From the Pastor's Desk, October 10, 2010

Dear Members of our Parish Family,

Peace and all good!

In today’s Gospel from Luke (17:11-19), we encounter Jesus as He heals a group of ten lepers. Only one of the ten returns to offer thanks. The message is clear: Jesus
challenges us to adopt an “attitude of gratitude” towards our lives and relationships. An attitude of gratitude helps us to put things into perspective. It does not move us to deny
the reality of the real struggles of our lives. But it helps us to look at things from a broader perspective. For ourselves as Christians, that broader perspective is the recognition that we are loved—unconditionally, unceasingly, and ultimately—by our good and gracious God.

This week’s Gospel also reminds me of a story from the life of St. Francis. Initially, Francis was terrified of lepers and would avoid them at any cost. Soon after his initial conversion, however, he was confronted by a leper begging alms. This time, instead of fleeing from the poor man, Francis literally got down off his high horse, presented him with some coins, and then—and this is the most important part—he actually embraced and kissed the leper. He never forgot the experience, and later wrote that what once had been so bitter for him had since become so sweet. In other words, Francis took on an attitude of gratitude toward a moment which signaled the transformation of his spiritual life.

Some people find it helpful to keep a gratitude list. They take time periodically to go over their day or week and acknowledge all that they have received. Not just material blessings, though they are important, but also the intangibles that we tend to forget about: health, family, relationships; our talents, interests, and commitments. All are gifts from a God who never stops loving us and providing for our well-being.

Personally, I find myself putting together a gratitude list almost every time I sit down to write this letter. This past weekend, for example, we hosted a number of events in connection with the celebration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Last Saturday, we celebrated St. Francis Day, a “fun-raiser” for our parish school, Old Mission Montessori School involving the participation of parents, teachers, staff, and a number of different groups in our parish family. Part of that great celebration was the blessing of animals.

Father Luis and I must have blessed more than a hundred pets during the day. People brought lots and lots of dogs, but, understandably, not so many cats at the same time. We also blessed a rabbit, three chickens, a rooster, and a lizard (gecko). Many thanks to all who worked so hard on that event, including Alex and Maria del Villar, who organized the pet blessings again this year.

This week, I would like to thank in advance all who have been involved in our Columbus Day weekend celebrations— most especially, of course, our Knights of Columbus Council 3162. In addition to throwing a great spaghetti dinner (Saturday night), the Knights, their Ladies and family members have planned to present at the 10 AM Mass and to participate in the blessing of our Rachel Shrine to Unborn Children afterwards. Traditionally, October is the month of the most holy Rosary. The Knights have organized and sponsored a parish-wide multicultural recitation of the Rosary set for today, Sunday, October 10, at 2:00 pm. All are welcome! They will also be distributing free rosaries at liturgies throughout this month.

This weekend, as well, we are celebrating the first School Mass of the academic year for our parish school, Old Mission Montessori School, at the 10 AM Mass. Many thanks to Wanda King, principal, as well as teachers, staff and parents for their enthusiastic participation. Special thanks to the students themselves, who have taken on the various ministries for the liturgy: greeters, lectors, altar servers--- and, of course, the choir. I always tell them that our parish school is the very best one in the world. And of course it is! Speaking of gratitude--- Let’s keep all of our school children in prayer in a special way this week.

 My personal (and parish) gratitude list continues to grow. Stay tuned for more!

God bless,

Fr. Chuck Talley, ofm

From the Pastor's Desk October 3, 2010

Dear Members of our Parish Family,

Peace and all good! Pax et bonum!

This weekend, we are celebrating two of the Franciscan “high holidays”—The Transitus of St. Francis, and the Feast of St. Francis. Two separate moments, but one complete celebration. The “transitus” of St. Francis commemorates the evening of his “transit” or passage from this life into eternal life. It is commemorated here and around the world with a very special evening service marking the life of St. Francis and remembering his commitment to live the Gospel of Jesus. It is a very touching celebration, with many members of the Franciscan family present as well: the Franciscan friars, our Franciscan sisters representing a number of communities, and our lay, or Secular Franciscans as well. Thanks to all who have been able to be with us to mark this very special evening in our lives and history.

