Legion of Mary

Dear Friends in Christ,

Recently you heard about our parish evangelization group and perhaps you would like to know more about what they are doing and why. There is a precedent for this activity and knowledge of its history will hopefully show why it is important for the Church.

First, let’s look at the Gospels. We know that Jesus sent out his Apostles to preach the Gospel and they went two by two to towns and cities. Later, after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the Apostles separated and founded churches in various countries. The Church is by nature missionary, which means, that she continues to seek new opportunities to spread the good news of salvation. For this reason there are great missionary saints like St. Francis Xavier who spread the Gospel in the Far East and our own California Apostle, Blessed Junipero Serra.

In modern times lay people have been involved in missionary work. We have Lay Mission Helpers who work with clerical and religious missionaries in developing countries. We have the Legion of Mary, founded in 1921 by Frank Duff in Ireland, which blends spiritual and apostolic work.

One of the main works of the Legion of Mary is house to house visitation. In this work the Legion members visit homes in the parish and inquire about the Catholics present and whether they may need the Sacraments. They also invite inactive Catholics to return to Church and provide information about the local parish by leaving copies of the Sunday bulletin. Our evangelization group is very closely modeled on these home visits ofthe Legion of Mary. They gather at our church and receive a priest’s blessing before they go out to visit homes in the parish. They present Catholic literature approved by the pastor that encourage active participation in the Catholic Church. They have been studying Catholic Doctrine and are well-prepared to engage persons in dialogue and answer questions about the faith.

Members of our Legion of Mary Praesidium have joined these young people in their visits, and we have already seen some good fruit of their efforts. People they have visited have contacted us and are interested in learning more about the Catholic faith. One of these days you may hear a knock on your door and open to find a parishioner asking you about your Catholic faith. Please welcome them and encourage them in this excellent work.

All of these parish evangelizers have a personal prayer life that nourishes and strengthens their apostolic work. Please pray for them so that the kingdom of God will continue to spread in north Costa Mesa.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Social Justice

Dear Friends in Christ,

Last week I wrote about some of our dedicated parishioners who work quietly but faithfully in various ministries around the parish. This week I would like to focus on a ministry that has not been operating fully in the past year, social justice. First, let’s examine why the Church wants us to be active in this area.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines social justice as providing “the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation”(no. 1928). It flows from the Lord’s commandment to love our neighbor. When we respect the rights and dignity of others, regardless of race, creed, nationality, or religion we are practicing social justice. We are called to be a neighbor to those in need in the spirit of the Good Samaritan.

The Popes for more than 120 years have written extensively about social justice. Their encyclicals have covered questions about labor relations, economic policies, poverty in undeveloped lands, migration of peoples, and many other topics. The fact that most people in the world live in poverty should prompt us to ask not so much what is being done about it but what are we doing about it. Right here in our area there are opportunities to promote justice. We just need to be more aware of them.

The Diocese of Orange has an Office for Respect Life, Justice, and Peace which coordinates events and provides educational opportunities to raise awareness of social justice issues. At present our parish has a respect life representative, but we do not have a social justice representative.

Please ask yourself if you feel God’s call for this important ministry to His people. If you are interested or know of someone who would be ideal for the position, please contact me, and I will put you in contact with other representatives in our area. The Diocesan Office provides regular meetings of social justice representatives who network on events throughout Orange County.

May the Lord bless you all for the love you show to the least of His brothers and sisters.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Ministries at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

You know of course that a parish like St. John’s requires a staff of paid individuals who work to fulfill the mission of the Church. Some work directly to promote this mission, like the pastor and vicars; others work in ancillary positions like the maintenance staff and secretaries. All are needed, just as all the members of the body are needed for the proper functioning of the body even though some have humbler functions than others.

Beyond the paid staff, however, the parish has volunteers whose work is no less important. These men and women give of their time and skills to spread the Gospel, minister to the needy, and provide for other services that are very important in fulfilling the parish mission. I would like to provide you with three examples of volunteers whose invaluable help is a real gift to our parish.

First, let’s look at the mission of being mindful of the poor. A member of our St. Vincent de Paul Society is available one day each week to respond to calls for help from persons in need. This member comes to interview the client and discerns whether or not the need is legitimate and then decides how the Society will help the person. This takes time, patience, and compassion. Members of the St. Vincent de Paul society are heeding the Lord’s call to feed the hungry and provide drink to the thirsty. They are truly blessed.

Secondly, let’s consider how volunteers respond to spiritual needs. Approximately 60-70 homebound or convalescent residents receive Holy Communion weekly from our ministers to the sick. A minister to the sick carries the Eucharistic Lord to these people who are unable to come to Sunday Mass. The minister offers love and compassion to those who have very little human contact because of their physical limitations. Jesus said, “I was sick and you visited me”. Our ministers to the sick receive a blessing from the Lord for their generous service.

Finally, I ask you to recall what happened at Mass today. You heard the readings proclaimed by one of our lectors. An usher may have helped you find a seat. You were probably met at the door by one of our greeters. These persons are volunteers who are here to serve you as members of the church.

Join me today in thanking the volunteers of the past who spent years in service to the parish. Let’s also thank the volunteers of today who continue to promote the Church’s mission, even in hidden ways. May the Lord continue to bless us with generous volunteers. Our parish depends on such gifted people.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

Supporting SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

Let me take this opportunity to thank all of you who responded to my recent appeal for help. Our parish’s financial situation continues to be very delicate. Please continue to support us through the summer. With some people gone on vacation, it’s challenging to keep up with bills.

As you can see from our PSA thermometer, we are getting closer to our goal. So far we have collected about $63,500 which is about 80% of our goal. Once we reach our goal of $80,000 we will begin receiving rebates, which will help us to get through these slower weeks. If you participated last year in PSA but have not committed this year, I invite you to consider the following:

Think of what St. John the Baptist means to you, a place where you have long-lasting friends, a growing community of faith with groups for all ages from the young to the mature, a liturgical life you have grown to love and cherish. Then consider how much you are currently giving to the parish and how you could pledge to the PSA. A pledge means giving over a number of months.

Even a small pledge of $200 could be spread over the next four months. It would be complete in November with payments of only $50 per month; that’s only about $12 per week. You spend about the same for a meal at a family restaurant or at the movies. Reflect on the blessings the Lord has provided, the needs of our church, and pray about how God wants you to respond.

We are waiting for final figures from our parish festival. You will see the results as soon as we can provide them. With more time during the summer months, why not use the time to build up your spiritual life? Our chapel is air conditioned and provides a quiet place for prayer. You could sign for one hour a week and read a good spiritual book.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

CFCA at SJB

Dear Friends in Christ,

I have extended an invitation to Rev. George Knab O.M.I. to come to our parish on the weekend of July10-11, 2010. Father Knab will speak to you about the work being done by Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, and how this provides a trustworthy way to actively participate in the social outreach of the Catholic Church and answer the Gospel call to serve the poor.

CFCA is a lay Catholic organization that has served more than 6000,000 children, youth and elderly in 24 developing countries since 1981-empowering them to make more choices in their lives, live with dignity and reach their potential. CFCA’s unique sponsorship program is highly personalized. It matches a child, youth or aging person at a project overseas with a sponsor in the U.S. who cares about and encourages them.

For about a dollar a day, a sponsor helps to provide much-needed nourishing food , medical and dental care, the chance for a child to go to school, livelihood programs for families and much more. All of these efforts are directed at affirming the dignity of every person in their local community. Please join me in welcoming Father Knab to our parish.

Sincerely yours in Jesus Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand