St. Nicholas Parish 24252 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods, CA 92637 (949) 837-1090; FAX (949) 837-9510; www.st-nicholaschurch.org School of Religious Education: (949) 837-7676 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. CLERGY Parish Administrator Rev. George Blais Parochial Vicar Rev. Raphael Nguyen Parochial Vicar Rev. Quyen Truong Visiting Priest Rev. Msgr. Lawrence Gibson Visiting Priest Rev. Msgr. John Campbell Visiting Priest Rev. Gerald Walker Deacon Wayne Thompson Deacon Chau Tran Deacon 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, 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 Fourth Sunday of the month at 2:00PM. Arrangements must be made a month in advance. Parents must attend two preparation sessions. 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 4:30 PM; 6 PM - 8 PM Saturday: 9 AM 12 Noon
SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15TH FOR OUR PARISH S ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST Event starts at 1pm and will end with the Grand Opportunity Drawing at 7:30pm. Opportunity Raffle Tickets were recently mailed out to all parishioners for our annual Oktoberfest event, which is the main fundraiser for our School of Religion. Please take this opportunity to offer the tickets to your family, friends and neighbors, and return your stubs and donation for the tickets to the Parish or SRE Offices. You may also drop the envelope in the weekly collection. Plan to attend the event October 15th it includes great food, drink, music, dancing and fellowship! Food & Beverage Service: 1PM to 7:30PM Entertainment: 1:15PM to 7:30PM 1st Band Set: 1:15PM 2PM 2nd Band Set: 2:15PM 3PM 3rd Band Set: 3:15PM 4PM German Folk Dancers: 4:30PM 4th Band Set: 4:30PM 5:15PM German Folk Dancers: 5:15PM 5:45PM 5th Band Set: 5:45PM 6:30PM Final Band Set: 6:45PM 7:30PM OPPORTUNITY RAFFLE DRAWING AT 7:30PM ATTENTION PARENTS: Bring your kids to Kidsfest in the Small Hall from 3pm to 6pm. They ll enjoy games, drawing, face painting and contests. While they are at Kidsfest, you can come and enjoy the music, dancing and food at Oktoberfest! Don t miss the FUN! Women s Silent Weekend Retreat Sacred Heart Retreat House Begins Friday, October 7th at 5 pm ends Sunday, October 9 at 12:30pm Retreat Master: Rev. David Kueter, OMV Theme: I have loved you with an everlasting love. For information or reservations call Carrie Wertepney, 949-589-7747 or Dottie Neuland, 949-830-3398. Come share personal quiet time with God! Space is limited so get your reservations in quickly! The Diocese of Orange s 40th Anniversary TODAY Sunday, September 18 40 Years of Faith, Love and Inspiration at Christ Cathedral, 13280 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove. Join the faithful from across the Diocese of Orange as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary. This daylong event will welcome thousands to join in communion together and celebrate the unique gifts of the people of Orange. 7-9AM occatholic.com/5k 9:30 11AM Anniversary Mass 11AM 6PM Fun Zone with real snow sledding area 11:30AM 2:30PM Speakers, Series Freed Theater 3PM to 9:30PM Music Festival PHOTO EXHIBIT ALL DAY! For information or to purchase tickets: www.rcbo.org Stewardship of Treasure Stewardship is not about our generosity; it is our response to God s generosity. 2016 2015 52-Weekly Required Budget September 11th $24,750.74 $22,014.93 $22,987
Monday: 7AM Ninfa Jauregui (d) 9AM Douglas C. Reilly (d) Tuesday: 7AM Marcial Rosas Mangubat (d) 9AM Gerardo and Amparo Figueroa (d) Wednesday: 7AM Patricia Evleth (d) 9AM Linda Daniels & William Green IV (d) Thursday: 7 AM Arthur Barnes (d) 9AM Bridgit and John Gushue (d) Friday: 7 AM Chet Wolski (d) 9AM Frank Hernandez (d) Saturday: 9AM Deceased Members of the Delfin Family 4PM For the Parish 7PM Ricardo Garcia (d) Sunday: 7:30AM James Milton Burke (d) 9:00AM Anabel Pagano (d) 10:45AM In Thanksgiving 12:30PM Roman Vilchez and Braulio Zarete (d) TODAY S READINGS We Remember Maria Bao Tran who entered her new and eternal life in Christ. Our Parish condolences are extended to her family. Grant to all our dearly departed, eternal rest, O Lord, and may your light shine on them forever. First Reading: Amos 8:4-7 The Lord never forgets the sins of those who take advantage of the poor. Psalm 113: Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor. Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8 Pray to the Lord, who wants everyone to be saved. Gospel: Luke 16:1-13 [10-13] Be trustworthy in all things. Serve God, the only master, not mammon. Parish Calendar This Week MONDAY Sewing Group, Small Hall, 8AM Spanish Rosary, Church, 6:30PM Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM Hispanic Encuentro Matrimonial Mundial, Room B, 7PM TUESDAY Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM St. Nicholas Chorale, Small Hall, 7:15PM WEDNESDAY Charismatic Prayer Group, Room A, 9:45AM Religious Education for Elementary, Parish Center, 4:15PM St. Vincent de Paul, Room A, 6PM Knights of Columbus, Room 102, 6PM Devotions and Benediction, Church, 7PM Hispanic Choir, Room C, 7PM Filipino Choir, Small Hall, 7PM THURSDAY Faith Alive, Room A, 10AM Hispanic Council Meeting, Room C, 6:30PM RCIA, Room 201-Parish Center, 7PM St. Nicholas Choir, Small Hall, 7:15PM FRIDAY Beautiful Mercy Book Study, Room 201, 9:45AM Divine Mercy, St. Faustina Study, Room C, 1:45PM Spanish Bible Study, Small Hall, 7PM SATURDAY SRE-Confirmation Retreat, Rooms 201-204, 1PM Spanish Choir, Room C, 5PM SUNDAY Baptisms English, Church, 2PM Library is open! PARISH OFFICE STAFF Parish Liturgical Secretary: Cate Wolski Business Manager: Irma Contreras Receptionist/Records: Karen Falagrady Ministry to Sick & Homebound: Barbara Price Director, Youth Ministry: Gwen Wieser Director, Religious Education: Gwen Wieser SRE Secretary/Admin Assistant: Alfonso Lopez Music Ministry: Emett Loera Plant Supervisor: Steve Burton SCHOOL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: (949) 837-7676 VIETNAMESE MINISTRIES: (949) 837-1090, Ext. 116 Sr. Maria Loan Tran, LHC: (949) 837-1090, Ext 137 Join in celebrating the Jubilee Year of Mercy by reading and discussing Matthew Kelly s book, Beautiful Mercy. Meet with Mary Anderson and Beth Perak in Room 201; Fridays at 9:45am, thru November 4 th. Attend each week or when you are available. The books are a gift from the parish and will be distributed in the class. Join the group for prayer, discussion and refreshments!
School of Religious Education PARENTS: If you did not attend one of the two parent meetings last week, please call the SRE Office, 837-7676, to arrange a meeting so that you can pick up the necessary SRE Information that was given out at the meetings. ATTENTION PARENTS OF 1ST AND 2ND GRADE STUDENTS: Students must be brought to and picked up from the classroom! Elementary: Classes begin this week Sept. 18th from 4:15pm to 5:30pm. Junior High: Classes begin Tuesday, October 4th at 7:00pm in the Parish Center. Confirmation I and II: 1/2 day Retreat NEXT Saturday, September 24th, 1pm to 6pm (includes Mass/Dinner). Confirmation I: Classes begin Tuesday, October 4th at 7pm upstairs in the Parish Center. Confirmation II: Classes begin on Tuesday, October 11th at 7pm upstairs in the Parish Center. REMINDER to ALL STUDENTS registered in Confirmation I & II Classes: RETREAT NEXT SATURDAY, Sept. 24 1pm to 6pm. All students must attend this retreat. Meet upstairs in Rooms 201-204 at 1pm. The day will conclude with Mass and dinner immediately following in the Large Hall. Please call the SRE Office, 837-7676, so we can plan for the dinner. See you there!! As we prepare to begin this new catechetical school year, please pray for our students, catechists and volunteers. A SPECIAL NOTE that during the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday) from 3PM to 6PM, the driveway between the Rectory and the Parish Center will be blocked to cars to insure the safety of our students attending classes. Check us out on Facebook! Teen Family Mass - 4PM, Saturday, September 24, with dinner to follow! Future activities being planned: First Bible Study on Tuesday, October 4th from 6pm to 7pm. 1/2 day Mini-Retreat on Saturday, Sept 24, from 1 pm to 6pm. Kidsfest on Saturday, October 15 (Help to run games/activities). Help to serve Coffee & Donuts on the second Sunday of each month after the 9am and 10:45am Masses. First one is Sunday, Oct 9th, (9:30am to 12:30pm) Mater Dei High School Class of 1976/1977 Combined 40 Year Reunion! Saturday, October 8th 5:30pm Mass in the MD Chapel 6:30pm Reunion begins MDHS LeVecke Center For more information, visit materdei.org and select Alumni/Class Reunions, or call Joe Conway at 800-660-8141. OUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR OTHERS The Second Vatican Council has called us to envision the Church as the people of God. As a community of believers we are responsible for our brothers and sisters, their salvation, their journey of faith, their physical well-being. Many of the documents of Vatican II and volumes of work since the mid-1960s give us advice, guidelines, and encouragement to take care of one another: the poor, the elderly, the unborn, the broken, the infirm. Because Vatican II is part of our recent history indeed many of us were already born this may strike us as a new and revolutionary idea. But today s readings show us the agelessness of the issue of social justice. Eight hundred years before Christ was born, Amos warned the wealthy not to cheat the poor. In Paul s first letter to Timothy, he encourages all prayers to be for all people; and finally, the Gospel urges the wise use of money. Copyright J. S. Paluch Co.
