Mike Mulkerrins and the late Lynn Leon into Catholic Charities CYO Hall of Fame at the CYO Hall of Fame Dinner on March 25, 2017 at 7:00 pm at the Father O Reilly Catholic Charities CYO Center at the St. Emydius gym. The dinner honors individuals who have made an extraordinary impact on the community, provided a legacy of leadership and have championed the virtues and values of CYO Athletics. John has been a valuable member of the CYO Athletics community for over 25 years, coaching for St. Stephen boys and girls basketball for 16 years and continues to coach his granddaughters basketball team. For dinner tickets, call Mary Beth Johnson Deel at or visit athletics.cccyo.org. Catholic Divorce Ministry Here at St. Stephen s Church, and in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, we have a special ministry for those men and women who have experienced the pain of separation and divorce. We believe that the Church has a rich treasury of people, Holy Scripture, tradition, and pastoral ministry on which it can draw to serve its members whose marriages end in divorce. We strive to lay open this wealth and make known Christ s abundant healing love so that all who suffer from separation and divorce might experience healing, reconciliation, and new life. We also recognize that separated and divorced people, through their vulnerability, suffering, courage, faithfulness, and patient endurance bear witness to Christ and his redeeming grace in the world. They are not mere recipients of the Church s compassion; they are as well, ministers of that compassion. We have a support group that meets twice a month here at St. Stephen s. Please call me, Father Al Grosskopf, S.J., St. Stephen Book Club If you like to get acquainted with Christian spirituality, learn more about the Catholic faith and church history, read inspiring stories on building better relationships with others and with God, come join the St. Stephen book club! We read one book per month and meet on the 2 nd Saturday of the month from 9 to 10 a.m. Our discussions are lively and full of enthusiasm. And it has always been like this since we began in Our 12 members think it is delightful to meet other members to talk about their perspective in interpreting the books. Married Couples This New Year resolve to make your marriage the best it can be by attending a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend! The next Marriage Encounter Weekend is March 17-19, 2017 in Mountain View. For more information visit our website at: sanjosewwme.org or contact Ken & Claranne at or applications@sanjosewwme.org

6 CHOICE If you choose you can keep the commandments, Sirach tells us. God has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand (Sirach 15:15, 16). This is a great mystery: God does not control us so completely that we cannot choose our own path. We have certain boundaries, of course, but no one but we can choose our way within those boundaries. In today s reading from Matthew s Gospel, Jesus reminds us of our freedom and our responsibility for our lives. He calls us to look beyond the words of the commandments, all the way to their meaning. Look beyond the adultery to the selfishness that poisons our love. Look beyond the murder to the anger that eats away at our compassion. Look beyond the perjured testimony to the lies and deception that drive our behavior. Our vocation is to choose life for ourselves, and to choose a path through our part of the world that helps make life possible and more abundant for others as well. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. Second Collection Thanks to your generosity February 4 and 5 we were able to add $2,020 to our Building Maintenance Fund. We are most grateful for your continued generosity. TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION By the early 1950s some scholars were calling for the restoration of Communion of the faithful on Good Friday, since by then only a priest received, consuming the host from the Holy Thursday repository. In 1955 the new Good Friday liturgy was timed to begin at three o clock everywhere, and included the option of Holy Communion, but without the Precious Blood that had originally been part of the liturgy. Today, there is increasing debate among theologians. Some feel that it would be better to fast from the Eucharist on Good Friday, focusing on the mystery of the cross and highlighting the Easter Communion. Others say that this Communion infuses the sadness of the day with awareness of Christ s victory. It is not a day of mourning, of course, and the Passion according to John grounds the liturgy in a sense of Christ s victory over death and the triumph of the cross. The tradition is rich and varied, and we are still in the early stages of recovering an ancient way of doing things. Why do we call the day good? The English and Dutch languages share this name, and its origin stems from the name God s Friday. The traditional name for the day in Latin is Feria V I in Parasceve, which translates as The Sixth Day of the Week of Preparation. Other languages make do with Holy Friday. In another part of England, as in Denmark, the people used to call it Long Friday, a good description for a quiet day without work and no chance for play or a good meal! Rev. James Field, Copyright J. S. Paluch Our Altar Servers Our special thanks to our student Altar Servers who faithfully continue to volunteer their time and talent to our parish. Our Altar Servers for January 30 thru February 5 were: Weekday Masses Lauren Schneider, Mateo Guzman, Aidan Flocchini, Elena Gandolfo, Sarah Krauss, Alexa O Callaghan, Mericel Tao, Vincent Francisco, Anthony Zevallos, Adrian Di Lena and Kevin Hernandez. Weekend Masses Esmeralda Ramirez, Molly Linehan, Erin Scheg, Aidan Dugan, Elise Ramsey, Christopher Bautista, Anthony Zevallos, Gina Zevallos, John Brooks, Santino Franco, Drew Phillips, Isabella Ritchie, Gino Andrini, Emily Schmitt and Cooper Andersen. Thank You! 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 education and formation of our people, young and old, and through caring service and sensitive outreach to those in need Rev. Tony P. LaTorre - Pastor

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8 PASTORAL STAFF Rev. Tony P. LaTorre Pastor ext.25 Rev. Mr. Rory Desmond Permanent Deacon Rhonda Smith Coordinator of Music & Liturgy ext. 32 Mary Molly Mullaney Faith Formation Coordinator ext.27 Mrs. Sharon McCarthy Allen School Principal Jim Cook Parish Manager ext.23 Shay Ingelfinger Event Center Coordinator ext.33 Jan Almeida Bookkeeper ext.29 ST STEPHEN PARISH 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 Rhonda Smith Faith Formation Mary Molly Mullaney Fifty Plus Club Helga D Arcy Finance Council Laura Birsinger Grief Support Clergy Lectors Rhonda Smith Liturgy Committee Fr. Tony Marriage Preparation Clergy Men s Club John Bankovitch Music Rhonda Smith Parish Council Vicky Francisco RCIA Mary Molly Mullaney St. Stephen Book Club Veronica Wong St. Vincent de Paul Julie O Callaghan Ushers Bob Anthony Women s Guild Daniela Franco & Maira Hallinan 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 or online at Name Address City/Zip Phone Our parishioners receive the Archdiocese weekly newspaper Catholic San Francisco. I am interested in assisting with the Parish in the following way(s): Acolyte/Altar Service Altar Society Children s Liturgy of the Word Choir Greeter/Usher Hospitality after Mass/Special Events Holy Communion Ministers to the Homebound Lector/Holy Communion Ministers Music/Choir