Appreciation in the Month of May

Dear Friends in Christ,

The month of May is nearly over. It has been a very important month for our parish. We have celebrated the First Communions of more than 200 children. Bishop Flores confirmed more than 100 on May 18. The crowning glory of the month was our parish’s 50th anniversary celebration with Bishop Brown. The bishop was very pleased with all the dedicated service and hard work, as he mentioned in hishomily. He obviously enjoyed celebrating Mass for us and as he said, the Holy Spirit was present in the sound and the wind. He blessed our new stained glass windows, which include the great Holy Spirit window in the choir loft. This was truly like another Pentecost. Sincere and heartfelt thanks:

• To our committee members, who have labored hard and long for two years
• To our invitation committee who prepared and addressed invitations
• To our commemorative book staff who worked right up to the deadline and produced an admirable book that tells our parish story
• To our musicians who performed beautifully, including the offertory piece which was premiered yesterday
• To our ushers who helped everything go smoothly
• To our extraordinary ministers, altar servers, and lectors, who assisted so skillfully at the Mass
• To our carpenters and environmental workers under the direction of members of the Vietnamese community who spent three days late at night in building and preparing a magnificent setting for the Golden Anniversary Mass that had historical and liturgical significance
• To our cooks and food service volunteers, who presented an elegant and delightful reception after Mass.
• To our Knights of Columbus for their help and distinguished service
• To our financial advisors and benefactors who provided from their talent and treasure to make this an event not to be forgotten
• To our first aid workers, police, traffic control for their vigilance and direction
• To every one else who had anything to do with preparing, setting up and taking down the altar and environment, especially volunteers from the Vietnamese and Spanish communities.
  

May the Lord reward you for a job well done. I have good reason to be proud of the parishioners of St. Johnthe Baptist parish.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

50 Years

Dear Friends in Christ,

In May of 1960, 50 years ago, James Cardinal McIntyre formed a new parish from the territory of St. Joachim Parish in Costa Mesa, California. Until that time Mass had been celebrated in the newly erected church building on Baker St. since the fall of 1959; the site was named “St. Joachim’s Annex”. The parish was erected under the patronage of St. John the Baptist, the great Precursor and Herald of the Lord’s coming. With its school that had opened in September 1959 the parish served the growing Catholic community in north Costa Mesa. On this fiftieth anniversary of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church we give thanks to God, “the Giver of all good gifts”

• for the opportunity to offer the sacrifice of the Mass and the sacrifice of our praise,
• for the ministry of nearly 50 priests from Msgr. Anthony McGowan to the Norbertine Fathers,
• for the parish leaders who devoted their time, talent, and treasure to building up the parish both spiritually and materially,
• for the Sisters of Mercy and the lay teachers who have dedicated many years of their lives to the formation and education of our young people in our school,
• for the diverse ethnic communities that have blessed this parish with their gifts,
• for the family and parish celebrations over the years that have united our parish in the love of Christ.
  

Our challenge today, as we move into our next 50 years, is to persevere in prayer and in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, in union with the Church and under leadership of the Pope, our bishop and myself, unworthy as I am to be your pastor.

On this great feast of Pentecost 2010, the feast of the Holy Spirit, let us ask the Spirit for an outpouring of his gifts so that we will be a “light shining before all”. May the joy of that first
Pentecost be ours on this 50th Anniversary of “preparing the way” of the Lord. God bless all the people of St. John the Baptist parish.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Haiti Update

Children at the Foy Ti Zanmi Jezi (Little Friends of Jesus) Orphanage in Port au Prince, Haiti, received handmade "Hearts for Haiti" cards from the children at Sacred Hearts Academy in the Diocese of Honolulu, Hawaii. The orphanage was badly damaged in the quake, but thanks to the actions of the older children in getting the little ones out of the building, all of the children survived. A CRS team arrived at the orphanage with food and toys for the children.

I visited there three months after the quake with some soccer balls for the children and the hearts. School has “reopened” and classes are now held under a series of tarps around the edge of the orphanage. During the days, the orphanage also acts as a school for local children. Despite the hardship and the damaged building around them, the children are clearly living and learning in a loving and nurturing environment thanks to care of the Missionary Servants of the Sacred Heart. CRS partnered with the orphanage long before the quake and will continue to care for
them in the months and years to come.

Tom Price, CRS Senior Communications Manager

Golden Jubilee Mass

Catholic Legislative Network

Dear Friends in Christ,

Sincere thanks to everyone who filled out cards to join the Catholic Legislative Network, our Catholic Voice for important issues that face our children and families. I would like to point out that this network is fully supported by our California Catholic Bishops. Its purpose is to keep all of us informed regarding important legislation coming before our representatives in Sacramento.

In recent years we have seen propositions about parental notification regarding teen abortion, assisted suicide, and the meaning of marriage. The Catholic Legislative Network provides concise and informative email newsletters to keep us up to date on these and other topics.

As you know from reading the news, our state is in crisis, not only economically but morally. Our bishops believe that a strong, well-organized, statewide moral network made up of parishioners could become a force for good, responsible decisions from our state legislators. They also believe in the Biblical teaching that part of being a good Christian/Catholic is to be an active citizen.

You have heard the name Life and Dignity applied to this network. These two words summarize our Catholic social teaching and our approach to state and federal legislation. Life is precious from conception to natural death. Threats to life and dignity like abortion, hunger, war, poverty, or lack of access to health care must be confronted by us Catholics. We stand for those whose
lives are threatened, and we stand with those who are in need of food, clothing, shelter, and health care. Jesus Himself has given us this mission.

Some might ask, “Why is the Church getting involved in politics? Isn’t there a separation between Church and State?” The Founding Fathers of our country wrote into our Constitution that there should be no established or “state” religion (as there has been in other countries). In the U.S. we have freedom of religion; each person has the right to worship God according to his/her conscience. This governing principle is not to be understood as freedom from religion, or to hold no moral values. It is both the right and duty of people of faith to carry their values and teachings into the public arena. While we must respect the values of others, we must do our best to express our own Christian principles and hope that they will be reflected in the laws and policies of the state.

If you have not yet signed up for the Catholic Legislative Network, please do so today by filling out the card you find in your pew today. Remember to print your email address clearly because this is the way to receive the newsletters from the Network.

Thank you for taking a stand to make the Catholic voice heard in California.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Month of May at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

The month of May brings with it continued Easter joys, and there are two joys that are especially connected with this month every year, First Communion and Confirmation. And this year we celebrate a special joy for our parish, our fiftieth anniversary Mass.

This weekend our school’s 2nd Graders continue their Christian initiation by receiving the most Blessed Eucharist for the first time. They have been preparing by the Sacrament of Reconciliation, studying, and prayer for this great moment. Now they will join us in receiving the Lord Jesus in Holy Communion and be filled with the grace of His real Presence. Please join me in praying for all of them that this Communion will be the first of many to come.

Later this month our Confirmation candidates, both youth and adults, will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the hands of Bishop Cirilo Flores. This will complete their Christian initiation as they join the ranks of those strengthened to be witnesses for Christ.

Please mark your calendars for the great climax of our parish’s 50th anniversary. You are cordially invited to our:

GRAND 50TH ANNIVERSARY MASS
MOST REVEREND TOD D. BROWN
BISHOP OF ORANGE, CELEBRANT
SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2010 10:00 AM

This Mass will feature all of our parish choirs in a special premiere choir piece written for this occasion. There will be refreshments and a “Hall of Memories” following the Mass. We are fusing the 9:30 AM and 11 AM Masses into one for this special event. Please tell your friends and relatives who have any connection with St. John’s to join us for this great event.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand