CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY

Transcription

1 September 9, Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY MISSION STATEMENT We are a praying, learning and caring community fulfilling the mission God gives us in baptism by our worship in faith, by our witness in hope and by our service in love. Praying through the Sacraments, Learning through Religious Education, Caring through Pastoral Care. Very Reverend Monsignor Richard F. Duncanson, Pastor (rfduncanson@nativitycatholic.org) , ext. 4 Parish Office Mailing Address Post Office Box 8770 Rancho Santa Fe, CA Deacon Jim Walsh (jwalsh@nativitycatholic.org) Church & School Location 6309 El Apajo Road Rancho Santa Fe, CA Mr. Paul Parker Principal, The Nativity School (pparker@nativitymail.org) The Nativity School Mailing Address Post Office Box 9180 Rancho Santa Fe, CA

2 Page Two Church of the Nativity September 9, 2018 MASS INTENTIONS SEPTEMBER 8TH 14 TH SATURDAY 5:00 PM Lester W. Conner, RIP SUNDAY 7:30 AM Margaret Dohn, Special Intention 9:00 AM For All Parishioners 10:30 AM Albert Lucas, RIP MONDAY 8:00 AM 1 Cor 5:1-8; Ps 5:5-7, 12; Lk 6:6-11 Ronnie Rivera, RIP TUESDAY 8:00 AM 1 Cor 6:1-11; Ps 149:1b-6a, 9b; Lk 6:12-19 Bob & Dorothy Myron, RIP WEDNESDAY 8:00 AM 1 Cor 7:25-31; Ps 45:11-12, 14-17; Lk 6:20-26 Adeline Cotter, RIP THURSDAY 8:00 AM 1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13; Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 23-24; Lk 6:27-38 Dan Butler, RIP FRIDAY 8:00 AM Nm 21:4b-9; Ps 78:1bc-2, 34-38; Phil 2:6-11; Jn 3:13-17 Walter J. Gamboni, RIP Clergy Schedule Saturday, 5:00 pm Fr. Duncanson Sunday, 7:30 am Fr. Duncanson / Deacon Walsh Preaches Sunday, 9:00 am Fr. Duncanson Sunday, 10:30 am Fr. Timone TODAY S READINGS TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME First Reading Be strong, fear not! Here is your God (Isaiah 35:4-7a). Psalm Praise the Lord, my soul! (Psalm 146). Second Reading Show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ (James 2:1-5). Gospel Jesus makes the deaf hear and the mute speak (Mark 7:31-37). The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved. The Call to Worship is a paraphrase from the Book of Habakkuk: God is in this place, in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him. The Offertory is taken from the Book of Hours, a medieval illuminated manuscript containing texts, prayers and psalms, along with appropriate illustrations, to form a reference for Catholic worship and devotion. The original books listed the appropriate texts for each liturgical hour of the day. Over time other references were added, especially calendars of the religious and secular year along with the prayers and masses for certain holy days, and were composed for lay people who wished to incorporate elements of monasticism into their devotional life. As many books of hours were richly illuminated, they formed an important record of life in the 15th and 16th centuries as well as the iconography of medieval Christianity. The music for this setting is by H. Walford Davies ( ): God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in my eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking; God be in my heart, and in my thinking; God be at my end, and at my departing. The Communion begins with a motet by the Welsh composer Thomas Tompkins ( ) who sang at the Chapel Royal before becoming senior organist there in He was employed by Worcester Cathedral for the next two decades, but during the English civil war when the city was captured by parliamentary forces in 1646 he lost his job, although he was allowed to continue living near the cathedral. Music, to Oliver Cromwell and the victorious Puritans was something to be abolished in all churches; the cathedral organ (which Tomkins had commissioned in 1614) was destroyed and the choir disbanded. The text is from Revelation 14:13, and seems appropriate to commemorate the events of 9/11: I heard a voice from heaven, saying Write: from henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord; even so says the Spirit, for they rest from their labors. The second piece is one of the last works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ( ). When Leopold Hofmann, was music director at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, fell gravely ill in April, 1791, Mozart, despite never having been an avid composer of sacred music, saw an opportunity to enhance his income, and maneuvered to succeed him. Towards this end, he turned his attention to the church, culminating ultimately with the composition of his Requiem. Ironically, Hofmann survived Mozart by two years. Mozart set the Eucharistic hymn Ave verum corpus in June, 1791, and dedicated it to his friend, Anton Stoll, who was chorus master of the parish church in Baden. This choral setting is simplicity itself, with the choir mostly singing the same words at the same time, a direct approach which would have suited a reform-minded Austria where textual clarity and especially brevity were all-important in church music. The text is usually translated: Hail true body: that was born of the Virgin Mary, that truly suffered and was sacrificed on the Cross for men, from whose pierced side flowed water and blood; be for us a foretaste of death and judgment. O sweet and gentle Jesus! Son of Mary. The third piece is by John Rutter (b. 1945) with text from Numbers 6:24: The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you and give you peace, Amen.

