Lent

Dear Friends in Christ,

Lent, the season of God’s mercy, has begun. It is a season of opportunity and renewal. We join our brothers and sisters in faith as we accompany Jesus along the way that leads to Calvary. However, we are hopeful because the Lord has already walked this road and encourages us to follow, bearing the sufferings and looking always to the goal of rising with Him at Easter.

Catholics in today’s world must be counter-cultural. We live in this world, but the Lord challenges us not to accept the values of this world. Every Sunday we hear His Word and listen to His teaching us through the liturgy. This Word of His is a gift to us. “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world” (Jn. 17: 14). The gift of the Word is very precious because His Word is life for us. When we listen to Him and follow his way we may find that we must avoid certain ways of living that the world promotes. This is conversion and Lent is about conversion. Conversion begins with small steps that lead to a stronger relationship with Jesus.

Just a few days ago we celebrated the 3rd anniversary of the dedication of our renovated church. At the time of the renovation we noticed how much more beautiful our church had become. It inspires us to lift up our hearts and thoughts in prayer. When we come to church for Mass or for a visit, we are coming to the Lord’s house. The way we act and the way we dress make a difference not only in our own disposition but it also has an affect on others who see us.

The way we dress is an expression of who we are. We communicate to others something about ourselves by our dress. The fashion industry and advertising often dictates to us by pressuring us into specific styles of dress even without our realizing it. Today styles of dress can really compromise our natural sense of modesty, but we fail to recognize it because we have been conditioned to accept what the major clothes companies advertise. I have noticed at weddings
that men dress very formally with coats and ties, while women dress according to fashions that show little or no respect for women. These distracting styles can also be seen in church at Sunday Mass.

This Lent we should examine our attitude toward dress and reflect about our Christian calling to give good example by the way we dress. Modesty is a Christian virtue that guards our purity of heart. Simple and good clothing does not have to be expensive. We can find quality clothing that is modest and still very good looking. Lent is about turning away from sin and being more faithful to the Gospel message. We can begin an interior change by improving the unspoken message we give by our attire.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Lenten Regulations of Fast and Abstinence

Dear Friends in Christ,

As we enter the holy season of Lent, I would like to call your attention to the spirit of this time by reviewing our Church’s regulations and offering some other suggestions for your practice during these 40 Days.

By Divine Law the faithful are bound to do penance. The example of Jesus Himself is the source of the Church’s laws on this subject. Therefore, the Church requires of her members that some form of penance by those 14 years of age and older is to be observed on all Fridays throughout the year. This obligation is in itself a serious one.

Lenten Regulations of Fast and Abstinence

1. Everyone 14 years of age and older is bound to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent. If for some serious reason a person must eat meat on a Friday in Lent, some other form of self-sacrifice should be performed.
2. Everyone who is at least 18 years of age and not yet 60 is bound also to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
a. On these two days of fast only one full meal is allowed. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals on these days is not permitted, but liquids are allowed.
b. Where health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige.
Other Lenten Observances

3. In order that our love for Christ and identification with Him may be deepened, all Catholics during the period of Lent are encouraged to participate at daily Mass and to receive Holy Communion often; to participate in the devotional life of the Church; to give generously to religious and charitable works; to assist the sick, the aged and the poor; to practice voluntary fast, penance and self-denial, especially regarding alcoholic drink and social entertainment; and to pray more fervently, particularly for the intentions of the Holy Father.
4. Lent is an admirable time to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation or confession, especially in the setting of a communal Penance Service. In this way the social and ecclesial aspects of sin and reconciliation may be underscored.
5. Ash Wednesday falls this year on February 25. Easter Sunday is on April 12 and the Easter Season concludes on the Feast of Pentecost, May 31. Catholics are bound to receive Holy Communion at least once a year, especially within the Easter Season, unless for good reason the precept is fulfilled at some other time.
6. The Way of the Cross and other prayer services should also be publicly celebrated during the Lenten Season. They are celebrated at St. John’s on the Fridays of Lent at 6:15PM in Vietnamese and 7:30PM in English.
7. The Sacred Triduum from Holy Thursday evening to Easter Sunday (April 9-12) is especially recommended as a fitting conclusion to the Lenten Season. Please check our special schedule for these liturgical celebrations.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Pastoral Services Appeal for 2009

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today we launch our Pastoral Services Appeal for 2009. Your contributions to PSA supports many programs and services throughout Orange County.

10% of PSA funds go to Catholic Charities of Orange County to support their vital programs that serve the poor and those in need. From material assistance such as rentals to other needs such as counseling Catholic Charities serves a wide variety of people who could not otherwise find help.

The Catholic Deaf Community also benefits from PSA funds, which help them to be full participants in special liturgical and social environments. The Church is for all people, including those with special needs.

