St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church 4595 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 P Phone: (707) 585-3708, FAX: (707) 585-1201, E-mail: stelizseton@sbcglobal.net Fourth Sunday of Easter April 22, 2018 Parish Staff Rev. Thomas K. Diaz, Pastor Joe Olsen, Deacon Phone: 536 7332 Liz Black, Office Manager Char Mayclin, Religious Education Robert Ito, Youth Ministry Stephanie Bodi, Parish Council President Mass Schedule Saturday 5 p.m. (vigil) Sunday: 8:30 & 10:30 a.m. Weekdays: Monday, Wednesday-Saturday 8:15 a.m. Tuesday 6:30 p.m. St. Elizabeth Seton Parish Mission Statement We, the people of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, as a community united in the spirit of Christ, are called to grow in our relationship with Him, to proclaim His Gospel and to serve the needs of others. We are striving to become a more worshipping, loving, welcoming, and serving faith community. Office Information: Hours: Tuesday-Friday 9-1:30 p.m. Website: www.st-elizabeth-seton.com Religious Education Office: (707) 585-8821 Youth Ministry Office: (707) 585-2905 Sacramental Preparation Baptism: 1-month notice for preparation class (on the last Sunday of the month at noon) before Infant Baptism. Please contact Deacon Joe. Reconciliation: After the Tues. evening Mass, after the Saturday morning Mass and by appt. Marriage: 6-month notice. Please contact Fr. Tom or Deacon Joe. Anointing of the Sick: Please contact Fr. Tom.
B Fourth Sunday of Easter April 22, 2018 Handles: In Sunday s Gospel Jesus makes a wonderful comparison, of the good shepherd to the mere hired hand. The good shepherd cares about the sheep. The hired one is mainly interested in getting paid. When wolves come, he simply runs away. To discern the difference, take a poetic example. First, imagine that there are handles on what you possess. Everything honors, assets, etc. everything has a handle that someone could grab in order to take it away from you. Looks, home, car, reputation, career, money saved up for the children s education, respect from others, pleasure, youth, you name it. What do you own that you could not lose? You grab your own handles and hold on tight. But an ominous power comes into play at this point. The forces of greed tell our hearts that everything in the whole world is there just to be grabbed for oneself and kept. Greed is a virtue, these forces say, in fact it is the only virtue. The mess of the world situation in this second decade of the 21st century does seem to prove that. It is the hired hand s way of life. But there is an alternate way. It has to do with love, the kind of love that the good shepherd shows us. Its motto is this: The real value in life is to receive and give, not to grab and possess. All that you have and all that you are is a gift from the good God. If you open your hands, so to speak, you will let God pour into them whatever you really need! And keeping them open lets you can easily release your gifts and let them pass on to others in need. Two ways of life: Grab and Keep on one side. Receive and Let Go on the other. Hired Hand versus Good Shepherd. There comes an epic battle between these two ways of life. It is waged on the cross. Evil seizes and tears away from Jesus everything with handles on it friends, followers, career, respect, relation to God, comfort, slaking of thirst, breath, life itself. Evil wins. It takes everything. Yet there is a fatal flaw in the grab-and-keep philosophy. It thinks that nothing at all exists without a handle on it. So we ask, what about love? Love lets go, receives humbly, gives humbly. There is nothing to grab about real love, nothing by way of a handle. Since the devil only sees grabbing and selfishness, to him love must be just another form of selfinterest! So the he burrows down to the innermost sanctum of Jesus soul on the cross, greedy to seize the ultimate prize itself, the power of God. Ravenous for it, salivating, unable to hold back, he throws open the tabernacle doors of Jesus soul! And he finds that the sacred space is empty, completely empty. Oh, something is present there, but it has no handles. The quiet stillness receiving gratefully and lightly letting go these are surely there, but the devil cannot see them. So he goes on his way, confident that everything is now his. But it isn't. Love wins because it has already given everything away. This is why the Good Shepherd can lay down his life for the sheep. This is why the Father loves him. And us if we follow. John Foley, SJ Question: Jesus said, I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. Jesus is applying the love between himself and his Father to the relation between himself and his own. What does this tell you about how well you are known and how much you are loved? Today s Readings Reading I: Acts 4:8-12 Reading II: 1 John 3:1-2 Gospel: John 10:11-18 Mass and Intention Schedule Sat. Apr., 21 5:00 pm +Steven Undorte Sun. Apr., 22 8:30 am +Wanda Godsey 10:30 am For the People Mon. Apr., 23 8:15 am +Benjamin Zamora Tue. Apr., 24 6:30 pm + Greg Gollan Wed. Apr., 25 8:15 am + Gilda Guillory Thur. Apr., 26 8:15 am +Angelina Nambayan Fri. Apr., 27 8:15 am Int. Greg Gollan Sat. Apr., 28 8:15 am +Gilda Guillory 5:00 pm +Steven Undorte Sun. Apr., 29 8:30 am For the People 10:30 am +Gilda Guillory Stewardship: Plate - $3,560.00, Catholic Home Mission $1,077.00. Thank you!
