Liturgical Coordinators' Gathering - March 6, 2007

The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar calls the 50 days of Easter “one great Sunday.” If a stranger walked into your parish on, say, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, would he or she be able to see what’s so great about it?

Liturgical Coordinators’ Gathering
“Where Have All the Lilies Gone?
Making Easter Last”
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
10:00a - 12:00p
Saint William Parish

611 South El Monte Road, Los Altos

Please RSVP with Bernard Nemis
408-983-0126 or online

You will come away from this meeting with:

• Six environment ideas for unifying the Easter season;
• Five principles for mystagogical preaching and catechesis;
• Confirmation do's and dont's;
• Four principles for music with teens;
• A liturgical template for First Communion;
• A sample bulletin insert for Easter rituals at home.

Come find out how others are planning for Easter, and bring your own questions, concerns, and ideas.

And here are the other dates for the Liturgical Coordinators' Gatherings for the year:

• Tuesday, May 1, 2007, 10:00a – 12:00p, Saint Francis of Assisi Parish (San José)
• Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 10:00a – 12:00p, Saint Mary Parish (Gilroy) with potluck lunch

Tools for Evaluating Liturgy

Evaluating liturgy can sometimes devolve into a competion of varying personal tastes and preferences. But by starting with some solid liturgical principles, such as the integral role of the assembly, silence, the purpose of music, the transparency of ministers, we can begin to evaluate our liturgies using some common baseline standards.

I discovered this Sunday Eucharist Evaluation Instrument in English (pdf) and in Spanish (pdf), developed by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. This can be a good starting point for discussion among your liturgical committee members.

Also, we developed these Observation Forms for liturgy to help your liturgical ministers and leaders look at your liturgies more objectively. Feel free to use them in your parish to evaluate and discuss your liturgical practices.

• Observation form for liturgy - Gathering Rites (Word doc)
• Observation form for liturgy - Liturgy of the Word (Word doc)
• Observation form for liturgy - Liturgy of the Eucharist (Word doc)
• Observation form for liturgy - Communion Rite (Word doc)

Classifieds (non-liturgy): Administrative Assistant

Let's face it. Sometimes working for the Church doesn't pay all the bills. Here's an announcement from the chancery that might help you or someone you know.

Administrative Assistant
The Personnel Office of the Diocese of San José has an immediate opening for a full time Administrative Assistant. 5+ years of secretarial experience, good organizational and communication skills, ability to multi-task, and the ability to meet deadlines and follow through on projects with little supervision required. Experience in HR procedures/databases, customer focused and detail oriented. Proficient in MS Office 2000 (Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook) and familiar with web page management. Knowledge of Catholic Church structure and procedures helpful. Bi-lingual Spanish a plus. Email of fax resume to 408-983-0203.

Sample Intercessions for February 25, 2007 - First Sunday of Lent

First Sunday of Lent, Year C
February 25, 2007

Things, events, and news items to keep in mind:

• Click here for the day's readings.
• On the First Sunday of Lent, at the Rite of Election, the entire Church gives testimony to those catechumens in whom God has been visibly active and accepts their election to be baptized at this year's Easter Vigil. This year, the Diocese of San Jose will give testimony to 488 catechumens.
• The Church begins its holy season of Lent by observing more intensely disciplines of prayer, fasting, and charity.
• This week, over 30,000 persons will participate in the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, California. Several hundred from the San Jose diocese attend each year.
• Tensions increase in the Middle East with the British phasing out troops in Iraq and continued nuclear activity in Iran.

The following are just samples meant to inspire your work. Use them as ideas for your own assembly's intercessions. Read 10 Principles for Writing Intercessions and How To Write Intercessions to help you write your own.

Presider:
As we continue the Lenten journey
toward the joyful paschal feast,
let us turn to God who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Reader:
Lord, remember your church: [pause]
Lead us by your Spirit to embrace more fully
the lenten disciplines of prayer,
fasting, and generous giving.
For this, remember your mercy.

Lord, remember your lands: [pause]
Let all nations live in peace,
especially in the Middle East
and in our cities and homes.
For this, remember your mercy.

Lord, remember your chosen ones: [pause]
Nourish your Elect and all the catechumens
with the bread of your Word
and the milk and honey of your blessings.
For this, remember your mercy.

Lord, remember your people: [pause]
Hear the cries of those maltreated and oppressed,
who labor without joy or justice,
who struggle each day without bread, dignity, or safety.
For this, remember your mercy.

Lord, remember your sick and dying: [pause]
Send your angels to guard them
and support them during their illness,
especially those we now name....
For this, remember your mercy.

Lord, remember your beloved dead: [pause]
Raise them from death and bring them to the salvation
you promise for all who call upon you,
especially those we now name....
For this, remember your mercy.

Presider:
Hear the voice of your Church, loving God,
and answer our cry,
for we call upon the holy name of your Son,
Jesus Christ, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Chrism Mass - Collection of Holy Oil Vessels

In preparation for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 7:30p at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph, please be sure that your parish oil vessels are undamaged, well-cleaned (you won't believe some of the things that we find in some vessels!), and delivered to the Office of Pastoral Ministry, in the carrying boxes in which they were presented last year.

Click here for some tips on how to clean your oil vessels and what you should do with the water used to clean them.