Each month through November of 2016, we will feature a Corporal or Spiritual Work of Mercy on which to concentrate our efforts. For September Work of Mercy: Welcome the stranger. Ideas: 1. Sign up with the Hospitality Ministry to be greeters for weekend Masses. 2. Invite a new neighbor for coffee. 3. Offer your smile to other parishioners in Church. Scripture Readings: Romans 12:13 Share with those in need. Hebrews 13:2 Hospitality of strangers might be entertaining angels. Deuteronomy 10:19 You were strangers in the land of Egypt. THE SOUND OF (Sacred) MUSIC! Our 9AM Parish Choir and our 10:45AM Chorale are back in session! We extend a warm welcome back, to members of ALL our choirs. About 125 volunteers are committed to praising God in song here at St. Nicholas Parish! We are grateful to all of them. Here s some additional information regarding upcoming liturgical music presence at our liturgies. As usual, the TEEN/FAMILY Choir will provide contemporary music at the Saturday 4PM Mass on the last Saturday of the month, September through May. Beginning October 2nd, and every 1st Sunday thereafter, our 9AM Parish Choir will continue to honor Gregorian Chant by presenting the Missa de Angelis setting of the Mass Common, along with traditional choir anthems. And, on the 2nd Sunday of the month, the Holy Rosary Philippine Chamber Chorale will lead music at the 12:30PM Mass, beginning on October 9th. Liturgical music is a powerful tool of worship. At St. Nicholas, we are blessed to praise God with our very best, in word, and in SONG! Diocesan Ministries Celebration at Mater Dei High School Saturday, October 15 from 7AM 4:30PM Catechists, lay ministers, parish leaders, Catholic School Educators, and parishioners are welcome to attend the annual Diocesan Ministries Celebration at Mater Dei High School. This educational experience is open to all people interested in learning more about our faith. Workshops offered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese for adults. Registration: 7AM-8AM; Mass: 8:15AM; Keynote: 9:45AM For full workshop information: www.rcbo.org/ipm Keynote: Fr. Richard Fragomeni, S.T.B., Ph.D., Together We Journey, Together in Faith. Cost: $35 Group (15 or more) until Sept 19th. $50 Individual, call 714-282-3078, until Sept 19th $60 on-site registration on October 15th Desire of the Everlasting Hills Presentation at Santiago de Compostela Church, Lake Forest Saturday, October 1st at 7:00PM Parishioners are invited to a presentation of the documentary which tells the stories of three people with same-sex attraction who chose a life of chastity. There will be a Q&A session with Rilene Simpson, one of the people featured in this film. The title is part of the Litany of the Sacred Heart and comes from Jacob s blessing at the end of Genesis: The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers: Until the desire of the everlasting hills should come, may they be upon the head of Joseph and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren. There is NO CHARGE for this event but we do ask that you register. Online registration at: http://bit/ly/2bfz9j6 or RSVP to Esther Ramirez, eramirez@rcbo.org or call Esther at 714-282-6001. The Library Please note new hours: The library will be open every Sunday, 8:45am to 12:45pm and the last Wednesday of the month, 2pm to 4pm. We are located in Room C behind the Parish Office. Freebie cart with books, DVDs, Catholic items! Love and Protection of the Unborn The whole mission of the Catholic Church in the world the theme and purpose and vocation of every institution and every Catholic individual is LOVE. Why does the Church set up hospitals and adoption agencies and soup kitchens? Why have whole orders of nuns been founded to care for the elderly or the sick? Why did St. Damien offer to go to spend his last years serving in a leper colony in Hawaii? Why did St. Mother Teresa establish homes for men dying of AIDs? It s not for money. It s not for recognition. It s not a plan to increase our numbers and our social influence. It s not even because the Church is committed to taking care of her own. It matters not at all to any of these institutions or individuals whether the people they re serving are Catholic. They don t have to be Catholic. They can even be anti-catholic. We don t do it for ourselves; we do it for love. We do it because we understand that each and every person is made in the image and likeness of God. Each, no matter how small or weak or wounded or messed up is completely unique and infinitely precious. We understand that all human life including every child in the womb is a gift to be received, cherished, and served, not abused, not manipulated, not degraded, not destroyed.
