Church of the Transfiguration 4000 E. Castro Valley Blvd., Castro Valley, CA 94552-4908

(510) 538-7941 Fax (510) 538-7983 E-mail: transfig_office@sbcglobal.net Website: www.transfigchurch.com December 1, 2019

Rev. Mario L. Borges, Pastor ● Rev. Terence O’Malley, Parochial Administrator Deacon Martin J. Leach ● Deacon John A. Mignano ● Deacon Timothy L. Moore ● Deacon Burton J. Rigley

LITURGICAL MINISTRY: Eucharistic Ministers, Elmer & Puri Serrano Lectors, Barbara Mehan Altar Servers, Clarence Decano

FINANCE COUNCIL: Chairman, Mark Zaleski

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS: Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), 60 Plus or Minus Club, Cursillo Group

SAINT VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY: Call (510) 274-0830 for assistance. Call Mike Dresen (510) 813-6854 for more information about this ministry.

SICK & HOMEBOUND MINISTRY: Claudia Paquette, (510) 537-8986 WINGS “Women in God’s Spirit”: Peggy Maurer, (510) 538-5671 HALL RENTAL MANAGER: Monica Corona, 510-239-7941

YOUTH MINISTRY: Alfonso Corona III transfig.oasis@gmail.com PARISH OFFICE: Phone: (510) 538-7941 Fax: (510) 538-7983 Hours: 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday (Closed between 12:00 & 1:00 p.m.) Friday, 9:00a.m. — 12:00 Noon - Saturday & Sunday—Closed Secretary, Elmer Serrano Secretary/Bookkeeper, Phyllis Moore

SCHEDULE OF MASSES Saturdays 4:00 p.m. Sundays 7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. (Except First Fridays - 9:30 a.m.) Communion Service - Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. CONFESSIONS Saturdays 3:00-3:45 p.m. BAPTISMS: Pre-baptismal class is required. Class is held the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Rectory. Please call the Parish Office, (510) 538-7941, to register. MATRIMONY: Six months advance notice required. Please call the parish office. WEDDING COORDINATOR: Mel Speed (510) 909-9334 or melspeed@live.com FUNERALS: Please contact the funeral home of your choice and then the parish office. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: Director, Patrice Ballinger (510) 537-1502 or TransfigCCD@aol.com RCIA: Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults Please call the parish office. MUSIC MINISTRY: Director, Alexander Katsman (510) 538-7941, Ext. 302 or Transfig_Music@sbcglobal.net

Mission Statement: “Transfiguring Our Community Through Faith”

Mass Intentions (Nov 30—Dec 1, 2019) Sat. 4:00 p.m. For the People & All Souls Sun. 7:30 a.m. Tom Paquette 9:00 a.m. Sherrilyn Burkey 11:00 a.m. Juliana Monteiro Mon. 8:00 a.m. Barrette Baker Tues. 8:00 a.m. Bob Soper Wed. 8:00 a.m. Isaias Rosales, Amparo Pozos and Maria Cano Thurs. 8:00 a.m. Dean Montevago Fri. 9:30 a.m. Michael Menolascino Sat. 4:00 p.m. Eduina & Augusto Silva and Family

December Birthdays Happy Birthday to you, May God Bless you.

Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, May God Bless

Transfiguration Catholic Church

Adult Bible Study Monday evening, December 2, 2019 in the Marian Room, Parish Hall, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. No sign-up required, just drop in. Free-will offering.

Baptism Class The next Baptism Class will be Tuesday, December 10, 2019.

Please call the Parish Office to register.

Deadline for Bulletin The deadline for items in the bulletin is

Monday, 4:30 p.m. Thank you for your support!

NOTE: Mass on Friday, December 6 is at 9:30 a.m.

SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS (c. 675-749) December 4

From almost 1300 years ago, John’s message for the church’s spirituality and mission is surprisingly con-temporary. Pope Benedict said that in our modern culture of images, sacred images often speak more eloquently than words. This “incarnational theology,” the concept that visible, tangible elements can give believers access to divine realities beyond, found an eloquent champion in John of Damascus. He challenged the Iconoclasts (image-breakers), whose misinterpretation of the biblical prohibi-tion of idolatrous images (Exodus 20:4-5) led them to campaign for the destruction of all sacred art. Before this controversy, however, John bore witness to Christ in a way that provides a timely example for Christians in to-day’s pluralistic society. Succeeding his grandfather and father, John served as chief financial officer to the Muslim caliph, professing his Christian faith without compromise, while winning the esteem of his Islamic sovereign by his competence and integrity. No wonder John could elo-quently defend icons as “windows into heaven”—he had already learned to see Christ in the living icons of people different from himself yet fashioned in the same divine image! —Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Stewardship Corner The collection total for the weekend Nov. 23rd & 24th will be on the next December bulletin. Thank you for continuing in your stewardship role of providing for the upkeep of our parish community.

Remember Transfiguration in your Will and Liv-ing Trust.