Please bring your empty, cleaned oil vessels to the Office of Pastoral Ministry, 900 Lafayette Street, 4th floor, Suite 405, Santa Clara by noon on Thursday, March 15 - new date!

Update
If you are attending the March 15, 2007, Lay Ministry Gathering at Saint Lucy at 9:00a, you drop off your vessels then.

Attention Institutions:
Hospitals, religious communities, and other institutions who wish to have oils blessed for use in 2007 are asked to bring stocks, carefully cleaned, to the Office of Pastoral Ministry by noon on Tuesday, March 20. Stocks will be available for pick-up from the Office of Pastoral Ministry on Wednesday, March 28 after 12:00p.

Chrism Mass - Purchasing New Vessels

If you need to purchase new Holy Oil Vessels, we recommend vessels from Meyer-Vogelpohl. The most common style vessel used in our diocese is their MV200 or MV201 set. You can get more purchasing information on this set by clicking here.

However, your Holy Oil vessels need not be limited to this style of vessel. Here are some things to consider when deciding on purchasing a vessel for your oils.

Beauty and Dignity
Any vessels used for liturgy should be beautiful and dignified. They should show care in craftsmanship and appropriateness for its liturgical use. Clear glass is good because you can see the oil, but vessels with some colored glass can also show off the oil. Plastic vessels are not appropriate. Well-crafted and dignified metal containers might be appropriate, but they may be more difficult to clean than glass containers.

Liturgical Use
These vessels are not simply pieces to be admired in an ambry (a niche or box in a sanctuary wall where holy oils are stored; usually placed near the baptismal font) like museum artifacts but are meant to be used during liturgies of anointing. Therefore, parishes should have at least one set of vessels that can be carried and held easily during a liturgy. If larger vessels are kept in an ambry, then smaller portable vessels can be filled from them.

What do OC, OI, SC, OS mean?
These are acronyms for the three different types of oils used:

• Oil of Catechumens
  
  OC - Oleum Catechumenorum or
  OS - Oleum Sanctum
  
  
• Sacred Chrism
  
  SC - Sanctum Chrisma
  
  
• Oil of the Sick
  
  OI - Oleum Infirmorum

Older vessel sets used the initials SC for Sacred Chrism, OI for Oil of the Sick (infirm), and OS for Oil of Catechumens. Newer sets have changed OS to OC for Oil of Catechumens. In any case, you should be able to distinguish which oil is in which vessel. Most parishes use vessels marked with SC for Chrism, OI for Oil of the Sick, and OC for Oil of Catechumens.

What do you do with old Chrism oil?

Find out here in this post from previous years.

Can there be joy in Lent?

Is the Pope Catholic?

If you're surprised, look again at the eucharistic prayer preface for Lent I (P8): "Each year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed." Then take a listen to Fr. James Martin, SJ, with his Ash Wednesday commentary from National Public Radio.

So smile, it's Lent!

"Remember,....what?" An Ash Wednesday telephone tag

Ash Wednesday can be so intense sometimes, as it should be. Conversion, repentance, reminders of one's mortality, and the physical, almost irrational, gesture of dirtying one's face are intense stuff.

But, of course, we are human--"Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return." And as humans, we can be quite funny sometimes even in the most serious of moments. Take this story told at our last liturgical coordinators' gathering.

At a school Ash Wednesday liturgy, the students were invited to sign each other's forehead with ashes and were instructed to say "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel." It started off fine enough with the first few students, but with the words not written down anywhere for the kids to read to each other, the accompanying phrase began to take on a life-form all its own.

After a long journey winding through the scores of students in the pews, the bowl of ashes finally came to the last of the participants with the profound admonition: "Take these ashes, for God's sake!"

I hope you all survived Ash Wednesday. God bless us all and all our human-ness during this wonderful season!

(Click on the pic above to learn more about these very interesting drawings.)

Hotel Rwanda in person - March 13, 2007

Don Cheadle gave an unforgettable performance in Hotel Rwanda as Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager who risked his life during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Rusesabagina sheltered more than 1,200 Tutsi and Hutu refugees. The 2005 Medal of Freedom recipient, Rusesabagina retraces those 100 days.

Here is a good, free, lenten activity for your parish and community.

"Behind Hotel Rwanda"
Lecture by Paul Rusesabagina
Activist, Author, An Ordinary Man
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
6:30p, Doors open
7:00p, Program
8:15p, Book signing

Morris Dailey Auditorium
San Jose State University
One Washington Square, San Jose

FREE EVENT
Sponsord by the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley,

and part of the Don Edwards Lectures.

Click here to make your reservations.

Lent articles redux

Some lenten articles from the past:

• Ashes to Ashes: How Our Symbols Speak
• Burying the Alleluia
• Five More Lenten Symbols
• What Lent Sounds Like
• Removing Holy Water from the Baptismal Font During Lent
• Lenten Reflections through Art
• Plays in the Liturgy
• Stations of the Cross / Via Crucis of Oscar Romero

Sample Intercessions for Ash Wednesday - February 21, 2007

Ash Wednesday
February 21, 2007

• Click here for the readings.

The following are just samples meant to inspire your work. Use them as ideas for your own assembly's intercessions. Read 10 Principles for Writing Intercessions and How To Write Intercessions to help you write your own.

Presider:
Assembled to begin the lenten journey
toward the joyful paschal feast,
let us return with all our hearts
to the God who is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Reader:
God of renewal, remember your church: [pause]
those who shepherd your people,
those ordained to serve,
those called to leadership.
For this, remember your mercy, Lord.

God of forgiveness, remember your lands: [pause]
cities devastated by war,
peoples plagued with hunger,
nations unable to reconcile.
For this, remember your mercy, Lord.

God of rest, remember your people: [pause]
those overburdened,
those imprisoned by fear,
those who have lost their way to you.
For this, remember your mercy, Lord.

God of salvation, remember our parish: [pause]
those who minister to the broken,
who shelter the homeless,
who seek safe refuge within our doors.
For this, remember your mercy, Lord.

God of living waters, remember our catechumens: [pause]
those who long to know you,
those who hunger for your bread of life,
those who thirst for your cup of salvation.
For this, remember your mercy, Lord.

God of promise, remember our sick,
especially those we now name: [pause]
For this, remember your mercy, Lord.

God of resurrection, remember our dead,
especially those we now name: [pause]
For this, remember your mercy Lord.

Presider:
Lord, hear our prayers and grant them according to your will,
for we ask them through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Rite of Election music - 2007

Here you'll find the music that we'll be singing for this year's Rite of Election. Please practice these refrains with your catechumens, godparents, and community members.

You can click here to get a rehearsal sheet of the music in PDF form.

Gathering Song
Vienen con Alegría (Cesáreo Gabaráin and Owen Alstott)
Music and Spanish Text: Cesáreo Gabaráin. English Text: Owen Alstott. © 1979, 2003, Cesáreo Gabaráin. Published by OCP Publications. All rights reserved. Used with permission under license #U3276 LicenSingOnline.

This song comes from "Cantemos Unidos/United in Song." Purchase this CD and music collection of bilingual music from Oregon Catholic Press.






Responsorial Psalm
Boundless Love (Lm Duy Thiên and Rufino Zaragoza)
English text: Rufino Zaragoza, OFM. Music and text: Lm Duy Thiên. © 1976, 2000, Nguyen Văn Thang. Published by OCP Publications. All rights reserved. Used with permission under license #U3276 LicenSingOnline.




Enrollment of Names
Sign Me Up (Kevin Yancy and Jerome Metcalfe)
Kevin Yancy and Jerome Metcalfe. © 1979, Kevin Yancy and Jerome Metcalfe. All rights reserved. Reprinted under OneLicense.net A-706533.




Closing Song
Sumus Ecclesia! We Are the Church (Gregory Schultz)
Gregory Schultz. © 2005, Gregory Schultz. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Fr. Thomas Jones, CSP - Lessons Learned and Treasures Received

Fr. Tom Jones, CSP, was my first and best boss in the world of church ministry. When I was a freshman ending my first year of college at UCLA, he and the music director of the University Catholic Center (Newman Center) interviewed me for the position of assistant music director. Part of the interview included leading a mock choir rehearsal with the two of them, teaching them the different choral parts of a song. That was my first clue that this was not your average priest. You mean you’re a priest who sings and reads music and can sing your part against another person? Wow!

In fact, he had already had a long musical life, playing trombone for the marching band of the University of Minnesota. At that time, I had never met anyone from Meen-uh-SOH-tuh, as Fr. Tom would say it. Again, little did I know that years later, I would make my way to his home state, a foreign land for a California girl, to spend six summers studying liturgy.

There was much I didn’t know when I met Tom, or “TJ” as all the students called him, but over the next four years, he formed me into so much of the minister I am today. He was the first homilist who made me cry...in a good way. His homilies were real and so human. After 18 years of going to church, I didn’t know that homilies could be that way. Later, I’d realize that they are supposed to be that way, supposed to “interpret peoples’ lives” through the Scripture (Fulfilled in Your Hearing, 52). Fr. Tom’s homilies always used the events of our lives to show us where God was hidden among the muck and mire, the joys and surprises of each day.

Yet they were never “fluff” homilies, touchy-feely things without substance. He did his work, and like those who have mastered their craft, it never looked like work. Years after I left the Newman Center, I prepared my first reflection for a parish liturgy. I sent Tom my final draft and asked him his opinion. He nicely and genuinely encouraged me, as he always did, but he also told me don’t skip the exegesis. It has to be there, but it doesn’t have to bang you over the head either.

He was the first to correct and discipline me for a serious mistake I made in my job. For me, a perfectionist, making a mistake is horrifying. And being called into his office for “a talk” was petrifying. I had overslept and missed the first half of the 8:30a Sunday Mass at the Newman Center (okay, 8:30a may not be early for you, but it sure is for me!). He called me in the very next day and made it clear to me, in a very gentle but firm way, that this was unacceptable and it was not to ever happen again. I can tell you that I still have nightmares of missing an early morning Mass, but I can also tell you that I have never overslept for Mass since.

Tom, and the rest of the Paulists that I worked with at the Newman Center, were the first priests I met who really, absolutely down to their core, loved the liturgy, and loved the assembly even more. They gathered students, cling-ons (graduates who wouldn’t leave), and villagers (locals who preferred the Newman Center to their parishes) to prepare, discuss, evaluate, and plan the liturgies and the seasons so that the assembly would be fully, consciously, and actively participating. Tom told me to read the documents, read the documents, and re-read the documents again. He sent me to conferences and conventions, institutes and workshops. He gave me opportunities no average pastor would give a 20-year-old. He asked me my opinions and paid attention to my suggestions. And when I eventually became the music director, budding liturgist, and catechumenate coordinator, he followed my directions, took risks, tried new things, and helped me make them better for next time.

We weren’t really close friends like he was with others at the Center, but we understood each other and respected each other, and that was what I wanted and needed from him. It all clicked for me one day when the staff took an enneagram test and we discovered we were both 3s—achievers, needing to succeed, eagles soaring above not just to be admired but also to see the bigger picture. Among all the staff members and student leaders that we worked with over the years, he and I were the only 3s.

Where he could never succeed was with his health. He had always been sick, going through kidney failure, broken legs, two kidney transplants, and skin cancer. For him who refereed ice hockey in his spare time (yes, a little bit of Minnesota in California), this was devastating. But all through it, he was our fearless leader and vision guy, inspiring us to believe in our dreams and showing us the real, concrete steps for making them happen.

He had courage not only in facing his sickness but also in standing up when others would rather keep their heads down. He dreamed big, said the hard words, and gave voice to the vision. He made me believe that what I do matters, not because God is watching or because my soul needs to be saved, but because the impossible vision of the Gospel needs to become a reality in the real lives of the people around us. He taught me that standing up for that vision is not just a bold thing to do; it was the only thing to do if we dared to profess our faith.

Some of you may have seen me wear a small jeweled circle on the lapel of my suit coat. That was from Fr. Tom, his first Christmas gift to me when I joined the Newman Center staff. It’s one of the few pieces of jewelry that I love because it’s so spare yet elegant. Unlike Fr. Tom’s homilies which were verbal jewels, elegant and economical in their use of words, I have rambled on. But I wanted to share with you a little about the person who I learned too late was a mentor in ministry and in life. A friend passed on to me this Holy Thursday homily by Fr. Tom (pdf) from 2005, one year before he would be diagnosed with the cancer that eventually killed him on January 16, 2007, at the age of 51. Although I can’t get Tom’s permission, I think he’d be happy to share it with you, another jewel to offer the church and one last lesson taught and hopefully learned.

Fr. Tom kept a blog during his last several months to keep in touch with his parishioners and his friends. If you'd like to learn more about Tom, click here.

Praying for Peace - call for photos

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph will be presenting a performance of The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace on Saturday, March 24, 2007, 8:00p.

The event will be an opportunity for our diocese to pray for peace and to honor and pray for those who are in harm's way for our country. As part of the performance, pictures of those who have died in combat and those who are currently serving in the military in places of conflict will be displayed in a slide show. If you would like to add a picture of your loved ones who have either died serving our country in any war or conflict or are currently serving, please send them to Julie Wind as an email attachment or with a link where the picture can be downloaded. Please contact Julie if you have any questions about sending pictures or about the performance: (408) 283-8100 x2205.

Sin diagrammed

Here's one way to deconstruct sin. The site is interesting, at times hilarious, often thought-provoking. Some of her index cards take me back to 4th-grade math. Who knew subsets could be so funny? Her humor might not be for everyone, so click responsibly. :)

Catechizing the Assembly: Discernment

From September 21 to 23, 2006, catechumenate directors, team members, liturgists, and catechists gathered to discuss the issues and challenges of implementing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in our diocese and to study the Rite of Acceptance and the Scrutiny Rite. (Read about some of the strategies we discerned in this Word document.)

One primary concern that was raised from that gathering was the need for simple resources to help catechize and prepare the assembly for the rites of initiation.

So, catechumenate ministers of the diocese: we hear you!

Below is part of the unformatted text from a bulletin insert that you can download, print, and copy for FREE for use in your parishes to help you catechize about the Rite of Acceptance. I ask that you simply include the author and copyright information on any copies you make.

Get the fully-formatted ready-to-copy bulletin insert (pdf) here.


Christian Initiation of Adults
Discernment
Listening to God's Voice

by Diana Macalintal
© 2007, Diana Macalintal.
All rights reserved.


Hearing and Responding
A big part of becoming and being Catholic is learning to hear God’s voice and responding. Our Scriptures tell us many stories of people hearing God and responding.

Abraham heard God’s voice from an angel, a “messenger” of God, asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Confused and probably afraid, Abraham responds by trusting God’s voice (Gn 22). Moses heard God’s voice coming from a surprising and unusual source—a burning bush. He responded to this unexpected encounter with the Divine by taking off his shoes and accepting God’s call to set his people free (Ex 3). The Samaritan woman at the well heard God’s voice in the midst of her everyday chores, in an ordinary conversation with a stranger. She responded to Jesus by becoming the first evangelist proclaiming the Good News to her village (Jn 4). And Mary heard God’s voice in an angel with unbelievable and perhaps terrifying news for one so young—she would bear God’s child. She responded in faith with amen, “let it be done” (Lk 1).

Perhaps Adam and Eve’s sin was not just disobeying God but not responding when he called, for when they heard his voice after eating the apple, they hid themselves (Gn 3).

For discussion: Do you remember a time when you heard God’s voice and knew it was God speaking? Where or who did it come from? What did you feel when you heard God’s message for you? How did you respond?

Voices in My Head?
Unlike some of the Scripture stories, however, we will probably hear God’s voice in much more ordinary ways. Most of us will never have an angel appear to us with a divine message from God. Nor will many of us encounter a burning bush or other supernatural revelation of God. More than likely, we’ll hear God the way the woman at the well did—in a simple conversation with another person while doing the simple things we do everyday—or the way Mary did—in an unexpected turn of events.

As Catholics, we believe that God is constantly trying to reveal God’s self to each person, using the ordinary things we experience in our lives to be the “messengers” for God’s word. In our family, friends, and the familiar events of our life, through the stranger and the new experience, and most especially in the poor, the outcast, and those events that shake us to the core, God is trying to say, “Here I am. Listen.”

At critical moments in our lives, God’s voice may be very strong: at the birth of a new family member or at the death of a loved one; when we fall in love, or when we break up; when tragedy happens or when we are overwhelmed by goodness; when we are deciding on a career, a vocation, a life-long partner; when we are hurt, or when we cannot forgive; when we need to choose a new way of life.

When we hear God’s voice, we might feel unsettled or out of sorts. We might feel that we need to do something, to make a change or be more resolved. Discovering who God intends us to be (our truest self), what God is asking of us at this moment in our life, and making a decision to act is called discernment.

For discussion: When was the last time something critical or significant happened in your life? What was God communicating to you at that moment?

Discerning God’s Call
For Catholics, there are four honored places we listen for God’s voice: in Scripture, in our Catholic tradition and teaching, in the Church community, and in our own conscience. Those who are preparing to become Catholics—the catechumens—participate in an on-going process of discernment throughout their preparation, learning to listen for God’s voice in these four principle ways. They do this to continue growing in their new faith in Christ and to know when they are ready to take the next step toward initiation into the Church. We who are already baptized serve as models for the catechumens, teaching them by our example how to listen for God’s voice each day, especially when we need to make an important decision.

Scripture
The Scriptures reveal who God is and how God relates with his people. The Scriptures project God’s voice most clearly when it is proclaimed in the assembly within the liturgy and connected to the real-life stories of that assembly in the homily. In the Gospel, especially, we believe that Christ is speaking directly to us, calling us again to listen and respond.

In a special way, the catechumens listen and respond to God in the Scriptures by “breaking open” the Word. They are dismissed from the Mass with a catechist to “feast” on the Scriptures and homily they just heard—to chew on them, in a sense—and to discover together what God is calling them to do at that moment in their faith journey.

Church Tradition and Teaching
You can’t find answers in the Scriptures to every one of life’s problems. But you can find Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will remain with us always, guiding us, instructing us in everything (Jn 14:26). That Spirit has led our Church through the ages, inspiring saints and holy women and men to hear and respond to God’s voice in their own time and situation. Church tradition is the collective wisdom and presence of that Spirit, showing us how our ancestors interpreted not only Scripture but also the signs of the times through which God was acting.

Church Community
The apostles didn’t receive the Spirit as individuals but as a community. We believe that in the faithful, there is a “sense” of what God is calling us to be. When two or three are gathered, God is there. And so learning to hear God’s voice is a group exercise. Together we listen for God with those we trust and who know us best—our companions, literally, those we share bread with. Our companions help us to hear and see the things we may be missing. They do this not just by what they say but also by how they live. Catechumens are given special companions called sponsors to help them discern God’s voice throughout their journey to initiation.

For discussion: Who are your companions? Who is looking to you be their companion in faith? How can your own actions model for the catechumens a life of listening and responding to God?

Our Conscience
For those with faith, God’s word is not far from them—“it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts” (Dt 30:14). God’s Spirit is in us, guiding our conscience into knowing the path God wants us to take. If after consulting all the other areas of discernment, we still feel uneasy, it may be because our conscience, God’s Spirit in us, knows it is not satisfied. But if after true discernment, we feel at peace, even with a hard decision, we can trust that we have listened and responded well to God’s voice.

A Process for Discernment
When faced with a difficult decision or turning-point in your life, or you just need to know better where God is leading you at this time, try this process.

Pray daily: Praying is less about saying things to God and more about being still to listen to God. Find a quiet place, and just be still and open to what God is trying to reveal to you. Making the sign of the cross, reading the Bible, or praying the Lord’s Prayer may help you focus on being attentive to God.

Participate at Mass: Keep your eyes, ears, mouth, and hands open to encountering God when your participate at Sunday Mass. Read the Sunday readings before you come to Mass. Be present to those around you, especially the stranger. Bring your concerns to prayer in the community. Reflect with others after Mass.

Look to the saints and other holy people: Read about the saints and their writings. Read Scripture stories about our ancestors in faith. Pay attention to people in your church or in your life whom you admire because of their life of faith. Share your faith with them, and let them be your companion and sounding board.

Return to prayer: Be still again in prayer, and listen to the small voice within you. Imagine making your decision, and notice your feelings. Journal about them if it helps. Which decision gives you a sense of peace? Which choice feels right with who God intends you to be? When this peace comes, give thanks to God.