The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship Part II (Summarized) Part II Making Moral Choices and Applying Our Principles Our Call as Catholic Citizens A summary of the US Bishops reflection, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, which complements the teaching of Bishops in Dioceses and States. How Does the Church Help the Catholic Faithful to Speak About Political and Social Questions? The church equips its members to address political questions by helping them develop well-formed consciences. Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act [Every person] is obliged to follow faithfully what he [or she] knows to be just and right (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1778). The Virtue of Prudence: The Church also encourages Catholics to develop the virtue of prudence, which enables us to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it (Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1806). Prudence must be accompanied by courage, which calls us to act. At times, Catholics may choose different ways to respond to social problems, but we cannot differ on our obligation to protect human life and dignity and help build, through moral means, a more just and peaceful world. Doing Good and Avoiding Evil: There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. These intrinsically evil acts must always be rejected and never supported. A preeminent example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion. Similarly, human cloning, destructive research on human embryos, and other acts that directly violate the sanctity and dignity of human life including genocide, torture, and the taking of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified. Nor can violations of human dignity, such as acts of racism, treating workers as mere means to an end, deliberately subjecting workers to subhuman living conditions, treating the poor as disposable, or redefining marriage to deny its essential meaning, ever be justified. Avoiding Two Temptations: Two temptations in public life can distort the Church s defense of human life and dignity: The first is a moral equivalence that makes no ethical distinctions between different kinds of issues involving human life and dignity. The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed. The second is the misuse of these necessary moral distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring other serious threats to human life and dignity. Racism and other unjust discrimination, the use of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war, environmental degradation, the use of torture, war crimes, the failure to respond to those who are suffering from hunger or a lack of health care or housing, pornography, human trafficking, redefining civil marriage, compromising religious liberty, or unjust immigration policies are all serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act. Making Moral Choices: The exercise of conscience begins with always opposing policies that violate human life or weaken its protection. As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter s support. Yet a candidate s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support. What Public Policies Should Concern Catholics Most? We focus more broadly on what protects or threatens the dignity of every human life. In light of ethical principles, we bishops offer the following policy goals that we hope will guide Catholics as they form their consciences and reflect on the moral dimensions of their public choices on: Human life end abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, the destruction of human embryos, the death penalty, war. Protect the fundamental understanding of marriage as the faithful union of one man and one woman; promote the complementarity of the sexes and reject false gender ideologies. Achieve comprehensive immigration reform that offers a path to citizenship, fair treatment of workers, maintains the integrity of our borders, respects the rule of law, prevents the separation of families, address factors that compel people to leave their own countries. Help families overcome hunger and poverty and ensure access to and choice in education. Ensure full conscience protection and religious freedom. Provide healthcare while respecting human life. Oppose policies that reflect unjust discrimination. Comply with moral limits on the use of military force with a special view to seeking a responsible/effective response for ending persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Join with others around the world to pursue peace, protect human rights and religious liberty, and advance economic justice and care for creation. USCCB website has full information: http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/index.cfm.