Next Sunday we have the 2 nd Collection for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This collection is always on the 5 th Sunday of the month. Parish Events We congratulate and pray for our children who made their First Communion on Saturday: Caitlyn Vella, Evie Levindofske, Elisabeth Jensen, Hailey Sotelo, Hazel Ito, Hope Ehmantraut, Micheal Gomez, Rigo Gamino, Tyler Sanderson, Wiliam Engh, Kaleb Cook, Adanny Zuniga, Isabel Green, Mariah Green, Jaslene Lopez, Jorge Alcazar, Lorelai Matzen, Milagros Thomas, Kailey Turner, Curtis Steiner. Society of St. Vincent DePaul St. Elizabeth Seton Conference The members of this parish s Society of St. Vincent DePau l(svdp) sincerely Thank You for your generosity during the 5 th Sunday collections. Your generosity helps replenish this Conference s resources to help those who come to us daily with request for food. There is an ongoing need for volunteers in this parish s Conference and SVdP District Thrift Store in Rohnert Park and in the SVdP dining room in Santa Rosa. The store is located: 5671 Redwood Drive, Rohnert Park. It is open 7 days a week, 9am to 7pm. Phone 707-584-1579. Laure Smith - Co-President of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish Conference, thanks you for your support. St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church is sponsoring a Casino Night, proceeds to go the our Cub Scout Pack. Catered Dinner/Dancing/Casino Tables and Silent Auction Saturday, April 28, 2018 from 6-10 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and on sale in the church office and after the weekend masses in the vestibule. May our sponsorship of our Cub Pack be successful. Housekeeping When using the parish hall be sure the you are putting your recyclables in the Blue Cans and tear-down all boxes, do not put styrofoam in the blue cans, it is not recyclable. Put it into the trash bin. Thank you. Parish Calendar Wed., Apr. 25 12:00am Parish Potluck- Wed., Apr. 25 7:00pm Adult Faith Formation What do we offer the newly initiated as a parish. Sat, Apr., 28 6-10pm Casino Night Sun. April 29 10:30am Mass with Blessing of couples Looking Ahead Tues., May 1, 7:00 pm Confirmation With Bishop Vasa Marriage Anniversaries for April 50 yrs. Joe & Linda Remley, Grasiano & Tomasa Aguayo, Eugen & Lina Buvelot. 40 yrs. David & Remie Alinas, Jim & Diane Ruzicka, Bob & Diane Colbrook, Bill & Olga Scott, John & Gayle Calhoun, John & Susan Buhagiar. 30 yrs. Jerry & Catherine Griffin/Crotty, Bob & Teresa Mellon, Richard & Therese Filippo, Mike & Pamela Burgess, Mitchell & Michelle Campagna, Bob & Rose Cook. 20 yrs. Andy & Kim Anselmi, Jon & Beth Damron, Matthew & Kelly Kenneally, David & Tiffany Ehrmantraut, Rob & Shannon Hawkins. 10 yrs. Stephane & Crystal Roche, Raymond & Janis Cummings, Louie & Jennifer Borges, Robert & Stacy Ito. 5 yrs. William & Marie McCrossen. Events Outside the Parish Hospice Services-St. Joseph Health.Learn to recognize the issues that may surface in the struggle to accept aging. Learning to Love Aging presented by Kay Mehl Miller Ph.D. will be held at Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran Street, Petaluma, on May 9, 2018 from 5:30-7:30pm. Memorial Hospice, 439 College Ave., Santa Rosa, May 16, 2018, 5:30-7:30pm. Contacts: Petaluma Hospice: 778-6242; and Memorial Hospice: 568-1094. www.sonomacountyhospice.org. No reservations required. Catholic Charities - Job announcement: Senior Director of Administration. The Senior Director for Administration provides strategic financial leadership and continuous improvement of the agency s financial position and is responsible for the management and direction of the Human Resources Department. Visit the website www.srcharities.org/about/careers for an application and additional information. St. Vincent de Paul Elementary School News Come and learn about our dynamic, faith-filled, and safe environment for your children. We are now very busy with new registrations for Kindergarten and transter students. Call to schedule a tour or shadow day before the summer break! 130 years of Faith, Academics & Service in Petaluma. www.svelem.org. Phone # 762-6426 Humor: Little Johnny and His family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother s house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he stared earing right away. Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer, said his mom. I don t need to,