Scholarships for pastoral music students

Thirteen scholarships totaling $23,000 are available from the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) this year for undergraduate and graduate study in pastoral music and related fields. The deadline for scholarship applications is March 3, 2007.

Click here to view scholarship information and download an application.

Food Available for Parish Food Pantries

Saint Joachim Church in Madera, California, near Fresno, has 60 tons of Italverde Trading Pasta: 5,000 cases, 24 lbs. each. Help Catholic Charities get this to families in parish communities. If your parish has a food pantry and you are interested, please contact Rubén Solorio immediately for more details. Catholic sister agencies in the Santa Clara County have already been contacted: Sacred Heart Community Services, Martha's Kitchen, Loaves & Fishes, St. Vincent De Paul and St. Joseph Family Center. Rubén Solorio’s contact information is (408) 325-5129.

Rite for Sending Communion Ministers to the Sick from a Parish Mass

The following rite was developed by the Diocese of San José and is made available for use in your parishes.

Download this rite as a Word document.


Rite for Sending Communion Ministers to the Sick from a Parish Mass

Before Mass, ministers to the sick place their empty pyxes on the credence table. At the end of the Communion procession, the priest, deacon, or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion fill the pyxes with consecrated hosts and place them on the altar.

After the communal silence or song of prayer, the celebrant calls the ministers to the sick forward and gives them their pyxes. Then he leads the assembly in the Prayer After Communion.

After the Prayer After Communion, the celebrant dismisses the ministers to the sick with these or similar words:

Celebrant:
My brothers and sisters,
you are sent to bring the Word of God
and the Bread of Life from this assembly
to the sick and shut-in members of our parish family.
Go to them with our love and our prayers
in the name of Jesus Christ.

Ministers: Thanks be to God.

(en español)

El Sacerdote:
Mis hermanos y hermanas,
ustedes van a llevar la Palabra de Dios
y el Pan de Vida de esta asamblea
a los enfermos de nuestra familia parroquial.
Vayan a ellos con nuestro amor y nuestras oraciones
en el nombre de Jesucristo.

Ministros: Demos gracias a Dios.

The ministers leave the assembly immediately.

World Day of Prayer for the Sick – February 11

Since 1992, February 11, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, has been observed as the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. This is a good opportunity to give special attention to the needs and witness of the sick in our communities.

Below are a list of ritual suggestions which had been developed in consultation with the diocesan Pastoral Care of the Sick Committee. In addition, there are suggested general intercessions and a blessing for caregivers that can be a part of a parish celebration of Anointing of the Sick.

"When the Church cares for the sick, it serves Christ himself in the suffering members of his Mystical Body" (Decree on the Pastoral Care of the Sick, December 7, 1972).


Assessing your parish's ministry to the sick:

• Have enough ministers been trained and commissioned to bring Communion to the sick?
• Are parishioners encouraged to visit the sick in their homes and hospitals?
• Are the homebound invited to participate in parish life in whatever way possible?
• Are the sick and dying remembered in the prayers that begin parish group meetings?
• Does the parish support other organizations that assist the sick and dying and those who are easily forgotten?

Suggestions for a parish celebration remembering the sick

• Remind pastoral care ministers and ministers of Holy Communion to visit the sick and shut-ins of the parish.
• Place the names of the sick in a special book that is displayed in church.
• During February, place the names of the sick on separate pieces of paper and ask parishioners to take a name, pray for the person, and send him/her a card.
• Use the diocesan Rite for Sending Communion Ministers to the Sick from a Parish Mass.
• Schedule a parish Anointing of the Sick either during Mass or outside of Mass.
• Include intercessions for the sick or use the suggested prayers below.
• During Mass, give a special blessing for caregivers. Suggested text is below.
• The following prayer from the United States Bishop’s “Pastoral Care of the Sick” can be printed in the bulletin or on cards for people to pray at home or at weekday Mass:

  Father, your Son accepted our sufferings to teach us the virtue of patience in human illness. Hear the prayers we offer for our sick brothers and sisters. May all who suffer pain, illness, or disease realize that they have been chosen to be saints and know that they are joined to Christ in his suffering for the salvation of the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
  
  Padre nuestro, tu Hijo aceptó nuestros sufrimientos para enseñarnos la virtud de la paciencia en el dolor humano. Eschucha las oraciones que te ofrecemos por nuestro(a) hermano(a) enfermo(a). Que todos los que sufren dolores, enfermedades o males se den cuenta de que han sido escogidos para ser santos y para conocer que están unidos a Cristo, que sufre por la salvación del mundo. Te lo pedimos por Cristo, nuestro Señor. Amén.

General Intercessions for the Sick

For the Church: [pause]
May we accept the challenge to respond to the needs of God’s people.
We pray to the Lord.

For all who suffer throughout the world: [pause]
May they experience the peace of Christ.
We pray to the Lord.

For all who have come today for healing: [pause]
May they be filled with new hope and strength.
We pray to the Lord.

For all who are dedicated to the care of the sick: [pause]
May they receive the grace to continue their ministry of compassion.
We pray to the Lord.

For the families and friends of those who are ill: [pause]
May their faith bring them comfort.
We pray to the Lord.


Blessing for Caregivers

Almighty God, you are lavish in bestowing all your gifts;
your mercy is without measure,
and the treasures of your goodness without limit.

