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St. Agnes Catholic Community Many Visions † One People

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 17, 2021

OUR PARISH MISSION To know Christ, and to make Him better known by

all, teaching and sharing the Faith, providing worship and spiritual growth opportunities, and serving those in need.

PARISH OFFICE 3966 Chestnut Ave. Concord, CA 94519 Tel: (925) 689-0838 Fax: (925) 689-7899

Website: www.stagnesparish.net E-Mail: stagnesoffice@comcast.net Instagram: stagnesparishconcord

Twitter: @stagnesparish

OFFICE HOURS Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

MASS Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm,

Sunday at 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 am and 5:00 pm. Daily at 8:00 am. No Daily Mass on Wednesdays.

MASS (via livestream)

8:00 am Mon-Tues and Thurs-Sat. Masses are livestreamed on Facebook

at facebook.com/stagnesparish/

CONFESSION Saturday at 3:30 pm in the church

EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

Chapel daily 6:00 am—9:00 pm

STAFF Rev Fr. Johnson Abraham, Pastor

(925) 689-0838 chemans@gmail.com

David Wood, Business Manager david.stagnesparish@gmail.com

Deacon Sumner Peery sumnerpeery@yahoo.com

Deacon Tony Reyes (Retired) deacontonyr@gmail.com

Donna Cassianos, Secretary—Religious Education donna.stagnesparish@gmail.com

Pete Frevele, Director of Music Ministry petefrev@me.com

Donna Roberts, Bulletin Editor and RCIA Coordinator donnaroberts1956@gmail.com

Mike McDermott, Pastoral Council Chair mtmcder@pacbell.net

SCHOOL OFFICE 3886 Chestnut Ave., Concord

Tel: (925) 689-3990 Website: www.stagnesconcord.com

Jill Lucia, Principal, jlucia@csdo.org Ana Kelley, Secretary, akelley@csdo.org

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Saturday, October 16, 2021 5:00 p.m. Ed Lexon—Repose Mina Yee—Repose Jung Family—Special Intention

Sunday, October 17, 2021 7:00 a.m. Lulu Angeles-Thayer—Repose Tami McEachran—Repose Carmen Santos—Repose

9:00 a.m. Alice Marshall—Repose Marc Pascual—Repose Mely Quan—Repose

11:00 a.m. Merv Hammond—Repose John Ouimet—Repose Gerry Rugani—Repose

5:00 p.m. Hazel Garcia and Anthony Nguyen— Special Intention

Monday, October 18, 2021 8:00 a.m. Merv Hammond—Repose Carlito Santos—Repose Deacon Loc—Special Intention

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 8:00 a.m. Tomas Legaspi, Jr.—Repose Tami McEachran—Repose Jung Family—Special Intention

Thursday, October 21, 2021 8:00 a.m. Edward Nettleman—Repose John Ouimet—Repose Bob McEachran—Special Intention

Friday, October 22, 2021 8:00 a.m. Don Miller—Repose Marc Pascual—Repose Audrey McEachran—Special Intention

Saturday, October 23, 2021 8:00 a.m. For the People of St. Agnes, Living and Deceased

5:00 p.m. Gil Chavez—Repose Alberto Da Silva—Repose Carmela Bonsignore—Special Intention

Mass Intentions Parish Events and Meetings

Monday, October 18, 2021 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass—Church 6:00 p.m. Knights of Columbus—Church Hall Tuesday, October 19, 2021 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass—Church 7:00 p.m. Buildings & Grounds—A.R. Wednesday, October 20, 2021 6:00 p.m. St. Vincent de Paul—A.R. 6:30 p.m. Catholic Daughters—Cauchi Hall Thursday, October 21, 2021 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass—Church 9:30 a.m. Bible Study—A.R. 6:30 p.m. ICF—Cauchi Hall 7:00 p.m. Town Hall Mee ng—Church Friday, October 22, 2021 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass—Church Saturday, October 23, 2021 8:00 a.m. Daily Mass—Church 9:00 a.m. CYO Uniform Distribu on—A.R. 3:30 p.m. Confessions—Church

Hospitality Offered a er all Weekend Masses

EVENING PRAYER GROUP 1. Call (425) 436-6358, 5-10 mins before 7 pm. 2. When prompted, enter: 418980# 3. Once connected, and prompted, announce your name. You can remain silent if you prefer to be anonymous; however, the host will not be able to welcome you. 4. Please turn off your TV and listen to all those entering a er you. 5. You do not need to MUTE your phone, unless you are engaging in other ac vi es at this me. 6. Prayers will begin at 7 pm when our beloved cuckoo clock chimes! At that me, the host will mute everyone.

SACRAMENTAL NEEDS For any of your sacramental needs, please contact the parish office at 925-689-0838.

The office is open from Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. un l 4:00 p.m.

