April 29th, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
It’s been a while so I thought I would write and let you know that I am still bunkered in place in Moraga like the rest of you. Easter was different, and I celebrated the Holy Week ceremonies in the church as usual. I prayed for you and look forward to seeing you all in church soon – whenever that might be. Many people have commented how much they miss attending Mass. One of the good things through all of this is how people have come to appreciate in a deeper way how much our Catholic liturgy helps us feel closer and connected to God. Gathering together, hearing God’s Word in the Scriptures, receiving the Eucharist and doing this in our own parish church again is something to look forward to.
I want to thank many of you who sent in donations for the Sundays leading up to Easter and Easter Sunday itself. We received much more in donations than I had expected to and I am most grateful for this. However, donations are down and we are anticipating this trend to continue even after the stay in place order is lifted. Therefore, over the past few weeks, we have had to make some decisions regarding our office staff. We kept on with their normal office hours - the Bookkeeper and the Communication side of things. Our Office coordinator, musicians and janitor had to be furloughed until such a time that the Governor allows the return of their services. Priests also have taken a 20% pay reduction for a period of time.
It may take some people more time to feel comfortable in large public settings. First Holy Communion and Confirmation will have to be celebrated later in the year. I ask that you would please continue to support the parish financially and encourage the use of online/electronic giving.
I also draw your attention to a Mass that Bishop Barber will celebrate on Friday, May 1st. It will be live-streamed at facebook.com/CTLCathedral.org. Along with the bishops of the United States and Canada in their respective dioceses, he will re-consecrate the Diocese of Oakland to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The live-streamed Mass will be this Friday at 11:30am. I invite you to join with him in prayer as he entrusts the mission and people of the Diocese of Oakland to Mary. I will celebrate a private Mass at that time and entrust our parish to her maternal care. Sadly, the Mass I celebrate will not be open to the public, per the County instructions.
Lastly, as we approach May, a month traditionally dedicated in a special way to Mary, Pope Francis has asked all Catholics to pray the Rosary this month. Here is a link to the Holy Father’s Letter: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-04/letter-on-the-month-of-may-full-text.html I will be remembering all mothers in a particular way this coming Sunday at Mass and will pray for all mothers, living and deceased again on Sunday, May 10, Mother’s Day.
Looking forward to being a priest with his people again.
-Fr. Paul
April 9th, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
On Sunday, we entered in to the holiest of times in the life of our Church. Palm Sunday began our journey of remembering the Last Supper, Good Friday (The Crucifixion) and Easter Sunday, when we will celebrate Jesus’s Resurrection.
I celebrated Mass and blessed palms this past Sunday. I’m sure many of you also took a moment to mark Palm Sunday in a meaningful way. I have included in mailed version of this letter, one of the blessed palms, which has been made into a cross for you. Palms are kept in the home as a witness to faith in Jesus Christ, the messianic king, and in his Paschal Victory. I ask you to keep this cross in your homes for the coming year. Next year, we will gather these palms from our homes and burn them in order to use them to mark ourselves in penance on Ash Wednesday, 2021.
Holy Week is different for all of us this year, and Easter will be too! Death, sickness, fear and anxiety are all around us these days. People are struggling physically, mentally and spiritually. These sufferings are nothing new to the human condition and make up part of the suffering which Our Lord experienced during His life on earth. The Christian message of Easter Sunday is HOPE. The world needs Christianity’s gift of supernatural hope all the more at this time. Many countries, families and individuals are suffering, and the message of Easter is about victory over death and darkness. Humanity has suffered countless times in the past and has gone through periods of great darkness. The Christian Faith, and the hope it brings, has brought comfort to many people for centuries. Looking to the past, we have hope for the future … that things will get better again.
For many of us, albeit in a different way and with different eyes this year, the Resurrection of Jesus from the Dead will have to be celebrated from within our own homes. It’s a time when we spiritually look into the past and live the sorrow of Holy Week, but we do it to strengthen the hope which the Death and Resurrection of Jesus can bring to us today. God was at work through the darkness of Holy Week and brought about healing for humanity. Easter still needs to be celebrated as God our Father is still at work in the world, even during these painful days. He continues to bring us healing and hope.
Catholic churches will still be celebrating Holy Week and Easter in places of worship, bereft of people physically. I know many of you would love to be at church this Easter and perhaps with a longing you’ve never had before. Therefore, I will be sending out an email soon with links to various Catholic churches live-streaming Holy Week and Easter Day Masses. Please take the time to celebrate these holy days, in your homes and with your loved ones, by joining online. Our own Cathedral of Christ the Light has a special site set up for this purpose. I have been praying and will continue to, especially during these days of separation.