the boy replied. Of course, you do, his mother insisted. We always say a prayer before eating at our house. That s at our house. Johnny explained. But this is Grandma s house and she knows how to cook. Pastor s Corner Parish Ministries. Last week we had information about the importance of Welcoming and Greeting people at mass. This is something most of us can do to assist the parish as we do our Church Chores. Please sign-up after mass. There will be a short meeting on responsibilities in the near future. This week we have information about lecturing at mass. This ministry is a little different in that not everyone likes to get up and read in front of people. But remember that in ministering to people all ministries are the same in that we do it for God. Ministry of Lector This lay ministry is held in high esteem by the Church. Since Vatican II the Church has allowed lay men and women to proclaim God s Word. Today in our parish one must have received Confirmation to be a lector but there can be times when one who is not Confirmed can lector. Am I worthy to be a lector at Mass? No, and yes. The Word of God is Jesus Christ and none of us are truly worthy to have the word of God on our lips. As the priest prays privately before proclaiming the Gospel: Lord may Your Word be on my heart and on my lips that I may worthily proclaim Your Holy Gospel. All of us who proclaim the scriptures should make this prayer our own. Our church strongly encourages us to break open the Scriptures for ourselves, to read it on our own and study it. Leading a congregation in this task publicly is a great responsibility. How can I best prepare to read at mass? Practice! Practice! Practice! You should NEVER get up in front of people to read something you haven t practiced reading beforehand. A lector does more than read the scriptures to the people, The lector proclaims the scriptures to the people. That is why we will be providing a few meetings with those who want to be lectors. Read over the readings to yourself and out loud. If there is a word you re not sure how to pronounce, look it up online or ask the celebrant before mass begins. It is also important to understand the basic meaning of the passages you will be reading. There is a lector book available for lectors in the parish. Think about it and we will have sign-ups next week. Next Sunday. Next week we will talk about bringing Holy Communion to the sick and to shutins. By the way there will be a meeting for those interested in this ministry on May 5 th at 10 am in the Quiet room in the church with a continental breakfast. I had put a wrong date in the bulletin last week Bishop Vasa makes his visit to the parish next Tuesday, May 1 st to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. All are invited to come. It is a good gesture to see our shepherd of our diocese and welcome him. I will be going on a Pilgrimage in May to the Holy Land. I will put out my schedule of masses and where they will be. I will offer my intentions up for your personal needs. So next week take a sheet and fill it out with one intention and the place you want me to offer the mass for your intentions. I thank those who have given to the Annual Ministry Appeal. Please make it a prayer by praying first in what you can give, so it does not become a business transaction. Giving should be a prayer more than anything else. It would be nice to see more than 15% of the parish involved. The AMA envelopes are in the church vestibule on top of the missalette shelves. Please come to the hall on Wednesday for our monthly parish potluck at noon. Bring something if you can to share! So far 164 people have re-registered or registered with the postcards. We sent out over 600 envelopes to families in our mailing at Easter. By registering again you have one of five chances to win $100. By being registered you do get perks. If you do not register again you will be taken off the mailing list and that will be your choice. Pope Francis During a brief day-trip to two small Italian cities, Pope Francis stressed the centrality of the Eucharist to the life and actions of the Church, saying without Christ's love and self-sacrifice, everything would be done in vanity, since everything Jesus did was for others. The Eucharist is not a beautiful rite, but it is the most intimate, the most concrete, the most surprising communion that one can imagine with God: a communion of love so real that it takes on the form of eating, the pope said April 20. The Christian life begins again at each Mass, where God satiates us with love. Without him, the bread of life, every effort of the Church is vain. Works of charity are not enough, unless those works are done with charity. If love is lacking in those who do the works, if the source is lacking, if the point of departure is lacking, which is the Eucharist, then every pastoral commitment is merely a whirlwind of things, rather than an act of service. Pope Francis said whoever receives the Eucharist takes on the face and mentality of the Lord, who is the bread that was broken for us. And this bread, he said, does not rise with pride, but is given to others.
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