Pastor Rev. John J. Sakowski frjohnpastor@aol.com

Parochial Vicar Rev. Kevin Kennedy

Pastor, Our Lady of Fatima Russian Byzantine Catholic Church

Vietnamese Ministry Director Rev. Te Van Nguyen

In Residence at St. Monica Church

Rev. Dr. Lawrence Gould, S.A.C. Chaplain, VA Hospital

Rev. William Young

Deacon Rev. Mr. Peter Solan

Pastoral Associate/DRE Sr. Noreen O’Connor, C.S.J.

Music Director Matthew Walsh

monicamusic@sbcglobal.net

Secretaries Cathy Calvo * Vera Rogulsky

Audrey Schambach

470-24th Avenue San Francisco, CA 94121

Tel: 415-751-5275 Fax: 415-751-0440 Office Hours:

Mon-Thur 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church

3835 Balboa Street

San Francisco, CA 94121 Tel: 415-387-5545 Fax: 415-221-0868

Office Hours: Mon-Wed 9:30 a.m. - Noon

St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church

Saturday Vigil—4:00 p.m. 1st Saturday 8:30 a.m.

Mass and Adora on

Sunday 8:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m.

6:00 p.m.

Weekdays 8:30 a.m. Mon.-Fri.

Family Mass (School Year) 2nd Sunday 11:00 a.m.

Confession Saturdays 3:00-3:45 p.m.

Holy Days 8:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Saturday Vigil 5:00 p.m.

Sunday 8:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m.

Weekdays 8:30 a.m.

12 noon

Family Mass (School Year) 1st or 3rd Sunday 10:30 a.m.

Confession Saturdays 4:00-4:45 p.m.

Holy Days 8:30 a.m. 5:30 p.m.

Welcome to all who worship with our parish family, whether long time residents or newly arrived in the parish. If you are not registered, please fill out this form and put it in the collection basket or mail it to the rectory. Name ___________________________________ Phone _______________________Email ____________________

Address___________________________________ City ____________________________ Zip ________________

New Parishioner New Address New Phone Number

Remove from List Send Sunday Envelopes St. Monica St. Thomas

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 26, 2017

Dear Parishioners and Friends: Today is Laetare Sunday, and the Church is telling us to “Rejoice.” We have passed the mid-point of Lent so

rejoice and give thanks to God for having helped us come this far on our Lenten journey. This week reflect on how our Lenten prac ces are going, and get started if we have been delayed. How are we doing at changing our hearts this Lenten season? Let us pray this week for God’s help and guidance along the way. Jesus, light of the world, you call us out of darkness into your wonderful light. How can I kindle Jesus’ light in my daily life during the remaining days of Lent? April 1: You are invited to a end Mass at 8:30 a.m. followed by Adora on of the Blessed Sacrament un l 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas. Saturday, April 15, plan to a end the Easter Vigil – the great feast of the Church – at 8:00 pm at St. Monica Church. Sincerely yours, Fr. John Sakowski

Reflec on on the Gospel

Jesus is the light of the world! Today’s readings are filled with images of sight, light, and new vision. Jesus gives glory to God by giving sight to the man born blind. He helps the man to gain interior sight – insight – that empowers him to accept Jesus and His way of life. God sees into the heart, the center of our person. Our ac ons may do one thing, our words may say another, but our heart is living tes mony to how we truly live by the light of God. Jesus’ invita on today is to be freed from the darkness that keeps us blind, and live as children of the light. Reflect this week on an area of blindness in your life.

OUR LADY OF FATIMA RUSSIAN BYZANTINE CATHOLIC CHURCH

You are invited to come every Sunday for the Russian Byzan ne Divine Liturgy at 10:00 am followed by a fellowship meal. Free parking is available at St. Monica’s parking lot. All are welcome! For more informa on on services, please visit byzan necatholic.org or call 415-752-2052.

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TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS - St. Monica - Fr. Bill Young celebrates a tradi onal La n Mass, Monday through Saturday at 12:00 Noon at St. Monica. All are welcome!

MINISTRY TO THE HOMEBOUND - Please call the Parish Office if you or someone you know is ill, facing surgery or in the hospital and would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick and Holy Eucharist. Addi onally, call the office if you would like to be added to our prayer list in the bulle n.