First Sunday of Advent December 1, 2019

“You . . . must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,

the Son of Man will come.” — Matthew 24:44

HOPEFUL EXPECTATION Our liturgical year begins with the season of Ad-vent—a time of hopeful expectation of the coming of the Lord. On the First Sunday of Advent we look forward to the end of time when we will awaken to the dawn of Christ’s new day. Today we hear Isaiah speak of a day when God’s power will have brought universal peace and God’s Word will have instructed all people, radiating God’s “light” (teachings) into all of human society. Only when humanity walks “in the light of the Lord” (Isaiah 2:5), when all people desire to be instructed “in [God’s] ways” (Isaiah 2:3), will the world be set aright and our deepest longings fulfilled. The reading from Romans calls us to “awake from sleep” for this final “day is at hand” (Romans 13:11, 12). Together this Sunday’s scrip-tures proclaim our Christian faith that Jesus is the One who will finally come to fulfill God’s plan of salvation. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

ADVENT Let’s approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather

than a last-minute rush. —Anonymous

Remember Transfiguration in your Will and Living Trust

Tim & Rose Maier will be hosting coffee and donuts this Sunday after the 9:00 a.m. Mass. Stop by and enjoy the fellowship.

Thank you for advertising in our bulletin. We appreciate your support!

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14 Psalm: 122—Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44

The English translation of the Psalm Responses from Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, Interna-tional Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Is 4:2-6; Ps 122:1-9; Mt 8:5-11 Tuesday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Lk 10:21-24 Wednesday: Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37 Thursday: Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a; Mt 7:21, 24-27 Friday: Is 29:17-24; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31 Saturday: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; Mt 9:35 — 10:1 Sunday: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12 SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: First Sunday of Advent; World AIDS Awareness Day Tuesday: St. Francis Xavier Wednesday: St. John Damascene Friday: St. Nicholas; First Friday Saturday: St. Ambrose; First Saturday; Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

C.C.D. Cultivating Catholic Disciples

Classes, as usual, this week.

~~Religious Education~~

Pancake Breakfast Team “B” will be hosting the Pancake Breakfast next Sunday after the 7:30 a.m. & 9:00 a.m. Masses in the Parish Hall. All-you-can-eat pancakes, ham, sausage, scrambled eggs, orange juice, coffee/tea/hot choco-late. Adult: $4, Senior: $3, Child: $3, Family: $8. Be sure to come and enjoy a great meal and the fellow-ship. See you there!

Attention Amazon Shoppers! Transfiguration is now a registered non-profit on Amazon Smile, Amazon’s charitable giving pro-gram. To register your account for donations to Transfiguration, go to smile.amazon.com, search for “Transfiguration Castro Valley”, and click choose. Amazon will then donate 0.5% of qualifying pur-chases to Transfiguration! All you have to do is the initial setup, and then go to smile.amazon.com each time you shop!

Church of the Transfiguration Blood Drive

Transfiguration Church Hall : Sunday, December 22, 2019 from 10 am to 2 pm - Sponsor code “COTT” Every 3 seconds someone needs a blood transfusion - Please be a life-saver! To schedule your life-saving dona-tion, please go to www.bloodheroes.com and enter the sponsor code to find the event. As a thank you for saving a life during this critical period, all donors will receive a pair of awesome Holiday socks! Don’t forget to bring your photo id as well as eat and drink plenty of water be-fore your donation. If you have any questions, please con-tact Sunita D’Costa dcostasu@gmail.com 510-733-2500

Confirmation

Class Info: Class session, as usual, on Thursday.

Collection for Retirement Fund for Religious

Next weekend we will have a collection to help the aging sisters, brothers and religious order priests. Each year the need to provide for our elderly becomes more pressing. Your donation helps provide necessities such as prescrip-tion medications and nursing care. Please give to those who have given a lifetime.

Sixty Plus Or Minus Club Please join us in the Hall after the 9:30 a.m. Mass on December 6, 2019 for our annual Christmas Brunch catered by Yanni. The Madrigal Choir of Castro Val-ley High will once again entertain us with Holiday music. Please sign up if you plan to attend as we need an accurate account for the caterer. Guests are welcomed to join us for a cost of $15.00.

Simbang Gabi (Filipino Traditional Novena)

2019 Simbang-Gabi kick-off Mass at the Cathedral of Christ the Light on Tuesday, December 10th at 7:00 p.m.

LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME

POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE

#28. Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Sources of fresh water are necessary for health care, agriculture and industry. Water supplies used to be relatively constant, but now in many places demand exceeds the sustainable supply, with dramatic conse-quences in the short and long term. Large cities de-pendent on significant supplies of water have experi-enced periods of shortage, and at critical moments these have not always been administered with suffi-cient oversight and impartiality. Water poverty espe-cially affects Africa where large sectors of the popu-lation have no access to safe drinking water or expe-rience droughts which impede agricultural produc-tion. Some countries have areas rich in water while others endure drastic scarcity. Fr. Terry’s Remarks: We can only survive for a very brief time without air- oxygen. And water is our next most vital necessity for living. Yet our air is polluted in many parts of our planet and safe drinking water is becoming scarcer for more and more people. Even the city of Cape Town has difficulty maintaining a regular sup-ply. Are we going to sit on our hands and wait until we don't have healthy air to breathe, our faucets have run dry and that's before its too hot to go out-side and the waves are lapping our front door? We must unite with all countries and very seriously take sufficient steps to counter the climatic threats that are endangering us. We need to pray for greater wisdom and the strength to make the sacrifices that are neces-sary.

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