3 Page Three Church of the Nativity September 9, 2018 Catechetical Sunday 2018: Enlisting Witnesses for Jesus Christ [Here is Bishop Robert Barron s Welcome Message for next week s celebration of Catechetical Sunday.] We are living in a secularized society which continues to squeeze Christianity to the margins, or completely out of engagement with Jesus Christ and the Church. We are losing baptized Catholics at an alarming rate. According to Pew Research, nearly one-in-four Hispanic adults (24%) are now former Catholics and most of them are nones, a term used for people with no religious affiliation. Many parents are saddened to report that their children are leaving the Church after preparing for and celebrating initiation sacraments, and after years of Catholic School or parish religion classes. Figures for Baptisms, Church weddings and weekly Mass attendance are down. Those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics ( Nones ) now make up roughly 23% of the U.S. adult population. Adults, especially young adults, are more likely to say they are not religiously affiliated than in past generations. (Michael Lipka. A closer look at America s rapidly growing religious Nones..., pew research center; 5/5/2017). Also growing in numbers are those who are baptized, and in junior or senior high school, who are increasingly stopping to self-identify as Christians and grouping themselves among the Nones. At the same time, we are blessed with an incredibly generous cohort of faithful who are sacramentally graced to give Gospel witness in their homes, schools and workplace, if only they were invited, trained and supported in their outreach as missionary disciples. It will take the whole Church s witness and engagement of the Nones, inside and outside the walls of the church and across society, to reach out, accompany them, and share the joy of the gospel with them. Our 2018 and 2019 Catechetical Sunday and Leadership Institute themes are designed to address the phenomena of the Nones in two parts. During 2018, we will be researching some of the causes eroding faith and moving people to step away from life in Christ and his body, the Church. We will also showcase some of the many groups of missionary disciples already enlisted and engaged as witnesses for Jesus Christ. Hopefully many more will be able to learn about and join in their efforts. During 2019, we will focus particularly on the steps needed to enable the faithful to claim their true roles as witnesses to Jesus Christ. In imitation of Jesus encounter with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), we will become more familiar with terms like accompanying, evangelizing and catechizing. We will learn how to assist folks in exploring the reasonableness of the Faith, having an encounter with Jesus, sharing in a deeper faith experience, and drawing out the meaning of those experiences for their lives. May the joy of our life in Christ be so remarkable that even the Nones are moved to ask what is the secret behind this joy and claim it for themselves. Sincerely yours in Christ, Bishop Robert Barron, Chairman Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

4 Page Four Church of the Nativity September 9, 2018 Nativity Mental Health Ministry Support Group Resources DBSA - Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Women of Nativity Meets every Monday and Thursday from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the VA San Diego Medical Center in La Jolla. For more information, visit St. James Mental Health Ministry Prayer and Support Group for family members and friends of those suffering with a mental illness. Meets the 4 th Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm in the church. Next meeting is September 27 th. St. James St. Leo Catholic Community, 625 S. Nardo Ave, Solana Beach For more information call Sandy at (858) The Young Catholic Professionals San Diego Chapter is having an Executive Speaker Series on October 10th at 7pm at USD (Salomon Hall) and a Networking Happy Hour on October 24th at McGregor's Grill & Ale House. Join YCP and other young professionals for events focused on creating community, fostering spirituality and living out a Catholic identity in the professional world. YCP has Executive Speaker Series on the 2nd Tuesday of every month, Networking Happy Hours every quarter, and St. Joseph the Worker retreats twice a year, among other events. If you are looking to get involved, YCP is looking for leaders willing to form a link between their Parish and YCP! Contact Ryan Hagelin, VP and Director of Outreach at ryan.hagelin@ycpsandiego.org for more information. The Nativity School Would your family, or one you know, benefit from The Nativity School Education? Our outstanding faculty, extraordinary student-teacher ratio, and demanding yet supportive environment of generous love for each individual student creates an educational experience like no other. Contact the school office at (858) or mzures@nativitymail.org to arrange a personal tour or to pick up application materials. Come and see what we celebrate! Preschool Grade 8 Please join us for our first Autumn meeting after our Summer break featuring Sister Mary Kiely, OSF. Sister Mary Kiely is a Franciscan nun, a native of Limerick, Ireland. She arrived as an immigrant by ship at Ellis Island as a young postulant in the mid 1950s. She was professed as a Franciscan in Sister Mary wished to serve in Africa as a teacher, but God had other plans for her. Her first assignment once on these shores was to teach in North Philadelphia at a deep inner city African-American school of 1000 students, taught by 14 nuns. Sister states that it was such a privilege and honor to teach these young people during a time of racial unrest in the United States. Her many years of dedicated service have been in grade and high schools, in youth work and as an educator and administrator. Sister is a graduate of the Catholic University of America having earned a Master s Degree in Theology as well as a Master s in Educational Administration from the University of San Francisco. Sister Mary joined Stella Maris Academy in La Jolla in 1998 as their principal and served for eight years until she retired. Father Joe subsequently called upon her to work with Father Joe s Villages, where she was employed for three years in outreach programs in education to schools, parishes and hotels. Presently she is a dedicated volunteer at the Villages performing the same work. She is the last of her Franciscan congregation in San Diego. She will share with the Women of Nativity her vocational call, her early days as a teacher in North Philadelphia, stories of challenges and successes throughout the years and with her work at Father s Joe s Villages (also known as St. Vincent de Paul Villages). When: Wednesday, September 12 Where: Church of the Nativity, Commons 6309 El Apajo, Rancho Santa Fe Time: 8:30 AM Gather and Socialize 9:00 AM Program Starts; 10 AM Program Concludes

