Church of the Transfiguration 4000 E. Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, CA 94552-4908

(510) 538-7941 Fax (510) 538-7983 E-mail: transfig_office@sbcglobal.net Website: www.transfigchurch.com March 22, 2020

Rev. Mario L. Borges, Pastor ● Rev. Terence O’Malley, Parochial Administrator Deacon Martin J. Leach ● Deacon John A. Mignano ● Deacon Timothy L. Moore ● Deacon Burton J. Rigley

LITURGICAL MINISTRY: Eucharistic Ministers, Elmer & Puri Serrano Email: eserrano76@gmail.com Lectors, Barbara Mehan Altar Servers, Clarence Decano

FINANCE COUNCIL: Chairman, Mark Zaleski

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS: Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), 60 Plus or Minus Club, Cursillo Group

SAINT VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY: Call (510) 274-0830 for assistance. Call Mike Dresen (510) 813-6854 for more information about this ministry.

SICK & HOMEBOUND MINISTRY: Mary Kay Kelder, (510) 582-7253

WINGS “Women in God’s Spirit”: Peggy Maurer, (510) 538-5671

HALL RENTAL MANAGER: Monica Corona, 510-239-7941

YOUTH MINISTRY: Alfonso Corona III transfig.oasis@gmail.com

PARISH OFFICE: Phone: (510) 538-7941 Fax: (510) 538-7983 Hours: 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday (Closed between 12:00 & 1:00 p.m.) Friday, 9:00a.m. — 12:00 Noon - Saturday & Sunday—Closed Secretary, Elmer Serrano Secretary/Bookkeeper, Phyllis Moore

SCHEDULE OF MASSES Saturdays 4:00 p.m. Sundays 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. (Except First Fridays - 9:30 a.m.) Communion Service - Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. CONFESSIONS Saturdays 3:00-3:45 p.m. BAPTISMS: Pre-baptismal class is required. Class is held the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Rectory. Please call the Parish Office, (510) 538-7941, to register. MATRIMONY: Six months advance notice required. Please call the parish office. WEDDING COORDINATOR: Mel Speed (510) 909-9334 or melspeed@live.com FUNERALS: Please contact the funeral home of your choice and then the parish office. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Director, Patrice Ballinger (510) 537-1502 or TransfigCCD@aol.com RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Please call the parish office. MUSIC MINISTRY: Director, Alexander Katsman (510) 538-7941, Ext. 302 or Transfig_Music@sbcglobal.net

Mission Statement: “Transfiguring Our Community Through Faith”

Mass Intentions (Mar 21—Mar 28 2020) Sat. 4:00 p.m. Mae Menolascino Sun. 7:30 a.m. For the People 9:00 a.m. Benedict Patrao 11:00 a.m. Augusto Jardin Mon. 8:00 a.m. William & Genevieve Sheehan Tues. 8:00 a.m. Mary Mendenhall Wed. 8:00 a.m. Pete Kraus & Ralph Cortada Thurs. 8:00 a.m. Jack Brannon & Chuck Sohner Fri. 8:00 a.m. Renna Molinari Sat. 4:00 p.m. Maria Addiego

Stewardship Corner The collection total for the weekend of : Mar 14th & Mar 15th — $4,527.00 (compared to $12,000 average weekly stewardship goal)

Thank you for continuing in your stewardship role of providing for the upkeep of our parish community.

Transfiguration Catholic Church

Due to the Coronavirus “shelter-in-place” mandated by our civil authorities, the Parish Office have cancelled ALL Masses until further notice. Thank you.

Adult Bible Study Bible Study meetings are suspended until further notice due to the coronavirus group gathering resttrictions.

Thank you for advertising in our bulletin. We appreciate your support!

We invite all women to join us for WINGS (Women in God's Spirit)

WINGS is a faith enhancement group that encourages spiritual growth through prayer,

scripture study, Catechesis, life sharing and community.

Future meetings are suspended until further notice

due to the coronavirus group gathering re-strictions.

Catholic Relief Services Collection March 22, 2020

Funds from this collection help provide food for the hun-gry and support to displaced families around the world.

Dear Parishioner, As our Lenten Journey has passed the halfway point, we at our Parish pray that the Lord may continue to open our eyes to what we need to see, to heal us of our blind spots and to acknowledge the sins we overlook. May we look at each other as we gather each Sunday the way God looks at each of us — with love and mercy, because God desires more for us than we could ever imagine. May the grace each time we gather here at Transfiguration for the Eucharist transform us to lead lives pleasing to the Lord, producing every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Blessings,

Fr. Mario L. Borges Pastor

Fourth Sunday of Lent March 22, 2020

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

— Psalm 23:1

Charity If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with you can accomplish what you desires. —St. Vincent Ferrer

Sixty Plus Or Minus Club There will be no meeting on the First Friday of the month, April 3, 2020.

St. Patrick’s Dinner Andrea Sullivan will be bringing the checks and cash for the St. Patrick’s Dinner, which was cancelled, to the Rec-tory to be returned to patrons. Please come to the Rectory to claim your refund. Thank you for your support!

FILL US Open wide the windows of our spirits and fill us full of light; open wide the door of our hearts, that we may receive and entertain Thee with all our powers of adoration. —Christina Rossetti

Remember Transfiguration in your Will and Living Trust.

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a

Second Reading: Ephesians 5:8-14 Psalm: 23—Gospel: John 9:1-41 (1, 6-9,

13-17, 34-38) The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, Interna-tional Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Is 65:17-21; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-13b; Jn 4:43-54 Tuesday: Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9; Jn 5:1-16 Wednesday: Is 7:10-14, 8:10; Ps 40:7-11; Heb 10:4-10; Lk 1:26-38 Thursday: Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106:19-23; Jn 5:31-47 Friday: Wis 2:1a, 12-22; Ps 34:17-21, 23; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 Saturday: Jer 11:18-20; Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-12; Jn 7:40-53 Sunday: Ez 37:12-14; Ps 130:1-8; Rom 8:8-11; Jn 11:1-45 [3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45] SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fourth Sunday of Lent Monday: St. Turibius of Mogrovejo Tuesday: World Day for Truth Concerning Human Rights Violations Wednesday: The Annunciation of the Lord Friday: Abstinence

Should you prefer to receive the Sunday Bulletin elec-tronically, please sign up individually through the follow-ing link: https://ebulletin.jspaluch.com. Thank you.

Fr. Terry’s Remarks: This week we digress. For weeks now Pope Francis has been showing us with multiple scenarios, how intimately involved and intercon-nected we are with our Environment. Then as it were, out of the blue; comes our present Crises. Covid-19 both blindingly drives home our connectedness and at the same time is teaching us that we can change. We can adapt, we can learn, lo and behold we can even make sacrifices and it is hard work. I know that our panic rush on the store shelves may not be convincing evidence of our sacrificial instincts but sure, there will be hiccups along the way. About a year ago on the other side of the Globe, a brother or sister made contact with a bat. Within 12 months the lives of everyone of us has been affected mentally, socially, physically and every other ally we can numer-ate. Now we are beginning to accept how interrelated we all are. We are our brothers' keeper, we are our sisters' keeper, we are our bees' keeper, we are Mother Nature's keeper, we are God's keeper. We really do belong to each other. Over the weeks when I have been writing to you re Laud-ato Si.. I kept thinking. ''Even if people accept how inti-mately related the whole of Creation is, how can we per-suade people to change their way of life?'' There are many of us who accept the interconnectivity of all crea-tion but it is more an intellectual than an everyday opera-tional factor in our lives and anyway what difference can I make! Well, the person who made contact with the bat in Wuhan last year has and is making a big impact on all our lives. Ask our President how it has impacted his life. But the bright side of the present disaster is that people can and will change if necessary. The present crises is a trial run for what lies ahead of us and the initial signs are promising, so, let us thank God. How are all of you feeling and doing? You are, every-one of you in our thoughts and prayers, This is a wonder-ful opportunity for everyone of us to show our worth. This is a time for us be friendly with our neighbors, to graciously allow them to befriend and help us and if you can, you will also be Jesus to them. We were at a loss to decide what we should do for Lent, here it is on a very large platter, so let us share it with love and grace. If this is the moment for you and me to test our faith, to truly show our faith in Jesus and see how sincere all those prayers that trip so readily off our lips are. This is OUR MOMENT. Every one of you, my beloved hermits, are truly full of wonderful emotions and fears, let us free them to raise up and give joy and courage to everyone around us. Let's keep in touch. Fr Terry

LIGHT “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Ephesians 5:14). We are at the midpoint of our Lenten journey of conver-sion. As always, God never gives up on us, especially those who have “fallen asleep” along the road to con-version. The most powerful stories of conversion are proclaimed during these final weeks of Lent. They have the power to shake us out of our sleep. Today’s Gospel story of the healing of the man born blind ex-poses the real blindness in the time of Christ—the blindness of the self-righteous religious leaders. In a few weeks, at the Easter Vigil, the Church will pro-claim “Christ our Light” as the paschal candle is car-ried into darkened churches throughout the world. May the darkness of sin that still pervades our lives, communities, and world, be dispelled by the Christ who comes to bring sight to the blind and light to the world. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.