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Pastor’s Reflection

In the Gospel reading two brothers, James and John, hard-working fishermen turned followers of Christ, asked Jesus to give them special places of honor in his glory. They asked him “we want you to do whatever we ask you.” Now things are off to a very bad start. Whenever we tell Jesus what we want, then we are in a bad spiritual space. Think of Martha who asked Jesus to do what she wants. Our life is not about us. We have to move from the Ego-drama to the Theo-drama. From the play that we are direc ng to the play that God is direc ng. In Theo-drama, the a tude is always “speak Lord, I am listening. Tell me what to do and not me telling you what to do.” God has chosen us, and not we choosing God. That is the fundamental aspect of our spirituality.

On hearing of their request, the other disciples were angry, and rightly so. Jesus takes the opportunity to instruct his disciples on the true nature of discipleship, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you shall make himself slave of all. Think of the Son of Man…”

Jesus is not discouraging us from being ambi ous, from aiming to do well and doing great things. St. Igna us of Loyola, a er reading about the lives of various saints, was enthused about following their examples and doing great things for God. St. Francis Xavier went off to the Indies with great desires and ambi on to instruct, bap ze and bring all to Christ.

What is important is not to be ambi ous only for one’s self and selfish mo ves. The saints were truly ambi ous to be great before and for God and his people.

What then is discipleship as taught by Christ?

A first condi on for discipleship is to get to know the leader, as the disciples of Jesus did in his life me. A disciple follows a er the example and life of the master: a disciple of Jesus must be ready to follow him in a similar life of service to the people of God. The lives and deaths of the disciples of Jesus followed this pa ern. They followed his invita on to serve and not to be served.

Generosity is a necessary component of following Jesus. The disciple serves the master not for self-glorifica on but for love of the master and his mission.

So coming back to James and John: you and I need to ask ourselves how we can become faithful Chris ans. We need to be challenged: “Be an extraordinary Chris an – we have enough of ordinary ones.” Be ambi ous for higher gi s and seek greatness. Don’t se le for cheap fame. Fame is fickle; fame is flee ng. Greatness is las ng – something that you can take with you into the next life as well as a legacy you can leave with those who have known you and loved you.

So ask not what God can do for you but ask what God wants you to do. Fr. Johnson

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 17, 2021

Through his suffering,

my servant shall jus fy many.

— Isaiah 53:11b

Faith and Spirituality

FOR SPIRITUALITY:

RITE OF CATHOLIC INITIATION FOR ADULTS (RCIA): Please contact Donna Roberts by email at donnaroberts1956@gmail.com. SCRIPTURE SHARING—Beginning September 9 Thursdays from 9:30-11:00 a.m. in the Assembly Room. For questions or information, contact: Christine McDermott, 925-676-2384 or email cemcdermott@pacbell.net.

FOR MINISTRY:

PRAYER TREE: A ministry of people who pray specifically for those who are ill. Please no fy the parish office if you or a member of your family are in, or going into, the hospital. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL MINISTRY: Please contact the St. Vincent de Paul Hotline at (925) 689-0838, Ext. 250. HELPING HANDS: Contact Anne Kurylo, 925-876-7510, anne.kurylo@gmail.com. Helping Hands provides meals in me of need, such as funeral recep ons, illness or births.

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Dianna Andrews Norm Andrews Ron Artale Aurora Asprer Tom Balistreri Joaquin Bigol Paul Boback Lynn Broaddus King Bunyi Cara Carmody Patrick & Angela Chan Becky Chargulaf Kandy Chhi George Conlow, Jr. Eileen Con

Sandra Debrichy Zane Drobick Joy Dixon Nancy French Marie Frisbee Maria Luisa Garcia Monica Garcia Tony Harpouche Sara Harris Todd Hurst Jon Ignacio Suzanne Klassen Chris Klyse Todd Long Lorna Macadaeg

Joel Manalang Mike Marshall, Jr. Joey McClure Hugh McManus Lily Melendrez Ilia Minder Susan Noard Jeff Null Lisa O’Brien Sharon Ouimet Gerardo Palomo Rafael Preciado Ricky Quintana Robert Rivera Kayle Robinson

Nena Rofon Robert Rogalinski Maureen Ryan Connie Schulte Marsha Selhorn Sophia Senh Heather Solari Lougene Simisim Adenia Sullivan Margarita Torres Josephina van Ha em Jeorge Villanueva Be y Wilson

PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALING FOR:

Parish News and Activities

TOWN HALL MEETING Thursday, October 21, 7:00 p.m.

The St. Agnes Town Hall will be on Thursday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the church. We will discuss the goals of the Diocesan Ministry Alignment Process, answer ques ons, and provide copies of the survey for those who prefer paper entry to online entry. The mee ng will be short—less than one hour.

BULLETIN ITEMS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please send all of your bulle n ar cles by email to Donna Roberts at donnaroberts1956@gmail.com no later than Thursday evening, over a week before the bulle n date. If you have announcements for the altar, please send directly to Father Johnson at chemans@gmail.com by Thursday evening. Thank you!

OCTOBER—MONTH OF THE HOLY ROSARY

October is the month of the Holy Rosary. During the month of October we ask you to arrive five minutes early before Mass in order to join in reci ng a decade of the rosary.

BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

The Book of Remembrance will be in the back of the Church during the month of October. You are invited to enter the names of your loved ones you would like to be remembered on All Souls Day and throughout the month of November.

