Ask the Pastor It is possible that one grew up Catholic and never questioned one’s faith; that is a special grace. But more than likely questions have popped up in your heads as you grow into adulthood. Or maybe the challenges you confront in your work places, or in your interactions with friends, neighbors, people of other faiths or life styles make you question your faith. It could be that it is no longer cool to be Catholic! Perhaps, the scandals that have rocked the Church has distraught you! Again, do discussions with others make you feel the need to know more about your faith? What is the mean- ing devotion to the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary? Why do we keep statues in the church? Isn’t the Rosary very repetitive and boring? Well, these and many other questions may be deep in your hearts and minds. Here is a forum for you to lis- ten, share and discuss and enjoy the ever freshness of an ancient faith, ever alive, ever new. Write your ques- tion down on a slip of paper and put it in the box in the back of the church, next to the Parish Registration Forms. As the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ [Word made flesh] is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) Lenten Spiritual Book Club I like to thank everyone who is part of the Book Club. The reading, the discussion and the sharing of insights have personally helped me to grow in my spiritual life. Without the Book club, probably, I would not have read so many wonderful spiritual classics! Thank you. We will be reading THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES of Saint Ignatius of Loyola during Lent. The Spiritual Exer- cises was written more than 400 hundred years ago. It has inspired millions of people over the centuries and it continues to do so in our own times. Lent is a good op- portunity to read the work of a great saint translated from the original Spanish into English by Rev. Louis J. Puhl S.J. There is no denying the fact that it is a remark- able spiritual tool developed by Saint Ignatius primarily by reflecting on his own spiritual journey. Passion Play and Pilgrimage Currently we have twenty-Four people signed up for our pilgrimage in August. We have room for six more if any one wishes to join. The pilgrimage would start with a visit to Oberammer- gau and the Passion Play. Passion plays were very common in Europe during the middle ages. In modern times the performance in Oberammergau is the most famous one and it is staged once in ten years. So, it is a rare chance to witness this mammoth production which involves an entire village. From there we will visit the infant Jesus of Prague, Vienna and Pilgrimage places in Poland. In Poland, vis- its will be mostly in locations connected with Saint John Paul II and Saint Faustina. Kindly pray that everything goes well and people re- turn from the pilgrimage strengthened in faith and love for God and fellow pilgrims. Our Christian life is a pil- grimage, a journey of faith to our eternal home in heaven. May we help all our fellow travelers to reach the destination. Father Augustine Oakland, California • The Baptism of the Lord• January 12th, 2020 Saint Augustine Catholic Church 400 Alcatraz Ave Oakland, CA 94609 • www.staugustineoakland.com • Weekend Mass schedule • Saturday Vigil: 5 p.m. Sunday Eucharist: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m. • Weekday Eucharist • Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 8:30 a.m. Communion Service: Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. • Sacrament of Reconciliation • Saturday 4 p.m. Also upon request “ We are called by Christ to love Him, to follow Him and to bring Him to the world.” Parish News and Notes
Transcript
Ask the Pastor
It is possible that one grew up Catholic and never
questioned one’s faith; that is a special grace. But more
than likely questions have popped up in your heads as
you grow into adulthood. Or maybe the challenges you
confront in your work places, or in your interactions with
friends, neighbors, people of other faiths or life styles
make you question your faith. It could be that it is no
longer cool to be Catholic! Perhaps, the scandals that
have rocked the Church has distraught you!
Again, do discussions with others make you feel the
need to know more about your faith? What is the mean-
ing devotion to the saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Why do we keep statues in the church? Isn’t the Rosary
very repetitive and boring?
Well, these and many other questions may be deep
in your hearts and minds. Here is a forum for you to lis-
ten, share and discuss and enjoy the ever freshness of
an ancient faith, ever alive, ever new. Write your ques-
tion down on a slip of paper and put it in the box in the
back of the church, next to the Parish Registration
Forms. As the Letter to the Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ
[Word made flesh] is the same yesterday and today and
forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Lenten Spiritual Book Club
I like to thank everyone who is part of the Book Club.
The reading, the discussion and the sharing of insights
have personally helped me to grow in my spiritual life.
Without the Book club, probably, I would not have read
so many wonderful spiritual classics! Thank you.
We will be reading THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES of
Saint Ignatius of Loyola during Lent. The Spiritual Exer-
cises was written more than 400 hundred years ago. It
has inspired millions of people over the centuries and it
continues to do so in our own times. Lent is a good op-
portunity to read the work of a great saint translated
from the original Spanish into English by Rev. Louis J.