The second part of the celebration is the Feast of St. Francis, which we are celebrating on Sunday, October 3, this year (the actual date is October 4). In our liturgy, we celebrate the life of Christ as expressed in the life of Francis. Thanks to all who have worked so hard to make these events so successful. Special thanks to Maria and Alex Del Villar, for their work on the great Saturday, St. Francis Day event, which included our traditional blessing of pets. Thanks, also, to all the vendors, food concessionaires, and volunteers who made this such a great day.

This past summer, in conversation with our lay staff, we decided to make a commitment to introducing—replanting— the Franciscan charism (identity) in a fuller and more conscious way as part of our parish life. In doing so, we organized a number of mini-retreat experiences involving discrete leadership groups in the parish: the Small Christian Communities (SCC groups), the Pequeñas Comunidades de Fe (PCF) in the Hispanic community, members of the Samoan community, as well as representatives of our Parish Advisory Board, Parish Finance Council, and Parish staff. All of this was by way of a pilot project intended to introduce some key concepts of the Franciscan identity and tradition. In terms of the spiritual component of that tradition, we focused on five specific ways in which one might live and/or nourish the Franciscan spirit among us: humble service, focus on building healthy relationships, a healthy sense of detachment and surrender to God’s will. All of this, of course, is contained and expressed in the spirit of prayer. “Pray always,” St. Francis said, “and use words only if necessary.”

The second component in the mini-retreats was the development of five distinct stages involved in personal and parish renewal: welcome, hospitality, worship, faith formation, and service. The combination of the five elements of each list—hence, the 5 x 5—is meant to be a quick shorthand method of embracing the Franciscan spirit in our Christian life.

We have the great dream and hope of continuing to spread this information in its retreat format to as many groups as possible in our family over the next 18 months. On Saturday, October 16, there will be a morning-long follow-up session for participants of the summer retreat for evaluation purposes. Each group will be asked to identify and commit to a particular area of service to the parish family over the next year. Let’s all pray for help and guidance of the Holy Spirit!

Next weekend, we celebrate Columbus Day weekend with some very special events. Our 10 AM Sunday Mass will be our School Mass, involving the participation of the children, teachers, staff, and family of our parish school, Old Mission Montessori School (OMMS). We will be having a special collection for the support of the school at that time. Many thanks for your help and generosity. As you know, a Catholic education in this day and age represents true commitment and sacrifice for a family as well as for our parish family.

Also, on October 10, the Knights of Columbus will be participating in their corporate reception of Holy Communion at the 10 AM Mass, followed by a blessing after Mass of the Rachael memorial to unborn children. The night before, Saturday, October 9, the Knights are sponsoring a fundraising spaghetti dinner. Many, many thanks for our great Knights! We couldn’t do without them.

This past week, Frs. Adrian and Luis were attending the annual priests’ convocation with Bishop Brom and our diocesan clergy. For my part, I attended a new pastors’ workshop in the Bay Area. Hopefully, we are all returning from these experiences energized, renewed, and full of new ideas for the parish.

God bless,

Fr. Chuck Talley, ofm

From the Pastor's Desk, September 26, 2010

Dear Member of our Parish Family,

Peace and all good!

This weekend we are confronted with another “hard” Gospel (Luke 16:19-37). It is the story of an unnamed rich man (whom tradition calls “Dives”) and Lazarus, the neglected poor beggar at his gate. Although presented in a calm and even somewhat gentle manner, this parable is nevertheless quite clear in its message: as followers of Jesus, we must be willing to work actively to secure God’s justice in our broken world. In the first reading, from the prophet Amos (6:1a, 4-7), the language is even more direct and quite unsparing in its criticism of people who lead narcissistic, self-involved lives, indifferent to the suffering of others.

Recent surveys disclose that one out of every seven Americans (about 44 million people) now lives in poverty, while at the same time the share of total wealth controlled by the top 1% of our society has skyrocketed from 8% (in 1960) to more than 20% currently.

Meanwhile, middle class families, including many of our parishioners, are struggling to hold on to house and home while attempting to feed, clothe, and educate their children. Seniors and others on fixed incomes are in a similar bind. It goes without saying that the financial pressures on people these days are severe and in many cases, unrelenting.

On a personal and local level, both individuals and groups within our parish are working hard to provide some measure of relief for people caught in the bind of the economic downturn. I want to thank Carmen Parra of our Social Concerns office, in particular, who, along with several parish volunteers, works to provide emergency services (food, clothing, furniture, etc.) for individuals and families in need. (The Rotary Club generously provided a $5,000 donation last year (proceeds from the Crab Fest), and our Knights of Columbus Council 3162 is always available to answer the call for assistance.  Other parishioners are involved in Brother Benno’s, while still others offer their time at Father Joe’s Village in San Diego.