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SCHEDULE OF SERVICES FOR LENT

Sta ons of the Cross: Friday a er the 8:30 Mass

Adora on of the Blessed Sacrament St. Monica - Tuesday a er 8:30 Mass

St. Thomas - First Saturday a er 8:30 Mass

Palm Sunday - April 9 - Blessing & Distribu on of Palms at all Masses

Holy Thursday - April 13 - Mass of the Lord’s Supper 7:30 at St. Monica for St. Monica-St. Thomas Parish

(No Mass held at St. Thomas) Adora on of Blessed Sacrament un l 10:00 pm

Easter Vigil - April 15 - 8:00 pm - St. Monica Service is for St. Monica-St. Thomas Parish

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 26, 2017

CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD PROGRAM

A Children’s Liturgy Program for St. Thomas the Apostle Parish is held on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month during the 11:00 a.m. Mass. Children ages 3-6 experience God’s word in an age-appropriate way. Before the readings, the children will be invited up for a blessing and dismissed to hear the message of the Gospel in a more meaningful way. Children will rejoin their family for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. For more informa on or to volunteer contact Father John at frjohnpastor@aol.com.

LENTEN CHURCH REGULATIONS - Abs nence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics fourteen years and older on all Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday. Fas ng - Catholics who are 18 years of age but under the age of 60 are obliged to fast on Good Friday. One full meal is allowed, but does not prohibit taking some food during the day, as long as this does not cons tute another full meal. Drinking liquids during the day is permi ed. When health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige. If in doubt, check with a priest.

Good Friday - April 14 - St. Monica 12:00 Noon - Communion Service &

Venera on of the Cross 1:30pm-3:00pm Confessions

Good Friday - April 14 - St. Thomas 12:00 Noon - Living Sta ons of the Cross

1:00pm - Reflec ons on Seven Last Words 2:00pm - Communion Service/Venera on of Cross

7:30pm - Vietnamese Service

Easter Sunday - April 16 - St. Monica 8:00am / 9:00am (Cantonese) /10:30am

Easter Sunday - April 16 - St. Thomas 8:30am / 11:00am / 3:00pm (Vietnamese)

OUR LADY OF FATIMA RUSSIAN BYZANTINE LENTEN SERVICES

Lenten Services include Liturgy of the Presanc fied Gi s which are reflec ons on the Psalms and readings for Lent followed by the recep on of the Holy Eucharist at 6:00 pm on Friday, March 31. You are invited to a end Vespers in honor of the Annuncia on at 4:00pm on Saturday, March 25.

THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MARATHON IS COMING ON MARCH 26, 2017. IF YOU WOULD LIKE ROAD CLOSURES INFORMATION, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE AT www.runrocknroll.com/san-francisco/the-races/road-closures/.

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Voltaire Abordo* Pauline Assali * Mary Chan* Zhuan Chen * Connie Concon * Jacques Derderian* Ramon Dychitan Maria Fanara * Dan Fingal-Surma * Olivia Fisher * Gianna Rose Fedorczak * David Gamarra

Mary Catherine Gibbons * Toby Goold * Colleen Granero * Mary Guy * Virginia Lou Hartmann * Frank Marino Henry Maskowski * Virginia McGowan * Ann Murphy * Kaitlyn O’Connor * Dave Oliverio * Lourdes Olza

Kerry Parker * Tanya Ratliff * Alexa Rosario * Anna Seidler * Cynthia Seto * Teresa Spremich * Maria Wong

St. Monica School 5950 Geary Boulevard (@24th Ave.) San Francisco, California 94121 Tel: 415-751-9564/Fax: 415-751-0781 www.stmonicasf.org Principal: Mr. Vincent Sweeters St. Thomas the Apostle School 3801 Balboa Street (@39th Ave.) San Francisco, California 94121 Tel: 415-221-2711/Fax: 415-221-8611 www.sfsta.org Principal: Ms. Judith Borelli St. Thomas Pre-School/Pre-K Tel: 415-387-5511/www.sfsta.org Director: Ms. Jessie Men

R.C.I.A.: for those who want to become Catholic or are bap zed Catholic, but have not received all the sacraments. Contact Sr. Noreen: noconnor@csjla.org.

Rosary: 8:00 am, Mon-Sat at St. Monica.

St. Monica Choir - Prac ce at 7:00 pm on Thursdays in the choir room.

St. Thomas Choir - Prac ce on Sundays at 10:30 am. Email Max Dzul at maxdzu1357@hotmail.com.

St. Vincent de Paul: A 2nd collec on for the needy is taken every 5th Sunday at St. Monica. Monthly mee ngs are held every 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 pm in Foudy Hall (beneath the Church). Volunteers are needed to make sandwiches for 300.

Anoin ng of the Sick: At St. Monica on the 1st Tuesday a er the 8:30 am Mass and at St. Thomas on the last Friday a er the 8:30 am Mass.

Bap sm: Parents and godparents have to par cipate in the Bap smal prepara on program. The next Bap sm class is on April 8 at 10:30 am. Contact Sr. Noreen at noconnor@csjla.org.