Puhl S.J. There is no denying the fact that it is a remark-
able spiritual tool developed by Saint Ignatius primarily
by reflecting on his own spiritual journey.
Passion Play and Pilgrimage
Currently we have twenty-Four people signed up for our
pilgrimage in August. We have room for six more if any
one wishes to join.
The pilgrimage would start with a visit to Oberammer-
gau and the Passion Play. Passion plays were very
common in Europe during the middle ages. In modern
times the performance in Oberammergau is the most
famous one and it is staged once in ten years. So, it is a
rare chance to witness this mammoth production which
involves an entire village.
From there we will visit the infant Jesus of Prague,
Vienna and Pilgrimage places in Poland. In Poland, vis-
its will be mostly in locations connected with Saint John
Paul II and Saint Faustina.
Kindly pray that everything goes well and people re-
turn from the pilgrimage strengthened in faith and love
for God and fellow pilgrims. Our Christian life is a pil-
grimage, a journey of faith to our eternal home in
heaven. May we help all our fellow travelers to reach the
Welcome If you recently moved into the neighborhood and have been at-
tending our parish, we would love to invite you to pick up a registration form located on the table in the back of the church next to the hospi-tality table. You may drop it off in the collection basket at your con-venience.
Prayer Tree Please join members of the Prayer Tree to pray “Rosary for Peace”
every Sunday at 9:10 AM. Young Adults Group Monday, January 13th, the Young Adult Group will meet at AMC
Emeryville to attend the 7:20 pm showing of Just Mercy. Email Tricia Bennett ([email protected]) for more information on at-tending the film. Monday, January 20th, YAG will return to regular time and place for meeting (7:30 pm, at the hospitality area of the church).
Music Classes Our Music Director, April McNeely is offering music classes on how
to read music. They are held on Wednesday nights from 6 pm to 7 pm in the church.
Group Guitar Classes April will resume teaching her Saturday guitar classes in January. If
you are interested, but do not have a guitar, contact April. Rosary Repairs Is your rosary sitting in a drawer, broken and need of repair? Con-
tact Suzy Arnhart before or after the 10:30 am Mass, and she will gladly repair it free of charge.
Weekly Offering
January 5th Collection: $3,004.50 (Includes EFT) January 1st (Mary, Mother of God) Collection: $2,029.00 St. Vincent de Paul: of Alameda County invites you to consider
one of many volunteer opportunities available. Please visit there web-site at Svdp-alameda.org or call (510) 638-7600, for more information.
Perpetual Candles If you would like to purchase a Perpetual candle, please contact
Linda in the rectory office. The candles will be lit for one year in honor of your loved ones and are located in the Bishop John Cummins De-votional Chapel in the front of the church.
St. Augustine Catholic Church The Baptism of the Lord January 12th 2020
FROM THE DESK OF THE FAITH FORMATION COORDINATOR-
I’M A RETURNING CATHOLIC – I HAVE QUESTIONS If you are interested in re-turning to the Catholic Church, we are waiting to listen to your story and answer your questions. Please give us a call or email and let’s begin the journey of wel-coming you home. Contact Rebecca: [email protected] or Jay Mitchell: [email protected].
St. Augustine’s Catholic Church has an open door for Returning Cathlics We welcome you!
FAMILY FAITH FORMATION: All families with children between the ages of 5 to 12 are encouraged to participate in Faith Formation. Classes are held on Sunday morning, from 9:10 am to 10:10 am. Please contact the Parish office for more information.
RCIA - Sun 12:00 Noon & Wed 6:30 pm : Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process in which adults become full, participating members of the Catholic Church. Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation. Interested? If so, please e-mail us at: [email protected] letting us know you are. Either Jay Mitchell or I will get contact you as soon possible.
*********************************************************** Catholic Social Justice is not a theory or an intellectual exercise, but rather
how people of faith are called to live the Gospel in a broken and suffering world. Catholic Social Justice is grounded in:
Scripture -- Catholic Social Justice is grounded in scripture—in the wisdom of the Hebrew prophets and in the person and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth. As two of NETWORK’s former executive directors, Sister Carol Coston, OP and Sister Nancy Sylvester, IHM, have noted, the message of the Hebrew prophets was two-fold: to denounce injustice and to announce a new way of being in the world. In the New Testament, when Jesus says “The Spirit of God has anointed me to pro-claim liberty to captives” he identifies himself with this prophetic tradition (Luke 4:18). Likewise, as people of faith, we are called to denounce injustices when we see them and announce new, just ways of living together in community.
