GIVE CONNECT GROW SERVE WORSHIP. SJN Church 9 AM and 7 PM. With Rev. Thomas R. McCarthy, O.S.A. April 24 The Family of Faith

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1 St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 5101 Alton Pkwy, Irvine CA (949) sjnirvine.org APRIL 2013 Vol 3, Issue 1 GIVE CONNECT GROW SERVE WORSHIP Dear Parishioners, We re trying something a bit different with this edition of the Neumann Neuz newsletter. We re printing it for those who would like to pick up a copy and sending it via to those who have given us an address. We have about 1,700 addresses. If you ve given us yours, thank you. If not, may we have your address? The more addresses we have, the more cost-effective the newsletter will be. Just call the office at (949) or send us an via our website! Many people have told us that they are not exactly sure what is expected from them as parishioners here. So this issue of the news focuses on five expectations for you to consider. We call them, for short, CONNECT, WORSHIP, GROW, SERVE, and GIVE. CONNECT with fellow parishioners by attending at least one social function each year and we have lots of them! WORSHIP here at church weekly. GROW in your faith by coming to one of our faith formation sessions each year. SERVE your brothers and sisters in one activity each year. And GIVE of your time, talent, and treasure as a good steward of the Lord s gifts. May God bless you and your families during this wonderful Easter season! Msgr. Don Romito April 22 - The Saints How are they heroes of our faith? Am I a saint in training? April 23 - Prayer Is it worth it? Does God listen to me? Answered or unanswered prayers Which do I believe in? April 24 The Family of Faith Do I consider my Parish a family? How do I build up my family of faith? I want to belong how do I do it? SJN Church 9 AM and 7 PM With Rev. Thomas R. McCarthy, O.S.A.

2 CONNECT Building on relationships within St John Neumann parish Connecting to parishioners helps deepen our relationship with God. We are members of the same family We share experiences We help one another We celebrate together We learn together We challenge each other St John Neumann offers opportunities to Connect Fellowship after Mass in the Courtyard with donuts and coffee Pancake breakfasts, soup suppers, picnics and social events Be friendly to the person sitting next to you at Mass Ministry Opportunities: Women s Ministry, Catholic Men s Fellowship, FAB 55+, The Journey, Day One College, Filipino Group St. John Neumann parish has held its Spring Gala for two years now and it s a fun and exciting evening. It s a big party with fine foods, fancy adult beverages, lively music and dancing. It s no secret that it s a fund raising event and it features many beautifully arranged gift baskets in its silent auction and many attractive large gifts in its live auction. Past galas have raised enough in contributions to support the purchase of new furniture for the courtyard and chairs, tables and blinds for inside the Hall, as well as provided significant donations to our Catholic charities. But it s not only a fund raiser. It s also an opportunity for us to gather and socialize in a party atmosphere. It s a chance to get together with old friends and to make new ones. Connections made there help to enhance our worship experiences. Please join us on May 4th for this year s Spring Gala.

3 WORSHIP Spending time with Jesus We worship by Giving ourselves completely to God Acknowledging Him and all His power Thanking Him for everything, including dreams, hopes, desires True Worship is God-centered Done selflessly, not out of obligation Pleases God as we return the love He has given us St John Neumann offers Mass every day Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Rosary before each daily mass Chaplet of Divine Mercy after each daily mass Legion of Mary Taize Prayer Prayer Groups: Meditation, Charismatic, Parish Prayer Group, and Prayer Network Church open all day for personal prayer and reflection As soon as there was a church building here, Vivian Meeker began coming to daily mass. She knew that praying the rosary is a beautiful way to prepare for mass. But she wanted the people who come to daily mass to pray the rosary with her. And so she asked them. At first they prayed for people who asked for prayers, and that continues. But 15 years ago, Vivian found a rosary format that dedicates each mystery to priests. So six days a week, there are people who gather at 8 AM and pray the rosary for priests. Sometimes there are 2 or 3 gathered together and sometimes there are many more. There is no way to know how many priests have been helped by these rosaries. And those who attend daily mass have grown from a handful to 200. Perhaps that has something to do with the rosary, too. All are welcome to join in.

4 GROW Developing into a spiritual disciple Spiritual growth Evaluate your spiritual growth during Lent Are you a more mature Christian than 6 weeks ago? Identify barriers to your growth Strive to grow in understanding of scripture Find ways to be more Christ-like St. John Neumann offers Bible study groups, or help to start a home study group Books, DVDs and audio CDs in the parish library Parish Faith Formation events: Called & Gifted, Catholicism 101, Parish Mission, Alpha Perhaps to learn what it means to be a Catholic, one must rediscover Catholicism. Matthew Kelly s book Rediscover Catholicism: A Spiritual Guide to Living with Passion & Purpose may be the perfect answer. This dynamic book is one of many in our St. John Neumann library that can challenge us to change. Visit the library. Choose something and learn to become the best Catholic you can be.

5 SERVE Caring for others with our time and talents One who serves Is generous, because God is generous Imitates Jesus, because Jesus served Uses unique gifts, given by God Looks for opportunities to use his talents Shows God s love to others Makes himself available to others St. John Neumann offers Sharing the Harvest/St. Vincent de Paul Ministry Donations of food and gently used items to the poor Knights of Columbus Martha Ministry Elizabeth Ministry Help for you to find your special gifts to serve others When we say, I love you, Lord, where is the proof? Are our words empty or are they backed up by a lifetime of loving others?

6 GIVE Sharing treasure When we give We take our hands off what God has given us We know that the Offertory is our sacrifice to God as we participate in the Mass Our values shift, if our gift is generous and sacrificial Our heart is transformed We realize we do not need as much We learn it is the only way to follow Jesus St. John Neumann thanks you for Giving from your first fruits your first hour s wage each week Donating to the poor through St John Neumann s outreach programs Taking care of your parish home When the basket with the offertory collection is placed at the foot of the altar during mass, what part of you is in that basket? Is it your Monday morning from 8-9 when you arrive at work and have 100 s to read and deadlines facing you? Are you feeling the stress of the work week and it has barely started? Is the money you earn in that first hour what you put in the collection basket? When you touch the basket as it passes by you, know what your gift represents. Know that you have given to God something of yourself. And know that you have given Him the best gift you could. Increased Offertory Program We saw recently how generous our St. John Neumann parishioners are. Through the Increased Offertory Program approximately 37% of registered parishioners made commitments to increase their contributions. Additional commitments total $472,463. Through a collective sacrifice we are helping one another.