5 Page Five Church of the Nativity September 9, 2018 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs to the kingdom? James 2:5 Please join us in singing the Psalm Response: : Ú 44 G Praise H SEE BEYOND OUTWARD APPEARANCES The phrase Sunday best has lost much of its meaning in our society today. Some lament the loss of people dressing up for church on Sunday; others think it s a healthy sign that we re as casual in attire gathered before the Lord as we are elsewhere. No matter which school of thought on this topic we belong to, James would probably chastise us. In either case, we are still focused on external appearance, mistaking it for some sort of favored position before God. True, James criticizes the community that favors the rich and well-dressed while ostracizing the poorly clothed, but even more he criticizes the making of distinctions, making choices based on criteria that having nothing to do with the reign of God. James might turn our attention to the reign of God described by Isaiah, in which people are healed and the earth becomes ripe to bear fruit. Jesus today is focused on this reign of God, healing a Gentile man in a region hostile to his Jewish faith, not mindful of the man s origins or clothing or status or ability to repay. Isaiah, James, and Jesus in Mark s Gospel all call us to look more deeply to find where the will of God needs to be done, and has been done, on earth as in heaven. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co., Inc. SAMARITANS CORNER Samaritans is a group of charitable parishioners who take Holy Communion to the hospitalized and homebound, visit & help take meals to the sick and elderly. Also we provide rides to mass or doctor s appointments. We have an extensive prayer list which our Prayer Warriors pray for. We perform one or two large projects such as creating a Tween room at St. Vincent de Paul and a Family Cooking/Dining Kitchen there too, annually. Every month we post our outreach events in this part of the bulletin, so check here if you d like to help. If you know of anyone in need, or are in need yourself, please contact stephaniekourie@cox.net. H the G Lord, H H my Time, Talent and Treasure Registered Households: 1,295 Contributing Parishioners YTD: 690 Our Parishioners contributed $17, in the weekly collection to further the Mission & Ministry provided by the Church of the Nativity. Thank you for giving what is meaningful to you, to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you often find yourself without your checkbook or envelope on Sunday morning? Faith Direct is secure and convenient, and will even provide you with an optional offertory card to place in the basket during weekly collection. There is no cost to you, and the program provides a great benefit to our parish. Please consider using Faith Direct today! Sign up by visiting ( Our parish code is CA288. Call for more information. G soul! The Church of the Nativity website has a wealth of information including Mass schedules, weekly bulletins, a list of ministries including contact information and even a recording of the homily from the previous Sunday! There is also a link to the Nativity School web site and Family Faith Formation information and registration. Why not visit us soon and bookmark the site for future use?

