St. Mary Catholic Church www.stmary-wc.org 925-891-8900

EPIPHANY THE

OF THE LORD JANUARY 5, 2020

THEY OPENED THEIR TREASURES AND OFFERED HIM GIFTS OF GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH. Matthew 2:11

Dear Friends, It is hard to believe it’s 2020 already. Wasn’t it just yesterday that we ushered in the Millennium? No wonder I’m feeling old! But seriously, a very Happy New Year to all of you, and happy Epiphany on this great week-end. Today we celebrate the coming of the magi – whether they were kings or astrologers or just wise men – they came from distant lands to find and bring gifts to the newborn king. Their presence represents the fact that Je-sus, the Son of God, came to all people everywhere. We, too, are called to discover the Christ in our lives and to bring His presence into the world through our lives of service and care for our brothers and sisters. May the Holy Spirit guide us with wisdom and courage to celebrate this new year in holiness and love. May God bless us, now and always, that we may continue to witness Je-sus among us. Father Fred

The second collection next week-end will be for the ben-efit of our diocesan seminary. Your donation supports vocations to the priesthood.

We may walk many roads when we search for God, and He leads us all the while. The men we honor to-day were not Jews. The Messiah wasn’t coming for them, not in the minds of Jesus’ contemporaries. These men were astrologers. They were adept at reading portents in the sky, a practice condemned in the Mosaic covenant. Still, to the best of their knowledge and awareness, they were seeking the truth. This truth led them to journey from their own homeland to honor a king they’d never met, one they couldn’t be sure truly existed. “‘We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’” Who do you know seeks God so tenaciously? “Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,” the Gospel tells us. Who are the seekers in your own life? Maybe it’s your cautiously curious co-worker, the neighbor who unexpectedly found peace on a yoga retreat, or your desperately angry child who has chosen, for now, to go their own way. Perhaps they’re not overtly headed for Jesus now, not yet. But they may well be seekers of truth in ways we didn’t expect. Our invitation is to listen, inquire, and give directions when appropriate. The magi and modern-day seekers can inspire us as well. When is the last time you sought God’s truth so tenaciously? As believers, it can per-haps be easy to become desensitized to the Christmas season and to the miraculous reality we recently celebrated. Mass may have been lovely, but so was the succulent roast beef, the crisp smell of evergreen, and the warm glow of family. Consider asking yourself, “God, do I know you as well as I should? Would I journey as far as the magi to meet You, if I could? Do I journey to meet You daily in prayer? What do those answer say about me, and about our relationship?” Perhaps we, like the magi, can once again be “overjoyed” at seeing the Light of the World. ©LPi

ORGANIZATIONS CYO, Jerry Florence stmarycyo.wc@gmail.com 510-504-5954 Charismatic Prayer Group, Jim Crowley 944-0359 Eucharistic Adoration, Mary Johnstone 954-7205 Finance Council, Brian Mulligan 210-1031 Homebound Ministry, Helene Vizcarra 891-8936 Hospital Ministry, Angeles Ron 856-8780 Knights of Columbus, John Cuddihy 286-4515 Respect Life Ministry, Jim Crowley 944-0359 Rosary Makers, Ana Lau 256-4428 St. Vincent de Paul, Barb Erickson 937-2817 Walking with Purpose, Laura Lencioni 997-4379

MASS TIMES Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. & 12:05 p.m.

Saturday 8:30 a.m.

Saturday Vigil Mass 4:30 p.m.

Sundays 6:30 a.m. * 8:00 a.m.

9:30 a.m. * 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Spanish

6:00 p.m.

Sacrament of Penance Saturdays 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.

DEVOTIONS

Eucharistic Adoration Thursdays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Fridays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. (First Fridays all night)

Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturdays 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Fatima Devotion: First Saturday Hispanic Holy Hour: Other Saturdays

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Saturdays 9:00 a.m.

(at the end of 8:30 Mass)

PARISH OFFICE

2051 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Walnut Creek, CA 94596

OFFICE HOURS

8:30 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M. Monday through Friday

The second collection today is for Parish Maintenance. Thanks for helping us keep our facilities running in good order.