Wishing you a Holy and Blessed Easter full of hope for the future.
March 24, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
Our shut-in continues! I recently heard a quote that said, “A parish is not a building, it is a people.” I have come to realize this very intensely over the past number of days. I have continued to celebrate daily Mass in our church. I have remembered your intentions at the altar and prayed for your health and safety - especially those most vulnerable to the virus.
I stayed in the church on Sunday morning from 9am to 11am (my usual routine on a Sunday). During the course of the morning, a number of people came to the church to pray and were able to receive Holy Communion individually. Five people happened to come to church as I was preparing to celebrate Mass at 11am. Consciously abiding social distancing, they spread out physically throughout the church, and were able to participate in the Mass with me. I know receiving Holy Communion meant a great deal to them, but it may have meant even more to me! I was able to do what I promised to do on the day of my ordination - to serve the People of God through the Divine Mysteries and preaching the Word of God (yes, I gave a short sermon, no collection :)).
I know many of you are longing for the day when you can return to worshiping God again in our parish church and receiving Our Lord in the Eucharist. I am looking forward to the day when I can be a priest with my parishioners again. Let us pray to Our Lady of Fatima (whose image we venerate in our church sanctuary) that this present crisis will come to an end soon. I greatly encourage you to pray the Rosary, especially as a family.
Below are some resources that we hope you can avail of and that will help you stay connected to God during this shut-in:
In the coming days we will email you links to keep up with Faith Formation classes remotely. This is another way we can show our children of the importance of having a relationship with God.
You may have already heard, but I want to draw your attention to a request from our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He has asked that Catholics along with other Christians around the world, join him at noon tomorrow, March 25th (Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord) in praying the Our Father,invoking our Heavenly Father to bring this current struggle to an end. It will be difficult due the time zones to do this (4am PST) but I ask that you pray the Our Father several times during the course of the day.
I would like to thank all those who have checked in with me to make sure I’m okay! I am well and appreciate your assurance of prayerful support. I would also like to thank all those who have signed up for EFT (Online Giving) donations and those that have dropped off donations at the parish office. We’ve had approximately $1,000 in new EFT donations, but we are still about $5,000 down in our collection compared to our usual. Parish staff, benefits and insurance, as well as the general upkeep of the property is ongoing. I would ask you to consider signing up for EFT for a one-time offering each week, or switch to EFT permanently by setting up a reoccurring donation (Click here for Online Giving). I make this request conscious that many families and households may be experiencing financial uncertainty.
Lastly, this year’s Lenten Penance Service is canceled. I am still prepared to hear confessions. If you wish to celebrate the sacrament, please email me with your name and telephone number. We can arrange a suitable time and place.
Please know that you are all in my prayers and thoughts.
Fr. Paul Coleman
frcoleman@stmonicamoraga.com
This is a P.S. to my above correspondence. Maybe I didn't make it clear in my email to you, but the Mass that I celebrated on Sunday happened by chance that there were five people in the church. To avoid future confusion, there are no scheduled Masses taking place at St. Monica and no Masses that are open to the general public. I apologize for any confusion that my email may have created.
March 17, 2020
Dear Parishioners,
Please visit the Oakland Diocese's website for the latest recommendations from Bishop Barber regarding upcoming liturgies. He has asked us to cancel all Liturgies of the Church. This includes Sunday and daily Masses. The church will be open each day from 10 am to 3 pm for individuals who may wish to make a visit and pray before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament during these trying and difficult times. Although public Masses have been postponed for now, I will be offering the Holy Mass each day for your intentions, invoking the Lord’s protection over all. Our parish office will remain closed for the foreseeable future. Please check our website for further updates.
I trust that you are all praying fervently at this time. I encourage you to pray the Rosary daily as a family. Being confined to our homes will be frustrating but will allow us to slow down a little and hopefully find some time to spend in prayer. The internet is a great resource for daily Catholic Mass and many Catholic devotions. Reading of Sacred Scripture and the Stations of the Cross are traditional during the season of Lent.
Due to the fact that our parish has a high number of seniors, I ask you to please keep in contact with one another. A quick telephone call should suffice. Please remember to keep in your prayers the many doctors, nurses and hospital staff that valiantly go to work every day caring for the ill and vulnerable of our communities. May Our Lady, Help of the Sick, be close to all of us at this time. Although you are not be able to attend Mass as normal, please continue to support the parish as you kindly do each Sunday. Our parish website offers the opportunity for online giving or you may mail your regular donation to the parish office.
Assuring you all of my prayers and whatever support you need.
Fr. Paul Coleman