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8 Page Eight Church of the Nativity September 9, 2018 LORD'S DAY MASS SCHEDULE Weekday Mass: Monday Friday 8 am (Chapel) Saturday Vigil: 5 pm; Sunday: 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:30 am RCIA and Youth Minister: Mike James, mjames@nativitycatholic.org, , ext. 5 Family Faith Formation Coordinators: Wendy Campbell & Sandra Escalante-Smith, faithformation@nativitymail.org Music Director: Paul Batchelor, pbatchelor@nativitycatholic.org, , ext. 102 The Nativity School: Paul Parker, Principal pparker@nativitymail.org, Bookkeeper: Jackie Marin, jmarin@nativitymail.org, Administrative Assistant: Jodee Moore, jmoore@nativitycatholic.org, Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00pm to 3:30 pm Pastoral Council: Carl Bobkoski, Jane Boler, Cindy Hesse, Mimi Johnson, Jodee Moore, Craig Ryall Finance Council: Jeff Brandon, Chair Michael Conway, Jim LaGrossa, Byrnes Lambert, Catherine Mowbray -Lorenz, Earl Parker, Carolyn Wilkinson, Joe Wilkinson Safe Environment Coordinator: John Marin Call the Parish Office PASTORAL CARE Nativity Samaritans: Stephanie Kourie at stephaniekourie@cox.net Childcare: Attended care is provided in the play room off the Commons during 9 am and 10:30 am Sunday Masses. Holy Communion for the sick: For the homebound upon request, Widows and Widowers: Pat Smart, thesmarts@aol.com Monthly Luncheons - September through June Small Christian Communities - Faith Sharing Groups See Deacon Jim Walsh or contact Kathy Alameda at or kathyalameda1@gmail.com Altar Servers: Bill Hearne at bhearne@weoneil.com Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion: Mimi Johnson at mimijohns78@gmail.com Mental Health Ministry: Lisa James at Ushers: Corbitt Kerr at ckerr@davlyninvestments.com Tribunal Advocate: Jane Boler at bolerj14@gmail.com SACRAMENTS Baptism: Celebrated on the 4th Sunday, after 10:30 am Mass Please contact the Parish Office or jmoore@nativitycatholic.org. Marriage: Saturdays, 11:00 am or 2:00 pm Contact the parish office at Anointing of the Sick: Encouraged for anyone critically ill, for the elderly, or prior to major surgery Reconciliation: Saturday, 4:15 pm in the Chapel Eucharist: Weekday Mass: Monday - Friday, 8 am in the Chapel Eucharistic Adoration: Every Friday after 8 am Mass Perpetual Help Novena: Tuesdays, after 8 am Mass Rosary: Weekdays, after 8 am Mass in the Chapel FAMILY FAITH FORMATION Classes meet September through June PRESCHOOL THROUGH 8TH GRADE Preschool - 6th Grade: Sundays, 8:50 am - 10:05 am at The Nativity School Junior High 7th /8th: Sundays, 5pm - 6:15 pm in the Parish Commons Nativity Family Faith Formation Classes WELCOME BACK Pre-K to 8th Grade We are thrilled to be back for another wonderful year of Family Faith Formation. Classes will start on Sunday, September 9. If your child attended Faith Formation at Nativity school year, please check your for your ID and password. If you are NEW to Nativity Faith Formation, please go to the website below and create an account. Community= Preschool children ages 4 and 5 through 6th grade will meet on Sundays from 8:50 a.m.-10:05 a.m. at The Nativity School. Our classes for Junior High 7th /8th grades will meet on Sundays from 5 p.m.-6:15 pm in the Parish Commons. Please Wendy Campbell or Sandra Escalante-Smith at faithformation@nativitymail.org for more information. HIGH SCHOOL: 9TH - 12TH GRADE Please return your Youth Ministry Registrations by September 23. If you have a teen in high school and didn t receive one or are new to the parish please contact Mike James, Youth Minister, at (858) September 23 from 5-6:15pm in the Commons will be our Kickoff Meeting. All freshmen, new teens, and their parents are invited to come meet each other and share pizza and refreshments. We will explain both the Youth Ministry and Confirmation programs and how they relate. Returning teens start on September 30. September 30 will be our Get To Know You Night for all freshmen-seniors from 5-6:15pm in the Commons. Freshmen and new teens will be paired up with other students from their school to do sharing and icebreaker activities to help ease their transition into High School. Please connect with our High School Youth Ministry Program on facebook at by sending us a friend request. That page will have all the information about registration and weekly updates during our upcoming Youth Ministry year. RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION Contact: Mike James, , ext. 5 If you are an adult looking to learn more about the Catholic faith, need to pick up a missed sacrament, or are a lifelong Catholic looking for a refresher course, the R.C.I.A. class can help answer your questions. R.C.I.A. stands for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. At each class we spend time answering your questions about the Catholic faith, reviewing the bible readings from mass, and discuss the current chapter in our book. The most important thing is getting your questions answered. Your spouses, children, sponsors, and friends are also welcome to attend class with you. A new R.C.I.A. class starts in September and will meet on Sunday mornings from 11:30am-12:30pm. Contact Mike James, R.C.I.A. Director, to get on the class list at (858)