DATE TIME MASS INTENTION 01/04 4:30 pm John McDonough (L)

01/05 6:30 am Priscilo Guilles

8:00 am The People of St. Mary Parish

9:30 am Lisa Sangiacomo

11:00 am Tom Wainwright

1:00 pm Rudolph Tranka

6:00 pm Annie Ten

01/06 6:30 am Jack Meinbress

12:05 pm Patricia Trapani

01/07 6:30 am Don & Lucille Stull

12:05 pm Andrew Baker (L) B’D’

01/08 6:30 am Henry Segalas, Jr.

12:05 pm Tammi Brown

01/09 6:30 am Michael Busbee

12:05 pm Lorraine Black

01/10 6:30 am James DuBois

8:15 am St. Mary School Community

12:05 pm Johnny Randle

01/11 8:30 am Regina Johnstone

MASS SCHEDULE

PRAY FOR THE SICK

Staff and Administration

Parish Office 891-8900 Fax 934-1358 Fr. Fred Riccio, friccio@stmary-wc.org Pastor 891-8900 Fr. Dante Tamayo , frdante@stmary-wc.org Parochial Vicar 891-8900 Fr. John Blaker, 891-8900 In residence Ana Lau, alau@stmary-wc.org Office Manager 891-8908 Aileen Baker, abaker@stmary-wc.org Bookkeeper 891-8911

Faith Formation

Mary Kerfs, lifeteen@stmary-wc.org Administrative Assistant 891-8939 Tim Mannix, RCIA & tmannix@stmary-wc.org Liturgy Coordinator 891-8921 Austin Pisciotto apisciotto@stmary-wc.org Grades 4-8 891-8944 Maureen Tiffany mtiffany@stmary-wc.org Grades K-3 891-8942 Heather Abraham, habraham@stmary-wc.org Confirmation 891-8934

School

Office 935-5054 stmary@st-mary.net Website: www.st-mary.net Alumni: stmaryalumni@st-mary.net Garrett Padia, Principal 935-5054 Advisory Council Joel Williams, President 768-6711 Parents Club Shannon Crvarich, Co-President 949-973-8046 Lisa Kavanagh, Co-President 768-9890

Allison Flamez Margarita Caracas Elsa de Rossi Monica Jara Ana Alvarez Isabel Castillo Susana Jaime Maria Vargas Anthony De Cristoforo Rosalinda Reyes Annabelle Semira Joseph Suta Jeanine Gordon Christine Pollnow Wayne Alba Mary Alba Jake Johnston Bill Clark Art Coombes Diane Hewson

Tyler Coolie Clarissa Gutierrez

Julia Rodriguez Fred & Emilia Sohn

Raul Gonzalez Helen Budde Raquel Zittel

Dominador Hontucan Quinn Gurnett

Oralee Floria Henry Escano

Mary McLoughlin Angela Regan

Beverly Regan Josefina Zabat

Audry Robinson Loretta Holmes

Nancie Campi Bob Bussani Betty Baker

The Star of Bethlehem Long before His Son was born,

Before the world was new, God walked through all the stars He made…

The ones we wish on too. He walked until He found a Star

Perfect for His Plan… To be a sign His Son was born,

Savior to all men. He took it from its rightful place

And gave it a command. “Do not shine ‘til Christmas Eve

Comes upon the land.” At last the sacred night arrived,

God hung it in the sky Just above a little stable

And the heavens breathed a sigh. It led the shepherds to God’s Son

And led the Wise Men, too. It stayed until God said to it, “Your job, at last, is through.” So back it went into its place,

Its mission, now was done. Of bringing light to all the world

By pointing to the Son. Margaret Peterson

THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR January 6-12

FF = Faith Formation Center SA = St. Anthony Rm. (near parish hall) SE = St. Elizabeth Hall (Conf. Rm.) SJ = St. Joseph Room SM= St. Michael Room SP = St. Peter Room

MONDAY, JANUARY 6

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7 7:00 AM Men of St. Joseph/SA 7:00 PM Hispanic Prayer Group/SA 7:00 PM Faith Form. 6th-7th-8th Gr/FF 7:30 PM Choir Practice/Church