C.C.D./Religious Educa on: Contact Sr. Noreen at noconnor@csjla.org.

Holy Hour: at St. Thomas on the 1st Saturday a er the 8:30 am Mass.

Matrimony: Couples are required to make arrangements with the parish six months prior to the desired date and to schedule marriage prepara on classes.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 26, 2017

2016 STATEMENT OF CONTRIBUTION LETTER - Please contact Audrey Schambach at 415 751-5275 (Monday through Thursday, 9am – 2:30pm) to request your le er from St. Monica or St. Thomas the Apostle.

OUTREACH AT ST. MONICA AND ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE STAR COMMUNITY HOME - serves homeless women and children. Please bring your gi s of non-perishable food items such as cereal, canned food, beans, rice, tuna, etc. and place them on the table by the side door in St. Thomas Church. ST. BONIFACE HOMELESS - They are in need of socks for the homeless who shelter in the Church during the day. Please place the socks in the baskets at St. Monica and St. Thomas. OPERATION RICE BOWL - ST. MONICA - “RICE BOWLS” are small cardboard containers in which to put your loose change or checks during Lent. Please bring them back on Palm Sunday. All the proceeds will benefit Catholic Relief Services. CRS helps communi es in building water pumps, provides educa on, and helps the poor. Please give to support local poverty and hunger allevia on programs.

LENTEN SPEAKERS SERIES 2017 - Explore our Chris an Faith each Saturday morning during Lent. All presenta ons begin at 10:30 am every Saturday through April 8 and are held at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Coming up are the following: “Medita ons on the Seven Last Words” by Fr. Victor Sczurek and “Penance-Its virtue, prac ce and role in the Spiritual Life” by Fr. James Gar-cia. For more informa on, go to www.stmarycathedralsf.org.

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO PARTICIPATE IN “40 DAYS FOR LIFE.” You are invited to join in this Lenten program of peaceful vigils and prayer. In San Francisco, par cipants will peacefully stand and pray in the public right-of-way outside the Planned Parenthood facility located on 1650 Valencia Street from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. For more informa on, contact Claire Herrick at 4125-847-1512.

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St. Monica

Sat. 3/25 8:30 am David Calvo †

5:00 pm Mary, John and Jack Hanley †

Mon. 3/27 8:30 am Deceased Members of Mary Chan Family

Tue. 3/28 8:30 am Rosary Bides - Special Inten on

Wed. 3/29 8:30 am Chris ne Lombella †

Thu. 3/30 8:30 am Francis Tam †

Fri. 3/31 8:30 am Josephine Smith - Special Inten on

Sat. 4/1 8:30 am Robert Vonderhey †

5:00 pm Jus na Jayme †

St. Thomas

Sat. 3/25 8:30 am NO MASS

4:00 pm Maggie Robertson †

Mon. 3/27 8:30 am Mercedes Kow †

Tue. 3/28 8:30 am Maggie Robertson †

Wed. 3/29 8:30 am Perpetua Gambon †

Thu. 3/30 8:30 am Maury O’Connor—Health

Fri. 3/31 8:30 am Mercedes Kow †

Sat. 4/1 8:30 am William (Bill) Olinger †

4:00 pm Jessica Soo Ngoh Ho †

ST. MONICA - April 1-2

LECTORS 5:00 pm Gay Ducharme

8:00 am Mike Guglielmino 10:30 am Family Mass

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS 5:00 pm S. Sermsakul/ M. D’Silva/J. Gerardo

8:00 am N. Estonina/N. Pons/L. Driskill 10:30 am J. & D. Stevens/R. Almada/B. Barromeo

ST. THOMAS - April 1-2

LECTORS 4:00 pm Erin Jang

8:30 am Janet Wong 11:00 am Casey Saplan

EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS 4:00 pm Alice Schmi /Leonard Kuplinski 8:30 am Andrea Iida/Chris ne Aguerre

11:00 am Ann Ni/Terry Lai/Elizabeth Hall

THIS WEEK (3/25-26) THE SECOND COLLECTION WILL BE FOR THE CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES. NEXT WEEK (4/1-2) THE SECOND COLLECTION WILL BE FOR PARISH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION FUND .

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT - MARCH 26, 2017

THANK YOU 3/19-20/2017 ST. MONICA ST. THOMAS

1ST COLLECTION $2525.00 $1677.00

2ND COLLECTION $ 672.00 $ 856.00

SPECIAL $ 300.00 CANTONESE $ 427.00 VIETNAMESE

CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES This week the second collec on is for the Catholic Relief Services which funds six (6) Catholic agencies that work to serve our suffering brothers and sisters around the world. Please give generously.

WITH SYMPATHY TO THE FAMILY OF PATRICIA KEELEY