The response to the need must necessarily differ with each person and group: we are all called to serve and work for justice according to our specific talents, gifts, and experience. For some, it will mean intensifying their prayer life; for others, direct volunteer service to the poor.-- and for others still, direct involvement in movements for peace and justice is what is necessary. Everyone’s help is needed and welcome. Presently, for example, we are working to coordinate more effective services to our military families. I will keep you informed on that project.

On another note, I would like to thank all who participated in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick here in the parish last weekend. We are trying now to offer the sacrament on a quarterly basis in order to provide this service to parishioners who are struggling with illness of body, mind, and spirit. Many people still operate under the mistaken notion that the priest should be called only at the last minute of life to anoint someone. One time, even, a gentleman thanked me for “reading mom her last rights!” We are growing in the understanding, though, that we need to make use of this important sacrament (“sacred moment”) when the person is still alert, and able to comprehend what is happening: our full and conscious participation is optimal.

This month we celebrate the first anniversary of a great new group in our parish family: MOP (Maintain Our Parish). Check out the displays in the rotunda of the Serra Center. These great folks organized themselves to provide TLC to our parish grounds. They gather every Saturday at 8 AM at the flag pole in front of the parish school and then go to work with mowing, pruning, washing (windows), sweeping…. whatever is needed. They’ve clearly made a huge difference in the appearance of the grounds (remember the big monster stones the kids used to dive off—to the never -ending anxiety of their parents? Well, they’re gone. Look
for a new barbecue grille/pit soon to take their place). The MOP folks, as well as our parish Knights (of Columbus), Youth Core Team members and others pitched in to make the rummage sale last weekend a great success. They raised $5,027 towards the OLG Sports Court/parking lot Project. For more information about MOP, contact Lee Bickford at 760-522-2738

Speaking of the OLG Sports Court/parking lot: stay tuned for an update soon as we get ready to launch our fundraising campaign this fall. It’s taken us all this time (since late January) to deal with the myriad of complications and details involved in getting permissions from the authorities, securing competitive bids, etc., etc. We’ve been keeping a lid on things until we’re ready to go. Hang on, it’s coming!

This weekend, we celebrate with our parish Filipino community, the feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first (but not the last!) canonized saint from the Philippine Islands. We take the opportunity to thank our brothers and sisters for their many contributions to our parish life! Salamaat!

Finally, I hope you enjoy the new look of our church bulletin. We now have the capacity to print (at no cost to the parish!) a full-color front and back cover. Many thanks to  our parish secretary, Shirley Gonzalez, and to staff members Maricela Rivadeneyra and Christie Herrera for their hard work.

God bless,  Fr. Chuck

From the Pastor's Desk, Catechechetical Sunday, September 19, 2010

Dear Member of our Parish Family, Peace and all good!

In today’s Gospel (Luke 16:1-13), Jesus calls us, as His disciples, to be worthy stewards of the gifts God has given us. He does so by use of the negative example of the dishonest steward. He is offering what we would call a “backhanded compliment” to the corrupt employee— citing the canniness of this shady character, while at the same time decrying his morally unacceptable behavior. He does this in much the same way that one might “admire” the apparent genius of a sophisticated jewel thief or bank robber. It’s as if Jesus were saying: “If only you, my disciples, were so shrewd and quick to use your gifts to promote the interests of your faith.”

We are all called to be focused and prudent stewards of the gifts God has given to us in terms of time, talent, and treasure. We are called to share not only what we have, but much more importantly, who we are with our brothers and sisters. Our faith community puts a special claim on us for our service—through our presence, our prayers, and our willingness to commit ourselves to serving others.

This weekend, on Catechetical Sunday, we are celebrating and highlighting the work of our dedicated staff and parishioners serving through the parish Religious Education program. This year we will have up to 900 children and teens enrolled in classes and sacramental preparation. It is a gargantuan task, involving the “time, talent and treasure” of so many generous trained volunteer catechists. We congratulate, honor, and thank them for their vital role in planting the seeds of faith in the lives of our children. Special thanks to the members of our Parish Staff who have worked so hard all summer to prepare for this school term: Bill Bischoff (Director of Catechetical Ministry), Elena Zavala (Director, pre-K-6, Spanish) and Larry LaGrasta, (pre-K-8, English) and Bonnie Contreras, secretary.