Jesus said, “I was in prison and you visited me.” Members of our parish also participate in the Catholic Detention Ministry. Using over 400 volunteers, this ministry provides pastoral care to thousands of inmates in eleven facilities at the city, county, and federal levels. There are Bible studies and sacramental preparation for persons in these institutions.

In the current economic climate many agencies and governments are cutting back on services. All of us know that public schools are often subject to these cutbacks. Our Catholic schools have been “an advantage for life” for many Americans, both Catholic and non-Catholic. With the difficult economic times there is an even greater need to support our Catholic Schools. PSA provides grants to schools, mostly those serving parishioners in multiple languages, who have a critical need for assistance for technology, capital improvements, staff and volunteer education programs and other urgent needs.

Vocations to the priesthood must be a priority for the Church because the priest is the minister of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Clergy formation for qualified candidates for the priesthood and diaconate receives funds from PSA to assist in seminary tuition for future priests. In addition there are programs of discernment, education and spiritual formation for permanent deacons. We have a parishioner from St. John’s who is currently enrolled in this program.

All of these programs, services, workshops, and education are supported by you when you pledge to PSA 2009. This is your way of showing that you are a part of this Church in Orange County. We are all on this spiritual journey toward God’s kingdom. I encourage you to join us in making this year’s PSA another success, always remembering that by participating you are sharing in the Church’s mission for the salvation of souls.

Fr. Hildebrand

Vocations at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

Recently I received an invitation to the religious profession of a young man whom I had trained as an altar server 15 years ago. He and his best friend are both seminarians in different religious orders today. I keep their photo on my bulletin board. For me it is a great sign of hope for the Church that fine young men are offering their lives to the Lord to serve His people. I am very happy for them and pray that they will persevere in their vocation. Both of these young men come from a Catholic parish like ours and benefited from parish religious education and formation programs that helped them discern the call to the priesthood.

Next month Fr. Cirilo Flores, who was chosen by the Holy Father to become auxiliary bishop of Orange, will be ordained a bishop. Before he became a priest, he used to teach religious education here at St. John’s. Who knows? Maybe he thought of the priesthood when he was teaching here! Now God is calling him to become a bishop! Teaching religious education at St. John’s has prepared him to accomplish one of the primary tasks of a bishop, that of teacher of God’s Word.

Preparing young people to be active members of the Church, reaching out to those in need, evangelizing the community, this fairly describes the purpose of the Pastoral Services Appeal. Next weekend you will hear more about how the Pastoral Services Appeal works to bring the Gospel to the people of Orange County. You can be confident, based on our own experience, that your participation in PSA will make a difference in the lives of fellow Catholics. In this time of economic challenge, you want to be sure that funds are used for good purposes. Please check out the “pie chart” for PSA on the pledge envelope, and you will understand that your money is used wisely.

On another topic, see below if you live in the neighborhood of our FIRST parish home visit!

Kind regards in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Parish Home Visitation Project

Our first home visit will be in the neighborhood just southeast of our church. If you live on the following streets, please contact the rectory, or call 714-540-2214, and you will be told the address, date, and time where we will meet:

• Saint Clair
  
• St. Junipero Dr.
  
• Loreto Av.
• Santiago Rd.
  
• Sutter Way
  
• Portola Dr.
• Velasco Ln.
  
• Serra Way
  
• Drake Dr.
• Sonora Rd.
  
• Eastern Presidio
  
• San Lucas Ln.
• Magellan St.
  
• Francis Ln.
  
• Cortez St.

Parish Home Visitation Project

Dear Friends in Christ,

Our Parish Home Visitation Project is off to a good start. So far four families have volunteered to host a visit. I hope to start these visits this month. This week I will meet with the Pastoral Council to map out the different sectors of our parish, to draw up a format for the visit, and to begin scheduling the first visits. Again, if you would like to host a visit please contact the rectory and you will be placed on the list. My intention is to make two visits per month; at present I am
reserving the second Friday and the fourth Tuesday. The visits will take place in the evening about 7PM and will run about an hour or so. Roughly the structure will include:

• Prayer and Scripture
• Sharing our reflections and questions
• Social time with light refreshments

Here is more information about the Parish Home Visitation Project. The goal is to bring God’s Word to your homes and in that way awaken an interest in developing your “domestic church”. This term refers to the fact that every Catholic family is a cell of the universal Church. Just as the cells in a human body need to function well for the good health of the whole body, so the cells of the Church need to be actively functioning so that the whole Church is alive and healthy. In preparing for the visit, we are dividing the parish into “sectors”. A sector is an area of the parish bounded by major streets. Once we have determined the boundaries of these sectors we will begin by inviting fellow parishioners who live in your area. You may also invite friends and neighbors from your sector to join in the visit.

This project is important for the evangelization of our parish. We are seeking to bring more souls to Christ and build up His Kingdom on earth. Please remember the Parish Home Visitation Project in your prayers.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand