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 August 24, 2014

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

LITURGICAL MINISTRY: Liturgy Coordinator, Sean Cooper Eucharistic Ministers, Stephen and Carina Kowalewski Lectors, Barbara Mehan Altar Servers, Alicia Antonio Children’s Liturgy, Michelle Gilman

FINANCE COUNCIL: Chairman, Mark Zaleski

PARISH ORGANIZATIONS: Catholic Youth Organization (CYO), 60 Plus or Minus Club, Hospitality Committee

SAINT VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETY: (510) 274-0830 Serving our community.

SICK & HOMEBOUND MINISTRY: Claudia Paquette, (510) 537-8986

STEWARDSHIP: Chairperson, Ed Coelho, (510) 881-5705

WINGS “Women in God’s Spirit”: Carol Moss, (510) 482-2041

HALL MANAGER: Ann McAusland, (510) 912-0287

YOUTH MINISTRY: Sean Cooper, (510) 581-5870 or Transfig_Youth@sbcglobal.net

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, 9:00 a.m. — 12:00 Noon Saturday & Sunday—Closed Secretary, Gloria Meeker 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 Marian Room, Parish Hall. Please call the Parish Office, 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 Director, Martin Mijalski. 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”

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time August 24, 2014

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

Transfiguration Catholic Church

Mass Intentions (August 23-30, 2014) Sat. 4:00p.m. Special Intention for Manuel Silva & Family Sun. 7:30a.m. For the People 9:00a.m. Marie Starika 11:00a.m. Nancy Smith Mon. 8:00a.m. Stephen Hunt Tues. 8:00a.m. Shirley Ambro Wed. 8:00a.m. Barbara Schmitz Thurs. 8:00a.m. Jose Mendoza Fri. 8:00a.m. Mary Faria Sat. 4:00p.m. Edward & Mary Joaquin and Dr. Douglas Franklin

Stewardship Corner The collection total for the weekend of: August 16th & 17th—$7,820.00 (compared to $12,000 average weekly stewardship goal) The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary—$732.00 Bishop’s Appeal—$33.00 Thank you for continuing in your stewardship role of providing for the upkeep of our parish community.

Remember Transfiguration in your Will and Living Trust

We extend a warm welcome to new parishioners and guests. If you would like to register or update information, please pick up a registration form in the vestibule of the church and return it to the Parish Office.

Pancake Breakfast Please note that the Pancake Breakfast will be held after the 7:30 and 9:00 Masses on the fourth Sunday of the month beginning in September.

Coffee and Donuts Craig & Martha Sihner will be hosting coffee and donuts after the 9:00 Mass this Sunday. Stop by and enjoy the fellowship.

Adult Bible Study Join us on Monday evening, August 25th in the Marian Room of the Parish Hall,7:00-8:30 p.m. No sign-up required, just drop in. Free will offering.

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

Anointing Service—Sunday, August 24 Immediately following the 11:00a.m. Mass

“Is there anyone sick among you? Let him send for he presbyters of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord”. (James 5:14) Anyone who is anxious about their health; facing a surgery; suffering from illness or chronic pain; or feel in the need of spiritual comfort is invited to a Communal Celebration of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick next Sunday.

Dear Parishioners, Can you believe that summer is almost over? I would like to share a couple of things that are coming up and thought you might want to put on your calendar before I leave on vaca-tion in September. This weekend, Fr. Kabipi will be here to celebrate Mass with us at the 9:00 and 11:00 Masses. He will also help us with the Anointing of the Sick after the 11:00 Mass. He served our parish for a few years while studying at Berkeley. He is a gentle and loving soul. If you would like to give him a donation for his ministry in Tanzania, he would be most grateful. On October 18th & 19th, the parish will be hosting the Stat-ue of Our Lady of Fatima. On Saturday, we will have a can-dlelight procession in the evening. Mark your calendars and plan on joining us in honoring The Blessed Virgin Mary. Yours in Christ, Fr. Mario Borges

Please Note The Parish Office will be closed on

Monday, September 1, 2014 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Sixty Plus or Minus Club Please join us in the Hall following the 9:30a.m. Mass on Friday, September 5th. Our hosts will be Al & Mary Lou Iannarelli. Bingo will be played after our meeting. Please sign up today if you plan to attend. Look forward to see-ing everyone.

Baptism Class The next Baptism class will be Tuesday, September 9, 2014.

Please call the Parish Office to register.

Join Us… As We Remember—Celebrate—Pray

FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH Monthly Memorial Mass—11:00a.m.

Holy Sepulchre Cemetery & Funeral Center Mausoleum of the Apostles Chapel

Questions: (510) 537-6600 or HolySep@cfcsOakland.org

Deadline for Bulletin The deadline for items in the bulletin is Monday,4:30p.m.

Thank you for your support!

St. Vincent de Paul The meeting has been changed to TODAY

Sunday, August 24, 2014, 10:00a.m., Parish Hall All are welcome.

Your donations totaling $4,321.00 in June enabled us to help even more families. We have spent $3,500.00 of these donations helping approximately 200 people ( 50 of these were children) and now our funds are low. Our need has increased and we need your help! We will have a col-lection next weekend. Your continued generosity would be greatly appreciated.

Confirmation “Opening Night” The time has come for our High School teenagers to consider continuing their Religious Education and exploring the idea of completing their Initiation into the Roman Catholic Church. Our Catholic Sacraments of Initiation are three, Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. High School Students, do you wish to investigate what it means to become a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church? Here is your chance. Confirmation at Transfiguration is not a graduation! Here, we strive to create a dynamic and engaging two year program that is sure to keep you on your toes in faith and service and encourage you to step into your call as disciples for a lifetime. Want to learn more about it? Please join us with your parent(s) for an Information Meeting on Thursday, Sep-tember 4 from 7:30 to 9:30p.m. to review the require-ments, ask questions and make a preliminary decision. At our “Opening Night”, on September 4, we will explain the program in detail. We will then give you time to talk it over together, as a family. At the conclusion of the evening, we will be accepting the names of those high school stu-dents who wish to further explore the program by attending an all-day, mini-retreat on Sunday, September 14. We will also be collecting a permission slip and $30.00 per stu-dent to cover the costs of the mini-retreat. FYI: Confirmation Preparation is Not offered at our Catho-lic High Schools; it must be completed within the parish. Parents: While the final decision to be confirmed must be that of your child; your support is crucial. If your daughter/son has expressed any interest in exploring the Sacrament of Confirmation at this time, it is essential that you BOTH at-tend this Opening Night for the entire time, 7:30 to 9:30 pm. If your teen decides to wait, our next class will begin fall, 2016. We look forward to meeting with you on September 4.

The Buon Tempo Club invites you to a

GEORGE MARK CHILDREN’S HOUSE BENEFIT

LINGUINI AND MEATBALL FEED SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2014

Right HERE at Transfiguration, Parish Hall

From 5 pm to 7 pm $15.00 per person, ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT For more information call Rich Gorman 510 483-3779

All profits go directly to the George Mark Children’s House.

Lucky SHARES Report Thank you for your continued support of the Lucky super-markets SHARES program. We received a donation of $822.33 for the second quarter of 2014, for a total dona-tion of $1,599.87 to youth programs so far this year, and $7,567.23 since we joined the SHARES program in 2012! Thank you for your continued support of the young peo-ple of our parish!

TODAY’S READINGS: First Reading: Isaiah 22:19-23 Second Reading: Romans 11:33-36 Psalm: 138 Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: 2 Thes 1:1-5, 11-12; Ps 96:1-5; Mt 23:13-22 Tuesday: 2 Thes 2:1-3a, 14-17; Ps 96:10-13; Mt 23:23-26 Wednesday: 2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18; Ps 124:1-2, 4-5; Mt 23:27-32 Thursday: 1 Cor 1:1-9; Ps 145:2-7; Mt 24:42-51 Friday: 1 Cor 1:17-25; Ps 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11; Mk 6:17-29 Saturday: 1 Cor 1:26-31; Ps 33:12-13, 18-21; Mt 25:14-30 Sunday: Jer 20:7-9; Ps 63:2-6, 8-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27

LETTER FROM POPE FRANCIS THE “JOY OF THE GOSPEL” CONTINUED...

The Church’s Missionary Transformation—#43. In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep histori-cal roots, are no longer properly understood and appreci-ated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives. Saint Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the precepts which Christ and the apostles gave to the people of God “are very few”. Citing Saint Augustine, he noted that the precepts subsequently enjoined by the Church should be insisted upon with moderation “so as not to burden the lives of the faithful” and make our religion a form of ser-vitude, whereas “God’s mercy has willed that we should be free”. This warning, issued many centuries ago, is most timely today. It ought to be one of the criteria to be taken into account in considering a reform of the Church and her preaching which would enable it to reach every-one. Fr. Terry’s Remarks— I recall that when I first went on mission to Thailand in 1985, I visited a number of vil-lages deep in the forests of Northern Thailand. I was able to meet in each village the first Catholics that had been baptized in the early 50's. Their common theme was how the Good News of Jesus, made them feel they were loved and removed their fears of the spirits of the forest that had haunted their lives. For them the Faith was one of libera-tion, love and respect. I am happy to say that I saw and heard that joy on their faces and in their words. The dan-ger is when we begin to teach them more about the faith, its history, and our many devotions and rituals. When we stress the importance of each, we overburden our faithful and fail to distinguish for them and ourselves what is op-tional or perhaps obsolete, or may not even be helpful to some. As Pope Francis reminds us today that St Augus-tine had to warn the Church of his day that: 'precepts should be taught with moderation, so as not to burden the lives of the faithful.' We recall that when Jesus was asked by the lawyer which of the commandments were most important, Jesus’ reply was: 'love of God and neighbor.' What a lot of us lack today is a sense of priorities. But its hard to blame us, when every prayer, devotion and ritual is presented to us as necessary for salvation. I think back to those early Christians in the forests of Thailand who welcomed their Faith as one of love, liberation and re-spect.