Let’s remember as well the members of our Hispanic Committee (Comité Hispano) who did such an incredible job putting together our very successful Fiesta Patrias event this past weekend: Lucila Marez, Daniel Ramirez, Maria Rincon, Martha Zamora, Margarita De Teresa, Catalina Perez, Elsa Salas, Elena Zavala, Maria Diaz, Jesus Javier Figueroa, Leticia Figueroa, Gregorio Alberto Rodriguez, Juan Nuñez, Lupericio Baltazar, Humberto Martinez, Veronica Beltran, Javier y Elizabeth Mendez, Cesar y Fabiola
Martinez, Jose Maceda, Lidia Rodriguez, Maria Garcia, Erika Gonzalez, Ignacio Hernandez, Elizabeth Salinas, Ana Montanez Cabrera, Socorro Diego Arroyo, Corina Sanchez, Daniel y Alma Boone, Silvia Martha Rivas, Angel Ramirez, Bartolo Mendez, Veronica Hernandez, Elena Suarez, Jorge Ponce, Miguel Benitez, Tere Monasi, Rocio Hangis, Alfredo Hernandez, Arturo Cedillo, and Roberto Esparza. Muchísimas gracias!!

We are in constant need of volunteers for this and other ministries in the parish. Feel free to contact the Parish Office anytime to offer your services. If you haven’t done service before, consider doing something now. If you feel you have done your job—thank you!—but please continue to pray with and for us.

From the Pastor's Desk, September 12, 2010

Dear Members of our Parish Family,
Peace and all good!

This weekend’s Gospel reading from Luke (15:1-10) reminds me of an old saying: “Tell me who you go with, and I’ll tell you what you are.” The critics of Jesus, not surprisingly, are as yet unable to attack Him directly. Instead, they complain about the people Jesus ‘went with’, those who were drawn to Him—the outsiders, nobody’s, the unwashed and the unclean. Unperturbed, Jesus launches into a series of short parables demonstrating and underscoring the absolutely unconditional love of God for all of His Children.

We can take a measure of pride in the great gift of diversity the Lord has given us here at our parish. We continue to strive to make sure there is a place at the table for everyone; that no one is left out. That hospitality and unity extends to the entire ‘family’ of the parish and the Mission as well. When Father David arrived this summer as Executive Director of the Old Mission, we met, prayed together, and discussed ways in which both the Mission and the Parish might continue to grow together. We are both agreed: there is just one ‘mission’ at the Mission: to proclaim, share, and try to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To that end, we’ve decided to take down the fence that separates the two properties as an important symbolic step toward creating more unity and hospitality. We believe that with generosity, open dialogue, and trust in the Spirit we will continue to to grow together as a united and unifying witness to our faith.

Let me give a bit of background information, if I may. The Parish and the Old Mission are two distinct legal entities. The Parish, occupying a 12.5 acre campus, is the property of
and is under the direct authority of the Diocese of San Diego. The Old Mission stands on a 50-acre site adjacent to the Parish. It includes the historic Church as well as the cemetery, retreat center, museum, and gift shop. It is owned by and administered separately through the Franciscan friars of the Province of St. Barbara. Things get complicated, of
course, when one realizes that the Old Mission Church is also the official church of the parish. Over time, both tensions and tempers have flared where simple hospitality and generosity ought to have prevailed. Frankly, we friars were sometimes the source of that tension ourselves, thanks to our various personalities and ‘characters.’ Now it is time to make amends.

In recent years, friars and others on both side of the fence have worked hard to restore and promote greater harmony between both entities. The restoration of a regular Sunday
Mass (7:00 AM) at the Old Mission Church is one of the fruits of that cooperation.
Let us all continue to pray and work for the continuing unity of our family of faith to become one Mission with one mission!

Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick: Next weekend

September 18 & 19, we will be celebrating this beautiful sacrament as part of the liturgy for the following Masses: Saturday, September 18: 5 PM & 7 PM. Sunday, September 19: 7 AM & 8 AM. This is a wonderful opportunity for those who are facing major health concerns
to receive the healing power of the Spirit and the support and prayers of our parish family.