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8 6:45 PM Encounter Youth Group/SE 7:00 PM Catholic Man Night/Chapel 7:00 PM Charismatic Prayer/FF-SM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9 7:00 AM Eucharistic Adoration/Chapel 4:00 PM Faith Formation 4th-5th Gr/SE 7:00 PM Hispanic Prayer Group/Church 7:00 PM Young Adults/SA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 7:00 AM Eucharistic Adoration/Chapel 7:00 PM Hisp. Choir Practice/SA

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 8:00 AM Men’s Prayer Group/FF-SM 9:00 AM Eucharistic Adoration/Chapel

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12 9:30 AM Faith Formation K-3rd/FF 10:30 AM RCIA/FF-SJ 11:00 AM Hispanic Faith Form./FF 4:00 PM Band Practice/Church

St. Mary Church has subscribed to the online software Ad-oration Pro for Eu-charistic Adoration scheduling in the chapel. The link for scheduling is adorationpro.org/maryca. You can schedule for weekly adora-tion or even if you are visiting. For adoration hours, contact Mary Johnstone (mleejohn@comcast.net). For help with Adoration Pro software, contact Cecil D'Souza (cecildsouza@hotmail.com).

St. Mary School Musical Theater

Presents

Disney’s Frozen Jr.

featuring After School Enrichment Class

Danville Village Theatre

233 Front Street, Danville

Sat., January 11: 11am & 6pm Sun., January 12: 2 & 6 pm

Tickets are $20 and may be pur-chased 30 minutes prior to curtain time at the theater box office, or online at Villagetheatreshows.com Information at 925-314-3463 or 925-451-3027

Saturday, January 11, 7:30 PM

St. Albert Priory 5890 Birch Ct., Oakland.

Join Fr. Michael Mascari, OP, Aca-demic Dean of Aquinas Institute of

Theology for this talk on St. Gregory.

One of your best New Year Resolutions!

Get the year started off right! Adoration and Rosary for men, Wednesday, January 8, at 7pm in the Adoration Chapel. Be with God for an hour, and join like-minded men for fellowship af-terward. Rosaries and cheat sheets provided. Food and drink follow. Invite a friend. Questions? Contact michaelgallagher1025@outlook.com

Looking for a different way to become a better Man, Father, or Grandfather in 2020? Check out the Men of St Joseph. Like St Jo-seph, we keep Jesus close by reading the Gospel and discuss-ing. Simple, practical, and real. Give it shot! Tuesdays 7am in the St Anthony room. Questions: michaelgallagher1025@outlook.com

Free Lecture

Praying with the Fathers of the Church: St. Gregory of Nyssa and the Lord’s Prayer

THE VINEYARD St. Mary Church

YOUTH MINISTRY (K-12) LITTLE SAINTS K- 3rd Sunday 9:30am - 11:00am

ROCK 4th - 5th Grade Thursday 4:00pm - 5:30pm

BLAST 6th Grade Tuesday 7:00pm - 8:30pm

EDGE 7th - 8th Grade Tuesday 7:00pm - 8:30pm

CONFIRMATION Call for info

YOUTH GROUP 9th - 12th Grade Wednesday 6:50pm - 8:00pm

Faith Formation & Youth Ministry Office 925-891-8939 Lifeteen@stmary-wc.org Sunday– Thursday 8:30—5:30pm

Catequesis en español Ages 6-13yrs Sunday 11:15am - 12:45pm

Disciples in Training

Faith Formation

Youth Ministry

First-Sacraments Families should be working with your children to complete

Chapter Four of your Blessed book by the date of our First Reconciliation Retreat

on January 26! For more info, visit: stmary-wc.org

Click On: Grow in Faith/H.S. Youth Group

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Like the Magi, may we also journey and be

attentive, untiring and courageous on the path to find the invisible God who

was born among us. Amen

-Pope Francis

WE NEED ADULT VOLUNTEERS TO

ASSIST IN OUR HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP WEDNESDAYS

FROM 6:50-8:00PM! FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP:

FOR MORE INFO: 925-891-8939 Lifeteen.stmarywc@gmail.com

Faith Formation and Youth Ministries resume this week beginning with Edge on Tuesday, January 7.

