Church of the Transfigura on 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 July 12, 2020

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 Email: eserrano76@gmail.com Lectors, Barbara Mehan Email: barbmehan@sbcglobal.net 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: Mary Kay Kelder, (510) 582-7253 WINGS “Women in God’s Spirit”: Nancy Marcotte Email: nanmar2@aol.com (510) 303-3324) 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: Deacon Martin J. Leach (510) 537-1502 or Transfig_Office@sbcglobal.net 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”

Announcement Transfiguration Church Masses continue to be suspended due to the corona virus pandemic. Please follow the Sun-day Mass scheduled at 12 noon via Facebook. Thank you.

Your Prayers Are Requested for the Repose of the Soul of:

Stella Lopez (Aunt of Mel Speed)

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 12, 2020 You have crowned the year with your

bounty, and your paths overflow with a rich harvest. — Psalm 65:12

GOD’S WORDS Each day we are bombarded with thousands of words. From the moment our clock radios click on in the morning, until the last moment of the day when the television is turned off or someone bids us “good-night,” our life is filled with words. Some words that we hear bring news that leaves us feeling low. Some words lift our spirits. Many of the words we hear are trying to get us to buy something. Some words are hurtful. Today the Church focuses our at-tention on hearing the word of God. Are God’s words just more of the same—part of the endless stream of words that flow into our ears each day? The challenge today is to allow God’s word to in-spire us in new ways so that our outlook and atti-tudes align themselves more closely with the heart and mind of Christ Jesus. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

SAINT KATERI TEKAKWITHA (1656-1680) July 14 Though the New York State Thruway runs close by the North American Martyrs’ Shrine, traf-fic’s roar never pierces the peace enveloping Auries-ville—Ossernon to Native Americans—in the lovely Mohawk Valley, where Kateri Tekakwitha was born barely ten years after the martyrdom of Isaac Jogues and his Jesuit and lay companions. Daughter of a Christian Algonquin mother and non-Christian Mo-hawk chief, Kateri’s parents died in a smallpox epi-demic widely blamed on the missionaries. Moreover, many Native Americans had experienced exploita-tion at the hands of “Christian” traders and trappers, further discrediting the faith Kateri embraced in bap-tism, then pledged to live even more intensely in vowed virginity. Misunderstanding led to harass-ment, prompting her move to a Christian village far-ther north along the Saint Lawrence River. Despite this, Kateri’s faith remained undaunted, her selfless charity undiminished. Both before and after her death at twenty-four, this young “Lily of the Mo-hawks” drew countless converts to Christ by the fra-grance of her goodness. Through us, does “the aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15), attract others to the beauty of his gospel? —Peter Scagnelli, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

CRS Rice Bowl Collection Due to Lent having been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not collect the donations for CRS Rice Bowl at the end of Lent as we normally do. If you have not already done so, we ask that you count up the money in your Rice Bowl box and write a check to the parish, with “Rice Bowl” writ-ten in the memo line. Bring it by the parish office or mail it in. Remember that when you give to Rice Bowl, 25% stays locally, most of which goes to feed those in need in our diocese, through groups like St. Vincent de Paul. Thank you for participat-ing in CRS Rice Bowl this past Lent!

Parable of the Sower Before the parable of the sower finally ended up in the Gospel version of Matthew, it went through a long period of oral transmission. The first part (its short form) is substantially the parable as originally told by Jesus. The allegorical interpretation at the end was added later. The discussion on the purpose of teaching in parables in between is also a later in-sertion that refers to the kingdom of God, mysteri-ously present in the works of Jesus. One may ask, if Jesus did not say all of this, it is nevertheless the word of God? Yes it is. There is much in the Gospels that was not said by Jesus ver-batim. Much of the Gospels is meditative interpreta-tion of Jesus’ spirit and attitude toward life. Later the Church recognized herself in the four Gospels, as we have them now, and accepted them as God’s word. Since the point of the parable is offered by the Bible itself, we do not need to comment on it. Ask yourself this question: In reading your Bible and searching for the point (God’s word to you), do you establish a living contact with God by meditative prayer? This is all that Christian Bible reading is about. —Saint Joseph Sunday Missal