We thank you for the ministry of pastoral care
with which you have graced your church.

We thank you for these, your ministers,
who faithfully give of themselves in caring for their brothers and sisters.

Send your blessing upon them;
shelter them in the shadow of your wings.

May they see you in the faces of those entrusted to their care,
and may they share your gifts with those in need
out of love for Christ our Lord who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Sample Intercessions for February 11, 2007

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
February 11, 2007

Things, events, and news items to keep in mind:

• Click here for the day's readings.
• February 11 is World Day of the Sick.
• February 14 is Valentine's Day. This may be a difficult day for those who are lonely, single, in struggling relationships, divorced, or widowed.
• Hundreds are killed in massive car bombs in Iraq; several US soldiers die is helicopter crashes.
• Extreme cold hits the midwest and east coast, leaving the vulternable and the homeless in danger of death.
• Fires in South San José and in Sunnyvale displace hundreds and leave many homeless.
• Catechumens continue to discern their readiness for baptism this Easter as Lent approaches.
• Vietnamese and Chinese communities prepare for the Tet holiday and the lunar new year.

The following are just samples meant to inspire your work. Use them as ideas for your own assembly's intercessions. Read 10 Principles for Writing Intercessions and How To Write Intercessions to help you write your own.

Presider:
With confidence in our God,
let us pray for the needs of the world.

Reader:
For the church: [pause]
for steadfast hope in the Lord;
for fruitful witness to the Gospel.
We pray to the Lord.

For the world: [pause]
for an end to war and violence;
for streams of peace flowing in the desert.
We pray to the Lord.

For the catechumens: [pause]
for strength to listen to God's voice;
for their hunger to be satisfied by God's word.
We pray to the Lord.

For those in love and those struggling to love: [pause]
for couples and those seeking companions in life;
for all who mourn the loss of a relationship.
We pray to the Lord.

For the sick and the dying: [pause]
for the homebound and those in hospitals;
for their caregivers and all who comfort them;
for those we now name...[pause].
We pray to the Lord.

For the dead: [pause]
for faith in the resurrection of Christ;
for comfort to those who weep;
for those we now name...[pause].
We pray to the Lord.

Presider:
God our Father,
those who hope in you flourish in your goodness.
Fill the poor of the world with your blessings,
and give a hunger for justice to those filled with earthly concerns.
Hear our prayers, and we will leap for joy in your kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Calling all singers - Upcoming diocesan liturgies

Calling all singers! We've begun the diocese's busy season of liturgies. And for each of these, we need music ministers to assist with singing in the Diocesan Choir. Look at the dates below and see if you would be able to share your skills.

Rite of Election
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, February 20, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Celebrations:
Sunday, February 25, 2007, 3:30p
Monday, February 26, 2007, 7:30p
Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 7:30p

End of the Jubilee Year Mass
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, March 6, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Celebration:
Saturday, March 17, 2007, 10:00a

Chrism Mass
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, March 13, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Monday, March 26, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Celebration:
Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 7:30p

Neophyte Mass
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Celebration:
Saturday, April 21, 2007, 4:30p

Ordination to the Priesthood
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Celebration:
Saturday, May 26, 2007, 9:30a

Confirmation of Adults
Choir Rehearsal:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 7:00p - 9:00p
Celebration:
Sunday, May 27, 2007, 3:00p

All rehearsals will be in Loyola Hall, the parish hall of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph (80 South Market Street, San José).

And don't forget about the invitation to sing in the peformance of "Armed Man, A Prayer for Peace."

People interested in participating in any of these events can contact Julie Wind at (408) 283-8100 x2205.

"Who moved my Lent?" - Liturgical Coordinators' Gathering follow-up

On January 9, 2007, about 25 liturgical coordinators gathered at Casa Maria Conference Center in Los Gatos to discuss several lenten liturgical issues and share ideas. Here's a report on what we talked about.

Lenten ideas for connecting liturgy with justice

• 7 suggestions for a parish-wide fast for Lent
• "Get on the bus" - a project of Deanery 2 that unites children with their incarcerated mothers on the Friday before Mother's Day; each child is given a teddy bear and a letter from their mother pinned to the teddy bear.
• Operation Rice Bowl - in 2006, the Diocese of San José increased its Operation Rice Bowl collections by 218% from the previous year! That makes us #1 in of all the dioceses in the US in terms of percentages! We’re still not talking about a lot of money, but the increase over last year was incredible.
• "Can you hear me now?" - The campus ministry director at Notre Dame High School shared that the students are asked to fast from cell phone use during Lent.
• Catholic Charities - connecting Sunday with justice
• Catholic Charities - Do this in memory of me - ideas for Holy Thursday
• The children's catechumenate director at Saint Lawrence the Martyr involves the children catechumens in remembering God's promises by creating paper rainbows for Lent.
• Saint Catherine of Alexandria prepares different devotions and liturgies for each Friday of Lent along with a soup supper.
• The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary coordinate a South Africa project in Lesotho, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Ash Wednesday

• Can people take ashes home? - Some people have encountered people asking to take ashes home for family members who were unable to partipate in the parish's Ash Wednesday liturgy. We talked about the benefits of letting people take some ash home and also about the concern that people might "desecrate" the ashes or approach this in a "consumerist" way. In the end we felt that because of the nature of the day (when so many visitors and marginal Catholics come to church), it was best to use this as an opportunity to reach out to those we may never see during the year. In the same way that we allow people to take home holy water to use as a sacramental, ashes could also be given to those who want to bring them to loved ones at home. One parish in the past had prepared small envelopes containing a bit of the blessed ashes and a blessing for Lent printed on the envelope. We also suggested adding the parish's contact information and Lent and Holy Week schedule on these envelopes.