Catholic Social Teaching -- In addition to being grounded in scripture, Catho-
lic Social Justice is shaped by Catholic Social Teaching, the official instruction on social issues from the Pope or Catholic Bishops. In Gaudium et Spes (1965), the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World which emerged from the Second Vatican Council, we were called to address global poverty and ine-quality, saying it is Christians’ responsibility to “scrutinize the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel” (4). This instruction to face the pre-sent situation with courage in order to fight and overcome injustices emphasizes the enduring teachings of the Church throughout the ages. More recently, Pope Francis has breathed fresh life into these teachings by challenging the world to convert from a “throwaway culture” to an economy of inclusion. Lay persons also, like Dorothy Day and Cesar Chavez, show us how people of faith can work to cre-ate a just, more peaceful society.
Lived Realities -- Pope Francis said in Evangelii Gaudium, “realities are more
important than ideas” (2013). Catholic Social Justice is informed by the prophetic challenge offered by the experience of those suffering from injustice: women, communities of color, the economically exploited, and all whose dignity is denied
by unjust systems and structures. Catholic Social Justice witnesses the realities in which people are living and listens to their cries.
WEEKLY CALENDAR: Mon: January 13th 8:30am Holy Mass 7:30pm Young Adults Tuesday: January 14th 8:30am Holy Mass Wed: January 15th 8:30am Holy Mass 6:30pm RCIA Thurs: January 16th 8:30am Holy Mass Fri: January 17th 8:30am Holy Mass Sat: January 18th 4:00pm Reconciliation 5:00pm Vigil Mass Sun: January 19th 8:00am Holy Mass 9:10am Faith Formation 10:30am Holy Mass 12:00Noon RCIA 6:00pm Holy Mass IN OUR PRAYERS
Please remember in your prayers those who are ill: Sabina Caybut, Ray Zielezienski., Sean DeLargy, Roger Arnhart, Mary Lanigan.
And those who have died: Anita Eblé, Del Lennon, John Meadows. Doris Habiger, Ursula Masquelier, Joyce McClendon, Dorothy Woods, Loraine Moran.
MASS INTENTIONS
Sunday, Jan. 12th, 2020, 8 am Mass Parishioners and Benefactors
Sunday, Jan. 12th, 2020, 10:30 am Mass
Suzy Arnhart (-)
Sunday, January 12th, 6 pm Mass Julia Custodio (-)
St. Augustine Catholic Church The Baptism of the Lord January 12th, 2020
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
For Adults: Do you think God was well pleased with your actions in recent weeks? Why? For Children: What good thing could you do this week that would be pleasing to God?
3
FROM THE DESK OF THE FAITH FORMATION COORDINATOR
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH SECOND EDITION (excerpts)
PART ONE - THE PROFESSION OF FAITH -- SECTION ONE - "I BELIEVE" - "WE BELIEVE" 26 We begin our profession of faith by saying: "I believe" or "We believe". Before expounding the
Church's faith, as confessed in the Creed, celebrated in the liturgy and lived in observance of God's com-mandments and in prayer, we must first ask what "to believe" means. Faith is man's response to God, who reveals himself and gives himself to man, at the same time bringing man a superabundant light as he searches for the ultimate meaning of his life. Thus we shall consider first that search (Chapter One), then the divine Revelation by which God comes to meet man (Chapter Two), and finally the response of faith (Chapter Three).
CHAPTER ONE - MAN'S CAPACITY FOR GOD -- III. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH
36 "Our holy mother, the Church, holds and teaches that God, the first principle and last end of all
things, can be known with certainty from the created world by the natural light of human reason."11 Without this capacity, man would not be able to welcome God's revelation. Man has this capacity be-cause he is created "in the image of God".
37 In the historical conditions in which he finds himself, however, man experiences many difficulties in coming to know God by the light of reason alone:
Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of
attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and con-trols the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily per-suade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful.
38 This is why man stands in need of being enlightened by God's revelation, not only about those
things that exceed his understanding, but also "about those religious and moral truths which of them-selves are not beyond the grasp of human reason, so that even in the present condition of the human race, they can be known by all men with ease, with firm certainty and with no admixture of error".