The Mass of Remembrance will be celebrated on Saturday, November 13.

MISCOMMUNICATION We may be on the same page, but are we reading from the same book? - Anonymous Parishioner

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Parish News and Activities

SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: St. Luke Tuesday: Ss. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions Wednesday: St. Paul of the Cross Friday: St. John Paul II Saturday: St. John of Capistrano; Blessed Virgin Mary TODAY’S READINGS

First Reading — My servant shall jus fy many, and their guilt he shall bear (Isaiah 53:10-11).

Psalm — Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you (Psalm 33).

Second Reading — Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for mely help (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Gospel — Whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all (Mark 10:35-45 [42-45]).

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 2 Tm 4:10-17b; Ps 145:10-13, 17-18; Lk 10:1-9 Tuesday: Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21; Ps 40:7-10, 17; Lk 12:35-38 Wednesday: Rom 6:12-18; Ps 124:1b-8; Lk 12:39-48 Thursday: Rom 6:19-23; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 12:49-53 Friday: Rom 7:18-25a; Ps 119:66, 68, 76-77, 93-94; Lk 12:54-59 Saturday: Rom 8:1-11; Ps 24:1b-4ab, 5-6; Lk 13:1-9 Sunday: Jer 31:7-9; Ps 126:1-6; Heb 5:1-6; Mk 10:46-52 ACHIEVING SANCTITY Let us throw ourselves into the ocean of God’s goodness, where every failing will be cancelled and anxiety turned into love. —St. Paul of the Cross

OFFERING OF LETTERS

Did you know that ending hunger can start with a hear elt le er? Everything you need to write those le ers will be at St. Agnes on October 30-31. As Mother Teresa said “At the end of our lives we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by: I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in.” If you want to write your le ers online, please go to www.bread.org/go.

SHARE FOOD PANTRY STATISTICS FOR SEPTEMBER

Families: 221 Adults: 320 Children: 70 Homeless: 39

Total Clients 429

Thank you for all of your contribu ons to the Food Pantry. Your dona ons help to feed the people within our local community.

2021 BISHOP’S APPEAL AS OF 9/30/21

As of September 30, the Diocese has raised 77.24% of their goal of $3,000,000, with St. Agnes parishioners contribu ng or pledging $29,630 (68.59% of our goal of $43,200). If you recently received a s mulus payment from the State of California, would you consider sharing a por on of that amount with the Bishop’s Appeal?

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Parish News and Activities

RESPECT LIFE MONTH

Each week during this Respect Life month of October, there will be a short medita on about St. Joseph. He is a Respect Life model for us, especially during this year of St. Joseph.

MEDITATION 3: Like every other human family, the Holy Family had to confront real and concrete challenges. Yet, “in every situa on, Joseph declared his own ‘fiat’ .” His “yes” to the Lord meant that regardless of the hardship and personal sacrifice to himself, he consistently chose to put the needs of Mary and Jesus before his own. (Excerpts from Patris corde, © 2020, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2021, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.)

FEAST OF FAITH—Only Say the Word The bread is broken, the banquet is prepared, and now we are invited to the feast. Once more the priest holds the host, now broken, for us to see, and invites us to behold the one “who takes away the sins of the world.” Truly blessed and happy are those invited to this meal, which is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, the supper of the Lamb (Revela on 19:19). We respond to this invita on with a prayer to the Lord: we acknowledge that we are not worthy, but at the same me we are confident that the One who comes to us can heal us, body and soul. This prayer echoes the story of the centurion in Luke’s Gospel. The centurion, a Gen le, asks healing for his servant, but does not consider himself worthy to have Jesus come under his roof—he believes that Jesus can heal his servant with a word, without even seeing him. Jesus is amazed at his faith. It is the same for us. We believe that Jesus speaks to us, comes to us, dwells with us, even though we neither hear his voice nor see his face. —Corinna Laughlin, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

JUST FAITH

The Just Faith commi ee at St. Agnes has been taking a class on “Faith and Racial Equity.” During the class we have read and studied Dr. Mar n Luther King, Jr.’s well-known “le er from the Birmingham Jail.” This is a le er Dr. King composed and sent to Chris an pastors and priests and a Rabbi in response to their le er to him asking him to stop the protests and demonstra ons pe oning for equal rights for black ci zens of Birmingham. His le er is as per nent to today’s church and society as it was 60 years ago in 1963.

The Just Faith commi ee would like to share with you some excerpts from Dr. King’s le er which we feel is important for our thought and considera on.

“There was a me when the church was very powerful - in the me when the early Chris ans rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days, the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. …Things are different now. So o en the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So o en it is an archdefender of the status quo. … But the judgement of God is upon the church as never before. If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authen city, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twen eth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned to outright disgust.”

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Congratula ons to Luis-Felipe and Graciala Torres

who celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with

a renewal of their vows at St. Agnes Church on September 4, 2021.

We are so very blessed that Father Johnson and the members of our parish family who made their Pilgrimage all returned safely and in good health. For the next several

weeks we will share some photos from their journey. Thank you to Norman Jung for this first photo from the beginning of their journey in Lisbon, Portugal.