Ashes and palms

• How do you burn palms to make your own ashes for Ash Wednesday? - The liturgy director at Holy Family described how they do it. They put announcements in the bulletin two weeks before Ash Wednesday inviting parishioners to bring their dried palms from last year's Palm Sunday to any of the Masses on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. After each Mass on that weekend, they invite anyone who would like to stay to participate in a short ritual of burning the palms outside. The priest says a few words instructing the people about the tradition of burning palms for ashes. Then they burn the palms in a copper kettle with a screen. They also microwave the ashes afterward to kill any bacteria.
• Here's another blogger tackling the same question.

Reconciliation services

• Here's a sample reconciliation service you can use.
• Here's a sample lenten night prayer for home.
• Reconciliation service resources recommended by the pastoral associate at Saint Nicholas.
• The liturgy director at Saint Martin of Tours shared that the children celebrate first reconciliation together with the parish at the parish's Advent reconciliation liturgies. This has worked very well, and the parishioners serve as examples for the children.
• One of the pastoral associates at Saint Francis of Assisi shared that their parish penitential liturgy ends with an invitation to celebrate the sacrament of penance individually. Each penitent is given a lit votive candle which they place around the altar after they celebrate the rite. This is quite dramatic and meditative especially because the church lights are dimmed during this time.

Lenten movies

• The pastor of Saint Anthony mentioned that he saw "Freedom Writers" the night before and thought it would be an excellent movie for a lenten gathering and discussion. To read more about this movie and one person's reflection on the power of one, click here.
• Other people suggested "An Inconvenient Truth".
• To see a HUGE index of movies by Christian themes, click here.

Miscellany

• The liturgy director at Saint Catherine of Alexandria noted that the latest issue of the United States Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy Newsletter talks about the appropriate use of the tabernacle and how "only under rare circumstances of necessity should the assembly at Mass communicate from the reserved sacrament in the tabernacle." This is one of Bishop McGrath's Communion norms for our diocese.
• The liturgy and music director at Most Holy Trinity recommended Dan Schutte's "Most Holy Night" as an excellent assembly/choral/schola setting of the Exsultet. The setting is found in "Easter Praises" a collection of Exsultet settings published by OCP. Click here to listen and order.

Operation Rice Bowl - 2007

Operation Rice Bowl materials including posters, rice bowls, Educator’s Guides, and home calendars have recently been sent to all parish coordinators. These materials are bilingual in Spanish and English. Operation Rice Bowl is Catholic Relief Services’ Lenten solidarity program. Materials are designed to offer faith communities the opportunity to deepen their Lenten experience through prayer, fasting, learning, and giving. Of particular interest to you may be the Educator’s Guides which also contains a special section entitled “If you only have 10 minutes…” designed for limited-time catechesis. For more information, see www.crs.org/orb or contact Linda Batton at batton@dsj.org.

Reconciliation Services resources

Sr. Rosheen Glennon, CSJ, pastoral associate at Saint Nicholas Parish, gave me these suggestions for reconciliation service resources.

Reconcilation Services through the Church Year
by Margrit Anna Banta (23rd Publications)
Easy to use, easy to adapt, easy to duplicate, these reconciliation services cover the major seasons of the church year: Advent, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time. Each offers directions for the leader, homily suggestions for the presider, opening prayers centered on the Trinity, Scripture readings, and an examination of conscience. Many conclude with a sharing of peace, the Our Father, and a final blessing. The comprehensive homily suggestions deftly connect the gospel readings to the real-life experiences of parishioners. A great resource for all parishes and schools!

Try also Parish Reconciliation Services: Seasonal Celebrations for Adults and Children by Margrit Anna Banta (23rd Publications).

Come, Let Us Celebrate! Creative Celebrations of Reconciliation by Sarah O'Malley, OSB and Robert Eimer, OMI, (Resource Publications, Inc.) is out of print. But you might still be able to find this at a library.

Penitential Services
by Oliver Crilly, editor (23rd Publications)

Do This In Memory of Me - Catholic Charitites

Do this in memory of me.

At the beginning of the Easter Triduum, in the middle of the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we find an invitation to have a collection of gifts for the poor, accompanied by singing
Ubi Caritas, "Where Charity and Love Prevail."

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County invites parishes to work with us in serving those who live in poverty in our county.

Season of Service
February 21, 2007 to April 5, 2007

Individual Gift Collection Program Examples:

Toiletries for Today,

Slippers for Seniors,

Coats for Children
Target Gift Cards for Low Income Families

Contact Rubén Solorio
or 408 325-5262
• to help find a match for your parish,
• to make a presentation to your staff or council,
• to meet with your faith formation programs,
• or answer any questions.

Remember Catholic Relief Services for our international aid and Catholic Charities for our local actions of charity and love.