READINGS FOR THE WEEK Monday: Is 1:10-17; Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Mt 10:34 — 11:1 Tuesday: Is 7:1-9; Ps 48:2-8; Mt 11:20-24 Wednesday: Is 10:5-7, 13b-16; Ps 94:5-10, 14-15; Mt 11:25-27 Thursday: Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19; Ps 102:13-14ab, 15-21; Mt 11:28-30 Friday: Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8; Is 38: 10-12abcd, 16; Mt 12:1-8 Saturday: Mi 2:1-5; Ps 10:1-4, 7-8, 14; Mt 12:14-21 Sunday: Wis 12:13, 16-19; Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16; Rom 8:26-27; Mt 13:24-43 [24-30] SAINTS AND SPECIAL OBSERVANCES Sunday: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Monday: St. Henry Tuesday: St. Kateri Tekakwitha Wednesday: St. Bonaventure Thursday: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Saturday: St. Camillus de Lellis; Blessed Virgin Mary

For your convenience the following are the Transfig-uration Church electronic links: Transfiguration website: www.transfigchurch.com Electronic Bulletin: www.e-churchbulletins.com/bulletins/523293.pdf Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Church-of-the-Transfiguration-115417251810536/ On-Line Donation: https://www.sagepayments.net/eftcart/forms/donate.asp?M_id=798399645711

Thank you for your continued support of Transfig-uration Church as it struggles to fulfill its financial obligations due to the corona virus pandemic.

TODAY’S READINGS First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11

Second Reading: Romans 8:18-23 Psalm: 65 — Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23, 1-9

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

Attention Amazon Shoppers!!! Transfiguration Church is a registered non-profit on Amazon Smile, Amazon’s charitable giving pro-gram. To register your account for donations to “Transfiguration Castro Valley” and click choose. Amazon will then donate .5% of qualifying purchas-es to Transfiguration! All you have to do is the ini-tial setup, and then go to smile. Amazon.com each time you shop! It’s that easy. Thank you for your support of Transfiguration Catholic Church.

Stewardship Corner The collection total for the weekend of: June 27th & June 29th — $4,145.00 Peter’s Pence — $205.00 July 4th & July 5th — $5,420.00

(compared to $12,000 average weekly stewardship goal)

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.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT Many of our parishioners have given permission to use their email address for parish communication purposes. If you would like to receive the Sunday Bulletin and parish updates electronically, please send email to trans-fig_office@sbcglobal.net to be included in the distribu-tion. Thank You.

St. Vincent de Paul

St. Vincent de Paul members are again collecting new backpacks filled with school supplies for our clients going “Back to School” whether it be virtual or at school buildings. Backpacks filled with school supplies can be dropped off on Saturday 7/25/2020 from 1:00 pm—3:00 p.m. in front of the church hall. St. Vincent de Paul members wearing face masks and gloves will be there to accept your donations as you drive up. Necessary school supplies include: 2 notebooks, wide ruled paper and new binder, colored pencils, washable markers, crayons, pencils and pens, ruler, erasers, small tissue packs, and sketch pad.

LIVE TODAY Live today the way you will wish you had lived when you stand in judgment before God. —Anonymous

GOD WITHIN In everything, be it a thing sensed or a thing known, God is hidden within. —St. Bonaventure

LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS

ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME

WEAK RESPONSES

#58. In some countries, there are positive exam-ples of environmental improvement: rivers, polluted for decades, have been cleaned up; native wood-lands have been restored; landscapes have been beautified thanks to environmental renewal projects; beautiful buildings have been erected; advances have been made in the production of non-polluting energy and in the improvement of public transporta-tion. These achievements do not solve global prob-lems, but they do show that men and women are still capable of intervening positively. For all our limita-tions, gestures of generosity, solidarity and care can-not but well up within us, since we were made for love. Fr. Terry’s Remarks:

When we look at the vastness of our Global degra-dation, the natural response is to feel helpless in face of the odds. But here in the Bay Area we have the example of a few brave souls. When faced with the devastation that unbridled exploitation had inflicted on the Bay. They began a restoration and have re-stored most of the Bay. We need a similar world wide response to begin healing our planet. Let us begin by making ourselves more aware and us-ing our political and social influence put pressure on those who can initiate a new approach that heals and does not destroy. We are today distracted by the corona epidemic but we also see what happens when we don't take appropriate and timely action. Let us pray that we will have the wisdom to appoint capa-ble and worthy caretakers of Mother Earth.