Elsewhere in the parish, our parish Religious Education program will have nearly 900 students registered this term. Our thanks and gratitude to the Religious Education
department and entire parish staff for their tremendous work. Next Sunday, September 19, we will celebrate Catechetical Sunday to honor the more than 50 volunteer teachers and
catechists. We would have no program without these extraordinarily dedicated people. Please keep them and our students in prayer. We also welcome back all of our parish children and young people, as classes begin again both at our parish school, Old Mission Montessori, and in our Religious Education programs. Enrollment at OMMS has remained stable, and in
fact, we have even seen a modest increase with 212 students registered this term. We will be celebrating our first School Mass of the year on Sunday, October 10, at 10:00 AM. The
school choir and ministers will be on hand. Welcome!

God bless, Father Chuck Talley, ofm

PS: Father Philip Garcia, ofm, will be moving to St. Francis Retreat Center, PO Box 970, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045, effective September 15. You can also reach Fr. Philip at his
email address: pfgofm@yahoo.com. Vaya con Dios, Padre!

From the Pastor's Desk September 5, 2010

Dear Members of our Parish Family,

Peace and all good!

"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”

“….anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

Wait a minute, there! Did Jesus really say that? Maybe something got lost in the translation. Actually, not. These words from this week’s Gospel (Luke 14:25-53) are meant to be harsh—partly to get our attention. More likely, they are intended to get us to realize that being a follower of Jesus is not easy. But, apart from the very few living saints among us, who could even think of making such a commitment? Or would even want to?

Discipleship is serious business; it requires deep commitment and a willingness to let go of anything and anyone that may come between ourselves and the Lord. Still we cannot follow Jesus successfully by disciplined commitment alone. Ultimately, we need to rely upon God’s
grace and help. We need to admit both our limitations and our complete dependence on God. It’s what folks in 12-step recovery mean when they say, “Let go and let God.” In doing
so, little by little, day by day, we are more able to open urselves to the transforming power of God’s Presence and Love. And that, I believe, is the start of true discipleship.

This past week, I’ve been away from the office attending meetings of our Franciscan Definitorium— I am one of six friars who act as a consulting group to assist our Minister
Provincial, Fr. John Hardin, ofm, in making decisions concerning the friars and our ministry commitments. The work is just piling up! At this point, I realize that I will never, ever get caught up with correspondence, phone calls, emails, and appointments. But I’m learning, too, little by little myself to “let go and let God.” Thank you for your patience with me. Great things continue to happen every single day in our parish whether the pastor is here or not.

Just a few items of interest: Our great Knights of Columbus, along with our
MOP (Maintain Our Parish) team recently removed some dead trees from the grounds, including one unsightly stump right in the middle of the parish lawn. Rumors are they want to install a barbecue grill, adding some real sizzle to our parish life….

We have been getting some responses to our pleas for Ministers of Bereavement and Ministers to the Sick & Homebound (separate ministries). We still need more! Please call Betty Muszynski at 760-231-1254 or Walter and Dorothy Arney at 760-722-5616 respectively for
information and details….

Labor Day signals the end of summer vacations and we’re gearing up for the Fall here at the Parish as well: Registration for Religious Education classes is going strong and continues through Sept. 18th. Classes at our parish school, Old Mission Montessori, are scheduled to begin Sept. 7. The Small Christian Communities (SCC) groups of the parish sponsored a great kickoff luncheon for both Parish and School faculty/staff on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Let’s keep
all of these wonderful people in our prayers….

The Crab Fest (at the Old Mission) is slated for September 10 will benefit both the Mission and our Parish Social Concerns office.

The Comité Hispano is sponsoring its second annual “Fiestas Patrias” celebration of Hispanic culture on Sunday, September 12, Noon to 9 PM on the Parish lawn
in front of the School. Proceeds will benefit the OLG Sports Court. Come for a wonderful day of food, exhibits, family fun, and great music! A wide variety of parish groups will
be participating as well in this great celebration of Hispanic heritage and our cultural diversity. Bienvenidos!

Please mark your calendars: The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick will be offered on the weekend of September 18-19 at the following Masses: Saturday (Sept 18): 5 pm, 7 pm. Sunday (Sept 19) 7 AM, 8AM.

…. Stay tuned! There’s always more to come!

God bless!
Fr. Chuck

PS: Last week, I neglected to thank our parish wedding coordinators: Linda Reyna, Mary Dorso, Jan Jones, and Jacque Travis for their tremendous work in putting together
the celebration of our group wedding Mass last weekend. They are incomparable! Thanks! — ct