If you are looking to get your children and teens involved in one of

our Faith Formation ministries, visit us at: stmary-wc.org and click on: “Grow In Faith”

LECTURAS DE LA SEMANA Lunes: 1 Jn 3:22 — 4:6; Sal 2:7bc-8, 10-12a; Mt 4:12-17, 23-25 Martes: 1 Jn 4:7-10; Sal 72 (71):1-4, 7- 8; Mc 6:34-44 Miércoles: 1 Jn 4:11-18; Sal 72 (71):1-2, 10, 12-13; Mc 6:45-52 Jueves: 1 Jn 4:19 — 5:4; Sal 72 (71):1-2, 14, 15bc, 17; Lc 4:14-22a Viernes: 1 Jn 5:5-13; Sal 147:12-15, 19-20; Lc 5:12-16 Sábado: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Sal 149:1-6a, 9b; Jn 3:22-30 Domingo: Is 42:1-4, 6-7; Sal 29 (28):1-4, 3, 9-10; Hch 10:34-38; Mt 3:13-17

¡FELIZ DIA DE REYES!

FECHAS IMPORTANTES

Enero 5, NO HAY CLASE Enero 12, Clase 11:15am REUNION DE PADRES

925)357-3048 jcain@stmary-wc.org

La Epifanía del Señor es una de las solemnidades que más disfrutan los niños en la co-munidad hispana (Fiesta de los Reyes Magos), por aquello de que llegan los regalos y las piñatas llenando de alegría este tiempo navideño. Las familias se preparan para la ocasión y disfrutan el reunirse con amigos y familiares cercanos. Sin embargo, aparte de regalos y fiesta, hay muchas cosas que aprender sobre está solemnidad y, una de ellas es lo que significa la palabra Epifanía, Manifestación del Señor. Cristo se revela de muchas maneras, como Señor y Rey; y es importante como Dios se manifiesta en Jesús con hechos (Milagros). Todas las manifestaciones de Jesús en su tiempo histórico fueron luces de amor para la humanidad. Las lecturas de hoy, de alguna manera, y de formas diferentes, manifiestan quién es Cristo para el que cree en Él. El profeta Isaías dice: “Levanta los ojos y mira alrededor: todos se reúnen y vienen a ti; tus hijos llegan de lejos, a tus hijas las traen en brazos.” San Pablo aclara que

“también los paganos son coherederos de la misma herencia, miembros del mismo cuerpo y partícipes de la misma promesa en Jesucristo.” El Evangelio de Mateo nos orienta hacia el punto clave de quien se manifiesta: “Y tú, Belén, tierra de Judá, no eres en manera alguna la menor entre las ciudades ilustres de Judá, pues de ti saldrá un jefe, que será el pastor de mi pueblo, Israel”. Estos pasajes de la Sagrada Escritura muestran la uni-versalidad del Mesías, que ha venido a redimir a toda la humanidad. ¡Feliz Epifanía! ©LPi

LUZ DEL MUNDO Se puede entender la Epifanía como una extensión de la Natividad del Señor que celebramos el 25 de dic-iembre. En la Navidad celebramos la venida de Jesús como el rey y Mesías tan esperado por el pueblo judío, y en la Epifanía celebramos la revelación de Jesús como el Salvador y la Luz de las naciones; es decir, de ju-díos, gentiles y de todos los pueblos. La estrella brilla con tanto fulgor que atrae a los magos que vienen de países distantes para adorar a Jesús. No son judíos, y sin embargo se ven atraídos al que es la Luz del Mundo. La carta a los efesios revela que la Luz del Mundo era tanto para gentiles como para judíos, pues Cristo reúne a todos los pueblos en la luz de su amor. La lectura de Isaías también describe a diversos pueblos que vienen, pero esta vez les atrae la luz que emana del pueblo de Dios. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

De tierra lejana Venimos a verte;

Nos trajo por guía La Estrella de Oriente.

El buey como humilde, Las pajas le echaba;

La mulita coja Lo descobijaba.

Llegaron los Reyes Que no habían venido;

Llegan refrescando Los campos floridos.

Al recién nacido Que es Rey de los Reyes,

Oro le regalan Para ornar su frente.

Denme mi Aguinaldo Con aquel cariño

Con que se lo dieron Los Reyes al Niño.

(Tradicional de Puerto Rico)