The Sacrament of Holy Orders

Dear Friends in Christ,

As I have told many who ask me about my 25 years as a priest, I can still remember the hands of Cardinal Timothy Manning of Los Angeles as he laid them on my head on June 16, 1984. That was an unforgettable day when the priesthood of Jesus Christ was conferred on me so that I
could participate in His eternal priesthood. For this I will always be grateful.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders that confers this power on men is given for the service of others. The priesthood is not for the benefit of the priest but for the good of the Church.

Over the past 25 years I have served in a number of different assignments.

My first assignment was Our Lady Chapel in downtown Los Angeles, which closed in 2001 when the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels opened. I used to commute to the chapel from Pasadena two or three days a week. The principal ministry at the chapel was confessions because thousands of people commute to Los Angeles daily.

In 1991 I was made associate pastor at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Silver Lake (east Hollywood). That parish had a large Latino population with a good proportion of Filipinos. For the first time I had to work with three different ethnic communities in two languages. We celebrated Simbang Gabi with the Filipino community and Las Posadas with the Latinos. In 1999 I became pastor of St. Francis.

In 2001 I was transferred to Santa Paula in Ventura County, where I was made pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. There my Spanish really had a workout because the parish was almost all Mexican with all the Masses in Spanish except one. I enjoyed the fiestas, the pageant of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, the “Jamaica” (parish festival), and the other celebrations of the community. At certain times of year the migrant workers would add to our congregation during the fruit and vegetable harvest.

In 2003, after having discerned with my spiritual director a more monastic vocation, I transferred to St. Michael’s Abbey of the Norbertine Fathers. I spent about a year learning about the Norbertine way of life. Then in August 2004 I was assigned here to St. John the Baptist. I am grateful first of all to God for my vocation, but I must also thank many others, my parents, priests who have guided me through the years, and many others who have worked with me and who have prayed for me. Please continue to pray for me as we all move forward to spread God’s Word in north Costa Mesa and serve God’s people.

Thank you for your kindness and continue to keep me in your prayers. We are about to celebrate our parish’s 50th anniversary. Let’s keep going ever forward with God’s help to continue His work.

Fr. Hildebrand

Graduation

Dear Friends in Christ,

On Thursday our parish school graduated its 8th graders. To prepare for their graduation ceremonies I asked the students to write a short paragraph about their wish for their future. I thought you would like to read some of their thoughts.

“I think it is very sad that many people don’t have a home and a warm bed to sleep in. I want to dedicate my time helping out at a homeless shelter since I don’t think it is enough just to give money.”

“I would like to use my success for (a) good (purpose). I will go to Mass every Sunday and give donations to the less fortunate. I want to be a good faith-filled husband that can provide for my family.”

“Since I was young I had dreamed of doing missionary work…I would like to provide education to those children who cannot afford to go to school…I would like to build a school for the children, hospitals for the sick.”

“I vision my future using my talents in a good and positive way. I would like to work for a company that helps better my community and the world around us.”

“I hope that I will be able to bring the example of Christ wherever I go…I know that God has a plan for me and I am willing to accept any path that He chooses.”

“The most important gifts that God has given me are my family and friends. I have been blessed with a loving family…They allow my siblings and I to attend a Catholic school to help guide our faith. My friends also help me in many situations. They give me advice and the laughter I need to continue each day.”

“My greatest hope for the future is to become a nurse for third world countries…to help children who have cancer or other diseases…I would like to encourage them to know that they should never give up on their faith, because with God everything is possible…I would like to be a nurse when I grow up to reflect God’s power working through me to save others.”

“My talent is that I can sing and I think God gave me this talent because he wants me to sing in churches…Although it is abnormal for a lot of eighth graders to sing in church I believe it is a great, important necessity…I intend (to use) this talent to help people believe in the good
news of God.”

“Most of all I want to do whatever God has planned for me.”

These are truly words of wisdom from our 14 year old graduates. Let us pray for them as they grow toward the full stature of adults in our Church and in our world.

God bless you all.

Fr. Hildebrand